There have been lot of reactions from fans as Liverpool youngster Raheem Sterling sat out of England’s European championship qualifiers against Estonia due to fatigue.
Many fans are not happy with the fact that the player asked to be rested but the fans should understand these players are not machines either.
The 19 year old has been on a prolific run of form this season making him a key member of Roy Hodgson national team squad as he also maintain his importance to Liverpool FC.
According to reports, only Chelsea’s Gary Cahill and Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere have played more minutes than the attacker this season.
Sterling has played more minutes than he did up to Christmas last season which shows he has been more involved this season for both club and country.
The frustration of the fans is understandable with Sterling been a major source of creativity for the national team of late.
Sterling’s call for rest is important and the fans must understand that asides been human, rest is important for the effective performance of the player and Sterling is not an exception.
Sterling has played a total of 1,105 minutes during this campaign; 854 of those in 10 games for his club, and another 251 in four appearances for his country.
The player in question is still young and should be exposed to games gradually to avoid him burning out in his developmental process.
A strategy maintained by Louis van Gaal on Adnan Januzaj this season.
Sterling however may risk getting injured or suffering from fatigue and loss of form in the future if he is not given a proper rest or well taken care of.
A good example of this is AC Milan sensation Stephan Elsharaawy who has struggled to make any impact after his exploits years back.
The importance of adequate rest in football cannot be overemphasised with players like Marc Vivian Foe of Cameroon and some others reportedly dying through fatigue.
Both Cahill and Wilshere are older than Sterling and have been built more physically over the years than the 19 year old.
Sterling is as important in the Liverpool squad as he is at the national team level but he must be well managed for better productivity.
The rest given to him by the manager, Roy Hodgson is important and it will be suggested to leave him out of the squad at times especially when they face lesser opponents.
This will aid the rapid growth and development of the player.
Roy Hodgson has made it clear how hardworking and fit the teenager is and fans are expected to understand and support their players especially when they need this morale support most.
