Gareth Southgate hailed Raheem Sterling as a role model to England’s younger players after the winger’s electric hat-trick saw England thrash Czech Republic 5-0 at Wembley.
Sterling was England’s talisman in a dominant first performance of their Euro 2020 qualifying campaign, scoring the opener and winning a penalty to put Southgate’s side clear in the first half, before completing his hat-trick in a second-half rout.
“I saw what I’ve seen all week from him, so the level he hit didn’t surprise me,” Southgate said.
“He’s in a really confident moment, not only on the field, but off the field he’s so mature and comfortable in himself. I think I talked about that earlier in the week, really, how I’ve seen that. So, I’m delighted for him to get the reaction that he did from the crowd here. We can’t hide from the fact that he’s had difficult moments with England and he’s turned that full circle.
“I also think the goals in Spain were an important moment for him; you could see the release that had brought. And his finishes there and tonight were finishes that he was just taking on without thinking too much. At times, you could almost see the thought process in the past, but he’s hungry for those goals. I know he’s spoken about that before, of how he’s added that incentive to his game and I thought he was devastating tonight.”
Southgate also praised Sterling’s influence on the younger members of England’s senior side, with Declan Rice and Callum Hudson-Odoi both making their international debuts, while Jadon Sancho, who set up the opening goal, made his first start in the absence of Marcus Rashford.
“I’ve put him into the leadership group that we have,” Southgate continued. “I think he’s showing those signs, I think he’s a role model for the younger players coming in. He’s really focused on his training and his preparation and I think he’s enjoyed that extra responsibility as well.
“That shone through on the pitch, so a really special night for him.”
The only sore note of the evening came in the form of an early hip injury to Eric Dier, who will miss Monday’s game against Montenegro having been told to return to Tottenham.
