Former Liverpool star Jamie Carragher was left seething as reports that Raheem Sterling is to hand in a transfer request came out on Monday night.
IFLLiverpool (YouTube) via Sky Sports
Carragher told Sky Sports 1: "The thing I don't like about it, for a 20-year-old kid to be taking on Liverpool FC over a contract, to the pit of my stomach it just angers me.
"It looks like a tactic to me to try to force the club's hand.
"I can't get out of my head a young kid and his agent trying to take the club on. You keep your mouth shut and get on with playing football. How will he be thought of?"
Sterling has been urged to stay at the club by departing captain Steven Gerrard, who said last week: "I think he should sign a new deal. Brendan is a fantastic man manager, he puts a lot of time and effort into every player in the squad."
Sterling said in an interview with BBC Sport last month that his contract impasse was nothing to do with money, rather about his desire to win trophies, after it emerged that he had been made what Rodgers described as "an incredible offer", believed to be B£100,000-a-week.
But that held little sway with Carragher.
He said: "Liverpool had a chance of trophy this year, in the (FA Cup) semi-final against Aston Villa – where was Raheem Sterling?
"What did Liverpool do in the Champions League this year? Nothing. What did Raheem Sterling do? Nothing.
"The semi-final was one of the worst performances I've ever seen from a Liverpool team in a big game – not just him, the whole team were found wanting, but if he wants to win trophies he's got to deliver in big games, and he hasn't done that yet.
"I played with him and he's a great kid. He's not some flash young kid, he loves his football.
"I think for his football development, he needs to stay at Liverpool. He doesn't need to move club – he needs to change his agent, that's what he needs to change."
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