Gareth Southgate confirmed that Raheem Sterling will be returning home to London after the forward was absent from England’s squad against Senegal. It was announced before the match that he wasn’t available for selection due to ‘family issues.’ England went on to win 3-0 to set up a quarter-final tie against France on Saturday. Before the tie Southgate explained the situation,
Gareth Southgate said: “He’s dealing with a family matter so I’ve had time with him this morning but I’ve now had to pass that onto other people to deal with that. He’s going to go and deal with that matter then we’ll have to deal with that matter then we’ll have to take it from there.”
When asked about the circumstances afterwards,
Gareth Southgate added: “The priority for him is to be with his family. We’re going to support that and leave him to have as much time as he needs. He’s going home. I don’t want to put him under pressure. Sometimes football isn’t the most important thing, family should come first.”
When asked if he would come back, Southgate added that he wasn’t sure. The 27-year-old is a trusted member of the Three Lions squad but wasn’t needed as Bukayo Saka and Phil Foden both impressed in attack whilst Harry Kane also netted in a big victory for the 2018’s semi-finalists.
