Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini believes that Raheem Sterling is worth the £49million the club used to prize him away from Liverpool, according to reports from ESPN.

The 20-year-old was being chased by the Citizens throughout the majority of the summer transfer window, with several bids being rejected before the Reds finally agreed to a £49million sale.

The transfer and manner in which he left Anfield did not please the Kop faithful, with many believing that the Sky Blues overpaid for the Engand international.

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However, Pellegrini claims that his new signing is worthy of the incredible price tag after Sterling scored three goals in two games during pre-season.

"He is a very good player, that's why we brought him to our team," he said. "He has a lot of things we didn't have in our squad. If you watch the way he played tonight he has a lot of pace and I am sure in the future he will demonstrate why we paid so much money for him.

"I was very surprised because it is not easy to score eight goals, but Vietnam is a team that must prepare for qualification for the next World Cup, and they have time. They start playing in September or October so have to work hard, but they have very good players."

The Citizens have also signed Fabian Delph from Aston Villa via a £10million deal, but are still targeting more players before the transfer window closes at the end of August.

Wolfsburg star Kevin de Bruyne has been heavily linked with a switch to the Etihad of late, with a £40million bid being mooted by several sources.