Why Sterling didn’t play vs Newcastle United

Chelsea manager, Graham Potter, has opened up on why the club’s forward Raheem Sterling missed out on the Blues’ match-day squad against Newcastle on Saturday.

Sterling, who was on Thursday named in England’s 26-man squad for the World Cup in Qatar, was tipped to start the game against Newcastle at St. James’ Park.

However, Sterling was surprisingly not even on the bench for Chelsea against the Magpies.

Speaking to the press before the kick-off of the match, Potter confirmed that Sterling fell sick on Friday, which was why he was not in the squad to face Newcastle.

“He was just ill yesterday. A bit of sickness,” Potter said while providing an update on Sterling.

“Nothing too serious, just a few migraines for Raheem, and he’s unable to travel.”

Chelsea went on to suffer a 1-0 defeat to Newcastle United who are not seated in the top four of the league table.