Chelsea and England star Raheem Sterling has reportedly taken a flight from Qatar back to England after robbers broke into his home.
The seasoned Three Lions wide winger made himself unavailable for selection before the round of 16 triumph against Senegal on Sunday, citing a “family problem”.
England kept quiet over the reasoning behind Sterling’s last-minute withdrawal from the squad to face Senegal, with the two teams each fighting for a spot in the quarter-finals.
Manager Gareth Southgate skirted around the issue before kick-off as fans were left to speculate over what was behind the development.
According to The Telegraph, the late U-turn was due to a burglary on Sterling’s home as robbers broke in on Saturday evening.
The 27-year-old has supposedly taken the decision to fly back to England and check on his family after pondering whether or not the issue could be resolved from the Middle East.
Despite initial fears, it appears as though his tournament may not be over amid claims that he is expected to fly back out to Qatar with a crunch World Cup quarter-final between England and France scheduled for the weekend.
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Sterling only moved permanently down south during the summer following his transfer from one Premier League giant to another, with Chelsea paying Manchester City £50m.
He has hardly torn up the division since pulling on the darker shade of blue at Stamford Bridge but his experience made him an easy selection for Southgate to take to Qatar.
Just 90 minutes before kick-off, England’s official Twitter account released the following statement: “Raheem Sterling is not available for selection for the #ThreeLions tonight as he is dealing with a family matter.”
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