Sterling key for Pep?

​​​​​​​He endured a frustrating first season at Manchester City and struggled for England at Euro 2016, but Raheem Sterling already looks like a key player for Pep Guardiola. Nick Wright examines his bright start to the campaign after City’s 5-0 thrashing of Steaua Bucharest.

No one emerged from England’s disastrous Euro 2016 campaign with any credit, but few had to contend with as much criticism as Raheem Sterling. The winger went into the tournament having failed to live up to his £49m price-tag at Manchester City, and his underwhelming performances in France made him an easy target for the critics.

Sterling branded himself ‘the hated one’ after he was booed by England supporters, and as the storm raged around him during the off-season, it was reasonable to wonder whether it might take some time for him to recover. A player who tormented defenders at Liverpool seemed to have regressed, and his future looked cloudy ahead of the new campaign.

Under Pep Guardiola, though, Sterling has grasped a new lease of life. City’s new head coach phoned Sterling to offer him encouragement during Euro 2016, and at his first press conference a few weeks later, he commented on how much he was looking forward to working with the 21-year-old.

Sterling has responded perfectly to Guardiola’s arm-around-the-shoulder approach. He started the season knowing he faced fresh competition for a starting spot from new signings Nolito, Leroy Sane and Oleksandr Zinchenko, but he has hit the ground running and already looks like a key player having played the full 90 minutes in each of City’s first two games.

Guardiola …

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