West Ham and England Under-19 midfielder Blair Turgott says Liverpool winger Raheem Sterling is an "inspiration" to players in England’s youth sides.

Speaking to The FA.com, the 18 year old, a close friend of Sterling’s, says the 17 year-old is a prime example of how to make the right impression whilst on international duty.

Turgott made his England Under-16’s bow against Northern Ireland in 2009 in the Victory Shield, the same night Sterling made his Three Lions debut.

“You only have to look at Raheem to see how well he’s done this season and that is an inspiration to all of us,” states Turgott.

Sterling’s rapid ascent to the top this season has been nothing short of staggering, breaking into the Liverpool first team as well as earning a second call-up to Roy Hodgson’s senior side for England’s friendly against Sweden in Stockholm this week.

“He was with us in the Under-17s last year and for the first Under-19s game in Germany, so if you get the chance, you have to take it,” admits Turgott.

John Peacock’s Under-19s face Finland at AFC Telford’s New Buck Stadium tomorrow, and Turgott explains that his most recent involvement, the Under-19’s European Championships first qualifying round in Estonia was an important part of his development.

“It’s been good for me, because you get to experience playing away from home and going to other countries and continents and playing football out there, which is a great experience for me now and my career going forward," he told The FA's website.

“It was a good trip out to Estonia and I thought we did really well as a team to come out on top of the group and qualify.”