There is absolutely no disputing that Raheem Sterling was a revelation at Manchester City last season under Pep Guardiola, but he struggled to emulate his form on the international stage during England's World Cup campaign. 

Sterling (valued at £81 million by Transfermarkt) scored 23 goals and provided 17 assists from 40 appearances for Man City last season before jetting off to Russia. In a right-wing role Sterling combined brilliantly with the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva and Leroy Sane, silencing his doubters all the while.

But those doubters return to the surface during the World Cup to unleash a barrage of scathing criticism in the direction of a player who provided plenty of invention and desire to make things happen in the final third, which is more than most could say in England white.

Whether they had solid grounds for criticism is up for debate, but there's no doubt that Sterling failed to emulate the level of performance he consistently displayed throughout City's record-breaking 2017/18 season and, his failure to do so could prevent him from earning a mega-money new deal at the club according to the Daily Telegraph.

The report claims that Sterling's advisers were hoping the 23-year-old would enjoy himself in Russia and convince the powers that be at Man City that he is worthy of joining the likes of De Bruyne and Sergio Aguero as one of the club's top earners.

With Sterling's World Cup showing to consider, there's no doubt he would be pushing ambitious terms forward by suggesting his wage should match that of De Bruyne.

However, that should not prevent the club from offering Sterling an improvement on his current deal, as his presence at City is vital to their future aspirations.

Now that the Jorginho and Mahrez sagas have been concluded, City's focus must be solely on securing Sterling's future in the coming weeks in order to avoid any mid-season distractions which the British media will inevitably throw up if negotiations drag on.

Whether Man City will turn towards an alternative to Jorginho in the coming weeks remains to be seen, but either way they must ensure that Sterling's new deal is at the forefront of their plans before the season kicks off in August.

Man City fans - thoughts? Let us know below!