Jurgen Klinsmann singled out Manchester City star Raheem Sterling for praise after England knocked Germany out of the European Championship.
Sterling, 26, scored the opening goal of England's 2-0 win at Wembley on Tuesday and in doing so became the first player since Gary Lineker to score the first three goals at a major tournament for his country. Ex-Germany coach Jurgen Klinsmann was a TV pundit alongside Lineker and Alan Shearer, making three former professionals who can spot a talented forward when they see one.
Klinsmann was full of praise for the entire England team for their battling display that has earned them a quarter-final showdown with Aleks Zinchenko's Ukraine in Rome on Saturday night, and paid particular attention to the skills of City forward Sterling for his work at both ends of the pitch.
"I'm a huge fan of Raheem Sterling," he said
"He takes people on, he's courageous and he helps out defensively too. He's very disciplined in his game, he's very mature for his game."
Sterling became an integral part of Pep Guardiola's side that have conquered English football over the past four years thanks in no small part to his workrate and his eye for goal, although a loss of form caused him to be sidelined for the business end of the last campaign.
Guardiola's decision, and Sterling's unhappiness at being left out, raised questions about his future at the club although M.E.N Sport understands the player is keen to continue at the Etihad next season.
