RAHEEM STERLING no longer wants to be Mr Muscle.
Chelsea’s England star revealed a change in diet caused a muscle gain that led to his injury problems last season following his transfer from Man City.
Raheem Sterling has lifted the lid on last season’s injury woes with Chelsea
Sterling is confident he’s back in top shape for the new campaign
Sterling, 28, struggled with hamstring issues during a tough campaign – resulting in him being left out of the last two England squads.
Following his absence from March wins over Ukraine and Italy, Sterling also sat out of May’s Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia.
At the time, Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate said: “He’s not happy physically with his condition. He doesn’t think he’s operating at the level he needs.”
Sterling originally attempted to correct the muscle niggles and increase energy levels during last season by adjusting his diet, but after feeling too heavy he hired a nutritionist to help.
Now, ahead of the Blues’ pre-season clash against Brighton in Philadelphia in the early hours of tomorrow, he feels better than ever after trimming down.
Sterling explained: “Pre-season is always a way to get the body right and I am in a great place.
“Last season I changed a bit of my diet and went to do something a little bit different that I had not done before, and I had a little more kilograms on me that I have not had before.
“I think probably carrying a little bit of extra weight, I had a few hamstring problems and that was it. Towards the end of the season the hamstring was playing up again.
“Me and [Southgate] made a decision together that the best thing for me to do was to get the hamstring right.”
Asked specifically about the diet change, he added: “Just eating a little bit less.”
Before last season, Sterling had made 30 or more Premier League appearances in nine successive campaigns. Last year, he only made 28 appearances, scoring six goals.
Those fitness concerns coincided with chaos off the pitch, seeing Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter sacked before finishing the season under interim Frank Lampard in 12th and 27 points off the top four.
He also endured a traumatic Qatar World Cup back in November, forced to leave the camp over fears for his family’s safety after a reported burglary at his Surrey home.
Yet Sterling is ready to put all that behind him to get Chelsea, under new boss Mauricio Pochettino, back to the top.
Sterling continued: “When I first heard that [Poch] was going to be the manager it was exciting because of the many years I have played against his teams.
“I know how difficult it is. They are always resilient. They are always tough to play against.
“I knew he would be a coach who would bring what we needed. To have someone like him to lead us in certain difficult situations last season would have been good.
“So [when I heard he was going to be appointed] I was really optimistic of what he would bring.”
Argentine coach Poch is wary of risking the likes of Sterling during this pre-season tour of the United States – with Chelsea’s Prem opener against Liverpool on August 12 less than a month away.
In their opener against Wrexham in North Carolina, first team stars Enzo Fernandez, Levi Colwill, Mykhailo Mudryk and Noni Madueke were not used having joined up with the squad late.
Reece James has only just arrived in the States following illness.
Sterling, Conor Gallagher, Ben Chilwell and £52m new-boy Christopher Nkunku only played 45 minutes against the Welsh side, while Thiago Silva was not used at all.
And despite the challenge of facing Roberto De Zerbi’s Seagulls, Poch said: “We’re going to mix the team with young players again. We still have players who need time to train.
“Just because we’re going to play a Premier League team, it doesn’t mean I need to play with senior players. It is easy to say ‘okay go play’ but there is a risk.
“We need to care about the players, we need to provide the best tools for him to arrive in the best condition when we start the Premier League.
“We are going to arrive conditioned but for that maybe we need to sacrifice this type of game against Brighton, as well as Newcastle and Fulham and later Borussia Dortmund.”
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