Gareth Southgate has refused to offer assurances that Raheem Sterling could return for England at the World Cup – should they beat Senegal – after hinting he will return home to deal with a family matter. The Chelsea winger is not available for the Three Lions this evening as they face the Africa Cup of Nations champions in the last 16 in Qatar after being granted leave by head coach Southgate.
It’s understood Sterling remained behind at England’s team HQ in Doha but Southgate has now suggested that he is set to leave camp just like defender Ben White.
Southgate said on ITV ahead of the meeting with Senegal: “He is dealing with a family matter, I had quite a bit of time with him this morning but now I have had to pass him on to other people to help him with that.”
And when quizzed on whether this could be the end of the road for Sterling at this year’s World Cup, Southgate added: “He is going to have to deal with that matter and then we will take it from there.”
It is unclear whether Sterling was in line to start the match as Bukayo Saka and Phil Foden joined Harry Kane in attack for the Three Lions.
READ MORE: Raheem Sterling contemplating flying home from Qatar to deal with family issue
World Cup managers can no longer make changes to their World Cup squads – even if a player is suffering with an injury or COVID-19.
Coaches had up until 24 hours before their opening fixtures in Qatar to make alterations – meaning Southgate is unable to replace White and potentially Sterling, if he does indeed need to leave the group.
Southgate has also made it clear that his players are ready for penalties should spot-kicks be necessary to separate the two sides after 120 minutes of action.
His team ended the Three Lions’ barren penalty record at the World Cup in 2018 when they beat Colombia on spot-kicks before eventually losing to Italy in the final of Euro 2020.
“We’re prepared. We’ve had a process that we’ve followed,” Southgate said at his pre-match press conference.
“We’ve won two of three shootouts and looked at how we can improve. But of course, there are so many other aspects we have to get right.
“We’re aiming to win the game in 90 minutes and to avoid extra time and penalties. But if we need to go beyond that we have to be ready mentally and physically. I believe we are.”
The winners of England vs Senegal will face France in the quarter-finals next Saturday.
For all the latest Sports News Click Here
For the latest news and updates, follow us on Google News.
