Rio Ferdinand has called for Raheem Sterling to be recalled to the national team of England.
This is coming to the fore after the Chelsea attacker was snubbed by Gareth Southgate for the Three Lions' upcoming international games.
England will face Malta and North Macedonia on November 17 and 20 respectively, in what is the last set of international matches for 2023.
Gareth Southgate's side have already secured their spot in the 2024 European Championships that will be held in Germany but the absence of Sterling from recent matches has generated much controversy.
Raheem Sterling last played for England during the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, coming on as a replacement for Bukayo Saka in the 79th minute, as the Three Lions lost 1-2 to France in the quarter-final.
However, the Englishman who appeared to have cemented his spot in the national team has been snubbed from five consecutive squads.
Sterling has been outstanding for Chelsea in the 2023/24 season, scoring 5 goals and providing 2 assists in 14 appearances across all competitions.
The 28-year-old joined the Stamford Bridge club from Manchester City on July 13, 2022, for a fee of €56 million.
Raheem Sterling's teammate Cole Palmer was handed his first international call-up, a call-up that can be attributed to his impressive form for Chelsea.
Rio Ferdinand sounded infuriated by the absence of Sterling from the list of players selected to prosecute upcoming international matches and he put out a rant to that effect.
He acknowledged the qualities that Gareth Southgate has at his disposal but also noted that Raheem Sterling is in better form in comparison with players like Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish.
Ferdinand said: “Free Sterling. Free my guy Raheem Sterling, I don't know what he's done, whose nose he has put out of join. I don't know what happened.
“But for him to not be in the England squad is beyond me. Listen, there's a lot of talent, don't get me wrong, but if we're talking form then he's got more goals and assists or goal involvements than Rashford and Grealish put together.”
Gareth Southgate selected a swashbuckling list of A-list stars in attack for England's upcoming international games, including players like; Marcus Rashford, Jack Grealish, Phil Foden, Jarrod Bowen, Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka, and Ollie Watkins.
The Three Lions come into this fixture following a 1-0 friendly win over Australia on October 13 and a 3-1 comprehensive victory over Italy on October 17 in the qualifiers for Euro 2024.
England are unbeaten in their qualification group, Group C, with 5 wins and 1 draw from 6 group matches.
They sit at the summit of the group with 16 points, 3 points better than 2nd placed Ukraine, who have amassed 13 points from 7 matches, winning 4 matches, drawing 1, and losing 2.
Meanwhile, Raheem Sterling has made 82 appearances for England, scoring 20 goals and providing 27 assists.
This is coming to the fore after the Chelsea attacker was snubbed by Gareth Southgate for the Three Lions' upcoming international games.
England will face Malta and North Macedonia on November 17 and 20 respectively, in what is the last set of international matches for 2023.
Gareth Southgate's side have already secured their spot in the 2024 European Championships that will be held in Germany but the absence of Sterling from recent matches has generated much controversy.
Raheem Sterling last played for England during the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, coming on as a replacement for Bukayo Saka in the 79th minute, as the Three Lions lost 1-2 to France in the quarter-final.
However, the Englishman who appeared to have cemented his spot in the national team has been snubbed from five consecutive squads.
Sterling has been outstanding for Chelsea in the 2023/24 season, scoring 5 goals and providing 2 assists in 14 appearances across all competitions.
The 28-year-old joined the Stamford Bridge club from Manchester City on July 13, 2022, for a fee of €56 million.
Raheem Sterling's teammate Cole Palmer was handed his first international call-up, a call-up that can be attributed to his impressive form for Chelsea.
Rio Ferdinand sounded infuriated by the absence of Sterling from the list of players selected to prosecute upcoming international matches and he put out a rant to that effect.
He acknowledged the qualities that Gareth Southgate has at his disposal but also noted that Raheem Sterling is in better form in comparison with players like Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish.
Ferdinand said: “Free Sterling. Free my guy Raheem Sterling, I don't know what he's done, whose nose he has put out of join. I don't know what happened.
“But for him to not be in the England squad is beyond me. Listen, there's a lot of talent, don't get me wrong, but if we're talking form then he's got more goals and assists or goal involvements than Rashford and Grealish put together.”
Gareth Southgate selected a swashbuckling list of A-list stars in attack for England's upcoming international games, including players like; Marcus Rashford, Jack Grealish, Phil Foden, Jarrod Bowen, Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka, and Ollie Watkins.
The Three Lions come into this fixture following a 1-0 friendly win over Australia on October 13 and a 3-1 comprehensive victory over Italy on October 17 in the qualifiers for Euro 2024.
England are unbeaten in their qualification group, Group C, with 5 wins and 1 draw from 6 group matches.
They sit at the summit of the group with 16 points, 3 points better than 2nd placed Ukraine, who have amassed 13 points from 7 matches, winning 4 matches, drawing 1, and losing 2.
Meanwhile, Raheem Sterling has made 82 appearances for England, scoring 20 goals and providing 27 assists.