Sterling was signed in February 2010 by Rafael Benitez for an initial fee of 600,000, which could rise to 5 million depending on how many appearances he makes for the first-team. He made his first appearance for the first team in a pre-season friendly against Borussia Monchengladbach in Germany on 1 August 2010.
On 24 March 2012, Sterling made his senior Liverpool debut as a substitute in a league match against Wigan Athletic aged 17 years and 107 days, becoming the second-youngest player ever to play for the club.