Hodgson defends Sterling | FourFourTwo

A concerned Roy Hodgson leapt to the defence of England youngster Raheem Sterling amid the player's escalating row with Liverpool. Sterling's situation descended into chaos on

Thursday after a meeting scheduled between the club and player for Friday was cancelled following an extraordinary outburst from agent Aidy Ward, who insisted his client - contracted until

2017 - would "definitely" not be signing a new deal at Anfield, even if he was offered £900,000 a week. Sterling's relationship with the Premier League side appears beyond

repair, as champions Chelsea and both Manchester clubs wait in the wings, while the 20-year-old was booed at Liverpool's awards ceremony on Tuesday. You may like But Hodgson, who

included Sterling in his squads for international fixtures against Republic of Ireland (friendly on June 7) and Slovenia (Euro 2016 qualifier on June 13), told reporters: "I trust him

implicitly. I think he's a very important person and a very important player for England going forward. "I'll be very disappointed if he doesn't continue to kick on and

get even better as he gets older. "And I really do sympathise with these players who, if you like, have got to live their lives under scrutiny - sometimes of their making, sometimes of

other people's making - and they've got to deal with it. "I worry for all these young players, to be honest. They become stars very quickly. Their period of potential stardom

doesn't last for very long these days. Sometimes, a few games in the Premier League and you are a star. The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every

week. "We should never forget we're dealing with very young people. I believe from what I know of Raheem that he's strong enough to compartmentalise his life - from this side

to what happens on the field of play, which is what interests me."