Kevin De Bruyne thought Manchester City team-mate Raheem Sterling was a "d***head" before they met after making assumptions based on how the England player had been portrayed in the media.

The pair both joined City in the summer of 2015 in big-money deals, Sterling from Liverpool for £44million and De Bruyne from Wolfsburg for £55m.

De Bruyne, after his brief spell at Chelsea, was well aware of his fellow new arrival's reputation but was surprised to discover the man did not live up to his billing.

"Before I came to Manchester City, I didn't really know what to make of this Raheem Sterling guy," the Belgium midfielder wrote in a piece in The Players' Tribune.

"I had never met him, and from what I'd read about him...I thought he was going to be a very different character.

"The tabloids were always claiming that he was arrogant. So I guess I thought he'd be ... what do the English call it? A bit of a d***head, maybe?

"They said Raheem was this flashy guy who left Liverpool for money. They said I was 'the Chelsea reject'. They said we were difficult characters.

"Then I got to City and I actually met Raheem, and we'd talk a bit after training, and I thought, 'Wait, this guy seems really cool? What's the story here?'

"I really got to know Raheem, and I recognised what a smart and genuine person he is. He couldn't be more different.

"This is the real truth: Raheem is one of the nicest, most humble guys I've met in football."

The perception of Sterling has shifted in the time since he left Liverpool as a precocious teenager and his outspoken views on racism, in addition to the way he has handled abuse on the pitch, have earned him much praise.

Coupled with his form on the pitch the England international is one of the leading candidates for this year's Professional Footballers' Association Player of the Year Award.