Raheem Sterling has insisted the right-wing press campaign that continues to dog him has not affected his World Cup preparation.
The Manchester City forward has been the subject of a persistent hounding by certain sections of the media for some time, with a tattoo on his leg becoming the latest tabloid stick used to beat him with.
But when asked by broadcaster Stan Collymore on Periscope about the coverage of him in the press in recent weeks, Sterling was composed as he maturely swatted away fears that negative stories had affected him.
"The only thing we can control is our circle," he said.
"In the past we've probably paid a bit too much attention to the outside... we've tried to limit things from the outside and know that inside the building we've got each other's back.
"I just get on with my day... it's the least of my worries and it's not something that gets me down."
And Sterling made a point of saying that the England squad would rally around him had the stories become too much to deal with.
"With the stuff that's gone on in the past week, the guys have seen me around the place and know that I'm fine, that it's not getting to me.
"If I was affected by it, I know the boys would be there for me."
