Gareth Southgate replaced Bukayo Saka with Raheem Sterling on 79 minutes (Picture: Getty)

Former Chelsea man Ruud Gullit has slammed England boss Gareth Southgate for bringing on Raheem Sterling in the 2-1 World Cup defeat to France.

The Three Lions crashed out of Qatar in the quarter-finals on Saturday with Southgate replacing Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka with Sterling after 79 minutes.

Saka had been one of England’s best players against the French and Ruud could not believe that Southgate decided to take him off in favour of Chelsea’s Sterling.

Sterling only returned to the England camp on Thursday after he was forced to briefly return to the UK following a burglary at his home.

‘Saka was the only one who was really, really good. Why did you take him off?’ Gullit told beIN SPORTS.

‘I don’t think [Sterling] is near what he was a couple of seasons ago.

‘Therefore, why would you do that? He didn’t do anything [when he came on].’

French football expert Julien Laurens agreed with those remarks as he told the BBC: ‘You need to learn how to win these clutch games.

‘You don’t just rock up against a big nation and then go and win if you’re not 100% perfect in every sense.

‘I don’t understand why Bukayo Saka came off for Raheem Sterling who’s been away. Then you took him off for someone who’s been in London for five days.

‘To win games like this you have to have things almost perfect. When you miss chance after chance their belief is growing.’

Sterling’s England team-mate Kalvin Phillips said in the build-up to the game that the Chelsea man’s return had given the squad a ‘massive lift’.

Sterling has been a key player under Southgate and was arguably England’s best player at Euro 2020.

The 28-year-old moved clubs in the summer, arriving at Stamford Bridge after bringing his trophy-laden seven-year spell at Manchester City to an end.

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‘Why would you do that?’