England to ‘assess’ Raheem Sterling’s availability for France quarter-final

Gareth Southgate has admitted Raheem Sterling’s absence from the England squad is “not good preparation” ahead of Saturday’s crunch World Cup quarter-final with France but says he still supports the forward’s decision to return to the UK following a break-in at his home.

Sterling is back at England’s World Cup camp in Qatar and is set to return to training on Friday but Southgate has condeded the 28-year-old may not feature against the defending champions France after missing key training sessions this week.

When asked by ITV about Sterling’s availability for Saturday’s quarter-final, Southgate said: “We will have to assess that. He has missed a lot of training and had two long flights.

“That is not good preparation for a game of this standard but let’s see how he is.”

The England manager reiterated his support for Sterling, who did not feature in Sunday’s last-16 win against Senegal having returned to England following an incident at his family home in Surrey.

Sterling was left “shaken” by the incident and Southgate said: “He has felt the need to support his family and to be there for his family and that is a simple decision for me – I have to support the player.

“There are moments for every individual where family becomes most important. I’m always supportive of that.

“Of course I want the best players available and want to win football matches but as a manager you have to recognise there are certain moments in people’s lives that are more important at that particular time.”