Guardiola 'so happy' for Fabian Delph after international recall
Sunday 1 October 2017 23:43, UK
Raheem Sterling has been urged to demonstrate his quality to Gareth Southgate while on England duty by his club manager Pep Guardiola.
Sterling was substituted at half-time in England's 4-0 win away to Malta last month, but has scored five times in all competitions this season as City have surged to the top of the Premier League.
The 22-year-old former Liverpool forward lost his place in England's starting line-up against Slovakia, but is in contention for Thursday's World Cup Qualifier with Slovenia and the final game with Lithuania.
Manchester City boss Guardiola said: "Raheem is a young guy. He has to know that job is not easy. He cannot expect it's always going to go well.
"I want to see him when it's going bad with the national team, how he will react. He mustn't complain. He'll say: 'Gareth Southgate, Pep, I'm here, I am going to show you how good I am'.
"That is the only way to become a better player. He has a lot of space to improve: in the last pass, to be more clear in the last action. When he's able to get that, he will become a top, top, top player."
Sterling's club team-mate Fabian Delph has had relatively few opportunities to demonstrate his quality for City since moving to the Etihad in 2015.
But the former Aston Villa captain has been recalled to the international fold by England boss Southgate, and looked comfortable in an unfamiliar left-back role in Saturday's 1-0 win at Premier League champions Chelsea.
Guardiola said: "I'm so happy [for him] to go to the national team for England, because I think England can use him a lot, maybe more than I used him last season.
"It's not easy when for a long period you don't play. And when the manager gives you an opportunity, you play a position you have never played before.
"Some guys just want to play in one position. He's a guy who will try always to help. Last season when he didn't play always it was his voice in our locker room. I'm so satisfied, so happy for him."
Watch highlights of England's World Cup Qualifier against Slovenia on Sky Sports Football from 10pm on Thursday.
