Rafael Benitez has admitted that he was disappointed not to have been given the chance to coach Raheem Sterling during his time at Liverpool.

The Englishman made a switch to Anfield from Queens Park Rangers in 2010 at the age of 15.

Just five months later Benitez was shown the Anfield exit, but Sterling's development has steadily continued which led to his recent £49m move to Manchester City.

Ahead of Real Madrid's meeting with City, Los Blancos boss Benitez has talked up the youngster's talents.

"Obviously you know [Liverpool] signed Sterling when he was a kid," Goal.com quotes him as saying. "At that moment I was really pleased with the signing, but I had to go.

"Now, at this moment, he's not our player. I could see him the other day, he was quite good. You know how good he is. I wish [City and Sterling] all the best, though not tomorrow."

Sterling made a goalscoring debut for the Citizens in their 2-2 draw against Roma earlier this week.