Cahill praises Sterling's attitude against Nigeria

It's been a difficult week for the Manchester City forward, one which saw him heavily criticised for getting a rather large gun tattoo and arriving late for training one day.

However, Sterling put the controversies behind him at Wembley on Saturday, displaying a lively performance as the 'Three Lions' secured a win in their penultimate pre-World Cup friendly.

Following the game, Cahill praised the former Liverpool player for showing his impressive character. 

"It is to be expected but at the same time it would be nice if it was positive," Cahill said of the stories regarding England players leading into a big tournament.

"Nevertheless, Raheem has been fantastic with it all, he manages that situation very, very well. Kept working hard, kept his focus and I think today you saw a performance that, apart from scoring a goal, he was very lively.

"So credit to him he has had to come over that but it is to be expected for whatever reason. I think first and foremost he has conducted himself fantastically well this week, he has managed that situation very well.

"He has come out today in front of a huge crowd and performed very well. He created quite a few chances... [there are] no issues, he played very well today, the lads are delighted and the goals are just around the corner for him I'm sure."

England next play Costa Rica in Leeds on Thursday.