Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali has been charged with misconduct in relation to alleged breaches of the Football Association’s betting rules, the FA has announced.

Tonali is alleged to have breached FA rule E8 50 times by betting on matches between August 12, 2023 and October 12, 2023.

The 23-year-old, who is currently serving a 10-month ban for betting offences while playing in Italy, has until April 5 to respond.

Newcastle said in a statement: “Newcastle United acknowledges a misconduct charge received by Sandro Tonali in respect of alleged breaches of FA Betting Rules.

“Sandro continues to fully comply with relevant investigations and he retains the club’s full support.

“Due to this ongoing process, Sandro and Newcastle United are unable to offer further comment at this time.”

In October last year Tonali was suspended for 10 months after reaching a plea bargain following an investigation into illegal betting conducted by the Italian Prosecutor’s Officer and the Italian Football Federation (FIGC).

He was also fined 20,000 euros and ordered to partake in an eight-month course of therapy to address his issues after his agent, Giuseppe Riso, said the former AC Milan midfielder was living with a gambling addiction.

Newcastle defender Sven Botman is facing up to nine months on the sidelines as he prepares to undergo knee surgery.

The Magpies have confirmed the 24-year-old Dutchman will undergo a procedure to repair his anterior cruciate ligament next week after limping out of Saturday’s 2-0 FA Cup quarter-final defeat at Manchester City.

Botman, a £32million signing from French club Lille during the summer of 2022, had recently returned from a knee injury sustained in September.

A statement on the club’s official website said: “Newcastle United defender Sven Botman will undergo surgery next week after suffering a knee injury against Manchester City.

“Following further assessment, a scan has confirmed that he sustained an injury to his ACL during Saturday’s match and he is expected to return to action within six-to-nine months.

“The Dutch centre-back initially sustained a knee injury in September 2023 and elected for a non-surgical rehabilitation plan – a decision which saw him return to action in December.

“Everyone at Newcastle United wishes Sven a full and speedy recovery.”

The news will come as a huge blow to head coach Eddie Howe.

Botman returned to action in December after a lay-off of almost three months, but has struggled to regain the form of his first season on Tyneside, during which he played a key role in the club’s top-four Premier League finish.

He is the latest member of Howe’s squad to face a lengthy lay-off during the campaign with goalkeeper Nick Pope still working his way back from a shoulder injury and midfielder Joelinton and striker Callum Wilson also sidelined for extended periods.

In addition, Emil Krafth, Matt Targett, Elliot Anderson, Jacob Murphy, Joe Willock and Harvey Barnes have all endured lengthy spells in the treatment room, with summer signing Sandro Tonali serving a 10-month ban for breaching betting regulations.

What the papers say

Gareth Southgate is the top choice of Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe to replace Erik ten Hag as manager in the summer, reports the Star.

According to The Times, Nottingham Forest may be forced to sell star players by the end of June to avoid losing more points for breaching financial rules.

Tottenham, Chelsea, and West Ham are all keen on England striker Ivan Toney, reports The Sun.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Jack Grealish: HITC writes that Manchester City might let the England forward leave this summer, with the club understood to be raising funds to boost their squad.

Alexander Isak: The Newcastle and Sweden striker is on Arsenal’s summer shortlist, says Football Insider.

Erling Haaland: The Manchester City striker limped out of training while on international duty with Norway, alarming his club, writes The Guardian.

England manager Gareth Southgate is facing the unwelcome prospect of some potential members of his Euro 2024 squad flying halfway across the world for a post-season friendly.

The PA news agency understands Tottenham will play Premier League rivals Newcastle at Melbourne Cricket Ground on May 22.

Newcastle’s FA Cup exit last weekend opened the door for the Magpies to face Spurs in a post-season friendly, which will see the two clubs jet off for Australia immediately after their final league game of the season on May 19.

A decision on the squads taken Down Under will be made nearer to the time, but Southgate could see three players potentially in his Euro 2024 squad fly halfway across the world days before they link up on international duty.

Tottenham’s James Maddison and Newcastle attacker Anthony Gordon were named in the England squad for the March friendlies with Brazil and Belgium, while Kieran Trippier is a strong candidate to feature in this summer’s European Championships in Germany.

It is possible all three could jet off to Australia for the post-season friendly and days after they return to England they will be required to join Southgate’s squad for a training camp ahead of Euro 2024.

The Football Association has been approached for comment.

England manager Gareth Southgate is facing the unwelcome prospect of certain members of his Euro 2024 squad flying halfway across the world for a post-season friendly.

The PA news agency understands Tottenham will play Premier League rivals Newcastle at Melbourne Cricket Ground on May 22.

Newcastle’s FA Cup exit last weekend opened the door for the Magpies to face Spurs in a post-season friendly, which will see the two clubs jet off for Australia immediately after their final league game of the season on May 19.

A decision on the squads taken Down Under will be made nearer to the time, but Southgate could see three players potentially in his Euro 2024 squad fly halfway across the world days before they link up on international duty.

Tottenham’s James Maddison and Newcastle attacker Anthony Gordon were named in the England squad for the March friendlies with Brazil and Belgium, while Kieran Trippier is a strong candidate to feature in this summer’s European Championships in Germany.

It is possible all three could jet off to Australia for the post-season friendly and days after they return to England they will be required to join Southgate’s squad for a training camp ahead of Euro 2024.

The Football Association has been approached for comment.

Pep Guardiola praised the attitude of his Manchester City players after they became the first team in the history of the FA Cup to reach the semi-finals in six consecutive seasons.

Two deflected strikes from Bernardo Silva secured a 2-0 win over Newcastle and the first of what City hope will be three visits to Wembley before the end of the season as they remain in the hunt for a second consecutive treble.

Guardiola is keen to deflect talk of that but praised their consistency, pointing to their record both in the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup, which they won in four consecutive years between 2018 and 2021.

“After we won the treble, and five titles, we’re coming to the international break with two months left and to be in contention for all the titles means a lot,” the City boss said.

“I know people talk about the Premier League, the Champions League, but to have won four Carabao Cups and (reach) six FA Cup semi-finals in a row, this team, this club, has something special, so it’s incredible.

“Of course we want to win all of them but sometimes this is not possible basically for the quality of the opponents and the schedule we have…but we were there six times in a row.

“Always you can have a bad night or a bad afternoon and to be there six times, you didn’t have a bad night. And for those that doubt the consistency of the team you prove they are wrong.”

City effectively put this tie to bed early on. The opener came in the 13th minute when Silva’s right-footed strike looped up off Dan Burn and into the net, and just after the half-hour mark, the Portugal international cut on to his left to hit a shot that found its way in off Sven Botman’s head.

Silva signed a one-year contract extension in September, but while his terms run until 2026, the 29-year-old has been the subject of long-running speculation over a move away.

“Everybody loves him,” Guardiola said of the midfielder. “He is really important for us and that he stays is really, really important.”

Newcastle ended City’s aspirations in the Carabao Cup in September with a 1-0 win at St James’ Park, but have since suffered home and away defeats in the Premier League to the reigning champions, and rarely threatened to trouble Guardiola’s side here, managing only two attempts at goals all game.

Manager Eddie Howe was pleased with how his defenders marshalled City’s attack and could only rue the deflected nature of the goals.

“Of course the goals are difficult to take, especially the first one with a big deflection to fly into the top corner,” Howe said. “That’s the football gods working against us in that respect. I thought the lads gave everything today.

“Manchester City are very difficult to play against at any time but when they’re in that kind of mood, they pick those players with a technical base, their aim was to keep possession and make it difficult for us. We’re trying to unsettle their rhythm, it’s a really delicate game and I thought we did OK.”

Defeat ensures Newcastle’s wait for a major domestic trophy will continue into a 70th year. They sit 10th in the Premier League, a long way from the side that finished fourth last term, but Howe is still targeting a return to European football.

“I don’t think we can feel sorry for ourselves,” Howe said.

“This season could have ended up very different, some of the big moments have gone against us, but we have to take responsibility for that.

“We will come back. The two-week break has come at a good time for us to let this result sink in and then focus on our last 10 games in the Premier League.”

Two deflected strikes from Bernardo Silva saw Manchester City become the first team in the history of the FA Cup to reach the semi-finals six seasons running with a 2-0 win over Newcastle.

Pep Guardiola may not want to talk about the prospect of a second treble, but his side are now unbeaten in their last 22 games in all competitions going into the international break after what turned into a Saturday evening stroll in the Manchester rain.

Newcastle can point to a crippling injury list, but the team that ended City’s aspirations in the Carabao Cup back in September could barely lay a glove on them this time, finishing the match with only two efforts at goal to City’s 16.

Guardiola made five changes to the side held 1-1 at Liverpool last weekend, some of them enforced after injuries to Ederson and Kevin De Bruyne, but his players did not skip a beat as they dominated play from the off.

Silva’s 13th-minute opener was the hosts’ first real sight of goal but it had all been City up to that point as they looked for an opening.

When Silva took a stride forward in the Newcastle box, he found space to try a curling shot which deflected off Dan Burn to leave Martin Dubravka wrong-footed.

The second goal came in the 31st minute. Where Silva hit the opener with his right foot, this time he cut inside on to his left and looked for the far post, instead finding the net with the help of Sven Botman’s head.

Newcastle needed a response as the game threatened to get away from them before half-time. In the 36th minute Burn headed Jacob Murphy’s ball back across goal to Alexander Isak, but his well-struck shot was kept out by the left palm of Stefan Ortega.

The German goalkeeper would have always expected to play in this match as Guardiola’s regular cup starter, but it was a welcome sign for City given the injury Ederson suffered at Anfield last weekend.

At the other end a lovely spin from Phil Foden put the England man through on goal, but Bruno Guimaraes did well to force him wide as his off-balance shot missed the target.

They kept the pressure on in the closing minutes of the half as Dubravka saved from Jeremy Doku and then, from the resulting corner, kept out Ruben Dias’ close-range header.

And City were straight back on it at the start of the first half as Foden’s flick released Doku, whose low shot across goal was well saved by the goalkeeper.

Erling Haaland, whose scored five goals as City brushed aside Luton 6-2 in the previous round, then tried his luck, taking the ball from Mateo Kovacic on the halfway line and driving at the Newcastle defence before curling a shot narrowly wide of the post.

The third goal that might have killed the game off completely would not come, yet City rarely looked troubled.

In the 65th minute Silva was dispossessed and Newcastle substitute Miguel Almiron charged at goal. Isak, in plenty of space to his right, demanded the ball but when it came, the pass was behind him and the chance – a rare one for the Magpies – disappeared.

City sent on Oscar Bobb, scorer of their stoppage-time winner at St James’ Park in January, and Julian Alvarez as they kept looking for a third, but Haaland was twice denied late on.

Pep Guardiola hopes to have the Jack Grealish of last season back for the closing stages of Manchester City’s latest push for silverware.

Grealish, a key part of City’s treble success last season, has endured a frustrating campaign this time around.

He missed a month early in the season with a dead leg and a groin problem has limited him to just one appearance in City’s last seven games.

The 28-year-old also had a spell out through illness and had personal matters to deal with after a high-profile burglary at his home.

His form has suffered and, with other players excelling in his place, he has not been able to get a consistent run in the side.

Yet he could return as City take on Newcastle in the FA Cup quarter-finals at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday and Guardiola believes the player can get back to his best.

The City manager said: “We’ll see. We have this game and then two weeks where he will work hard and as clever as possible to be ready when we come back.

“He’s trained the last two or three days really good. He feels good and positive.

“Saturday maybe we’ll need him and then he has these two weeks especially to work well and come back.

“Then we can have the Jack that unfortunately this season we had few, few times – and he can help us.

“Always we dream of arriving at the last international break of the season in all competitions.

“Jack has helped us but not like last season. That’s why the most important thing is to recover well from this minor injury and take a good condition in case we need him.

“I’m not going to say how important Jack is – of course he is. But he has to be ready.”

City will come up against one of world football’s standout players in Jude Bellingham when they face Real Madrid in the quarter-finals of the Champions League next month.

The holders have been drawn against the Spanish giants for a third successive season and Guardiola recognises they are a tougher proposition with the Englishman in their midfield.

City overpowered Real in last year’s semi-finals with a 4-0 win in the second leg at the Etihad Stadium.

Guardiola said of Bellingham: “His impact has been massive. It’s a different team from last season. His influence is obvious, and we have to try to discover what he does to control it.

“Facing Real Madrid is always a tough challenge, nobody can deny it. They are an exceptional club, and in this competition can control many things with the experience they have had in the past.

“We have made steps in the last few years but it could be so difficult.”

Kevin De Bruyne will miss Manchester City’s FA Cup quarter-final against Newcastle on Saturday with a minor groin injury.

The news emerged after the City playmaker was not included in Belgium’s squad for their international friendlies against the Republic of Ireland and England later this month.

The PA news agency understands the problem is not considered too serious by City and the club are hopeful he will be fit for their crucial Premier League clash with Arsenal on March 31.

It is nevertheless another setback for De Bruyne after missing most of the first half of the campaign following hamstring surgery.

It is unclear when the 32-year-old suffered the injury. He looked frustrated to be substituted after 69 minutes of last Sunday’s 1-1 draw at title rivals Liverpool but there was no suggestion at the time he was injured.

It is City’s second fitness blow in the space of a few days after goalkeeper Ederson was ruled out for up to four weeks with a thigh injury.

The Brazilian was hurt in a collision with Liverpool’s Darwin Nunez – in which he conceded a penalty – at Anfield and was replaced by number two Stefan Ortega.

What the papers say

Manchester United have identified 21-year-old Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite as their top transfer target this summer, according to the Daily Star. Branthwaite has a deal with the Toffees until 2027.

The Daily Mirror says United will pursue Branthwaite regardless of boss Erik ten Hag’s future at the club, with the England Under-21 international valued at £75million.

Meanwhile, Everton are said to be interested in Hull defender Jacob Greaves, Football Insider reports, with the 23-year-old likely to leave the club if they miss promotion to the Premier League.

The i says Tiago Pinto, who was formerly at Roma, is interested in taking over the sporting director role from Dan Ashworth at Newcastle, who looks to be headed to Manchester United.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Bruno Guimaraes: Football Transfers says Manchester City are interested in a bid for the 26-year-old Newcastle midfielder who has a £100million clause in his contract.

Pedro Neto: Wolves will be in a battle to keep their winger after Tottenham joined Liverpool, Newcastle and Arsenal in the race to sign the 24-year-old.

Mauricio Pochettino warned there will be more problems for Chelsea if they fail to build on their 3-2 victory over Newcastle at Stamford Bridge as he praised the impact of match-winning substitute Mykhailo Mudryk.

The Ukrainian came off the bench to score with a superb individual goal to make it 3-1 in the 76th minute, pelting on to the ball at full tilt before tricking his way beyond a dumbfounded Fabian Schar and nipping round Martin Dubravka to finish.

“It was a very good goal and that is what we expect from a player from the bench – impact,” said Pochettino. “Then it is about competing with different players in his position. Then he will deserve to (start).”

The goal helped settle a finely balanced game, the kind that has so often slipped away from Chelsea under Pochettino.

They had already allowed an advantage to get away from them on the stroke of half-time.

Leading 1-0, Chelsea made two errors to hand Newcastle a way back into the match. First, the otherwise impressive Malo Gusto was caught trying to juggle the ball in midfield, then Trevoh Chalobah rushed up from central defence to assist and left a gaping hole into which Alexander Isak darted and rifled the visitors level.

Earlier, Nicolas Jackson had given his team a deserved sixth-minute lead, applying the deftest touch with his heel to Cole Palmer’s strike, getting just enough contact to divert it out of the reach of Dubravka and into the bottom corner.

Palmer, brilliant again on the right of a forward three, scored a 13th goal of his debut Chelsea season early in the second half.

Enzo Fernandez spotted the Blues’ top-scorer in space and gave the ball to him with his back to goal. With his first touch Palmer turned and with his second he lashed a shot inside the near post for 2-1.

Then came Mudryk’s decisive moment of magic and, although Jacob Ramsey gave Chelsea a scare with a cracking late drive from range, Pochettino’s young side clung on.

“We need to understand that we are Chelsea,” said Pochettino. “We are in a project that is completely different (to the past). Some people might be confused. When people don’t want to listen, it’s difficult.

“But we are trying to explain we are a different Chelsea, we are building something different. It’s going to be tough.

“We need to keep believing, even when it’s tough circumstances. We played (the Carabao Cup) final, 120 minutes, then after three days we play the FA Cup and we play Brentford. In six days we played three very tough games, nearly with the same team.

“It was really tough. If that means we are a disaster, OK. The most important thing is it’s not affecting the team. They know what they need to do and we keep believing.

“The win today is important for our fans to be a little bit more calm. But I think if we don’t win our next game, it’s going to be again a problem. That is Chelsea.”

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe reflected on a match that had been there for the taking before Mudryk’s late strike.

“I thought it was a game in the balance and an open game,” he said. “The game got away from us with the goals we conceded which were really poor from our perspective – they were self-induced.

“Wherever you play you have to pride yourself on being tight and I don’t think Chelsea had an abundance of chances tonight.

“But the way the goals came from our perspective is hugely frustrating as we know the details have to get better.”

Mauricio Pochettino warned there will be more problems for Chelsea if they fail to build on their 3-2 victory over Newcastle at Stamford Bridge as he praised the impact of match-winning substitute Mykhailo Mudryk.

The Ukrainian came off the bench to score with a superb individual goal to make it 3-1 in the 76th minute, pelting on to the ball at full tilt before tricking his way beyond a dumbfounded Fabian Schar and nipping round Martin Dubravka to finish.

“It was a very good goal and that is what we expect from a player from the bench – impact,” said Pochettino. “Then it is about competing with different players in his position. Then he will deserve to (start).”

The goal helped settle a finely balanced game, the kind that has so often slipped away from Chelsea under Pochettino.

They had already allowed an advantage to get away from them on the stroke of half-time.

Leading 1-0, Chelsea made two errors to hand Newcastle a way back into the match. First, the otherwise impressive Malo Gusto was caught trying to juggle the ball in midfield, then Trevoh Chalobah rushed up from central defence to assist and left a gaping hole into which Alexander Isak darted and rifled the visitors level.

Earlier, Nicolas Jackson had given his team a deserved sixth-minute lead, applying the deftest touch with his heel to Cole Palmer’s strike, getting just enough contact to divert it out of the reach of Dubravka and into the bottom corner.

Palmer, brilliant again on the right of a forward three, scored a 13th goal of his debut Chelsea season early in the second half.

Enzo Fernandez spotted the Blues’ top-scorer in space and gave the ball to him with his back to goal. With his first touch Palmer turned and with his second he lashed a shot inside the near post for 2-1.

Then came Mudryk’s decisive moment of magic and, although Jacob Ramsey gave Chelsea a scare with a cracking late drive from range, Pochettino’s young side clung on.

“We need to understand that we are Chelsea,” said Pochettino. “We are in a project that is completely different (to the past). Some people might be confused. When people don’t want to listen, it’s difficult.

“But we are trying to explain we are a different Chelsea, we are building something different. It’s going to be tough.

“We need to keep believing, even when it’s tough circumstances. We played (the Carabao Cup) final, 120 minutes, then after three days we play the FA Cup and we play Brentford. In six days we played three very tough games, nearly with the same team.

“It was really tough. If that means we are a disaster, OK. The most important thing is it’s not affecting the team. They know what they need to do and we keep believing.

“The win today is important for our fans to be a little bit more calm. But I think if we don’t win our next game, it’s going to be again a problem. That is Chelsea.”

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe reflected on a match that had been there for the taking before Mudryk’s late strike.

“I thought it was a game in the balance and an open game,” he said. “The game got away from us with the goals we conceded which were really poor from our perspective – they were self-induced.

“Wherever you play you have to pride yourself on being tight and I don’t think Chelsea had an abundance of chances tonight.

“But the way the goals came from our perspective is hugely frustrating as we know the details have to get better.”

Mykhailo Mudryk scored a sensational solo goal as Chelsea kept alive slender hopes of qualifying for Europe via the Premier League with a 3-2 win over Newcastle at Stamford Bridge.

At 2-1 late in the second half, the result was in the balance but it was tipped decisively in Chelsea’s favour by a moment of magic from the substitute, taking the ball off Conor Gallagher’s foot at top speed and bamboozling his way beyond defender Fabian Schar before rounding the goalkeeper and finishing.

The win marked a significant step forward for Mauricio Pochettino’s side, who have so often allowed balanced duels – as this undoubtedly was – to slip away from them.

Nicolas Jackson gave them a sixth-minute lead with a smart backheeled goal from Cole Palmer’s shot, before Alexander Isak rifled Newcastle level at the end of the half.

Palmer got his 13th of the season to restore the lead, a brilliant, driven finish from range.

Mudryk’s goal with 15 minutes to go looked to have settled it before Jacob Murphy made Chelsea think with a superb 90th-minute strike, but the hosts hung on for a deserved win.

Struggling in 11th, they had needed all the aid they could muster, and were promptly handed a boost by Newcastle defender Sven Botman after six minutes.

Malo Gusto’s low cross was well pitched but should have been an easy mop-up job for Botman. Instead, he carelessly swept the ball to the right boot of Palmer, whose tame shot from outside the box was intelligently flicked home via the deftest backheeled touch from Jackson.

Raheem Sterling looked determined that a strong start should not go to waste, muscling beyond Tino Livramento down the left and offloading to Jackson to strike low at goal, this time easily saved by Martin Dubravka.

Yet the one-goal lead was fragile, and Chelsea were exposed when Trevoh Chalobah headed a weak clearance straight to Anthony Gordon who shot wide.

Isak was inches from connecting with Murphy’s cross as it zipped across the face of goal, then skied over from two yards out as the ball came back in, comfortably the visitors’ clearest chance of the half so far.

European qualification through the league is still not beyond Chelsea. Victory here would take them to within four points of seventh-place West Ham with a game in hand, but consistency has been this team’s downfall under Pochettino.

In the final minutes of the half, they allowed Newcastle back in. The hitherto impressive Gusto was caught trying to juggle the ball in midfield. Chalobah raced up to take charge, but he was dispossessed by Bruno Guimaraes and was caught horribly out of position.

The ball broke to Isak, who skipped inside the box and curled an exquisite shot around Axel Disasi and beyond the dive of Djordje Petrovic.

Chelsea might still have led at the break had Sterling’s driven 18-yard effort been hit either side of Dubravka. In truth though, 1-1 was a fair conclusion to a balanced half.

Sterling came close again at the start of the second period, bursting into the box and lashing a shot narrowly wide at the near post.

Chelsea were looking the more confident side on the ball, penning Newcastle inside their own half, and they retook the lead on 57 minutes.

Enzo Fernandez collected the ball centrally and fed it in to Palmer, receiving with his back to goal 20 yards out. The home side’s top scorer took one touch to turn inside and then crashed it with his left foot inside Dubravka’s near post.

Sterling should have put it beyond doubt minutes later, carrying the ball around the goalkeeper but denied on the line by Dan Burn who was covering.

There were a few nerve-jangling moments as the visitors tested Chelsea’s defence with balls into the box that were cleared not wholly convincingly.

Then came a moment of magic from Mudryk and, despite Murphy’s late rocket, at last a glimmer of a happy ending to a turbulent season.

Kieran Trippier has backed young pretender Tino Livramento to establish himself as England’s right-back as he attempts to fend off his advances for both club and country.

Livramento, a £32million summer signing from Southampton, is likely to replace Trippier in Newcastle’s starting line-up for Monday night’s Premier League trip to Chelsea as the 33-year-old faces a spell on the sidelines with a minor calf injury.

However Trippier, who has been the standard-bearer for much of what the Magpies have achieved in the last two years, knows the 21-year-old is gunning for his places in both the Newcastle team and the England squad.

He said: “Tino, for such a young guy, is unbelievable. I’ve had loads of talks with Tino, firstly to try to help him. I know he’s my position, but I don’t want to be selfish.

“He’ll be unbelievable for Newcastle in the future and an England right-back as well. That’s how highly I rate him.”

That is a view shared by Magpies head coach Eddie Howe, who has been hugely impressed by Livramento’s performances to date at left-back, right-back and in midfield, a process which continued last weekend when he scored a superb solo goal in a 3-0 victory over Wolves after replacing the injured Trippier.

Asked if the youngster’s challenge had to be to oust the former Burnley, Tottenham and Atletico Madrid man on both the domestic and international stages, Howe said: “Of course. If you ask Tino, that will be his aim and if you ask me, I’d want every player to feel the same way.

“If you’re not in the team, your aim and ambition should be to try to get into the team, to try to prove you’re better than the team-mate that you’re competing against.

“If you have that in your squad, I think you’ve got a healthy squad, you’ve got a good balance between being a good team-mate and fighting for your place.

“Tino has shown all those qualities this year. He has been learning and developing behind the scenes, he’s been no doubt picking things up off Kieran and I’ve enjoyed seeing them both battle against each other.”

Trippier will miss the trip to Chelsea and the FA Cup quarter-final at Manchester City which follows it, as well as England’s friendly double-header against Brazil and Belgium as a result of the injury which has robbed him of the opportunity to atone for the error which cost his side a place in the Carabao Cup semi-finals.

Asked what had been going through his head as he uncharacteristically allowed Mykhailo Mudryk to score a late equaliser 12 days after he had gifted Everton two goals, he said: “Do you know what? I don’t actually know.

“It was a strange one, really. I was just making a mistake and then making another mistake. I haven’t got any excuses, really.

“It’s just you make a mistake and you want to try even better and then because you’re trying so hard, you make another mistake, and it’s not me.”

Mauricio Pochettino has revealed he spent the evening of his 52nd birthday watching football with his coaching staff as they sought to “heal” from Chelsea’s 2-2 draw with Brentford.

The Argentinian opted for Valencia v Real Madrid and a glass of wine over time with his family, hours after his team were booed by their own supporters at the Gtech Stadium.

Chelsea’s faint hopes of qualifying for Europe are rapidly diminishing, ahead of Monday’s Premier League game at home to Newcastle.

The meeting with Eddie Howe’s side at Stamford Bridge will be the first league outing in front of their own fans since the team were jeered off at the end of a 4-2 loss to Wolves more than a month ago.

And there were signs of disquiet too during the narrow FA Cup win against Championship side Leeds.

The team’s only defeat in their last five games came after extra-time in the Carabao Cup final to Liverpool at the end of February, a run Pochettino has been keen to talk up.

However, the draw with Brentford – earned via a late Axel Disasi goal after the home side had fought back from a goal down to lead 2-1 – left the manager in no mood for celebrating his birthday.

“Saturday after the Brentford game, the draw was like a defeat,” he said.

“My coaching staff were with me at home. We finished the day watching Valencia v Real Madrid, more football. We shared a glass of wine. But nothing exciting. Only watching football.

“I think that healed, watching more football. The last few days I watched the Champions League, the Championship, the Asian Champions League.”

Asked how his wife, with whom he marked 31 years of marriage the day before Chelsea’s Christmas Eve defeat to Wolves, deals with these moments, he said:  “She knows very well because the mood is not good.

“When the mood is not good, it’s not easy for the family. The responsibility is to win and provide good feelings to our fans, the people that trust in us.

“Five games we didn’t lose in 90 minutes, you could say it was a good run. But the draw with Brentford appeared again the problems.”

After Newcastle comes an FA Cup quarter-final at home to Leicester next Sunday as the team chase down their last realistic hope of salvaging a bleak season.

Pochettino would not be drawn to look ahead however, pointing instead to the need for players returning from injury to reacclimatise, particularly after Ben Chilwell, Conor Gallagher and Levi Colwill joined an already lengthy absentee list.

“The most important thing is Monday,” he said. “I don’t want to think about Leicester. It’s important because of the circumstances. We’re going have three players less.

“We’re working really hard to see how we’re going to provide balance to the team. Players coming back from injury like (Marc) Cucurella, whether he can deal with 90 minutes. Trevoh Chalobah after seven, eight months (out). We’re managing his load.

“Always it is a risk. That is why the most important is Monday.”

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