27-year-old England player, Raheem Sterling missed Senegal’s clash after travelling back to London following a break-in by armed intruders at his family home.
Gareth Southgate confirmed that Raheem Sterling left England’s World Cup squad after a reported armed break-in at the forward’s family home.
Sterling, who started England’s first two matches in Qatar, was absent from the squad for their last 16 win over Senegal.
When asked whether Sterling will return to the World Cup in Qatar, Southgate told ITV Sport after the Senegal win: “Weāve got to wait and see. At the moment, clearly the priority is for him to be with his family. Weāre going to support that, and leave him to have as much time as he needs. Heās going home.
“At the moment itās a situation that he needs time with his family to deal with, and I donāt want to put him under any pressure with that. Sometimes football isnāt the most important thing, and family should come first.”
England initially released a statement ahead of kick-off against Senegal confirming that Sterling had withdrawn from the squad.
“Raheem Sterling is not available for selection for the #ThreeLions tonight as he is dealing with a family matter,” the statement read.
According to goal.com, Sunday’s game was the first time Sterling has not been in the starting XI for a knockout match at a major tournament since Euro 2012.
It is unclear if Sterling will be available for selection for the quarter-finals, where England will take on 2018 World Cup winners France.