STERLING TO PEP UP ENGLAND

PEP GUARDIOLA has urged Raheem Sterling to stand up to the stick from his international critics.

Manchester City’s England winger (below) impressed in the win over Chelsea but was slammed for his display last month against Malta, when he was dragged off at half-time by Gareth Southgate. Guardiola said: “Raz is a young guy, he cannot always expect things to go well.

“I want to see him react well when it’s going bad in national team. He mustn’t complain.

“Ideally, he would say, ‘OK I’m here, I will show you how good I am’.

“That is the only way to become a better player.”

Guardiola said Sterling was not too far away from becoming indispensable for both club and country.

The City coach added: “He has a lot of room for improvement, particularly in his final pass, in making an assist or scoring a goal.

“When he’s able to get that into his game, he will become a top, top, top, top player.”