Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
FROM A BOY TO THE MAN
Sterling has come of age for City and England and insists maturity and desire have been key to his growth
HE was little more than a boy when he joined Manchester City – but now Raheem Sterling is THE man.
Four years on from his acrimonious move from Liverpool, and Sterling feels he is coming of age at City.
Sterling was just 20 back in the summer of 2015 and great things were expected of him because his £49million transfer fee made him the most-expensive English player ever at that time.
That fee now looks a bargain and after a slow start to his City career, he banged in 31 goals for club and country last season.
Sterling, 24, is on course to beat that tally this term and his 11-minute hat-trick against Atalanta –his fourth treble of 2019 – took his haul for City and the Three Lions to 16 in just 17 games. He is maturing under Pep Guardiola and accepts his manager’s challenge to push himself to keep improving.
“One thing is age,” he explained. “I was only 20 when I came to City and I was nowhere near the maturity level I am now.
“Another is being in a good team, and then the final thing is down to yourself – it’s what you want to do in football.
“Do you want to be a winger who takes 10 people on and delivers nothing or do you want to be someone who helps win games for your team?
“I think all that comes with maturity. I keep learning each day to be better at it and to be involved in the game and be effective.”
Sterling was devastating against Atalanta and he had a hand in City’s other two goals, crossing for Sergio Aguero’s opener and winning the penalty for the Argentinian’s second.
He is taking on more responsibility to make and take goals for City and England and has become hugely important for both teams.
In a sign of his growing maturity, he refused to bask in the glory of collecting yet another match ball to add to his mum’s burgeoning collection at her home in Jamaica and instead is focused on wreaking more havoc on Aston Villa on Saturday. “I’m thriving on just waiting for the next game really,” he said. “I’ve scored a hat-trick and I can’t wait for the weekend to hopefully get some chances and be involved again to score some goals. “That’s where I am at the moment, I think.
“This has gone now and I’m looking forward to the next one.” Sterling was not entirely happy with his display on Tuesday and admitted he should have had a fourth goal when he missed a chance when clean through near the end. “I should have had four,” he said. “Riyad Mahrez set me up for the last one and as soon as I went through on goal, I was looking for him to see if he was anywhere close. “I wanted to put one on a plate for him. But, yeah, I’ve got to finish that.”