The Manchester City star made headlines for all the wrong reasons last week after he was allegedly caught exposing himself and kissing a mystery woman in a Manchester bar, just 24 hours after their 2-0 victory over Newcastle.
Advertisement
In a 90-second video obtained by The Sun, the star was accused of drunken behaviour after appearing to drop his tracksuit bottoms in full view of drinkers, and then again in close proximity to two women in a booth.
While he came on as a substitute against Crystal Palace at the weekend, the 32-year-old was an unused substitute for the Champions League clash with RB Leipzig midweek.
Advertisement
With Euro 2024 qualifiers against Italy and Ukraine coming up, Southgate had a big decision to make and admits that ultimately, there was no evidence to leave him out of the squad.
Speaking to the media, Southgate said: "It's a complicated situation. I've spoken at length with him.
"The fact is, as we sit here at the moment, he's back playing with his club.
"There's no conclusive evidence to leave him out at this stage. I've got to be very careful of being the moral judge on things.
Advertisement
Advertisement
"We've had a couple of long conversations. We feel we want him with us and that that is the right thing to do.
"We also know that when you're an England international there's an even higher bar on how you conduct yourself and what is expected.
"We are not taking those decisions lightly. We are where we are with it."
Advertisement