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Raheem Sterling has finally provided some closure with the answer to one of football's great mysteries - why on earth does he run like that?

Sterling's running style, with his arms held close to his body, has been the source of mockery for some time now. It has been likened to Velma from Scooby-Doo by some amused onlookers, and Chelsea's Eden Hazard was filmed doing a comedic impression of Sterling last season.

But in an interview with TalkSPORT, the Manchester City speed merchant revealed that he recently worked out that his unusual gait comes from his mother Nadine, after seeing a video of her running.

“My mum went to my little brother’s sports day. She sent me a clip of her running - and I thought, ‘OK, that’s where I get it from’. I’d never seen her run before. So it’s my mum - don’t laugh!"

This story may be a source of further amusement to some people, but Sterling running like his mother is nothing to be ashamed of. Nadine Sterling was in the Jamaican athletics team before she became pregnant with Sterling's older step-sister Lakima.

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“I don’t think my running style is something I would like to pass on though," Sterling said. "I will just take all of everyone else’s laughter on myself."

After a few years of struggling to live up to the early promise he showed at Liverpool, Sterling is finally showing the world-class potential that he was billed for earlier in his career. He has scored 19 goals in all competitions for City so far this season, only five fewer than Sergio Aguero.