How 'dissapointing' Man City treatment led to Sterling's Chelsea move?

The newly arrived Chelsea star wished he parted ways with City on better terms.

Raheem Sterling has opened up on his departure from Manchester City, admitting he didn’t feel ‘wanted’ at Etihad.

Chelsea completed a £47.5m move for the England international in July as he ended his successful stint at Man City.

Sterling arrived at Chelsea on the back of an underwhelming campaign at his former side. Pep Guardiola significantly reduced his presence in the starting XI, giving more opportunities to the likes of Phil Foden and Jack Grealish up front.

The 27-year-old started 23 of his 30 league appearances for the Citizens, playing fewer minutes than any of his previous five seasons at Etihad.

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Speaking to Sky Sports, Sterling admitted he didn’t like the way his Man City exit played out.

“Everyone wants to feel wanted, football is no different,” Sterling said. “When you play your heart out, sacrifice some of your kids’ birthdays, and then get treated in a certain way, it’s disappointing.

“At the time I was fuming, raging. But it’s gone.It’s in the past and I can only focus on the present, which is now, here at Chelsea. The opportunity I’ve got here to go out and showcase my talents once again.

“Misunderstandings, contracts running down. It was a shame to see how it ended because I had such a great time there.

“A lot of things came into play, a lot of reasons, but I wasn’t complaining, I was ready to challenge and, as you can see, even with some of the performances I put in, you couldn’t guarantee yourself a place so it just didn’t make sense to fight a battle you can never win.”