Manchester City Need More from Raheem Sterling, but Can He Deliver?

There have been plenty of complaints about Manchester City’s transfer policy in recent seasons. Their supporters are questioning the quality of their signings, with most in agreement that the best players in the squad predate Txiki Begiristain’s appointment as sporting director in October 2012.

Joe Hart, Pablo Zabaleta, Vincent Kompany, Yaya Toure, David Silva and Sergio Aguero remain essential components of the City team. Begiristain can perhaps only count Fernandinho and Kevin De Bruyne as unequivocal successes of his time in charge of transfers, something that needs to alter this summer as City bring in Pep Guardiola and look to overhaul their playing staff.

But as is so often the case in football, it isn’t quite as simple as that. Begiristain was also responsible for bringing in Jesus Navas, a player who, at £14.9 million, has proved to be a superb squad option, capable of changing games from the bench with his pace and directness.

Martin Demichelis may have collapsed spectacularly this season, but he gave 18 months of outstanding service for £3.5 million, although his arrival is likely to have been engineered by Manuel Pellegrini, who had worked with the Argentinian at Malaga.

And then there’s Raheem Sterling, a £44 million capture from Liverpool last summer. The majority of pundits would say it’s a move that hasn’t yet worked out, with Sterling’s form somewhat inconsistent, yet he’s a player of extreme potential. Guardiola is likely to be excited about working with such a young, promising talent.

Kirsty Wigglesworth/Associated Press

His rise at Liverpool was rapid and spectacular. During the club’s title challenge in 2013/14, when Luis Suarez was terrorising defences, Sterling was unstoppable, his searing pace and youthful fearlessness too much for defences to handle.

He proved tactically astute too. He was asked to operate in a number of different roles, sometimes playing in wide areas and at other times moving centrally. And for a then-19-year-old, he handled it superbly.

“Raheem is a clever footballer,” the then-Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers told the Liverpool Echo after starring at the tip of diamond midfield in a 3-0 win over Manchester United in March 2014. He continued:

"

For a young boy, tactically he's very good. That’s what we are trying to do, develop footballers, and it gives me more options. I think he could even play on the side of a diamond.

When he starts in the centre he offers us penetration with his speed. For our first goal against United he played a really important part as he took the ball out of pressure, around Marouane Fellaini and then switched play to Jordan Henderson.

For the second goal, he made a great penetrating run in behind from Glen Johnson’s pass.

Raheem is intricate in tight spaces. We encourage players to play under pressure with players tight on them, and he can play with bodies around him.

He’s maturing very well. We've seen we have options with him because of his tactical intelligence.

"

Rui Vieira/Associated Press

His time at Liverpool was wonderfully productive. He played 129 games and scored 23 goals. The vast majority of his appearances were achieved as a teenager. 

But last summer, aged 20, he decided he needed a new challenge, and the opportunity to win things with City proved too tempting to turn down.

Manuel Pellegrini described him as "one of the best attacking players in world football," telling the club's official website: “I am very much looking forward to [Sterling] joining our squad. He is a young player with outstanding ability, and I am sure the Manchester City fans will be very excited about seeing him in action for the team.”

Sterling was clearly excited too. He made it clear he was moving to work alongside other world-class players in a bid to develop his own game, the latest example of his clear focus and single-mindedness. He left Queens Park Rangers earlier in his career to join Liverpool. This is a player who knows exactly what he wants to achieve.

“It’s a good feeling and a really happy time for me and my family,” Sterling told the club's official website. He continued:

"

I’m just glad it’s all over and done with and I can’t wait to get on the training field. Things have come really fast in the last couple of years.

I’ve just had to learn to take it all in my stride but I never imagined I’d be at this point at the age I am now and breaking a British transfer record fee [playing with] the world-class players that are here and a squad that are capable of winning things year in, year out.

The more quality players that are around you, the more quality it brings out in you so I can’t wait to get started and play alongside them.

"

Jon Super/Associated Press

Yet he was castigated for the decision, cast as a mercenary by the British press and criticised by a raft of ex-Liverpool stars. It’s damaged his reputation and made his transition to the City side more difficult. He’s been booed at pretty much every away ground in the country this season.

The fact he has handled it so well says much about his character. He hasn't moaned or whined. He has simply continued to try and integrate himself into the side. 

That hasn't been easy at times. He's sometimes been ineffective, too easily left on the periphery of matches and unable to assert his quality, with his finishing ability also in need of improvement. 

But we're talking here about a 21-year-old with nearly his whole career ahead of him. How many other 21-year-olds playing in England have shown as much promise as he has in recent seasons?

He's lightning-quick, can take players on, is unselfish and, despite his limitations inside the area, has 11 goals for City this season, matching his best tally as a Liverpool player. 

Jon Super/Associated Press

It's telling that his best two performances have come in two difficult European away games, against Sevilla and Dynamo Kiev. He didn't go hiding in either, delivering two brave performances full of quality. Sevilla were scared witless of his pace and desire to go at defenders; Kiev were simply overwhelmed.  

They aren't his only highlights. He was superb as City beat Sunderland away in the League Cup, bagged a hat-trick against Bournemouth in the league and scored the winner against Borussia Monchengladbach that saw City top a UEFA Champions League group for the first time. 

There's often a lack of patience where young players are concerned, and Sterling appears to be suffering from it. It's short-termism at its best. Players in their teens and early 20s fluctuate in form. It's part of their development.

The sign of a great player, then, is not in how consistent they are in the early days but how much quality they possess. Sterling has plenty, and as he settles into his relatively new surroundings, he will be become a better player.

Guardiola has a job on his hands at City, but he will be excited about working with Sterling, one of the best young English talents around. 

Kirsty Wigglesworth/Associated Press

Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report's lead Manchester City correspondent and will be following the club from a Manchester base throughout the 2015/16 season. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @RobPollard.