Raheem Sterling would consider leaving Man City to seek pastures new.

Sterling joined City from Liverpool for £49m in 2015. [Getty]

Sterling has struggled to hold down a regular spot in Pep Guardiola's starting XI this term and wouldn't mind moving abroad to get more game time.

Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling has revealed that he wouldn't mind plying his trade abroad if there was an opportunity to get more game.

The England international has fallen down the pecking order at the Etihad following the signing of Jack Grealish from Aston Villa during the summer.

The 26-year-old scored 30 goals in 51 appearances during the 2019-20 campaign and found the net 14 times last season.

While speaking at the FT Business of Sport US summit, Sterling, who has less than two years left on his contract at the Etihad, said: "If there was an opportunity to go somewhere else, (for more game time), I would be open to it at this moment in time.

"As I said, football is the most important thing to me - challenges that I have set myself from a young age and dreams as well, to play abroad.

"As an English player all I know is the Premier League and I have always had something down (in me) that maybe one day I would love to play abroad to see how I would come up against that challenge.

"I'm not a person that's going to complain. I've not tried to make it a bigger deal than it actually is.

"I get on with my work, do what I need to do. And I'm just raring to go - playing football matches regularly, scoring goals regularly.

"From being a young child, football has been the most important thing in my life, my happiest I should say.

"If I want my happiness at a certain level I need to be playing football. I need to be scoring goals and enjoying myself."

Despite reports linking Sterling with other clubs across Europe, the Cityzens boss Guardiola insisted in September that the former Liverpool forward is still part of his plans going forward.

The ex-Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach said: "Our incredible successes over the last few seasons would have been impossible without Raheem.

"He is such an important player, he reaches incredibly high standards and I have to tell him those are the standards he has to keep for himself and the team and I am sure he will return to that. I am optimistic he will have a very good season."

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