Graham Potter has backed Raheem Sterling to deliver for England at the World Cup and believes the winger can use the tournament to reignite his Chelsea career.
Sterling arrived at Stamford Bridge from Manchester City in the summer in a deal worth around £50million. He was viewed as the club's marquee signing, a player then-head coach Thomas Tuchel felt was capable of improving the Chelsea attack while adding title-winning experience.
The England international performed well under Tuchel and scored three times in the German coach's final four matches at the helm. Goals have been harder to come by since Potter's appointment, with Sterling having found the net on just two occasions in his previous 12 matches, although while playing in a variety of positions.
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There was never any threat that Sterling would not be included in Gareth Southgate's England squad despite his indifferent form. And Potter feels the tournament in Qatar – which gets underway on November 20 – can help the 27-year-old kickstart his campaign with Chelsea.
"Yeah, absolutely," said Potter. "It is part of being a top player, part of where we are in terms of always having something to prove, especially if things don't go as well as you would like, in terms of performances and results. You know you're open to scrutiny, you're open to criticism. If you don't accept that or you can't deal with that, then you probably shouldn't be here.
"Raheem's a big boy, and he understands that. And things change very quickly. He's had enough of a career so far to deal with that, and it's a new opportunity, a new situation, and I'm sure he'll do really well."
Sterling is not the only Chelsea player to have been called up to the England squad. Mason Mount will travel to Qatar, as will fellow midfielder Conor Gallagher. The decision to take the 22-year-old was viewed as a surprise to those outside of Stamford Bridge. But Potter says Gallagher has the potential to play a key role for the Three Lions.
"He has a knack – and it's a nice knack – of finding solutions on the pitch, and he can make something happen," said Potter. "In another world, he may have had a few goals for us. He's had some good goalscoring opportunities, and that's sometimes the most difficult thing – to get there.
"Yet he gets there, and he could have had five Premier League goals. He's the type of player that will go through those times, and he will get them. He will give everything every day, and there won't be any problems from him in terms of if he's selected or not, which is also important if you're in a group or squad, and he has the quality to help."
Potter continued: "He's very quiet, but I must say a really impressive young man in terms of how he deals with things, how he conducts himself, how he trains, how he gives his best all the time. You see how he plays the game, full of intensity. He can make things happen. He is one of those players.
"I don't know how many games in the Premier League he has played, but I doubt it is more than 50. So until players have played that amount, you don't want to get too excited because there is a long way to go. Yet because of his mentality, I think he has got an exciting future ahead of him."
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