Euro 2020 qualifier: Kosovo v England |
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Venue: Fadil Vokrri Stadium, Pristina Date: Sunday, 17 November Kick-off: 17:00 GMT |
Coverage: Listen live on BBC Radio 5 Live, plus live text commentary on the BBC Sport website and app. Click here for Live Guide. |
England boss Gareth Southgate says the injury to Joe Gomez gives him a chance to “clear his head” after the recent confrontation with Raheem Sterling.
Gomez injured his knee in training and pulled out of the squad for Sunday’s final Euro 2020 qualifier in Kosovo.
The defender has been under scrutiny following a clash with Sterling at England’s training camp on Monday.
“I think now is a good moment for him just to go home for a couple of days, clear his head,” Southgate said.
Gomez, 22, was booed as he came on as a substitute in the 7-0 win over Montenegro at Wembley on Thursday.
Sterling, who was left out of that match because of his altercation with Gomez, said it was wrong for fans to have booed the Liverpool defender.
Former Liverpool forward Sterling is expected to return to the England team in Kosovo.
“I think the fact that Raheem put out the tweet was real closure on that whole incident,” Southgate said.
“We get Raheem back on the pitch tomorrow. We won the match on Thursday and we can now just look forwards.”
Asked about Gomez’s recent experiences, he said: “You couldn’t make it up, really, if you tried, but he’s absolutely fine. He took a clash of knees yesterday. We scanned it just to be certain and I think he’ll be fine in a couple of days.”
Liverpool’s Jordan Henderson also withdrew from Sunday’s match because of a viral infection, while Leicester midfielder James Maddison is a doubt because of a calf problem.
The Three Lions have already qualified as group winners for next summer’s tournament.