England manager Roy Hodgson expects Wayne Rooney to be one of the first players on the plane for Euro 2016 but warned the captain that his spot in the starting XI is not certain. 

Rooney has been out of action since February after suffering knee ligament damage, missing England s international friendlies against Germany and Netherlands last month.

In the Manchester United skipper s absence other players pressed their claims for a spot in England s Euro 2016 squad, with Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy scoring, while Daniel Sturridge and Danny Welbeck also featured.

However, Hodgson has no intention of leaving Rooney s name out of the 23-man squad, as long as he is fit and ready to go.

I have no thoughts of jettisoning Wayne Rooney and I certainly would…

Gareth Southgate has pledged England will learn from Friday s shock 1-0 defeat to Iceland ahead of their Euro 2024 campaign starting next week.

England s Wembley Stadium send-off fell flat as they produced a disjointed performance against a stubborn Iceland side, with Jon Thorsteinsson s low strike the difference.

Despite Southgate picking a strong starting lineup featuring Harry Kane, Phil Foden and Cole Palmer, the Three Lions managed just one shot on target and only recorded 0.89 expected goals (xG) from 13 total attempts.

It is the first time they have lost their final game prior to an international tournament since Euro 1968, having won 15 and drawn five of their previous 20 such matches.

While Southgate was in no mood to excuse England s below-par…

Nolito is dreaming of playing for Spain at Euro 2016 after he scored his first international goals in a 3-1 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina in Switzerland.

The Celta Vigo forward, 29, had not scored in his first six caps, but had a double within the first 18 minutes of his seventh appearance on Sunday.

Emir Spahic got a goal back for Bosnia before being sent off and Chelsea forward Pedro sealed the victory in stoppage-time.

Head coach Vicente del Bosque now has to cut a final two members of his provisional squad for the Euros as Spain look to retain their continental crown in France and Nolito hopes he has done enough in his 60-minute appearance to book a seat on the plane.

It is clear that the whole world knows the level at the Spanish national team is very…

Following Jayden Danns’ brief debut appearance for Liverpool in their home win against Luton, visiting boss Rob Edwards, in conversation with Jurgen Klopp, was seen mouthing: “I played against his dad!”

Striker Danns, 18, is the son of former Crystal Palace, Bolton and Bury midfielder Neil Danns and is not the only offspring of a once-famous footballer to have made a breakthrough this season.

Here, the PA news agency looks at five more young talents with dads you may remember.

Bobby Clark

Liverpool’s academy has more teenagers with famous fathers, including Bobby Clark, son of former Newcastle and Fulham midfielder Lee. Bobby, 19, made his Premier League debut against Bournemouth at Anfield last season, coming on as an 83rd-minute substitute with the Red…

Competition: Euro 2016
Market: Wales and Slovakia to draw
Odds:

Wales and Slovakia lock horns in their opening Euro 2016 Group B clash at the Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux tonight, in a game that could be too close to call. It’s a match that has been billed ‘Bale v Hamsik’ due to the two players’ influence on their respective national teams to help them through qualifying.

Wales are deemed the underdogs given their poor form ahead of the 2016 European Championships. Chris Coleman’s side have lost three of their last four games in all competitions, picking up just one win in their previous six. They’ve scored just one goal in their last three too, and an in-form Slovakia will be looking to take advantage.

Slovakia are full of confidence given…

With the Premier League officially making its return this weekend, defending champions Manchester City will steal centre stage on Sunday afternoon.

Watching the Sky Blues travel to Stamford Bridge when they meet Chelsea for what should be a heavyweight showdown from west London, we have a pair of eye-catching battles on the cards.

For those of you looking to stick on a Sunday flutter, we have found a pair of the most intriguing Premier League betting tips.

14:00 Brentford vs Crystal Palace

While Crystal Palace might have only appointed Oliver Glasner back in February, the Eagles embarked on a sensational rise under the former Eintracht Frankfurt boss. Signing off the 2023/24 campaign with a stunning performance at Selhurst Park as they stormed their wa…

The 2022 FIFA World Cup has been the subject of controversy from the moment that Qatar was announced as the host nation.

Concerns over the Arab state s human rights record have led to questions over its suitability to stage the showpiece event, while FIFA are also giving strong consideration to rescheduling the tournament from its traditional June-July time slot, owing to Qatar s searing summer heat.

Here we take a look at the timeline of events that have made the 22nd edition of the world-famous competition arguably the most controversial, and it is still eight years away

March 2009: Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, son of the Emir of Qatar, announces that he will lead Qatar s bid committee for the 2022 World Cup.

September 2010: A FIFA inspectio…

Oliver Glasner has been appointed manager of Crystal Palace.

The former Eintracht Frankfurt head coach succeeds Roy Hodgson at Selhurst Park.

Here, the PA news agency takes a closer look at the 49-year-old.

Who is Oliver Glasner?

Welcome to Palace, Oliver Glasner

— Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC)

Glasner was born in 1974 in Austria. He spent his entire playing career, between 1992 and 2011, in his homeland. Aside from a loan spell with Linz-based LASK, the defender was a one-club man, playing 571 times for SV Ried. Glasner twice won the Austrian Cup with Ried and in 1995 helped the club reach the Austrian Bundesliga for the first time. His playing career ended just days short of his 37th birthday after he suffered a subdural haematoma following a…

Erik ten Hag has claimed Manchester United s new part-owner Jim Ratcliffe has told him he wants the Dutchman to stay at Old Trafford.

Reports on Friday suggested Ratcliffe, who now runs the footballing operations at United following INEOS 27.7 per cent purchase of the club, had decided to sack Ten Hag regardless of the result of Saturday s FA Cup final, with the Red Devils taking on Manchester City.

United finished eighth, their worst-ever Premier League finish, this season, with Ten Hag under increasing scrutiny.

However, while hitting out at his critics in an interview with Dutch publication Voetbal International, Ten Hag claimed to have the backing of INEOS.

INEOS told me that they want to change everything and that they want to rebuild with me, he sa…

South American football enthusiasts and Liga MX fans are fully aware of who Angel Mena is. However, the Leon winger has now gained the right to be considered as one of the best players not only in Mexico or the CONCACAF region, but in Latin America as a whole. His current is the best example of just how impressive he’s been playing.

Mena, 31, has either scored or assisted in his last nine Liga MX matches. The stats over that span certainly add context to the story, but also explain just how dominant the Ecuador international has been. Through those nine starts, Mena has 11 goals and eight assists. But he’s also added 25 shots (18 on target) while creating 23 scoring chances. If that’s not a dominant stretch then I don’t know how we could call it.

Reaching his prime…