Roy Hodgson has announced his latest England squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against San Marino and Poland.
The big surprise is that Ryan Shawcross wins just his second call-up to the side, following Fabio Capello’s squad selection for the friendly against Egypt in March 2010.
Stephen Caulker who had been widely tipped to take the place of John Terry, takes his place in the Under-21 squad for the European Championship play-off against Serbia.
Jack Butland has also been drafted in by Stuart Pearce, after being involved with Hodgson’s squad at Euro 2012 and the previous qualifiers against Moldova and Ukraine.
Celtic’s Fraser Forster has replaced the talented 19-year-old stopper and is a rare choice from north of the border.
Meanwhile, Aaron Lennon’s international career has been resurrected, receiving his first call-up to the side since the 2010 World Cup after some impressive Premier League performances; and Arsenal’s Kieran Gibbs has been rewarded for his solid start to the season, taking the place of Chelsea’s Ryan Bertrand.
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The full squad is as follows: Hart (Manchester City), Ruddy (Norwich), Forster (Celtic); Baines (Everton), Cahill (Chelsea), Cole (Chelsea), Gibbs (Arsenal), Jagielka (Everton), G Johnson (Liverpool), Lescott (Manchester City), Shawcross (Stoke), Walker (Tottenham); Carrick (Manchester United), Cleverley (Manchester United), Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal), Gerrard (Liverpool), A Johnson (Sunderland), Lennon (Tottenham), Lampard (Chelsea), Milner (Manchester City), Walcott (Arsenal); Carroll (West Ham, on loan from Liverpool), Defoe (Tottenham), Rooney (Manchester United), Welbeck (Manchester United).
Manuel Pellegrini was officially unveiled as the new West Ham manager on Tuesday morning, and fans have already lined up a move for one of his former players.
There will be plenty of links to former Manchester City players once Pellegrini starts his transfer business this summer.
Yaya Toure is one such name, and Pellegrini could surely get the best out of the veteran Ivorian, who is odds on to join the Hammers.
Matija Nastasic is the name on fans’ minds this morning though, as they debate a possible move for the Serbian centre back.
The Hammers are in desperate need of reinforcements at the back this summer. James Collins’ future is still uncertain, but even if he stays the Welshman will turn 35 this year. Winston Reid seems to have completely lost his form and confidence, and young Declan Rice has impressed recently but is still learning his craft.
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The fans seem to be getting out ahead of the transfer rumour mill, looking at the 25 year-old Nastasic as a possible quick fix for their defence.
Nastasic played under Pellegrini at Manchester City, and is averaging an impressive two tackles and 3.2 clearances per game at Schalke this season.
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The feisty centre back will be out of contract in the summer of 2019, so the German club could look to offload him for a fee this summer.
Some of the best Twitter reactions can be found below…
Manchester United’s first-team squad are currently in Dubai as they prepare for next Monday’s Premier League clash with Stoke City at Old Trafford.
Head coach Jose Mourinho decided to take the team away on a warm-weather training camp due to the fact that their next game is not until January 15.
Romelu Lukaku was among those to arrive in Dubai over the weekend, before the rest of the first-team squad flew in on Monday.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan was among them, which seems to suggest that the Armenian, who is valued at £31.5m by transfermarkt.co.uk, will not be leaving the club during the January transfer window.
It has been a tough few months for the former Borussia Dortmund attacker. The 28-year-old has struggled in his last two appearances against Southampton and Derby County, and speculation surrounding his future is refusing to go away.
Meanwhile, it seems that the Man United fans are currently divided on the attacker, and only he can turn things around in the coming weeks.
There’s a growing contingent of German internationals at the Emirates which seem to enjoy mucking around together on Twitter.
Per Mertesacker, Lukas Podolski and Mesut Ozil are no strangers to broadcasting their traditional Deutschland mischief via social media, but their shared nationality has also positively contributed to Arsenal’s recent rise in form, which has seen them lead the pack at the top of the Premier League table this season.
The Bundesliga is a competition fast growing in reputation, quality and stature, and many English clubs are now viewing the German top flight as an exciting recruitment pool with cheap cost – including Arsene Wenger, who is reportedly planning on adding to his small collection of Germans in the coming transfer window.
With that in mind, we’ve come up with a list of FIVE of the German top flight’s rising stars that the Gunners gaffer should look to snap up in January.
CLICK ON JULIAN DRAXLER TO REVEAL THE FIVE BUNDESLIGA BOYS TO FOLLOW OZIL TO ARSENAL
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Six games have now come and gone in the Championship, and if the early season performances are anything to go by this will be another long season for Millwall.
After six games the Lions sit 21st, just above Charlton Athletic, on 6 points.
We have also suffered four defeats, and in most of them the Lions have played well and controlled some of the game, but it does show the fine lines between success and defeat in this tough division. But problems are starting to show within the Lions team, one is the formation.
The Lions have mostly played 4-3-3 with central midfielders Liam Trotter, Josh Wright and Jimmy Abdou filling the midfield three, with James Henry one of the strikers role. Despite the three in attack we do not have a lot going forward, the centre midfielders sit back, plus no left winger playing means a lack of width.
Playing three in the middle of the park is simply not working and surely has to be changed. Despite his pre-season fine form, Chris Taylor has not been started or played at all this season, surely he deserves a chance?
Liam Trotter won’t be dropped due to his “ability”, Josh Wright won’t due to his passing and movement and Abdou won’t due to his defensive play, it almost seems like Kenny Jackett is scared to drop Liam Trotter, the best form of last season after all, was when Wright and Abdou were the centre midfield pairing.
Another problem that is evident is the amount of goals conceded by a leaky defence. The Lions have averaged letting in more than two goals a game so far. Fans will be hoping this is just because of the injuries to Paul Robinson and Jack Smith but I’m not sure. Ex Brentford Karleigh Osborne was meant to be challenging for the centre back positions but after six games he simply doesn’t look good enough, yet. He doesn’t look the part at Championship level, I’d much rather be playing Danny Shittu for his experience.
Players such as Osborne haven’t adapted as yet, but Scott Malone has risen to the challenge, not the best defender but a strong attacking player, the type of player KJ wants for his “Passing football revolution”.
For the next game against Brighton, one of the best squads in the division, there has to be some changes. I would drop Osborne for Shittu. Osborne doesn’t look ready and Shittu is a experienced player at this level, I believe this will calm down the defence. Plus the 4-3-3 has to go, we seem exposed on the left wing, so go 4-4-2 with Taylor on the left and drop Liam Trotter, but in all honesty I can’t see that happening. Plus I would also like to see Chris Wood start with Andy Keogh.
My team for vs Brighton
Taylor
Dunne Shittu Lowry Malone
Henry Wright Abdou Taylor
Keogh Wood
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According to reports in Chile, West Ham United are ready to appoint Manuel Pellegrini as their new manager as early as the beginning of next week despite Rafa Benitez seemingly being their number one target, and Irons fans have been quick to have their say on the rumour.
The Irons have been heavily linked with Newcastle United boss Benitez this week as they look to find a replacement for David Moyes, who it was announced would be leaving the club on Wednesday following the expiry of his contract.
However, it may well be 64-year-old Pellegrini that takes over the reins from the Scot, with the Chilean certainly able to bring plenty of pedigree and experience with him to the London Stadium having won the Premier League title with Manchester City previously, and having never finished outside of the top seven during his time managing in Europe.
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West Ham supporters, the slight majority of which would be happy to sell one of their attackers to Crystal Palace this summer, took to social media to give their thoughts on the possible appointment of the former Citizens boss, and while one said “this will end badly”, another described it as “unknown territory for West Ham”.
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Rangers confirmed on Tuesday that Kenny Miller is facing a ‘significant’ period out injured after rupturing his hamstring against Hibernian last week.
The attacker was forced off in the first half in the win at Easter Road and unfortunately for the club veteran, it’ll be a serious setback to his season.
It calls into question his entire Rangers career given his age and the fact he only signed a one-year contract extension last season.
He’s been a formidable force at the tip of the Light Blues’ attack for years and although his form has waned in 2017/18, losing his presence and experience in the first team squad will be a bitter blow to Graeme Murty.
Whether the 37-year-old comes back from this remains to be seen but the news has worried supporters, who believe the club now have a serious lack of depth in the final third.
Fans are calling on Rangers to make moves in the January transfer window and have suggested they should sign the likes of Jason Cummings or even former favourite Steven Naismith.
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They took to Twitter to share their thoughts on the news and what it means…
It appears almost certain at this point that Wayne Rooney will not be a Manchester United player by the end of the summer. The England international has burned too many bridges with the fans, Sir Alex Ferguson and apparently David Moyes, whilst the Premier League champions themselves have done worryingly little to appease Rooney, or quash his concerns of playing second fiddle to Robin Van Persie in the preluding campaign to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
The only viable suitors on the horizon are Chelsea, capable of coughing up the cash in terms of transfer fees and wage demands, and also the only English club that can offer Rooney a similar level of success to what he’s become accustomed to at Old Trafford, barring a shock move to Manchester City. Jose Mourinho has made no qualms about his pursuit of the striker, admitting openly and honestly during a press conference on the Blues’ pre-season tour that Chelsea’s transfer policy this summer can be described in a nutshell as “Rooney or bust”.
So the Red Devils are in the market to sell as long as the price is right, despite David Moyes insisting otherwise at every opportunity, and Jose Mourinho is keen to buy, but could the potential Rooney deal leave the new United boss blue in the face?
The fall-out from Rooney’s transfer will affect David Moyes’ reputation for better or worse, yet there is little doubt that the current summer scenario is straight out of Sir Alex Ferguson’s managerial hand-book. The Premier League champions have a knack of selling their best players in their prime, with a host of examples throughout Ferguson’s long reign at Old Trafford.
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Jaap Stam was sold to Lazio in 2001, despite being regarded as one of the best central defenders in Europe at the time, David Beckham was allowed to leave for Real Madrid in 2003, aged just 28 and with another ten years of his career yet to go, Carlos Tevez was surrendered to Manchester City in 2009, regardless of the fact he’d played in and won a Champions League final for the Red Devils a year previous, and went on to net 73 times in 138 appearances for the noisy neighbours, before moving to Juventus this summer. Cristiano Ronaldo was sold on for immense profit in 2009, whilst Ruud Van Nistelrooy was surprisingly usurped from the first team in 2006, despite netting 21 goals in 35 appearances during his final season in Manchester.
With the exception of Ronaldo, none were sold on the basis that offers received from potential suitors were too good to turn down. Rather, the practice of deconstructing the United first team and shifting the club’s best players is part of what Steve McLaren describes as Ferguson’s ‘helicopter view’ of the Red Devils, noticing Premier League trends before they happen, and making sure no individual becomes too well acquainted with their surroundings at Carrington. The old adage that no player becomes bigger than the club itself is constantly maintained, whilst room is made for the next generation of stars to burst through, and it’s hard to argue against a method of longevity that has brought United unprecedented success over the last twenty years.
The hole Rooney leaves behind will most likely be filled by Shinji Kagawa. The 24 year old is by no means a Rooney replica, and regular inclusion in the first team in a more central role than last season will require some tactical modification on David Moyes’ part, but with few viable alternatives on the horizon, and the likes of Thiago Alcantara, Mario Gotze and Christian Eriksen already passing United by this summer, it appears the mantle will be passed to Kagawa, with full confidence from the Red Devils management.
The Japan international struggled to adapt at times last term, but finished up with six goals and three assists from 20 domestic appearances, despite spending two months out with a knee injury picked up in a Champions League tie against Braga, and also confronting the language barrier. At former club Borussia Dortmund, Kagawa was utilised in a supporting role to Robert Lewandowski and recorded 21 goals in 48 domestic appearances in the space of two years, picking up two Bundesliga titles along the way. The Red Devils invested £17million in the attacking midfielder last summer, and to suggest Kagawa was touted as Rooney’s successor from the point of his signing would hardly be a wild theory.
The process has worked time and time again for the 13-time Premier League champions, but I have my doubts regarding the current situation with Wayne Rooney. The England man finished last campaign with 10 goals and 12 assists in 27 domestic appearances, fielded only twice in his preferred capacity as an out-and-out striker. At the same time, Rooney’s United record stands at 197 goals in 400 appearances, and the forward has claimed five Premier League titles, two League Cups and a Champions League title during his nine years at Old Trafford.
It seems the 27 year old’s main crime is a distain to playing second-fiddle to Robin Van Persie, whilst others have complained over Rooney’s apparent lack of fitness, despite playing in 37 fixtures last season, and averaging over forty appearances per term throughout his United career. On a business front, this summer represents the best opportunity to sell the striker, a campaign before his contract enters its final year and his value begins to plummet as a result.
But making selection and transfer policy based upon business decisions is dangerous territory, and it appears from the outside at least that the Red Devils are essentially surrendering one of the English top flight’s most proven goal-scorers and creators in the final third to a divisional rival who present the biggest threat to United’s title defence next season, simply for the sake of it. Instead, the club will be reliant upon Robin Van Persie for goals, a striker who was 30 less career goals than Rooney, 19 less Premier League goals than Rooney, and in two weeks time, will be three years older than Rooney.
At the same time, the Red Devils are losing the vital element to their strikeforce. Currently, they have the best attack in the Premier League, with Van Persie, Rooney, Javier Hernandez and Danny Welbeck providing great contrast and diversity in style, physicality, strengths and weakness, whilst also representing variation in age and proven track record. But United will suddenly find themselves eclipsed in attack should Rooney jump ship to Stamford Bridge and join up with Fernando Torres, Demba Ba and Romelu Lukaku, whilst recent acquisitions at City have added Alvaro Negredo and Stevan Jovetic alongside Edin Dzeko and Sergio Aguero.
Options up-front was undoubtedly United’s biggest strength amid their successful 2012/2013 campaign, but a large chunk of their unrivalled depth laid in Rooney’s versatility. Van Persie and Hernandez are both capable of twenty goals a-piece, and the Mexican international deserves a fairer share of game time, but Danny Welbeck’s inability to find the net is well-known, whilst none on the Red Devils roster, excluding Kagawa, appear capable of taking over the Rooney’s dual role at the tip of United’s midfield.
The fact is, all that Manchester United are gaining from the Rooney deal is a sum between £25million and £35million, money which the club simply doesn’t need, and considering the England international’s availability is well known, I’d predict that his price tag will be closer to the former figure rather than the latter.
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Without a viable replacement on the horizon, with every established European attacking midfielder and striker already accounted for this summer barring a few exceptions, Rooney’s departure looks set to leave integral holes in the United squad, whilst his unique characteristics, with creativity and composure in the final third, the ability to score from a variety of ranges and chances, a raw energy, robustness and hard-working attitude, and one of the most proven track-records in terms of end product in the top flight, will be willing handed to United’s biggest foes in Chelsea and Jose Mourinho.
The Red Devils have little to gain and a lot to lose from selling a player that is currently the heart-beat of the first team, and David Moyes is taking a huge risk in axeing one of his most established players simply for the sake of change. Should Rooney’s form pick up upon his arrival in West London, the critics will come calling, but even before the incoming Premier League season gets underway, United will have to source a new recruit of similar quality and reputation. At the moment that man appears to be Cesc Fabregas, but should the Spaniard wish to stay put, there aren’t too many transfer alternatives for David Moyes that can claim to be a similar caliber to the England international. Rooney’s transfer has huge scope to backfire, and leave the new Red Devils boss blue in the face amid his first season in charge at Old Trafford.
Do United stand little to gain from selling Wayne Rooney?
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger admits he was impressed with goalkeeper Vito Mannone’s performances against Stoke City and Liverpool, according to the club’s official website.
The 24-year-old is normally third choice at the Emirates, but deputised for the Gunners after injuries were sustained to the Polish duo of Wojciech Szczesny and Lukasz Fabianski.
Despite this, Szczesny is expected to return to the starting line-up when Arsenal entertain Southampton tomorrow following a rib injury.
However, Wenger admits he has been impressed by Mannone’s application and attitude, “He has done really well. Vito was allowed to move at the start of the season to play somewhere.” Wenger added, “Now he has been No. 1 for two games and has at least moved into being a serious candidate to be fighting for the place. At the moment, Wojciech is there but there is a fight and it is interesting.”
The Arsenal boss says that he sees competition for places in the goalkeeping department as healthy for any side, “We have three goalkeepers who have the talent to play in the Premier League and to fight for the No. 1 place.”
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There’s no way to get around it, Rangers have had another abysmal season.
While challenging Celtic for the Scottish Premiership was always going to be a big ask, the manner in which they surrendered the fight both in direct competition with the Hoops and over the course of the season has not been good enough for Rangers supporters.
Added to that, they are again struggling to even finish second ahead of teams with resources far less than theirs. There is even a chance that they finish fourth if results go against them this week. That’s unthinkable.
The appointment of Steven Gerrard has added a bit of much needed optimism, but the realities of the job ahead of him will be difficult to navigate.
While bringing in fresh talent is obviously a priority, just as important is shedding players from a squad that simply hasn’t been good enough.
These are the three players that must be first out of the door this summer by any means necessary…
Bruno Alves has been a massive disappointment and flop since arriving as Pedro Caixinha’s first signing in last summer’s transfer window.
His signature was supposed to be a signal of intent, but his spell at the club has turned into more of a symbol of failure.
Reported to be one of the squad’s highest earners, he simply hasn’t delivered a return on that investment, starting less than half of Rangers games in all competitions this season.
When he has played he’s often failed to impress, looking a shadow of the towering defender who won so many trophies with Porto, FC Zenit and Fenerbahce.
Getting him off the wage bill must be a priority for Steven Gerrard, whose resources will be stretched to the limit as is. Sadly for the Liverpool legend, Alves has another year on his contract at Ibrox, so he’ll have to hope that a buying club comes in for him.
If Bruno Alves’ spell at the club has been a disappointment, Carlos Pena’s has been nothing but a disaster.
Heralded as one of the club’s marquee signings last June, he took over three months to make his first start for the club and ended up making only eight in total before being sent on loan to Cruz Azul in his Mexican homeland in January, unbelievably signed by Pedro Caixinha for the second time in a single season.
However, the shambles didn’t end there, with the midfielder reportedly sacked last month for urinating in a fountain in the team’s hotel while drunk.
With two years left on his current Rangers deal, his status at the club is in limbo but it’s fairly clear he has no future at Ibrox in the short-term and the Gers must look at every option to ensure he is moved on.
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Completing the trio of disastrous Pedro Caixinha signings is Eduardo Herrara, who was announced as a Rangers player on the same day as Carlos Pena.
A 9-cap Mexican international, there was a keen sense of intrigue about the target man striker when he arrived and after scoring four games into the league season, there was some hope he could do a job.
With just one solitary League Cup goal since then though, it’s fair to say he’s failed to make an impression and hasn’t even played in a league match since December despite being fit for the vast majority of the time since.
He needs to go to make way for other signings and strikers that Steven Gerrard wants to pursue.