This weekend, England winger Raheem Sterling set the standard for the Three Lions and is tipped as the most promising potential World Cup star this country has seen in years, by former playmaker Alan Hudson.
Hudson, who played for Chelsea and Arsenal in the 1960’s and 70’s, said Sterling, who plays for Liverpool, was the top performing England player in their debut World Cup fixture against Italy on Saturday.
He told Football Express News: “Sterling was very exciting to watch. It was refreshing to see such genuine talent in the England squad and he was the best player we had on the pitch that day.”
He pointed out the 19-year-old’s merits and compared him to the likes of fellow Three Lions attacker Theo Walcott, saying Sterling possesses certain qualities players such as Walcott lack – exceptional control of the ball and the ability to stay on his feet.
“What I like about him, is that he is quick, knows how to get the ball under control and doesn’t keep falling over.
“We’ve seen a lot of attacking players, Walcott for example, who have good pace but are forever crossing the ball and running the ball out of play, as well as picking themselves off the floor.”
Hudson described the Liverpool favourite as the best young player to break through into the Three Lions senior squad in a long time.
“I like Sterling’s confidence on the ball, I like the fact he’s always got his head up. He’s always looking to play the ball. I think he’s the best player of this type we’ve seen breaking through in years.
“For someone with such little experience, he looked like he’d been playing for years at that level,” he added.
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