Sterling heading back to Qatar ahead of France showdown

Raheem Sterling will return to Qatar on Friday ahead of the huge World Cup quarter-final showdown against France.

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 a break-in at his home in Surrey.

Sterling returned to the UK and had indicated he'd be willing to return to the World Cup as long as he was assured of his family’s safety, with additional security measures being worked through.

On Thursday the FA confirmed the Chelsea man will be back in the England camp by Friday.

An FA statement read: "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."

Surrey Police issued a statement earlier 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.

Sources close to the player had 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