AS ENGLAND gears up for the return of the Premier League today, fans of the national team are talking about two promising English players — Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane — but for different reasons.

Sterling had the world at his feet last season. On course to win the Premier League with Liverpool, the winger looked unstoppable alongside Luis Suarez and Steven Gerrard.

His performances won him a place in Roy Hodgson’s World Cup squad. Sterling was one of the few England players that left Brazil with any dignity.

But less than 12 months on, things don’t look rosy for the 20-year-old. He isn’t playing terribly, but his ongoing contract negotiations are ruining his image and his relationship with the Kop.

Sterling is currently being dragged through the mud for turning down several offers from Liverpool, saying that it’s not about the money but about football.

“It’s not about the money at all,” he said.

“It’s never been about money. I talk about winning trophies throughout my career. That’s all I talk about.

“I don’t talk about how many cars I’m going to drive, how many houses I’ve got. I just purely want to be the best I can be.”

He even admitted that he could have accepted a lesser contract last season than what he is being offered now but turned it down. Although that does make him sound like a money-grubbing footballer.

There is nothing wrong with what he said. The Merseyside club have slipped backward this season.

With Liverpool facing the prospect of finishing outside the Champions League places, Sterling may feel that last season was the best chance they had at winning the league.

Manchester United look like they will spend another £150 million this summer and make a real push for the title next season.

Manchester City and Chelsea continue to lead the pack in England and Arsenal have a knack of quietly finishing fourth.

With Tottenham and Southampton also vying for a top-four finish, Liverpool are fighting to qualify for the Europa League let alone the Champions League. Sterling has every right to think about his future.

But he needs to let his football do the talking. He impressed against Lithuania and Italy but his league performances have dipped.

Part of the problem is the constant chatter about his future.

He may feel that joining Manchester City or Arsenal — both of whom he has been connected to — may be his best chance of winning silverware.

But he’s young and a new contract may be his best bet. It will settle his mind and Kane has shown that when everything is in place off the field, things slot into place on it.

The Tottenham striker signed a new contract earlier this season, tying himself to Spurs for the next few years.

What was interesting about those negotiations was that there didn’t seem to be any. Nothing in the media, no back and forth with the club. Just an announcement that he’d signed a new deal.

The 21-year-old could have done better for himself had he dragged the talks out. Waiting until the summer and leveraging other teams’ interest could have netted him a plumper pay packet from the north London side.

But Kane, it seems, is not one for that. It’s refreshing. Journalists don’t even seem to know the name of his agent.

The focus is on his football and from the wealth of goals he has gifted Spurs he appears focussed indeed.

The week he was called up to England he scored his first professional hat-trick. He scored his first international goal just 79 seconds after coming on against Lithuania.

It’s common for promising England players to get overexcited and seemingly forget what their job is. Sterling may want to remember what made him so brilliant last season and what is working for Kane, and get his head down and play.