– Rio Ferdinand has been left baffled by Pep Guardiola’s treatment of Raheem Sterling this season at Manchester City.
– The England international has been the main man for Gareth Southgate on international duty.
– But it is a different story for his club where the former Liverpool star has been deployed in a number of positions.
– Guardiola has used him as a right-winger, left-winger, a shadow striker and a centre-forward – the latter being his most recent outing when City drew 0-0 with Southampton.
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– Sterling has scored just once so far this season – in a 5-0 win over Norwich – but he has started just twice in the league so far.
– And former Manchester United star Ferdinand reckons that the lack of belief in him from Guardiola has affected his confidence.
– “It’s only because he’s been taken out of the team that he’s lost confidence,” Ferdinand said on his Vibe with Five show.
– “He was on fire. He was producing.
– “This guy was the go-to guy when they needed a goal for so many years. All of a sudden, he’s in the wilderness. I’m just baffled by it; I don’t understand it.
– “But this is the thing with Pep [Guardiola], he gets it right more often than not, but with this one with Sterling… there must be clubs sitting there going, ‘boy, let me see how this situation pans out because I will take Sterling all day.
– “If I’m Liverpool, I’m buying Sterling tomorrow.”
– Speculation has grown over a potential move in January, even on a temporary basis until the end of the season.
