Gael Clichy has claimed that Raheem Sterling took time to adjust to life at Manchester City, but now his teammate is in "impressive" form ahead of this weekend's clash against Liverpool.
Sterling will face his former club for the first time since making a £49m switch to the Etihad Stadium in the summer.
The England international has scored four Premier League goals and one Champions League strike so far this season.
"You need time to adjust when you come to a new club and a new way of playing football," Clichy told Sky Sports News. "Liverpool is a great club, City is a fantastic club. You need time.
"Some players like Kevin De Bruyne can turn up and they are 'on it', others need a bit more time and Raheem was probably one of those, but the last four weeks he's been really impressive.
"If he carries on the way he's doing I'm pretty sure he's going to be a tremendous player for England."
City are currently at the top of the league table, on level points with second-placed Arsenal.