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England coach Gareth Southgate has explained that Raheem Sterling missed his side’s last 16 clash with Senegal because he traveled back to be with his family.
England has released a statement ahead of the game that Sterling would not be part of the squad, due to a “family matter”.
It later transpired that Sterling’s home in London was broken into by armed robbers with his family and children inside the house.
The 27-year-old is understood to be concerned about the well-being of his family and took the decision to leave the England camp, as Southgate confirmed after his side’s 3-0 win.
“We’ve got to wait and see. At the moment, clearly the priority is for him to be with his family,” he told ITV as per Goal.
“We’re going to support that, and leave him to have as much time as he needs. He’s going home.
“At the moment it’s a situation that he needs time with his family to deal with, and I don’t want to put him under any pressure with that.
“Sometimes football isn’t the most important thing, and family should come first.”
Sterling, who scored in England’s 6-2 over Iran, hasn’t ruled out a return to Qatar ahead of England’s quarter-final against France, but it remains to be seen whether that will be possible or not.