Liverpool remain a bigger club than Man City, says Brendan Rodgers

Posted Sunday, April 19, 2015 by ESPN

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has suggested that Manchester City are still striving to join his club among the giants of the English game, even though they have won a host of major trophies in the past four years.

Rodgers offered up a less than complimentary view of City's emergence as one of the major powers in English football, as he claimed Liverpool's history still meant the Anfield club were a few steps ahead of the team that has won the Premier League title in two of the past three seasons.

Liverpool winger Raheem Sterling has been strongly linked with a move to City in recent weeks, after he turned down a fresh contract reported to be worth £100,000-per-week with the Anfield club.

Yet when Rodgers was asked whether Sterling could move his career forward by leaving Liverpool and moving to the team that has won the Premier League title in two of the last three seasons, Rodgers offered this critique.

"If you say that Manchester City is a bigger club than Liverpool, you're wrong," Rodgers told reporters.

"At this moment in time Manchester City are on a great project. They're a wonderful club, I've seen it for myself a few years ago when I spoke with them.

"I've got big respect for what they're doing there. They're trying to build it the right way, but at this moment in time you can't compare them to us.

"You've got Liverpool and Manchester United as the two biggest clubs in this country -- the rest of them are fighting to be there over the next 20 years."

Sterling's current Liverpool deal is not due to expire until summer 2017 and Anfield chiefs have made it clear that they have no intention of selling the England winger at the end of this season.