Chelsea attacker Raheem Sterling has been warned that he may not be a 'consideration' for England at the upcoming World Cup following his performance against Brighton & Hove Albion at the weekend and other recent poor performances.
The winger started the Premier League clash at the Amex Stadium at left wing-back to accompany Mason Mount and Conor Gallagher behind Kai Havertz in the Blues attack. But not for the first time this season, Sterling struggled to make an impact and was replaced by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang after 63 minutes as the Blues fell to a 4-1 defeat.
Sterling endured a pretty disappointing afternoon on the south coast. According to SofaScore, he completed just 54 per cent of his passes, delivered two accurate crosses, was unsuccessful with both of his attempted dribbles and lost possession 17 times - the joint most alongside Mateo Kovacic.
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The 27-year-old continued his run without scoring for the Blues, with his previous goal coming in Graham Potter's first game in charge against Red Bull Salzburg. With the World Cup kicking-off in less than 20 days, Sterling has hit the worst possible form ahead of his ambitions of helping England to glory in Qatar.
And former Chelsea man Pat Nevin has warned the Blues attacker that his place in Gareth Southgate's starting XI is under threat should he fail to turn his fortunes around in Chelsea's remaining four games.
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live during the Brighton defeat, he said: "I'm watching Raheem Sterling right now and I've said that Graham Potter has got the best from every player since he has been there, with one exception. Raheem Sterling.
"If he keeps playing the way he is right now, he's not even a consideration for the World Cup. He is having a really, really bad time and today he is having an absolutely terrible game."
Sterling will be hoping to impress in Chelsea's final four games before the World Cup squad is announced, with Potter's side facing Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League on Wednesday night before current Premier League leaders Arsenal come to Stamford Bridge on Sunday in an intriguing London derby.
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