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Raheem Sterling is the teenager with the football world at his feet - and his own Special One to keep him on the road to the top.

Sterling, 18, likens his mum Nadine to Jose Mourinho, and says she has been his guidance in a remarkable journey from hardship to becoming one of the Premier League’s most exciting youngsters.

Liverpool sensation Sterling was born in Jamaica, survived the mean streets of one of London’s toughest council estates, was kicked from pillar to post on the pitch and yet got his first senior England call-up last year.

It would be easy to get swept along by the rapid rise.

But Sterling is softly spoken, incredibly polite and says his trusted network of family, friends and girlfriend Shana Halliday will always keep him grounded.

“My Mum rules my life - she’s a nightmare at times, but I love her and she’s the main person in my life,” smiled Sterling. “She has got a very strong personality and thinks she’s the boss!

“When I get home from training, she’s there, in my face. She’s there 24/7. I don’t know where she gets her knowledge from. At first she wouldn’t come to the games, but then she saw how much I liked it and really got into it.

"Now she thinks she’s Jose Mourinho!

“Some of the stuff she’s telling me, the manager is telling me as well. She really knows about the game and how to play, what to do.

“She tells me where I could have done better, if I miss a chance then that’s it - I’m done. She gives me no sympathy if I’ve had a bad game. But she tries to be constructive with her criticism, not to put me down. She’s been great for me.

“I’ve got good people around me. My family have all moved up to Liverpool to be with me.

"My agents, Rob Segal and Aidy Ward at Impact Sports Management, look after me. Aidy is getting into my head to do more - do more on the pitch - and also how to behave off it.

“I’ve always been a grounded kid and always will be. I will never forget what I’ve been through, difficult times with my mum and my family. It has been tough at times but it makes you appreciate what you have now.”

Sterling’s tough times began in Maverley, one of the hardest areas of Kingston, Jamaica.

His mum moved to London to find work and a way out, before sending for her four children.

Sterling left Maverley when he was just five and says he only has flashback memories of his early life in Jamaica.

His life in England was difficult as he moved regularly before the family settled on the St Raphael’s estate in north-west London - which ironically is in the shadow of Wembley Stadium.

It was a tricky start and Sterling went to Vernon House, a school for kids with educational needs, for three years.

It was there that he began to concentrate on his schoolwork and, at the age of 10, he took up football seriously.

“It was more for my concentration. It helped my development and growth as a person,” said Sterling. “I would either be kicking off about football or about something to do with sport. That would mean I wouldn’t really concentrate in school and it held me back.”

Sterling was spotted by QPR and joined them as an 11-year-old, amid interest from Arsenal, West Ham and Fulham.

(Image: Ian Vogler / Daily Mirror)

He is just 5ft 7in tall, and can probably put his football nous down to having to play against bigger kids.

“You have to think ahead of your opponent because they’re bigger or stronger,” he said. “My manager was Steve Gallen. Whatever team he managed, he brought me into that team. Even if he was in charge of the under-18s and I was 14, he’d play me.”

That probably explains why he has always been ahead of the curve.

Sterling joined Liverpool at 15 in a £500,000 deal, and became the club’s second youngest player ever at 17 years and 107 days.

It is this season that has really seen him kick on under new manager Brendan Rodgers.

Sterling is glowing about the influence of Rodgers, and of players such Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher and Luis Suarez.

Sterling notoriously featured in the Being: Liverpool documentary series, which showed him getting a telling off from Rodgers for apparently saying something behind the manager's back in training.

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He insists that he has nothing but respect for Rodgers.

“Going to Liverpool, being away from my family at such a young age was really tough,” said Sterling. “But it’s the best thing I’ve ever done in my career. The manager is great with young players because he believes if you’re good enough then you’re old enough.

“He took a few of us on the trip to the States. He thought I said something, which I didn’t, and we’ve got it cleared up.

"I got a lot of stick on Twitter from fans. You can’t change what people think about you. But I’m not big-headed, I’m not flash or anything like that.”

Internet searches on Sterling bring up false stories about how many children he has fathered.

He has one daughter, Melody Rose, born seven months ago after a brief relationship.

Sterling added: “Some of the stuff you see is unbelievable. I’ve read stuff that I’ve got five kids and another on the way. It’s just crazy and it’s completely wrong.

“I find it funny to even think about it. If you bite at it, rise to the bait, then it makes it worse.

"I just laugh it off about some of the stuff that people say.

“But I’ve got no regrets. It’s a difficult thing for me. I want to concentrate on my football because I’m so young. It’s probably taught me to be more professional in how I go about living my life now. That’s really important for me.”

'If people foul me, Gerrard fouls them back'

(Image: Andrew Powell)

By John Cross

Liverpool whizzkid Raheem Sterling has revealed that Steven Gerrard is giving him tips on how to win at Old Trafford.

Sunday will see Sterling make his first trip to Manchester United since his breakthrough into the Liverpool first team, and he believes they can pull off a major upset at the home of their biggest rivals.

England starlet Sterling also says his club-and-country captain Gerrard has been acting as his minder and given him the confidence that Liverpool can beat United, the current Premier League leaders.

Sterling said: “He has been brilliant for me. He’s always looking after me, always checking to see if I’m alright. I’ve noticed as well that if anyone touches me on the pitch, he’ll always get them straight back with a tackle!

“He’s always looking after me, on the pitch, off the pitch.

"He looked after me when I first joined the club, got into the team and when I was looking for somewhere to live. He’s an inspiration and a great captain.”

Sterling also claims all the Liverpool squad believe they can get climb much higher in the Premier League table.

Liverpool’s promising youngster is convinced that 2013 will be their year and that the club can go from strength to strength, boosted by the £12m purchase of Chelsea and England striker Daniel Sturridge.

Sterling, who followed Manchester United when he first moved to England, added: “I need to keep that quiet!

"But when you start playing for a team, you immediately start supporting them because you want to do your best for your team and you always want them to do well.

“The older boys say that Manchester United is one of the hardest places to go. The pitch is massive and in the last 10 minutes they say it gets even bigger!

(Image: Michael Regan)

“Hopefully we can go there, do our best and come out with a result even though it’s going to be very, very hard, a real test.

“The atmosphere in the dressing room is brilliant. We’ve got Gerrard and (Jamie) Carragher, they’re real characters. They’re going to make us know what sort of game it is, what it’s like and get us ready for it.

“They’ve been on us all week, telling how important it is. To have people around like that is brilliant. They’ve been around for so long. They love to have a laugh, good personalities and you need those characters in the dressing room.

“I think we should be doing better. We’d like to be higher in the table. The manager has bright ideas, he’s a good manager.

"We didn’t start too well, but we’re improving all the time and we’re going to kick on in 2013. It’s going to be our year.

“The manager has got his plans, it’s really coming together now. It will be a big 2013 for us. Daniel Sturridge has come in, he’s a real player.”

Click here to visit our dedicated Manchester United vs Liverpool section, looking ahead to Sunday's game and back to classic encounters.