During the first of their two pre-World Cup friendly matches, England faced New Zealand on Saturday. It was a match of little incident as Thomas Tuchel gave 22 players game time to help his squad acclimate to the US weather and pitch conditions.
In the end, a single goal from Harry Kane, who headed in a winner moments before half-time, was enough to settle things. As it was more of a training exercise than a real match, Tuchel seemed mostly happy that his players had come through the 90 minutes unscathed.
However, fans watching at home could not help but notice the lively cameo from Liverpool youngster Rio Ngumoha. He isn’t in the Three Lions squad for the World Cup, and will not feature even if injuries force Tuchel into making a change from his original 26-man team.
Rio Ngumoha Among Four Youngsters In England Supplementary Group
It’s not uncommon for a handful of players to travel to a World Cup despite not being in the actual playing squad. This is to help make up the numbers during training and is particularly useful for Tuchel right now as Arsenal contingent Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Noni Madueke, and Eberechi Eze have arrived at the camp later than the rest of the team due to their participation in the Champions League final.
Goalkeeper Dean Henderson will also join them, delayed after winning the Conference League with Crystal Palace. With those men absent, Ngumoha is among a small group – along with Alex Scott, Josh King and Ethan Nwaneri – who have travelled as supplementary members of the England squad.
Against New Zealand, Ngumoha, aged 17 years and 281 days, became the fifth-youngest player to debut for the England men’s team. On what was a pretty drab affair, he was arguably the brightest player on the pitch during the second half. He was even named as the Man of the Match.
As such, some fans were pleading with Tuchel to call him into the senior squad as a late addition ahead of the World Cup. However, this is not a possibility, and so the Liverpool starlet will fly home with the other youngsters after the final warm-up match against Costa Rica on 10 June.
Of course, it would be very harsh to suddenly drop a player in favour of Ngumoha. But many may hope for an injury to open up the door for a teenager. Even if this were the case, Tuchel would still have to look elsewhere for a replacement. This is because he was not called into the provisional 55-man squad submitted to FIFA by England. As per the Mirror, the strict FIFA eligibility rule explain:
“Under World Cup regulations, teams can call up a late injury replacement up to 24 hours before their opening match. However, the player must come from the provisional 55-man squad submitted to FIFA.”
As Ngumoha was not included on that initial 55-man list, he cannot be added to the tournament squad under any circumstances. The same goes for Fulham and Arsenal duo King and Nwaneri. In fact, there is only one player from the group of four youngsters who could make it in at this late stage: Bournemouth star Alex Scott. He was named in the preliminary 55-man party, making him eligible for a late promotion should injury occur.
England have until 24 hours before their opening match against Croatia to make any changes should injury or illness befall anyone in the 26-man squad. After the tournament begins, FIFA rules state that only goalkeepers can be replaced in the event of an emergency.
This article covers a developing story. Continue to check back with us as we will be adding more information as it becomes available.
A heartbroken Max Verstappen completely lost his head over the Red Bull team radio after being forced to retire from the Monaco Grand Prix just moments into the race.
The four-time world champion was second on the grid for Sunday’s race but was robbed of his opportunity to compete at Circuit de Monaco after his car stalled on the grid immediately after lights out.
The Dutchman was eventually able to get his engine running, but he was cut adrift at the back of the field by the time he did so.
Verstappen took to his radio to ask his team: “What do I do?” He was told: “Bring it home, Max”, essentially confirming his retirement from the race.
As he was making his way back to the pits, Verstappen made his frustrations perfectly clear in an x-rated rant about the state of his car.
“Well. Nice. Completely f***** guys. What the f*** man. Even at the formation lap, the engine is broken.”
Verstappen was already 88 points behind Drivers’ Championship leader Kimi Antonelli heading into the race. After his retirement in Monaco, he is set to lose even more ground.
This article covers a developing story. Continue to check back with us as we will be adding more information as it becomes available.
Vinnie Jones, one of football’s ultimate hardmen, once named the five toughest opponents he ever faced. The former Wimbledon midfielder played in an era when blood, sweat, and tears were poured into every game, and referees often turned a blind eye to the antics of mavericks who would do anything to get inside an opponent’s head.
The most famous image of Jones came during a clash between Wimbledon’s Crazy Gang and Newcastle, when he grabbed Paul Gascoigne by the testicles to put him off. The photo became iconic, perfectly capturing his in-your-face style. But in a time that was anything but PG, ‘The Axe’, as he was nicknamed by some, was far from the only hardman on the pitch.
In a 2012 interview with the Daily Mail, Jones revealed the five players even he admitted to fearing, despite his fearless reputation. Surprisingly, Duncan Ferguson did not make the cut.
Vinnie Jones Named 5 Hardest Players He Played Against
89/90 Vinnie Jones – Leeds United Mandatory Credit:Acton Images
Bryan Robson – Manchester United
In the world of football hardmen, Roy Keane’s voice carries real weight – so the fact he described his former captain, Bryan Robson, as “tough as nails, brave, and a proper leader” tells you everything you need to know about Manchester United’s ‘Captain Marvel.’
Robson was a no-nonsense midfielder who played the entire 1982 World Cup with a dislocated shoulder, and teammates often remarked that when he went in for a 50/50 challenge, it was really more like 80/20 in his favour.
Steve McMahon – Liverpool
Named by Vinnie Jones as his ‘Only Real Rival’ for the title of ‘Hardest Man in Football’, Steve McMahon brought a certain steel to the Liverpool team of the late-80s that claimed three league titles and two FA Cups with their free-flowing system. “I’d kick my own brother if necessary – it’s what being a professional footballer is all about,” McMahon once said.
Even when he was being taken out by Jones at Wembley, he managed to give some back – elbowing the Wimbledon man in his cheek on the way down, leaving a scar that Jones still wears today. During a clash at Anfield later on, he would get full revenge, too, when his studs-up challenge left Jones’ foot requiring eight stitches.
Terry Hurlock – Millwall
Terry Hurlock in action for Millwall
Terry Hurlock was sent off 13 times in his career and booked more than 100 times – astonishing even for that era. Players often joked that he looked more like a nightclub bouncer than a footballer, and that his glare alone could put you off your game.
He was called up to the England B team in 1989, which shocked some pundits who said his style was “too brutal” for international football. But it also showed how respected he was for his sheer presence. Dubbed ‘Terry Warlock’, Neil ‘Razor’ Ruddock revealed that Hurlock once ripped a pub door out of a wall when asked what he was going to do to Vinnie Jones when Millwall played Wimbledon, leaving his teammates in shock.
Roy Keane – Manchester United
This list could surely not have been complete unless Keane featured. There’s no doubt he was a special footballer, but it was his extra bite into tackles which earned him the respect but also – at times – the disrespect of his teammates and opponents. Just ask Alf-Inge Haaland, who was on the receiving end of a challenge widely regarded as one of the worst in Premier League history.
Famous for his memorable battles with Patrick Vieira, his surprisingly lovable personality has trickled over into his punditry career. ‘Keano’ can be spotted next to the likes of Gary Neville and Micah Richards, bemoaning about how ‘football has changed’, although he may have mellowed slightly in recent years.
Carlton Palmer – Sheffield Wednesday
Carlton Palmer
Carlton Palmer’s reputation is a bit different from someone like Hurlock or Keane. He wasn’t really considered a “hardman” in the same sense – his name is more often remembered for his stamina, awkward-but-effective style, and the fact he was as tall and strong as he was fast.
“There were so many good lads playing in my day you were always guaranteed a battle,” Jones said. “If I had to pick the hardest out I’d go for Bryan Robson, Steve McMahon, Terry Hurlock, Roy Keane and Carlton Palmer. Why Carlton? He was so big, he’d run away from you and you’d never catch him!”
Brighton CEO Paul Barber has confirmed that Tottenham have made a second bid to sign Jan Paul van Hecke ahead of the summer transfer window.
Tottenham have been showing an interest in signing Van Hecke ahead of the summer transfer window, with manager Roberto De Zerbi clearly keen to work with one of his former players.
Spurs may need defensive reinforcements in the summer transfer window, with Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero both linked with departures.
De Zerbi could be looking to bring in players that he knows he can trust as he aims to guide Spurs into the top half of the Premier League table.
Reports emerged this week that Tottenham had made a bid to sign Van Hecke, but it appears they’ve made another one as the Brighton CEO speaks out.
“There’s always going to be a lot of interest in our best players, and certainly in the case of Jan Paul. We’ve been very clear that that interest has been ongoing for a while, it’s coming from multiple sources. Yes, we have rejected a bid from Tottenham over the last week or so, in fact, two bids. “So from that point of view, it has to be right for us as well as the player, we have to be in a position to make the best trades to suit our model. And also to make sure that we’re supporting Fabian (Hurzeler, head coach) because he’s got another big season ahead of him. “He’s had two seasons in the Premier League, he’s finished eighth on both occasions, this time we’ve been fortunate enough to qualify for a European competition. “We want to go as deep in that competition as we can, while also doing well in the Premier League. “To do that, we need to make sure Fabian’s got the best possible squad and we’ve got the right balance between the young players that typically we like to bring in and develop, “And the more experienced players like Pascal Gross and others, who can actually help us progress in all of the competitions that we’re in. “As always, it’s a balancing act, and hopefully this summer we can work hard to pull it off again.”
Brighton appear to be standing firm with the Dutch defender as they understandably don’t want to lose him this summer.
Tottenham’s second bid was rejected by the Seagulls. It will be interesting to see whether Spurs return to the negotiating table once again.
That would suggest that Spurs’ second offer was even more, which clearly shows that Brighton aren’t going to let him go on the cheap.
Van Hecke would undoubtedly improve Tottenham, especially if they lose van de Ven and Romero, but there are certainly question marks as to whether he’s worth over £70 million.
At this stage, Tottenham should be walking away rather than continuing to negotiate, as there is undoubtedly better value elsewhere in the centre-back market.
