I had to rest 'tired' Raheem Sterling, says England boss Roy Hodgson

Roy Hodgson insists Raheem Sterling’s complaints about tiredness left him with no choice but to rest the Liverpool midfielder for England’s spluttering 1-0 win over Estonia.

Sterling, 19, was dropped to the bench for Sunday’s Euro 2016 qualifier after telling England manager Hodgson he felt below his best both mentally and physically during training 24 hours before kick-off in Tallinn.

But Hodgson’s decision to go along with Sterling’s wishes – selecting Liverpool’s Adam Lallana instead – proved a significant problem as England laboured to break down Estonia, a lowly 81st in Fifa’s world rankings, for long periods of a scrappy encounter, even after the hosts had captain Ragnar Klavan dismissed in the 48th minute.

Eventually, Hodgson sent on Sterling for the final 27 minutes and he responded by winning the free-kick that produced Wayne Rooney’s 73rd-minute winner.

Yet Hodgson, who had already angered Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers when Daniel Sturridge suffered an injury on international duty earlier this season, was adamant it was the right move to rest Sterling because he doesn’t want the youngster to suffer from burnout.