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England supporters are less than impressed at seeing Jordan Henderson called into another squad by Gareth Southgate, the last before Euro 2024.

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• Experienced midfielder remains in favour
• Plans being pieced together for European Championship
• Three Lions boss seeing selection calls questioned

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The former Liverpool captain has been a regular for his country since 2014, taking his tally of senior caps to 81, but he is now 33 years of age and plying his trade in the Eredivisie at Ajax following an ill-fated six-month stint in the Saudi Pro League with Al-Ettifaq.

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• WHAT THE FANS ARE SAYING

  Many disgruntled Three Lions fans have been left frustrated at seeing Henderson selected again for upcoming friendly dates with Brazil and Belgium.

  One supporter, @SSE_LTFC, reacted to the official squad announcement by suggesting that Henderson “must have naked photos of Gareth Southgate”, while others – such as @base10 – have branded the England boss a “big joke” for sticking with his favourites.

  There are a number of unsupportive memes to be found on social media that relate to Henderson’s call, while @magawk has come up with his own press conference quotes, including: “Look, I know Jordan Henderson was decapitated in that freak boating accident, but I just feel his experience…”

  A popular question from the likes of @StanleyMikeCB is “how is Henderson making that England squad ahead of Ross Barkley?” and @WaruiJohn2 is among those to claim that the former Reds star making the cut ahead of Manchester United teenager Kobbie Mainoo is a “crime”.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Henderson is joined in England’s midfield talent pool by Jude Bellingham, Conor Gallagher, James Maddison and Declan Rice. Phil Foden could also drop deeper if required, as he stars for Manchester City this season, while Kalvin Phillips – another Southgate favourite – has been overlooked amid struggles for form and regular game time at club level.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR ENGLAND?

  Southgate’s latest selection is the last that he will make before piecing together plans for Euro 2024. He has passed up the chance to cast an eye over the likes of Mainoo, or welcoming Barkley back from the international wilderness, and it appears that a tried and trusted approach will be favoured when going in search of continental glory on German soil.

The 2024 Olympic Games are sweating on the involvement of Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe, with Real Madrid threatening to dash gold medal dreams.

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• Argentine superstar yet to make decision
• PSG forward eager to be involved
• Blancos may block efforts to join French squad

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Argentina are still waiting on a decision from eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi regarding his involvement in Paris, with club commitments at Inter Miami – and a Copa America tournament this summer – having to be taken into account.

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  WHAT MBAPPE HAS SAID

  The hope was that France would have one superstar in their squad to use as a poster boy for the event, with Mbappe stating his desire to compete at a home Games. He has said: “It's my employer who decides. It will be a pleasure to play in them, but if my employer doesn't want to, I will support that decision. I don't think it will take much time to think about it.”

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  That employer is Paris Saint-Germain for now, who would be happy for Mbappe to represent their city in a global showpiece. The 25-year-old is, however, heading towards free agency at Parc des Princes and is expected to become another ‘Galactico’ at La Liga giants Real Madrid.

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  DID YOU KNOW?

  According to , the Blancos are reluctant to free Mbappe for Euro 2024 and Olympic competition at the start of his spell at Santiago Bernabeu. Their report states: “According to our information, and whatever your desire to live the Olympic experience in your country, the possibility of seeing Mbappe compete in the Olympic Games with Thierry Henry's team decreases day by day.”

Tottenham and chairman Daniel Levy by extension believe they're in pole position to sign a £50 million star, and they also think he'd like to join.

Are Tottenham signing anyone in January?

Spurs have been linked with an array of new signings for the January transfer window. Despite completing deals for keeper Guglielmo Vicario, young centre-back Ashley Phillips, assured defender Micky van de Ven, England midfield star James Maddison, winger Manor Solomon, exciting striker Alejo Veliz and Wales forward Brennan Johnson, there are areas which arguably need shoring up ahead of a long Premier League season.

Ange Postecoglou lacks significant cover behind both Van de Ven and Cristian Romero as the centre-back pairing, so Tottenham are reportedly targeting the likes of Galatasaray defender Victor Nelsson, Juventus star Gleison Bremer, Bournemouth's Lloyd Kelly and Bayer Leverkusen star Edmond Tapsoba. Also, while Spurs have done very well without star striker Harry Kane, there are suggestions that Brentford star Ivan Toney and Stuttgart forward Serhou Guirassy are attracting Spurs' attention for 2024.

The international break is now upon Tottenham, perhaps giving Levy and new Chief Football Officer Scott Munn a space to plan for the winter window. Despite their fine start to the season, Postecoglou's squad will need more depth if they're to continue competing at the highest level, with a new midfielder also in the offing.

Will Spurs replace Hojbjerg?

One victim of Tottenham's recent success, and Postecoglou's fluid new attacking system, has been Denmark international star Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg. The 28-year-old, despite being a key player for Antonio Conte last season, is currently a bit-part player. Hojbjerg is yet to start a single league game for Postecoglou this term, leading to reports that he is considering a move away from north London.

The former Southampton star could join Juventus, who are expressing an interest in signing Hojbjerg this winter. As a result, Spurs have been weighing up replacements behind the scenes, with Chelsea star Conor Gallagher coming as one of the names. The Englishman is currently a favourite under former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino at Stamford Bridge, starting every league match so far while ranking as one of their best-performing players according to WhoScored.

90min has an update on Tottenham's pursuit of the player, and while Chelsea wish to offer him a new contract, Spurs "believe they lead" the race to sign Gallagher. If he doesn't sign a new deal, the north Londoners think he'd prefer to join them over any other club. This is what they theorise gives them an advantage over other interested parties. Chelsea, though, are believed to value him at around £50 million, meaning Spurs will likely have to fork out a hefty sum to bring him to north London.

Jermaine Jenas is a big fan of Gallagher. The ex-Tottenham midfielder once told Match of the Day (via The Sun) that the former Crystal Palace loanee can be a "gamechanger" on his day.

“I think he is a game-changer as well, Conor Gallagher," said Jenas.

"He’s the type of player that you bring on and he has an impact on the game. He presses, gets himself in the box and creates chances."

Manchester United could delve into the transfer market in a key area in the January window, potentially replacing a "dominant" player in the process, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.

Man United takeover news

The Red Devils have seen their 2023/24 season get off to a disappointing start, with both results and performances not good enough on the whole in the Premier League. Their dramatic 2-1 win at home to Brentford last time around was at least an important three points, but it is clear that big improvements are still required.

In fairness to United, injury problems certainly haven't helped them so far this season, with arguably their entire first-choice defence, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez and Luke Shaw, unavailable for big chunks of the campaign to date.

Other key performers have also been absent at times, and it has meant that Erik ten Hag has had to use fringe players more often than he would have liked, including bringing the under-fire Harry Maguire into the defence, along with veteran new signing Jonny Evans.

The big news this week is of course the latest on a potential takeover, with Sheikh Jassim dropping out of the running after seeing his bid rejected by the Glazers, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe's minority investment plan now leading the way.

Man Utd transfers: Replacements for Maguire

Speaking to Caught Offside, Romano claimed that a Maguire exit could finally happen at Old Trafford in the January transfer window, with the priority being finding a new centre-back:

"It will be important to see what happens with the injury to Lisandro Martinez and the situation with Harry Maguire. If they receive a proposal for Maguire they could invest in a new centre-back in January, or else they will wait until the summer. My understanding is that a priority for 2024 is a centre-back, and it’s difficult to get top deals done during January."

There is no question that some of the abuse that has come Maguire's way in recent times has been unacceptable, with such levels of criticism proving to be unhealthy. Maguire's stats are still solid in general, including three aerial duels and two tackles won in his one EFL Cup appearance this season, as well as 3.6 clearances per match for England across five appearances at the 2022 World Cup.

That being said, the 30-year-old doesn't feel at the level required, or the style of play needed, to be a genuine success story under Ten Hag, so a move away in January could benefit all parties, especially as it would allow him more playing time elsewhere ahead of Euro 2024, enhancing his hopes of starting for the Three Lions at the tournament.

Maguire has even been lauded by Ten Hag himself, who clearly values him in some way, with the Red Devils boss saying:

"He's more dominant and dictating, he's taking more initiative on the training pitch and I think also in the Real Betis game, he showed leadership, especially in those aspects of initiative and dictating of the game."

Maguire has done well at United at times, contributing to some success along the way, but it is time for him to move on, either in January or next summer, allowing Ten Hag to rebuild his defensive options in the process.

Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice has claimed he will try and convince Ben White to represent England again in the future.

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• Rice wants White back in England squad
• Will try and convince Arsenal team-mate
• Hailed the player for his versatility

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  White has not been part of the England squad since the 2022 World Cup, and recently manager Gareth Southgate revealed that the Arsenal player has requested not to be called up for international matches.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  However, White's Arsenal team-mate and England midfielder Rice believes that his club colleague can become an asset for The Three Lions due to his versatility in defence. He further claimed that he will try and convince White to reverse his decision and make himself available for selection in the future.

• WHAT DECLAN RICE SAID

  Speaking to reporters, Rice said: "He’s a really unique player because he can play three positions. In tournaments, that’s so key. He can play centre-back, he can play right-back, he can play inverted full-back. When I get back I can have a conversation with him and see the ins and outs and see what he thinks. I would love him to come. I think Bukayo [Saka] would. I think Aaron ­Ramsdale would. I think we’re all going to be on him when we get back. Hopefully, he can change his mind."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR ENGLAND?

  Southgate's side will hope to get back to winning ways after a 1-0 defeat against Brazil last week as they take on Belgium in their second friendly encounter on Tuesday.

Glasgow Rangers will be hoping Philippe Clement is at Ibrox for the long haul, especially considering the short reigns of the previous two managers.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst may have won the Scottish Cup and led the Gers to a major European final, yet he was sacked after just a year into the job last November.

Michael Beale didn’t even make it to the 12-month mark, being relieved of his duties after just ten months in the role and stability is required should the Light Blues aim to return to the summit of Scottish football.

The Belgian looks a calming presence yet is not one to be crossed, and his methods appear to be working, although it is still early days.

With a new manager in place, the next step for James Bisgrove is to hire a director of football who could work in tandem with Clement and improve the recruitment side of things, as the club have failed to impress in the transfer market since winning the Premiership title in 2021.

Ross Wilson's best and worst transfers at Rangers

When Steven Gerrard was appointed in May 2018, the club took a major gamble on someone who had never previously managed at senior level before.

His first season was decent in spells, yet no trophies were secured and with this in mind, the Gers appointed Ross Wilson as the new sporting director in October 2019, and he would work closely with Gerrard in finding top talent that would only make the Light Blues stronger.

With prior experience working at Southampton during their time in the Premier League along with stints at Falkirk and Watford, Wilson looked like he could be the person that would help elevate the club.

While the Ibrox side would eventually go on to secure their first league crown in a decade two years ago, Wilson’s record in the transfer market is certainly nothing to boast about, especially with regard to incomings.

Players such as Kemar Roofe, Ianis Hagi and John Lundstram arrived under Wilson, yet the vast majority of Wilson’s signings struggled to get to grips with the sheer volume of pressure associated with playing for a club like Rangers and underperformed as a result.

Think of the likes of Juninho Bacuna, Cedric Itten and Ben Davies, summer arrivals who cost a pretty penny yet didn’t quite live up to expectations. Of course, Davies is still currently at the club, but he has endured a disappointing 12 months or so in Glasgow.

Wilson did enjoy some success with regard to developing a player trading model at Ibrox, which resulted in Nathan Patterson, Calvin Bassey and Joe Aribo all being sold for incredible profits that in turn have funded future spending.

Bassey joined Ajax for £23m and the sale is still the highest in the club’s history. Despite raising vast sums, Wilson’s legacy at Ibrox will be remembered by winning just two trophies, but he left the club to join Nottingham Forest back in April, with Bisgrove still searching for a new director.

Could Stuart Webber be the ideal candidate to take the job? He looks set to depart Norwich City shortly.

Why Stuart Webber is available

The 39-year-old handed in his notice at the Canaries back in June and was looking to remain at the club for the next 12 months to serve out this notice, but it appears as though he could be leaving sooner than first anticipated.

According to The Sun, Rangers are keen on hiring him as a direct replacement for Wilson, yet they could face competition from Leeds United, who are also keeping tabs on him.

Could it be the right move, however, or will Webber just become Wilson 2.0? The way Norwich have been run in recent years, it doesn't bode well.

Stuart Webber's experience as a sporting director

The director was appointed to the position at the Championship side in April 2017 and oversaw promotion to the Premier League in 2018/19 by winning the second-tier title that season.

Webber also helped develop youngsters such as current Gers start Todd Cantwell while also playing a part in building a wonderful training ground along with appointing a manager such as Daniel Farke, who was key to them getting promotion.

Farke spent four years in charge of the club and while Norwich finished last in the top flight during the 2019/20 season, they rebounded straight back up by once again winning the Championship title during 2020/21.

Webber and Farke brought in players such as Josh Sargent, Angus Gunn and Emiliano Buendia during their time at the club, yet the latter few years have been littered with poor signings in the transfer market along with disappointing results on the pitch.

Cantwell, who was once destined for the very top, departed for Rangers after a poor start to last season, while Norwich failed to challenge for another promotion, finishing 13th under David Wagner.

This season hasn’t gone much better, with the East Anglian side currently occupying 17th spot in the Championship after winning just five league matches all season.

It has not been the finest couple of years under Webber, and he could certainly be a case of Wilson 2.0 should Rangers snap him up in the near future.

A bright start followed by a period in which the club have struggled certainly echoes Wilson’s spell at Ibrox as sporting director and Bisgrove won't want to make the same mistake his predecessors did.

At this present moment in time, Clement looks like he has the confidence to approach the January transfer market with his team of coaches and assistants and aim to improve certain areas of the squad.

Bisgrove should be in no rush to sign a sporting director as at the current moment in time, there are more prevailing issues which need to be fixed.

Until performances on the pitch improve, and the players are finally behind the Belgian, only then will a new sporting director be the key priority.

Webber however, is not the answer to the problems at Ibrox, especially with the way Norwich have been run over the previous few years since their relegation from the top flight in 2022.

Chelsea forward Catarina Macario says it feels like a "dream" and a "miracle" that she is back playing football after 20 months out injured.

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• Macario been out with ACL injury since 2022
• Forward returned to action in early March
• Chelsea star opens up on 'miracle' comeback

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  United States women's national team star Macario suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury while playing for Lyon on the final day of the 2021/22 season. The former Stanford Cardinal joined Chelsea while injured last summer and after 641 days on the sidelines, she made her Blues debut in early March and scored a goal in a 4-0 win over Leicester City. Ahead of Sunday's Conti Cup final with Arsenal, the 24-year-old has spoken of her amazement that she is even playing at all.

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  WHAT CATARINA MACARIO SAID

  She told the Guardian: “I honestly couldn’t even tell you how many hours they’ve [Chelsea] spent trying to get it right for me. Our head of performance one day told me: ‘I don’t think I’ve ever spent so much time focused on one player, but we’re doing this just to try to get it right for you so that you can be healthy in the long term, and be able to contribute for us.’ That’s something that I really appreciate, and I honestly could never repay them. I did at times think: ‘Will I be able to play at that level again?’ There were definitely a lot of doubts. They just reassured me a lot. A lot of times I didn’t believe them. That’s why now everything just feels like a dream, like a miracle.”

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The 24-year-old was in the form of her life in the 2021/22 season after scoring 22 goals for Lyon and helping them to Champions League glory; plus, she scored five goals in five games for her country in 2022. After being struck down by an injury that threatened to derail her career, she is back and eager to make up for lost time. A trophy this weekend would be the perfect way to bookmark the start of a new chapter in her career.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Macario, who has featured twice for Chelsea since her return from injury, will hope to play some part when Emma Hayes' side take on the Gunners at Molineux in the Conti Cup final this afternoon.

  She added: "It is a big derby, I guess it would be even more special if we were able to win it against Arsenal, but no matter who it's against, no matter what game, we want to win. I don't think my teammates need to really tell me how much it means, we're all competitors and what we want to do every single day is win, compete, dominate and set the Chelsea standard."

Cole Palmer is closely following the footsteps of Chelsea legend Eden Hazard as he keeps finding the net in a stunning debut campaign.

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• Palmer the brightest star in the Chelsea stable
• Scored a hat-trick to fire Chelsea past Man Utd
• Matched a record set by Hazard in 2014-15

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  In what can only be described as a meteoric rise, Palmer is rapidly etching his name into the annals of Chelsea Football Club history, mirroring the iconic footsteps of legendary forward Hazard. The young talent's debut season with the Blues has been nothing short of spectacular, leaving fans in awe with his stunning performances on the pitch.

  The latest display of Palmer's prowess unfolded in a breathtaking encounter against fierce rivals Manchester United where he scored a hat-trick to secure an unforgettable triumph at Stamford Bridge.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Statistical analysis from Opta reveals the magnitude of Palmer's impact in west London. Remarkably, 10 of his 16 Premier League goals this season have propelled Chelsea from drawing positions to leading the match, a feat unrivalled since Hazard's illustrious campaign in 2014-15.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Comparisons with Hazard only intensify when examining their debut seasons at Chelsea. While Hazard left an indelible mark with 13 goals, 19 assists, and pivotal contributions to Europa League glory in 2012-13, Palmer has already surpassed his goal tally (19), signalling his emergence as a genuine force to be reckoned with.

  Additionally, Palmer's historic achievement as the second youngest player (21 years, 334 days) in Premier League history, after Mario Balotelli in December 2010 for Manchester City against Aston Villa (20 years, 138 days), to convert two penalties in a single game speaks volumes about his maturity and skill at such a tender age.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Next on Chelsea's agenda is a crucial clash against Sheffield United at Bramall Lane on Sunday. As they aim to capitalise on their momentum, Palmer's presence promises to be instrumental in their pursuit of success.

Celtic have been handed a boost after learning that one of their players is set to be available for the Scottish Premiership game vs St. Mirren on Wednesday evening, following a fresh update.

Celtic injury news

The Hoops currently have Liel Abada, Stephen Welsh, Maik Nawrocki and Marco Tilio out on the sidelines with their own respective problems, but the club recently suffered an even bigger setback regarding the fitness of Reo Hatate. The Parkhead midfielder has been ruled out of action until after Christmas having torn his hamstring against Atletico Madrid, but he’s not the only regular feature to have recently given Brendan Rodgers cause for concern north of the border.

During the 0-0 stalemate against Hibernian last weekend, Alistair Johnston took a knock and had to be replaced by Anthony Ralston after just 26 minutes, with the right-back leaving the field early, alleviating fears that he could be facing a spell on the sidelines.

The Canada international has established himself as the green and white’s second best-performing defensive player so far this season (WhoScored – Celtic statistics) so it would have been a huge blow to lose his services, but there has been a positive update to emerge surrounding the 25-year-old.

Alistair Johnston injury upate

Speaking during his pre-match press conference on Monday, Rodgers confirmed that Alistair Johnston will be available for Celtic for their upcoming encounter against Stephen Robinson's side. As quoted by Video Celts, he said:

"Alistair will be fine, it was really just precautionary taking him off, especially with Tony being able to come in and play so he’s (Johnston) came out the game OK. Odin will be back as well which is great, he’s obviously been out for a few games with injury but he’s now been training and back so he’s available for us.

"The other guys, Reo, we’re not 100 percent on the exact timings, but he’s certainly going to be out until after Christmas we think, so that’s a shame. Stephen Welsh is back in training which is good, other than that the others are on course. Liel Abada, probably mid-December. That’s the update."

With Johnston having been described as an “excellent” player by journalist Josh Bunting, Celtic having him at their disposal once again will be a huge boost for Rodgers who will know the hugely positive impact he’s been having since the start of the season.

The Vancouver native, who pockets £17k-per-week (Celtic salaries), is currently averaging 2.1 tackles and 1.5 key passes per league game, highlighting his desire to get stuck in, win back possession for his team and push them as high up the pitch as possible (WhoScored – Johnston statistics).

Since putting pen to paper in January, Johnston has also provided two assists and even scored one goal himself, so he’s capable of getting involved in the final third when bursting down the flank (Transfermarkt – Johnston statistics), therefore, it’ll be a relief for the manager that he’s not done anything serious, and it'll be interesting to see if he's selected from the off.

Wrexham have delivered back-to-back promotions for Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, but the club are already “playing catch up” in League One.

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• Red Dragons climbing into third tier
• Ambition of Hollywood co-owners rewarded
• Big summer ahead in North Wales

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  That warning has been sounded a matter of hours after the Red Dragons confirmed a top-three finish in League Two. Having claimed the National League title in record-breaking style last season, the Welsh outfit are enjoying a meteoric rise up the EFL ladder.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  They will be playing third-tier football in 2024-25 for the first time in 20 years, with a considerable investment of faith and funds being rewarded. Wrexham have come a long way in a short space of time, and that means their Hollywood co-owners need to find more answers to difficult questions in the weeks to come.

• WHAT KER SAID ABOUT WREXHAM

  Wrexham’s executive director, Humphrey Ker, has told of the project Reynolds and McElhenney are working through: “Above everything, we have proven again this is not a gimmick, it's not a joke, it's a serious operation. We are playing catch up on infrastructure and facilities, but we will do everything to give players and staff the standards you would expect. And then we go again.”

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  WHAT NEXT FOR WREXHAM?

  Reynolds and McElhenney have made no secret of the fact that they want to guide Wrexham towards the Premier League, but the playing field will start to level out in League One and that will mean bigger challenges for head coach Phil Parkinson and a star-studded squad to overcome.