Raheem Sterling will return to the England squad ahead of their World Cup 2022 quarter-final with France following the burglary of his family home in Surrey.
The 27-year-old forward did not feature in Sunday’s last-16 win against Senegal due to concern over his family’s wellbeing after the break-in that left his fiancee Paige Milian and their three children badly shaken.
Sterling returned to the UK but is now willing to travel back to Qatar, with additional security measures being worked through to assure his family’s safety.
The FA confirmed: “Raheem Sterling will return to England’s World Cup base in Qatar.
“The Chelsea forward temporarily left to attend to a family matter but is now expected to rejoin the squad in Al Wakrah on Friday (9 December) ahead of the quarter-final with France.”
Sterling started England’s World Cup-opening 6-2 win over Iran, as well as the disheartening 0-0 draw with the USA, but other players in his position have shone in the subsequent games.
Marcus Rashford and Phil Foden both scored in the 3-0 win against Wales, while Bukayo Saka netted in the 3-0 win against Senegal, where Foden was also again hugely influential.
Surrey Police issued a statement on Wednesday morning saying they were working to establish whether the arrest of two men on Tuesday night in an area close to where Sterling lives had any connection to the burglary at his home, which was reported on Saturday.
However, an update on Wednesday afternoon said “at this time” the arrests were not being linked to the break-in at Sterling’s house.
“Two men were arrested on suspicion of attempted burglary last night (6 December) in the Oxshott area. They are currently in custody,” the new statement read.
“Following reports of suspicious activity around 6.40pm, a number of resources were deployed, including the dog unit and police helicopter. Our colleagues from British Transport Police also provided assistance.
“At this time these arrests are not being linked to an ongoing investigation into a burglary which received significant media coverage over the weekend. That separate investigation remains ongoing and as of 12pm on Wednesday 7 December no arrests have been made in connection with that.
“Officers are carrying out enquiries into the circumstances and the investigation remains ongoing.”
Sources close to the player initially indicated armed intruders had broken into his home while his family were inside, but subsequent police statements said the occupants of the house had reported items missing after returning to the family home from an international trip.
Police said on Monday they were working to establish precisely when the break-in took place, and also offered assurances to the local public that no witness statements had been made regarding the involvement of armed suspects or threats of violence.
