Chelsea and England star Raheem Sterling was absent from his nation's round of 16 World Cup tie with Senegal on Sunday evening. The 27-year-old has ben a stalwart in the Three Lions team since making his debut at a young age, but it was confirmed that his absence from the clash was due to family matters.
While his club form has been questionable, Gareth Southgate has placed his trust into Sterling from the start of the tournament. The former Manchester City star has managed to claim a goal and an assist in his opening group stage matches, but won't be able to add to that in the round of 16.
It remains to be seen whether he will be involved for the rest of the tournament as things develop, with Sterling returning to England to be with his family. However, Southgate has revealed how he has tried to help the forward during a difficult situation, many miles away from the situation.
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The England manager told ITV before the match: "He’s dealing with a family matter so I’ve had time with him this morning but I’ve now had to pass that onto other people to deal with that. He’s going to go and deal with that matter then we’ll have to deal with that matter then we’ll have to take it from there."
Sterling could face a decision over the rest of his tournament depending on how the side progress through, having beaten the test of Senegal in a huge 3-0 win. After the game, Southgate was pressed for further answers on Sterling, saying he has returned home for now: "The priority for him is to be with his family. We're going to support that & leave him to have as much time as he needs.
"He's going home. I don't want to put him under pressure. Sometimes football isn't the most important thing, family should come first."
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