Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson believes Raheem Sterling will play a key role for England at this summer's European Championships.
Hodgson handed the Manchester City star his England debut back in 2012.
"I am a great admirer of Raheem, I think he is a fine player," Hodgson said. "It is a wonderful position to be in if you're Pep Guardiola that you believe you have other players you prefer to use to Raheem.
"But I am pretty certain in terms of England, he will still be an important player and an important cog in the wheel because he has so much ability.
"The skillset he has and ability he has to beat people, get into goal-scoring positions and score and set up chances, they are hard skillsets to find.
"And a great quality Raheem has got, and one I have always admired in him, is he is not a player who stays up there and waits for the ball to come to him.
"He makes certain he goes in search of it and when he loses it, he gets it back and plays an important role in the team's defensive work.
"These are things we as coaches expect of our players these days, but it's not always easy to get it."
