RAHEEM STERLING ADMITS he’s disappointed in the way his exit from Liverpool played out as he joined-up with his new team-mates in Australia.
The winger completed his move to Manchester City last week for £49 million after a protracted saga which saw Sterling reject an improved contract offer at Anfield.
The player and his agent, Aidy Ward, weren’t shy of publicly stating Sterling’s desire to leave Liverpool, leading to his relationship with the club, manager Brendan Rodgers and the fans becoming increasingly fraught.
In the end, he got his wish and swapped Merseyside for Manchester but, speaking ahead of City’s pre-season win in Melbourne, Sterling admitted he regrets the way things panned out.
“I was a bit disappointed how I left,” he told Fox Sports.
“That was the main problem I’ve had with the situation – how I’ve left it with Liverpool.
“I’m good with everyone at the football club, the manager, the players and I wish them well for the new season.
“But it was really disappointing how it did finish off.”
Sterling became the most expensive English player ever and revealed once he heard of City’s interest, he knew he wanted to move to the Ethiad Stadium.
“From the first moment I heard City were interested in me [I wanted to join], purely because of the direction the football club is going in,” he said.
“I’ve met all my teammates now and it’s been a really good few days, they’ve made me feel welcome and I’m really happy to be here. I think I made the right decision.”
The nature of his acrimonious departure from Anfield and the size of the transfer fee means Sterling will be under pressure to justify the money City have paid for his services.
The 20-year-old sat out Manuel Pellegrini’s side’s 1-0 win on over Melbourne City on Saturday morning but is determined to make an instant impact.
“As a footballer playing in the Premier League for such big clubs you’re always going to have pressure but you just have to deal with that and take it in your stride,” he said.
“I’ve got my own personal goals – assist ambitions – and hopefully doing really well for this football club and trying to get trophies.”
Samir Nasri scored the only goal of the game on the Gold Coast, during which Sterling was booed by the large crowd when he appeared on the stadium’s big screen.
City’s pre-season tour continues when they face Roma in the International Champions Cup on Tuesday morning.
