Sterling critics slammed by Feyenoord boss Van Persie: If you’ve even a basic understanding…

Robin Bairner

Updated: 28 Feb 2026 13:27 GMT
4 min read

Raheem Sterling, Robin van Persie, Feyenoord — © IMAGO/FootballTransfers

Raheem Sterling has been shielded from criticism by Feyenoord boss Robin van Persie after an unspectacular debut for the Rotterdam side.

Sterling completed a shock move to the Eredivisie side on 12 February after being released from his Chelsea contract.

The 31-year-old struggled upon his return with the Dutch side, with former Manchester United and Arsenal striker Van Persie angry at the comments his new signing has faced in the aftermath.

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Current ETV

Raheem Sterling

F (R), M (RL)

Feyenoord

Raheem Sterling

F (R), M (RL)

Feyenoord

ETV Range

€5.1M - €6.9M

Van Persie slams Sterling critics

“If you have even a basic understanding of the context, you know where he’s come from, what he’s achieved in his career, and the fact that he hasn’t had any team training for months,” the Feyenoord boss fumed ahead of the clash against FC Twente.

“I understand that a lot is expected of a player of his calibre, but to criticise him so harshly after thirty minutes, his first half-hour in over six months, is incomprehensible.”

Van Persie, who moved Feyenoord’s training to Belgium while Sterling was waiting on his visa for the Netherlands, is not the first person to hit out at the critics, with Jack Grealish describing the situation as “f****** stupid”.

Unwanted at Chelsea

Sterling is emerging from a very difficult period in his career. Designated as part of Chelsea’s ‘Bomb Squad’ in the summer, he was not working with the first team at Stamford Bridge under either Enzo Maresca or Liam Rosenior.

Although he was on loan at Arsenal last season, he struggled to distinguish himself at the Emirates Stadium and was rarely used as a starting option by Mikel Arteta. Indeed, over the course of the campaign, he featured in 28 matches for the Gunners but played only 1,143 minutes.

During his time with the Gunners, Sterling scored a single goal in the EFL Cup against Bolton, but he delivered five assists across all competitions.

Sterling arrives at a Feyenoord side in crisis

The context of the former Liverpool and Manchester City star arriving in the Netherlands, meanwhile, is unique.

There is a tremendous degree of focus on him due to his background at England’s biggest clubs, but also because of the sizeable wages that he is on.

Equally, he arrives at a Feyenoord side teetering on crisis.

“The fact that they've signed him at least shows that the club's management is doing everything they can to have Van Persie in the saddle,” Geert-Jan Jakobs told Voetbal International’s ‘Rondje Eredivisie’ programme.

“It's a kind of job guarantee for Van Persie. Sterling specifically chose him to go to Feyenoord. So they can't afford to let Van Persie go now.

“He’s been signed as a diversionary tactic.

“The difficulty is that he was brought in as a kind of saviour. But there are several problems that remain unsolved. The game is only getting worse. The manager is doing all sorts of strange things and chasing players out. The technical director isn't functioning. And players are constantly getting injured.”

Feyenoord won 2-1 on Sterling’s debut against Telstar, with his second appearance set to come on Sunday against FC Twente.

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