Pundit claims Gareth Southgate was right to leave out 'bang average' Chelsea star from latest England squad

Football pundit Simon Jordan has claimed that England manager Gareth Southgate was right to leave out Chelsea attacker Raheem Sterling in his latest squad. The former Manchester City star has not played for the Three Lions since the FIFA World Cup 2022.

There has been mixed reactions surrounding Sterling's omission from the England side but Jordan has claimed that Southgate did the right thing. The former Crystal Palace owner insisted that Sterling has been quite average following his switch to Chelsea and has not done enough to warrant a pace in the national team.

Jordan has claimed that Sterling has somewhat impressed in the last few weeks but he needs to do more to earn his place back. Jordan wrote in his column for the Daily Mail:

"Curiously, and for reasons that quite frankly evade me, eyebrows have been raised over Raheem Sterling’s continued omission from the England squad. But why? He’s been pretty bang average for Chelsea. OK, he’s had a few decent games in recent weeks but I haven’t seen a series of hugely impressive performances from him that mean he demands inclusion."

Sterling had an underwhelming debut season at Stamford Bridge following his £47.5 million switch from Manchester City last summer. He scored 10 goals and provided four assists in 40 games across competitions.

The former Liverpool winger is having a better campaign this time under new manager Mauricio Pochettino. The 28-year-old has scored five goals and provided two assists in 14 games across competitions this season.

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Chelsea star praises teammate Cole Palmer and his impact since joining the Blues

Chelsea midfielder Moises Caicedo has lavished praise on teammate Cole Palmer following his strong start to life at Stamford Bridge.

The Ecuador international also lauded the young Englishman for his performance in their 4-4 draw with Manchester City on Sunday (November 12). The former Brighton & Hove Albion star stated, (via Metro):

"We trust Cole very much. He’s a very talented player and a very good penalty-taker, so we were all very confident when he stepped up. He is showing his best form at the moment and proving just how good a player he is. We are very happy for Cole and very happy he is playing so well for Chelsea."

Palmer has caught the eyd following his £40 million move from Manchester City in the summer. The 21-year-old has scored six goals and provided four assists in 14 games across competitions so far this campaign.

His latest goal came when he converted a 95th minute penalty to help Chelsea earn a 4-4 draw against Manchester City. Palmer also recently got his first England call-up, owing to his impressive form.