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Somehow, you just knew that Tim Sherwood would go and mention the L word.

When Fabian Delph performed a late U-turn and snubbed a move to Manchester City, it was inevitable that his Aston Villa manager would praise the ‘loyalty’ of his England midfielder.

Sherwood might as well talk about pixies at the bottom of the garden as speak of loyalty in the Premier League or have Delph regarded as some anti-Raheem Sterling.

As if an £8million release clause was inserted into the £75,000-per-week Villa contract that Delph signed earlier this year out of the player’s life-long devotion to the Holte End faithful.

But when push came to shove, and the clause was activated, Delph simply didn’t back himself to become a first-team regular at City, when the midfield options at the Etihad suggested he should have fancied his chances.

He’s a very good player, Delph, and a tough cookie too.

But he’s bottled this one.

(Image: Neville Williams)

Sterling, meanwhile, has backed himself to play regular Champions League football at the Etihad.

And self-belief is often half the battle.

In some ways, it is heartening that a player of Delph’s growing stature has opted to stay with a club outside the Premier League’s roped-off elite.

But it will be noted within the game that Delph doubts himself – and now, aged 25, he may never receive a similar chance again.

Delph was apparently persuaded by Villa team-mates - and City rejects - Micah Richards and Scott Sinclair that he would be risking life as a bit-part player by joining Manuel Pellegrini’s side.

Which suggests Delph views himself as having a similar status to Richards, Scott Sinclair, Jack Rodwell or Adam Johnson - Villa and Sunderland players perennially fighting relegation rather than Champions League contenders.

There is an obvious argument to suggest Roy Hodgson will be happier with Delph spurning City than with Sterling embracing them. And the idea of two first-choice England players sitting on the bench would indeed have concerned the national manager.

(Image: Reuters)

Yet Sterling and Delph both have the potential to be better than that.

Sterling believes it, while Delph does not.

Had both been playing regularly in a City side bidding for Champions League and Premier League honours, it would have been a boon for Hodgson, heading towards next summer’s Euros.

As the tedious Sterling saga reaches its inevitable conclusion, we’ve had the outrage, the backlash against the outrage and now the backlash against the backlash.

But if we’re going to declare that the world’s gone mad when an emerging 20-year-old is signed for £49million, then we’d better prepare ourselves for lunacy taking over the Premier League asylum.

For the £5.1 billion TV deal which kicks in next season, and the (welcome) relaxing of Financial Fair Play rules will soon make such figures the norm.

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Sterling is far from the finished article. He must knuckle down and improve if he is to play regularly at City but it’s nonsensical to claim that he is merely the puppet of an unscrupulous agent. He is a talented player with the self-confidence to take on defenders - and the challenge of City.

Only the most cynical of conspiracy theorists will claim that the whole Sterling pantomime has been orchestrated.

Yet Liverpool can walk away with a record transfer fee for an Englishman and are able to paint Sterling and agent Aidy Ward as the bad guys, while the player and his representative get the move and the commission they had craved, deemed a fair trade-off for a sustained PR kicking.

It all suggests that Sterling has a thick enough skin to deal with life at the top.

And while Delph can kiss his badge, Sterling will soon be kissing trophies.