Raheem Sterling left England's World Cup camp on Sunday and played no part in the Three Lions 3-0 victory over Senegal in the first knockout round of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Prior to kick-off, England boss Gareth Southgate spoke to ITV and informed the British broadcaster that Sterling wouldn't feature against Senegal as he was dealing with a 'family matter.' Phil Foden started in Sterling's place as England set up a mouthwatering quarter-final tie with France on Saturday.
It has since emerged that the reason why Sterling left the England camp is because his house was broken into by armed robbers on Saturday evening. Reports from England say that Sterling's partner and children were in the house at the time of the break-in.
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It's believed that although Sterling is hugely committed to England, his priority was his children and their safety and that is why he flew home. Before the game last night, Southgate was non-committal when asked whether Sterling would return to Qatar.
"He is dealing with a family matter, I had quite a bit of time with him this morning but now I have had to pass him on to other people to help him with that.
"He is going to have to deal with that matter and then we will take it from there."
After the game, Southgate elaborated on the situation further, "I really don't know (If Sterling will return), it's a situation he needs time to deal with, I don't want to put any pressure on him.
"Sometimes football isn't the most important thing and family should come first."
Sterling has been an important player for Southgate throughout his reign as England manager. Despite a poor run of form with new club Chelsea, Southgate started Sterling in England's opening group game with Iran. The forward vindicated Southgate's decision by scoring in the 6-2 win.
At Euro 2020 last summer, Sterling was a revelation as England made it all the way to the final at Wembley. The then Manchester City forward scored vital goals against Croatia and Germany as England reached a major European final for the first time since 1966.
In total, Sterling has made 81 appearances and scored 20 goals since making his debut for the National team at the age of 17 back in 2012.
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