According to a recent report by The Daily Mail, Manchester City winger Raheem Sterling is optimistic about making a comeback before the highly anticipated UEFA Champions League showdown versus Real Madrid later this month. The English wide player is currently out of action due to a hamstring injury he sustained against Tottenham Hotspur last week.
Even though Pep Guardiola has not revealed a potential return date, it is expected that Sterling might take three weeks to heal if the injury he has suffered is a standard hamstring injury (via The Daily Mail). Therefore, the 25-year-old will be in a race against time to be fit for the upcoming encounter versus the Galacticos. If he fails to recover in time, then we can hope to see him feature in the return leg at the Etihad Stadium on March 17.
Raheem Sterling Made A Promising Start Before Falling Off The Pace In Recent Weeks
Sterling made a blistering start to this season after he bagged a hat-trick against West Ham United in the opening weekend of this Premier League campaign. However, his form has taken a turn for the worse in recent weeks as he has struggled to be productive in the final third.
The talented wide player has scored 20 goals and provided six assists in 30 appearances for the Citizens this term in all competitions. He has averaged 0.9 tackles, 3.0 shots, 1.5 key passes and 1.9 dribbles per game in the English top-flight (stats via whoscored).
What Should Be Guardiola’s Play?
Sterling is a dangerous dribbler with the ball out on the wide areas. He loves to take on his marker and beat him off the dribble using his electric turn of pace in the final third. The Three Lions winger already has over 50 caps for England and has spent nearly eight years in the Premier League.
Raheem Sterling will have the weight of The Etihad on his shoulders when he comes back from injury later this summer. With so much football still left to be played in this campaign, Guardiola will be determined to right the wrongs of the yesteryears when his side faces off against Real Madrid in the Champions League on February 27.
Even though Sterling’s goals have dried up in recent weeks, his relentless push to strive for excellence will stand him in good stead in the future. For now, the England international needs to focus on his road to recovery so that he can come back as a better version of himself in the knockout phases of the Champions League. However, with Leroy Sane back in training, Guardiola should not rush Sterling’s return as he will have enough strength-in-depth in his squad to cope during his absence.
