‘A serious threat’: TalkSPORT pundit says Southgate has to start 27-year-old Chelsea player at the World Cup

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TalkSPORT’s Jamie O’Hara has claimed that Gareth Southgate has to start Raheem Sterling for England.

The Blues man has endured a rough spell of form since Graham Potter has come to Chelsea, with him rarely featuring in his preferred winger role.

He has been deployed as a wing-back on multiple occasions now. While it worked to great success in his first game in charge against RB Salzburg, any future use in the role has achieved far less joy.

This run of form has seen questions asked about his place in England’s World Cup squad.

With impressive showings from the likes of Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford in recent weeks, his once untouchable place in Southgate’s starting side is now under threat.

However, O’Hara believes England’s best bet is with the Chelsea man as part of the front three.

O’Hara backs Sterling to start

He said: ‘I would play Rashford with Sterling. Not Saka. When I’ve watched England in the past, when I’ve enjoyed watching England, we played this 3-4-3, was when Rashford, Kane and Sterling played as a front three. Now Rashford is coming back he’s a massive player.

“Everything’s in front. Kane comes deep. Foden comes to feet, Grealish comes to feet. That’s why we get excited by the likes of Saka and Sterling because they’re direct, they get the ball and go past people. Pace scares teams, you play Rashford and Sterling who can get behind, that’s a serious threat.”

Sterling will be hoping his international form will carry enough weight with the manager to see him handed the start against Iran in three weeks’ time.

England fans can certainly put the majority of their impressive Euro 2020 campaign down to the 27-year-old.

He scored every goal in the group stages of the competition, as well as the opener to put England on the way to a famous victory over Germany in the round of 16.