BBC pundit Chris Sutton has slated Gareth Southgate’s midfield options for England ahead of this summer’s World Cup in Russia. The Three Lions have found themselves short of quality talent at the heart of the midfield, and this has seen Southgate pick the likes of Jake Livermore, who has had a below-par season with West Bromwich Albion.
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has hailed the progress of Scott McTominay whilst suggesting that Alex McLeish should reward the midfielder with a maiden call-up to the Scotland national side. The 21-year-old has been integrated into the first-team squad this term, and he has already made 14 appearances in all competitions.
England may be playing in Russia this summer, but believe it or not, it’s not the only World Cup taking place this summer that football fans will be getting excited about.
Whilst the Women’s game may be making waves at the moment (not least with the news that Manchester United are set to launch their own Women’s team, and are committed to becoming one of the game’s superpowers in that too), it is the eSports FIFA World Cup Tournament that has caught the eye, with the FA having a nationwide competition to see who should represent England in a competition played to a similar format at the real World Cup.
Sky Sports Pundit Tony Gale believes Jack Wilshere is an 'absolute must' in the Gareth Southgate's England squad ahead of next summer's World Cup. The 26-year-old started the season as a regular in the Cup competitions, but an injury to Aaron Ramsey has enabled him to command a regular spot in the English top-flight.
Wilshere has started the last six Premier League games for the Gunners, and he recently netted his first goal of the season during last night's 2-2 draw versus Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium.
Following the match, Wilshere stressed that he has yet to make any progress in regards to his contract expiring in six months' time, but he will nevertheless look to maintain his consistency on the playing field.
England international Marcus Rashford feels Manchester United have got the winning feeling back in them, although they are still far off from matching the glory days under Sir Alex Ferguson. Rashford has had a dramatic rise to the United first-team, and he has bagged four trophies in the space of just 21 months.
Rashford celebrated FA Cup success under former coach Louis van Gaal in 2016 before claiming Europa League, EFL Cup and Community Shield winners' medals under current head coach Jose Mourinho. However, the young attacker wants to taste more success to match the feat achieved by Ferguson's team.
The draw for the 2018 FA Cup fifth round has been made and there are still top Premier League clubs chasing glory, while several lower league sides maintain their run in the world's oldest and most prestigious cup competition.
There were plenty of interesting match-ups drawn during the latest fifth-round pairings, with runaway English top-flight leaders Manchester City set to face Wigan Athletic in a repeat of the 2013 FA Cup final, in which the Sky Blues were stunned 1-0 by their local rivals.
England manager Gareth Southgate has confirmed that both Harry Kane and Harry Winks have been left out of the Three Lions squad, although they could be risked for next weekend's north London derby at Arsenal. The pair sustained knee and ankle injuries respectively playing for Spurs, and this has ruled them out of the friendlies versus Germany and Brazil.
Speaking to reporters, Southgate said, "Both Harry Kane and Harry Winks were scanned, they were clearly not available for us but Spurs may risk them for the North London derby. The players that are injured cannot play. I don’t take risks with players. It’s their livelihood, it’s their careers. As a manager you have a duty of care to the players."
Swansea City striker Tammy Abraham has ruled out the prospect of representing Nigeria at the international level.
The England youth international joined the Swans on a season-long loan from Chelsea earlier in the summer, and he has since contributed three goals in all competitions.
Earlier this month, Nigerian Football Federation president AmajuPinnick revealed that Abraham had agreed to switch his allegiance to Nigeria, for whom he capable of representing through his father, he said: "I had a very honest and productive discussion with Tammy and his father last week. It has been a long process but I can tell you authoritatively that he has agreed to play for Nigeria and not England."
Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho reserved special praise for Ashley Young following his side's 3-0 win over FC Basel in the Champions League opener on Tuesday night.
The England international made his first appearance of the campaign as he replaced Antonio Valencia in the right-back position.
Young had not featured for the United first-team since sustaining a groin injury in the Europa League semi-final against Celta Vigo in May, and it came as a big surprise when he called upon for the Basel game. The 32-year-old was a constant threat on the right side of the backline, and he provided a brilliant assist for Marouane Fellaini, who opened the scoring in the first-half.
Former Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp has backed Mauricio Pochettino to do the right thing, with the Argentine manager coming under fire from Danny Rose about the club's transfer polciy.
The Birmingham City manager was responsible for Rose's breakthrough at the north London club, and he believes that the 27-year-old should reconsider his statement, given the club are on the rise under Mauricio Pochettino, especially after they put through 2 signings (worth a combined £35m) on transfer deadline day.