Let down by the lack of minutes, the England international recently opened the door open for a possible departure from the Etihad.
Pep Guardiola has urged Raheem Sterling to stay and fight for his place at Manchester City after learning about the player’s discontentment over lack of enough game time.
Sterling had been an integral part of the Manchester City team ever since his arrival in 2015, helping the club to three Premier League titles.
However, he has found himself falling out of favor this season. The 26-year-old has made just two league starts so far in 2021-22, with the club’s record signing Jack Grealish preferred over him at left-wing.
The former Liverpool man recently proclaimed that he would be “open to” leaving Man City in order to get more minutes elsewhere.
When asked about Sterling’s statement, Guardiola responded (via Goal): “I didn’t know it. I didn’t think the club knew.
“Raheem is our player, hopefully he will be an incredibly important player for us. I don’t know if he wants to play more.
“Riyad [Mahrez] doesn’t play and he doesn’t complain, Joao [Cancelo] too. I cannot assure them, I cannot assure how many minutes each one plays. Always they have to speak on the pitch. Not Raheem, all of them. They know they are going to play minutes, all of them are involved.
“What I want from Raheem and everyone is they have to be satisfied to be here and delighted to be here. If that’s not the case he has to take the best decision for his family. I was a player, I understand completely, I wanted to play.
“All of them want to play every game but I cannot assure them. They have to improve every training session and be there on the pitch.”
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