Brendan Rodgers on Raheem Sterling: Part of the reason he is on the Liverpool bench is because of everything that has been going on

Rodgers confirms contract stand-off the reason he has dropped youngster

Steven Gerrard says Brendan Rodgers is the best to develop Raheem Sterling (Getty Images)

Brendan Rodgers has admitted that he dropped Raheem Sterling to the Liverpool bench for the final game of the season because of the ongoing dispute over his future.

Sterling, 20, has been agitating for a move and on Friday talks between his camp and Liverpool were cancelled after an outburst from his agent, Aidy Ward.

Ward said that Sterling would not accept '£900,000-a-week' to stay at Anfield and was likely to move to either Manchester City or Chelsea this summer.

Rodgers named Sterling among the substitutes for the game at Stoke and revealed his reasoning.

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"Part of the reason Raheem Sterling is on the bench is because of everything that has been going on," said Rodgers.

"I think it is a game to take him out, there has been a huge weight on him. He is a young player and he deals with it well. We have other players who are focused on the game."