While a number of Dutch journalists have taken a hard stance on Raheem Sterling, one prominent name has defended the Feyenoord man.
Sterling made his first start for Feyenoord at the weekend but it wasn’t a great one as his side drew 3-3 with second-from-bottom NAC.
NAC fans jeered the English winger throughout with chants of ‘give the ball to Sterling’ before he was withdrawn just after the hour.
Feyenoord legend Willem van Hanegem wrote about the player in his AD column, explaining why there were some positives.
“Raheem Sterling didn’t play well at first, then he was also jeered by the fans. I don’t like that,” he wrote.
“That guy has won everything in his career, show him some respect.
“He occasionally showed some of his qualities. Yes, it’s strange that I even mention that, because after three weeks of training, it’s only natural.
“But I thought he was improving steadily as the match progressed.
“He was also angry about being substituted, which was a good sign. A guy like that knows what he’s capable of. So I’d have kept him.”
Van Persie to blame
Van Hanegem then agreed with his colleagues on one thing, blaming Robin van Persie.
Targeting the coach, he said: “I don’t understand why he keeps pointing out things that are going well. Because so much is going wrong.
In the second half, Feyenoord didn’t have a single chance, and even Hadj Moussa barely touched the ball.
“Sometimes Feyenoord has the ball, and you see space. Then I think: play the ball there, and then you can… But by then, the ball has already been played in a completely illogical direction.
“After the game, Van Persie quickly disappeared. You saw him dive into the tunnel. I thought that was telling.”
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