I personally think Sterling did well for the club even in his last couple of years. Yes his game went off slightly, but he still contributed greatly to our success.
I think his agent was always gearing for a pay day as his contract wore down. The Real Madrid story's, even from way back, hinted at this. City wanted him to commit early to a new contract and this was never going to happen. Then his game digressed slightly and Pep demands complete loyalty from his players or you are going to be on the edge of things.
There was definitely a group of players last year who felt slightly disgruntled. Pep is an experienced manager and he and Tixi have delt with this disisively. When Gundagon scored the title winning goal Sterling was in his ear, with a few comments regarding their non selection in the started line up, instead of celebrating the moment. The non show at the parade also maybe.
He certainly became a bit bitter. He probably regrets his recent comments, but he just couldn't help himself, in revealing his true feelings about the last couple of years at City.
We are a big, well run club and we do not need to reevaluate Sterling's contribution to our success. He was a decent player even when his mental focus wavered. Yes he had a few poor games, but do not question his contribution, just because of these comments.
Pep will ask for him to be respected, when he plays at the Etihad. When he looks back at the end of his career, he will realise that by keeping his cool about things, he could have achieved more success, in what he has referred to as his peak-aged years.
So let's not get worked up about him. This will show how great a club we are becoming. Things move on and there is constant evolution.