Joe Cole comes to Sterling’s defence

Former Chelsea star Joe Cole has taken sides with the club’s summer signing Raheem Sterling over the many criticisms about the former Man City star.

Cole in his statement stressed that the Blues player’s place in England’s World Cup squad should not be questioned

Sterling scored for the first time in ten matches as the Blues downed Dinamo Zagreb 2-1 at Stamford Bridge in the Champions League on Wednesday night.

The former Manchester City star has been used in various positions since his £50m move from Manchester City, including an unorthodox wing-back role.

This means Sterling has scored five goals and created two assists in an underwhelming start to his Blues career.

Sterling, however, remains Chelsea’s top scorer and a regular under Gareth Southgate.

And Cole, a former Chelsea defender, says it’s ‘absurd’ to even speculate about Sterling being left out of England’s squad for the World Cup.

“He’s Chelsea’s top scorer, the last seven years of what he has done in his career…he’s got so much in the bank for the people who know the game,” Cole told BT Sport.

Cole added that nothing would stop Sterling from being among Gareth Southgate’s players for Qatar this month.