Gareth Southgate reveals why he left out Sterling from England squad

One of the most in-form players at Chelsea football club, Raheem Sterling has been omitted from the Three Lions squad ahead of the qualifying games.

The former Manchester City player was not part of the list of players that was released by Gareth Southgate on Thursday, August 31, 2023. According to him, the midfielder was not happy with the decision to leave him out of the squad.

The omission of Raheem Sterling comes as a surprise because of the way he started the season well for Chelsea, scoring twice in their 3-0 win over Luton Town last Friday.

"I am convinced he's going to have an excellent season at Chelsea. He was not available for the last two and that's given other people the opportunity to play well and establish themselves. It is a difficult call and Raheem is not particularly happy about it but I understand that."

He also added that it is good to see that Sterling is in fantastic form but there are a lot of players in that position.

"We were really pleased with the group and to bring Raheem back in, we have to leave somebody out and I don't think any of the attackers deserved leaving out. It is really good to see Raheem start the season well, he looks hungry and is an important player for us but in those areas behind the No 9, we've got a lot of competition for places."

England are set to face Ukraine in a European Championship qualifier in Poland on Saturday, September 9 before travelling to Hampden Park to face Scotland in a friendly on Tuesday, September 12, 2023.