Manchester City winger Raheem Sterling has called for referees to crack down on dangerous tackles, adding that his teammates are being "butchered" this season.

The comments come after City teammate Leroy Sane suffered ankle ligament damage following a tackle by Cardiff City man Joe Bennett in the FA Cup last weekend - an injury that will keep the German out for up to two months.

Sterling has said that players need to be protected by referees ahead of the World Cup finals in Russia this summer.

"I think the referees and officials need to cut these tackles out because as you can see, some of the players are getting butchered out there and it's sad to see," the England international told The Mirror.

"I find it a bit unfair at times. I feel that we haven't been protected enough in certain situations. I think some of the challenges have been awful.

"I do think we need to cut down on that because we've got a World Cup at the end of the season and majority of the players in the top flight, and in our team, will be playing in it."

City, who are 15 points clear at the top of the Premier League table, remain in contention for four trophies this season.