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What's the story?
Manchester City winger Raheem Sterling has been dropped from England's upcoming Euro qualifier against Montenegro. The 24-year-old reportedly had a bust-up with Liverpool defender Joe Gomez a day after the Reds defeated the Cityzens at Anfield.
In case you didn't know...
Liverpool edged Manchester City by three goals to one to open up a nine-point lead over the defending champions. Towards the end of the match, Raheem Sterling was seen backing into Joe Gomez who reacted by pushing the winger.
James Milner's intervention helped the situation from going out of control after the veteran midfielder dragged his teammate away from the scene.
The heart of the matter
Raheem Sterling has been dropped from the England squad to face Montenegro. According to the Daily Mail, the winger grabbed Joe Gomez by the neck in the England canteen after the Liverpool defender warmly greeted him. The rest of the England players who were looking thought Sterling was joking before it soon became clear that the two had lost control.
Raheem Sterling has already apologized to Gomez and shared his side of the story on his official Instagram page.
England manager Gareth Southgate has also released an official statement regarding the issue.
We have taken the decision to not consider Raheem for the match against Montenegro on Thursday.
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 yesterday'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.
What's next?
Raheem Sterling will be up for consideration in England's Euro qualifier against Kosovo on Sunday. The winger will be hoping to put aside his emotions and get his focus back for England.
