Cape Town - Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers has said there was never a problem between him and Raheem Sterling during the duo’s time at Liverpool.
Rodgers was key to Sterling’s meteorical rise to stardom as a youngster at Anfield, which saw Sterling form a potent attacking partnership with Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez as the Reds almost won the Premier League in 2014.
Sterling left the year after in a £44m deal that took him to Manchester City, just months before Rodgers was sacked.
Despite rumours that the two had fallen out, Rodgers has insisted that was not the case.
"A lot of things that were being said when he left were naughty really,” Rodgers told the Daily Mail.
"There were people trying to create the move, things being instigated that were not right and the final straw was that he had fallen out with the manager."
'That was never the case. The kid had been round at my house having a meal or playing with his daughter and my family, you know?” he added.
"I never had issues with Raheem." said Rodgers.
"Yes, there was that moment where we made a point to him early on, but that was it really. He had a personality but he could accept that and hopefully if you speak to him he would say we had a really close relationship.”
Rodgers made the comments ahead of Celtic’s home match with Manchester City this week.
Sterling is back his best this season, and has scored four Premier League goals in six games, and Rodgers is pleased for his former charge.
"He is back to where he was at with me," Rodgers said.