Ferdinand accuses Southgate of hanging Sterling out to dry
Former England star Rio Ferdinand says Gareth Southgate should have better supported Raheem Sterling rather than hang the player "out to dry".
Sterling has been dropped from the England squad for Thursday's Euro 2020 qualifying match with Montenegro after an incident with Joe Gomez in a private team area at St George's Park.
The Manchester City forward admitted he let emotions get the better of him during a bust-up with Liverpool defender Gomez, the pair having also had a confrontation during the closing stages of the Premier League meeting between their teams at Anfield on Sunday.
Sterling later insisted on social media that he and Gomez quickly put the conflict behind them, but it was not enough to stop Southgate from taking action.
Ex-England international Gary Neville backed Southgate's decision, but his former team-mate Ferdinand – who has spoken previously of how club rivalries damaged morale in the national squad - thinks the affair should have been handled differently.
Indeed, Ferdinand says he regularly saw England team-mates involved in serious physical altercations, saying such incidents are not uncommon "in squads full of testosterone".
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