Raheem Sterling may have been England’s man of the match in Saturday’s 2-1 loss to Italy, but Paul Scholes feels the Liverpool forward has plenty of room for improvement.
The 19-year-old showed no signs of nerves on his first start at a World Cup as the Reds winger proved a constant threat to the Italian defence with his dribbling, pace and driving runs in the Group D clash.
Sterling played a part in Daniel Sturridge’s goal which cancelled out Claudio Marchisio’s 35th-minute opener before half-time as his incisive pass found Wayne Rooney, who delivered a perfectly-timed cross for the England striker.
The disappointing thing was not the way Wayne Rooney played but where he was played
Paul Scholes
But former Manchester United midfielder Scholes, who won 66 Three Lions caps during an illustrious career, felt Sterling’s final ball was substandard.
“Raheem Sterling did very well for England and went past the opposition impressively, but his final pass wasn’t up to standard,” Scholes wrote in his Paddy Power blog after Mario Balotelli scored a 50th-minute winner.
“Maybe it was inexperience, or tiredness, and he will get better. Other positives for me were that Ross Barkley looked strong when he came on, and Daniel Sturridge was lively too.”
Scholes criticised Roy Hodgson’s decision to play Rooney out of position on the left wing as the United forward struggled to have a real impact on the Group D opener.
“The disappointing thing was not the way Wayne Rooney played but where he was played,” Scholes continued.
“I’ve previously said the best position for Wayne is centre forward.
“If you think about the contenders at the World Cup and goal-scorers – Holland play Robin van Persie in his best position. Brazil play Neymar where he wants to play, Argentina with Messi, Portugal with Ronaldo.”
Scholes added: “I don’t blame Wayne one little bit but he was played in three different positions.
“He’s without a doubt England’s best goalscorer (his record in qualifying showed that: seven goals). But he was played on the left, played on the right, then in the centre.
“Where’s the confidence in Wayne to say: ‘You’re our main player. You’re our centre forward.’ If he plays there, he scores goals.”