Italy coach Luciano Spalletti wants his side to embrace a more “modern” approach as he tries to spring some surprises ahead of Euro 2024.

The Azzurri face Venezuela in Fort Lauderdale on Thursday, before travelling to New Jersey to take on Ecuador, and Spalletti has promised a more progressive style from the defending European champions.

He is set to field a back three and trial two attacking players behind a central striker and has made it clear he is looking for a more fluid dynamic than his side have become used to.

“We need to do something modern,” he declared on the eve of the Venezuela meeting.

“There is an openness now to being footballers who know how to interpret multiple systems within the same match.

“Before we had little time and we only focused on one system. Even when we lost, I said we would stay in that system, but now there is more time to do something different.

“We will pay attention to the behaviours in these two friendlies. As Italy we need to create something new, something strong, and we always take something away from tests like these.”

Italy were visited at their training camp by tennis player and compatriot Jannik Sinner, who is in town competing in the Miami Open, and Spalletti believes the 22-year-old should act as a inspiration for the whole squad.

“He has already been an example for a long time, since he started, since he was a kid,” said Spalletti.

“He showed us that to be on the top of the world, one must become top even in the other hours when he is not playing sport. He has the correct mentality and it shows. He knows his personality and his character very well, he knows where he wants to go.”

Goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma knows Sinner well and is ready to take his lead when it comes to forging the kind of edge Italy need to get back to their best.

“He is a dear friend of mine, we talk a lot, he is an example for everyone for everything he is doing for the country,” he said.

“May he also be an example for us, for our mentality, and desire to win. These two friendlies will be able to tell us a lot, because we face two tough teams, two South American teams, broadening our experience.”

Udinese’s Lorenzo Lucca is set to get a debut opportunity in the coming days, having been promoted ahead of the out-of-favour Ciro Immobile, but may have to wait for his turn.

Genoa’s Mateo Retegui is fancied to start, with Lorenzo Pellegrini and Federico Chiesa in support.

Conor Bradley’s head could have been left spinning from a whirlwind few months but the Liverpool and Northern Ireland youngster’s feet remain firmly on the ground.

This time last year the 20-year-old was starring on loan at League One Bolton, but since breaking into Jurgen Klopp’s side before Christmas he has turned in a string of eye-catching displays for the club he grew up supporting.

He scored his first Liverpool goal in a man-of-the-match display in a 4-1 win over Chelsea in January and lifted the Carabao Cup a month later.

“I definitely didn’t think it would go this well,” Bradley said ahead of Northern Ireland’s friendly against Romania on Friday. “You dream about scoring your first goal for Liverpool but never think it will come true.

“My pinch-myself moment was probably against Chelsea when I scored and got two assists. The fans chanting my name was pretty special. I don’t think I will have a better night than that to be honest.”

Northern Ireland fans have known about Bradley’s talent since he made his debut in May 2021, and he would have more than his 13 caps but for the injury that ruled him out of their final six Euro 2024 qualifiers last year.

But his exploits with Liverpool have seen his name go global.

“I haven’t really felt it to be honest,” said Bradley. “I just try to keep doing the same things I was doing before.

“I am still the same person I was before. None of it has changed me so I just want to keep working hard and doing what I am doing.”

Michael O’Neill has praised the attitude of Bradley, who took a short break from the game in February after the death of his father Joe.

If there had been any danger of things going to his head, Bradley’s Northern Ireland team-mates would be happy to keep him in his place.

“All the lads still treat me the same, they still slag me off!” he said. “The boys have been brilliant with me since I’ve come back in.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve been away with Northern Ireland, Denmark in June. I’ve missed quite a bit so I’m buzzing to be back.”

Bradley’s path from his childhood in Castlederg to Liverpool began in Gaelic football, which he kept playing until he was 16.

The Gaelic game is much rougher, but it toughened up the slender Bradley.

“There’s quite a big difference and I was getting too many yellow cards at Bolton last season with the challenges I was putting in,” he said.

“That was me getting used to League One and finding out what I could and couldn’t get away with compared to the Gaelic. It was really good for me and I loved playing it.”

O’Neill will use friendlies against Romania and Scotland to keep developing a young side with senior players including Jonny Evans, Stuart Dallas and Corry Evans still absent, and the retired Steven Davis now on the coaching staff.

With Liverpool locked in a tight title race and chasing Europa League glory, Bradley – the face of Northern Ireland’s next generation – has much to look forward to.

“The next few weeks are going to be big,” he said. “I don’t need to recharge because I want to go into these games and get two wins for Northern Ireland. I want to keep this momentum going that we’ve got with the win against Denmark (in November).

“I’m really looking forward to it, then after these two games we’ve got the (season) run-in.

“Hopefully we can do as well as we can and hopefully I’ll have a medal at the end of the season.”

Wes Brown is confident Manchester United teenager Kobbie Mainoo possesses the temperament to take his rapid ascent to the England squad in his stride.

The 18-year-old was this week called up by England boss Gareth Southgate for the friendlies against Brazil and Belgium, just four months after making his first Premier League start as Erik ten Hag’s side won 3-0 away to Everton.

Midfielder Mainoo has gone on to make 20 appearances this season and 44-year-old Brown, who has personal experience of coming through the youth ranks at United before going on to play for England, does not expect the youngster to get carried away by his remarkable rise.

“You can see from the way he plays that he’s very calm,” Brown told the PA news agency as he helped promote United’s July friendly against Rangers in Edinburgh.

“I don’t think he’ll let all the other stuff get to him, and that’s a good trait to have. He’s just thinking about football, and when you first come in that’s all you do think about.

“But since he’s come in he’s taken it upon himself to give himself the type of responsibility on the pitch that a lot of young players wouldn’t usually do.

“He’s been calm with the ball, and even when he comes under pressure, the way he gets out of that and passes the ball forward causes teams problems.”

Brown – who made more than 300 appearances for United under Sir Alex Ferguson – is still involved at Old Trafford in an ambassadorial role and would love to see Stockport-born Mainoo make a late surge for Southgate’s Euro 2024 squad.

“He’s someone the club have always held in high regard,” said Brown. “The way injuries have gone this season, it’s possibly forced their hand to put him in, but he’s also had to earn it.

“Once he’s got in, he’s been one of the best players in the team, if not the best. Gareth obviously sees the potential in him, and I think it’s good for him that he’s put in with the (England) boys to see how he reacts in training, and he might even get a game as well.

“With the confidence he has for such a young age, and the way he’s playing, he’s definitely earned the right to be in the squad.

“If you were looking at him right now, you would say yes (he could go to the Euros), but international football is very different.

“Hopefully Gareth sees something in him that makes him think he’s worth taking a chance on. It’s happened in the past with other young players and they’ve done really well.”

Mainoo’s latest eye-catching display came in Sunday’s FA Cup quarter-final victory over Liverpool as United continued their upturn in form since the turn of the year.

“Sunday was one of the best games I’ve been at at Old Trafford and if they get another performance against Coventry in the semi-final, they could be in another final, which would be excellent,” said Brown.

“In the league, other teams dropping points has given us a slight opportunity (of a top-four spot) but it will take a run of wins to keep putting the pressure on.

“The confidence coming out of Sunday will help massively. We’re not the finished article but if we can go into games with that same attitude, belief and work-rate, I thin you’ll see a good few more points on the board.”

Kobbie Mainoo says a place in England’s Euro 2024 squad is the end goal after the Manchester United teenager’s whirlwind rise continued with a first senior call-up.

Long considered a future Old Trafford star, the 18-year-old midfielder has established himself as key part of Erik ten Hag’s side since returning from an ankle ligament injury sustained in pre-season.

Mainoo produced a man-of-the-match display as he made his first Premier League start against Everton in November and received his maiden England call-up just 114 days later.

Initially named in the under-21s set-up, he was promoted to the senior squad for the friendlies against Brazil and Belgium fresh from United’s jaw-dropping 4-3 FA Cup quarter-final win against Liverpool.

“It’s been a pretty mad couple of days,” Mainoo told BBC Radio 5 Live.

“Sunday obviously was a great game and a great win, then to get called up to the under-21s obviously I was excited to come.

“Then getting down here and realising that I was with the first team was amazing.

“I was shocked and happy and it’s been a whirlwind of emotions.”

 

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Mainoo was told he would be going up to the senior side for training, but assumed they just needed a player for the session until he spoke to Gareth Southgate’s assistant Steve Holland.

The Stockport-born midfielder’s family were “buzzing” when he called to tell them good the news as his ascent continues apace.

“The games have been coming so fast at United I’ve not really had the time to think about it,” he said of the potential of a senior England call-up. “I have not really thought about it too much.

“Obviously I knew the international break was coming up, so thought about it a bit but, still, we had so many big games that I couldn’t really take my eye off the ball.

“But now I’m here, obviously I am taking it all in and it’s been amazing.”

Mainoo says his goal for the March meet-up are straightforward, saying “good training camp and two wins”.

Making his England debut is the personal goal on top of that as he tries to prove to Southgate that he is worthy of a place on the plane to Germany.

“Yeah, I think that’s the end goal for the season, to get into that squad,” Mainoo said.

“But obviously I’ve got to focus on club football in the meantime, and hopefully that’ll figure itself out.”

Ryan Porteous feels the last 18 months have “catapulted” him to a level where he is at home on the international stage and ready to excel for Scotland at Euro 2024.

The 24-year-old was first called up to the national squad in November 2019 but had to wait until a Nations League match against Ukraine in September 2022 to make his debut.

Since that night in Krakow, when he helped secure a spirited goalless draw, Porteous has become a mainstay in Steve Clarke’s defence, accumulating nine caps and starting eight of the last nine competitive matches.

Porteous feels his status within the squad has also been aided by the fact he has been playing regularly in the English Championship for the past 14 months after moving from boyhood club Hibernian to Watford in January 2023.

“I think it came at a good time for me, the move and my debut,” he said. “It catapulted me a little bit and made me feel more comfortable within the group and more comfortable within myself.

“I didn’t feel like I needed to show anything to anyone in particular but maybe just to myself to give me that peace of mind that I could do it.

“Everyone’s always learning but I’m still at an age where hopefully I’m just going to get better, and I need to keep doing that.”

Porteous, who earned a reputation during his time at Hibs for being rash and hot-headed in terms of his approach to defending, feels moving away from home last year has helped him mature as a footballer and a person.

“I think the move came at a good time,” he said. “It’s been an up-and-down season for Watford but I’m really enjoying it.

“Off the park, I’m down there myself a lot of the time but I think it brings you on as a person meeting new people from different cultures, especially within the changing room, where a lot of different languages get spoken as well. I think it’s brought me on a lot over the last 14 months.”

Porteous has got himself in prime position to be part of Steve Clarke’s 23-man squad for the Euros but, with fellow right-sided centre-back John Souttar now back in contention after his injury troubles, the former Hibs man is taking nothing for granted.

He is viewing the friendlies against Netherlands in Amsterdam on Friday and Northern Ireland at Hampden next Tuesday as an opportunity to further enhance his claims for a seat on the plane to Germany.

“It’s been quite a quick 18 months since I’ve been starting games for Scotland and I’ve really enjoyed it,” said Porteous.

“I feel comfortable in there but nobody’s place is safe. You need to keep showing it in games and in training and for your club.

“Steve’s always been loyal to me, even when I wasn’t playing for the national team, he was still calling me up to squads and kind of developing me behind the scenes.

“It’s always good to repay someone that’s shown a lot of faith in you. Over the last qualifying campaign, I played my part in helping us to get there so hopefully I’ve repaid a little bit of that faith and showed him that I can be involved (at the Euros). There’s still a long way to go (before selection) though.”

With the Euros now less than three months away, any injury picked up in the weeks ahead could prove damaging, but Porteous – whose fellow Scotland defenders Aaron Hickey and Grant Hanley are battling to get fit for the summer showpiece – is adamant he will not change his approach to protect himself.

“I don’t think you can think about that too much,” he said. “I’ve got important games coming up for Watford so I’m going to be fully committed in every game I play.

“Touch wood, I’ve been fit and healthy for the last few years so hopefully that continues.”

Rob Page insists Wales need their A-game to eliminate Finland and make the Euro 2024 play-off final.

Wales start as clear favourites in Cardiff on Thursday to beat opponents ranked 60th in the world – 31 places below them – and progress to a home play-off final against Estonia or Poland.

Being favourites is a position that tends to sit uncomfortably with Wales, and hopes of making Germany automatically this summer were severely damaged by them taking only one point from unfancied Armenia in their qualifying group.

“The biggest learning curve for me over the last 12 months, irrespective of who we are playing against, is we have to bring our A-game,” Page said at his pre-match press conference.

“We have to deliver the same values that gets us success, then the results will take care of themselves.

“Our record at home is exceptional and we’re in good form at this moment in time.

“Most of the squad are out playing football for their clubs, training has been excellent.

“We have gone through similar experiences with the pressure of the (World Cup) play-off situations against Austria and Ukraine, and the difficulty surrounding that.

“We are all quite relaxed but not underestimating the challenge. There’s everything to play for but we’re fully prepared for it.”

The Wales squad has evolved since a disappointing 2022 World Cup in Qatar when they finished bottom of their group with one point from three games.

Gareth Bale, their talismanic captain, retired after a glittering career for club and country, while other long-serving players such as Joe Allen, Chris Gunter and Jonny Williams also left the scene.

Brennan Johnson, Harry Wilson and Jordan James are among those who have taken on greater responsibility during a Euro 2024 campaign when the Armenia lows were at the opposite end of the spectrum in achievement and performance in taking four points off Croatia.

Page said: “We have lost one of the world’s best players with Gareth.

“There has been enough in the squad to put us in a position where we are two wins away from qualifying for the fourth time (out of five major tournaments).

“Of course he’s going to be missed on and off the pitch but it gives others an opportunity, like Harry, probably a bit-part player when Gareth was at his peak.

“Now H has made a stake for a starting position again and, with what he’s doing at club level, has earned that right.

“Others have taken that opportunity with both hands and are relishing that challenge.”

Page says qualifying for the finals in Germany this summer will be satisfying as it will allow Welsh football to invest in the future and keep moving forward.

He said: “Against all the odds we got to the semi-finals of Euro 2016.

“We have invested money and given ourselves the opportunity to qualify. If we qualify for the Euros, we hope it is forward two steps.

“We have learned from the mistakes at the World Cup. We have a plan and a Plan B – and cover every eventuality.

“Once I’ve delivered that to the players then I can relax and rest at ease that they have all the information.”

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.

Joe Gomez says his return to St George’s Park with England for the first time in three and a half years has closed the chapter on a difficult period of his career which had a “psychological toll”.

The Liverpool defender is back on the international scene following a fine season, making the cut in Gareth Southgate’s final squad selection before he names his 23-man pool for Euro 2024.

It was during a session while away with England in November 2020 when Gomez injured the tendons in his knee, leading to surgery and an eight-month spell on the sidelines that became a near-four year absence from Southgate’s squad.

Now Gomez is back in the reckoning and feels he has already put the pain behind him – even before the upcoming Wembley friendly double-header against Brazil and Belgium.

“I’d be lying if I said it didn’t have a psychological toll,” he replied when asked how it felt to return to the same training pitch where he suffered his injury.

“I left in an ambulance quite abruptly from the training pitch. It meant a lot to me. Just even yesterday, doing the warm up. It was nice to feel like I could close that chapter, not to be over dramatic.

“Everyone gets injured, it is part of the game but it being so sudden, the way it happened, just leaving and never really getting the chance to come back was tough to deal with.

“It has meant a lot just to be in the mix, to be with the boys and close that chapter for me personally.”

Gomez has always been a favourite of Southgate, playing regularly under the England boss when he was in charge of the under-21s set-up.

Southgate, too, handed the now 26-year-old his senior debut in 2017 and Gomez is now delighted to be back amongst it once again.

“At that time, I was probably 22 or so and being away (from the England squad) for so long, naturally everyone gets older, you get a different outlook and perspective.

“I am appreciative of that side of the journey and I can use that to understand that there’s a lot going on.

“Obviously it is a massive privilege and it comes with its pressures, playing for England. But also understanding you’ve got to be grateful to be here. You don’t have to be here. It is a big privilege.

“Gareth has been good with me. I was with Gareth all the way through the 21s and he picked me for my debut. That was nice to reunite with him and be back doing what I’m meant to be doing.

“Gareth’s great in that sense on an individual basis, keeping in touch and speaking to the players.

“It is surreal (to be back), four years is quite a long time. I have probably spent a fair bit of that time wanting to be back in the mix, seeing the team do so well and having a taste of it when I was younger was special.

“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t spend time thinking that I wanted to be back with the boys and playing at this level. It has given me a new appreciation to be here, a different perspective now I know the flip side.”

Bayern Munich captain Manuel Neuer has been ruled out of Germany’s upcoming friendlies against France and the Netherlands due to injury.

Neuer was absent from all of his country’s matches last year because of a broken leg but German media has reported the 37-year-old remains Julian Nagelsmann’s first-choice goalkeeper ahead of Euro 2024.

However, he has withdrawn from the final two tune-ups – against France in Lyon on Saturday and the visit of the Netherlands in Frankfurt next Tuesday – before Nagelsmann names his squad for the tournament.

A brief statement on the German national team’s official website said: “Manuel Neuer has left the German national team early and will be out of the two upcoming international matches against France and the Netherlands.

“The FC Bayern Munich goalkeeper and 2014 world champion left the team’s headquarters in Gravenbruch near Frankfurt due to a torn muscle fibre in his left adductor. He sustained the injury in training on Wednesday morning.”

Neuer earned the last of his 117 national team caps in Germany’s final group stage match at the 2022 World Cup – a 4-2 win over Costa Rica.

Rob Page has hit back after Cardiff manager Erol Bulut complained over the lack of communication from Wales about including Aaron Ramsey in their Euro 2024 play-off squad.

Wales captain Ramsey has not started a game for six months and had played only 72 minutes in that time when Page named him in his squad for Thursday’s semi-final against Finland.

Bulut was unhappy Wales did not contact Cardiff before recalling Ramsey, saying he had expected to speak to Page or a member of his management team.

Ramsey returned from a calf strain to play 18 minutes at Swansea last Saturday, and the 33-year-old midfielder is expected to be on the bench against Finland.

Asked about Bulut’s comments, Page said: “I don’t know what all the fuss is about to be honest.

“We just want the player fit, both Cardiff and ourselves.

“We are in constant communication. I trust my medical team. I don’t need to have a conversation with the (Cardiff) manager.

“I know their medical team. Their head of medical was my physio when I was manager at Port Vale.

“Their club doctor is our Under-21s’ doctor. There has never been a better relationship.

“If there is a breakdown in communication, it’s between their manager and their medical team.

“For me, it’s worked. I trust my medical team, they have got him fit and he’s in the squad.”

Reggae Boyz forward Renaldo Cephas expects the team’s mentality and mindset to serve them well as they aim to make history in the semi-finals of the Concacaf Nations League.

Jamaica will be looking to make it to their first Nations League final when they tackle defending champions USA at the AT&T Stadium in Dallas on Thursday.

“I’m happy that I’m here to try and make history for Jamaica,” Cephas said in an interview on Tuesday.

“I think with the players mindset and mentality right now, we will do well in this game,” he added.

The 24-year-old made his debut for the Reggae Boyz in a Nations League fixture against Honduras on September 9 last year at the National Stadium in Kingston.

He played eight minutes in the game that Jamaica won 1-0.

“That was a great moment. To know that the coach believed in me and put me out there made me so happy,” he said.

Cephas was also an unused substitute in a 2-2 draw against Haiti at the same venue four days later.

This marks the first time he’s been called up to the national squad since those games.

“It’s a good feeling to be back with the national team. We have great players here so I’m really happy to be back,” he said.

At club level, Cephas is currently representing Turkish Super Lig club MKE Ankaragucu. He started his career with Jamaica Premier League club Arnett Gardens from 2019-2022 before moving to Macedonian club Shkupi.

He spent only one season there, scoring 11 goals in 29 games before moving to Ankaragucu in 2023.

This season, he has scored three goals and had three assists in 27 games as his club currently sits 16th out of 20 teams in the league.

“It’s good in Turkey because I’ve been there a good while now. The players are like my family no so I think I’m well settled there. I think next season I can do some great things in Turkey,” he said before comparing the football in Turkey to Macedonia.

“It’s a different level of football. Turkey is much better. You have top players playing in Turkey whereas in Macedonia you don’t really have that,” he said.

You can watch the semi-finals of the Concacaf Nations League live on SportsMax on March 21.

Chelsea stand on the brink of an “irreversible toxicity” from the fanbase over concerns for the direction of the club, according to the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust.

Despite progress in the cups, Blues boss Mauricio Pochettino has overseen an underwhelming Premier League campaign since arriving at Stamford Bridge last summer.

Chelsea were branded “blue billion-pound bottle jobs” by Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville late on during their 1-0 extra-time defeat against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final last month.

Although Pochettino has since guided Chelsea back to Wembley for an FA Cup semi-final with holders Manchester City in April, questions remain over the long-term vision under co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali in the post-Roman Abramovich era.

The CST wrote to Boehly and Eghbali earlier this month, highlighting how the current lack of engagement or communication by the club has led to an “overwhelming sense of helplessness, frustration and deep concern” among fans.

This, the CST said, had left Chelsea “close to, if not already experiencing, a significant shift in supporter opinion that could result in irreversible toxicity, almost irrespective of results on the pitch”.

During the recent 2-2 draw against Brentford at Stamford Bridge, the CST noted several “anti-ownership chants” could be heard, adding recent dialogue with supporters revealed “a widespread and significant lack of belief in the decision-makers at the top of our club”.

The rising cost of ticket prices, coach travel as well as food and drink in general admission areas was also addressed in the wide-ranging letter from the CST, which called for a “supporter communication strategy” that works for both the club and fans.

In a response from chief executive Chris Jurasek, Chelsea said the club deeply valued “the dedication, commitment and desire from all our supporters” and “strives to be the most successful and admired” in the world – both on and off the pitch.

It added the club was committed to “clear lines of communication and a significant level of transparency”, pointing to the established of the Fan Advisory Board, as well as recognising the concern over rising costs on a matchday.

Jurasek added: “We endeavour to have regular and strong communication with all our supporters, across all our teams, and aim to enhance and improve this connection season-on-season.”

Commenting on Jurasek’s letter, CST chairman Mark Meehan said it “doesn’t really address the issue we raised”.

Meehan added: “There are serious supporter concerns about the direction of the club, and particularly the disconnection felt towards the club ownership, board as well as the majority of the team and the manager.

“We were not questioning the existing supporter engagement mechanisms at Chelsea, including our very open and honest relationships with key individuals such as (director) Danny Finkelstein.

“We were saying that in order to reassure and reset relationships with fans, a much wider form of communication with fans is necessary.”

Meehan’s statement concluded: “A football club belongs to its supporters and the CST will continue to do everything in its power to guarantee that the voices of those supporters are heard from the stands to the boardroom and ensure that Chelsea supporters are at the very centre of every key decision made by the club – we are supporters, not customers.”

Chelsea have been contacted for further comment.

Porto’s Galeno has no regrets over his decision to represent Brazil ahead of Portugal.

The Brazilian-born winger could have played for Portugal having lived in the country for over five years and was expected to be named in Roberto Martinez’s latest squad after an impressive season.

But Galeno, who featured in Porto’s penalty shootout defeat to Arsenal in the Champions League quarter-finals, was instead called up by Brazil boss Dorival Junior for their upcoming friendlies against England and Spain.

It has been the 26-year-old’s dream to play for the country of his birth, and he said: “I’m not going to change my opinion (representing Brazil and saying no to Portugal).

“It’s been a dream since I was a child to represent my country, Brazil. I talked to the manager (Dorival Junior) but even before he called me, I already had the desire to represent Brazil and I’m not going to change.

“I’m going to do my best to represent this shirt. It will be another one to help achieve many things in the Selecao.”

Galeno’s Porto team-mate Wendell has also been selected as preparations ramp up for this summer’s Copa America.

“Me and Wendell have known each other for a long time,” Galeno added. “We will transfer (our skills) to the Selecao, which we already do at Porto. You can be sure that we will do our best on the field and learn from those who are already there.

“We will pass on what we know to them as well. We will give great victories to the Brazilians. It hasn’t sunk in yet that I’m here in the Selecao. I was crying with my family when I heard.”

Brazil play England at Wembley on Saturday – the first meeting between the two since 2017.

Lee McCulloch envisages the cinch Premiership title race going to the last day of the season because he still believes stuttering Celtic have too much quality to let in-form Rangers pull away in the run-in.

The Hoops looked destined for a procession to a third successive championship as Rangers floundered under Michael Beale early in the campaign.

However, Philippe Clement has galvanised the Ibrox side since his arrival in October, hauling them right back into the mix, with Brendan Rodgers’ side dropping points in six of their last 17 games.

Celtic currently top the table by a point, although Rangers have a game in hand, and McCulloch, who played for the Ibrox club from 2007 until 2015, feels it is still far too close to call.

“I don’t see an obvious favourite,” he told the PA news agency as he helped launch a July friendly between Manchester United and Rangers at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh.

“I can see it going as far as the last day. Celtic are getting players back, the likes of Cameron Carter-Vickers, Callum McGregor and Reo Hatate are massive players for Celtic, and you can’t disregard that.

“Celtic have maybe had their ups and downs in the last months and they’ve maybe not played to their capabilities this season but they’re a very good team.

“You can’t just disregard them and say ‘right, that’s it, Rangers are going to win the league’. There’s a lot of football to be played until the end of the season, so it will be interesting to see which players and which team holds their nerve.”

McCulloch noted that Rangers – with 19 wins from their last 22 league games – have “come on leaps and bounds” since Clement replaced Beale but he still feels they must prove they can handle the pressure of a title run-in.

“When you look back at the start of the season there was a disconnect between the players and the fans, so all credit goes to the manager for bringing a togetherness back,” he said.

“They’re now in a tremendous situation where if they win their game in hand they can go two points clear. The Old Firm games are going to be very important but, with just nine games to go, every game is going to be massive.

“I think there is definitely more pressure on Rangers now than there was at the start of the season but there is also pressure on Celtic because of the way they’ve played in the last couple of years and the dominance they’ve had. There is different types of pressure on the two teams.

“The bulk of the Celtic players will not really have had a pressured run-in but you could say the same for the Rangers players as well. It will be interesting to see over the final games how certain individuals and how the Rangers and Celtic squads react to the pressure.”

Wes Brown is delighted to see Scott McTominay proving himself as a regular goalscorer after initially pigeon-holing the in-form Scotland and Manchester United player as a defensive midfielder.

The 27-year-old notched seven times in the Scots’ successful Euro 2024 qualification campaign last year and has also chipped in with nine for the Red Devils this term despite not being a regular starter.

McTominay is enjoying a purple patch for United after starting their last four matches and netting in narrow victories over Wolves, Aston Villa and Liverpool since the start of February.

Brown has watched McTominay’s progress closely since he made his debut almost eight years ago, and the former England and United defender is thrilled to see his current resurgence under Erik ten Hag ahead of this summer’s Euros.

“It’s absolutely brilliant,” the 44-year-old told the PA news agency as he helped launch a July 20 pre-season friendly between United and Rangers at Edinburgh’s Murrayfield Stadium.

“I love the fact he plays higher up the pitch now, I think you’re seeing a really talented player. I used to look at Scott when he first started playing and, just because of his size and athleticism, you’d say he was a defensive midfield player.

“But he’s a goalscorer, he’s got the timing to get in the box when the balls are coming in and not only that, he puts it in the back of the net.

“He makes the runs defenders don’t like, and he’s saved United a few times this season. It always helps when you have a good run of games whereas Scott’s been in and out quite a bit at United. You can see he’s a player the manager really likes this season.”

Brown endorsed McTominay as a future United captain back in 2019 and he still believes that could come to fruition if he asserts himself as a regular over a longer period.

“He loves the club and he puts everything into it,” said Brown.

“Captain doesn’t always have to be the best player, it’s the player that gives everything and commands everything as well, and Scott’s always done that.

“Yes, you do need to be a regular to be a captain but Scott has definitely got the fundamentals to go on and do that. If you see some of the performances he’s put in this year, that’s exactly what a good captain is made of.

“The fans have noticed it, the manager has noticed it, and he’s done it in a tough period as well.

“When the team’s not playing well or the fans are sometimes upset and getting on the players’ backs, Scott’s always the one that will give that determination and the correct attitude. He just needs to play more regularly now.”

While McTominay has not always been in favour at United, he is firmly established as one of the first names on the Scotland teamsheet.

“He really thrives on playing for Scotland,” said Brown.

“Every time I see Scotland are playing, the first thing I think of is ‘has Scott scored?’ and most of the time he has. He’s a passionate player for Scotland.”

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