Dutch pundit drops brutal Raheem Sterling verdict after five Feyenoord games

Raheem Sterling has not hit the ground running since mutually agreeing to depart Chelsea in January to move to the Eredivisie and reignite his career at Feyenoord.

The England international has featured in five games since his move to the Netherlands but has struggled to make an impact, as he has only created one assist and was withdrawn in the 55th minute against Ajax last weekend.

Feyenoord manager Robin van Persie believes it will be just a matter of time until we see Sterling having a significant impact for the Dutch side.

The 31-year-old had not played a single minute of football this season before his move to the continent, and so it may have been expected that he would take time to get back to his best and produce the performances fans became used to when he was playing for Liverpool or Manchester City.

Sterling got his first assist for Feyenoord. Image: Getty

However, former Netherlands international Rene van der Gijp thinks Feyenoord should cut their losses and they should call it a day.

Speaking on the Willem & Wessel podcast, he said: “He should just go to Robin van Persie and say, 'Let's stop this; this isn’t going to work, this isn’t good for me, for you, or for the club'.

“You’re not really helping anyone with this. He should just go to Ibiza, put on his swimming trunks and eat a delicious paella with his wife. Then he’d be having a great time. But this isn’t going to work out for him anymore. What a shame.”

Van der Gijp’s fellow podcaster, Willem van Hanegem, agreed with the former Dutch international and suggested that it would be advisable for Feyenoord to cut their losses, as he said: “He just wasn’t there again, no. If I were them, I would ask for my money back and say, 'Just go home.' He used to be a good player; he was still fit and fast, but that’s about it.

Raheem Sterling was replaced in the 63rd minute against NAC Breda. Image credit: Getty

“If he bumps into you, he falls over. Isn’t that crazy? You shouldn’t do that yourself as a player either. If he lacks speed and has the ball, they just walk right over him. That’s pointless."

Sterling will be desperate to prove his doubters wrong, which would explain why he made the decision to leave Chelsea despite reportedly being on a significant wage.

While it is incredibly unlikely the 31-year-old would make the England squad for the World Cup this summer, stranger things have happened, and he will believe in his ability to turn things around in the Netherlands, which could always help his future international career.