Midfielder Raheem Sterling left the England squad at the World Cup in Qatar and returned to London for family reasons.
According to the British press, he went to the family because armed men broke into their home. Sterling’s partner was home with the kids at the time. After today’s victory against Senegal, England will face the quarter-finals on Saturday.
“He’s coming home,” manager Gareth Southgate told reporters after the 3-0 win over Senegal. He only mentioned personal reasons, even the British media were specific. “We’ll give him time to come back and take care of everything. Sometimes football isn’t the most important thing and family should come first. We’ll see how it develops,” Southgate added.
The 27-year-old Chelsea midfielder Sterling made his first two appearances in Qatar, contributing a goal in a 6-2 win against Iran in the first. In the quarter-finals, the English team will face the reigning champions, the French, on Saturday.
