Sterling's enduring status can hit a new peak in Qatar

Few players reach the tenth anniversary of their international debut and are still as important to their national team as Raheem Sterling is to England.

- MARK CRITCHLEY

Named in every squad for which he has been available since appearing at his first World Cup in 2014, his inclusion in the 26-man party travelling to Qatar was never in doubt. He was widely regarded as his country's player of the tournament during the run to last year's European Championship final. He is one of the foundation stones of the Gareth Southgate era. He was always going to be on the plane.

Sterling's longevity at this level since making his bow as a 17year-old a decade ago - in a 4-2 friendly defeat to Sweden, during the first year of the Roy Hodgson era - comes despite playing in a position that has had the fiercest competition for places, especially of late. Several fresher-faced but less experienced talents have emerged to challenge for a regular starting spot in Southgate's attack - and several of them will travel to Qatar, James Maddison being just the latest - but Sterling remains the man in possession. It is still him and Harry Kane plus one up front.

In fact, of all the goals scored during the six years of Southgate, he and Kane are responsible for more than a third of them. And even if you correctly suspect that the England captain is doing most of the heavy lifting on that count - 46 compared with Sterling's 17 - Kane would not have amassed that many without his closest thing to an international strike partner. Sterling has assisted him seven times in all, the most goals that one England player has set up for another since the turn of the century.