Raheem Sterling’s future sealed as Robin van Persie embarrasses England attacker
3 May 2026 19:52 BST |
2 min read
Raheem Sterling’s fate at Feyenoord has been sealed thanks to a dramatic decision made by head coach Robin van Persie for the Eredivisie clash against Fortuna Sittard.
Sterling was left frozen to the bench for the duration of the 2-1 victory, in which success was only sealed at the last moment thanks to Givairo Read’s late striker. With that, the Champions League winner appears to be heading for an extremely painful departure a matter of months after arriving at De Kuip.
Instead of the experienced Englishman, youth talent Tobias van den Elshout was preferred in the starting lineup as left winger. When Van Persie decided to make changes in the second half, Van den Elshout was, remarkably enough, substituted for Gaoussou Diarra and not for Sterling. It was an embarrassing blow for the ex-Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal star, and one that confirmed that Van Persie is preparing for the attacker’s permanent departure.
The reserve role in Limburg marks a new low point in Sterling’s short and thoroughly disappointing spell in Rotterdam. The 31-year-old winger arrived at De Kuip in February after his contract at Chelsea was terminated by mutual agreement.
To make the move to the Eredivisie possible, the attacker took a significant financial hit on his multi-million pound salary in London. Despite the high expectations at his arrival, he has failed to become an undisputed starter under Van Persie.
What’s happened to Sterling at Feyenoord?
It became clear at the end of last month that Feyenoord’s management would not extend Sterling’s short-term contract beyond this season. The collaboration is now internally labelled a failure. That judgment is underscored by Sterling’s poor statistics: in the Eredivisie, he has so far managed zero goals and only one assist. The fact that he is now being completely ignored by the technical staff during a crucial match confirms his hopeless situation at the club.
The ruthless decision to drop the veteran fits perfectly with Van Persie’s working method. Since his appointment, the manager has placed a strong focus on integrating talents from the club’s own youth academy, deliberately making no distinction based on status or past. The fact that 19-year-old Van den Elshout, who normally plays as a central midfielder, was preferred on the wing is direct proof of this.
For Van den Elshout, his starting place represents a new reward for his rapid development. The teenager definitively broke through into the first team earlier this season. Feyenoord acted quickly and recently reached an agreement in principle with the midfielder on a new contract that binds him to the club until mid-2029.
Raheem Sterling: What next?
While Feyenoord took a huge step in Sittard to secure second place and the accompanying Champions League ticket, Sterling’s future seems to lie outside the Netherlands.
Rumours are growing louder about an impending move to the United States. Charlotte FC is reportedly showing concrete interest in bringing the Englishman to the MLS as a possible successor to Wilfried Zaha.
