The 24-year-old found game time hard to come by under previous boss Beale but he’s now flying under Clement.
Dujon Sterling, whose former manager Michael Beale ignored his abilities, has placed his sights on long-term success with Philippe Clement.
With a run of outstanding performances, the Belgian manager has completely changed the Rangers star.Clement could see how good Sterling was in the gym, so much so that the manager told the player himself he did not understand why he had not played more. Even though Beale signed him in the summer of last year, he only gave the 24-year-old two starts in three months before firing him. But Clement just had to cast a quick glance to realize Sterling could help him.
“This gaffer has come in and seen what I was doing every day on the training pitch and said to me, ‘I don’t understand why you aren’t playing,'” the former Chelsea player stated. He believed in me enough to play me with confidence. I have to give him credit. That merely demonstrates how swiftly football can evolve. All you have to do is continue working every day, just like I did.
Of course, Sterling’s initial plans were dashed when a setback occurred shortly after Clement’s hiring. The Ibrox ace’s surge was stopped by an eye issue. “Back at the beginning of November, I woke up one day and had a couple of black lines in my eye,” Sterling said in his explanation. I believe they refer to them as floaters.
“I had it, and for a few weeks afterward, I was still having problems with it. I couldn’t really see much on my right side since it was fuzzy at the top of my eye. I wanted to play, I told the gaffer. However, let’s imagine, for instance, that in the final minute, a ball crosses the line and I am unable to see it.
“I didn’t want to play when I knew I wasn’t 100 percent correct because I didn’t want to impact the team. He assured me that it would be alright and that they would assist me no matter how long I needed to resolve the issue.
“I visited with a few experts. They offered assistance, but the problem resolved itself. I believe it completely vanished just following the Viaplay Cup Final. I still had a little amount of it in the upper corner even in the cup final. But it’s entirely gone now.
Literally nothing, Sterling continued, unable to provide an explanation for the cause. They were unable to say. I’m not sure even now. I have a follow-up appointment in a few weeks. All it takes is time. Nothing could be taken. They mentioned they could use lasers, but I opted to wait since that might have an impact on me later in life.
Since his comeback, Sterling has been indispensable, and his versatility is a huge plus. “The team believes in me that I can play any position,” he grinned. In the changing room, it’s always a joke.
Numerous football players worldwide can also be seen who don’t always play in their favorite position. All that matters is being in the starting lineup. The shirt is with them. It doesn’t really matter to me if I have the shirt or if it’s not in my preferred poison.
“Scanning is much simpler when I play wide since you only have to look in one direction. The line is your buddy, so they say. I just need to check where their defender is coming from on the other side since I know the line is there. I’m willing to work wherever I’m chosen. I don’t mind at all. I just try to keep getting better by working every day.
“I have the support of the coaching team, who can advise me on what I’m doing well and poorly. Next, we work to make that better. The fact that my audience like what I do and take pleasure in seeing me perform is a wonderful thing. That only has good things to say about it.
“No footballer wants to have a bad game,” Sterling continued. It’s just a matter of trying my hardest for me. It’s okay if I make a few mistakes on the field; my goal is to regain possession of the ball. It all depends on how you respond. For the past few months, he [Clement] has been hammering that point home in my mind.
“He demands that I respond to things more quickly. I’ve been attempting to improve on that each and every training day.
Another source of encouragement for Sterling came from Clement, who praised him after receiving a red card against Aberdeen, saying, “It felt really good.” Even the fans messaged me to say they felt it was harsh and didn’t think it deserved a red.
“It’s done now. That has already happened. I see now, please don’t do it. You never know what the referees are going to say about anything dubious.
Hitting the net is next on Sterling’s agenda. He said: “That’s the next step. Knowing where I stand within the box and when to pull the trigger are all that’s needed.
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