Former England captain Alan Shearer has put the boot in on Raheem Sterling after the Liverpool forward said he was too ‘tired’ to start for England against Estonia.
The 19-year-old started Sunday’s match on the bench for the Euro 2016 qualifier in Tallinn, after complaining that he was too tired from his (45 minute) exertions against San Marino three nights earlier.
But Sterling faces a backlash over his request to sit the match out, not least from Shearer.
“I genuinely have never heard something like that in my career. Certainly not in a squad I was involved in,” Shearer wrote in the Sun.
“If I had, as either captain of Newcastle or England, I’d have gone straight up to the player and said ‘are you sure?’ and that’s putting it mildly.”
Former striker Shearer went on contrast Sterling’s workload with that of the average working man.
“The working man who is up at 6am and home at 8pm does not want to hear about how tired a 19-year-old professional footballer is,” Shearer said.
“And no, that is not just some cliche, it is what many people are thinking this morning.”
As they make their way to another 14 hour slog at the workplace.
Shearer, lest we forget, was so committed to the England team, that he retired from international football at the age of 29. He continued to play club football though, and performed with distinction for Newcastle United for a further six years.
Mr England also threatened to withdraw his services for the 1998 World Cup after he was charged with the FA for a stray boot that landed in the face of Neil Lennon. This, despite the fact that he was captain of the national team at the time.
Shearer felt aggrieved at being charged for what he claims was an accident. Take a look at the footage (below) and make your own mind up.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPp0teYYi70
