England bosses wrong to 'ostracise' Raheem Sterling, insists Wigan Athletic captain

The Manchester City forward will miss tonight’s match against Montenegro at Wembley as a disciplinary measure following a well-documented altercation with the Liverpool defender.

And Morsy believes the whole thing has been blown way out of all proportion.

“I was really surprised to see it come out the way it did,” he told the Wigan Post.

“You look at Raheem Sterling...one of the best players in the world, but more than that, you see what he’s suffered and what he’s come through.

“He’s now an elite-level player, part of a Manchester City team who are one of the best teams ever, trying to win the Premier League and the Champions League.

“You’ve just lost a big game to a big rival...it’s something that’s still going to be on your mind, emotions will still be running high.

“Okay him and Joe have had a little spat, but I don’t see that as a big problem.

“It’s not like there’s been a big punch-up. From what I’ve seen, someone’s just got a little scratch on his cheek.

“I really don’t know why they’ve chosen to ostracise the nation’s best player.

“Because of the negative headlines Sterling’s had in the past, this will only have added fuel to the fire.

“And I think he’s been treated really harshly, it could have dealt with much better.

“It’ll be interesting to see how this unfolds. Raheem’s only human, how will he react to not be able to play in the next game?

“And I’m not blaming Joe Gomez, by the way, it’s nothing to do with him.

“But even with Joe now, there’s going to be added pressure on his performances.

“Because this has been mismanaged, there’s going to be huge scrutiny on both of them, and that can’t be good for England.”

Morsy, 28, says incidents such as this are far more common than fans would realise.

“Spats like that happen all the time, you just shake hands after and get on with it,” he added. “But this is the way the game’s going, it’s modern football.

“When I was coming through at Port Vale, things like this wouldn’t even be spoken about again. But now it’s a big deal.

“Is it really a big deal? Not really. It’s just two young, passionate lads ,playing for rival clubs, having a disagreement.

“Obviously there has to be a line somewhere, but sometimes you’ve got to see it for what it is.”