Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has expressed his point of view that he wanted winger Raheem Sterling to leave the Etihad Stadium in next summer to find opportunities.
Sterling has so far only started 3 Marches in the Premier League, and in the last match City won 4-1 at Brighton over the weekend, he was not even registered in the squad.
The 26-year-old winger has become frustrated about the lack of opportunities he has been presented with so far this term. In mid-October, Sterling had admitted that he would be open to leaving City if his game time does not increase.
“Riyad Mahrez or Joao Cancelo, they don’t have much game time but they don’t complain.” Guardiola said.
“What I want from Sterling and everyone is for them to be happy to be here, to feel really happy to be a part of this club. Without that, players are free to make the best decisions for themselves and their families.” Guardiola added.
Sterling joined City in 2015 from Liverpool, and has gone on to register over 300 appearances for the club, scoring a total of 115 goals during that time.
“Not just Raheem, all of them want to play every game but I cannot assure them. They have to improve every training session and be there on the pitch and try to be happy there.” Guardiola said.
“People change, you know? You have highs and lows in a career, that’s normal. But the messages I’m talking about are not for Raheem, forget about it, when I’m talking, it is for all the players.” the Spaniard added.
Sterling has seen his influence and minutes wane at the club over the past year, with the £100 million signing of Jack Grealish emphasising the strength in depth the club have in wide areas.
