I never thought about joining Arsenal, says Manchester City star

Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling insists he didn’t give a second thought to joining Arsenal over the summer.

Reports emerged towards the end of the summer transfer window suggesting Arsenal had asked Sterling to be included in a deal that would see Alexis Sanchez reunite with Pep Guardiola.

Guardiola has since been on record to reiterate Sterling’s status in the squad and the England international insists he has always been focused on City.

“I didn’t need to speak with him because I’d already spoken with him,” The Daily Mail quote Sterling as saying ahead of City’s Champions League clash with Napoli on Tuesday.

“I woke up one day with England, heard it and didn’t believe it. He’s an honest guy and I didn’t need to worry about it.

“I’ve signed for five years and have two and half left. I’m with a great manager and great team. I keep growing, learning.

“The manager’s been massive, especially with the basic and simple stuff. He gets you to do the simple things at the top level. It works.”

Sterling has scored six goals in seven Premier League appearances and is well on course to surpass his best tally of 11 in a single-league campaign.

In fact, of players that have made at least five Premier League starts this season, only City team-mate Sergio Aguero (1 every 51.9 minutes of action) plays a direct hand in a goal more frequently than Sterling (every 59.6 minutes).