England vs Netherlands: Fabian Delph praises Raheem Sterling as one of the best players in the world

Fabian Delph believes “the sky is the limit” for Raheem Sterling as he labelled the England and Manchester City forward one of the best players in the world ahead of his 50th international cap.

Sterling is set to reach the historic milestone this Thursday when he lines up for England’s Nations League semi-final against the Netherlands.

The 24-year-old, who first made his debut for the Three Lions in November 2012, has played a crucial role in the side’s journey to the last four of the inaugural competition, notably scoring twice in the thrilling 3-2 win against Spain.

Closer to home, Sterling has enjoyed the most successful season of his career to date. After clinching the domestic treble with City, scoring 26 goals in the process, the forward was named the 2019 player of the year, chosen by football writers, and young player of the year, chosen by fellow professionals.

But Delph insists there is more to come from the youngster, who he believes is still only “operating at 80 per cent”.

“He's an amazing young man, people forget he's only 24,” Delph said of his teammate. “When we both signed he was 19 and he looked like a little baby. People always question what type of player he'd be and whether he'd go to the next level but I was like 'This kid has everything. Once he finds his path and what works for him you're going to see something incredible.'

“I believe he's operating at about 80 per cent so if he can push himself a little more - which he will because his mindset is very good - so in the next couple of years the sky's the limit.

“Right now he's one of the best players in the world.”

Delph has also backed the forward to go on and earn 100-plus caps for England.

“There's a lot of young guys in the squad that could possibly go on to get 100-plus caps, not just Raheem,” he said. “But from knowing him and what his mindset is like, I'm pretty sure that he's got that in the back of his mind that he wants to go and break that record or head towards it.”

Off the pitch, Sterling has re-ignited the conversation around racism in football. After being subject to abuse at Stamford Bridge in December, Sterling went on to criticise media coverage of young black footballers, arguing in an Instagram post that it “helps fuel racism”.

And following the racist abuse directed against England’s black players during the side’s European Championship qualifier against Montenegro, Sterling called for football’s governing bodies to take a tougher stance in tackling racism.

Last month the City forward said he wants to see the introduction of “hard punishments” when incidents occur, and suggested clubs should be docked up to nine points.

“I've watched him mature a lot over the years,” Delph said. “He's still the same guy who I met when he was 19, the only difference is people are paying attention to what type of person he is and trying to know Raheem a little more. Everyone can see how kind and humble and what a good player he is.”

Of the abuse Sterling has received over the past season, Delph added: “He's got the strongest mindset I've ever come across in football. Vincent Kompany is another one, he is very strong mentally. Nothing fazes Raheem, he is very confident in himself. He's a great person and very dedicated to his craft.

“Like I said, he's matured over the years. But I think when I met him at 19, I don't think he'd have reacted either. He seems to let his football do the talking. The last two seasons have been incredible for him but I've seen a lot of signs before that that he was going to become the player he is today.

“And while I'm still with him, or while I'm still in contact with him, I'm going to be pushing him daily because I know he's got another 20 per cent in him.”