Chelsea star hails Sterling after England snub

James Shearman

• Updated: 12 Oct 2023 19:16 BST
• 3 min read

Conor Gallagher has praised Chelsea teammate Raheem Sterling's professionalism in light of consecutive omissions from the England squad.

Sterling has been a key player for The Three Lions under Gareth Southgate, yet he has been left out of the squad for both international breaks this season.

Southgate's decisions have been even more surprising given Sterling's form at Chelsea, under Mauricio Pochettino.

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The 28-year-old scored just six Premier League goals last season and still managed to keep his place in the England setup at every opportunity.

Meanwhile, he has already found the net three times in this campaign, and apparently that is not enough to deserve a call-up - in Southgate's opinion.

Jack Grealish, however, has only started two league games for Manchester City in 2023-24 and has not scored once.

Gallagher on Sterling

"[Sterling] is brilliant; really nice guy and top player, of course - you see his career," Gallagher told BBC Sport.

"He's been really professional and a leader at Chelsea so credit to him, he's mentally very strong and hopefully he can keep playing like he played against Burnley, because he's why we got that win.

"You need a bit of experience [in the squad] when you've got young players in the squad, I think Raheem helps a lot of young players. He shows his experience and his qualities on the pitch and he's very appreciated at Chelsea."

Pochettino was also complimentary of Sterling's performance in the recent 4-1 win against Burnley.

"All players try to play well and today he was well. He was involved in the goals and I am so happy for him and so happy for the team.

"The team was good, the performance was fantastic, they deserve the praise. So happy for them to go to the international break with a different feeling to the last."