Roy Hodgson always believed in Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling and joked he hopes it means he will go easy on Crystal Palace this weekend.
The Eagles host the Premier League champions at Selhurst Park on Saturday in a 5.30pm kick-off with Pep Guardiola’s side in need of a reaction after losing at home to Wolves last time out.
“He was always a fantastic midfielder, a very hard worker, made good runs most of the time. I remember in Switzerland, he played in behind the front players, like he was for Liverpool, and he was quite outstanding,” Hodgson said.
“The criticism levelled at him was much to my displeasure and the attention he was getting elsewhere from social media and sometimes the media itself was draining his confidence.
“I think the big thing for Raheem is there is no drain in his confidence, there is no doubt about his ability. Of course he is playing in a team that is creating lots of chances so when he gets in the right areas he is able to score goals.
“On this subject too, I must add that his maturity as a person has been really fascinating to watch.
“All of the responsibility he has accepted and not just as a Manchester City player but shouldering a heavy burden with the racism and the attention that is being paid to this racism problem that we have.
“He has been a brilliant spokesperson. I heap praise on him in the hope he will repay me by playing very badly.”
Palace are sixth in the table – two points off the champions – after winning four of their last six league matches.
Yet Hodgson insisted: “I don’t know that Pep needs to be worried about any team but it would be nice if they felt they needed to show us some respect.
“We know we will be stretched to the limit to give them the type of game we like to give them but it’s a challenge and it’s an exciting challenge.
“I can carry on if that is the right thing to do. I will have to be convinced when the time comes that it is the right thing to do and something that I can contribute to and give me the satisfaction that the last couple of seasons have,” Hodgson added.
“At the moment I’m quite comfortable waiting to see what transpires but I’m not prepared to put a date on the day when I am going to say football has been great to me and I will move aside and let someone else have a go.
“You could argue in the long run you should be prepared to move aside but selfishly I still feel I can do it. I still enjoy it, I still get so much pleasure out of the job. I won’t walk away willingly.”
