Raheem Sterling did not live up to expectations in his debut season with Manchester City.
Charlie Nicholas believes Raheem Sterling does not warrant his place in England’s starting XI
Sky Sports pundit Charlie Nicholas has urged England manager Roy Hodgson to drop Raheem Sterling and introduce Jack Wilsere to his side that will face Wales on Thursday.
The former Arsenal man told to Sky Sports News that the current Gunners star can help get the best out of Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Adam Lallana.
“I think the one player that didn’t merit a start was Sterling after what was a really poor season,” Nicholas said. “Wilshere is a top-class footballer and can help get the best out of Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Adam Lallana.”
Nicholas feels that Jack Wilshere is a ‘top-class footballer’
England were impressive on the whole in their 1-1 draw with Russia, but the 21-year-old Manchester City winger came in for heavy criticism following a poor display. Nicholas also blasted Hodgson for not being brave enough with his substitutions, lamenting his failure to introduce Jamie Vardy.
“I’ve made my views on Hodgson being too cautious in the past pretty clear,” he added. “And while it was an attacking starting line-up, they could have wrapped up the win by being more adventurous. Why not bring on Vardy? England didn’t score until the 73rd minute and there was still no sign of Vardy. He would’ve relished facing that ageing Russia back-line.”
Nicholas believes that Jamie Vardy could have made the difference against Russia
The game against Wales on Thursday will arguably present England with an even tougher challenge than the one they faced against Russia, and Hodgson must make sure he picks the right starting XI to deal with the threat the Welsh undoubtedly possess.
If the Three Lions have any hopes of topping Group B, they must secure all three points in Lens. It is still up for debate, however, as to whether or not Hodgson feels the best way to go about achieving victory is to have Wilshere and Vardy in the side.
Will Hodgson stick with Sterling for the Wales game?
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