Raheem Sterling has been dropped for England’s Euro 2020 qualifier against Montenegro on Thursday after a bust-up with Joe Gomez at St George’s Park.
Emotions were still running high on Monday afternoon following Liverpool’s 3-1 win over Manchester City 24 hours earlier and the title rivalry spilled over into the England camp. City’s Sterling and Liverpool’s Gomez were involved in a heated clash towards the end of the match at Anfield and both players had to be separated again after reporting for international duty.
Gareth Southgate’s squad convened at the Burton base and the pair reportedly came together in a physical confrontation – this time in the players’ canteen.
The incident, which began with some choice words, ended with the pair having to be pulled apart and immediately forced the England manager into an unwanted decision.
Sterling has reportedly apologised for his actions but it was not enough for Southgate who has ruled the forward out of the qualifier at Wembley. “We have taken the decision to not consider Raheem for the match against Montenegro on Thursday,” the manager said. “One of the great challenges and strengths for us is that we’ve been able to separate club rivalries from the national team.
“Unfortunately the emotions of Sunday’s game were still raw. My feeling is that the right thing for the team is the action we have taken. Now that the decision has been made with the agreement of the entire squad, it’s important that we support the players and focus on Thursday night.”
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