England manager Gareth Southgate has sent a warning to youngster Reiss Nelson, who has impressed on loan at Hoffenheim from Premier League club Arsenal. The 18-year-old has been in fine form for the Bundesliga club this term with six goals from just eight league appearances but Southgate has indicated that he cannot just ‘roll up’ to earn his maiden Three Lions cap.
Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane has admitted that he has not been performing to the best of his abilities despite contributing three goals for Spurs since the season started. The England international has been deemed to be struggling with his fitness after making a quick return from the summer World Cup and he has now personally accepted that he could have done better in the games which have passed.
Speaking to Sky Sports News, Kane stressed that the pressure is on him to perform at a high level, given he has already set his standards over the past few seasons. He added that the Brighton & Hove Albion game was probably his best performance of the campaign, though he only found the scoresheet from the penalty spot.
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With England not in action for another few weeks, we take a look at Manchester United’s troubled start to the season. Jamie Carragher continues to be an authority figure in English football, given his experience and stellar performance during his active playing career, and now in his work as a pundit. When he talks, people listen, which is why it was interesting to see his take on the biggest clash of the titans in football at the moment – Pogba vs Mourinho!
What was witnessed at the training grounds of United in 26th September was a power struggle which was public and obvious. Mourinho and Pogba had an awkward exchange that was witnessed on TV. The issue was regarding a post made by Pogba on Instagram and Mourinho being unhappy about that. The post was about the penalty defeat that the team had to oppose team Derby in Carabao Cup. (more…)
Former Manchester United star Phil Neville says England women can extend the World Cup fever into 2019. The popular pundit and now England women manager believes that with the women team qualifying for the World Cup finals set for next year in France, the Lionesses can extend the passion for international football that started since when Gareth Southgate took over.
Former Manchester United and England midfielder David Beckham said that he is proud of what the England team has achieved under Gareth Southgate. He said that there were some doubts that the team might struggle at the World Cup in Russia given the inexperience of both the players and the manager.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes Danny Welbeck can offer a lot to the England national side, if he is picked for the World Cup in Russia. The 27-year-old has endured an injury-plagued spell during his time at the Emirates, but he has found form at the right time with five goals in as many games for the Gunners.
Fulham teenager Ryan Sessegnon is unfazed by the talk of him representing the England national side during this summer’s World Cup finals in Russia. The 17-year-old has stood out for the Cottagers during the course of the current season, and this recently saw him named the EFL Player of the Year at the London Football Awards.
Despite Sessegnon’s prowess, he has yet to earn his maiden cap with the Gareth Southgate’s side, but he remains hopeful of making the cut for the World Cup, just like compatriots Theo Walcott and Michael Owen in the past, he said: “Who knows? Theo Walcott did it, Michael Owen did it so I could be ready. If I did get the call, it would be a fantastic achievement. I’ll be ready if I get the call. If I don’t, I’ll be cheering them on the TV hoping they do well. It is nice for the gaffer to say that about me. Who knows? Hopefully it will happen.”
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Burnley manager Sean Dyche claims that England boss Gareth Southgate will determine if James Tarkowski is good enough for the England national team. Ben Mee has been in the England over the last couple of months after some impressive performances with Burnley, who have been excellent at the back in the Premier League. Very few teams have been able to score past the clarets this season, as Mee has formed an excellent partnership with Tarkowski at the back. Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea are the only three teams to have kept more clean sheets than Burnley in the Premier league this season.
In terms of the headed clearances and blocks made by players over the course of the campaign, Mee and Tarkowski are in the top five list. Speaking with regard to the potential call-ups for the England national team, Dyche says that it is up to Southgate in order to determine the ability of the two players in the next few months. Southgate has major decisions to make with regard to the players who will be traveling with the squad for the World Cup 2018. After a comfortable qualification campaign, England have a major job ahead of the tournament after their failures in recent events.
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Gareth Southgate has revealed that four or five of the young players he gave international debuts to over the last two friendly games are now options for the World Cup squad next year in Russia.
The England boss introduced Jordan Pickford, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Joe Gomez and Harry Maguire to the global stage and all of them impressed during the games against Germany and Brazil. There were also first caps for Tammy Abraham, Dominic Solanke and Jack Cork.
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Arsenal legend-turned-pundit Ian Wright believes Marcus Rashford has the potential to turn out to be a world-class performer for both club and country.
Speaking on ITV, he said: “He’s driven. What he said there, Premier League, Champions League and World Cup. Some people might laugh and scoff at that but when you look at him and look at his dedication and drive, you wouldn’t put that past him. People will say ‘yeah, he’s not going to do it with England’ but if everybody can start having that same drive and vision, anything could happen. It’s great to see.”
Rashford have moved a long way since his debut against Midtjylland in the Europa League in February 2016, and he is now considered as a regular for both club and country. Rashford has already won four titles with the United first-team, and Wright feels that the attacker should feature in a more central role due to his precise movement which often leaves defenders behind, he added: “I would love to see him have a berth right up the centre. His pace, his movement, he’s got I think some of the best movement in the players we’ve got.” (more…)