‘Hasn’t’ - Wayne Rooney’s brutal Raheem Sterling Chelsea verdict amid England news

Wayne Rooney believes Raheem Sterling should not be part of England’s starting XI at the upcoming World Cup. Sterling was selected as part of Gareth Southgate’s 26-man England squad, and he will be heading to Qatar, as long as he stays fit through this weekend’s Premier League action. But the winger has struggled for form over recent weeks.

Chelsea as a whole have been out of form, failing to win any of their last four Premier League games, winning just one of their last four in all competitions. It has been a rocky start for Graham Potter, and it hasn’t been an ideal start to life in London for Sterling, who joined Chelsea for around £50million during the summer.

Sterling has scored three and assisted once in his first four Premier League games, but he hasn’t managed a goal contribution since the end of August, and he heads into the World Cup in poor form. It’s for that reason former England star and current DC United head coach Rooney believes Sterling should not start for Southgate in Qatar, at least not initially.

“Foden, Saka and obviously Harry Kane. Saka has been fantastic again this season for Arsenal,’ Rooney told TalkSport. “I think Phil Foden is the best player we’ve got technically. His form for England hasn’t been as good as it has been for Manchester City, but you just hope he brings his form into the World Cup. You’ve got the likes of [Marcus] Rashford and Sterling to come on and have an impact.”

Even the biggest Chelsea and Sterling fan might struggle to argue with that, given the recent form shown by Sterling over recent weeks. Meanwhile, Saka has played a big part in Arsenal’s superb start to the season, while Foden has been key for Man City in their impressive start.