Raheem Sterling is the Bluemoon Player of the Month for September

Pep Guardiola lauds "maturing" star

Raheem Sterling has been named as the Bluemoon Player of the Month for September 2018. The England international scored three times, against Newcastle, Fulham and Brighton, as the Blues moved back to the top of the Premier League.

The England international polled 44% of the vote, ahead of Bernardo Silva (38%) and Sergio Aguero (12%). Sterling's long-term future remains in some doubt, with reports of a contract impasse, but manager Pep Guardiola is in no doubt about the player's quality, believing that he is continuing to improve.

“I think his performances are higher. My feeling is that he's more mature than last season,” the Spaniard told reporters.

“I like it. Sometimes it's about the statistics but also how he produces it. Maybe I'm wrong but my feeling is that he believes in himself more, he is taking on more responsibility. That's good.

“Maybe the stats are wrong. But our target is to make them feel better than the previous season.”