Raheem Sterling was unavailable for England selection in Sunday's World Cup last-16 clash with Senegal due to a family matter.
The FA announced Sterling's absence ahead of kick-off and it has since emerged Sterling's home in the UK had been broken into by robbers and he is set to fly home to ensure his family is safe and well.
Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate is a big fan of the Chelsea winger but was forced to be without him for the last-16 match at the Al Bayt Stadium.
Speaking after the game - which England won comfortably 3-0 to set up a quarter-final tie against France on Saturday - Southgate said: "We will have to wait and see [whether Sterling returns to the squad], at the moment, clearly priority is for him to be with his family and we’re going to support that.
"We’re going to allow him to have as much time as he needs. He’s going home, yeah. I really don’t know because at the moment it’s a situation that he needs time with his family to deal with and I don’t want to put him under any pressure.
"Sometimes football isn’t the most important thing and family should come first."
Sterling has started two of England's qualifying matches in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar in the opening win over Iran and in the goalless draw with USA. The 27-year-old was an unused substitute in the Three Lions' victory over Wales, with Marcus Rashford taking his place in the starting XI and chipping in with two goals.
Rashford wasn't named in Southgate's starting XI for the Senegal clash, with Bukayo Saka lining up on the wing alongside Phil Foden for England.
Saka netted a brace in England's 6-2 win over Iran but fired a blank against the USA and was subsequently dropped for the victory over Wales.
Rashford, who has only started England's final group game against Wales, netted a brace in the 3-0 win, but Southgate has left him out for the Senegal game.
Southgate's decision paid dividends, however, with Saka getting on the scoresheet to put the game against Senegal beyond doubt. The Arsenal star finished off Phil Foden's cross to put England into the quarter-finals after Jordan Henderson and Harry Kane had given them a two-goal cushion.
Asked what his team did to ensure such a convincing victory, Southgate said: "I think ruthlessness of our execution, the way the ball worked with and without the ball.
"In the end, we were a bit sticky with the ball in the first 20 to 30 minutes, Senegal had a lot of energy, pressed well, kept the shape well and our best opportunities came from winning the ball from them. I thought Jude [Bellingham] and Hendo in particular were outstanding in that aspect of the game."
