Raheem Sterling has claimed that Manchester City is a club on the rise following his long-awaited move from Liverpool last week.

The England winger, 20, sealed a £49m switch to Eastlands last Tuesday, having refused to train and travel on the Reds' pre-season tour shortly before his departure.

In April, the starlet defended himself after rejecting the club's £100,000-a-week contract extension, insisting that he was not a "money-grabbing 20-year-old".

Sterling now suggests that the Sky Blues' ambition was enough of a draw for him, and says that City boast enough quality to "dominate" their domestic and European rivals.

"It was about the direction they are going - in recent years they have come a long way," he is quoted as saying by The Mirror. "They just seem like they are progressing and looking to dominate in England and in Europe.

"[The] Champions League is always a good thing to be involved in. As a young player you want to be challenging yourself in the best competitions, against the best players and with the best players.

"It's a competition that gives me an opportunity to show my ability on the biggest platform. This team has great players - it's a really good squad but players like [Sergio] Aguero, [David] Silva and Yaya [Toure] can only improve you."

Sterling could make his debut in Tuesday morning's International Champions Cup clash with Roma in Melbourne.