Liverpool ace Raheem Sterling failed to report for training at Melwood complex on Wednesday morning and instead telephoned the manager to inform that he would be unable to attend the session as he wasn’t feeling well.
The Reds did not offer any comment regarding Sterling’s absence on Wednesday but are expected to adopt their standard procedure of sending a doctor to the Player’s house to check the authenticity of the claim.
The unsettled England international has told the Premier League side that he does not wish to be part of their pre-season tour of Australia and Thailand, in a bid to force through his intended transfer to Manchester City.
Liverpool will embark on a 13-day tour that includes matches against the Thai All Stars side in Bangkok next Tuesday and A-League teams Brisbane Roar on July 17 which will be followed by a game against Adelaide United on July 20.
Sterling’s hardened stance regarding the pre-season tour is indicative of the strained relations between the player and the club since the 20-year-old refused to agree on a £100,000-a-week deal earlier this year. The latest stand-off also opens the opportunity for Manchester City to make a third offer for the coveted winger, who is under contract at Liverpool until 2017.
The contract rebel held two meetings with Rodgers since returning to Melwood for training on Monday morning. In the first meeting, he supposedly apprised the Liverpool manager of his intent to move away from Anfield, although the player is yet to lodge an official transfer request.
Rodgers expects the wantaway winger to travel with the squad and play his heart out if selected for the friendlies in Bangkok and Australia should the situation remain same. In a similar episode, Luis Suárez teamed up with Liverpool on their pre-season tour of Australia in 2013 while pushing for a move to Arsenal.
