Jack Wilshere has returned to the England squad as Gareth Southgate hands first call-ups to Nick Pope, James Tarkowski and Alfie Mawson.
Arsenal midfielder Wilshere last played for his country at Euro 2016 but has been rewarded for winning his place back at Emirates Stadium, providing a boost ahead of the World Cup in Russia.
The 26-year-old is joined by struggling West Ham loanee Joe Hart, who keeps his place despite fellow goalkeeper Pope s inclusion.
Burnley pair Pope and Tarkowski have been in fine form this season as Sean Dyche s men sit seventh in the Premier League, while Mawson has played a key role as Swansea City have pulled clear of the relegation zone.
Gary Cahill, Michael Keane and Chris Smalling are among the players to miss out, but Liverp…
Celtic have loaned Cardiff City attacker Jo-Inge Berget until January with Tony Watt leaving Parkhead permanently for Standard Liege.
Berget has signed a deal with the Scottish champions until January, with Ronny Deila s side retaining an option to buy the attacker in the New Year.
The Norway international was brought to Cardiff in January this year by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who had managed him at Molde, and will link up with another countryman in the shape of Deila, his former boss at Stromsgodset during a loan spell.
Berget is eligible to make his Celtic bow in Wednesday s UEFA Champions League third qualifying round first-leg clash with Legia Warsaw.
He told Celtic s official website: I am delighted to join Celtic and I m looking to make the very best o…
Gamba Osaka coach Akira Nishino says his side will take nothing for granted ahead of Sunday s clash with Adelaide United in the Club World Cup, with a semi-final against Manchester United at stake.
Japan s Gamba, who pride themselves on their brand of attacking football, insisted their focus was on the Australian outfit they beat 5-0 on aggregate in November s two-leg AFC Champions League final to seal their first regional title.
We are only looking at Adelaide, Gamba coach Akira Nishino, the 2008 AFC coach of the year, told reporters Friday as Japanese media speculated on how the squad would fare against star-studded European champions Manchester United.
When it s a one-shot deal, Adelaide can show its different side, Nishino said.
We want to prepar…
Hot team
Sunderland produced a fine performance in their easy win against West Brom but they can’t win the ‘Hot team’ award because if they can play like that, why didn’t they do it for Roy Keane? Newcastle put in an exceptional performance at Portsmouth, but they need to do it again before they can qualify as a ‘Hot team’.
Despite several good performances there can only be one winner this week and that is the amazing Hull City. People keep expecting the bubble to burst but it hasn’t done and it now doesn’t look like it is going to.
They’ve only lost away from home once this season and that was 4-3 at Old Trafford. On Saturd…
Didier Deschamps says Antoine Griezmann s disappointment at being overlooked as France captain for Kylian Mbappe lasted two minutes .
It actually took less than two minutes for Mbappe to provide an assist for Griezmann to set France on their way to a 4-0 win against the Netherlands on Friday to make a strong start to their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign at the Stade de France.
Deschamps had announced Mbappe – who also scored twice after Dayot Upamecano had found the net – as his new captain ahead of Griezmann, but said at a post-match press conference that there are no issues between the two.
Fortunately, I don t know what is said and written. The two get along well, they work well and they have the same objective of seeing the French team perform well, he sa…
Bastian Schweinsteiger and Ana Ivanovic have announced the birth of their son.
World Cup winner Schweinsteiger and former world number one and French Open champion Ivanovic married in July 2016, with the Serbian confirming her pregnancy in November.
And the couple shared news of their son s arrival on Monday in posts on Twitter.
Welcome to the world our little boy! We are so happy, wrote Schweinsteiger, who now plays for Chicago Fire.
Ivanovic, who retired in 2016, posted: Welcome to the world our little boy. Words cannot describe the joy and the happiness we feel in our hearts!
Welcome to the world our little boy! We are so happy.
— Basti Schweinsteiger (@BSchweinsteiger)
Welcome to the world our little boy. Words can not …
Emmanuel Adebayor has been voted Togo Footballer of the Year for the fourth consecutive year by local sports journalists it was announced on Monday.
The Arsenal striker returned to the national team during October after a row with officials over travelling conditions and scored four goals against Swaziland to keep Togo in contention for a place at the 2010 World Cup.
Adebayor is a finalist for the 2008 African Footballer of the Year award with Chelsea s Didier Drogba of Ivory Coast and the latter s club mate Michael Essien of Ghana and Egyptians Mohamed Aboutraika and Amr Zaki, who has scored 10 goals for his on loan Premier League club Wigan this season.
…
England football legend Paul Gascoigne said drink and drug addictions nearly killed him in 2008 and knows he is now on his last chance to save himself, in an interview published Friday.
Gascoigne, 41, who is in a rehabilitation clinic on the southern English coast trying to get his life back in order, said going back on the booze would be the death of him.
This is my last chance, the fallen idol told The Sun newspaper.
My mate Jimmy Five Bellies says I ve got more lives than a cat and he s right. But this is my last one.
Gascoigne has battled alcoholism and depression since his playing days. Last year he was sectioned under British mental health laws.
2008 was a terrible time for me, my worst year ever, the former Newcastle, Tottenham, Lazi…
Maguire did not want to divulge too much about their conversation but said the “main thing” Beckham did was to remind him of his career to date and the big moments he has enjoyed.
“I think when you’re going through tough moments you’ve got to go through past experiences and past memories and where you’ve gone in your career and what you’ve been through,” he said at St George’s Park.
“Every career is so up and down, especially when you reach what I’ve reached, in terms of being the captain of the biggest club in the world for three and a half years. He’s been in that position and knows what it’s like.
“Obviously having watched the documentary I couldn’t believe how much he went through at the time. In the documentary Gary Neville spea…
Market: Celtic to beat Motherwell
Odds:
Coming off the back of an historic 3-2 victory over bitter rivals Rangers in the Old Firm derby last weekend, Brendan Rodger s high-flying Celtic still look in pole position to pull of their second treble winning season on the bounce.
For the hosts on Sunday, it has been another season of flirting with midtable for Motherwell. For Steve Robinson s side, The Well will know that they face another tough task at Fir Park. Without a win against the Hoops in their last nine attempts, Robinson s side have lost eight of those matchups, and more worryingly for Motherwell, they have conceded four or more goals in four of those nine matches. While Motherwell may sit comfortably above the drop zone, they still remain some way off th…