Raheem Sterling will thrive and become a better player amid Manchester City’s star-studded squad, Liverpool legend Graeme Souness has told talkSPORT.

The England winger angered Reds fans this summer by refusing to sign a new contract at Anfield and pushing through a £49m switch to the two-time Premier League champions.

Many questioned the hefty price tag slapped on the 20-year-old, as well as his ability to fight for a regular place in Manuel Pellegrini’s team.

But Sterling seems to have settled in quickly at his new club, scoring three goals in their pre-season campaign, including a neat debut strike against Roma.

And Kop hero Souness believes he will up his game at the Etihad Stadium – because he is surrounded by better players than his former Liverpool team-mates.

“If you’re spending £50million on a player today, they should be the finished article,” he told Drivetime.

“Raheem is not the finished article yet, he’s got a long way to go, but if you’re asking me to have a bet, I think he will be a star and it will work out for him at Man City.

“Generally, when you go and play with better players they drag you up a level.

So, with all due respect to the Liverpool players he left, I think he’s gone to a better group of players and he’ll be training with those players every day, so it should make him better as a result.”