Raheem Sterling admitted “emotions got the better of me” after being dropped from the England squad following a clash with team mate Joe Gomez.
The Football Association said Sterling had been dropped “as a result of a disturbance in a private team area”.
The Manchester City player took to social media later in the day to confirm “a 5 to 10 second thing” with Liverpool’s Joe Gomez in the England camp, but said that “they were good” now.
Sterling and Gomez had an on-field argument during the Reds’ 3-1 Premier League victory at Anfield on Sunday.
“Both Joe and I have had words and figured things out and moved on,” Sterling said via his Instagram account on Tuesday.
“We are in a sport where emotions run high and I am man enough to admit when emotions got the better of me.
Raheem Sterling and Joe Gomez during Sunday’s bout.
“This is why we play this sport because of our love for it – me and Joe Gomez are good, we both understand it was a five to 10 second thing… it’s done, we move forward and not make this bigger than it is.
“Let’s get focus on our game on Thursday,” Sterling added.
England boss Gareth Southgate said on Monday: “Unfortunately the emotions of yesterday’s game were still raw.
“One of the great challenges and strengths for us is that we’ve been able to separate club rivalries from the national team.
“We have taken the decision to not consider Raheem for the match against Montenegro on Thursday. 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.”
Scotty ✅
