Arsenal took a risk by signing Raheem Sterling on a loan deal from Chelsea, but so far, it doesn’t appear to be paying off.
Mikel Arteta seems to have little faith in the England international, whether as a starter or a substitute, as seen during the Gunners' 1-1 draw with Manchester United, where he remained an unused substitute.
Perhaps Arteta was expecting to see the same Raheem Sterling he worked with at Manchester City—a dynamic, skillful, and fast winger known for his impressive productivity.
Rio Ferdinand simply believes that Sterling is not playing like himself, attributing that to a possible lack of confidence for the past couple of months.
The pundit said on the Rio Ferdinand Presents’ YouTube channel: “But what I would say is he ain’t playing like Sterling. When he’s on the pitch, I understand why because he’s lacking a bit of confidence. He’s playing a kind of a subdued approach, the Sterling that we know and we love, he gets the ball and he’s direct, running at you.”
Rio Ferdinand also mentioned that due to the subdued manner in which Sterling is playing nowadays, he is no longer posing the same questions he would to defenders at his blistering best.
“I watched PSG the other day [against Liverpool], their two wingers, every time they’re getting the ball, they’re facing the full-backs and right, I’m going to test you, you’ve got to bend your legs, minimum, soften them knees, I’m the guy that’s going to go past you. He ain’t really playing like that now, he ain’t giving a defender the same thought I don’t think.”
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