Pep praises Sterling’s contribution
PEP Guardiola wants Raheem Sterling to stay at Manchester City.
The 23-year-old England forward scored his 50th Premier League goal as the champions began their title defence with a 2-0 win at Arsenal on Sunday.
Sterling has two years left to run on the five-year deal signed when he moved to City from Liverpool in July 2015.
“We are delighted with him and would like Raheem to stay,” Guardiola said.
“We’ll do our effort to make him feel we count on him. And we count on him.
“We arrived after a difficult season and I told him I want to help him and would like him to be happy.
“In the end, the agents may not have agreements and that may not happen.
“But he knows and his agent knows we like him and want him a lot.”
Sterling’s finishing has been under the microscope in the past — it is almost three years since he scored for England — and he marked his goal after just 14 minutes with a cupped ear celebration.
Sterling told Sky Sports: “There’s been a lot of talking... it’s just one of those things I get judged on. I’ve got to keep improving and getting more goals.”
Guardiola defended Sterling’s goalscoring record.
The City boss said: “If you judge the players in the World Cup if they score a goal or not... Raheem had this special relationship with English football, but he’s so loved in the locker room.