Brendan Rodgers has branded 'unfair' criticism of Raheem Sterling for saying he was too tired to play for England, warning the careers of his young stars could be over by the age of 26 unless they are managed properly.
Rodgers admitted Sterling has been shaken by the furore surrounding his withdrawal from England's starting XI against Estonia on Sunday night. The Liverpool wonderkid told England manager Roy Hodgson he felt too tired to start the match having been heavily involved for club and country at the start of the season off the back of playing at the World Cup.
In a passionate defence of Sterling, Rodgers insisted that he needs 'space and protection' rather than criticism, and warning that overplaying the forward could 'break' him.
But Rodgers also offered an olive branch to Hodgson in an attempt to defuse any club vs country row, saying that the pair had exchanged text messages over Sterling and insisting the pair want to put the issue 'to bed'.
The Reds boss did, however, also make a pointed defence of his two-day recovery methods, claiming that it kept his players fit and fresh and was at the forefront of modern sports science.
Rodgers, speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of Sunday's visit to Sterling's first club QPR, said: 'What has been unfair is that the kid has been out on the back pages for something he didn't say. I have had it here with him, he has complained about tiredness in his legs.
'He's back here now in a secure environment. I think it has shook him a little but he's fine now and has trained brilliantly today. He's back to normal.
'People talk about club v country. I take great pride in our players playing for their country. This club is club AND country rather than club VERSUS country. Liverpool are not a barrier to England. We want our players to go and do well for national teams. I hope the players become better through playing for England.
'Roy and I have exchanged messages and that's fine, we have been unable to speak but that's fine, we want to put this to bed now. Raheem needs to be given space and protection so he can develop.'
Source: Dailymail
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