Jude Bellingham’s meteoric rise continued as he was awarded the Kopa Trophy for the best player under the age of 21 in world football.

The Real Madrid and England midfielder picked up the trophy at the Ballon d’Or event in France, where the 20-year-old finished 18th for the main award.

Bellingham has hit 13 goals in 13 appearances since moving to Madrid in the summer, including a double to lead Real to victory in his first El Clasico against Barcelona on Saturday.

The Kopa Trophy was awarded for his form last season, when Bellingham helped Borussia Dortmund to finish second in the Bundesliga and starred for England at the World Cup in Qatar.

“I just want to thank everyone who has helped me get to this point – from Birmingham to Dortmund and now Real Madrid and the national team,” he said.

“Thanks for the support, it means a lot – and more to come.”

Former winners Gavi and Pedri – both of Barcelona – were in the top five, as was Bellingham’s Real Madrid team-mate Eduardo Camavinga.

Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala came second, having roomed with Bellingham during their time together in the England youth set-up.

Bellingham had finished second in 2021, with Manchester United’s Jadon Sancho the only other England player to ever finish in the top three – taking second place in 2019 while at Dortmund.

Anwar El Ghazi is set to play for Mainz again after the German club said he has “distanced” himself from a social media post about the Israel-Hamas conflict.

The former Aston Villa forward was suspended on October 17 by the Bundesliga club, who called the now-deleted Instagram post “intolerable”.

It was widely reported that El Ghazi would have his contract terminated, but Mainz have confirmed that the 28-year-old Dutchman will be staying.

A club statement read: “Anwar El Ghazi is warned by 1. FSV Mainz 05 for publishing a post on social media two weeks ago.

“After the publication, the club immediately released its player from training and games.

“Since then, in several conversations with the club’s board, El Ghazi has distanced himself from his post on his Instagram channel, which he himself deleted after just a few minutes.

“He regretted the publication of the article and its negative impact, especially for the entire club.

“In this context, El Ghazi also clearly distanced himself from terrorist acts such as those by Hamas, which led to a renewed escalation of violence in the Middle East two weeks ago, to the board.”

The club added: “He (El Ghazi) emphasised his sympathy with the victims of this attack as well as with all victims of this conflict. He made it clear that he did not question Israel’s right to exist.

“The club’s board clearly emphasised to Anwar El Ghazi in the discussions that it requires its employees to commit to the club’s values.

“This implies a special responsibility towards the State of Israel and the Jewish people, which derives from German history, but also the history of the club with its Jewish club co-founder Eugen Salomon.

“Against the background of El Ghazi’s commitment and the remorse he has shown, the club’s culture of dealing with mistakes requires that the player be given a chance for rehabilitation.

“Anwar El Ghazi will therefore return to training and games at 1. FSV Mainz 05 as soon as possible.”

El Ghazi joined Mainz on a free transfer last month from PSV Eindhoven and has made three substitute appearances.

He played for Lille and Ajax before moving to Villa in 2018. He made nearly 120 appearances in four years at Villa and also had a loan spell at Everton during his time in England.

Celtic midfielder Reo Hatate is unlikely to play again before Christmas.

The Japan international suffered a hamstring injury in the first minute of last week’s Champions League draw with Atletico Madrid, and tests have revealed significant damage.

Manager Brendan Rodgers said: “Reo, we are not 100 per cent on the exact timings, but he is certainly going to be out until after Christmas, we think, so that’s a shame.”

The 25-year-old will miss a major chunk of the season with Celtic playing 12 games before Christmas, including three in the Champions League.

The Hoops travel to Dundee on Boxing Day before hosting Rangers four days later and Hatate may face an extended period out given the winter break follows Celtic’s trip to play St Mirren on January 2.

Rodgers added: “It’s a disappointment for him. He has had a bit of a broken start to the season and obviously this will take him over the halfway point in the league.

“So it is very frustrating for him, especially someone who really commits himself to his game and his professionalism. Everything he does, he tries to do right.

“But he is in a great place for that support, from the coaches, the manager to the medical team, the whole staff here will support him like we do with all the players. And hopefully we will get him back sooner rather than later.”

Hatate had a six-week spell out with a hamstring injury in his other leg towards the end of last season, and missed a month with a calf injury earlier this term. So Celtic will explore all avenues to ensure Hatate’s return to fitness is lasting.

“That’s the ideal scenario,” Rodgers said. “It’s just investigating everything he is doing outside of here as well as here and trying to piece it all together.

“There are also unfortunately players that, sadly, their collagen means they pick up lots of injuries and how their body is, and they can just maybe sometimes never stay fit.

“He is a guy that has come into the game late. He has done fantastic when he has been fit and available for Celtic.

“It’s just a case of trying to look deeper into everything around his development and what he is doing here and what he is doing away from here, just to see if there is anything that we can find out.

“Because ideally you want your best players available, and he is certainly one of our top players.”

There was better news for Rodgers ahead of Wednesday’s cinch Premiership meeting with St Mirren after Alistair Johnston was passed fit after taking a clearance to the face during Saturday’s draw with Hibernian.

Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham continued their stunning starts to life at their new clubs with multi-goal performances over the weekend.

Bellingham’s brace fired Real Madrid to victory over Barcelona in El Clasico while Kane hit a hat-trick in Bayern Munich’s 8-0 rout of Darmstadt in the Bundesliga.

Here, the PA news agency looks at the England duo’s season to date.

Goals galore

Kane kick-started the second-half scoring in Bayern’s wild win on Saturday, in a game which at half-time was goalless with Bayern playing with 10 men to Darmstadt’s nine.

His eventual treble, completed in the 88th minute and including one from his own half, sees him one ahead of Bellingham in the scoring stakes this season but the latter’s contribution on Saturday stands out as all the more impressive.

With Real trailing to Ilkay Gundogan’s early goal for Barca, Bellingham blasted a stunning 30-yard equaliser midway through the second half before popping up with a close-range volley in stoppage time to give his side the Clasico spoils and a four-point lead over their rivals in LaLiga.

It is the third time this season he has scored twice in a game, following the wins over Almeria and Osasuna, giving him a goal-a-game record in his first 13 games for the Spanish giants.

Kane, in the same number of matches, has 14 goals, including another hat-trick in a 7-0 win over Bochum and a brace against Augsburg.

Both men scored in England’s 3-1 win over Scotland, one of three appearances this season for the national team as they sat out the friendly with Australia. That gives Bellingham 14 goals in 16 games for club and country and Kane, who added a brace against Italy, 17 in 16.

Bellingham, of course, has produced those numbers from an attacking midfield position and while acclimatising to a more advanced role than he had been used to with former clubs Borussia Dortmund and Birmingham, or with England. Kane leads the line and has already benefitted from four penalties for Bayern and another against Italy.

Brits abroad

Kane and Bellingham are already on their way to establishing themselves among the most prolific English or British players overseas.

Gary Lineker scored 20 goals in his debut LaLiga season with Barcelona, and 52 in 138 games for the club across three seasons in all competitions.

Michael Owen netted 16 times in his one season at Real, where David Beckham won a league title in his fourth and final season and Steve McManaman won two Champions Leagues, scoring in the 2000 final.

Wales’ record scorer Gareth Bale was another British star to ply his trade at the Bernabeu and scored over 100 goals for Real, with nine in his first 13 games – while often operating from the bench – setting up a tally of 22 in his debut season.

Kevin Keegan scored 12 in his first season at Hamburg in 1977-78, a total already surpassed by Kane and Bellingham, while Wales forward Mark Hughes managed only five goals alongside Lineker at Barca and seven in a season on loan at Bayern. Mark Hateley’s most prolific seasons at AC Milan and Monaco brought 11 and 14 goals respectively.

Jadon Sancho, a team-mate of Bellingham at Dortmund, took time to establish himself after moving from Manchester City’s youth academy. He did scored 13 goals in his first season as a regular starter, though eight of those came from December onwards. Tammy Abraham got 27 in his first season at Roma, albeit with nine in the unheralded Europa Conference League.

Bellingham himself scored only 12 league goals in three years with Dortmund – he is only two away from that already with Real, and more than halfway to his 24 in all competitions for the German side.

Real Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni has stressed that Barcelona’s Gavi was not to blame for the injury he suffered in El Clasico.

Tchouameni sustained a fracture in his foot during Saturday’s contest at Barcelona’s Olympic Stadium.

Replying to a social media post showing footage of a coming together between him and Gavi in the game, the France international wrote: “It’s not Gavi’s fault. I was injured at the end of the first half.”

Real had said on Sunday: “After the tests carried out on our player Aurelien Tchouameni by the Real Madrid medical services, he has been diagnosed with an incomplete stress fracture in the second metatarsal of his left foot.”

A dramatic encounter saw the visitors came from behind to win 2-1 thanks to a Jude Bellingham brace, with the England midfielder’s second goal coming in stoppage time.

Calo Ancelotti’s Real lead LaLiga on goal difference from second-placed Girona, while Xavi’s defending champions Barca are four points behind in fourth.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp said Alexis Mac Allister’s versatility has added a different dimension to his midfield this season.

The Argentina World Cup-winner was a stand-out performer in a deeper-lying role again on Sunday as Liverpool strolled to a 3-0 home win against Nottingham Forest.

After Liverpool’s seventh league win of the season kept them three points behind leaders Tottenham, Klopp said of Mac Allister’s role: “It’s obviously really not a discussion we have, otherwise we wouldn’t play him there.

“But I think today everybody could see the benefit of a player who comes rather from the offensive side of the game than from the other side.”

Mac Allister scored 12 goals for Brighton last season in a more advanced position before signing a five-year deal with Liverpool, who paid £55million for him in June.

He was key to Liverpool in his new role on Sunday as they kept Forest pinned deep in their own half, with two goals in four first-half minutes from Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez followed by Mohamed Salah’s second-half effort.

“I’m really pleased for him,” Klopp added. “A lot of defensive top moments, he checked the counter, was really there. He’s good at these things. That’s why we play him there.

“We have a really creative player in the centre of the park, together with Trent (Alexander-Arnold) in some moments obviously, which is very helpful.”

Forest’s winless league run was extended to six games as boss Steve Cooper contends with a string of injuries, but they remain five points above the relegation zone.

Chris Wood was a late withdrawal from Sunday’s squad due to a hamstring injury and with Taiwo Awoniyi returning to the bench after a groin problem, Cooper was short of options up front.

He said: “We were defensive and tried to play on the counter-attack. But I came here the other night when Liverpool played Toulouse and it finished 5-1 and was over fairly quickly.

“You can come here and try to be expansive and you can be on the end of a really, really difficult result. We’re not on the end of a good result, of course, but I’ve seen really good teams come here and get punished.

“We were forced into the team we had to pick, certainly at the top end of the pitch. When we got some of the players in more normal positions, you could see a little bit of a better identity. But the third goal killed it.”

Defending champions Clarendon College and last year’s semi-finalists Manchester High maintained their perfect win records in this season’s ISSA/Wata DaCosta Cup with wins over Mile Gully High and first-time qualifiers Tacky High, respectively, to kick off the Round of 16 on Saturday.

Clarendon College are the early leaders in Group 1 on goal-difference after beating a stubborn Mile Gully High 2-0 at Glenmuir High for their 11^th consecutive win of the season.

St Elizabeth Technical edged 10-man Cornwall College 3-2 at Jarrett Park in the day’s other Group 1 game.

Manchester High gave Tacky High a warm welcome to the Round of 16, beating them 4-1 in Group 2 and took their perfect run to 13 games.

The other Group 2 game saw Happy Grove suffer their first loss of the season, going down 2-4 to B.B. Coke after leading 2-1 at halftime.

Christiana High are the early leaders in Group 3 after a 3-2 win over William Knibb while Dinthill Technical and McGrath played out a goalless draw. Interestingly, Dinthill had already beaten McGrath twice this season.

In Group 4, a Demar Williams’ 20^th minute goal was good enough for Frome Technical to beat Port Antonio High 1-0 at Carder Park while Garvey Maceo and Glenmuir played out a 1-1 draw.

FIFA has sent its “support and prayers” to Liverpool forward Luis Diaz following the kidnapping of his parents in Colombia.

It has been confirmed that Diaz’s mother has been rescued and after the player returned home to be with family members, the Colombian authorities have stepped up their search for his father.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino said on Instagram: “On behalf of FIFA and the global football community, I would like to extend our support and prayers to Luis Diaz, his family and his friends in these difficult times.”

The Colombia football federation (FCF) has also issued a further statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, demanding that those holding Diaz’s father release him immediately without conditions.

The FCF said: “We ask the captors of Luis Manuel Díaz, father of @LuisFDiaz19, to release him now, without conditions. Football is peace. Lucho, we are with you. Colombia is with you.”

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said after Sunday’s 3-0 home win against Nottingham Forest that preparing for the game had been “the most difficult I’ve ever had in my life”.

Klopp added: “I didn’t expect that, I wasn’t prepared for it.

“I don’t want to make the game bigger than it was, but definitely, we tried to help Luis with the fight we put in because obviously we want to help and we cannot really help.

“So the only thing we can do is fight for him and that’s what the boys did.”

Liverpool secured their fifth straight home Premier League win to move three points behind leaders Tottenham.

But Klopp said: “How can you make a football game really important on a day like this? It’s really difficult. I’ve never struggled with that in my life.

“We heard late last night about it. We spoke to Luis, he wanted to go home…Then we got the news with his mum, which is fantastic, and since then nothing really.

“We are obviously the first people to get involved and we try to have knowledge of everything as much as we can, but we don’t want to disturb in any way the important people there, we just want to support, that’s it.”

Liverpool said in a statement: “Liverpool Football Club can confirm it is aware of an ongoing situation involving the family of Luis Diaz in Colombia.

“It is our fervent hope that the matter is resolved safely and at the earliest possible opportunity. In the meantime, the player’s welfare will continue to be our immediate priority.”

Colombia’s president Gustavo Petro said on X: “In an operation in Barrancas, Luis Diaz’s mother has been rescued, we continue the search for the father.”

Liverpool signed Diaz from Porto in January 2022 in an initial £37.5million deal that included a potential extra £12.5million in add-ons.

The 26-year-old winger has made 11 appearances this season and scored three goals.

Diaz was an unused substitute for Thursday’s 5-1 Europa League win against Toulouse after starting the Premier League victory over Everton last weekend, but was not in the 18-strong squad for Forest’s visit to Anfield.

Jonny Evans says Manchester United have to move on from their derby disappointment and believes injuries have played a part in Erik ten Hag’s second season struggles.

A promising first campaign under the Dutchman has been forgotten as a challenging start to this term continued with Sunday’s humbling at home to Manchester City.

Erling Haaland’s brace and a late Phil Foden goal sealed City a derby victory at Old Trafford that was more one-sided than even the 3-0 scoreline suggested.

Outclassed, outthought and outmanoeuvred for the most part, it was an embarrassing end to the Red Devils’ admittedly unconvincing three-match winning run in all competitions.

“It’s never easy – everyone’s disappointed,” said experienced defender Evans, who was frustrated by the decision to award a first-half penalty for Rasmus Hojlund’s tug on Rodri.

“You wish you could turn back the clock, but you know we’ve got to move on now.

“We’re disappointed obviously. We put a lot into the second half to get back and you know 2-0, maybe the chance with Rashy (Marcus Rashford) we sort of get back in it.

“But you know (it’s) probably disappointing that we didn’t create too much in the second half.”

Sunday’s defeat means United have lost five of their opening 10 league games, leaving them 11 points behind leaders Tottenham and Evans believes that absentees are a mitigating factor.

United boss Ten Hag has had deal with a swathe of injuries, with Casemiro, Lisandro Martinez, Luke Shaw, Tyrell Malacia, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Amad Diallo ruled out of the derby.

Four of those played key roles in February’s Carabao Cup triumph against Newcastle, who head to Old Trafford in the fourth round on Wednesday as the holders look to bounce back from Sunday’s City humiliation.

“At this club that’s what it’s all about, you’ve got to (move on),” defender Evans, who returned to the club in the summer, told MUTV.

“We’ll be preparing for the next game now and making sure preparations are ready.

“I think we’ve been disrupted with a lot of injuries this season in terms of key personnel.

“Probably a lot of our starting players would be, you know, they’re missing.

“I think the manager’s found out difficulties having to sort of work on team, on tactics and having to change the personnel quite a lot with only two days in between games.

“So that’s been difficult, hopefully we can get more players back and get a real sort of opportunity to create freshness within the playing squad.”

City lost at Newcastle in the previous round, so Pep Guardiola’s side get a rare midweek off before hosting Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday.

Haaland will be expected to add to this season’s 13-goal haul when the Cherries come to town, fresh from using Old Trafford taunts to fuel his brace and assist on Sunday.

“The performance was incredible,” the striker told the club website.

“Fantastic from every single player. Fantastic from every Manchester City player. It was fantastic.

“I think we performed throughout the 90 minutes, every single minute.

“We controlled the whole game. Big shoutout to everyone. I’m happy to play in this team.”

Arsenal forward Bukayo Saka insists he is not concerned about burnout and is ready to answer manager Mikel Arteta’s challenge of playing 70 games this season.

The England winger, 22, captained the Gunners to a 5-0 victory over Sheffield United on Saturday afternoon to keep them within two points of the top of the Premier League.

Saka has started all-but one of Arsenal’s Premier League and Champions League games this season, sitting out the victory over Manchester City with a hamstring complaint.

Missing the win ended a streak of 87 successive league appearances for Saka, stretching back to May 2021.

Saka’s durability has been an asset for club and country as Arteta called for him to keep playing and contributing to Arsenal’s quest for silverware.

“Look at the top players in the world, they play 70 matches and every three days and make the difference and win the game. You want to be at the top, you have to be able to do that,” the Spanaird said last year.

Saka, who notched up 62 appearances for both Arsenal and England last season, believes he can produce the kind of numbers Arteta is demanding.

“I think it’s possible,” Saka said. “When you look at the top players, they are there every three days and they are winning games for their team.

“So I’m trying to be at that level, and to obviously be at that level I need to push myself. Of course, it’s difficult, but I’m trying to do it and give it my best.

“I think I’m really focused on the next coming games and what I can do for the team. My focus is not really there (on talk of potentially burning out).

“I’m a guy who always wants to be on the pitch, always wants to give my best, and if I’m injured and I have to be forced to be out, then of course I will sit out.

“But as long I’m there and I’m ready to play, I am always going to give my best and tell them that I want to play.”

Saka is expected to be rested as Arteta shuffles his pack for Wednesday’s Carabao Cup fourth-round trip to West Ham.

But he could once again be sporting the captain’s armband when Arsenal travel to Newcastle in the Premier League on Saturday, with skipper Martin Odegaard nursing a hip problem and regular stand-in Gabriel Jesus out with a hamstring injury.

“It was a really special moment for me,” Saka said of leading out Arsenal as captain for the first time.

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“To be honest, I can’t really describe how I was feeling when I was walking out. I just tried to take in the atmosphere and just realise where I am and where I’ve come from.

“Then obviously I had to switch my focus to the game and we did, and we got the three points – which is the most important thing at the end of the day.

“We are close to the top of the table in the Premier League, we are top of our Champions League group and we are still in all the other competitions.

“I think that is something we can be proud of, but I agree there is another level for us to go to. We are pushing.”

Ajax have appointed former player and assistant boss John van ‘t Schip as the club’s interim manager.

The 36-time Dutch champions, who slumped to the bottom of the Eredivisie table on Sunday after losing 5-2 at PSV Eindhoven, parted company with Maurice Steijn last week.

A club statement read: “Ajax appoints John van ‘t Schip as interim head coach of Ajax 1. The former Ajax player signs a contract with the club running from October 30 2023 until June 30 2025.

“Van ‘t Schip and Ajax have agreed to him stepping into a function in technical management from July 1 2024.”

Former Ajax and Netherlands winger Van ‘t Schip, 59 won four Eredivisie titles during his time at the club as a player and has had two previous spells as assistant manager.

He was also appointed interim manager in 2009 following Marco van Basten’s resignation and has spent time as boss of Twente and the Greece national team.

Ajax have not specified what role Van ‘t Schip will take on at the club next summer.

The club confirmed Hapoel Tel Aviv head coach Michael Valkanis has been appointed assistant boss, teaming back up with Van ‘t Schip after spells together with Greece, Melbourne City and PEC Zwolle.

“Hedwiges Maduro, who took on the role of head coach this week, returns to his role as assistant trainer. Temporary assistant trainer Dave Vos will resume his duties as head coach of Jong Ajax,” the club said.

Van ‘t Schip added: “I’m very happy that the deal is done and I’m eager to start at the club where it once all began for me.

“The conversations with all people involved resulted in a great feeling for me. Ajax needs to find the way up again and I’m happy to help in that matter.”

Ajax, Dutch champions in 2022 under Manchester United head coach Erik ten Hag, have won just one and lost five of their first eight league games this season.

Jamaica and Guatemala played to an exciting 2-2 draw on Sunday evening in Group B of League A of the Road to Women's Gold Cup at the National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica.

Guatemala now have four points through three matches, while Jamaica have a point after two games.

The first half was an entertaining one and it was Guatemala who struck first, finding the back of the net in the 28th through Leslie Ramirez, who collected a corner kick and lofted a shot over Jamaica goalkeeper Aliyah Morgan and into net for a 1-0 Guatemala lead.

Jamaica responded almost immediately, and Guatemala could barely settle in with their lead when the scoreboard suddenly read 1-1 in the 32nd minute as Melissa Johnson ran onto a long ball from Malikae Dayes and tucked away a left-footed finish.

Jamaica brought that momentum into the second half and turned it into their first lead of the evening, 2-1, in the 52nd when Zoe Vidaurre fired home a loose ball deep in the area after the Guatemalan defense failed to clear a corner kick.

This time, though, it was Guatemala responding to a goal and Aisha Solorzano evened the score at 2-2 in the 56th with a strong finish after a surgical pass from Ana Martinez.

In the final quarter-hour, Jamaica had a golden opportunity to notch a third goal, but Guatemala goalkeeper Alexia Estrada pulled off an amazing save in the 80th to preserve the point for her side.

Premier League winner Danny Drinkwater has announced his retirement from football.

The 33-year-old midfielder was one of the stars of Leicester’s shock title triumph in 2016, earning a big-money move to Chelsea the following summer.

But he did not manage to establish himself as a first-choice player at Stamford Bridge and unsuccessful loan spells at Burnley and Aston Villa followed along with disciplinary problems.

He pleaded guilty to drink-driving after crashing his car in 2019, suffered an ankle injury in an incident outside a nightclub later the same year and head-butted then Villa team-mate Jota on the training ground in March 2020.

Drinkwater’s last appearances came on loan at Reading in 2021-22, following which his contract with Chelsea expired.

Speaking on The High Performance Podcast, he said: “It’s been a long time coming maybe, especially with the last year, but I think it’s time to officially announce it now.

“I think I’ve been in limbo for too long. I’ve been wanting to play but not getting the opportunity to play at a standard or a level where I felt valued. I’m happy not playing football but I’m happy playing football, so do I just shake hands with the sport?

“It’s all I’ve known. It’s been my life since I was six, seven years old. It was never going to be an easy thing.

“If I was playing week in, week out and I had to say I’ve got to stop, maybe through injury or through just age, not being able to get about the pitch like I’d like to, I think it would be trickier.”

Drinkwater came through the Manchester United academy but did not make a first-team appearance before joining Leicester in 2012.

He was called up for the first time by England in March 2016 and made three appearances but was one of three players cut from the squad for the European Championship.

What the papers say

Tammy Abraham, 26, could make a return to Chelsea as Roma look to keep hold of Romelu Lukaku. The Daily Mirror reports the Italian club could offer the England striker in a swap deal for Lukaku, 30, who is currently on loan.

Kalvin Phillips is available for a move from Manchester City – at a price. According to the Daily Mirror, City want £50million for the England midfielder, 27, having paid £42m in 2022.

Arsenal have become the latest team to weigh up a move for Crystal Palace’s England defender Marc Guehi, reports The Sun. Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea have already been linked to the 23-year-old.

Mikel Arteta is also keen on strengthening his midfield options with Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi, 24, in his sights according to the Daily Mirror. Real Madrid’s French international Aurelien Tchouameni, 23, is another on the Gunners’ radar.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Victor Osimhen: The Daily Mirror reports the 24-year-old Nigerian has played down talk of him leaving NApoli amid interest from Liverpool.

Jesse Lingard: The former England midfielder is still searching for a new club after Al-Ettifaq had no room in their squad, reports the Daily Star.

David Beckham joined AC Milan on loan from Los Angeles Galaxy on this day in 2008.

The then 33-year-old England midfielder agreed a two-month move to Italy to stay fit during the MLS close-season in the United States.

England manager Fabio Capello, who coached Beckham at Real Madrid, said: “Milan have made a good addition.

“At Madrid I left him out of the squad because he had signed a contract with Los Angeles but he continued to come on the field and train and I put him back in the team.

“He is a very serious lad, very sensible, a professional. People think he is a playboy off the field, it’s not true at all.”

The 108-times capped Beckham felt a move to Milan would boost his chances of England selection.

Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena said: “His reasons are to stay fit and to make himself available for England, and the only way he can do that is to be training and playing in a good environment.

“This, on the part of David, was a purely technical rationale. He wants to continue to play for England and this is one of the ways to do that.”

Beckham began his glittering career at Manchester United, where he won six Premier League titles, two FA Cups and the Champions League.

He joined Real Madrid in 2003 and spent four years in Spain before moving to LA Galaxy. Beckham had two loan spells at Milan and ended his career at Paris St Germain in 2013.

Beckham went on to win 115 caps for England, a total only bettered by Peter Shilton and Wayne Rooney.