Raheem Sterling: Feyenoord moves its training to Belgium to accommodate the England striker

Feyenoord will train in Belgium this week instead of at their home in Rotterdam so Raheem Sterling can work with his new team-mates.

England striker Sterling joined Feyenoord last week after leaving Chelsea by mutual consent, but he cannot train or play in the Netherlands until he obtains a work permit.

Manager Robin van Persie says he has moved his team’s training to Tubize – some 137 kilometers from Rotterdam – to allow the 31-year-old to adapt to his new teammates as quickly as possible.

“One of the reasons is that Sterling can train with the team,” Van Persie said.

“But we can also work on our team culture there. We’ll do this for Raheem and for those operations.”

Feyenoord are planning to return to Rotterdam after Wednesday’s training session and are hoping to secure Sterling’s work permit in time for their home match against Telstar on Sunday.

Sterling, who also played for Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal, spent time discussing several options after leaving Chelsea.

Sources told BBC Sport that around 18 clubs in England and across Europe had shown interest in him, before he decided to join Feyenoord.

The 16-time Dutch champion occupies second place in the Dutch league table, 14 points behind league leader PSV Eindhoven.

Sterling scored 20 goals in 82 international matches for England, but has not played for the Three Lions since 2022.