Liverpool hero Dirk Kuyt has admitted he didn't really like Raheem Sterling when he arrived at Anfield early in his career.
Today's cover comments from the former Liverpool striker in 1908Made for ESPN in the Netherlands. He has been the talk of Sterling since his surprise arrival at Feyenoord.
Sterling signed for the Dutch team this week after being released by Chelsea. He fell out of favor at Stamford Bridge and all parties decided to end their relationship a year early.
kuyat unaffected
The 31-year-old had offers across Europe, including from the Premier League. But has elected to join Feyenoord until the end of the season. The Dutch side have guaranteed him the playing time he was looking for.
He is looking to get back on track after a poor few years at Stamford Bridge following a €56.2 million move in 2022. A loan at Arsenal in 2024 also failed to rekindle the spark.
It has been a winding career for Sterling, who began his career at QPR before moving to Liverpool's U18s in 2010.
He was in the Liverpool first team two years later, scoring 23 goals and registering 18 assists in 129 games. Kuyt played with him, but was not a fan.
"That was quite a few years ago; he was sixteen then," he said.
"We trained together a few times and played a few matches. Ultimately, I didn't like him that much because he quickly moved to a bigger rival (Manchester City). But Raheem Sterling is, of course, considered a fantastic player in English football with a tremendous record."
feyenoord occasion
We're sure Kuyt's sentiment is shared by most at Anfield after Sterling transferred to Manchester City in 2015.
However, he would argue that 131 goals and 8 assists in 339 games and numerous trophies helped justify it.
The focus now is on Feyenoord, and perhaps convincing Kuyt that he is not so bad. However, there could be some impressive performances between now and the end of the season.
