Nick Pope is to undergo an operation on his left hand and looks set to miss Newcastle’s final game of the season against Chelsea.
Pope, an ever-present in the Premier League in his first season at St James’ Park following his £10million move from Burnley, has been instrumental in the Magpies guaranteeing a top-four finish.
The 31-year-old goalkeeper made a fine save on Monday to deny Leicester’s Timothy Castagne and ensure Eddie Howe’s side got the point they needed to guarantee Champions League football next term for the first time in 20 years.
A goalless draw against the Foxes was Pope’s 14th clean sheet in the top flight this season but it seems likely to be his final match of the season, with his left arm bandaged when he attended an event in Northumberland on Wednesday afternoon.
And Newcastle confirmed Pope has withdrawn from the England squad for next month’s Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia next month as he is set to have surgery on his hand.
“Nick Pope – who withdrew from the last Three Lions squad due to injury – is not involved as he is set to undergo an operation on his hand,” a statement on Newcastle’s website read.
Eberechi Eze received his first call-up and Lewis Dunk returned four-and-a-half years after his only cap as Gareth Southgate named the England squad for June’s Euro 2024 qualifiers.
Having kicked off Euro 2024 qualification with wins over Italy and Ukraine, Group C continues with next month’s double header against Malta and North Macedonia.
Southgate has named a 25-man squad, with Eric Dier and Raheem Sterling the high-profile absentees and Crystal Palace attacking midfielder Eze the only uncapped player in the group.
Brighton captain Dunk returned for the first time since making his debut against the United States in November 2018.
Callum Wilson, Tyrone Mings, Sam Johnstone and Trent Alexander-Arnold also returned to the fold.
Sterling, who has won 82 caps, has endured a difficult first season since joining Chelsea from Manchester City.
A representative for the forward said: “Following a private conversation between coach and player, a mutual decision has been made for Raheem Sterling to sit out the upcoming internationals, focusing instead on recuperating his body in preparation for the upcoming season.”
Ruud Van Nistelrooy has resigned as manager of PSV Eindhoven ahead of their final game of the season, the Dutch club have announced.
The former Manchester United and Real Madrid striker had been in charge for just one year at the Philips Stadion and won the Dutch Cup earlier this month.
PSV will secure a second-place finish in the Eredivisie if they take a point from their last game at AZ Alkmaar on Sunday.
A statement from the club on Wednesday said Van Nistelrooy, 46, did not feel he had sufficient support following several recent discussions about “internal affairs”.
The club wanted him to see out of the season but he has opted to leave immediately. Fred Rutten will take charge for the trip to Alkmaar.
The statement read: “Van Nistelrooy reported this morning that in his opinion there was not enough support within the club to continue longer.
“He immediately explained this to the players and staff.
“PSV regrets Van Nistelrooy’s decision and is grateful to him for winning the Johan Cruyff Shield and the KNVB Cup this season and hopes to close the football year with second place.”
Erik ten Hag expects Marcus Rashford to be ready to face Chelsea on Thursday night but admitted he is not sure whether Manchester United’s top scorer is fully fit.
Rashford has missed United’s last two fixtures, first with a leg injury and then through illness, but has returned to training this week.
Asked if the 29-goal forward was ready to play, Ten Hag said: “It looks like (it). Yesterday, he returned to training, he looks quite fit but we have to see today what is the outcome of the training, how did we recover and then we will make our choices.”
Rashford’s absence against Wolves and Bournemouth – both games United won without him – once again brought into focus United’s lack of depth in the forward positions.
Anthony Martial was handed a rare start on the south coast on Sunday, but headed straight down the tunnel when he was withdrawn after an hour before later returning to the bench.
Martial’s reaction led to fresh speculation over his United future. The 27-year-old, who finished last season on loan at Sevilla, has scored eight times in 27 appearances for United this season, but has struggled at times with injuries.
“If you are not available, you can’t score,” Ten Hag said. “When he was available we played better, the team is winning games, he’s also scoring goals but he has to be available.”
And Ten Hag also batted away a question about speculation linking United with Paris St Germain’s Brazil forward Neymar by offering his stock answer on transfer rumours, saying: “When we have news, we will tell you.”
United will secure a top-four place and a return to the Champions League for next season if they take at least a point against Frank Lampard’s side.
“It’s clear, we want to win every game,” the Dutchman said. “That is what we do all season so tomorrow we want to do the same, we want to win the game, play dominant football and get the job done…
“First, we have to win the game tomorrow and get the job done. Then, it’s about judgement from others if it’s a good, bad or normal performance.
“We are in a project, we want to go back and win trophies, we win one trophy but we want more trophies, compete with the best, we are still in a journey but we think we are in the right direction but it can always be better. Because good is not good enough.”
With the League Cup trophy already in the cabinet, booking a return to Europe’s premier competition would be another significant marker for Ten Hag in his first season at Old Trafford.
“If we want to compete with the best, then you have to be in the Champions League,” he said.
“We want to compete with the best and be in the Champions League. In the Premier League, you have to be one of the first four, that’s not easy, many are competing for it, many think they should be in and we are one of them.”
Valencia will appeal against their five-game partial stadium closure and hefty fine following the racist abuse aimed at Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior, calling the sanction “unfair and disproportionate”.
Vinicius threatened to leave the pitch in the second half of Sunday’s LaLiga match at the Mestalla after being subjected to alleged monkey chants from the crowd and Real Madrid, who said the incident constituted a “hate crime”, filed a complaint with the Spanish State Attorney General’s Office.
In response, the club have been ordered to shut the Mario Kempes south stand, where the alleged abuse happened, for five matches and have also been fined 45,000 euros (£39,000) by the Spanish football federation (RFEF).
Valencia said in a strongly worded statement: “Valencia CF wishes to show its total disagreement and indignation at the unfair and disproportionate penalty imposed by the competition committee on the club with the closure of the stand for five games.
“Valencia CF wants to publicly denounce that in this resolution of the RFEF competition committee they show evidence that contradicts what the national police and LaLiga say.
“In addition, this sanction is based on evidence that the club has not been able to see and without giving us a hearing.
“Valencia CF has condemned, condemns and will condemn in the most energetic way any act of racism or violence. These behaviours have no place in football or in society and we will continue to act in the most forceful way to eradicate this scourge.
“For this reason, Valencia CF is collaborating from the first minute with the police and all relevant authorities to clarify the events that occurred last Sunday.
“In addition, it has applied the maximum possible sanction with the expulsion for life from our stadium to the fans that the police have identified for their racist behaviour.
“For this reason we consider that penalising and depriving all the fans who were not involved in these unfortunate incidents from seeing their team is a totally disproportionate, unfair and unprecedented measure against which we will fight.
“The fight against racism requires the real commitment of all the parties involved without using it as a pretext to incur serious injustices.
“Valencia CF will appeal to the last instance the closure of the stand, a sanction that it considers totally unfair and one more offence in the latest disciplinary decisions that have been taken against the club. Valencia CF asks for the utmost respect and rigour for our institution and fans.”
An RFEF statement on Tuesday night read: “The competition committee has sanctioned Valencia CF with the partial closure of the Mestalla stadium for five matches, more specifically the Mario Kempes south stand, following the events that occurred during the league match between the local team and Real Madrid CF.
“It is considered proven that, as reflected by the referee in his minutes, there were racist shouts at Vinicius, a Real Madrid CF player, during the aforementioned match, altering the normal course of the match and considering the infractions very serious.
“In addition, an economic sanction of 45,000 euros (£39,000) is imposed on Valencia.”
LaLiga players and officials called for racism to be tackled in Spain in the wake of Sunday’s match.
Before Tuesday night’s games between Real Valladolid and Barcelona, and Celta Vigo and Girona, players from both sides, as well as the match officials, stood behind banners which read ‘Racism, out of football’.
LaLiga shared a pre-match clip from the Celta-Girona game on its official Twitter account with the hashtag #JUNTOSContraElRacismo (#TOGETHERagainstRacism).
The footage also showed a supporter holding up a placard with ‘No Al Racismo’ (No to Racism) written on it.
There were similar sentiments at the Valladolid-Barcelona game as fans showed their support for Brazil international Vinicius.
Barcelona forward Raphinha removed his shirt when substituted to show a message which read: “As long as the colour of the skin is more important than the brightness of the eyes, there will be war.”
Luton will never forget how far they have come and will stay grounded as they look to secure promotion to the Premier League, according to club great Mick Harford.
The Hatters will meet Coventry in the Sky Bet Championship play-off final at Wembley on Saturday with each aiming to cap a remarkable upturn in fortunes by earning a place back among England’s elite.
For Luton, it would be the culmination of a journey which saw them drop out of the Football League in 2009 in the wake of a 30-point deduction for financial irregularities under previous ownership.
Following a five-year exile, the Bedfordshire club slowly worked their way back up the pyramid.
Last season’s promotion hopes from the Championship finished with defeat in the semi-finals under former boss Nathan Jones, who had returned for another spell in charge.
Former Hatters striker Harford was part of the Luton team which won the 1988 League Cup with victory over Arsenal.
The 64-year-old is now Town’s chief recruitment officer, the latest of several roles he has held at Kenilworth Road – including stints as manager, helping to finish the push to the 2018-19 League One title.
After Luton beat Sunderland to book their trip to Wembley, Harford is hoping for a fairytale ending to the latest chapter in the club’s history.
“We have got to the point now where it is just one game,” said Harford, who is supporting Prostate Cancer UK’s Prostate FC campaign as he continues to receive treatment for the disease.
“We have the utmost respect for our opponents because they have come through the same route, from League Two up into the Championship, but we have been really consistent over the season.
“We were the best of the rest in the league (to finish third). We are going into the game full of confidence, but respectful of the opposition.”
While Harford accepts Saturday is “probably one of the biggest games in Luton’s history”, that will not detract those in charge from taking their focus away from the bigger picture.
“Our chief executive Gary Sweet always says those years in the Conference gave us a bit of grounding,” Harford said.
“You have got no divine right to be at the top of the pyramid. You have got to do the right things and show a lot of respect.
“We have been very diligent on our recruitment, trying to recruit the best kind of players and the best people, good characters.
“It is tough and it is hard. You have to be patient, you have to be strong.
“We have tried to sign players but couldn’t because financially we couldn’t compete with other clubs, so we had to move on to our next choice.
“We believe in our processes at the football club. There is a great culture, a great environment.
“We have created a great vibe at the training ground over the last few months – (manager) Rob (Edwards) has done a brilliant job.
“The togetherness and the spirit of the players, the camaraderie has been excellent and that has been a massive bonus for us.
“The atmosphere at Wembley will be incredible. Coventry have come a long way and so have we. It is going to be an exciting day and hopefully it falls in our favour.”
Harford was diagnosed with prostate cancer in December 2020, and following a course of radiotherapy continues to receive hormone treatment.
He is calling on football fans to join Prostate FC, helping to raise awareness of the risk factors, fund research and save lives in every club across the UK.
Luton’s head matchday hospitality host Les Turton has undergone successful surgery following his own diagnosis.
“Our aim has always been about if we can just help one person,” Harford said.
“We have been trying to get the word out there as much as we can to raise awareness and for people to get tested for this terrible disease.
“We have achieved quite a few things and hopefully we will carry on doing that.”
:: Prostate FC is the biggest team in football taking on the most common cancer in men. Find out how you can help save men’s lives and join Mick and Les at Prostate FC by visiting prostatecanceruk.org/prostatefc
What the papers say
Liverpool defender Andy Robertson has reportedly made it onto Real Madrid’s transfer radar.
According to the Daily Mail, the 29-year-old Scotland captain is viewed by the LaLiga club as a potential replacement for injury-plagued defender Ferland Mendy. However, Robertson is contracted to Liverpool until 2026 and has shown no intention of leaving.
Meanwhile, the Daily Mirror reports Arsenal are prepared to move mountains in order to fuel their transfer capital. The paper says Gunners bosses are willing to sell as many as eight players to raise funds for their summer transfer pursuits, which includes Leicester’s James Maddison and West Ham’s Declan Rice.
Ajax forward Mohammed Kudus is eager to part ways with the Dutch club, according to The Sun. Citing De Telegraaf, the paper says the 22-year-old is ready for a change of scenery, with Manchester United, Arsenal and Newcastle all believed to be interested in the Ghana international.
And The Guardian reports Tottenham are considering approaching Feyenoord boss Arne Slot to take over as Spurs manager.
Social media round-upPlayers to watch
Ilkay Gundogan: ESPN says Arsenal are interested in a move for the Manchester City midfielder.
Julian Alvarez: Bayern Munich view the Manchester City forward as a summer transfer target, reports Bild.
Football Association chair Debbie Hewitt says England “would consider” bidding to host the 2031 Women’s World Cup.
Having won last year’s European Championship on home soil, Sarina Wiegman’s side will bid for the global title in Australia and New Zealand this summer and could soon be in contention to host another showpiece event.
Hewitt told the Times: “We want to be known as a centre for successfully hosting major events.
“It has a hugely positive impact on the country and on local communities who participate, so why wouldn’t we have ambitions to host a Women’s World Cup, particularly as the women’s game is growing?”
Asked whether that meant a possible bid for the 2031 tournament, Hewitt said: “We would certainly consider it.”
The bidding process will not open until the host of the 2027 tournament is decided next May. Should a joint bid from Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium be successful, there will not be a second successive European host so England would have to wait until 2035 at the earliest.
Real Valladolid took a massive stride towards LaLiga safety as they moved out of the relegation zone after a shock 3-1 home win against Barcelona at Jose Zorrilla.
The hosts had lost their last five games, but stormed into a two-goal lead after 22 minutes when Andreas Christensen's own goal was followed by Cyle Larin's penalty.
Gonzalo Plata’s second-half strike put the result beyond doubt before Robert Lewandowski grabbed a consolation late on.
The result moves Paulo Pezzolano's side above Getafe and into 17th in the LaLiga table, while Barca remain in search of their first league win since being crowned champions a fortnight ago.
Valladolid had the ball in the net after just 82 seconds when Christensen headed Darwin Machis' cross past his own goalkeeper.
Machis and Raphinha went close at either end before the hosts doubled their advantage in the 22nd minute, Larin converting from the penalty spot after Plata was brought down by Eric Garcia.
Barca were denied an instant response with Masip producing a fine pair of saves to deny Raphinha and Christensen from close range.
Alejandro Balde fired wide shortly after the break, but Valladolid continued to impress, nearly adding a third when Plata's cross struck the outside of the post.
Ferran Torres came closest to igniting a comeback for Xavi's side, but the substitute was unable to turn home Balde's cross at full stretch.
Instead, Valladolid would seal the points in the 73rd minute when Plata's composed finish from Larin's cross was awarded after a VAR check.
Lucas Rosa's deft chip hit the post for the home side late on, though they were denied a clean sheet when Lewandowski pulled a goal back six minutes from time.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has called for more than 100 Premier League charges levelled against the club for alleged financial regularities to be resolved immediately.
City were referred to an independent commission in February over alleged rule breaches between 2009 and 2018, with the Premier League also accusing City of not co-operating since the investigation started in December 2018.
The sheer scale of the charges, which the club strongly deny, and the magnitude of the implications if found guilty suggest it is a case which will drag on for months, possibly years.
However, Guardiola does not want a cloud hanging over his side’s remarkable achievements and wants a resolution as soon as possible.
But the Catalan, who has a contract until 2025, stressed he would not walk away from the club while potential sanctions remain.
“I will stay next season while there are 110 breaches against us,” said Guardiola, who when asked whether he could extend three or four years beyond that added: “No, no, no. These two are enough.
“What I would like is if the Premier League and judges could make something as soon as possible, then if we have done something wrong everybody will know it.
“And if, we are like we believe as a club for many years, in the right way then the people will stop talking about that.
“We would love it tomorrow, this afternoon better than tomorrow.
“Hopefully they are not so busy and the judges can see both sides and decide what is the best because in the end I know fairly what we won we won on the pitch and we don’t have any doubts.
“We accept it is there. If it happened it happened. (But) let’s go, 24 hours sit down and lawyers present. Don’t wait two years. Why don’t we do it quicker?
“Let’s have it as soon as possible for the benefit of everyone. We want to defend our principles and if people doubt, OK, let’s go, let’s do it as soon as possible please.”
The alleged breaches concern the reporting of accurate financial information, the submission of details of manager and player pay information within the relevant contracts, a club’s responsibility as a Premier League member to adhere to UEFA’s Financial Fair Play regulations and to the league’s own profitability and sustainability regulations.
The club are also alleged to have breached rules requiring them to co-operate and assist with the Premier League’s investigation into those breaches, which the league says began in December 2018.
City have just won a fifth title in six seasons, and have won it seven times since 2011, and are chasing a treble with FA Cup and Champions League finals to come, but while the charges still loom large over the club Guardiola is not close to losing his hunger to win more domestic titles.
“Introduce me to a manager who doesn’t want to win. I’m scared to lose, I don’t want to be criticised, I want respect from my players,” he added.
“What we say, what we do, is to win. I accept my defeats because I always accept that the opponents can be better and beat us.
“So when people say we failed or lost it is like the others are s***. But the others can be good and beat us. It’s like ignoring the other ones.
“When people say now that next season just Manchester City can win the Premier league they are stupid comments.
“Next season will be tough because all clubs want to beat us. That is the challenge. Next season we defend our crown, it belongs to us for one year and we will work for it.
“If they (rivals) want it they have to do it better than us. But if it happens, we will congratulate them.
“United can beat us (in the FA Cup). Inter can beat us. They have three Champions Leagues, we don’t have any, but we have to do our best to try to avoid it.”
Roberto De Zerbi revealed Lewis Dunk has played through the pain barrier to aid Brighton’s European quest as he backed his captain for an England recall.
Seagulls centre-back Dunk has been ever-present in the Premier League this campaign but could begin on the bench against champions Manchester City on Wednesday evening due to ongoing calf and back issues.
Albion boss De Zerbi admits the 31-year-old took time to adapt to his high-intensity, possession-based style of play after he replaced Graham Potter in September.
Yet the Italian says influential leader Dunk has since cemented his status as a guaranteed starter and “deserves” another shot at international football.
“At first it was not so easy for him to understand my idea but he gave me total availability,” said De Zerbi.
“I would like him to be more open because he doesn’t speak a lot but he’s an example inside of the dressing room, inside of the pitch.
“He’s playing with a lot of problems because he has calf and back problems but he is playing every game.
“Tomorrow he can start on the bench but I don’t know because if he can play with me in Brighton, he has to play always.”
England manager Gareth Southgate will on Wednesday name his squad for next month’s Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia.
Dunk was capped by Southgate in a 3-0 friendly win over the United States in November 2018 but has not featured again for his country.
“He deserves to play in the national team,” said De Zerbi.
“It’s not my work to decide the players of the national team but for us it should be a target.
“I hope he can play in the national team.”
Brighton secured continental football next term with two games to spare thanks to Sunday’s 3-1 win over relegated Southampton.
Sixth-placed Albion will almost certainly be in the Europa League due to their healthy goal difference but need one more point to banish any prospect of having to settle for the Europa Conference League.
De Zerbi has warned the Seagulls must improve their squad during the summer in order to avoid potentially following divisional rivals Leicester and West Ham in slipping from European contenders to relegation candidates.
The Foxes are on the brink of falling into the Sky Bet Championship after playing in Europe during the previous two seasons, while David Moyes’ Europa Conference League finalists were in danger of the drop for much of this campaign.
“I push with Tony (Bloom, Brighton owner) to improve the squad every day,” said De Zerbi.
“I don’t want my club to spend too much money but we have to improve. To compete in four competitions, we have to improve and know the situation.
“Leicester, West Ham this year explain the Premier League.
“If you don’t improve year by year you can find a surprise the year after because our achievement this year is not important for the next year.
“Next year we will start not in sixth position, we start level with the other teams.”
St. Peters FC continued their impressive winning run in the 2023 SKNFA Premier League, racking up their 6th consecutive win after coming from behind to defeat Jones Group Sandy Point FC 2-1 on Sunday at Warner Park.
Sandy Point took the lead through T'Ondre Rouse in the 7th minute before Shomari Hanley equalized for St. Peters 10 minutes before halftime. Shevene Boston got the winner in the 69th minute.
In the second match of Sunday’s doubleheader, MFCR Old Road United Jets and Rams Village Superstars drew 1-1. Jardel Isaac got the goal for Old Road in the 9th minute before Dahjal Kelly equalized for Rams Village in the 22nd minute.
With this weekend’s results, Cayon Rockets remain at the top of the table, but only by three points as defending champions S L Horfords St. Paul’s United have narrowed the gap.
Cayon has 33 points from 14 matches while St. Paul’s United has 30 points. St. Peters are among the biggest movers as they are now in 3rd spot with 27 points after racking up six consecutive wins.
Old Road Jets remain in 4th with 24 points, Newtown United in 5th with 22 points, and Village Superstars in 6th with 21 points. Conaree FC are in 7th with 20 points and a game in hand, Garden Hotspurs are in 8th with 15 points, and Bath United is in 9th with 15 points.
In the relegation zone are Saddlers FC, Security Forces FC, and Sandy Point FC with 11, 5, and 2 points respectively.
Hat-trick hero Keithroy Freeman led S L Horsfords St. Paul’s to a 4-0 victory over Fast Cash Saddlers United on Saturday in the first 2023 SKNFA Premier League fixture to play on the island of Nevis. The match was the first of a doubleheader at the Nevis Athletics Stadium in Long Point.
Freeman’s goals came in the 45th, 46th and 79th minutes while the fourth goal came through Keshorne Warde in stoppage time.
Taju Clarke, a player with St. Paul’s, said the team prevailed despite not playing their very best.
“The performance you saw today was an overall good performance because we scored four goals and kept a clean sheet. There were instances when the game dropped off but our team, even though we fall off, we can regroup and score as many goals as possible,” he said before noting that the approach going forward would be to take it one game at a time.
He also had high marks for the Nevis Athletics Stadium as a venue for Premier League matches.
“The field is much better than most fields…despite it being open…it’s still a good venue,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Coach of Saddlers United, Samuel Phipps, suggested the performance of his team was below par.
“It was a really bad off day for us today. We lost 4-0. Nevertheless, I have to thank the guys for trying their best but again we gave up a soft goal just before halftime, and as soon as the second half began we gave up another soft goal, and that has been the trend since the first round. It was a tough loss,” Phipps said.
Meanwhile, Bath United eked out a 1-1 draw with league Leaders Flow 4G Cayon Rockets in front of a Nevisian crowd for the first time this season.
After a goalless first half, Malik Hendrickson gave Cayon the lead in the 74th minute before, eight minutes later, Jalden Myers converted a penalty to level proceedings.
Cayon Coach, Al Edwards, said the match was a tale of two halves.
“In the first half, we got frustrated and went away from the game plan. At half time we were able to look at some of the points that we needed to do and controlled much of the second half. The second half really belonged to us but we weren’t able to create much of the opportunities that we wanted,” he said, noting that it’s back to the drawing board for their next match.
Coach Alex Claxton of Bath said it was important that the team picked up results from this match in front of the Nevisian fans.
“I think that it was very, very important that we pick up points from this game, knowing that it’s our first game at home,” he said. “This is something we were looking forward to and we are happy with the turnout and we wanted to make sure we didn’t disappoint our fans and our supporters,” he said.
The matches on Friday between Security Forces FC and Hobson Enterprises Garden Hotspurs and SOL IAS Conaree FC and Newtown United both ended in 0-0 draws.
Everton have activated their option to extend the contract of midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure by 12 months.
It represents quite a turnaround in four months for the Mali international who, in the latter days of Frank Lampard’s reign, was training away from the first-team squad after a disagreement with the then Toffees boss.
Having been brought back into the fold when Sean Dyche was appointed in late January, the 30-year-old has scored four goals – ending a drought dating back to September 2021 – in his last nine games, including two in the crucial 5-1 win at Brighton earlier this month.
“Everton can confirm the club has activated the option to extend Abdoulaye Doucoure’s contract until the end of June 2024,” read a club statement.
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