Winning Premier League is Raheem Sterling's first priority

Manchester City's Raheem Sterling said he was happy that his former club Liverpool won the Champions League, but his focus is only on lifting the Premier League title again.

"I was really happy for Liverpool, happy for some of the players I know to lift the Champions League. What we've done last season - every day, week in, week out - was exceptional. The Champions League is massive for us as a club but our most important thing is winning the Premier League. That's our main objective going into this season," Goal.com quoted Sterling as saying.

Manchester City, last season, won the Premier League with 98 points, just one point ahead of second-placed Liverpool.

"The Premier League is your bread and butter. The Champions League is the nicer-looking one, the most prestigious as people say, but every weekend you put in a shift. You're going to tough places... you're off to Crystal Palace, Burnley, it's tough, you know. You put so much time into it. That's why we cherish it," he said.

If the club manages to clinch the Premier League title next season, it will be their third consecutive Premier League title.

However, Sterling feels that the club will have to make strenuous efforts as it will be harder than last season.

"It'll be harder than last season. To do this three times in a row is a massive challenge for us. Liverpool, all these big clubs, will try to take titles off us. But there isn't any player here who thinks they're at their best. There are no egos in our changing room, no player who thinks he's Pele or Maradona," Sterling said.

( With inputs from ANI )