STERLING: I WAS NEVER FOR SALE

RAHEEM STERLING says a summer conversation with Pep Guardiola made Arsenal’s interest in him a complete non-starter. Arsene Wenger asked about Sterling late in the transfer window as City’s efforts to land Alexis Sanchez intensified. But Sterling knew from a pre-season talk with Guardiola that the City manager had no intention of selling him. ‘I didn’t need to speak with him because we’d already spoken,’ Sterling said yesterday. ‘I woke up one day with England, heard it (the rumour that City were considering a swap deal with Sanchez) and didn’t believe it. ‘Pep is an honest guy and he would have spoken to me about it before that. So I didn’t need to worry about it. ‘The manager’s been massive. He gets you to do the simple things at the top level. It works.’