Raheem Sterling Hitting the Ground Running Is Huge Boost for Manchester City

Manchester City’s pre-season preparations continued in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Monday as they beat the Vietnam national side 8-1 in an entertaining match at the My Dinh Stadium. 

Aleksandar Kolarov (2), Raheem Sterling (2), David Silva (2), Marcos Lopes and Jose Angel Pozo put City eight goals up, before a late consolation from Nguyen Van Quyet saw Vietnam get themselves on the scoresheet.

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Nicely done, Aleks! #cityontour pic.twitter.com/gtBsNwvuXN

— Manchester City FC (@MCFC) July 27, 2015"

The quality of opposition was questionable, with City totally dominant from start to finish, but Manuel Pellegrini’s squad are looking increasingly sharp after their 17-day stay in Australia. They now have just one pre-season match left—against Stuttgart on Saturday—before their Premier League campaign gets underway.

Pellegrini has much to be enthused by. His young charges continue to impress, with a number of them staking a serious claim for first-team involvement next season.

And with Sterling, their record signing, adapting superbly well to his new surroundings after his move from Liverpool earlier this month, City’s squad has a reinvigorated feel ahead of their league opener against West Bromwich Albion on August 10.

Sterling’s first against Vietnam was a superb first-time, curling effort into the far corner of the net, before a composed finish past Vinh Loi after a neat one-two with Kelechi Iheanacho saw him notch his second, bringing a wonderful team move to an impressive end. 

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MATCH SHOT: @sterling31 celebrates his second goal of the game with @67Kelechi. #cityontour #mcfc pic.twitter.com/86ivedYfr6

— Manchester City FC (@MCFC) July 27, 2015"

His pace and movement have brought a new dynamic to the City attack. He started on the left in a 4-2-3-1 formation against Vietnam and looked to cut inside every time he was in possession of the ball. He has an energy and enthusiasm that was sorely missing for the City side during the last insipid campaign. 

He bursts into life effortlessly, with spurts of speed defenders struggle to nullify. Alongside Iheanacho, who also displays exceptional movement and quick feet, and Silva, who has arguably been City’s best player in pre-season, Pellegrini looks to have plenty of options going forward.

Add Sergio Aguero into the mix, and with the possibility of a new signing arriving before the window shuts, and the inertia City showed last season looks likely to dissipate in 2015/16. 

The £49 million price tag saw a number of eyebrows raised, but given the quality he has shown throughout his short career already, it may just prove to be a shrewd piece of business. No other 20-year-old in the Premier League can match his brilliance. 

Manu Garcia, 17, impressed again with his ability to start attacks from deep. Midfielders who always want the ball are a valuable commodity, and the young Spaniard has shown every time he’s been given a chance in pre-season that he loves to be in possession, using his superb range of passing to get City on the attack.

He links up brilliantly with Silva already, with their neat flicks and deft touches seemingly intuitive. Perhaps a loan may follow in order for him to get himself prepared physically for the rigours of the Premier League, but in terms of technique he's lacking nothing. 

Marcos Lopes, too, shone after coming on against Vietnam with less than half-an-hour remaining. He scored a neat goal and caused all sorts of problems with his strength and ability. His loan spell at Lille appears to have been beneficial. His wand of a left foot has always impressed, but he now appears physically more capable and ready to play a role for Pellegrini. Expect him to feature in the coming weeks and months. 

It's Sterling, though, who appears to have had the greatest impact. It's a game-changing signing. City looked bereft of ideas and lacking in urgency for so much of last season. Their new big-name signing appears to have eradicated any such problems already. 

Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report's lead Manchester City correspondent and follows the club from a Manchester base. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter: @RobPollard.