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Raheem Sterling says he was already thinking about leaving Liverpool when he first moved to Merseyside at the age of 15.

The England attacker has revealed how his time at Anfield was only ever going to be a stepping stone in his career – unless the club won trophies.

That didn't happen so he snubbed a new contract offer, agitated for a move and finally joined Manchester City for £49million in the summer of 2015.

Speaking to Gary Lineker on BBC's Premier League show, Sterling said: “I've never mentioned this to anyone but I'll never forget when me and my agent were on our way to Liverpool on the train.

“At that time I was 15 years old and we were already talking about what we'd like to do after Liverpool if things didn't turn out like we wanted.

“I just said well this is a massive club and a massive opportunity for me now but I remember saying to him by the time I'm 22, if I haven't won anything or playing in the biggest competitions then I need to assess my options.

“You want to make sure you're playing at the highest level. Liverpool are a great team, I never said that wasn't the case. But at the time it was a great opportunity to come here and work with some of the best players in the world.

“I'm not saying there aren't some great players at Liverpool because there are but it was for me, my development and where I wanted to be.

“It was about playing in the Champions League and against the biggest teams like Barcelona.

“I've always loved Liverpool, it was a great team which helped my development. I never had any big issues there at all with the fans or anything like that. It didn't go the way I would have liked but it happened and you have to move on.”

Sterling joined Liverpool from Queens Park Rangers in 2010 and went on to score 23 goals in 129 appearances for the Reds.