
Gareth Southgate has admitted Raheem Sterling’s absence from the England squad is “not good preparation” ahead of Saturday’s crunch World Cup quarter-final with France but says he still supports the forward’s decision to return to the UK following a break-in at his home.
Sterling is back at England’s World Cup camp in Qatar and is set to return to training on Friday but Southgate has condeded the 28-year-old may not feature against the defending champions France after missing key training sessions this week.