Sterling has to play for me. If Sterling doesn’t play - no chance
Paul Merson on England star Raheem Sterling
“I heard yesterday people saying about Sterling not playing,” Merson said on Sky Sports News.
“Sterling has to play for me. If Sterling doesn’t play - no chance.
“I’ve got both (in my starting XI) but if I had to pick one of them, I’d have to pick Sterling.”
Merson has gone one step further with Raheem Sterling and has surprisingly backed the 23-year-old to win the Golden Boot.
Barnes advises Sterling to ignore controversy and 'focus'
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World Cup 2018: Merson says Raheem Sterling must start ahead of Marcus Rashford for England (Image: SKY SPORTS)
“I’ve gone for Sterling as the top goalscorer,” he said.
“One, it’s a massive price, but two, he hasn’t scored since 2015 and people will be watching this thinking ‘is he mad? 18 caps without a goal’. (But) he gets chances.
“If he clicks and he hits fire, he could be the top goalscorer, there’s no doubt. He’s got to play every game.”
Sterling scored 23 goals for City last season, compared to Marcus Rashford's 13.