Raheem Sterling is considering rejoining the England camp after flying home to attend to a burglary at his Surrey home.

It is understood Sterling was last night contemplating the possibility of returning to England’s base in Al Wakrah and could arrive back on Friday – just 24 hours before their quarter-final clash against France.

There is understood to be some optimism that the FA could provide an update on Thursday.

Sterling flew home on Sunday night to attend to a break-in at his house in Surrey. He was forced to miss the 3-0 win over Senegal because of the incident.

The forward was said to be ‘shaken’ by the robbery and decided to return home to comfort his worried family.

But there is hope Sterling returns to Qatar in hope of playing a part in England’s do-or-die clash against the reigning world champions, although his chances of playing a significant role are diminishing, after the player remained in London on Wednesday night.

Sterling is also unlikely to start against the French given the physical and emotional strain on his body after the ordeal.

Similarly, Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden and Marcus Rashford are all in excellent form and would likely start ahead of Sterling given they have been here in Doha all week.

Sterling was adamant that he would only consider returning to the World Cup once he could be confident that his family were safe and secure following discussions with police.

A statement on the plans of the Chelsea forward – who returned home on Sunday night from Qatar following a break-in at the family mansion – is expected on Thursday morning.

However, Sportsmail understands that Sterling is not expected at training on Thursday afternoon. Should he decide to rejoin his Three Lions team-mates either tomorrow or Friday he will have missed large chunks of vital preparation ahead of Saturday’s showdown in Doha.

Sterling jetted home before England’s 3-0 win over Senegal. At the time his spokesperson said armed raiders had entered the property while his family were at home and that he was, understandably, keen to get back. However, police later said that the theft, of jewellery and watches, had been discovered when the family returned from Qatar and added that they had received no reports of armed intruders.

On another day of uncertainty Surrey Police said on Wednesday morning that they had arrested two men on suspicion of burglary following reports of suspicious activity in Oxshott and were working to establish whether those held were connected to the break-in at Sterling’s home, which is nearby. The men were spotted acting suspiciously in a garden on Tuesday night with a helicopter and dog unit deployed.

A short time later, the force issued a further statement saying that they did not believe there to be a connection.

A statement said: ‘Two men were arrested on suspicion of attempted burglary last night (6 December) in the Oxshott area. They are currently in custody.

‘Following reports of suspicious activity around 6.40pm, a number of resources were deployed, including the dog unit and the police helicopter. Our colleagues from British Transport Police also provided assistance.

‘At this time these arrests are not being linked to an ongoing investigation into a burglary which received significant media coverage over the weekend. That separate investigation remains ongoing and as of 12.00 on Wednesday, 7 December no arrests have been made in connection with that.’ 

A spokesperson added: ‘Officers are carrying out enquiries into the circumstances and the investigation remains on going.’

The Football Association again declined to comment on the situation, although some clarification is expected on Thursday. The door is thought to remain open for the player, but the clock is ticking.

Should England prevail against the French, Sterling may well have a role to play in the semi-final and final or third place play-off.