Raheem Sterling was never more likely to show great form in his first match since May 2025 but his debut for Feyenoord on Sunday was labelled ‘disappointing’.
The England international has escaped the Chelsea bomb squad after his contract was terminated and made the surprise switch to Feyenoord.
Former Arsenal and Manchester United striker Robin van Persie is accountable for the Dutch club and hopes to get Sterling back to full fitness and unleash his best on the Eredivisie.
That journey began on Sunday against Telstar, with the 31-year-old coming on just after the hour-mark within the 2-1 win for Van Persie’s men.
While there was an enormous fanfare for the arrival of Sterling in Rotterdam, his first appearance didn’t quite match as much as expectations.
ESPN’s Kees Luijckx, an analyst and former Netherlands Under-21 international, felt it was underwhelming after the build-up, saying Sterling will not be within the condition to tackle the very best teams within the Eredivisie yet.
‘I did enjoy all of the commotion of the past few weeks, but ultimately, it was all a bit disappointing,’ said Luijckx.
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‘I believe it’s great to see a lot hope from the gang. Every touch of the ball had the gang on their feet. He just hasn’t quite got the capability to actually show anything yet, not even against Telstar. It’s Raheem Sterling, after all, and that’s why you give him the possibility, due to his status, but it surely’s not likely possible yet.
‘But it surely’s clear that he has to make an impact eventually. That’s possible against Telstar, but not against Ajax.’
Van Persie sounded more pleased along with his star signing, saying: ‘He was good and threatening a couple of times, so I’m very joyful with that.’
Sterling was also positive, remaining realistic about what he can manage, having not played for the reason that end of the 2024/25 season when he was on loan at Arsenal.
‘This feels good,’ he said. ‘We won, that’s an important thing. An awesome debut. I haven’t played for some time, but I’ve been attempting to stay fit. We’re just taking it step-by-step to get fitter.’
As Sterling awaited his work permit to operate in Netherlands, Feyenoord moved their training camp to Belgium to assist accommodate him.
‘It was an excellent introduction to the team. The trip to Belgium was a fantastic experience, attending to know the fellows higher,’ he said.
‘I’m here for a brand new challenge. We’ve some exceptional players, guys with loads of talent. Now it’s all about consistency.’
Speaking ahead of the match, Van Persie talked up the winger’s ability, but in addition played down expectations attributable to his fitness levels.
‘Raheem trained last Tuesday, for the primary time with the group. That was his first time in a bunch in several months,’ said the Dutchman last Friday. ‘Whenever you see the alternatives he makes in small moments, how quickly he thinks and switches, you see that other players also see it and reply to it. That’s how it really works.
‘You furthermore mght want to point out one another that you simply’re good too. That was evident in those training sessions. For my part, he’s a player of remarkable quality. He showed that in those training sessions. I enjoyed seeing that, and so did his teammates.
‘How match-fit are you after not playing for six months? It will depend on how he gets through tomorrow. That appears positive. But we’ve got to watch out with him. We’ll talk over with Raheem about that.
‘He needs a while to find a way to play 90 minutes. That won’t be Sunday [against Telstar] and it won’t be next week either. But we’ll attempt to get there as soon as possible. We’ll do it our way, as quickly as possible, but responsibly and calmly.’
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