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It was the England squad that was out of date even before it was announced. Eberechi Eze was out before he knew he was in. His Euro 2020 had ended before he knew he might play a part in it. As he prepares for a belated England debut, two years after Gareth Southgate had first called him up, it nevertheless marks swift progress for a footballer released by Arsenal at 13, Fulham at 15 and Millwall at 18. Eze has a calmness that has enabled him to deal with setbacks, a quiet assurance that has stemmed from his faith. He has a belief in destiny, that things are meant to be. It helped him to deal with events of May 2021. “In training we were playing small-sided games, five v five, and I received the ball and went to push off and start running with it and I just felt a pop,” recalled the Crystal Palace midfielder. “It felt like someone had kicked me or someone behind me had stepped on my ankle but I looked around and no one was there. So I knew it was serious.” His immediate instincts were sadly correct. He required surgery. As he was digesting and disseminating the news, he discovered he was in England’s 33-man provisional squad for the tournament. Their number had to be reduced to 26. The luckless Eze was the first to go. “I had gone inside, had a little assessment from the doctor and he told me that I had done my Achilles,” Eze said. “I asked for my phone to tell my wife and my family and I saw I had the message I was in the provisional squad for England. For it to happen on that day…” Eze coped with greater equanimity than many others would have done. “I found myself at peace because I understood I wasn’t meant to be,” he said. He found England’s eventual run to the final “inspirational”. There was no bitterness, no sense it might have been him. “I look at things deep so I saw it, ‘listen this is just another hurdle on the way, you know what you can do and where you can get to, so the focus is to keep going and keep pushing,’” he explained. A theme of his career is that he does get there in the end, even if he is tripped up by the hurdles. “Against the odds, I am in this position,” he said. “Getting released from Millwall was quite tough, because that was the time when everyone is getting their pro contract and you don’t know where you are going.” He had passed through a series of clubs. Even when picked up by QPR, he made a solitary appearance before being loaned to League Two Wycombe. “Without that experience who knows if I would be here?” he wondered. Now he has found the approval of two England managers: both Southgate and Roy Hodgson, who signed him for Palace in 2020 and whose unexpected return to the dugout in April brought a burst of six goals in nine games for Eze, leading to international recognition. “He has insane wisdom,” said Eze. Hodgson and his long-time assistant Ray Lewington have helped Eze on and off the field, with his confidence, with his mental state, with their guidance. “I owe so much to them,” he added. “It has opened my eyes to more.” His chances of an England bow may be increased if the Manchester City duo of Jack Grealish and Phil Foden sit the game out after their Champions League final exertions. He hopes his parents will be able to join him in Malta. Eze is of Nigerian descent and qualified to play for two countries but when England called, it felt the right decision to accept their approach. He is a different type of talent, a player comfortable operating in small spaces, with the skill to prevail in close quarters. It is a result of his upbringing; fellow south Londoners like Wilfried Zaha and Jadon Sancho learnt the game in a similar way. “I think there’s load of players that have grown up playing in cages so they understand, they know what it is about,” he said. “It is fun, it is enjoyable, and it is where you get your first learning as a footballer in south London. It has helped massively and I can see that now in how I play, how I think and how I assess situations. It’s definitely a strength I have.” The journey from the cages of south London to Premier League pitches was indirect, his route to international football then obstructed by an ill-timed injury. It has not come easy for Eze. But the man who was released and rejected, injured and ill-fated could be an England international on Friday. Read More Eberechi Eze feels injury nightmare gave him platform for England recognition Manchester City quintet set to arrive for England duty on Tuesday evening Jude Bellingham uses pain of England’s near misses in bid for Euro 2024 glory Eberechi Eze feels injury nightmare gave him platform for England recognition Sportswashing is about to change football beyond anything you can imagine Football rumours: Man United, Real Madrid and Chelsea fight for Kylian Mbappe

LONDON (Reuters) -Shell will increase its dividend by 15%, starting in the second quarter of the year, and reduce capital

What the papers say Many of the papers speculate over Kylian Mbappe‘s future after the striker told Paris St Germain he did not want to extend his contract beyond 2024. Metro says Manchester United will lead the race to sign the 24-year-old if Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani completes his takeover at Old Trafford. The Times reports Real Madrid is the France international’s “most likely destination”, although Premier League clubs including Chelsea are expected to register their interest. Manchester City had also previously shown an interest in the forward but have since signed Erling Haaland. Elsewhere, Arsenal are seeking buyers for winger Nicolas Pepe and have no plans to reintegrate the £72 million club-record signing into their first-team squad ahead of next season, the Daily Telegraph says. The 28-year-old spent the 2022-23 campaign on loan at French side Nice. According to The Guardian, Romelu Lukaku has been offered a deal worth up to £20m a season by Al-Hilal, with Chelsea’s Hakim Ziyech, 30, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, 33, and Manchester City’s Riyad Mahrez, 32, also being targeted by clubs in Saudi Arabia. Chelsea striker Lukaku spent last season on loan at Inter Milan. Social media round-up Players to watch Manu Kone: The Daily Mail reports that Aston Villa and Wolves are interested in Borussia Monchengladbach’s 22-year-old midfielder, who has also been linked with Liverpool. David Raya: The Evening Standard says Tottenham are close to agreeing personal terms with the 27-year-old Brentford goalkeeper and hope to negotiate a lower fee with the Bees, who want £40m. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

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Marcus Rashford says he is fully committed to England and does not care if onlookers criticise or question his dedication to the national team. The 25-year-old is preparing for the Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia having withdrawn from March’s meet-up through injury. Rashford has had to pull out of numerous camps over the years but his decision to head to New York while England were winning their Group C opener 2-1 in Italy sparked debate. Boss Gareth Southgate defended the 51-cap forward’s decision to jet off to the United States at the time and the Manchester United forward says he was unmoved by critical voices. “I didn’t see it, to be honest with you,” Rashford said. “I didn’t see it until I got home. “I need time to switch off and recover, so I took a short trip, four days, then went back to do rehab and just try and get ready as soon as possible. “With injuries, you can’t predict when they’re going to happen. “Thankfully I have very few muscle strains and them type of injuries, but occasionally you do get impact injuries. The majority of my injuries have been that.” Asked if people questioning his commitment to playing for his country hurt, Rashford replied: “Honestly, it doesn’t. “I know that I’m committed to it 100 per cent, people are going to say what they’re going to say. It doesn’t really bother me.” Rashford laughed off that talk as he prepares to play in his first qualifier since England won 4-0 away to Kosovo in November 2019 – the last international before the schedule paused due to the coronavirus pandemic. He will surely get minutes in Friday’s Euro 2024 qualifier at Malta, but the availability of England’s Manchester City quintet is unclear. Jack Grealish, Kyle Walker, Phil Foden, John Stones and Kalvin Phillips arrived at St George’s Park on Tuesday after days celebrating their treble triumph. Saturday’s Champions League win over Inter Milan saw City join Manchester United as the only English sides to win the Premier League, FA Cup and European Cup – a bruising moment for the red half of the city. “To be honest, it’s not nice (to see City’s success) but at the same time it’s football,” United product Rashford said. “The best team that’s consistently playing the best football is going to win the most trophies and they’ve managed to win three this year. “Well done to them and we just move on now and it’s up to them to keep it up, and it’s up to the rest of us to try and catch them up.” Asked if City’s achievements provide extra motivation, United’s homegrown star said: “Yeah, 100 per cent.” Rashford’s attention now is squarely on international matters as a mammoth, unrelenting campaign finally comes to a conclusion. He has made an eye-watering 61 appearances for club and country in an unprecedented campaign that had the World Cup in Qatar wedged in the middle. That figure could reach 63 if he plays against Malta and at Old Trafford against North Macedonia on Monday – a qualifier that is just 23 days before United’s first pre-season match. Rashford, when asked about the need for the calendar to be looked at, said: “I think that’s evident. “It’s mad that at club level we’re playing against teams that are playing one game a week, and we’re playing three games a week from November up until we got knocked out of Europa League. “It’s difficult but at the same time we’re used to doing it, but I don’t think it’s right.” Rashford does not know what he would like to see altered but said he is “not the one that’s supposed to have the answers”. “The players are going to push ourselves to the absolute limits,” he added. “I did say it’s nothing new so it’s not a complaint or a dig, I’m just giving you my honest opinion and I don’t think it’s correct. “We need to be given more time to recover between certain games and at different stages of the season. “That’s my opinion but I don’t think it’s down to the players. We shouldn’t have to put ourselves in a position to speak out about something that we’re not in control of or we’re not going to make the final decision on.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan ‘recuperating’ from medical situation ‘Serial winners’ can help England finally celebrate silverware – Tyrone Mings Rob Page welcomes break for Brennan Johnson ahead of Wales’ Euro 2024 qualifiers

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