BBC pundit Garth Crooks has hailed Raheem Sterling after another masterful display for Man City but claims that him stalling on a new contract is “ill conceived”.
Man City blew Southampton away 6-1 at the Etihad on Sunday, with Sterling taking centre-stage.
He scored two goals and assisted two – the first player in the Premier League to do that since Theo Walcott for Arsenal against Newcastle in 2012.
But Crooks warned him he could be making a big mistake over his contract.
“People who read my TOTW on a regular basis will know how good I think this lad can be,” Crooks said in his BBC column.
“His performance against Southampton paid testimony to that.
“However, the thought of Raheem Sterling stalling on this contract extension offer with Manchester City is ill conceived. I honestly think Sterling can be the next Cristiano Ronaldo but to become the best in the world you need the best teacher or to be amongst the best players.
“City already have the best teacher and their players are developing fast. If Sterling knows what’s good for him he should stay where he is. At least for the time being.”
OPINION
We don’t think anyone would argue with this, not even Sterling, and we don’t think he will be going anywhere in the foreseeable future. What Pep has done with him is nothing short of incredible. At Liverpool, Sterling always stood out as a player who you thought was better than his performances. Since arriving at Man City the transformation has been completed. Sterling is a player who can destroy the opposition, either through his goals or the ones he creates. Southampton just couldn’t deal with him yesterday and he showed how central he is to the Pep system. Man City are a frightening team at the moment. They’re scoring an average of 3.3 goals a game in the Premier League and they’ve only conceded four goals in 11 games. The fact that other teams are keeping pace is testament to how good the Premier League is at the moment. Man City now need to show this sort of ruthless form in the Champions League, where Sterling can prove he is one of the elite players in the world.