The 28-year-old Chelsea star, who has been a standout player for the team this season, will be curiously absent from the European Championship qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia since he was left out of the Three Lions roster. With this decision, he has now been left out of five successive international camps since the World Cup in Qatar last year.
Despite Sterling’s recent dismissal from the England team, manager of the national team Gareth Southgate has said that his relationship with the player is still intact. Even though Sterling was a key member of Southgate’s England team, the manager believes that the attacking alternatives available to him right now are adequate and that there is no need to make any changes.
Raheem Sterling and other players like him have an open door policy, according to Southgate, who also said that personality and skill are not the only factors that determine a player’s place in the team. He recognized Sterling’s accomplishments and his important role in the team’s progress over the last four years. In addition, Southgate highlighted the team’s impressive performance against Italy and the team’s current form, which makes it difficult to choose which players to leave out.
Southgate made it clear that his relationship with Sterling has not soured in response to the player’s absence. The team’s continuous and successful performances, along with Sterling’s unavailability, played a part in the decision to leave him out of recent camps. As a result, Southgate and his coaching staff decided against making any big roster adjustments in order to preserve continuity.
Southgate went into additional detail about the attacking landscape’s competitiveness, pointing out individuals like Cole Palmer, Anthony Gordon, and Jarrod Bowen who have been playing very well for their clubs. He clarified that, in comparison to earlier times, the winger position now offers greater depth and possibilities.
Essentially, Southgate is saying that there is no need to convey a particular message to Sterling about his absence. Rather, it symbolizes the intense competition that exists when choosing the squad, particularly when it comes to the winger position, and it mimics the changing makeup of the England national team.
