Raheem Sterling says he and Leroy Sane want to be the high fliers to take Manchester City to greater heights.
The pair have become close friends since German international Sane, 21, joined the England forward at the Etihad last summer.
And the Blues brothers, who cost a combined £81 million, are pushing each other to better performances on the pitch as they bid to achieve success with City.
After taking his time to settle following his arrival from Schalke, Sane has scored nine goals since a first against Arsenal in December, earning him a Young Player of the Year nomination.
Already counting the hours until Wembley 🔥⚽🔥 #training #inSané #LS19 #FACup #Semifinal @ManCity pic.twitter.com/wjgjHoy7vt
— Leroy Sané (@LeroySane19) April 21, 2017
With nine goals and nine assists, Sterling has shown great improvement under the tutelage of boss Pep Guardiola after his own difficult debut campaign.
And with an FA Cup semi-final showdown with Arsenal at Wembley on Sunday, Sterling told Sport360: “We get on really well.”
“He’s a similar age, we are both interested in the same things and importantly we both want to do well.”
“We want to develop and we are trying to help each other’s game with goals and assists.”
“The Premier League is out of our sight now, but we have to focus on winning our remaining games and the FA Cup is a massive one for us. We want to win this trophy.”
Raheem Sterling has provided the most assists (3) of all the Premier League teams in the FA Cup this season. #FAAllAccess
— Jotham Mumina 🇰🇪 (@Etoo254) April 21, 2017
With Sterling terrorising defences from the right flank and Sane dangerous on the left with blistering pace and sublime skills, it is a throwback to the days when Ryan Giggs and Lee Sharpe were young wing wonders for neighbours Manchester United as they began to dominate English football.
Just 18 months separated those two as they were given a first-team chance by Sir Alex Ferguson when teenagers and became close friends.
Sharpe won three Premier League titles, two FA Cups and a League Cup before joining Leeds in 1996, while Giggs ended a glittering United career in 2014 with 13 league titles, four FA Cups, four League Cups and two Champions League triumphs. Both were also honoured with Young Player of the Year awards.
“We’ve got a long way to go to go to get to that level, but that’s the aim,” said Sterling, whose sole trophy joy was the League Cup with City last season. “We have to keep performing, keep winning games for our team, keep improving and most definitely we can get there.”
“We always speak to each other and I said to him (Sane) shoot a lot because I’ve seen he has the ability to score goals.”
“Now he is showing that, scoring and making assists and I’m really happy for him. Hopefully we can get better.
“That most definitely helps the team too when you have players of a similar age and similar ambition. Hopefully in the future we can grow together in the future at the same time. And me scoring more goals in the future too will help.”
Their friendship has heartened Guardiola as he noticed during their training camp in the UAE, and said: “It’s nice when we go to Abu Dhabi and see how close they are. That’s a most precious and beautiful thing.”
Lifting the FA Cup will also be a beautiful moment for the City coach as he bids to end his first year with a major prize, admitting the Abu Dhabi-backed club’s owner, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, “will not be happy” at not achieving more.
“The expectation here is as high as possible – winning the titles – and we are not able,” said Guardiola, whose side are fourth in the league and exited the Champions League at the last-16 stage to Monaco.
For Sterling, the FA Cup provides extra motivation as he grew up just five minutes away from Wembley Stadium.
With a tattoo of the Wembley arch and a boy with a football under his arm looking up at it, the frontman’s dream was to play at the famed ground.
And he will relish the Gunners encounter as he added: “I’m probably going to have about 60 people at the game that’s for sure and it will be a great atmosphere, a great occasion.
“It’s Wembley, it’s a big day and I’m most looking forward to it given what it means to me growing up.
“Wembley is just special. It feels like my home every time I’m there, special even when I’m driving close to it and where I grew up. It’s just amazing and on that pitch I feel so happy.”
