:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/46008662/GettyImages-468037316.0.jpg)
Despite being sent home early from England duty due to a toe injury that required injections following the national team’s 4-0 victory over Lithuania on Friday, Raheem Sterling is not considered a doubt for Liverpool’s match on Saturday against Arsenal.
Though Sterling’s toe injury is an ongoing issue and led to speculation last week that he would be allowed to miss England’s Tuesday friendly against Italy, few knew the player had been taking shots to play through it, and the revelation that he did so following Friday’s match led to some concern amongst Liverpool fans.
Fortunately, that fear appears to be ungrounded. And if his man of the match performance against Lithuania is anything to go by, at the very least it seems the injury isn’t much affecting his performances. What has been is that of late he has mostly been played out of position at right wingback.
Worse, at times Sterling has had to change positions two or three times a match. It’s a situation reminiscent of Steven Gerrard’s early years at the club, with a player good enough to play nearly anywhere on the pitch being asked to play out of position for the sake of the team and it not always coming off perfectly.
With Daniel Sturridge a serious doubt for the weekend, though, it could be that Rodgers will have little choice to bring Sterling back into a more central role, and perhaps leading to the reintroduction of Lazar Markovic at right wingback.
