Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek believes he still has the quality to play for England and dreams of featuring at the 2022 World Cup.
Loftus-Cheek earned his maiden call-up to Gareth Southgate's squad when on loan at Crystal Palace in November 2017, producing a man-of-the-match performance on his senior debut in a 0-0 draw with Germany.
The 26-year-old was then a part of Southgate's 23-man party for the 2018 World Cup and appeared as a second-half substitute in the opening win over Tunisia.
However, he did not feature for the rest of the tournament, in which England were beaten semi-finalists by Croatia, and injuries forced him to withdraw from each national squad during the 2018-19 campaign.
A ruptured Achilles suffered in May 2019 kept him on the sidelines for over a year, but Loftus-Cheek now features regularly at Chelsea under Thomas Tuchel after a season on loan at Fulham in 2020-21.
Loftus-Cheek has played his most Premier League minutes for Chelsea this term (1,309) and started his most games (13), and he insists he still has the ability to perform for England, who head to Qatar in November.
"It's always a dream for me to play for England at a World Cup, so it was an incredible experience to be part of the squad in 2018 off the back of my first full Premier League season at Crystal Palace," he told Sky Sports.
"I was feeling good but I've not been in the fold now for a while. I still want to play for England and I still believe my qualities will allow me to.
"I'll keep pushing but the focus right now is on getting a top-four finish and winning the FA Cup with Chelsea."
Loftus-Cheek's attention will turn to an FA Cup final against Liverpool on Saturday, after Chelsea visit strugglers Leeds United in the league on Wednesday.
The midfielder, who made his 50th league start for Chelsea last week, also believes his long-awaited chance to feature regularly offers those in the Blues' academy hope and a clear pathway to the first team.
"Chelsea have always brought through talent and made talent coming through the ranks," he added.
"For me, maybe I didn't really have anyone to look up to. Other than John Terry, there weren't players coming through from the academy to the first team regularly.
"I didn't have the idol to look up to and see where I could go but now you see the players who have reached the first team and hopefully the boys can see there is a pathway and see it can be done in different ways.
"You might not just go straight through, you might have to go on loan, but the pathway is there to end up in the Chelsea first team.
"If you're coming through from the Under 18s or Under 23s, just training with the first team can help so much.
"You can soak in so much information, but it does reach a point where you've played with the first team for a bit and you feel you can handle that level then for sure there's no substitute for playing regularly – whether that's in the Championship or a different country.
"You just need to get that stimulus of playing every week, and that's the foundation of your footballing knowledge. It helps you to better understand your body.
"I didn't necessarily have that consistency growing up so it was very difficult for me to have that base of fitness and confidence in myself but everyone has a different journey.
"Hopefully we can inspire those boys in the Under-23s and below that it can be done."
Salah's contract 'up to him and the club', says Slot
Arne Slot has asserted Mohamed Salah’s future is “up to him and the club”.
The Liverpool star has yet to make a decision on whether to renew his contract, and as it stands, will be leaving Anfield at the end of the season.
Salah remains a key player for the Reds, and leads the club for Premier League goals (seven) and assists (five) this term.
He scored the winner in the 72nd minute to complete Liverpool’s comeback against Brighton in the Premier League on Saturday, as they moved to the top of the table.
And despite the question marks over Salah's future, Slot is not concerned.
"[His future] is not what I think about. The only thing I think about is he is so important for us. Scores important goals, works hard for the team," the Liverpool boss told TNT Sports.
"I’m hoping he can enjoy that feeling many, many, many more times. Especially if I’m here but also if I’m not here. I’m hoping he can do this many more times.
"He’s been incredible for Liverpool over the past eight years. He’s been incredible for us this season and I hope he can continue doing this for the rest of the season and maybe longer to come, but that’s up to him and the club to find the idea about the future."
Salah could be in for a historic night on Tuesday when Liverpool face Bayer Leverkusen, having scored in each of his last five Champions League appearances at Anfield.
The last player to score in six consecutive home games in the competition for an English club was Ruud van Nistelrooy for Manchester United in April 2003.
Salah sparked renewed talk over his future after posting on Instagram on Sunday, saying that the feeling of scoring at Anfield would remain unforgettable “no matter what happens.”
But Slot was keen to quash any deeper meaning in the post.
"I haven’t spoken to him about that. You interpreted it in a way that maybe other people don’t," he told the press.
"I don’t look at Instagram posts of my players, I only talk to them which you can’t, which is the advantage I have.
"Mo is in a very good place at the moment. As long as he has been at Liverpool, he has been in a very good place, but this season again as well. I am hoping he will make a post after tomorrow and on Saturday again. What he said with that, that is not important.
"For me what is important is how he plays and what he tells me when we have conversations. That is what matters and not how you guys interpret one of his posts."
All or nothing: TTFA president Edwards gives Yorke World Cup qualifying mandate in two-year agreement
Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) president Kieron Edwards has given recently appointed Head coach Dwight Yorke a mandate of qualifying the senior Soca Warriors to the Fifa Men’s World Cup or risk being replaced.
Edwards made the declaration during an interview on I95.5 FM on Saturday, as he pointed out that their World Cup qualifying ambition was the driving force behind the move to replace Angus Eve.
“It’s not just about selecting a coach. It is about the process, the journey and qualifying to the World Cup,” Edwards said.
Still, Edwards, who was elected TTFA president in April, explained that getting to the World Cup was a medium-term goal for his administration and, as such, they opted for a change in approach to accomplish that objective.
“We had to get the process right. We had to get where we wanted to go and make sure we had the mechanics within the TTFA right to make sure we get there and I think we reached the best choice for the men’s national senior team,” he shared.
“The entire team met and we laid out our short-term goals, medium-term goals and long-term goals. The medium-term goal was to qualify for the World Cup in the next two years. When we evaluated everything, we thought we needed a change...and the executive decided we wanted to go in a different direction.” Edwards added.
That said, Edwards reaffirmed his unwavering support for the current crop of Soca Warriors players to get the Twin Island Republic to another World Cup for the first time since 2006.
In fact, he revealed that Yorke’s two-year contract is with an agreement that he successfully qualifies the team to the 2026 global showpiece.
The Soca Warriors currently sit second in Group B on four points, two points behind leaders Costa Rica ahead of the resumption of qualifying action in 2025.
“With the right support and with the guys we have, I do believe we can qualify for a World Cup. We need a coach that understands the culture we have, with players coming back in two, three days before a game. Dwight was the ideal choice for us and he understands the culture of teams in Concacaf as well,” Edwards noted.
“In terms of that professional to approach the game, I think Dwight really brings that to T&T football. I think this project for our executive and for Dwight is about qualifying for the World Cup. It’s qualifying for the World Cup or nothing. I am sure I know Dwight’s pride. He will not stay on with the TTFA or with any club if he has failed to live up to his high standards,” the TTFA president opined.
Beyond the on-field obligations Edwards said it will take an estimated US$4 million to ensure Yorke and his team has the best possible chance throughout their campaign.
“The government through the Ministry of Sport has been involved in every campaign. We truly believe qualifying for the World Cup, taking it to the back end of 2025 will take about US$4 million. When we relate the proposal, we are hoping to get 30-33 per cent from the government,” Edwards said.
Neymar suffers fresh injury blow
Neymar sustained a new injury as he was forced off during Al-Hilal's AFC Champions League Elite win over Esteghlal.
Aleksandar Mitrovic plundered a hat-trick on Monday to seal a 3-0 win.
But Al-Hilal's victory was soured by an injury to Neymar, who had to make way just 29 minutes after he came on as a second-half substitute.
The Brazilian, who has just returned from over a year out of action following a serious knee injury, was forced off with what appeared to be a thigh issue.
Indeed, Monday's appearance was only the 32-year-old's second for Al-Hilal since his comeback.
He has featured just seven times for the Saudi Pro League champions in all competitions since his big-money move from Paris Saint-Germain in 2023.
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