Forget the agent talks: Raheem Sterling needs to speak for himself at Chelsea

It’s Joe Hart/Michael Owen syndrome. When a player’s best years are at the end of their career, like Jamie Vardy, it’s celebrated as a triumph of determination. Have an equal number of even better years at the beginning, and it’s potential gone to waste. It seems a little unfair.

And it’s Joe Cole/Robbie Keane syndrome. When a player looks to be a sensational world-beating star of the future and then falls short of that, the fact they have still had a very good career gets lost somehow.

Not that Raheem Sterling will be quite as philosophical about it at the moment. 2024 is turning into an annus horribilis for the winger who smashed his way into worldwide consciousness as a teenager at Liverpool, played a big part in Manchester City’s evolution into the powerhouse they are today, and lit up England’s march to the Euro 2020 final .

Sterling has now not played for England for nearly two years, and after two underwhelming seasons at Chelsea , finds himself out of the side at club level too. He is just 29 years old.

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His representatives made clear how miffed they are that he was omitted from Enzo Maresca’s squad for their season opener against Manchester City.

“Raheem Sterling is contracted to Chelsea Football Club for the next three years,” they wrote in a statement. “He returned to England two weeks early to conduct individual training, and has had a positive pre-season under the new coach, who he has developed a good working relationship with.

“He is committed, as ever, to delivering at the highest level for Chelsea FC and the fans, who he holds in high regard, and given his inclusion in official club pre-match material this week, our expectation was that Raheem would be involved in this weekend’s fixture in some capacity. As a camp, we have always had positive dialogue with, and assurance from, Chelsea FC in relation to Raheem’s future at the club, so we look forward to gaining clarity on the situation. Until then, we will continue to support Raheem’s desire to start the new season positively.”

This may turn out to be a storm in a teacup. Maresca explained Sterling’s absence by saying: “The manager has to make some decisions. Sometimes players don’t like it, that’s normal. Just a technical decision, no more than that.”

But it’s kind of immaterial unless Sterling were to come back into the side and shine again. The chances of that currently feel remote: Sterling has not just fallen away from the apex of English football, but the level below that.

That makes it hard to see where Sterling’s future might lie . It’s difficult to imagine a player who left an upwardly-mobile Liverpool because he felt they did not match his ambitions quietly shuffling off to Brentford or Crystal Palace to become a bigger fish in a smaller pond. The letters ‘MLS’ are practically flashing before our eyes, only they are entering the final stage of their season and may well be inclined to wait until January.

It’s possible this kind of over-reaction is exactly what Maresca wants. Sterling has always been at his best when he has had a fire lit under him, whether by tabloid nonsense or questions about his future at City or in the England side. At Chelsea, you sense he has been selected by default more than anything; the marquee signing they are desperate to make live up to their expectations, just like Fernando Torres before him.

Sterling now needs to do his talking not through statements from his agent, but for himself, on the pitch, and prove this talk of a career wind-down is premature.

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