Journalist Dean Jones has claimed that Raheem Sterling is not having an easy time of things right now at Chelsea.

He told GiveMeSport that the 28-year-old is having one or two problems off the pitch, which are potentially impacting his performances when playing.

Sterling has been arguably Chelsea’s best performer this season since Mauricio Pochettino came to the club.

He has been close to an ever present this season, and showed exactly what he can do in the Blues’ last win against Burnley.

The England international assisted two goals in one way or another, before finding the net for himself despite VAR’s best efforts to disallow it.

Despite his positive club form, he is yet to be called up again to the England squad since he was dropped.

Sterling having off-field issuesThis has left many stunned, although Jones has now claimed that some off-field issues could be playing a part.

He said: “I don’t even know that it’s necessarily Pochettino dropping him. Sterling has had a pretty difficult season on all levels. His personal life, there’s obviously been a couple of ongoing problems that he’s had to deal with.

“On the pitch his form has been in and out. There have been flashes this season of him being at his best and I think this was one of those days as well. You know, forces the own goal, wins a penalty, scores a goal himself.”

If Chelsea are going to negotiate a tough run of fixtures when they return from the international break, they are going to be relying on Sterling to churn out more strong performances.

This will begin with the next league game at Stamford Bridge against title-challenging Arsenal.