Raheem Sterling's difficult start to life at Feyenoord continued as he was substituted after 55 minutes in Sunday's 1-1 draw with Ajax in De Klassieker. The former England forward, making his fifth appearance for the club, failed to make an impact and was replaced by Leo Sauer with Feyenoord trailing.
Sterling struggled to influence the game, often failing to beat his marker Lucas Rosa. On one occasion, he dribbled the ball out of play after attempting to go around the Ajax right-back, and was substituted shortly afterwards. The match opened up only after Feyenoord equalised through a late Jakub Moder penalty.
Head coach Robin van Persie acknowledged the 30-year-old's lack of match sharpness, saying: 'Those two worlds need to align sooner rather than later. We are working on that, where the most important thing is winning matches during this period of Raheem getting fitter and fitter.' He added that he wants to see 'more impact off the ball, more impact on the ball' from Sterling.
Feyenoord, currently second in the Eredivisie but well behind leaders PSV, need to secure that spot for Champions League qualification. Van Persie's own position is under pressure, and the club's reliance on a player still gaining fitness after a half-season in the cold at Chelsea is a gamble.
Sterling's move to the Netherlands from Chelsea was seen as an opportunity to revive his career, but so far he has shown little of the form that defined his time at Manchester City. His performances have drawn scrutiny from the demanding Dutch media and fans, with the draw against Ajax doing little to silence doubts about his future.
