Noni Madueke has urged Chelsea fans to stop jeering teammate Raheem Sterling.

The England winger has been booed by fans home and away this season, including in the FA Cup quarterfinal win against Leicester City.

"It's so important (to support him)," the 22-year-old told the Daily Mail. "I'm nobody to tell you not to have an opinion but I also have mine. That's one of my teammates and the criticism is harsh and unfair. It's our duty to voice our opinion and try to change the narrative a bit.

"Raheem is an exceptional footballer and an even better person. It's a bit upsetting when I see some of the criticism. I'm sure he can handle it but we know how important he is for us. He's definitely a big brother figure for a lot of us. There is a lot that people don't see. All I know is that he's exceptional and super committed to the cause."

Madueke added: "I feel like negativity can only fuel you.

"It gives you a tougher skin, it's part of the game. You're not going to go through your career without having downs and negative times when people are saying you're no good. The quicker you learn to deal with that, the better.

"We're in a semi-final of the FA Cup and, God willing, if we win that (trophy) then we're in Europe. In the league there is still a lot of football to be played. We're winning more often than we're not at the moment. We have to keep it going and see where we end up."