London, Nov 12 (IANS) England and Manchester City midfielder Raheem Sterling said emotions got the better of him as he had an on field altercation with national teammate Joe Gomez, adding that the pair have moved on.
Sterling will miss Thursday’s Euro 2020 Qualifier match against Montenegro following a heated argument with Liverpool’s Gomez 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 as quoted by BBC.
“We are in a sport where emotions run high and I am man enough to admit when emotions got the better of me.
“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.
In a statement, Football Association announced on Monday: “We can confirm Raheem Sterling will not be considered for England’s EURO 2020 qualifier against Montenegro as a result of a disturbance in a private team area at St. George’s Park today. He will remain with the squad.”
According to The Guardian, emotions were still running high on Monday afternoon following Liverpool’s 3-1 win over Manchester City 24 hours earlier and the title rivalry spilled over into the England camp.
City’s Sterling and Liverpool’s Gomez, who were involved in a heated clash towards the end of the match at Anfield, reportedly came together again in a physical confrontation at the team’s training camp on Monday.
England coach Gareth Southgate said: “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,” he added.
Sterling has been in exceptional form for England in recent times, scoring eight goals and providing five assists during the Euro 2020 qualification to date.
–IANS
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