Frank Lampard came to the defence of Raheem Sterling yesterday, saying that the Liverpool midfielder had been "brave" to admit to feeling tired.
Sterling did not start England's Euro 2016 qualifying win in Estonia on Sunday but came off the bench to earn the free-kick from which striker Wayne Rooney scored the only goal of a 1-0 victory.
However, both the subsequent decision of England manager Roy Hodgson to reveal the fact Sterling had told him he was tired and the player's admission of tiredness have both provoked much debate within English football.
In particular, there have been plenty of people questioning both Sterling's fitness and indeed his commitment, but Lampard said they were wrong to turn on a 19-year-old yet to develop in full physically.
"I think he is actually quite a brave boy to say, 'You know what I am not quite at my best here'," former England midfielder Lampard, who got to know Sterling when they were both members of Hodgson's World Cup squad in Brazil, told BBC Radio Five on Wednesday.
"I am actually quite upset, not with the manager as such, but that the aftermath has been a lot of people criticising Raheem Sterling -- who is probably in the top two or three players in our country and we need him to be at his best -- for making quite a brave decision.
"I think we need to get behind him. Whether it is right or wrong, I don't know, but we are all individuals and he made that call."
Inevitably, one of the accusations levelled at Sterling, an increasingly influential figure for both club country, is that as a highly-paid professional he ought to be able to maintain fitness.
However, Lampard said:"I would take the money out of it. That is easily said and I hate it when money gets drawn into things, in terms of 'because he is getting paid (this) he should act like this'. It happens too much."
"The fact is, when that's is your job, when you are doing it regularly, you have to make calls. I think Raheem made a judgement call on that game alone. Hopefully, he will get 100 caps and be very successful for England.
