Liverpool legend John Barnes does not think that Raheem Sterling has to justify himself after leaving the club for Manchester City.
The England international has been given a frosty reception at Anfield since departing Merseyside in 2015, in a move which sparked controversy and left Liverpool without one of their key assets.
Sterling infuriated supporters when he moved across the north west to join City after telling then manager Brendan Rodgers he had no intention of travelling on a pre-season tour of the Far East and Australia nearly four years ago.
Both sides have made significant strides since Sterling 's acrimonious exit and Barnes believes the ex-Reds star's decision cannot be argued with - and identified the importance that Pep Guardiola has played in the Young Player of the Year's development.
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“Well if Liverpool win the Champions League this year, is it justifiable? Because then he could have won the Champions League," he told the Express.
"They say that it's more important than the Premier League.
"Finishing second in the league by one point and winning the Champions League, who knows?
“You don't have to justify your decision at all, you decided to leave so you don't need to justify that to anybody else.
“As far as I'm concerned, he decided to leave and you have to accept that, it's the name of the game but I don't think he has to justify it because he does what he thinks is right for himself.
“He needed someone like Pep to make better decisions on and off the ball, in terms of the way he dribbles, the way he passes and runs, be more creative and score more goals.
“He deserves all the plaudits he gets but I don't think anyone should be judging him to decide whether he has justified his decision or not.
“When he left, even if he hasn't done well, I'm not going to say he shouldn't have left because he decided he wanted a new challenge and we need to accept that.”
