On Tuesday, March 11, Joleon Lescott, a former England soccer player, said that even though Arsenal loanee Raheem Sterling hasn’t been playing a lot, he still thinks he’s super fast and makes defenders nervous.
Lescott, who used to play for Everton and Manchester City, said Sterling is a tricky attacker, even if he’s not scoring tons of goals right now. Sterling moved to Arsenal from Chelsea last summer for a year-long loan, but he’s had a tough time making a big splash at his new team.
Arsenal has had lots of players get hurt this season—like Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz, and Bukayo Saka—which means they’re missing some big stars. Even with all these injuries, Arsenal’s coach, Mikel Arteta, hasn’t been giving Sterling much game time. Sterling has only scored one goal in 22 games and has played just 307 minutes in the Premier League this season.
But Lescott isn’t worried about that! He told Rio Ferdinand’s YouTube channel, “If you’re a defender, regardless of anything, if I’m looking at the teamsheet and I’m seeing Sterling, I’m nervous. If there’s a race, he’s going to win one. You’re still worried about the pace; you’re questioning that at the minute, but I still believe he is fast—he’s faster than most defenders.”
Sterling is crossing his fingers to play—or at least sit on the bench—when Arsenal takes on PSV in the Champions League on Wednesday, March 12. Will his speed shine through?
