Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli are also injured at Arsenal meaning that Sterling is one of only three fit senior options, if you include 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri.
Of course, Sterling’s time at Arsenal on loan from Stamford Bridge so far has been a tale of frustration.
Edu admitted that Arsenal didn’t plan to sign Sterling on loan at the start of the summer, suggesting that the Chelsea winger only arrived as a last-minute solution.
And judging by the 30-year-old’s involvement this season, he wasn’t someone who Arteta was counting on either.
As he did at Chelsea, Sterling has failed to reignite his best form at Manchester City whilst in N5, even if he is trying incredibly hard.
Gary Neville suggests that Raheem Sterling is finished at the top level
That being said, when speaking on the ‘Stick to Football’ podcast, Gary Neville shared his theory on why Sterling might not ever return to those levels, a pacey winger who started at the top level very young.
Speaking alongside Ian Wright and Roy Keane, Neville compared Sterling’s fall-off to Michael Owen’s, who was in a similar position.
Neville said: “I think when a quick player, say Michael Owen or Raheem Sterling start at the age of 16, 17, and they get to sort of like late 20s, 30, they’ve already played a full career.
“So you think why they are like they are now is because most players come in when they are like 19, 20, and they play to the 34, and you see a deterioration, they are actually in their bodies 34 already.
Wright added: “So that’s why you are looking at someone like Bellingham, Saka, you probably think, wow.”
Neville: “Yeah, be careful, be careful. I mean, particularly players who rely upon speed.”
Keane then asked: “You say that, be careful, but all the top players play all the games, don’t they? Ronaldo, Messi, all these boys play the games.
“They play 60, 70 games a season.”
Neville: “So for Michael and, say, for Raheem, it’s difficult for them to adapt into a different type of role because they don’t have the skill and the sort of intelligence.
“They play off that speed and that sharpness whereas [Ryan] Giggs, he was adapted and he could go back into Central Midfield. [Paul] Scholes, he obviously adapted.”
Raheem Sterling shouldn’t be Arsenal’s striker solution
Of course, Sterling will seemingly now have an extended opportunity to prove Neville’s conclusion wrong at Arsenal.
But when you look at Sterling’s numbers, it’s clear that his end product has declined ever since he joined Chelsea in 2022.
Raheem Sterling’s record across every club he’s played for.
Sterling’s numbers at Liverpool were also modest in comparison to his efforts at the Etihad, but that was when the winger’s career was just starting out, debuting at Anfield at 17-years-old.
Given Havertz’s injury, there is now some talk of Sterling playing as a striker for Arsenal, but that is unlikely to yield the improvement that fans are yearning for in truth.
Sterling was much better as left-winger in the Champions League against Girona recently, where he should now get an extended chance.
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