Southgate hints he may leave Liverpool starlet out.
England under-21 boss Gareth Southgate has dropped a huge hint that he will not select Liverpool forward Raheem Sterling for the side’s European Championship campaign this summer, BT Sport reports.
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Sterling was on fire during the club’s title challenge last season, but has seen his influence diminish this time around in the absence of Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge.
And Southgate has admitted that the player could use a real rest for once, having participated in last summer’s World Cup, and may leave him out of the under-21 side to take part in the European Championships.
“Realistically, Raheem has become a very important player for the senior team and for Liverpool,” the former Middlesbrough boss said.
“There is a huge demand on him. Part of my role is looking at the development of individuals and I’m not convinced another tournament in the summer would be right for him.”
Southgate recently penned a new one-year deal to stay in his current role on Thursday.