Raheem Sterling should have stayed at Liverpool, says Glenn Hoddle

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The former England boss believes Manchester City have paid over the odds for a player with potential.

Writing in the Daily Mail, Glenn Hoddle says Raheem Sterling would have been better off staying at Liverpool than moving to Manchester City.

The forward completed a big money move to City last month after months of speculation about his future at the club following a series of failed contract negotiations between him and Liverpool.

Some have suggested it was a bad decision to join Manuel Pellegrini’s side though given the amount of competition he faces for a starting place at the Etihad.

And Hoddle believes the same thing, saying a stay at Anfield and increased game time and experience would have been ideal for him.

“I feel he would have been better spending another season at Liverpool, developing his game and getting another year’s experience,” he wrote in his Daily Mail column.

“Sergio Aguero, Yaya Toure and David Silva will be looking to Sterling to prove he’s worth so much. Does Sterling have the temperament and character to walk into a City team of superstars and say: ‘Give me the ball, I’m the man who will make the difference’? I don’t think he’s at that stage yet.”

A questionable fee for a player with potential

The former England boss has also questioned the fee that City have paid for the former Liverpool man.

There is no denying that the England youngster could become a superstar at some point, with him having enjoyed a rapid rise at Liverpool under Brendan Rodgers over the last couple of seasons courtesy of extended game time.

Hoddle though, believes the fee is one that you pay for an established superstar such as Eden Hazard and not a player with potential, suggesting that Sterling is not equipped to reach that level yet.

“He’s a really good player with loads of potential but for £49m you’re not buying potential,” he added.

“You’re buying someone who can drive you on to the Premier League title or into the Champions League final. You’re [also] buying a player who needs to be performing at the level Eden Hazard was last season for Chelsea. He’s not equipped to do so yet. He might be in two or three years’ time. “