Raheem Sterling insists he was actually sick when he missed several training sessions prior to his move from Liverpool to Manchester City.

"Everyone thought I threw a sicknote in," said Sterling.

"I was in training on the Tuesday -- in the changing room my stomach started hurting. I still went out and trained though.

"That day I went home, and I told the doc I was ill. My stomach was rumbling and I had diarrhoea.

"The doctor just said to me you can't be around the other players. For the next 48 hours, I stayed at home.

"That's what the club doctor told me to do. When that 48 hours was done I came back to training as normal."