Raheem Sterling can make Man City boss Pep Guardiola rethink his decision 7

Raheem Sterling earned the praise of England manager Gareth Southgate, and his penalty in Iceland could also impact his Manchester City future.

GetêOf the three Manchester City players called up to England, it is only former national scapegoat Raheem Sterling that has emerged from the first half of their camp with any credit.

If Kyle Walker's red card and Phil Foden's off-field misconduct are cause for concern for Pep Guardiola, the coach can take comfort in how reliable Sterling is. It was not just his late penalty against Iceland that so impressed Gareth Southgate but his entire attitude since he first turned up for duty.

"His hunger to score, his hunger to win things, his hunger to drive himself, you really can't underestimate it," said the Three Lions boss. "It has a massive impact on everybody around him and really has taken his game to another level.

"I can't speak highly enough of him, really. It would have been very easy to have another few days on the beach, not report in, get himself right for his club at the beginning of the season. His mentality the whole week has been exceptional. Desperate to be here, desperate to play, desperate to stay on, I thought he carried the fight when we went down to 10 men.He took the responsibility of the penalty, and I thought it was outstanding character throughout - his desire to win and succeed is exceptional."

Guardiola knows all about the hunger and drive of Sterling, and has previously praised the forward's ability to put his past issues behind him. Where once he would have wallowed in bad misses during games, he has successfully adapted to only be focused on the putting the next chance away.That impudent pass down the middle with the game tied in injury time was not the sort of finish you would necessarily expect from somebody that had not scored from a spotkick in three years.

His recent misses in a City shirt have led Kevin De Bruyne to take responsibility from that range, but the Belgian will not always be on that pitch. And if Guardiola is looking for someone oozing confidence in that moment, the England star will be itching for one more chance. Given how many other parts of his game have improved, can penalties be the next breakthrough?

It is a decision that won't be near the top of the manager's to-do list, yet given it is a situation that will inevitably come up again before too long that penalty in Iceland may yet be more significant for Sterling than even Southgate imagined.