Gareth Southgate has broken his silence on Raheem Sterling’s exit from the England squad ahead of the Three Lions’ last-16 match against Senegal...CONTINUE READING
Gareth Southgate has broken his silence on Raheem Sterling’s sudden departure from England’s World Cup squad.
It was revealed that Sterling would be left out of England’s crucial last-16 clash against Senegal On December 4 just hours before the game started. England explained that Sterling’s omission from the Three Lions’ team was due to personal reasons.
A statement from England’s Twitter account read: “Raheem Sterling is not available for selection for the #ThreeLions tonight as he is dealing with a family matter.” And now the Three Lions boss has spoken about the absence of the winger from his side on Sunday night.
Southgate said: “I had quite a bit of time with him this morning but I have had to pass that on to other people to help him with that.” And England’s head coach was unable to say if Sterling will return for the remainder of the tournament if the Three Lions get past Senegal.
Southgate added: “He is going to go and deal with that matter and then we will have to take it from there really.” Sterling’s presence will be sorely missed in the England setup at the Al Bayt stadium tonight.
The Chelsea ace showed his worth in England’s opening match against Iran with a stunning strike as the Three Lions romped to a 6-2 victory. The 27-year-old’s blistering pace will also come in handy if the Three Lions progress into the quarter-finals where a ferocious France side awaits.
Sterling’s the second England player whose left the squad for personal reasons following the departure of Ben White a few days ago. White dashed from England’s camp before they defeated Wales due to personal reasons. But unlike Sterling, White will definitely not be returning for the latter stages of the tournament, the FA confirmed.
