Roy Hodgson has revealed that Stoke City goalkeeper Jack Butland will be England s number one in Monday s final Euro 2016 qualifier against Lithuania.
The 22-year-old made his debut for England in August 2012, but has not represented his country at senior level since.
Nevertheless, Hodgson feels Butland deserves his chance following some sublime performances for Stoke this season and will rest regular first-choice shot stopper Joe Hart.
He has been very good, he s been very good for the U21s, we think he is a good goalkeeper, the England coach was quoted as saying by The Independent.
For a long period of time he was the property of the U21s – and he wasn t getting a regular game of football which makes things harder for a goalkeeper.
Comi…
Branislav Ivanovic believes nothing but a run of victories will help Chelsea recover their performance levels from last season, as they welcome Norwich City to Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
The Premier League champions have taken just 12 points from their opening 12 matches a full 20 fewer than they had accrued at the same stage last season and head into Saturday s game one point and one place behind Norwich.
Jose Mourinho s side have lost their last three league matches, piling further pressure on the manager s shoulders, while rumours of significant dressing-room unrest has surfaced during recent weeks.
Ivanovic, however, has dispelled any notion of the players no longer wanting to perform for Mourinho.
The only way to get out of this situation is to wi…
Ben Foster has signed a new one-year contract with Wrexham following their return to the English Football League.
The former England goalkeeper, 40, was tempted out of retirement in March to become a part of co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s ambitious plans to haul the club up the divisions.
He provided one of the National League’s moments of the season with a brilliant stoppage-time penalty save against fellow promotion hopefuls Notts County in April, preserving a 3-2 lead and sending Wrexham top of the table.
He s thought about it…
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— Wrexham AFC (@Wrexham_AFC)
Phil Parkinson’s side clinched the title with a game to spare to ensure their 15-year stay in the fifth tier finally came to an end.
Foster, who…
Mauro Icardi has suggested he could leave Inter at the end of the season if the right offer comes in for his services.
The prolific attacker has been linked with clubs such as Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal in recent weeks, but had been adamant that he is happy to stay at San Siro.
However, the 23-year-old has now hinted a transfer could be an option after all.
Will I stay at Inter if we don t qualify for the Champions League? I m here to win with this club, but if any offers come in, then we have got to talk about them with the club or with whoever deals with it, Icardi told Mediaset.
The striker, who joined Inter from Sampdoria in July 2013, has a contract until June 2019.
He has scored 15 goals in 30 Serie A appearances this campaign…
Following the massive success of Baldur’s Gate 3 and its decision to work on two new projects based on its IP, Larian Studios has announced a new studio. Established in Warsaw, Poland, it tweeted, “With two very ambitious RPGs now starting development, what better way to see our visions realised than by growing the team and opening a 7th studio in the heart of Poland’s lively gaming scene!”
Several positions are open on its careers page, including an RPG Designer, Graphics Programmer, Tools Programmer and Writer. There’s also an open application option for those who don’t see any roles that fit their skill sets.
As for when we can expect information on Larian’s future projects, it’s still early days. CEO Swen Vi…
Romelu Lukaku is likely to speak with Manchester United about his future once the 2018-19 season has finished, his representative Federico Pastorello has said.
The Belgium forward has scored 42 goals in all competitions for the Red Devils since joining from Everton for a reported initial fee of £75million in 2017.
Lukaku has three years left on his contract, with the option of a further year, but has found his place as first-choice striker under threat since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took over from Jose Mourinho, initially as caretaker manager, back in December.
The 25-year-old has spoken previously of an interest in playing for Serie A leaders Juventus, and Pastorello believes Italy is just one option for a player who is keen to be successful in different countries.…
The Metro understands that Mesut Ozil is on the verge of signing a new lucrative deal with Arsenal.
The Germany international has entered the final year of his current contract with the North London outfit but is now ready to put his pen to paper following months of speculation surrounding his future.
Both he and forward Alexis Sanchez had been strongly linked with moves away from the Emirates Stadium this summer.
Interest still surrounds Sanchez with both Manchester City and Bayern Munich circling but an end to the Ozil saga will provide some relief to manager Arsene Wenger, who himself signed up for two more years with the Gunners this week.
Since signing from Real Madrid in the summer of 2013, Ozil has racked up one hundred and sixty appearances…
Adelaide United s winless run is set to continue as they face nemesis the Central Coast Mariners in the weekend s A-League action.
The Reds have not won since Round 1, picking up three points in eight games since to sit above only the winless Wellington Phoenix and Melbourne Heart on the table.
However, of arguably more concern to the boys from Coopers Stadium is their horrendous recent record against the Mariners with the Gosford-based club winning their past nine against the South Australian outfit.
Adelaide s last win over the Mariners came in September 2009, and they have failed to beat them in 12 fixtures since.
The Mariners are unbeaten in their past three, and a 10th straight win over Adelaide could see them overtake Newcastle (third) or Sydney (fourth) de…
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp could not remember a worse performance than in his side s 3-0 thumping by Brighton and Hove Albion in the Premier League on Saturday.
Solly March scored twice early in the second half before Danny Welbeck added a fine third as the Seagulls beat Liverpool at home for the first time since 1961.
The Reds, who could be 10 points adrift of the top four after Sunday s games, were second-best throughout and have now started a calendar year with two league defeats in a row for the first time since 1993.
They have also lost as many as five away league matches in a single season for the first time since the 2017-18 campaign.
But this might have been the worst of the lot, with Liverpool leaky at the back and profligate in attack, givin…
Aston Villa have signed Ashley Young on a free transfer following the winger s exit from Inter.
Young has agreed a one-year contract at Villa Park, a decade after departing the club for Manchester United.
The former England international spent four and a half years with Villa during his previous spell and made 190 appearances in all competitions.
Villa confirmed Young s arrival on their official website on Thursday and the versatile wide player added: It feels amazing to be back, it feels like I ve not left.
I m just delighted to be back, seeing some old faces, being back at the training ground, seeing the facilities and how well they ve grown.
You can see how much the club has evolved since my time and I m just ready to get down to work now.