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Cape Town - Celtic
boss Brendan Rodgers says he kept Raheem Sterling on lower wages at
Liverpool for as long as possible, as he didn't want money to affect his
focus.
Sterling, who now plays for Manchester City, broke through at Anfield under Rodgers. As such, the former Reds manager, who is enjoying a successful stint at Scottish champions Celtic, takes the view that too much money to soon can damage a young player's career.
He told the Daily Express: "There is one common denominator when it comes to young players falling by the wayside, money. It distorts reality, it changes people. I'm always cautious of that.
"I had Raheem Sterling playing for England and a regular in the Liverpool first team on £ 2 000 per week. I couldn't do it any longer than about the November time because he was absolutely brilliant, so we had to get him on a different contract.
"But I stretched it out as long as I could. With young players, one, they have to earn it and, two, you don't go overboard with them because they have played a couple of good games.
"Stay calm. See how consistent and professional they are, and if they are doing well they will always get rewarded. Let them get some games in their legs and go from there."
