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Euro 2024 is just around the corner and every player in Gareth Southgate's latest squad will be doing everything they can to impress

We're now just eight months away from Euro 2024 kicking off – a tournament that England will be among the favourites for after narrowly missing out on the trophy two-and-a-bit years ago at Wembley Stadium.

Manager Gareth Southgate has, generally, done a good job at the helm. However, in more recent times, he has attracted criticism for perceived favouritism as he's stood by certain players through extended periods of poor club form.

Saying that, there are a few others in the current squad who been picked on the quality of their Premier League displays, though whether they can remain with the group until the tournament this summer remains to be seen.

These dynamics mean that there is a seriously long list of players that have a point to prove during the upcoming fixtures against Australia and Italy – and GOAL has taken a closer look at the situation:

Getty ImagesAaron Ramsdale

Since the last international break, Ramsdale has endured a tricky time of it at Arsenal, with David Raya stealing the No.1 jersey off him. For a while, it seemed like the former Sheffield United man had an outside shot of usurping Jordan Pickford as Southgate's first-choice goalkeeper. But if he cannot break back into the Arsenal side, those chances are getting slimmer by the day.

Perhaps the only way that Ramsdale can get into his international manager's good books is by stealing the show during this camp. The 25-year-old needs to attack training and make the most of the rare start he's likely to be handed against Australia – particularly as Sam Johnstone has made an exceptional start to the season at Crystal Palace.

Should Pickford be unavailable for the Euros through injury, it will most likely be one of those two stepping in – with Nick Pope oddly omitted from the most-recent squad.

AdvertisementGettyPretty much every centre-back…

Just when you thought things couldn't get any worse for Harry Maguire, the last international break happened. After an error-strewn display in the first match against Ukraine, Southgate took the strange decision to introduce him at the break at Hampden Park. Not long after being sarcastically cheered by the Tartan Army as he entered the fray, Maguire punted the ball into his own net. Oh dear.

In Maguire's defence, a Manchester United injury crisis means he has at least played some club football ahead of this set of England fixtures. But his continued selection ahead of some genuinely in-form defenders continues to be a bone of contention among supporters.

The group of centre-backs who have a strong case for starting over Southgate's immovable golden boy is extensive. In the current squad, Fikayo Tomori, Marc Guehi, Lewis Dunk and Levi Colwill have all performed better than Maguire for what seems like an eternity now.

And all of them will be aiming to prove they can partner John Stones at the Euros this summer.

GettyJordan Henderson

The only member of the Three Lions squad whose inclusion has caused more of a furore than Maguire is Henderson. The midfielder's controversial move to the Saudi Pro League has led to calls for him to be removed from the international set-up, both due to the low standard of his club football as well as concerns over the country's treatment of the LGBT+ community – who the ex-Liverpool man publicly voiced his allyship for in the past.

Henderson is also not getting any younger and if he cannot prove he still belongs at the top level, Southgate might have to turn elsewhere this summer. James Ward-Prowse, in particular, can feel aggrieved to have missed out on the latest squad.

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GettyKalvin Phillips

Henderson is not the only England midfielder sweating over his place in the team. Back in 2021, Phillips was named the Three Lions' Men's Player of the Year after coming from relative obscurity to partner Declan Rice at the base of Southgate's midfield at Euro 2020.

However, honours like that seem a million miles away at present, with Phillips a complete afterthought at Manchester City. He failed to overly impress against Ukraine in the last international break but will likely be given another chance in the Australia clash.

Regardless, a January move away from the Etihad is essential if Phillips is serious about reviving his international career. Even the recent absence of Rodri did not result in him playing more frequently for the Premier League champions.

Neymar was left stunned by the state of an Iranian pitch as Al-Hilal prepare to face Nassaji Mazandaran in the AFC Champions League.

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Neymar left shockedConcrete visible in video of pitchAl-Hilal star reacted on social mediaWHAT HAPPENED?

Al-Hilal are preparing to take on Nassaji Mazandaran on Tuesday. Videos shared on X have shown groundskeepers at the Azadi Stadium placing thin portions of turf over what appear to be large areas of exposed concrete. Neymar was less than impressed when reacting to the footage on social media.

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Al-Hilal are the reigning AFC Champions League holders and began the defence of their title with a 1-1 draw against Uzbekistani club Navbahor in their group stage opener.

WHAT THEY SAID

Quoting the video on X, Neymar wrote: "This is not possible". He also added a facepalm emoji and a crying laughing emoji.

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Getty ImagesWHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Al-Hilal will play on the pitch on Tuesday. Neymar will be expected to feature for Jorge Jesus' side despite his reservations over the pitch, having shone in their latest Saudi Pro League victory against Al-Shabab.

Real Madrid superstar Jude Bellingham has been withdrawn from the England squad after an assessment on his shoulder injury.

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Bellingham missed last two Real gamesAssessed by England medical teamSent back to Spain to continue rehabWHAT HAPPENED?

Bellingham reported for England duty at the start of the week despite missing Real Madrid's last two games because of the issue. However, after an assessment from the Three Lions' medical team the decision has been taken for the 20-year-old to continue his rehabilitation back in Spain.

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England have also confirmed that Levi Colwill has been sent home, with the Chelsea defender also struggling with a shoulder problem that kept him out of the 4-4 Premier League draw against Manchester City at the weekend. Colwill and Bellingham will both be unavailable when England come up against Malta and North Macedonia in their final two Euro 2024 qualifying games over the next week.

DID YOU KNOW?

Gareth Southgate does still have a near-full strength squad to choose from for the clash with Malta at Wembley on Friday, with England's spot at Euro 2024 already confirmed, but there will be two late additions. Manchester United star Marcus Rashford and Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips have been granted permission to join their team-mates slightly later in the week while they attend to "personal matters".

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR JUDE BELLINGHAM?

Real Madrid will hope that Bellingham can step up his recovery after being granted permission to leave the England camp. The former Borussia Dortmund man has been an instant hit since his mega-money move to Santiago Bernabeu in the summer, scoring 13 goals in his first 14 appearances. Carlo Ancelotti's side are currently sitting second in La Liga behind surprise package Girona, and will be back in action against Cadiz on November 26.

Kai Havertz starred as a left wing-back for Julian Nagelsmann against Turkey on Saturday – and scored within five minutes!

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Havertz at left wing-back for Germany Arsenal star scores within five minutesGermany in control against TurkeyWHAT HAPPENED?

Julian Nagelsmann pulled a rabbit out of his hat when he decided to field the Arsenal forward as a left wing-back during the international friendly against Turkey. Many would have raised their eyebrows over such a decision but Havertz repaid the trust shown in him and handed Germany the lead.

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The Germans were in control of the game right from the first whistle. Turkey dug deep to hold their fort but a brilliant through ball from Benjamin Henrichs split open their defence and set up Leroy Sane on the right. The Bayern Munich forward drilled in a low cross which was tapped in from close range by Havertz to put his side in front.

WHAT JULIAN NAGELSMANN SAID

Speaking to before the match, Nagelsmann said: "Kai won't always be in this position. I have a great idea, he's an exceptionally good footballer. This is a very good option. He won't always play as a classic left-back.”

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WHAT NEXT FOR HAVERTZ?

Nagelsmann might have shown the way for Mikel Arteta to bring the best out of Havertz at the Emirates. The forward has struggled for goals and has just one strike to his name in 19 appearances for Arsenal this campaign. However, the night in Berlin as a left wing-back could potentially usher in a new dawn in his career.

Accrington Stanley owner Andy Holt hit back with a fierce "I can charge what I want!" jibe amid a ticket price row with Wrexham and Ryan Reynolds.

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Holt slammed Wrexham once againWrexham CEO Shaun Harvey stands his groundTicket-pricing row continuesWHAT HAPPENED?

The ticket pricing row between Wrexham and Accrington Stanley shows no signs of slowing down as the two clubs exchanged fresh blows during a live programme on . Holt took a scathing dig at the Deadpool actor following his team's2-0 victory over the Welsh side last Saturday, having increased the prices of a ticket by £5 for all those watching in the stadium. Wrexham responded by claiming they would slash their prices by the same amount for the return fixture.

AdvertisementWHAT HOLT SAID ON THE TICKETING ROW

Speaking to Jim White and Simon Jordan, the Accrington owner said: "I don’t know when it was put to them but at the start of the season it was always going to be a high-category game, we go through it with the leagues and that’s how it is. They had tickets for weeks in the offices, so they’ve known it [the prices]. This is how I run a business, so it’s not a fight. I can charge what I want for a ticket – to anybody and everybody. It’s my club.”

Holt further revealed that he called up Wrexham CEO Shaun Harvey to have a chat about the issue.

"He just smirked when I called him about it. At the end of the day, they didn’t need to post about it and they didn’t need to retweet it to 21 million of Ryan Reynolds’ followers. It just makes us out to be a thieving club or a club that takes money off fans," he stated.

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Harvey soon joined the hosts and remained defiant about their stance on reducing ticket prices by £5 for the reverse fixture.

He said: "I don’t know if you can categorise it as cheeky. We made the decision that that was the action we were going to take in very much the same way as Andy’s entitled to charge the prices that he wants to charge. Just for the record, he increased the prices for Accrington fans as well, not just for Wrexham so there’s never been any suggestion that rules have been broken.

"We took the decision to reduce the prices by £5 simply to compensate those fans who are having to pay £5 more to watch the game at the Wham Stadium. When did we make the decision? Probably Thursday or Friday that week. I’m sure we were informed what the ticket prices would be at the start of the season but whether it was explained that it was more than any other game at the Wham Stadium this season I doubt, although I have to reserve my position because I didn’t get the original email.”

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR WREXHAM?

Before the two sides meet again on March 2 at Racecourse Ground, expect a few more rounds of verbal warfare from both sides!

Andre Onana is reportedly ready to snub AFCON duty with Cameroon, but that decision could end up landing him a ban at Manchester United.

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Error-strewn start made at Old TraffordHas already come out of international retirementBig decision to make in early 2024WHAT HAPPENED?

The former Ajax and Inter goalkeeper has endured a tough start to life in England on the back of his £48 million ($61m) transfer to Old Trafford. The 27-year-old has made a number of costly errors, leading to serious questions being asked of his ability to become a long-term option between the sticks – with there suggestions that David de Gea could be lured back to England as a free agent.

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Onana has performed an international retirement U-turn in 2023, putting him back in contention for selection by his country, but he is said to be mulling over the idea of skipping Africa Cup of Nations competition in the New Year. He would rather remain with United and work on proving his worth to Erik ten Hag.

DID YOU KNOW?

FIFA rules do, however, dictate that any player selected for tournament duty will have to sit out domestic action if they decide not to accept that invitation. The rulebook states: “A player who has been called up by his association for one of its representative teams is, unless otherwise agreed by the relevant association, not entitled to play for the club with which he is registered during the period for which he has been released or should have been released pursuant to the provisions of this annex, plus an additional period of five days.”

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR ONANA?

Cameroon could bow to Onana’s demands and overlook him completely. If he were selected, though, and chose not to head for a continental competition in the Ivory Coast, then he would be unavailable for United throughout the AFCON entry in the sporting calendar. That could force him to sit out four Premier League games against Tottenham, Wolves, West and Aston Villa – while also missing the Red Devils’ FA Cup third-round fixture.

The Cameroonian's clangers paved the way for another shocking collapse which threatens to end Manchester United's Champions League journey

Galatasaray warned Manchester United they were entering Hell and Bruno Fernandes did his very best to take them to Heaven instead. In the end, they were left in purgatory, with their Champions League hopes hanging by a thread after another woeful display from Andre Onana saw them draw 3-3 in an unforgettable game.

Fernandes weaved his way through the visitors to set up Alejandro Garnacho for the all-important opening goal and then scored a worldie of his own to double United's advantage. As United should have known from this topsy-turvy Champions League campaign, it was never going to be plain sailing even with a two-goal cushion and Onana was caught out by the first of two Hakim Ziyech free-kicks, halving the deficit for the Turkish giants.

A Scott McTominay goal on the counterattack should have put the game to bed but an inexplicable gaffe from Onana gifted another goal to Ziyech from a set piece and substitute Kerem Akturkoglu scored a screamer to level the game.

There was more drama to come as Garnacho, McTominay and Facundo Pellistri came inches away from finding a winner but United could not muster another goal and were left bottom of Group A and facing an anxious wait to see if they will remain in the competition, praying for Bayern Munich to do them a favour and beat Copenhagen.

GOAL rates Man United's players from a truly epic match at Rams Park…

Getty Goalkeeper & Defence

Andre Onana (3/10):

Made a superb point-blank save from Luca Torreira but was in a poor position for Ziyech's free-kick and dropped an even bigger clanger for the second goal. Kicking was pretty dodgy too.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka (6/10):

As smart as usual defensively and picked his moments in attack, setting up McTominay's goal. Taken off as he was on a booking.

Victor Lindelof (6/10):

Made some important blocks and interceptions.

Harry Maguire (7/10):

Kept his nerve in the pressure-cooker atmosphere and made some excellent interventions while also moving the ball well.

Luke Shaw (7/10):

A class act and his return has made the world of difference. Composed and powerful with every action.

AdvertisementGetty Midfield

Sofyan Amrabat (5/10):

Not quick enough to cope with Galatasaray's quick transitions and was taken off early in the second half.

Bruno Fernandes (8/10):

Outstanding just when United needed him most. Set up the opener and his strike was simply stunning. Worked tirelessly throughout.

Scott McTominay (7/10):

Great movement for his goal but should have scored again and won the game for United.

GettyAttack

Antony (6/10):

An improvement on his recent dross and actually looked dangerous at times. But his eagerness to cut inside undid a couple of promising attacks.

Rasmus Hojlund (5/10):

Didn't get many openings and didn't hold the ball up well, leading to him being taken off very early. Mind you, he has just returned from injury.

Alejandro Garnacho (7/10):

Scored for the second game in a row and his off-the-ball movement was also impressive. Close to scoring again but was then bizarrely taken off.

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Kobbie Mainoo (7/10):

Calm as you like on the ball but struggled a bit physically.

Anthony Martial (5/10):

Didn't have enough pace to get behind and made the wrong decision more than once.

Diogo Dalot (6/10):

Created lots of danger when he came on but final ball was lacking.

Facundo Pellistri (5/10):

Missed two big chances and wanted to be the hero when he could have picked a better passing option.

Erik ten Hag (5/10):

For the second European game in a row his side surrendered a two-goal lead and he must shoulder some of the blame for that. Taking off dangerman Garnacho was also a baffling move.

An Everton fan has been handed a ban for shouting racist abuse towards Liverpool star Mohamed Salah and mocking the Heysel Stadium disaster.

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Fan yelled abuse as Salah's name read outAlso made mocking gestures about disasterAdmitted to charges and hit with fine and banWHAT HAPPENED?

Everton fan Joel Barwise shouted abuse when Salah's name was announced ahead of the Merseyside derby clash at Anfield on October 21. He also made gestures to taunt fans about the disaster at the 1985 European Cup final between Liverpool and Juventus in which 39 people died.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesWHAT BARWISE SAID

Barwise, 26, admitted the charges at Sefton Magistrates' Court. When asked why he had shouted racial abuse and mocked the disaster, he said: "Because I'm an idiot."

His actions were described as "disgraceful" by senior crown prosecutor Angela Conlan, who said: "Joel Barwise no doubt thinks of himself as a loyal Everton fan but his actions bring shame to his club. He made fun of a tragic football disaster and shouted racist abuse when a key Liverpool player's name was announced."

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Barwise, of Bentham Drive in Childwall, Liverpool, pleaded guilty to racially or religiously aggravated harassment causing alarm or distress by words or writing. He was fined £500 and fine and handed a three-year stadium ban.

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Liverpool went on to win the Premier League clash against Sean Dyche's side, with Salah scoring both goals. The Egypt star converted a penalty in the 75th minute before rounding off the game with a stoppage time effort.

Al-Nassr's Marcelo Brozovic and Aymeric Laporte got into a heated argument ahead of the club's AFC Champions League clash against Al-Fayha.

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Brozovic and Laporte involved in spatTeam-mates and staff get involvedAl-Nassr beat Al-Fayha 2-0 on the nightWHAT HAPPENED?

The former Manchester City defender appeared to have agitated the former Inter midfielder, who had to be restrained by members of the staff. Cameras followed the Al-Nassr midfielder as he appeared to be talking with Laporte before being shoved away by team-mate Ali Lajami. The Croatian turned around, and in order to keep things from getting out of control, a staff member had to step in between him and Lajami.

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In January 2023, Cristiano Ronaldo initiated the Saudi revolution; in the summer, Brozovic and Laporte also did the same. Having just squared off in the Champions League final—possibly the pinnacle of club football—the two were viewed as a tremendous coup for the Saudi game. After winning the game and a treble with City, Laporte left and became the most highly-regarded defender in the SPL right away. But the 29-year-old hasn't had an easy time of it; he recently acknowledged he was "disappointed" with his new home.

WHAT LUIS CASTRO SAID

Al-Nassr boss Luis Castro did not appear too worried about the incident when he spoke out after the match. "These confrontations can be a positive thing," he said after seeing his team progress to the next round.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR AL-NASSR?

The Saudi Pro League side managed to push past Al-Fayha to get into the quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League. They will next be in action when the club takes on Al-Shabab as they look to catch up with Al-Hilal at the top of the table.

Anderson Talisca netted a brilliant treble in Cristiano Ronaldo's absence as Al-Nassr were held to a crazy 4-4 draw by relegation-threatened Al-Hazm.

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Talisca scored trebleRonaldo watched on from standsNassr thought they won in injury timeWHAT HAPPENED?

Al-Nassr went into Thursday's game without Ronaldo and were held to a wild draw. Talisca scored from the penalty spot to open the scoring, but Hazm hit back. The hosts, in fact, took the lead on four occasions, and were pegged back each time, with Talisca netting two more in the second half before Sadio Mane scored a penalty of his own in the 97th minute. Hazm's final equaliser came in the ninth minute of injury time, through Paulo Ricardo.

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The result is a major boost for Al-Hilal, who are currently leading the Saudi Pro League. Hilal are now six points clear of Ronaldo and Co with a game in hand. It is all the more of a surprise because Hazm are 17th and have just 15 points from 22 games, sitting five points from safety. Nassr, by all accounts, were heavy favourites to record a comfortable win.

GettyDID YOU KNOW?

Talisca's treble means he has now scored 25 goals in 25 games in all competitions this season. Ronaldo, by comparison, has scored 28 goals in 29 outings. Nassr at least know that if the Portugal international is absent, they have a more than capable replacement.

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GettyWHAT NEXT?

Nassr will have to pick themselves up and go again ahead of this week's AFC Champions League quarter-final clash with Al Ain.