Sterling: It is great to be close to Neymar

Raheem Sterling says it is great to be close to Neymar in the amount of assists he is providing for his team-mates, but wants to have more of an impact in big matches.

The Manchester City winger has registered 14 assists in all competitions under Pep Guardiola this season, a tally he is pleased with given it ranks him close to some of Europe's best creators, such as the Barcelona star.

Sterling has also scored nine goals in a productive campaign, but he insists he has far from reached his potential.

"It has felt alright - it has felt good," Sterling said to Sky Sports. "I don't want to sound massive but I have got a lot more to come.

"Seeing some assist stats – just a few behind Neymar – that is great to see but I want to be doing it in games like [the Champions League last 16 match with] Monaco, that we lost.

"Those are the games that make you as a player."

City are away to Arsenal in a crucial Premier League match on Sunday and Sterling expects the excitement to hit him on matchday as he returns to London, where he started his career with QPR.

He added: "Sunday morning, in London, in my hometown, I am going to be looking forward to it.

"When I was younger and we had Arsenal at the weekend, oh my gosh, it was like I was going to see my favourite person in the world.

"I used to admire the amazing players they had at my age group, it was always a great test for me and it will be another great test at the weekend."

City have dropped to fourth ahead of the match due to Liverpool's victory over Everton on Saturday.