Gareth Southgate has confirmed returning England star Raheem Sterling ‘will be involved’ against France tomorrow.
The Chelsea winger flew back to London last weekend following a burglary at his house in Cobham and missed the last 16 win over Senegal.
Sterling, contented that his family were safe, jetted back to Qatar on Thursday and took part in Friday’s training session ahead of tomorrow’s quarter-final showdown.
The 27-year-old began the tournament in Southgate’s starting XI and scored in the 6-2 thrashing of Iran but the performances of Marcus Rahsford, Phil Foden and Bukayo Saka in his absence have dented his chances of featuring from the start against the defending champions.
Asked if Sterling would feature against Les Bleus, Southgate said: ‘I have spoken briefly with Raheem at training.
‘It is great he is back with us. He wanted to train today which normally we wouldn’t do after being on a long flight but it was a lighter session so there was no risk.
‘He will be involved tomorrow but what that looks like, we have to decide…it is hard to tell what his level is so we will have to assess that.
‘We are pleased he is back because he is an important player for us.’
Rashford is also likely to start on the bench despite his three goals in the tournament thus far and displays that have again seen him attract the attention of Paris Saint-Germain.
On the Manchester United forward’s renaissance, Southgate added: ‘Marcus is in really good form. He hadn’t been with us for 18 months but that has been a difficult period for him in terms of his form.
‘I really like how he has been in this camp, very happy within himself, smiling a lot, enjoying his football, training well every day and dangerous in every game he has started or come on the pitch.
‘So football wise he is in a really good place. In terms of social projects, a lot of our players have been involved in important causes and done a lot of good work in our country so I am very proud of everything they have done in that respect.
‘He in particular made a massive difference for young children and families without the ability to provide lunches or school meals for their children. It was a cause close to his heart and he did incredibly well to create change in a difficult time in our country.’
MORE : Neymar equals Pele’s long-standing record as Brazil’s all-time top scorer
MORE : Paul Merson ‘bullish’ on England beating France in World Cup quarter-finals
Share your story or advertise with us: Whatsapp: +2347068606071 Email: info@newspotng.com
