Pep Guardiola Has Taken Raheem Sterling to 'Another World,' Says Yaya Toure

Former Manchester City star Yaya Toure has praised manager Pep Guardiola for his part in developing Raheem Sterling into a top-class talent. 

Sterling arrived at the Etihad Stadium from Liverpool in 2015 and played alongside Toure until the Ivorian departed for Olympiakos last summer.

Per the Mirror's Darren Lewis, Toure credited Guardiola for the improvement in Sterling's game since he took over as coach in 2016.

"He is a top manager," Toure said. "Pep is the type of guy who can take a talent and get it to its maximum level. Raheem, my little brother, joined when [Manuel] Pellegrini was at the club. Since Pep arrived Raheem is in another world. He is complete."

The 35-year-old said that after a difficult start to life at City, Guardiola has instilled confidence in Sterling. He added:

"He had a lot of criticism, and it was hard for him. But he continued to work and now he deserves the Player of the Year.

"Pep came and improved him and [Sergio] Aguero. [Kevin] De Bruyne. [Kyle] Walker who was already a good player became different class. For players like that, as a manager Pep is fantastic."

It was clear that Sterling was a promising talent when he broke into Liverpool's first team as a teenager, but his decision-making and end product in the final third have improved considerably since he began working under Guardiola.

The winger has 19 goals and 16 assists in all competitions with City this season. He's closing in on last season's tallies of 23 and 17, respectively.

In March, he bagged a hat-trick apiece for club and country, leading many to name him as a Player of the Year candidate:

The second of those hat-tricks came for England as they thrashed Czech Republic 5-0, with Sterling showcasing how deadly he can be in the penalty area these days:

As Jack Collins and Sam Tighe discussed on B/R Football Ranks, Sterling has matured a great deal on and off the pitch in recent years:

Although City's vast resources are a significant factor behind their clear superiority over the rest of the Premier League—with the exception of Liverpool—Guardiola also deserves credit for his ability to take players who are already excellent and elevating their performances even further.

Likewise, Sterling's improvement will be as much down to his own hard work as Guardiola's.

Whether he's named Player of the Year or not—Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk also has a strong claim as does City team-mate Aguero—he's well on his way to realising his considerable potential.