Gareth Southgate refused to offer more details on bust-up at training camp

Raheem Sterling and Joe Gomez were involved in a confrontation on Monday

Man City player has been dropped from England squad for Montenegro match

Southgate defended his decision to drop Sterling but offered no fresh details

He confirmed that senior England squad members acted as peace brokers

Gareth Southgate has defended his decision to drop Raheem Sterling from the England squad for Thursday's match with Montenegro, saying it was the 'right thing for the group' but refused to go into detail about his confrontation with Joe Gomez.

Sterling was dropped from the squad for the Euro 2020 qualifier at Wembley after a bust-up with Liverpool defender Gomez in the players' canteen at St George's Park on Monday.

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It followed an on-field incident between Sterling and Gomez during the Premier League fixture between Liverpool and Manchester City on Sunday.

England manager Gareth Southgate has defended his decision to drop Raheem Sterling from the squad to face Montenegro on Thursday following his bust-up with Joe Gomez

Southgate refused to go into additional detail about the incident involving Sterling and Gomez

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The England boss confirmed the two players are speaking with one another again but clammed up when asked for further details about their argument.

Southgate was keen to move on from the issue but said that he believed the decision to cut Sterling from the Wembley match was the correct one.

He said: 'You have to find a way for the group to move forward. We needed emotions across the board to calm down.

'My priority is always the care and well-being of all of my players. Then you have a decision to make on whether there is something further and the right thing for the group moving forward and that was my decision not to select Raheem.'

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Gomez and Sterling appeared to be in better spirits as England trained on Tuesday

The smiles were in marked contrast to their bust-up at Anfield on Sunday and inside the England camp on Monday

Southgate confirmed that senior players within the England camp did intervene to mediate, including, as Sportsmail revealed on Tuesday morning, the Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson.

'We have excellent senior players who have played a part in bringing everyone together,' he said.

However, the England boss wasn't willing to go into too much detail about the exact circumstances of the Sterling-Gomez disagreement.

'The reality is that I am not prepared to go into detail about the incident. There is enough conjecture and talk out there. We dealt with it as a group and we move forward,' he added.

Sterling and Gomez were involved in a bust-up once again during England training

The England team-mates clashed late on during Liverpool's victory over Manchester City

Sterling and Gomez confronted each other as tensions boiled over at Anfield on Sunday

England's Euro 2020 qualifying scores March 22 Czech Republic (H) 5-0 March 25 Montenegro (A) 5-1 September 7 Bulgaria (H) 4-0 September 10 Kosovo (H) 5-3 October 11 Czech Republic (A) 1-2 October 14 Bulgaria (A) 6-0 November 14 Montenegro (H) November 17 Kosovo (A)

He also reasserted that Sterling, who will return to the squad and likely the starting line-up for Sunday's concluding Euro 2020 qualifier against Kosovo, is a 'very important' part of his plans.

'It is not for me to discuss the details of the incident, there is nothing to be gained from that,' he added.

'In the end I have to find the right solution for the group. That's a difficult line, you try to be fair when dealing with all players. I won't always get that right but I am the manager.

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'Raheem is very important for us but I felt it was the right thing.

'I love all of my players. We are like a family and all families have disagreements. The important thing is for a family to communicate and work through problems. I don't expect as a manager to not have to deal with issues, that's part of the job.

'Our focus is now on moving forward.'

Southgate oversees England's training session at St George's Park on Tuesday afternoon

It came as the rest of the England squad were left shocked by the decision to axe Sterling from Thursday night's game.

Sportsmail understands that members of the squad feel there has been an over-reaction and the incident should have been kept in house.

Liverpool played a key role in brokering peace between the team-mates. Reds skipper Jordan Henderson - who will meet up later with the squad as he is suspended for the game against Montenegro - is believed to have spoken to the duo by phone.

Henderson has also volunteered to go to St George's Park on Tuesday to see his Liverpool team-mate - who was left with a scratch under his right eye after the incident - and also Sterling.

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Sterling left St George's Park with Southgate's permission to cool off following the incident and was then allowed to return to the camp.

Full transcript: How Southgate dodged the key questions Q: Did you send Raheem Sterling home and then change your mind? Also, Joe Gomez appeared to have a scratch on his face today - was that caused by Raheem? A: So, several questions there. I think, the reality is I'm not prepared to go into detail. I think there is enough conjecture and opinion and talk out there, we don't need to add to that. We've dealt with this as a group, these things happen and as a group we have decided the best way forward, we have agreement on that and we move forward from there. Q: How did Raheem react when you told him he'd been dropped? A: Again, I think we are a team and I understand our public profile, and there is incredible, insatiable interest in everything that goes on in our camp beyond anything that exists in any sporting organisation. That is something we have to deal with, that is something we all have to be aware of. That is the reality of why things become public that in a club often wouldn't. The detail is not for me to take further. I have said what I think what needs to be said publicly but there are things that we need to keep between ourselves. Q: There has been a lot of speculation about whether this is the right decision or not because he is England's best player. Could you address that and also the rumours that Jordan Henderson got involved in terms of mediation between Joe Gomez and Raheem Sterling? A: I think it is as important to always be as fair as possible in the decision-making I make, whether that's a senior player or a junior player. Quite a number of our senior players have been active in discussions yesterday. I think that is an important process because I want to get a feel for where the group are and how we can move forward together. But then I am the manager and I have certain decisions that are my responsibility and I was prepared to take them. I think I have answered that. There were several senior players who have been very mature and the group have been very mature in dealing with a difficult situation. Q: Is he still in the leadership group that you have? Does this count against him being captain again in the future? A: I think the decision has been made not to consider Raheem for the game on Thursday. That is the end of the matter for me. We then have to move forward and that's why it was important to me if it was possible to keep the group together. That was the most important thing. As emotions calmed yesterday, that was clearly a possibility and everybody worked that through. I'm very impressed with the players, the way they worked that through collectively and then I had to make some difficult calls on that but that's done and end of discussion on it. Q: Were all the players on board with it and can you break down why it is effectively a one game ban and would you see that as harsh given someone like James Maddison happened last time, going to the casino and wasn't punished. How do you weigh up that punishment given it does seem harsh and incidents like this happen on a fairly regular basis, don't they? A: It's not for me to discuss the details of the incident so I don't think there's anything to be gained from any further discussion on that. In the end, I have to find the right solution for the group and how we will work moving forward and that is a very difficult line, you try to be fair at all times when I'm dealing with all of the players. I won't always get that right but, in the end, I am the manager and I've made a decision and I think it is appropriate for us moving forward and for me, of course, he is a very important player for us. But I felt it was the right thing. Q: I understand the reluctance in explaining the details but it is unprecedented in our memories a player being dropped and on a sliding scale of punishment, are we going back to the days when England had a code of conduct? Where there was a rule book. How is this going to play out in the future? A: I think the way it has this time. I consult very closely with all of the players and, in particular, my senior players and they have a very good understanding of the way we have worked over the past couple of years that has brought us a lot of togetherness, which is still there, and that we are a united group. Now we have to turn our focus, which we have done, from last night onto the football. We have a hugely important qualifier for the European Championship on Thursday night. That is why I'm speaking now on this because we are drawing a line under it and we're moving forward as a team. Q: How disappointed are you with Raheem for this having happened? It is the last thing you need really A: I love all of my players, we are like a family and all families have disagreements. And the most important thing for any family is that you communicate through those disagreements and you work through them. I don't expect as a manager to never have these things that are either unexpected or difficult. That is part and parcel of the job and that is part and parcel of working with elite players. So our focus is now to move forward. Q: Have Raheem and Joe spoken today? Have you sat them down and talked this through? Have you made sure they've had a conversation to put this behind them? A: It was crucial to me that everyone in the group was comfortable and is speaking and is ready to move forward with football and that was absolutely clear. That's why everyone is still in the camp, that's why everyone is part of the squad and that's why we're working together to beating Montenegro on Thursday. Q: So they have had a conversation today? A: I'm assuming, I've not been with them for every minute of the day. But all of the players are talking and communicating, absolutely. Q: How did you go about the decision to drop Sterling for the one game? How do you arrive at that decision? Is it a show of hands in the leadership group? A: I have discussions with all of my staff, I have discussions with the leadership group absolutely. But ultimately I am the manager and I make a decision and in my view the group are moving forward. There seems to be all kinds of information being passed from all kinds of areas, this is a consequence of the England football team at the moment and that is a very difficult situation and one we have to think about moving forward because the team getting out, information getting out, there seems to be so many voices in the background. That is something I have to accept and have to deal with. Every player has had an opportunity to speak to me if they want to and my view is that the group are ready to move forward.