Gareth Southgate: 'Raheem Sterling apologised for England camp late arrival'

By Giuseppe Labellarte, Reporter | 02 June 2018

Gareth Southgate stresses that Raheem Sterling apologised for his late arrival to the England camp and is eager to put the matter behind him.

Gareth Southgate has stated that Raheem Sterling apologised for his late arrival to the England camp ahead of this summer's World Cup.

Having been given extra time away, the Manchester City winger was expected to join the squad last Tuesday evening, but returned on the Wednesday morning instead.

Sterling had been given permission to return a day later than the bulk of the England squad due to a personal commitment in Jamaica, but a mix-up in connection flights saw him arrive 12 hours later than agreed.

Southgate supported Sterling after images surfaced showing the player sporting a gun tattoo earlier this week and was likewise keen not to make an issue of the 23-year-old's late arrival at England's base.

"He was given off until the Tuesday night and he arrived on the Wednesday morning, so he was late," Southgate told Sky Sports News.

"There was a mix-up on flights and a connection. In fairness to him he wanted to apologise to the group, explained his commitment to the team, and it's done.

"That was accepted and everybody has moved on... it was not an intentional situation."

Sterling was instrumental as Man City cruised to the Premier League title last season, scoring 18 goals and registering 11 assists for Pep Guardiola's side.