Chris Sutton can’t believe 26-year-old is in the England squad over Raheem Sterling

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Chris Sutton has been left puzzled by Gareth Southgate’s decision to leave Chelsea winger Raheem Sterling out of the England squad.

Raheem Sterling has been excellent for Chelsea this season, scoring against his former side Manchester City on Sunday, but the 28-year-old has not done enough to win a call-up.

Jude Bellingham and James Maddison have had to withdraw from the Three Lions squad because of injury, but Southgate has still overlooked Sterling, something Chris Sutton, who has been speaking on It’s All Kicking Off!, is disappointed with.

Instead, he has decided to call up his team-mate Cole Palmer, who impressed Sterling with his penalty against City.

Raheem Sterling should have been called up

For Sutton, Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford is the player who should have been left out, not Sterling.

Discussing Southgate’s selection on It’s All Kicking Off, the former Chelsea striker said: “I think Rashford is in the squad. How is Marcus Rashford in the squad ahead of Sterling based on this season’s performances?

“This has always been a criticism of Gareth though. He makes decisions which go against the grain at times. Rashford being one of them this season, Jordan Henderson being another one, Kalvin Phillips being another.”

Raheem Sterling should feel incensed

Honestly, Sterling’s exclusion from the England squad is an injustice. Not only is he playing well at the moment, but some of the players ahead of him aren’t.

Take 26-year-old Rashford, for example, who has scored just one goal in 11 Premier League appearances this season.

There is also Jack Grealish, who is yet to register at all in the current campaign.

In total, Sterling has more goal contributions than the pair combined. You now have to wonder what he has to do to win a recall.

There will still be some Chelsea representation in the England squad, though. As well as Palmer, Conor Gallagher has also been called up and had Levi Colwill not picked up an injury, he would have been present as well.

That is why Colwill will not be playing against Malta or North Macedonia. But as for Sterling, there is not a good reason for his absence.