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Raheem Sterling's agent has denied the Manchester City and England star was in his £125,000 Mercedes when it crashed this week - as pictures emerged of the car with a heavily-dented front, and with what appeared to be laughing gas canisters in the front.

Images in The Sun show the front end of the white Mercedes smashed with both air bags activated, and two blue canisters on the floor by the front seat.

The car was left on a London street before being sent to Manchester for repair. It's thought the car had been lent to a friend.

A source told the news provider: "The Merc was in London for days after the smash. Raheem wasn't in the car at the time, he was training in Manchester. It looks like he lent it to a mate."

"Raheem needs to think about whether he's hanging around with the right kind of people, especially as he is such a high-profile star."

(Image: Sunday Mirror)

Sterling is set to make his Manchester City debut tonight against West Brom after a £49million summer switch from Liverpool.

In April, the 20-year-old was warned by his then manager Brendan Rodgers to clean up his act after being filmed allegedly inhaling laughing gas.

Rodgers said: “For me, it is something that when you are a professional sportsperson at the top, I don’t think it is something you should be doing.

“It is as simple as that. But I will speak to him. We want players here who are super-professional and focused on their football. He very much is.

“I will speak to Raheem on that. Until then, it is something we will deal with internally.”

Nitrous oxide, also known as hippy crack, can be bought legally for as little as £2 - causing feelings of euphoria, light-headedness and hallucinations.

A week earlier he'd been pictured smoking a shisha pipe with experts claiming a single session is the equivalent of smoking up to 200 cigarettes.