Clubs will still want to sign Raheem Sterling - but laughing gas antics could catch up with him

But in today’s world you have to be aware that everyone carries a mobile phone. Anything he is doing could potentially be filmed, and in this case it’s clear from the video that it’s a friend or acquaintance who has done the honours. They were right next to Sterling when it was happening. It’s naïve of him.

He is under scrutiny because he plays for Liverpool and England - and all the more so at the moment, given the very public nature of his disagreement with the club. He is in the spotlight, and yet from what we've been told he has allowed himself to be filmed doing this days before a Premier League match.

Sterling is losing the PR battle. His unauthorised interview with the BBC cast him in a poor light and now, in the space of a few days, he’s been on the front page of two national newspapers smoking a shisha pipe and then inhaling laughing gas. He isn’t doing himself any favours whatsoever and has a lot of faith to recover.

Let’s be clear, though, this kind of behaviour won’t affect his football in the short term. As long as he is playing and scoring, as he did on Monday, fans will forgive any indiscretions and Brendan Rodgers will be happy enough. That’s just how football works. We’ve seen with players like Wayne Rooney: good performances obscure other issues very effectively.

On top of that Sterling's actions won’t stop interested suitors from signing him, if indeed he does leave Liverpool. There are only a small number of clubs who have such strong values that they would take this into account. If he is going to win games of football and sell shirts then that is the only thing that will be taken into account. Off-the-pitch indiscretions won’t come into the equation.

However, I do think there are long-term considerations to take into account. While his game won’t be affected right now, there is a chance that such behaviour, if it goes unchecked, could be felt years down the line. Football has a way of catching up with you. And once the decline begins, it can be steep.

If you have an undisciplined lifestyle then it will take its toll. Natural ability lasts for a long time but eventually its influence diminishes and what comes through is all the hard yards you have put in, all the years you have spent looking after your body.

Sterling needs to take inspiration from some of the great players who have played for Liverpool and how they maximised their talent. Players like Jamie Carragher, Steven Gerrard and John Barnes. People who have kept their head down and became great players at Anfield. They prolonged their careers and reaped the rewards of a disciplined life.

Football is littered with players who had all the talent in the world but didn’t fulfil their potential. I can think of a few I knew from my career. Back then it was booze, cigarettes and late nights before sauntering into training, rather than shisha and laughing gas. Every player knows someone they once played with who didn’t maximise their talent.

Sterling hasn’t fallen into this trap yet. He hasn’t blown it. He is in a good position but when it all crumbles, there is a long way to fall. He needs to make sure that doesn’t happen as he is a fantastic player for club and country.

What’s happened isn’t the end of the world, but if Sterling persists with making these headlines then it could become a problem. It won’t stop him joining another club, or having a fantastic season. It’s more about the impact at the twilight of his career.