Raheem Sterling not recalled by Gareth Southgate despite England injury withdrawals
Despite injury withdrawals from the England squad, Raheem Sterling will not be recalled by Gareth Southgate, who is choosing not to replace his stricken stars.
Sterling was a shock omission from Southgate’s squad to face Ukraine and Scotland over the international break, despite some encouraging early-season form.
Competition for Forward Positions
The Chelsea forward faces a huge amount of competition to flank Harry Kane in the England forward line, with the likes of Phil Foden, Marcus Rashford, Jack Grealish, Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden and Eberechi Eze all getting in ahead of him.
However, Grealish has since withdrawn through a thigh injury, as has Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold after picking up a hamstring problem against Aston Villa on Sunday.
Southgate’s Decision
Despite the two stars now not being involved in the upcoming games, the FA confirmed on Monday that Southgate has decided not to bring anyone into the squad, so Sterling remains out in the cold.
On announcing the squad last week Southgate recognised that he was pleased to see Sterling playing well, but he is just behind the others vying for forward positions in the squad at the moment.
“We were really pleased with the group,” said Southgate. “To bring Raheem back in, we have to leave someone else out — and on the basis of three [club] games, I don’t think anyone deserves to be left out.
“It is really good to see Raheem start the season so well. He looks fit and hungry, but in those attacking positions behind the nine, we have a lot of competition.”
Sterling’s Recent Performance
Sterling had a frustrating outing since the squad announcement as Chelsea were beaten 1-0 by Nottingham Forest at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
England take on Ukraine in European Championship qualifying on 9 September, followed by a friendly against Scotland three days later.
Conclusion
Raheem Sterling will not be recalled by Gareth Southgate despite injury withdrawals from the England squad. Despite some encouraging early season form, Sterling faces a huge amount of competition to flank Harry Kane in the England forward line. Despite the two stars now not being involved in the upcoming games, Southgate has decided not to bring anyone into the squad, so Sterling remains out in the cold.