Abu Dhabi: Former Manchester City striker Paul Dickov tips Raheem Sterling to keep firing after reports the Blues winger was offered in exchange for Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez last week.
The move fell through and City denied Sterling was used as bait in negotiations, but the England midfielder — who only joined from Liverpool for £49 million (Dh236 million) in July 2015 — could still be unsettled by the rumours.
“I don’t think Raheem will sulk,” said Dickov, who reiterated the club’s line that Sterling would never have been sacrificed.
“He just has to keep doing what he’s doing,” added the former City and Arsenal striker, who was in Abu Dhabi on Thursday for a kids coaching clinic in association with Manchester City and pharmaceutical brand Betadine.
“Last season he massively improved. He got a bit of unjust stick from the press I felt, and didn’t get as much credit as he should have done, but this season he’s hit the ground running.
“Against Everton he scored a massively important goal when they were down to 10 men to get the point, and then in the game against Bournemouth he got the winner. So, already, four out of the club’s seven points from the first three games of the season are because of him. You can’t ask for more than that.”
Dickov started his career at Arsenal before moving to City in 1996 where he went on to score 35 goals in 174 appearances over two spells with the club, including a late equaliser in the second division play-off final against Gillingham at Wembley in 1999, which City went onto win on penalties.
That goal was classed as City’s greatest before Sergio Aguero’s late Premier League title-grabbing winner in 2012.
Both strikes made the pair club legends albeit in different eras, pre and post Abu Dhabi’s 2008 City takeover. But Dickov said that with continued effort Sterling too could write himself into club folklore.
“There are probably five or six players, if you look at the age of what Pep Guardiola has got there, like John Stones, Raheem, Gabriel Jesus, right through the spine — really young players — that if they want to be successful they could be there for the next 10-12 years.”
Sterling’s chance to immediately respond to transfer rumours in the way of continued goals — he’s already got a goal a game from the first three league matches this season — has been denied this weekend through suspension.
A second yellow for celebrating his winner against Bournemouth means he’ll miss Saturday’s game against his old club Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium.
“It will be a great game with lots of attacking talent on both sides,” said Dickov of the match. “But there are a couple of things that make City favourites. One of them is the fact Liverpool have struggled defensively at times and City will create a lot of chances.
“Not that I’d ever tell Guardiola what to do, but I’d go with Aguero and Gabriel Jesus up front with Bernardo Silva and Kevin de Bruyne in supply. Sterling is suspended but they’ve got Leroy Sane. So, with the ammunition they’ve got to feed the two and with Liverpool suspect in the middle of the park defensively, I think it’s massively in City’s favour.”
Victory could see fourth-placed City go top depending on other results, seeing them begin to move on from a disappointing first season under Guardiola, where they finished empty-handed.
“The target is to get silverware this season and that means winning the Premier League,” said Dickov. “I’m excited about it this year because I felt maybe at times last season when games were tight and teams were sitting in, Pep didn’t necessarily have the ammunition to change it from the bench.
“But now, already this season you’ve seen Sterling come off the bench to make an impact, Leroy Sane, Sergio Aguero, Yahya Toure has not even got on yet, Bernardo Silva has been on the bench ...
“If things are tight and teams are trying to frustrate us or he needs to change something in the game he’s got world class talent on the bench and I think right throughout the season that will be the difference.
“With the squad City has got in terms of size and quality they can match anybody right up there to the top teams in Europe this season.”
For information on City Football Schools in Abu Dhabi visit: uae.cityfootballschools.com
