"A gem" - Raheem Sterling praises Liverpool player and says his nation are "lucky" to have him at World Cup

England forward Raheem Sterling has said the Three Lions are "lucky" to have Jordan Henderson in the national team for the World Cup and that he is a "gem".

Gareth Southgate named his 26-man squad last week for the tournament in Qatar and both Henderson and Sterling were included.

With England last summer at the 2020 European Championship, Sterling played a vital role scoring against Germany in the knockout and achieving five goal contributions across the tournament.

Despite being a Premier League and Champions League winner, Henderson has his critics and could struggle to play an important role in England's squad with both Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham also competing for a place in the midfield.

Sterling will be expecting a starting position in Southgate's front line at this year's tournament given his England record and the Three Lions will take on Iran in their first group game on November 21.

Sterling: He delivers in big moments

Speaking on GQ Sports’ YouTube channel, Sterling says Henderson is a player who delivers in the biggest moments.

“A gem. Another leader. He works, works, works so whenever you see someone that gets their praise and some of the stuff he achieves, he deserves every single thing because when they say hard-work, he’s the definition of that for me," Sterling told GQ.

“He always trains like he plays, then delivers in big moments. He leads Liverpool by example, another player I think that we’re lucky to have in the national team.”