SHOW ME OR GO Pep stars given no guarantees
PEP GUARDIOLA has told Raheem Sterling he is free to leave Manchester City if he feels he is not playing enough.
Sterling, who has started just two of City’s seven Premier League games this season, said he was open to playing elsewhere if it meant getting more game time.
The England forward is into the final two years of his current deal at the Etihad, but has put contract talks on hold as he considers his options, with Real Madrid and Barcelona monitoring his situation.
Guardiola told Sterling he cannot guarantee him the playing time he wants and challenged the 26-year-old to prove he deserves to start more games.
“We are in the free world and the players can say whatever they want, when they want,” said Guardiola.
“I don’t know if he wants to play more game time like Riyad Mahrez and Joao Cancelo, who don’t play and don’t complain.
“Some players complain because they want to play all the time. But I cannot assure them and I spoke to them many times about that.
“They always have to speak on the pitch. Not Raheem, all of them. What I want from Raheem and everyone is
by DAVID MCDONNELL
that they’re satisfied to be here and delighted to be in this club.
“If that’s not the case, they’re free to take the best decision for the player and their family.
“If any of these players aren’t satisfied, it’s so simple, with their agents, to go to the club and say, ‘I’m not happy, I want to leave’ and we’re going to find a solution, I’m pretty sure of that.”
Sterling has been one of City’s most influential players in recent years, helping the club to win three Premier League titles, four League Cups and the FA Cup.
He has scored 115 goals in 302 appearances for City, but Guardiola warned Sterling his past achievements count for nothing.
“What you’ve done in the past is the past,” said Guardiola. “The important thing is what you have to do tomorrow.
“This is the past. I don’t select the players for what they’ve done in the past. It’s today, how you train today, how we’re going to play tomorrow – this is the important thing.
“So when you get the opportunity to play, show me what you can do. Show the world how wrong I was when I was not selecting you and then you’re right.
“The biggest athletes in the world, in all the sports, they speak on the grass. That’s where they have to talk.”