Gary Neville Reveals Level Of Abuse Raheem Sterling Received While Playing For England

Gary Neville has shared a fascinating insight into the issues relating to Raheem Sterling's inclusion in the England treatment squad when he was a coach in 2016.

The former Manchester United defender turned pundit revealed the levels of abuse Sterling received from his own fans compared to other players and he said that as a young coach, he wasn't sure how to handle it. 

Tonight, Chelsea suspended four fans pending an investigation into alleged racist abuse of Sterling as he went to retrieve a ball during Saturday's game at Stamford Bridge.

Neville revealed: "He came to see me one on one in 2016, three or four days before the Iceland game. Pre-tournament, he was getting absolutely battered (in the press), we were aware of that. It continued into the tournament, in the stadiums. Groans, boos, that sort of thing.

"He came into the analysis room and decided to unload on me. 'Why was this happening' He accepted that he would get criticised as an England player, but that it was so vicious, he felt so targeted. He didn't know what to do about it.

"I saw what I felt was somebody who's got a great mentality and is tough, but also a level of vulnerability in terms of 'how does he cope with this'?

"Really, as a coach, reflecting on it yesterday, I didn't really know how to deal with it. I went into 'protective mode', coach mode. He's one of our most important players, how would you get him ready for the next match?

"'Raheem you're a great player, we love you to bits' - which to be fair we did - as a coaching staff. And, by trying to patch him up, you'd never be dealing with the underlying issue, and maybe you never would be able to in that sort of one on one session. But actually, reflecting now, maybe we were brushing it aside a little bit.

"Really, deep down, there was a tonal difference in the attacks that he was getting compared to others.

"The language used towards him was different. He couldn't understand. He was asking me why this was happening. And then post-tournament, we got knocked out and it was bad from a footballing point of view, but the abuse he received, particularly in the media beyond that tournament, the language that was used against him. I've not seen it before.

"But he was willing to stand up and continue playing. And he's gone on to play at a fantastic level. But he's been carrying this with him for years, this is not just Chelsea at the weekend, this has been going on for years with him."