Raheem Sterling ‘will be able to link up’ like he did with Luis Suarez at Manchester City, says Kompany

'What you will find is that he will have this kind of structure at City already' says Vincent Kompany of Raheem Sterling being able to best utilise his talents with the move from Liverpool.

New Manchester City signing Raheem Sterling leaves the club's Etihad Stadium on Tuesday after completing his move from Liverpool. Andrew Yates / Reuters / July 14, 2015

Captain Vincent Kompany has hailed the signing of Raheem Sterling as "massive" for Manchester City as the club chases more trophies, saying his fearlessness sets him aside from his peers.

The 20-year-old Sterling became the most expensive English footballer in history earlier this week when he signed from Liverpool on a five-year contract worth an initial £44 million (Dh253m) that could rise to £49 million.

He almost immediately got on a plane to hook up with his new teammates in Australia, where City play a friendly on the Gold Coast on Saturday ahead of matches against Real Madrid and AS Roma in Melbourne.

“It’s massive for us – the biggest thing is that you’ve seen Sterling, especially the way he played the season before last, and he was one of the main reasons, along with (Luis) Suarez, that Liverpool played so well,” Kompany said on the club website.

“It became more difficult for them when Suarez left but what you will find is that he will have this kind of structure at City already.

“I mean, we’ve got Kun (Sergio Aguero) up front, we’ve got (Wilfried) Bony, we’ve got so many players who will be able to link up with him we will be able to make him better as well.”

City finished runners-up behind Premier League champions Chelsea last season and Kompany said the squad needed to be bolstered to challenge again with Sterling seen as the perfect fit.

“We have great quality in the team but you can’t compete nowadays if you don’t improve every year,” he said.

“Other teams improve, we need to improve and getting him (Sterling) puts us one step closer to being this team which can win trophies again. It’s very important for us.”

Sterling, who rejected a £100,000-a-week deal to extend his stay at Liverpool, with the club finally accepting City’s third bid during the close season, trained with his new teammates on the Gold Coast Friday.

Whether he features in their clash against Melbourne City on Saturday remains to be seen.

Kompany, who has played against Sterling in a number of big games in recent years, said it was his fearlessness that stood him apart.

“He’s quick, he’s very unpredictable – he’s shown that he has especially great determination,” he said.

“You play against so many players with great quality but it’s the fact that he’s always willing to put in the extra yard.

“That makes it that extra bit difficult when you have a player with quality who is not shy to run and put his body on the line – that’s a special player.”

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