Former Manchester City and England Under-21 boss Stuart Pearce has praised the considerable improvements Raheem Sterling has shown on and off the field in recent years.
The 24-year-old was the star of the show for England on Friday evening, scoring a hat-trick and winning a penalty as Gareth Southgate’s side hit five past the Czech Republic to start the 2020 European Championship qualifying campaign in electric fashion.
His hat-trick at Wembley continued an impressive record for Sterling at international level, with five of the seven goals he has netted for the Three Lions coming in his last three appearances - having previously failed to find the net in 27 appearances.
Having now proven himself as a reliable goalscorer, netting a total of 33 goals in the Premier League for City over the course of the past two seasons.
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That has shown his growth under the guidance of Pep Guardiola and Pearce has identified how he has improved, while also adding what he has to do to hit the next level.
“I worked with him at U21 level and I always thought he was a young man and a little bit immature, as you would expect at a very young age coming into the game,” he told Sky Sports News.
“But the more time has gone on, I would say maybe the last two years with England, he looks very comfortable in an England shirt.
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“There’s still a bit to do for me to hit the world-class bracket. I still feel as though when he picks the ball up, he should have a real picture in his mind of what he’s trying to achieve. That’s the next level he needs to go to.
“Obviously scoring goals regularly for England is another level he needs to find.”
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