Raheem Sterling has spoken out after he was sensationally axed from England’s Euro 2020 qualifier against Montenegro following a bust-up with Joe Gomez.
TheManchester Cityman insisted he and Liverpool defender Gomez had moved on from the spat, which started during Sunday’s titanic title showdown at Anfield .
And Sterling insisted he was fully behind the England team ahead of Thursday’s clash despite having been dropped for the game by Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate.
Southgate took the astonishing step after Sterling was understood to have continued his row with Gomez when they reported for England training at St George’s Park on Monday.
Witnesses said they heard him ask theLiverpooldefender whether he was “still the big man . ”
Sterling has now said that he and Gomez have “figured things out and moved on”.
He said viaInstagram: “First and foremost everyone knows what this game means to me!
“Everyone knows that I am not that way inclined and more to the point, both Joe and I have had words and figured things out and moved on.
“We are in a sport where emotions run high and I am man enough to admit when emotions get the better of me.
“We move this is why we play this sport because of our love for it – me and @ joegomez5 are good we both understand it was a 5 – 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. “
The Instagram post was liked by Gomez’s Liverpool teammate Rhian Brewster among thousands of others.
Sterling, 24, has stayed with the England squad but will not be considered for Thursday’s game at home to Montenegro.
However, it is possible he could play in the second part of the qualification double header away to Kosovo on Sunday.
England boss Southgate insisted he felt dropping Sterling for the game was “the right thing for the team”, saying it was crucial to prevent club rivalries from compromising performance.
Southgate said: “We have taken the decision to not consider Raheem for the match against Montenegro on Thursday.
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“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. ”
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