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on with my work, do what I need to do. And I’m just raring to go — playing football matches regularly, scoring goals regularly. ‘If football for me is not at a certain standard I’m not really at my happiest.’ Sterling has 20 months left on his contract at the Etihad but has opted against opening discussions over an extension until his short-term future is resolved. Guardiola recently reiterated to him that he is still seen as an important player, during talks between the pair. The England international, who is no longer in City’s five-man group of captains, was speaking at the Financial Times Business of Sport US Summit and suggested that he uses criticism as fuel to improve. He is not averse to playing abroad at some point during his career, amid loan interest from Barcelona. ‘As an English player, all I know is the Premier League,’ he added. ‘I’ve always thought one day I’d love to play abroad to see how I would come up against that challenge.’ Sterling has operated as a false nine — playing that role in last month’s Champions League 2-0 group-stage loss to Paris Saint-Germain — and there is an expectation that he can return to his staggering goalscoring exploits of 2019. Sterling notched 43 goals for club and country that calendar year. Guardiola could hand him an opportunity in tomorrow’s clash with Burnley after it emerged that Ferran Torres is facing at least a month on the sidelines. Torres suffered a small fracture in his foot during Spain’s Nations League final defeat by France on Sunday. The 21-year-old is likely to be out until December.