Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has publicly criticised the media's treatment of young winger Raheem Sterling as "grossly unfair", after the 19-year-old requested not to play for England during their Euro 2016 qualifier against Estonia with tiredness.
He has been in the newspapers all week ever since he was named among the substitutes for Roy Hodgson's side, which was a surprise given the Liverpool forward's talent and quality. Hodgson confirmed that Sterling was suffering from tiredness, although many speculated that Liverpool officials had advised him prior to the game to pull out and avoid risk of injury.
Rodgers had this to say to reporters on Friday: "It's been grossly unfair how Sterling has been put in the back pages for something he clearly didn't say. He's back here in a secure environment and the last couple of days he has been back to normal - he was excellent in training this morning and working really well. I've been very fortunate to work with a brilliant young player here, he's been absolutely incredible for me and his maturity has been really nice to see. I hope he will be a key player for England and for Liverpool.
"I've had a number of players tell me they were tired and you have to respect Roy's decision. The best players cannot play every single game at the very top. You can break young players and, at the age of 26, 27, their careers will be over. Every individual player is different but the number of injuries don't surprise me."