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Australia midfielder Massimo Luongo feels everyone in his country is now a Tottenham supporter following the remarkable start Ange Postecoglou has made to life in England. Spurs lead the Premier League on goal difference from north London rivals Arsenal going into the international break and are unbeaten in the league since the former Socceroos boss took charge. He is the first Australian to be appointed in England’s top flight and has caused a sensation in his home country by transforming the club’s playing style in just a few months. Luongo, who after helping Ipswich to second place in the Championship has been recalled to the national team for the first time since 2019 for Friday’s meeting with England at Wembley and next week’s game against New Zealand, was an unused member of Postecoglou’s squad for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. He has featured in every one of his club’s league fixtures this campaign as Kieran McKenna’s side have won nine of their first 11 games to install themselves as early favourites to land consecutive promotions. It follows a period in the international wilderness during which he endured difficult spells at Sheffield Wednesday and Middlesbrough, with injuries contributing to a lack of playing time and a “difficult time mentally”. His last call-up was in October 2019, but he has impressed enough at Portman Road to earn a recall from boss Graham Arnold. Australia reached the last 16 of the World Cup in Qatar under Arnold – their fifth consecutive finals – before being eliminated by eventual winners Argentina, their best performance at the tournament since 2006. And Luongo, who was long-listed for the Ballon d’Or in 2015 in part for his showing at the Socceroos’ victorious Asian Cup campaign, said that though there are comparisons to be made, the two coaches should be judged on their own merits. “They’re completely different, like most managers,” he said. “Ange has his ways, Arnie has his ways. (The 2014 World Cup) was definitely an enjoyable time. (Postecoglou) brought me from Swindon in League One and he gave me my chance. “What he’s doing now is incredible. Every Aussie is following him now, I think every Aussie is secretly a Tottenham supporter. It’s great to watch from afar. “Being in this country, I think he’s just a genuine person, you see that in his media interviews. He’s got so much passion for the game, he’s just hungry for success. And that’s what we have here (with Arnold).” Australia are ranked 27th in the world but were buoyed by their success in Qatar, knocking out Euro 2020 semi-finalists Denmark to progress from their group. They will be looking to replicate the result the last time they met England in London, running out 3-1 winners at West Ham’s Upton Park as Three Lions manager Sven-Goran Eriksson made 11 half-time substitutions. “England are one of the best in the world,” said Luongo. “But even at Ipswich we look at teams ahead of us who we want to replicate, (like) Man City, the best team in the world. “We’re alright, we’re doing well, we’re a good Australia team. People underestimate that. “No matter who you play I think Aussies have that DNA that you don’t just roll over and give up. That Argentina game (in Qatar), I watched it, if it goes on for another 30 minutes, we get an equaliser, easily an equaliser. It’s just the nature of football. When momentum is with you, you never know.” He added that there have been significant changes to the national team set-up since his last call-up. “(There are) a lot of young players,” he said. “The staff, there’s a lot more backing now. The set-up has (improved), there are no corners cut. Things you wouldn’t even think of are covered, more beds and physios, the food; everything. They’re trying to create an atmosphere that’s as top-level as you can get. “The expectation now is really high. The World Cup is a big evidence that we can beat top teams, especially European teams. “I think we’re definitely in a transition period of younger players coming through. At the moment you can’t really judge the team based on the first year of four years building up to a World Cup. “The manager’s got three more years to build a team and see where they get to. These games are a building process. I promise you the team now will look very different to the next World Cup team.” Read More Tommy Fury ‘could beat KSI after 15 pints of beer’ as he eyes world title Jarrod Bowen ‘in a good place’ on England return Rob Page against Wales games moving to Principality Stadium ahead of Euro 2028 Man City boss Gareth Taylor says communication key to improving officiating Dawid Malan thrilled to ‘keep silencing people’ with World Cup hundred FA chief Mark Bullingham: Critical the whole country feels involved in Euro 2028

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Zhanna Samsonova was just 39 when she died, reportedly from “starvation and exhaustion”, thousands of miles from her birthplace in Moscow, Russia. The Instagram influencer’s tragic story has come under scrutiny due to her promotion of a completely “raw” diet, which reports have suggested was linked to her death. Under the name Zhanna D’Art, Samsonova regularly wrote about how she subsisted exclusively on fruit, vegetables, seeds, smoothies and juices while living in Malaysia. Her mother, Vera, attributed Samsonova’s death to a “cholera-like infection” that was exacerbated by her diet. In recent weeks, Samsonova had been unusually quiet on Instagram, with the exception of a troubling post shared just days before her death on 21 July. “Life is meaningless but worth living provided you recognise it’s meaningly,” she wrote, over a photo of herself wearing sunglasses, with a gasping expression on her face. Vera, 63, told Russian newspaper Novye Izvestia how she had begged her daughter to return home as she feared for her health. “I understood that Zhanna was about to die, but still I could not help her in any way. My daughter's life has turned into a nightmare,” she said, via LBC. She told the publication that she had “fought for years” to save her daughter, once an aspiring model, but she “refused to listen”. Samsonova is believed to have left Russia in 2006, buying a one-way ticket to spend the past 17 years travelling around Asia while blogging and practicing yoga. Photos shared by Vera showed a smiling Samsonova apparently taking part in a modelling contest. The images are in stark contrast to the final photos she shared of herself before her death, where she appeared visibly gaunt and malnourished. Her friends also spoke with local media, confessing they feared she was suffering from anorexia and that her diet was becoming increasingly limited. One of her neighbours, who was not named, said she was “horrified” when they met in Sri Lanka a few months ago, as Samsonova looked “exhausted” and had swollen legs “oozing lymph”. “They sent her home to seek treatment. However, she ran away again. When I saw her in Phuket, I was horrified,” the friend said, according to The Sun. “I lived one floor above her and every day I feared finding her lifeless body in the morning. I convinced her to seek treatment, but she didn’t make it.” Samsonova regularly made claims about the supposed benefits of her raw food diet, including that it offered “natural” protection from Covid-19. She also claimed that her body did not “require” water, writing last year that her fruit-based diet meant she had gone without water for the past six years. In recent months, she appeared to have become a fan of the durian fruit, sharing frequent posts that promoted it. “It’s that fabulous time of year again – Durian Season in Thailand!” she wrote in the caption of one of her final videos. “Wake Up And Smell the Durian! For all you durian lovers out there, isn’t it just the best? And for those who haven’t yet experienced the joy of durian, you’re in for a wild ride!” When she died, Samsonova had around 16,000 followers. At the time of writing, however, that number had increased to 33,000. There have been previous cases where people have starved to death due to their extreme diets, including children whose food intake was controlled by their parents. Last year, a vegan mother was sentenced to life in prison over the death of her 18-month-old son, who was fed a diet of raw fruits and vegetables. Prosecutors said that Sheila O’Leary’s son Ezra was severely malnourished, and weighed just 17 pounds when he died in September 2019. O’Leary was convicted by a Florida jury in June 2022 of first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse, aggravated manslaughter of a child, child abuse and two counts of child neglect. For anyone struggling with the issues raised in this article, eating disorder charity Beat’s helpline is available 365 days a year on 0808 801 0677. NCFED offers information, resources and counselling for those suffering from eating disorders, as well as their support networks. Visit eating-disorders.org.uk or call 0845 838 2040 Read More Vegan raw food influencer ‘dies of starvation and exhaustion’ ‘Love, obsession, extortion and murder’: The dramatic downfall of TikTok influencer who became a killer Royal family silent as Meghan Markle celebrates 42nd birthday Who was controversial vegan raw food influencer Zhanna D’Art: Health expert Dr Michael Mosley shares two tips for avoiding osteoporosis Will Smith says Willow ‘mutiny’ changed his view on family success

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