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Real Madrid star Vinicius takes Sterling inspiration as he aims to emulate Man City attacker

Real Madrid youngster Vinicius Junior has drawn inspiration from Raheem Sterling amid criticism of the Brazilian’s displays in front of goal this season.

The teenager arrived from Flamengo for €46 million (£39.5m/$51m) in the summer of 2017, making him the most expensive player under the age of 19 at the time, and the second-most expensive Brazilian behind Neymar.

After spending his opening few months in Spain with Madrid’s Castilla outfit under Santiago Solari, the forward’s performances developed rapidly and he was subsequently promoted to the senior side, where he kept fellow forward Gareth Bale out of the starting lineup.