Things change quickly in football. Tomorrow’s star can become yesterday’s man in an instant. A fading talent can suddenly realise their true potential. And in the case of Dujon Sterling, an enforced 18-month absence can be used to fuel an ascent to the top.
That is the path the Chelsea academy graduate is on. And after a year of people curiously asking what had happened to Sterling, the question is now what comes next for the 22-year-old who has thrived on loan at Blackpool this season.
“It’s great being back out on the pitch,” Sterling tells football.london. “Especially after the illness and the injuries.” That second sentence is delivered swiftly, without pause. It betrays the seriousness of the situation the young defender faced.
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At the start of 2020, Sterling suffered a hamstring injury while on loan at Wigan Athletic that kept him out for three months. But what followed could not be envisaged nor planned for. During the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, Sterling suffered from an illness that threatened his career. That he battled back in the 12 months that followed is testament to his mental fortitude, maturity, and sheer will to succeed.
The experience has changed him. That’s only natural. And it’s for the better. “It's made me focus more, definitely,” Sterling says. “Being told that maybe I wouldn’t be able to play again made me realise that my football career can be snatched away. So now I cherish every day that I am able to play.
“It was a shock when I was told, of course. But five minutes later, I wanted to get started on my recovery. I didn’t wait a day or a week. I didn’t want to go home. I just wanted to get started. Then throughout the summer, I was in Cobham every day. I didn’t go on holiday, I stayed at Cobham and did my rehab. I just wanted to get back to playing.”
Sterling spent almost the entirety of 2020 on the sidelines and much of his recovery was undertaken alone at Cobham. Very few knew the extent of the illness he had suffered. But Sterling was ready to return at the start of last year. There was loan interest from a number of clubs but he opted to remain with Chelsea. It was a mature choice.
“I knew how my body felt and I wasn’t ready to go out,” he admits. “I didn’t want to take that risk. So I decided to stay around with the Under-23s and I also got opportunities to train with the first team as well. So it was about saying to people, ‘yes, I’m still here’ and showing them that as soon as I’m back to 100%, I’m ready to go.”
People took notice of Sterling’s comeback at Chelsea. Not only was he bigger, stronger and faster as the result of extra gym work, but he was more assured and thoughtful. He also understood what it took to succeed in the most high-pressure of environments.
“I take more care with my body now,” Sterling says. “I get a lot of work done behind the scenes with the physios. Away from football, I make sure I relax more. I don’t try to do as much as I used to when I was younger, but that also comes with growing up.”
It shouldn’t be forgotten just how highly regarded Sterling was during his time in the Chelsea academy. He played and shone alongside Reece James, Fikayo Tomori, Trevoh Chalobah, Mason Mount, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Tammy Abraham; won three FA Youth Cups; lifted two UEFA Youth Leagues.
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There was plenty of interest from clubs in taking him away from Chelsea. Yet he remained with the club and at 16 years old was involved in the first-team set-up under Antonio Conte, who handed Sterling his senior debut in September 2017.
“Training was intense, but really good,” Sterling recalls. “I gained a lot of knowledge and different experiences. He (Conte) was a good person as well, always checking on how I was doing. So it was good working with him. My debut was a bit of a surprise. I didn’t know I was going to be with the squad but when I got the call-up alongside Ethan [Ampadu] I realised that I would have a chance to be on the bench.
"And then when the team were 4-0 up, I was thinking, ‘surely he brings us on now?’ Getting on was a great feeling, but I don’t just want to hold on to that. I still want to play every week for Chelsea.”
Sterling was fortunate to train alongside the likes of N’Golo Kante, Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa under Conte. But perhaps unsurprisingly, one man stood out: Eden Hazard.
“Luckily I was never against him in training,” Sterling laughs. “Normally I was on his team and I got to see the magic. He is a great player and a good guy in general. He was just at a different level.” Did the Belgian pass on any advice, perhaps a hint or two as to how to defend against one of the world’s best players? “No,” Sterling says with another laugh .”He just said, ‘all you have to do is give me the ball.'”
Sterling’s first-team experiences served him well last summer when he was included in the group that reported back for pre-season training under the watchful eye of Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel. The German is understood to be an admirer of Sterling and used him throughout Chelsea’s pre-season campaign, although in the unfamiliar role of right centre-back. Yet still he made a positive impression.
“It was one of the best pre-seasons I’ve had,” Sterling explains. “I felt really good and I had the confidence back to play my game and try to impress. I think I did, that was the feedback I got too. And it was great to get a positive reaction from the supporters, especially after the Arsenal game. I had good words from Tuchel – he believed in me felt I should get out and get game time.”
And that is where Championship club Blackpool, managed by former Liverpool youth coach Neil Critchley, came in. “He gave me a call and said he believed I could do really well and that he could help me get back on track,” says Sterling. “It’s been a good loan and definitely lived up to my expectations.”
Sterling has made 24 appearances in all competitions for the Tangerines this term. More impressively, though, is he has completed 90 minutes in the last 14 games in the Championship in a variety of positions, from right-back to right wing-back, right centre-back to left-back.
“It gives managers confidence that they can play me in any position and I can get the job done for the team,” Sterling says. “It also gives my teammates confidence that no matter where I am on the pitch, they can give me the ball and trust me.”
With eight games of the Championship season to play, Blackpool are still in with a chance – albeit a slim one – of making the play-offs. Back at Chelsea, meanwhile, those players Sterling grew up alongside will be hoping to win the Champions League and FA Cup.
“That motivates me,” says Sterling, who is close friends with Hudson-Odoi and Chelsea’s breakout star of the campaign, Chalobah. “It shows me that if they can do it, I can do it.”
And given what he has already overcome in his young career, it would be truly unwise to suggest that Sterling can’t fulfil his ambitions at Chelsea. He is not someone to write off.
