He probably realises what a mess he and his former agent Aidy Ward made of his departure from The Cult and doesn’t want a repeat of that fallout.
He is forgetting the following:
1: City don’t have anything like the volume of media placemen, whether hacks, presenters or ex players given pundit gigs, as the redshirts. The Mirror/TalkShite/5 Live won’t be rolling out ex City players on an hourly basis to attack his character as they all did when he dared to ‘Go Clear’ from L (Ron Hubbard) FC
2: We are, by and large, a far saner fanbase. Players who leave respectfully and don’t subsequently chat a load of Milner-esque wham are generally thanked for their efforts and welcomed back.
3: Manchester isn’t perfect but is widely considered by pretty much everyone as a much less racist city than the former slavery/confederacy supporting liverpool. There is a reason that Manchester has a Lincoln statue.
This undercurrent fuelled much of both the fan and media reaction to what many of them saw as an uppity young black man refusing to ‘know his place’ and daring to show personal and professional ambition. When Raheem leaves City it will be more with a general air of respect for his achievements combined with a vague air of promise left unfulfilled.