Former Liverpool defender Steve Nicol has claimed that Raheem Sterling could go the way of Shaun Wright-Phillips after moving to Manchester City.
Sterling has left Anfield to join former Premier League champions City for a fee in the region of £49m.
Wright-Phillips was a highly-rated prospect when he moved to Chelsea in 2005 in a £21m deal but struggled to deliver on his potential at Stamford Bridge, and Nicol is fearful that the same might happen to Sterling.
"When Sterling left I looked at it as a Shaun Wright-Phillips situation - a kid who went to Chelsea and didn't quite make it," Nicol told talkSPORT.
"I think that is possible it could happen to Sterling. It depends if he plays. The key to getting experience and getting better is being on the field.
"If he doesn't produce, then he doesn't start. It is important he starts well in the Premier League because, if he doesn't, then he is going to sit on the bench. That means he is not going to learn or get the experience. Every single player who plays with better players will get better. That is a fact. But it depends whether he plays."
Sterling scored three minutes into his first City appearance on Tuesday as they beat Roma in the International Champions Cup in Melbourne.
Steven Toplis
