"We have stuck with that group, and deliberately not made changes" - Southgate reveals reason for Chelsea man's omission from England squad

England manager Gareth Southgate has explained why he has once again left out Chelsea star Raheem Sterling from the Three Lions squad despite his good form. The English boss said that he wants to stick with the existing squad without making any changes since he believes it has worked for him.

Sterling has not featured for his national side since the 2022 FIFA World Cup last December. While the England international was out injured during the opening round of Euro 2024, he has missed his last five international camps.

Explaining Sterling's latest snub, Southgate told reporters ahead of the upcoming international break (as quoted by Metro):

"The door is 100 per cent open, not only for Raheem but other players that aren’t in the squad. We don’t need to know about his quality and personality. He’s a crucial part of why we’ve had the journey we’ve had over the last few years."

"The squad is playing really well and we had an exceptional win against Italy last time out. Who do we leave out?"

The English manager insists that his relationship with the winger has not strained despite the latter's absence from the squad, saying:

"No [the relationship hasn’t broken down]. He wasn’t available in March or June. We started on a good run and the performance in June were excellent so we’ve stuck with that group. We’ve deliberately not made many changes."

Sterling has scored four goals and provided two assists in 13 appearances across competitions for Chelsea this season.

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"I love how he plays" - Raheem Sterling lavishes praise on Chelsea teammate

Sterling heaped praise on Chelsea teammate Cole Palmer, lauding his footballing IQ. The England international also hailed his fellow countryman's intention to lead and carry his team forward on the pitch.

The Blues signed Palmer from Manchester City in the final stages of the summer transfer window for £42.5 million. He has been in great form this season, scoring three goals and providing four assists in 10 appearances across competitions.

Palmer put in a great performance for Chelsea in their 4-1 win at Tottenham Hotspur on Monday, November 6. The English forward scored the equalizer in the first half via a penalty and grabbed an assist in the London derby as well.

In an interview with beIN Sports, Sterling spoke highly of Palmer, saying:

“Cole’s always someone that I’ve got along with from my time at City. I love how he plays, how intelligent he is on the ball even for his age and he has that ‘I want to show’ character. He doesn’t hide behind anything. He’s a person that wants to lead on the pitch, so he’s fantastic in that sense.”

Palmer will next be in action when Chelsea host Manchester City on Sunday, November 12.