Raheem Sterling is facing a brutal run of criticism in the Netherlands, with former player Jan Everse saying the 31-year-old is having a bad time and that, in his view, “it’s over.” Everse said the forward is “not fit,” lacks confidence and no longer looks explosive, adding that the fans are “killing him.”

Everse did not soften the picture. “If he makes three or four sprints, you don’t see him for 20 minutes,” he said, while also arguing that Sterling “falls over his own legs,” is “hesitating” and is “anxious not to make mistakes.” He said the winger no longer beats defenders one against one and described the fit at Feyenoord as “not a happy marriage.”

The weight of the comments lands because Sterling arrived with a long record behind him. He made his breakthrough as a 17-year-old at Liverpool, then spent years at Manchester City and built a long England career before ending up under pressure in Rotterdam. What is striking now is not just the criticism itself, but who it is coming from: not only an outspoken former player, but also supporters and other respected Dutch football voices.

Supporter Dennis echoed the mood around the club, saying, “At this point, everyone will be happy when it’s over.” Willem van Hanegem was even more direct, saying that if he were Feyenoord he would ask for his money back and tell Sterling to “just go home.” Those remarks underline how quickly the tone around the player has hardened after a spell that once carried different expectations.

Robin van Persie, who has also been under scrutiny this season, had tried to draw a line under early judgment when he said the criticism of Sterling was unfair until the player had been at the club for six to eight weeks. In February, Van Persie marked his first anniversary as head coach by handing a bouquet of flowers to two press box critics, a small gesture that showed how closely his own work has been watched.

For now, the story around Sterling is not about whether he can rediscover the version of himself that once looked set for the top of the game. It is about a veteran winger, still only 31, hearing from inside Dutch football that the balance of opinion has already turned against him.