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Sterling criticism 'upsets' Lampard

Raheem Sterling and Frank Lampard were England team-mates at this summer's World Cup © Getty Images

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The criticism aimed at Raheem Sterling this week has been enough to "upset" former England midfielder Frank Lampard.

Sterling did not start England's Euro 2016 qualifying win against Estonia on Sunday after telling manager Roy Hodgson that he felt tired.

Hodgson's decision to make this conversation public have proven controversial, with Sterling's fitness and commitment called into question. Lampard insists it is unfair to turn on the 19-year-old, who is early in his career and still to develop physically.

Lampard, a team-mate of Sterling's at the World Cup in Brazil this summer, said: "I think he is actually quite a brave boy to say, 'You know what I am not quite at my best here.'

"I am actually quite upset, not with the manager as such, but that the aftermath has been a lot of people criticising Raheem Sterling - who is probably in the top two or three players in our country and we need him to be at his best - for making quite a brave decision.

"I think we need to get behind him. Whether it is right or wrong, I don't know, but we are all individuals and he made that call."

One accusation thrown at Liverpool winger Sterling, who has become a key player for club and country over the past year, is that he is a well-paid professional who should be fit under any circumstances.

Lampard however, dismissed the money argument as irrelevant.

"I would take the money out of it," he said. "That is easily said and I hate it when money gets drawn into things, in terms of 'because he is getting paid [this] he should act like this'. It happens too much.

"The fact is, when that is your job, when you are doing it regularly, you have to make calls. I think Raheem made a judgement call on that game alone.

"Hopefully he will get 100 caps and be very successful for England."

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