Hodgson recalls winger, can't see why he wouldn't want to play for England

England manager Roy Hodgson has continued to insist that the decision to include teenager Raheem Sterling in the country's senior squad has nothing to do with the player being courted by the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF).

However, the England manager was quick to point out that he sees no other reason the talented wide player would want to play for anyone else.

"It would seem to me, having played at every level for England so far, it must be Raheem's hope that he's going to represent his country at national team level and he's on the threshold of doing that," Hodgson told UK publication Daily Post (http://www.dailypost.co.uk).

"It has nothing to do with him being courted by anybody else. My views on that subject are clear. As far as I'm concerned, a player should have the right to choose who he wants to play for.

The Jamaica-born 17-year-old, who spent his early years in Kington's Maverley, has been a revelation for English Premier League club Liverpool this season, impressing both Hodgson and the club's manager Brendan Rodgers.

"He's done extremely well for Liverpool," said Hodgson.

"He burst on to the scene at the start of the season and has been ever-present in recent games."

The player's excellent form has already seen him called up for England in a match against the Ukraine, but the player failed to feature, inspiring hope that he would have still been eligible to play for the country of his birth. In fact, Sterling had been part of the scouting mission for JFF president Captain Horace Burrell, but it seems unlikely to end in success, as Sterling has now received another call-up from England. The player has been recalled by the England boss for the team's friendly against Sweden next week.