Roberto De Zerbi revealed Lewis Dunk has played through the pain barrier to aid Brighton’s European quest as he backed his captain for an England recall.
Seagulls centre-back Dunk has been ever-present in the Premier League this campaign but could begin on the bench against champions Manchester City on Wednesday evening due to ongoing calf and back issues.
Albion boss De Zerbi admits the 31-year-old took time to adapt to his high-intensity, possession-based style of play after he replaced Graham Potter in September.
Yet the Italian says influential leader Dunk has since cemented his status as a guaranteed starter and “deserves” another shot at international football.
“At first it was not so easy for him to understand my idea but he gave me total availability,” said De Zerbi.
“I would like him to be more open because he doesn’t speak a lot but he’s an example inside of the dressing room, inside of the pitch.
“He’s playing with a lot of problems because he has calf and back problems but he is playing every game.
“Tomorrow he can start on the bench but I don’t know because if he can play with me in Brighton, he has to play always.”
England manager Gareth Southgate will on Wednesday name his squad for next month’s Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia.
Dunk was capped by Southgate in a 3-0 friendly win over the United States in November 2018 but has not featured again for his country.
“He deserves to play in the national team,” said De Zerbi.
“It’s not my work to decide the players of the national team but for us it should be a target.
“I hope he can play in the national team.”
Brighton secured continental football next term with two games to spare thanks to Sunday’s 3-1 win over relegated Southampton.
Sixth-placed Albion will almost certainly be in the Europa League due to their healthy goal difference but need one more point to banish any prospect of having to settle for the Europa Conference League.
De Zerbi has warned the Seagulls must improve their squad during the summer in order to avoid potentially following divisional rivals Leicester and West Ham in slipping from European contenders to relegation candidates.
The Foxes are on the brink of falling into the Sky Bet Championship after playing in Europe during the previous two seasons, while David Moyes’ Europa Conference League finalists were in danger of the drop for much of this campaign.
“I push with Tony (Bloom, Brighton owner) to improve the squad every day,” said De Zerbi.
“I don’t want my club to spend too much money but we have to improve. To compete in four competitions, we have to improve and know the situation.
“Leicester, West Ham this year explain the Premier League.
“If you don’t improve year by year you can find a surprise the year after because our achievement this year is not important for the next year.
“Next year we will start not in sixth position, we start level with the other teams.”
Football rumours: Magpies hope new deal prevents Bruno Guimaraes flying the nest
The in-demand Bruno Guimaraes looks set to stay at Newcastle after the club reportedly offered him £200,000 a week to stay at the club in an effort to see off advances from Liverpool, Real Madrid and Barcelona, the Sun said.
If the 25-year-old midfielder agrees to the terms it would make him the highest paid player at the club.
The Daily Mail said Portuguese forward Joao Felix has been offered to Newcastle on a loan deal after Chelsea opted not to sign the forward on a permanent transfer from Atletico Madrid.
Harry Kane has expressed his desire to stay in England and move to Manchester United this summer rather than a move overseas, with the Sun claiming he is willing to see out his contract and leave Tottenham as a free agent next year if his transfer is blocked.
Tottenham are reportedly increasing their interest in Celtic’s Australian manager Ange Postecoglou, according to the Daily Mail.
The Telegraph says Sam Allardyce’s short stint at Leeds is set to come to an end on Thursday as the veteran manager is set to meet with the club’s senior figures.
Social media round-upPlayers to watchBenjamin Pavard: The 27-year-old French defender does not want to renew his contract at Bayern Munich in 2024 with Manchester United, Inter Milan and Barcelona all interested in his signature, according to French outlet L’Equipe.
Kalidou Koulibaly: Chelsea are reportedly looking to sell the Senegalese defender over the summer, the Evening Standard said. Chelsea signed him from Serie A team Napoli last year for around £33million.
Sarina Wiegman frustrated over timing of players being released for World Cup
Sarina Wiegman has expressed her frustration over the uncertainty surrounding England’s World Cup preparations as talks continue regarding the timing of players being released for duty ahead of the tournament.
The showpiece in Australia and New Zealand gets under way on July 20, and in mid-May, the European Club Association and FIFA announced they had reached an agreement establishing a non-mandatory release period of June 23-29.
The ECA and FIFA said that timeframe, to act as a guideline for clubs and national associations with exact dates to be agreed between them, “strikes the all-important balance between players having sufficient rest while allowing adequate time to prepare for the World Cup”.
The plan for England had been to start a pre-tournament camp on June 19, and boss Wiegman, who named her 23-player squad for the World Cup on Wednesday, said: “Of course that’s frustrating because we have all our plans, we thought we were all set and then like a month ago, all of a sudden, things change.
“We didn’t expect that, and it’s so late. I do understand, it’s about the calendar. It’s really hard. It’s about players having rest. We have to collaborate and talk to each other to try to solve that.
“But now in a short time like this, we’re all set and a month before we start, it all changes. That’s frustrating and it’s hard too because I think this is not the time to do this. It’s the time to do that later and solve it after this tournament.”
Wiegman was asked specifically about midfielder Georgia Stanway, who plays for Bayern Munich, and said: “I still hope we negotiate. At this point it’s hard but we’re trying to get the conversation going again.”
The Dutchwoman said the June 19 plan had been in place since last November, adding: “When we came to these plans, of course we have our principles, the knowledge, the expertise and experience, so we made the plan starting the 19th (of June).
“We spoke about that with the captains’ group, then with the players. We are in contact with clubs now and it’s very constructive but it’s not finalised yet.
“When you go to a World Cup, it’s the highest level, the most density, volume, so you have to be at your highest level.
“We also know that if you have more than two weeks’ rest, which if you would start later on you would have 26 days of no football, that’s not good for the preparation for the players, for the welfare of players that wouldn’t be good. So that’s why we want to start on June 19.
“It’s not only the physiology, it’s also the decision-making in football and getting really ready to start when we start on the 22nd (of July v Haiti).
“And knowing we’re going to the other side of the world, that takes a couple of days too. It’s two days of travelling, you can’t start training straight away because we first have to beat the jet-lag, so we really need that time to get prepared, so I just hope that we keep going with the good conversations and we can solve this.”
England are due to fly to Australia on July 5, and Wiegman also said regarding a warm-up fixture prior to that date: “The reason why we can’t tell you anything about that has to do with when we can start.
“If we start on June 19 we have enough days to get ready for such a game, but if we start later then you have too short a time to get ready for a fixture.”
Youri Tielemans confirms Leicester exit
Youri Tielemans has announced that he is leaving Leicester.
The 26-year-old joined the Foxes from Monaco on loan in 2019 before signing a permanent deal on a four-year contract.
Tielemans is out of contract this summer and his departure comes after Leicester were relegated from the Premier League on the final day of the season on Sunday.
Their relegation came just seven years after being crowned Premier League champions and two seasons since winning the FA Cup against Chelsea, where Tielemans scored a stunning goal to seal victory.
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“Dear Leicester fans, after four and a half special years and with a lot of gratitude I’m bidding farewell to this incredible club,” the Belgium international said in a video on Instagram.
“From the first day I set foot on this ground, your warmth and passion embraced me.
“Victory and triumph, love, hope and even defeat, we’ve shared many special moments together.
“I am forever grateful for your unwavering support, thank you to Khun Top, the board, the staff, the players and fans for having given me and my family a home.
“This is not a goodbye, but a heartfelt farewell. With pride, love and eternal gratitude, Youri Tielemans.”
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