Chelsea star Callum Hudson-Odoi has described his national compatriot Raheem Sterling as his “idol” and insisted the forward remains a big leader in the England dressing room, despite his recent altercation with Liverpool defender Joe Gomez.
Manchester City forward Sterling was dropped for Thursday’s Euro 2020 qualifier against Montenegro after a reported coming together with fellow teammate Gomez at England’s St George’s Park training camp on Monday.
The pair also clashed on the field during Liverpool’s 3-1 win over Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City at Anfield on Sunday and Sterling revealed that his emotions “got the better” of him as he explained the incident that took place the next day.
England boss Gareth Southgate was eager to defuse the situation when he faced the media on Tuesday and Blues star Hudson-Odoi has also leaped to the defense of Sterling, who has earned praise in the past for his stance on wider issues such as racism towards young black players.
While speaking to several British newspapers, teenage midfielder Hudson Odoi admitted praise for Sterling by stating that he is very encouraging and positive in most situations also explaining that the 24-year-old was welcoming towards Hudson Odoi when he joined up with the Three Lions, “Raheem’s a very nice guy, very encouraging, very positive about everything he does, When I first came in, I didn’t expect him to be so nice. Of course, he is a nice person but when you see somebody always welcoming you, just talking to you, giving you advice on how he plays and just being around you a lot it makes you feel so welcome in the team.
Hudson Odoi went on to explain that Sterling deserves some respect for the issues that he has raised regarding racism and described that the City forward is his idol, “Someone like Raheem is like an idol to me. The position he plays, and what he’s doing for club and country, is an amazing thing, which I will try to replicate myself. It is an amazing feeling to have someone like him doing what he’s doing and being around you every time. I want to keep learning off what he does. He’s a big leader in the team because he’s a very top player, he’s in club and country playing every game, working really hard, scoring a lot of goals, so someone like that to have a say on racism it is a big feeling for all of us. He is sticking up for everyone who is involved in the game. It is a great feeling to know he’s going to do that”
