Ex-Liverpool and Aston Villa striker Stan Collymore says he is very surprised that Chelsea winger Raheem Sterling has been dropped by England manager Gareth Southgate.

Despite an excellent start to the season at club level, the 28-year-old was not included in the Three Lions squad for the games against Ukraine and Scotland, and Collymore cannot understand the decision to omit the player. He told Caught Offside:

“I was surprised to see Raheem Sterling left out of Gareth Southgate’s latest England squad. I think Sterling, who has been quite consistent for his country, has been one of the Premier League’s best players during the first three games.”

“I thought he was excellent against Luton Town last time out and is easily one of the first names on Mauricio Pochettino’s team sheet at the moment so to see him left out of England’s squad for their upcoming qualifiers was quite a shock.”

Sterling has looked sharp, particularly in the last two league games against West Ham and Luton Town, but he did struggle during his first season at Stamford Bridge and Southgate may have taken into account his form over a longer period when assessing whether to select him.

Sterling will be well-rested after the international break

While the player may be disappointed about being dropped by his country, plenty of Chelsea supporters will be happy that there is no risk of him being injured whilst away on international duty.

If Sterling performs well against Nottingham Forest this weekend, supporters will want to see him wrapped in cotton wool ahead of club football’s return later this month.

The winger will certainly be well-rested after a two-week break and he’ll be chomping at the bit to get back out on the pitch when the Blues take on Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium on September 17th.