Thomas Tuchel 'sad to see' Raheem Sterling struggles away from the pitch

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FT Desk

England boss Thomas Tuchel has commented on Raheem Sterling's current struggles away from football.

In September, Sterling pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and possessing nitrous oxide while driving.

Shortly before 9:00 AM on Thursday 28 May, Hampshire Police responded to a single-vehicle collision near the Minley Interchange. A vehicle had crashed into the motorway barriers, but no other cars were involved and no injuries were reported.

It was subsequently confirmed that the incident involved the then-Feyenoord attacker, who was back in England following the conclusion of the Eredivisie campaign in the Netherlands.

Hampshire Police outlined the details of the incident in an official statement.

"Just before 9am on Thursday, we received reports that a Lamborghini was in collision with barriers on the M3 southbound, close to the Minley Interchange. No other vehicles were involved and no injuries were reported," said the statement.

"The driver, a 31-year-old man, from Berkshire, has been arrested on suspicion of driving a vehicle whilst unfit through drugs, driving dangerously, possession of a Class C drug and failing to provide a specimen. He has been bailed while our enquiries continue."

Tuchel, who signed Sterling for Chelsea from Manchester City in 2022, praised the player's character and expressed hope that he can get through this difficult period in his life.

"I have a lot of sympathy for him and I feel that he has struggled ever since he left Man City and he was at the peak of his career," the German said on Friday.

"I was fighting for this transfer and he could never prove the importance that he normally had. It was a big step for him at that moment in time.

"It's sad to see that someone struggles because he was a devoted father for his children and he was a family guy, a nice guy to be around.

"It just seems that he goes through a difficult period. I'm not sure how much is his fault, sometimes you just enter a strange spiral in your life, a downward spiral.

"Thoughts are with him of course, the belief is always that he can turn it around and I wish him the best."

It was later reported that no drugs were found in Sterling's system after tests, but the possession of nitrous oxide was included in the charges which he would eventually face in court.

At the court hearing, the former England forward pled guilty to all of those aforementioned charges.

A source close to Sterling told BBC Sport that the former England international had faced "an extremely tough couple of years" and had been made to "feel worthless" and "forgotten about".

At the end of the season he was released by Feyenoord but The Telegraph previously reported that Sterling remains keen to play at a high level and that he wants to continue playing on the continent in Europe rather than returning to England or potentially moving to MLS in the United States.