Rodgers reveals he wrote to Sterling this summer

Matt Stead

Brendan Rodgers has revealed he wrote words of encouragement to Manchester City winger Raheem Sterling this summer.

Sterling burst onto the scene at Liverpool under Rodgers, but the winger’s career had somewhat stalled after a disappointing debut campaign for City.

The 21-year-old has starred under new City boss Pep Guardiola this term, and will face his former manager when his side travel to Celtic in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Rodgers told the Daily Mail: “I sent him a big message at the start of this season just to say – ‘Don’t forget who you are, don’t try to be something that you’re not. You’re a dynamic player.’ I didn’t know we were going to play against City or I’d have told him he’d better not perform against us!”

“He’s back to where he was at with me and I mean that only to say that he is at that same level again. He’s drifted since he left Liverpool but he’s now back as the player that he is. You can see he’s being coached and he’s playing to his strengths.”

Sterling was a key figure in Rodgers’ Liverpool side which came close to winning the title in 2014, but his relationship with the club soured before he joined City in a £49million move a year later.

However, Rodgers insists reports that he fell out with the player were fabricated.

“I never had issues with Raheem,” he said. “Yes, there was that moment where we made a point to him early on, but that was it really. He had a personality but he could accept that and hopefully if you speak to him he would say we had a really close relationship.

“A lot of things that were being said when he left were naughty really. There were people trying to create the move, things being instigated that were not right and the final straw was that he had fallen out with the manager.

“That was never the case. The kid had been round at my house having a meal or playing with his daughter and my family, you know?

“He is a good boy, a really coachable boy and a wonderful young man. People don’t realise that. This kid gets a lot of stick when he travels round the country but he’s one of the nicest you’ll ever come across. It got difficult for him towards the end at Liverpool but I’m so happy for him that he’s now back playing really well.”

He added: “He had so much enthusiasm and was so dynamic as a kid. He came into that team when he’d just turned 17 and was a breath of fresh air. For two years he was up there with the best young players in the world. He was sensational in every aspect.

“He gave his all for Liverpool and got a £49 million move. Maybe he lost his identity going into a club with all those superstars. He’s only 21 so all he needed was a bit of coaching time and direction and now you see the benefits of it.”