Chelsea completed the signings of Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly in the summer transfer window. Sterling has proved to be a crucial player for Gareth Southgate and England but he was left out of the squad against Senegal.
The 27-year-old made the shock move to Stamford Bridge earlier this year but hasn't been able to replicate the form he showed at the Etihad Stadium. England manager Gareth Southgate confirmed Sterling had left the Three Lions camp to fly home from Qatar after his home was raided by armed robbers.
A number of people from inside the game have sent messages to the Chelsea star, including his England colleague Jordan Henderson and BBC host Gary Lineker. Sterling's club teammates Edouard Mendy and Koulibaly himself were part of the Senegal team beaten by England on Sunday night as the Three Lions progressed into the quarter-finals to face France on Saturday, December 10.
READ MORE: Why Raheem Sterling didn't play for England vs Senegal in World Cup round of 16 clash
After the match, Koulibaly was made aware of Sterling's situation and sent a message of support to his Blues teammate. The Senegalese defender said: ""I really didn’t know (what to say), I’m really surprised.
"I hope his family is good. Now I will call him and see what happened to him, but I hope he will be good and his family is good."
Southgate has left the door open for Sterling to return to the England squad after they progressed into the next round. After the Three Lions' win over Senegal, Southgate said: “At the moment, clearly the priority is for him to be with his family and we’re going to support that.
"We’re going to allow him to have as much time as he needs. He’s going home, yeah.
"I really don’t know because 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. Sometimes football isn’t the most important thing and family should come first."
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