Raheem Sterling – by md.faisalzaman
For years die-hard Liverpool fans have been extolling the virtues of Raheem Sterling, telling anybody who would listen that he is going to be a truly world-class player when he gets his chance to shine. This season he has been given that chance and, so far, the Kopites seem to be right. Sterling’s pace and trickery has bewildered more than one Premier League defender and if he can keep his feet on the ground we could well see him go down as a legend at Anfield in the years to come.
The emergence of Raheem Sterling is much more important than many people may realise, however. The young winger is arguably the first player to come through the Liverpool youth system and make his way into the first team since Gerrard, Carragher, and Owen (Martin Kelly has yet to play in his favored centre-half position).
There have been problems motivating youth players at Liverpool for years, as it seemed that regime after regime favored buying experienced players to fill gaps in the team rather than taking a chance on a youth player.
Young players will now begin to see that there is a way to break into the side, and as Raheem Sterling has proved, it is eminently possible to stake a claim for a regular first-team spot once you do.
His impressive performances for The Reds this season have even seen Raheem Sterling earn a call-up to the England squad and players such as Suso, Conor Coady, Adam Morgan, and Andre Wisdom (to name just a few of LFC’s promising youngsters) will all want to follow Sterling’s path.
This sense of motivation and hope is already making itself known at Anfield and Brendan Rodgers has noticed it: “I think what Raheem has given all the young players, from eight years of age to the young professionals, is hope.”
Raheem Sterling already looks like he will become a legend at Liverpool if he can keep on the straight and narrow, and with so many other fantastic young prospects coming through under the tutelage of Rodolfo Borrell, hoping to emulate him, the future looks bright for Liverpool Football Club.
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