Raheem Sterling Dropped By England After Training Bust-Up With Joe Gomez

Raheem Sterling will miss England's upcoming Euro 2020 qualifier against Montenegro after a shocking training bust-up with rival Joe Gomez.

The 24-year-old Manchester City winger had a heated confrontation with Gomez in his side's 3-1 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday.

And tensions have spilled over into international duty as Sterling has now been axed from the Euro 2020 qualifying match.

The English FA said in a statement on Monday evening: "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."

England star Sterling reported for international duty at St George's Park on Monday and his rivalry from Sunday's clash reignited with Gomez.

According to the Daily Mirror, Sterling allegedly provoked a reaction from his fellow England teammate and a witness reportedly heard him ask the 22-year-old if he was "still the big man."

The Liverpool centre-back refused to engage in an all-out confrontation with Sterling, but he was stunned at the way his teammate behaved.

Sterling, who has been in scintillating form for City this season, apologised to Gomez after the bust-up at St George's Park.

But it wasn't enough to stop Gareth Southgate from dropping him for the Montenegro clash.

The England boss said in a statement: "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."

The Three Lions, who are top of Group A, welcome Montenegro to Wembley on Thursday evening for their penultimate qualifying match.

Southgate's men will play their final Euro 2020 qualifier on Sunday with an away trip to Kosovo.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Football News, Football, Euro 2020, three lions, England, FA, Gareth Southgate, Raheem Sterling

Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz is a journalist for SPORTbible. He studied for a B.A. in History at the University of York and followed it up with an M.A. in Multimedia Journalism at MMU. Before he started writing about sports, he spent over four years in the gaming press. He has worked for several publications, including Hardcore Gamer, LADbible and the Manchester Evening News. Follow him on Twitter to find out what he is working on next. Got a story tip for Adnan? Email him: [email protected]

@AdnanRiaz9