Raheem Sterling's career has taken a new twist just three months after ripping up his contract with Premier League club Chelsea.
The England international has been plying his trade under Manchester United and Arsenal legend Robin van Persie at Dutch club Feyenoord. However, things haven't worked out for the 31-year-old.
He has only made six Eredivisie appearances to date, picking up just one assist. Sterling is yet to score a goal and his fitness has been called into question.
Raheem Sterling's Feyenoord Spell Takes a Turn
Raheem Sterling during a pre-match warm-up at Arsenal
The most recent league match against NEC Nijmegen saw the four-time Premier League winner left on the bench as an unused substitute. Van Persie's decision to snub the Englishman has been followed up with news that he's likely to depart the club in the summer.
Despite earning a modest base wage of just £23,000-per-week, the club don't intend to offer Sterling a contract extension beyond the end of the current campaign. He is now set to become a free agent again after struggling to find a new club while in Chelsea's 'bomb squad'.
Algemeen Dagblad reports (per The Sun) that the Dutch side don't feel that the former Liverpool and Manchester City man has met expectations with just a single assist and doubts over his fitness. Sterling was even described as 'an English celebrity who worked incredibly hard… but didn’t show much quality' by AD reporter Mikos Gouka.
Feyenoord trainer/coach Robin van Persie during the press conference
Following a 1-1 draw against Ajax in March, Van Persie claimed that Sterling would need to match up his ability with match fitness after he only lasted 55 minutes before being withdrawn. He said: "Those two worlds need to align sooner rather than later.
"We are working on that, where the most important thing is winning matches during this period of Raheem getting fitter and fitter.
"So I do respect and acknowledge where he is coming from, but at the same time, we have to deliver as a club."
The 42-year-old added that he thought the player was moving in the right direction, adding: "We have to end up second, as simple as that. I believe that he’s making steps in terms of fitness, in terms of what he delivers."
However, Van Persie did admit that there needed to be more quality in and out of possession: "At the same time, I want to see more impact off the ball, more impact on the ball." It now looks like the ex-Premier League star could be without a club in the next couple of months.
Statistics in this article are courtesy of Transfermarkt. Correct as of 22-04-26.