Will Sterling come back? I do not know. The priority right now is for him to be with his family.” On Sunday night England had beaten Senegal with a three-goal lead, qualified for the World Cup quarter-finals in Qatar, but the questions in Gareth Southgate’s post-match press conference focused on a player absent: Raheem Sterling.
A day earlier, the striker’s London home had been broken into by armed robbers and Sterling left the concentration of the ‘three lions’ in Qatar to travel back to England and be with his family, who allegedly had been present during the robbery. He did it with the support of his teammates, the Football Federation (FA) and Southgate himself, who did not want to put more pressure on him.
“Let him take the time he needs”, commented the coach in a statement that is still referred to, 24 hours later, by the FA. Because, despite the fact that Sterling is very committed to his selection, it is not at all clear that he will be available for the quarterfinal match against France in four days, on Saturday, at 8:00 p.m. (Spanish peninsular time). ).
Thus, the decision to return to the World Cup will also depend on Sterling, who He has permission to rejoin the dynamics of the English team when he sees fit. But what seems clear is that with the lack of training and preparation, in the best of scenarios, the ’10’ would start from the bench against France. That would also leave Southgate free to continue betting on Foden in his place, and for the City winger to accompany Saka and Kane in attack.
Stolen jewelry and no arrests
As reported by the Surrey police department – the area where Sterling’s house is located – the case is being investigated, but no arrests have been made so far. “It remains unclear on what date the property was stolen and establishing this forms a key part of the investigation.”they explain in a statement in which they also detail what the stolen objects could be.
“They (Sterling’s family) contacted the police just before 9 p.m. to report that a number of items of jewelry, including watches, had been stolen. Officers came to the address later that night and returned in the morning to speak to the residents (in the home).”
