Thursday, 24th April, 2014
Ex-England international Michael Owen feels Liverpool’s Raheem Sterling should be drafted in the Three Lions’ starting line-up by manager Roy Hodgson in the upcoming World Cup.
The speedy winger has been in spectacular form for the Reds this season, scoring 10 goals in all competitions in addition to providing eight assists.
The 19-year-old is sure to be part of England’s World Cup squad. But Owen, a former Liverpool player, feels the starlet should definitely be a part of the country’s starting eleven.
Owen, who rates Sterling higher than Eden Hazard and David Silva, feels the youngster’s raw pace can cause havoc for rival defences.
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"He's definitely going to get into the squad; it's a question of whether he's in the starting XI or not," he told Liverpool’s official site.
"In a World Cup, in any game of football, you need players up front that have got pace. If you haven't got pace anywhere in your team, then you have to have some outstanding talent – passers of the ball, movement and guile.
"If you've just got raw pace, it opens up so many more avenues. He has developed into an outstanding player this season.
“He had time to find his feet, and now he's found them and he's one of the key players in the title push this year.
"I actually put him in my team of the year ahead of the likes of [Eden] Hazard and [David] Silva at Manchester City, and other players like that. That's how highly I rate him.
"Pace is so important; if you've got a football brain to go along with that pace, it's a lethal combination. He has consistently played well."
England have been pitted alongside Uruguay, Italy and Costa Rica in the Group D of the World Cup.
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