Rodgers pleads with Liverpool fans to lay off Sterling

Brendan Rodgers has urged Liverpool supporters not to abuse Raheem Sterling at Stoke on Sunday as the Reds boss slammed the player's agent for a tumultuous week of speculation about his future.

Sterling has come under fire over the past seven days after his agent Aidy Ward claimed the unsettled England international would not sign a new contract at Anfield irrespective of the amount of money Liverpool offer him.

The 20-year-old was booed at Liverpool's Player of the Year awards dinner earlier in the week, and there are concerns he will receive another hostile reception from Reds fans in the Premier League finale at Britannia Stadium.

Rodgers confirmed Sterling will be part of his squad despite the potential for conflict and he believes Liverpool's supporters should recognise the difference between the forward and those that represent his interests.

"My message to the supporters would be, look, this is a young boy who in my time as manager has given the football club everything," Rodgers said.

"He was thrust into the team at 17 years of age. He was given that opportunity and he grabbed that opportunity. In the following period he has been exceptional for me.

"Of course he has had dips in form and performances but only because his standards are so high.

"He's a young man who has obviously passed on his career to other people and, unfortunately, whether people perceive it as right or wrong, he is being led by the representative.

"But the young boy I see on a daily basis and who I work with is still the same boy who wants to learn and I think the supporters will just continue to show what they always do, which is wonderful support for every player in the Liverpool shirt."

- Mentally strong -

Rodgers admits that despite the level of attention on Sterling, whose current contract expires in 2017, the youngster has remained focused in training despite reports of interest from Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea.

"I think with Raheem his character is unquestioned," Rodgers said.

"He is a really strong boy mentally but he's also a human being as well and a very young one at that.

"There's no doubt these type of things can affect players but what I know of Raheem is that he's a strong boy who is continuing to work hard.

"It hasn't affected him in terms of training but of course I will always gauge that up until the very last minute."

Liverpool are set to be without striker Mario Balotelli, who has a knock, while defenders Jon Flanagan (knee), Mamadou Sakho (hamstring) and forward Daniel Sturridge (hip) are all unavailable.

Meanwhile, Stoke manager Mark Hughes says his players must ignore the attention focused on Steven Gerrard when he makes his final appearance in a Liverpool shirt.

Instead, he wants the match to be a celebration of his team's club record haul of 51 points in the Premier League as well as securing a second successive top 10 finish for the first time in 40 years.

"I'm sure the crowd at the Britannia Stadium will give Steven the welcome that his career deserves. But it is about us and we want to celebrate the season we have had," Hughes said.

"We can all look back upon the season with a lot of pride, especially if we are able to end it with another victory this weekend.

"A lot of people said that our eyes may slip off the ball over the past few weeks, but that was never going to happen.

"We lost a couple of games, but as they have always done when questions have been asked of them, they have bounced back superbly."
Source: AFP