Chelsea attacker Raheem Sterling reportedly has no plans to retire from England duty despite being overlooked by Gareth Southgate again.
The 28-year-old has been a shining light in an underwhelming start to the campaign for Chelsea, netting twice in the Blues' opening four Premier League fixtures.
Having been given a new lease of life in the final third under Mauricio Pochettino, many expected Sterling to be rewarded with a return to the England squad for the first time since the World Cup.
However, the winger did not do enough to get back into Southgate's good books and was left out of the Three Lions' squad for their upcoming fixtures with Ukraine and Scotland.
Instead, the England boss selected Phil Foden, James Maddison, Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford, Eberechi Eze and Jack Grealish as his wide options, although the former has since pulled out injured without a replacement being called up.
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Sterling's omission led to former England defender Rio Ferdinand urging the Chelsea man - as well as absent West Ham United midfielder James Ward-Prowse - to hang up their international boots.
Speaking on his Vibe with Five podcast, Ferdinand said: "If I was Sterling, I'd be very disappointed bearing in mind what he's done for this England team when he's been in or around it.
"Sterling's probably been the main bright spark at Chelsea. It's just nuts. I'd retire. If I'm someone like Ward-Prowse I'd just retire. Say, 'listen, don't pick me no more. There's no point. It's disrespectful what you're doing'.
"It is to people like him, especially Ward-Prowse who's been putting up numbers for his team on a regular basis. What more does a man got to do to get a sniff?"
Southgate admitted that Sterling was not happy about the decision to leave him out of the squad, but The Telegraph states that the 28-year-old has ruled out the prospect of international retirement.
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The report adds that Sterling felt he had done enough to earn a call-up owing to his August displays, but the Chelsea man is only focused on working to force his way back into the squad for the October international break.
The ex-Liverpool man has come up with 20 goals and 27 assists in 82 matches for England since debuting under Roy Hodgson in 2012, including three goals and an assist during England's run to the Euro 2020 final.
Sterling has also worn the captain's armband for England on four occasions - most recently in a goalless draw against Italy in a Nations League fixture last June - but he was apparently not expecting to be added to the ranks after Grealish's withdrawal.
Saka - who was recently named England's Player of the Year for the 2022-23 campaign - has also emerged as a slight fitness concern, having trained indoors alongside Callum Wilson and Levi Colwill earlier this week.
However, the measure was only thought to have been precautionary as England gear up for Saturday's Euro 2024 qualifier versus Ukraine, where the Three Lions will aim to make it five wins from five in Group C.
Ben Knapton
