England have never boasted stronger competition for places than at the upcoming Euro 2024 tournament, according to Three Lions winger Anthony Gordon.
The Newcastle United forward will feature at his first major tournament with Gareth Southgate's senior side, who start their campaign against Serbia on Sunday.
Bukayo Saka, Cole Palmer, Phil Foden, Jarrod Bowen and Eberechi Eze are all other wide options as Southgate prepares to choose between a wealth of attacking riches on the wings.
Gordon believes England have rarely enjoyed such a depth of talent, heading into the tournament in Germany where they are seen as favourites alongside France.
"A few people have said it where the squad has never been so competitive in terms of everyone is in form and everyone has come here in a really good place," he said.
"There is definitely competition for places. Everyone is going to be at their best to try and play."
Manchester City defender John Stones offered cause for concern after an injury during Friday's surprise 1-0 defeat against Iceland, though was involved in training ahead of England's opener in Gelsenkirchen.
Luke Shaw also featured in the pre-tournament session but the Manchester United full-back will be managed closely as his recovery from a hamstring issue continues.
"I was a bit worried when [Stones] went down [against Iceland] because he's such a big player for us but he's fine," Gordon added. "He's got an elite mentality, so I've had faith in him.
"[Shaw] is back in training now and doing really well. I did a bit of my rehab with him and he was way far ahead of schedule. He was doing great, which is good."
Southgate hit the headlines on Monday after suggesting the European Championship marked his "last chance" as England manager.
Yet Gordon hopes the England boss continues his tenure past when his current contract is due to end in December.
"From a selfish point I would want him to stay," he continued. "I love working with him and his staff.
"From my youth journey with England, the way they have transitioned the whole set-up from youth to senior level has been absolutely amazing and I don't think they get the credit he deserves."
'It's on me' - Rodgers takes blame for Celtic changes in nervy Falkirk triumph
Brendan Rodgers said his wholesale Celtic changes might have backfired after resorting to the bench to overturn a deficit in their 5-2 win over Falkirk in the Scottish League Cup.
Rodgers made eight changes to the side that thumped Slovan Bratislava in the Champions League on Wednesday, but the hosts found themselves behind early on.
Ross MacIver handed Falkirk the lead in the 11th minute, with Paulo Bernardo's leveller cancelled out by Finn Yeats in first-half injury time.
The Celtic head coach made a quadruple substitution on the hour mark, with the introductions of Nicolas Kuhn and Arne Engels proving decisive in deciding the contest.
Kuhn provided the assists for Adam Idah's quickfire double, before the German got himself on the scoresheet with a brace of his own to secure Celtic's semi-final spot.
The Bhoys will face Aberdeen in the semi-finals, with Rodgers expecting another difficult test for his side.
"It's always a risk making changes. You could see that connection wasn't quite there for the first hour," Rodgers said.
"If there's any blame on the first hour, it's on me. I make the changes. Falkirk were aggressive and pressed us really well. Full credit to them.
"Looking at the Aberdeen results, they've been excellent. When it comes round, it will be a good game."
Arteta lauds 'miracle' Arsenal display after Trossard dismissal
Mikel Arteta labelled Arsenal's 2-2 draw with Manchester City as a "miracle" after spending 56 minutes down to 10 men following Leandro Trossard's dismissal.
Erling Haaland's 100th Manchester City goal had put the hosts in front in the ninth minute, only for Riccardo Calafiori and Gabriel Magalhaes to turn the game on its head.
Despite their goal advantage at the break, the Gunners also entered the interval with a man less after Trossard was given his marching orders for a second yellow card.
The visitors withstood an endless wave of City pressure, facing 28 shots in the second half before John Stones netted in the eighth minute of injury time.
While Arsenal will leave the Etihad disappointed with not taking all three points, Arteta lauded his players for their efforts against "the best team in the world".
"I am so proud of the team. We played the game in a difficult context. Playing against the best team in the world," Arteta said.
"After what happened, we went 2-1 up - it was a different story and I prefer not to make any comment about that [Leandro Trossard's red card].
"Obviously, it is already a miracle we played 56 minutes at the Etihad with 10 men. It is unbelievable what we have done."
However, Arteta was far less effusive about Michael Oliver's decision to show Trossard a second yellow card for delaying the restart after fouling Bernardo Silva.
Since the Spaniard's first game in charge of the Gunners, he has seen 17 players red carded in the Premier League - at least four more than any other club.
"It is very obvious, I don't need to talk about it. I think the red card is very clear, very obvious what people think," Arteta continued.
"It is not my job to come here and judge what happened.
"My job is to survive in one of the most difficult environments there is in football for 55 minutes and try to get things done to survive.
"The rest is not my job, but it has already happened twice in five games, which is very worrying to see in the best league, the Premier League.
"[The red card] makes the situation impossible. It is very, very hard to play with 11 players, with ten it is impossible.
"With ten you have to defend your six-yard box time and time again."
It was a frustrating afternoon for the reigning champions, with Pep Guardiola's side restricted to very little by Arsenal's stern defensive resolve.
The Gunners averaged just 12.5% possession after the break, with City failing to make their advantage count until the last kick of an enthralling encounter.
In Arsenal's attempts to halt the City onslaught, a number of players went down with cramp, much to the frustration of the home faithful packed inside the Etihad.
"I don't know how many [Arsenal] players went down with cramp, but that can of course happen in a demanding game," Guardiola added.
"We crossed and crossed and had Ruben [Dias], Manuel [Akanji], Erling [Haaland] but when you cross they have Declan Rice, William Saliba, Gabriel, Riccardo Calafiori, so it is so difficult.
"There were ten players there. In the end, we got what we deserved.
"Maybe I would have done the same because it is with ten men. You have to ask Mikel [Arteta] what the tactic was.
"They were good with the long balls into Kai Havertz who is so strong and they go for the second balls.
"In the end we were patient, had the chances and got the goal. That's all."
Villarreal 1-5 Barcelona: Raphinha and Lewandowski at the double
Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha both scored twice to help Barcelona thrash Villarreal 5-1 on Sunday.
Barcelona suffered their first defeat of the season when they went down to Monaco in the Champions League in midweek, but Hansi Flick's team bounced back in style in LaLiga.
They have now won their opening six league matches under Flick to start the season.
Lewandowski found the net twice inside 35 minutes before Villarreal pulled a quick one back through Ayoze Perez.
But Pablo Torre made it 3-1 after the break and Raphinha completed the rout for Barca with two goals late in the second half.
Barcelona did, however, lose goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen just before half-time after the German goalkeeper fell and was visibly in pain as he was carried off the pitch on a stretcher.
The Blaugrana remain top of the standings as they preserved a four-point lead over defending champions Real Madrid in second.
Data Debrief: Ten in a row for free-scoring Barca
That is now 10 LaLiga wins on the spin for Barca over the course of this season and the end of last. That is their longest such winning streak since 2017, when Lionel Messi was still running the show.
Barca have now scored 23 goals in all competitions this season, a tally bettered only by Bayern Munich (29).
The Blaugrana's five goals on Sunday came from 4.08 xG, though Villarreal did have chances of their own, accumulating 2.11 xG, so Flick will want to see his team tighten up at the back.
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