FRANK MCPARLAND is delighted to see Raheem Sterling’s hard work paying off after giving the England star an early helping hand on the road to glory.

The former Liverpool youth chief took Sterling from Queen’s Park Rangers to Anfield in 2010 and this summer saw him make a £50million move to Manchester City as he has become one of the brightest stars in the English Premier League.

McParland is now tasked with uncovering more gems after being reunited with former Brentford colleagues Mark Warburton and David Weir at Ibrox.

The new Rangers Head of Recruitment said: “Raheem stands out because of how much he has improved. When he was at Liverpool, the kid just wanted to improve every day.

“I remember watching him when we played Southend in the FA Youth Cup and Anfield. We had the ProZone analysis up and running – like eight cameras and all that – and I remember we did a comparison with one of the top strikers at Liverpool at the time. I am not going to give you his name.

“Sterling, then, was doing high intensity runs after the first or second minute. The game went to extra-time and, in the 118th minute, he was still doing exactly the same. The kid is like a freak.

“He works so hard, but he is so fit. He is not just the quickest, but he can run the longest as well.

“In the yo-yo test, he was unbelievable. A lot of it is down to his exuberance and desire to play footy.

“He is an unbelievable professional and person. I still speak to him now.”