FROM boo-boy to hat-trick hero, Raheem Sterling’s England career has certainly taken a turn for the better.

It is not too long ago that the Manchester City winger’s appearance in the England side was under serious threat, such was his repeated inability to transfer his impressive club form to the international stage.

Shots were scuffed, chances went begging, passes were regularly misplaced. Even as he was beginning to score on a much more regular basis under Pep Guardiola, so he went a remarkable 27 matches without a goal in an England shirt. Not anymore.

Last October’s double in a 3-2 away win in Seville was a seminal moment for Sterling, ending his barren run and proving to himself as well as the England support that he belonged at international level.

Last night’s performance represented another significant step forward, with Sterling claiming his first international hat-trick as England kicked off their Euro 2020 qualifying campaign in style. It might yet be taken away from him – his third goal came courtesy of a hefty deflection off Ondrej Celustka that could eventually result in the official award of an own goal – but he can no longer be criticised as a luxury player lacking an end product. Instead, he is rapidly emerging as the talisman of Gareth Southgate’s fearless young England team.

“I saw from him what I’ve seen in training all week,” said Southgate, who takes his side to Montenegro for their second qualifier on Monday. “So the way he played didn’t surprise me. He’s been in a really confident mood for a while now and you can see that in his play.

“I was delighted for him to get the reaction that he got from the crowd here. We can’t hide from the fact that he’s had difficult moments with England, but he’s moved forward and it’s come full circle.

“I think the goals in Seville were an important moment for him. You can see the relief that brought, and he’s maybe not thinking quite so much now. You could see the thought process with him in the past, but he’s relying on his instinct for goals now. He’s added that to his game, and I thought he was devastating tonight.”

Sterling used his performance to pay tribute to Damary Dawkins, a Crystal Palace youth-team player who died from leukaemia on Sunday. He could find himself being hit with a UEFA fine for revealing a T-shirt in Dawkins’ memory, but his tribute revealed a compassionate side to his character that was perhaps not apparent in his early years.

The 24-year-old has been something of a pantomime villain in the tabloids, with the red-tops quick to criticise his lavish spending and gun tattoo. That has always been a simplistic assessment of a Jamaican immigrant who has had to fight his way to the top though, and the more Sterling is able to be honest and open, the more his leadership qualities shine through.

“I’ve put him in the leadership group that we’ve got,” said Southgate. “And I think he’s enjoyed that extra responsibility. I think he’s a role model for the young players coming through.

“He’s really focused on his training and preparation, and I think that extra responsibility is coming out in his performances on the pitch. This has been a really special night for him, and I just hope he gets that deflection.”

As well as scoring a hat-trick, Sterling also won the first-half penalty that was converted by Harry Kane, and he was deservedly cheered from the field when he was replaced by debutant Callum Hudson-Odoi with 20 minutes left.

“It was a beautiful team performance and I was happy to help the team to get the win,” said Sterling. “I’m just being confident in myself. I’m trying to get into areas and take shots, not to worry about anything. The first goal pleased me most, to get myself up and running.”

The only downside from an England perspective was the first-half injury to Eric Dier that will keep the Tottenham midfielder out of Monday’s trip to Podgorica.

At this stage, Southgate does not intend to call anyone into the squad, so Declan Rice could find himself making his first England start in two days’ time after making his debut as a substitute last night.

“We thought about bringing him on when Eric came off, but with the way we’d started, we just thought bringing Ross (Barkley) on would be a better option,” said Southgate. “It was always in our mind to look at Dele (Alli) after about 60 minutes because he hasn’t had a lot of football, and that enabled us to bring Declan on.

“He was going to come on when it was 2-0, but then we scored the third goal and that made it an even better situation for him. It was probably the perfect way for him to come on at that stage.”