Raheem Sterling warned over World Cup amid ‘absolutely terrible’ form

Chelsea winger Raheem Sterling has been told that he will have no right to be selected in the England squad for this year’s World Cup if he fails to improve his form for the Blues over the next few matches. Sterling joined Chelsea over the summer from Manchester City and has since emerged as a regular starter at Stamford Bridge but struggled to impress in their heavy defeat to Brighton over the weekend.Sterling was only able to complete 54 per cent of his attempted passes, was unsuccessful with both of his attempted dribbles and lost possession 17 times over the course of the 90 minutes at the Amex Stadium. He was warned over his chances of playing for England at the World Cup during the match by former Chelsea winger Pat Nevin, who did not mince his words on BBC Radio 5 Live as he ran the rule over Sterling’s lacklustre performance.”I’m watching Raheem Sterling right now and I’ve said that Graham Potter has got the best from every player since he has been there, with one exception, Raheem Sterling,” said Nevin.”If he keeps playing the way he is right now, he’s not even a consideration for the World Cup. He is having a really, really bad time and today he is having an absolutely terrible game.”JUST IN: Newcastle have decided their next signing as January priority emerges Raheem Sterling failed to impress for Chelsea against Brighton over the weekend (Image: GETTY)Sterling has been deployed in a variety of positions by Graham Potter since the latter took over at Chelsea last month, with many of his appearances for the Blues coming in an unfamiliar role at wing-back. He has only managed to chip in with a single goal and an assist under Potter’s guidance and will be desperate to improve things before the World Cup gets underway in Qatar later this month.Although Nevin believes that Sterling will be lucky to receive a call-up for England based on his current form, ex-Tottenham midfielder Jamie O’Hara recently insisted that the Chelsea forward should be a first-choice option for Gareth Southgate instead of Arsenal wide man Bukayo Saka, who picked up an injury against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.DON’T MISSCristiano Ronaldo loses Man Utd dressing room title after record beatArsenal could face four-pronged battle to sign Grimaldo in JanuaryJurgen Klopp has four Bellingham alternatives if Liverpool plan fails The England ace has regularly been played out of position in recent weeks (Image: EXPRESS)”I would play [Marcus] Rashford with Sterling, not Saka,” O’Hara told talkSPORT. “When I’ve watched England in the past, when I’ve enjoyed watching England, we played this 3-4-3 when Rashford, [Harry] Kane and Sterling played as a front three.”Now Rashford is coming back, he’s a massive player. Everything’s in front. Kane comes deep, Foden comes to feet, Grealish comes to feet. That’s why we get excited by the likes of Saka and Sterling because they’re direct.”They get the ball and go past people. Pace scares teams. You play Rashford and Sterling who can get behind, that’s a serious threat.”Want the latest Premier League news as we publish it on Express Sport? Join our Facebook group by clicking here.