Graeme Souness believes Gareth Southgate has made a mistake by dropping 'dangerous' Chelsea star from England squad

Pundit Graeme Souness reckons Chelsea winger Raheem Sterling deserved a call-up to the England squad for the ongoing international break.

The Three Lions manager Gareth Southgate skipped Sterling from his squad for their ongoing UEFA Euro 2024 Qualifiers. They have already qualified for the tournament and will conclude their campaign against North Macedonia on Monday, November 20.

Sterling last featured for England at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, where they were eliminated in the quarter-finals by France. The Chelsea star was initially injured and hasn't been called up since despite his good form at the club level.

Souness recently spoke about pundit Simon Jordan's comments regarding Sterling's form and impact, comparing it to Jack Grealish. He told Daily Mail (via Caught Offside):

“I read Simon Jordan’s comments regarding Raheem Sterling on these pages this week, and his belief that the Chelsea winger has justifiably been left out of the England squad on form.

“OK, let’s look at it a different way. If you’re a full back, would you rather play against Sterling or Jack Grealish? I think 10 out of 10 would rather play against Grealish. Sterling is more dangerous than him."

Sterling has made 82 appearances for England, scoring 20 goals and providing 27 assists. He has been excellent at the club level this season, recording five goals and two assists to his name in 14 games across competitions.

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Chelsea captain Reece James on the team's rising confidence

The Blues had a poor start to the 2023-24 Premier League season under Mauricio Pochettino. Despite signing a number of players in the summer, injury issues and poor performances saw them face multiple defeats. Chelsea are 10th in the league table, 12 points behind leaders Manchester City.

They have, however, been in good form recently, being unbeaten in their last three games across competitions. They beat Tottenham Hotspur away 4-1 before drawing 4-4 against Manchester City in their last two league games.

Skipper Reece James recently reflected on his side's season so far, saying (via Caught Offside):

“We’re still a fairly new group. The more time we spend with each other the more understanding we have. That helps us. We have come a long way.

“Our performances in the past five or six weeks have picked up. Everyone is happy around the place. Our confidence is growing. Results help that. It’s the starting point. When we’re performing well as a team people are going to try more things and look more confident.”

Chelsea have some tough fixtures coming after the international break. They will face Newcastle United away, Brighton & Hove Albion at home, and Manchester United away in their next three games.