Having turned down the Three Lions job once, the man leading a World Cup 2018 charge acknowledges he is lucky to have been given another chance

Gareth Southgate feels “hugely fortunate” to have the opportunity to manage England after initially turning down the job in 2016.

Southgate had been working as England Under-21s manager when Roy Hodgson departed after a dreadful European Championship campaign, but he opted not to take up the senior role, which instead went to Sam Allardyce.

Allardyce’s subsequent sacking amid off-field controversy thrust Southgate into the spotlight as he impressed in an interim role, going on to secure the job full-time before guiding England to the World Cup and now the last 16.

Although his stock has never been higher, the former Middlesbrough boss acknowledges it was not a foregone conclusion that he would get another chance to lead his country.

“I feel hugely fortunate now,” Southgate said ahead of Thursday’s Group G clash with Belgium.

“It wasn’t what I wanted to do [after the Euros]. I wanted it to go well for Roy, just as I later wanted it to go well for Sam.

“I didn’t think, when Roy left, there’d be any enthusiasm for an internal appointment. I knew that my record with Middlesbrough – even though, for me, what I achieved with them in the first two years was better than anything I’ve done in the last couple of weeks – would be held against me as a manager.

“You’re always judged on results without necessarily all of the context and all the understanding of where you are, that you’re learning.

“But I remember [then Wales manager] Chris Coleman after the European Championships, saying, ‘You’ve got to go for things in life and not be afraid to fail.’

“That resonated with me because I’d probably just ruled myself out of taking on the job. If I was talking to young people or my own kids, I would be saying exactly those things, but I wasn’t living it myself.

“So I felt, then, actually I had to make sure that, if there are opportunities in life, you’ve got to go for them.

“Even as a young player, you maybe only get one World Cup. You assume there’ll be more, but you might only get one because of an injury or something else.”

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Brazil’s star man finally arrived in Russia with a superb showing against Mexico as the Selecao avoided the fate of some of their biggest rivals

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The 2018 World Cup has been one of huge shocks. We are still in the first knockout round, yet champions Germany, Spain, Argentina and Portugal have already fallen, while Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have also returned home.

Neymar and favourites Brazil were the next giants to take to the stage as they tackled Mexico in Samara, but the Selecao put on an authoritative display to win 2-0 as the Paris Saint-Germain star finally burst into life.

A metatarsal injury meant that Neymar came into the World Cup having played no club football since the end of February and it showed during a disappointing group stage where he was criticised for his perceived showboating and playacting.

There were worries from outside the camp that this competition could pass Neymar by, just as it had for other superstars like Messi.

However, Brazil’s star man finally awoke from his slumber against Mexico with a match-winning display.

He scored the opening goal at the Cosmos Stadium as his brilliant back heel to Willian bamboozled El Tri’s defence, allowing the Chelsea man to tee Neymar up for a simple finish at the back post.

Neymar then set up the second in the closing minutes by beating the Mexico offside trap and flicking the ball goalwards before substitute Roberto Firmino tapped home from close range.

Mexico coach Juan Carlos Osorio did all he could to control the 26-year-old as his right-back Edson Alvarez back was given a first-half education, matching up against the world’s most expensive player.

The 20-year-old did well in the opening stages when Mexico were the better team. But an outstanding piece of skill by Neymar down the left midway through the first half left Alvarez for dead and galvanised a Brazil side who then took charge.

Osorio was forced to change his right-back to Miguel Layun but the veteran couldn’t control Neymar in the second period, with the attacker’s interplay with Willian irrepressible at times. The Chelsea man also enjoyed a fantastic match having struggled in the groups as well.

Layun became frustrated by Neymar’s brilliance, even deliberately stepping on the superstar’s ankle off the ball, but fortunately escaped punishment. Neymar, true to form, exaggerated the foul.

Neymar holds huge unfulfilled ambitions to become one of his country’s and the game’s greatest ever players. He wants to win the World Cup and then also earn a Ballon d’Or, which has been dominated for the past decade by Messi and Ronaldo.

Winning the World Cup would be the best chance Neymar has of lifting the Golden Ball and, as things stand, Brazil look a good bet to challenge for the title in Russia.

Neymar now has 15 goals in 16 games for club and country this year, showing exactly why Tite has persisted with him in this World Cup, despite below-par performances against Switzerland, Costa Rica and Serbia.

He is edging closer to Pele’s national team goalscoring record after he netted his 57th goal in 89 appearances, putting him just 20 behind the all-time great.

Most importantly, though, Neymar has finally arrived in Russia, while Messi, Ronaldo and so many major nations have already returned home.

The attacking midfielder enjoyed a productive season in 2017-18 but his departure will help to alleviate the Championship club’s financial troubles

Tottenham target Jack Grealish will have to be sold by Aston Villa this summer, manager Steve Bruce has admitted.

Villa must raise £40 million if they are to comply with Financial Fair Play regulations, after heavy spending led to an unsuccessful bid for promotion back to the Premier League last season.

Grealish was central to that charge, playing superbly throughout the latter half of the campaign and in the play-off final defeat to Fulham.

Spurs are reportedly interested in securing a cut-price deal for the 22-year-old, with some suggesting they hope to agree a deal worth £20m for the versatile attacking midfielder.

And Bruce, who decided not to leave Villa despite their financial troubles, concedes that they have no other choice but to cash in on their star players.

“There will be nobody feeling sorry for Aston Villa because financially we have got ourselves in a bit of a pickle, so yes we have got to be ready for that,” he told Sky Sports News.

“I have enjoyed working with Jack, and Jack is the obvious one that clubs [are going to target] because he had a wonderful six months

“He reminded everybody as a 22-year-old what a very good player he is. On another day at Wembley he could have scored one of the great Wembley goals.

“He is a special talent, a real special talent, and yes, you don’t want to lose him but the inevitable thing is we have to. We have to – to keep the club up and running and keep it in line with Financial Fair Play.”

Bruce maintains that, if he had the power to keep Grealish at Villa, he would, even though he foresees a situation where Spurs may wait until transfer deadline day to make their move in an attempt to secure the player on the cheap.

“Inevitably that is going to be player sales,” he said when explaining how Villa would need to raise money.

“There are going to be people that I do not want to sell – and the obvious one is Jack – but people will know that we have got financial problems and they’ll sit and wait, and wait, till deadline day possibly.

“I hope that doesn’t happen but we’ve got to batten down the hatches and wait for it.”

The former Liverpool and Atletico Madrid striker has confirmed that he will be on his way to the Far East, joining the club on a free transfer

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Fernando Torres has confirmed that he will sign for J-League club Sagan Tosu.

The former Liverpool and Atletico Madrid striker left the Spanish club at the end of the 2017-18 season, following his emotional return to his boyhood team.

Torres had been in negotiations with Sagan Tosu several weeks ago , though talks reportedly fell through. However, a breakthrough in negotiations has seen the 34-year-old finally rubber-stamp his move to Japan.

Sagan Tosu are currently 17th in the J-League, just one place above bottom spot, having won just three of their 15 games so far this season.

Torres scored 10 goals in his final season at Atletico, including netting twice against Eibar in his final ever La Liga appearance .

The Japanese side appear to have gazumped the likes of the Australian A-League, with Torres reportedly lowering his wage demands in order to secure a transfer.

Both Melbourne Victory and Sydney FC had been linked to a potential move, with the Sky Blues recently pocketing around $2 million in the transfers of both Bobo and Adrian Mierzejewski.

Torres was also heavily linked with a move to the United States or China.

But he has decided to follow his former Spain team-mate Andres Iniesta, who has joined Vissel Kobe, to Japan after confirming he received a multitude of offers.

“We have had proposals from all continents,” Torres told the media on Tuesday. “My new team will be the Japanese side Sagan Tosu.

“Sagan Tosu were one of the first clubs to be interested in me, they have convinced me with the project.

“I think Japan and the Japanese League is going to be a great experience, they have made a great effort and they believe that I can be one of the solutions so that the team returns to the place where it has to be.

“I’ve had offers from France, Germany, even some options from Spain, but at no time did it go through my head to go to a European team, I wanted a new challenge in a totally different place.”

One of the most decorated players in Europe, Torres won the Europa League in 2017-18 with Atletico, along with the FA Cup, the Champions League and the Europa League with Chelsea.

Capped over 100 times by Spain, Torres was also in La Roja’s squad as they won the European Championship in 2008 and 2012, and also featured in the 2010 World Cup-winning squad.

The Paris Saint-Germain star is a big doubt after hurting his hamstring against Portugal having scored two decisive goals

Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez refused to state whether Edinson Cavani will start Friday’s World Cup quarter-final against France.

The Paris Saint-Germain striker resumed team training on Thursday following a hamstring injury he suffered in the 2-1 last-16 win over Portugal.

Cavani’s return to the practice pitches at Uruguay’s team base in Borsky came as a huge boost to Tabarez’s plans for the clash with France at Nizhny Novgorod Stadium.

However, the 71-year-old was left frustrated by some of the media coverage of his forward’s injury and recovery, so therefore said he will not disclose his team.

“From the moment he got this injury, it made him very sad,” Tabarez told a news conference about Cavani. “He’s a very important player for us and has been working very hard to recover. He’s concentrating on his hopes and dreams.

“I think we’ve given enough information about Cavani’s injury: we said what happened, we informed everyone with two press releases. There were many rumours so we issued a second release to explain exactly what kind of tests he had, and nobody respected it, so people started asking other professionals, who aren’t here.

“I’ve already said enough about Cavani. In less than 24 hours, you’ll know who will play. We’re not trying to pretend. We’re not trying to create any doubts or rumours.”

Tabarez was keen to praise Cavani for his attitude in training, though, and thinks the camaraderie in the squad between the senior stars and younger players will stand Uruguay in good stead as they bid to reach the semi-finals.

“I’m always happy to see how, for instance, Cavani trained today [Thursday] with his team-mates and to see how they joked around is very positive,” he said. 

“That’s what happens when you have a family or group of friends together. If they’re confident and happy then it’s more likely they will make the right decision on the pitch.

“We have a plan like any team and you have to implement that on the pitch. It’s a strength that we are a close team and that’s not something the opposition can take from us.”

The Gunners have been busy in the transfer market this summer and will further strengthen their midfield in the coming days

Arsenal are set to complete the signings of Sampdoria midfielder Lucas Torreira and Lorient’s Matteo Guendouzi, Goal understands.

Goal previously reported that Torreira would make the £26 million (€29m/$34m) move after his country’s World Cup campaign and with Uruguay falling to France in the quarter-finals on Friday, the path is now clear for the 22-year-old to join the Gunners. 

The midfielder, who made five appearances at the World Cup, has confirmed he is set for a medical at Arsenal, denying him a chance to return to Montevideo with the rest of the Uruguay squad.

“I was very happy to leave for Uruguay with my team-mates,” Torreira told Telenoche , “but this is a good opportunity and I don’t want to waste it.” 

Meanwhile, 19-year-old Guendouzi is expected to put pen to paper after Gunners head coach Unai Emery persuaded him to join.

Emery had previously attempted to sign PSG starlet Yacine Adli on a free transfer but the French youngster made a u-turn after initially being set on a move to north London.

Guendouzi is able to play in defensive midfield and made 18 appearances in Ligue 2 last season, while the fee is likely to surpass €8m (£7m/$9.4m) plus bonuses.

Nacho Monreal is the subject of interest from Spanish side Real Sociedad while David Ospina is closing in on a move to Boca Junios after four years with Arsenal.

Emery is unlikely to add any more first team players to his squad unless other players leave, with Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Berndt Leno and Stephan Lichtsteiner all arriving in the past few weeks.

Meanwhile, Aaron Ramsey has yet to sign a contract extension although the club remain confident that he will commit.

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The international manager was regularly the target of criticism before winning the World Cup, but he insists he never thought about an exit

Didier Deschamps is adamant he never considered resigning from his post as France head coach prior to their march to a second World Cup title.

Deschamps was under pressure before France’s victorious campaign in Russia, with many suggesting he was not the right man to get the best out of the country’s exciting talent.

Much of the criticism focused on Deschamps’ rather pragmatic tactics and approach, despite boasting a pool of vibrant attackers that is almost unrivalled in international football.

Ahead of the World Cup, Deschamps had to contend with reports linking other coaches – namely Zinedine Zidane – as his replacement, but he insists he has never had any plan to step down of his own accord because of his gratitude to French Football Federation (FFF) president Noel Le Graet.

“I did not think of leaving for two reasons,” he said to TF1.

“Firstly, I am someone who keeps his commitments and make sure I reach the goals that are set for me.

“Secondly, which is also important to me, is a question of trust and respect for my president. From the first moment he counts on me until 2020, [so] I will be there.

“It will be necessary to support me two more years.”

Deschamps and France came in for particularly harsh words from Belgium players after Roberto Martinez’s side were defeated in the World Cup semi-final.

Thibaut Courtois and Kevin De Bruyne were especially unkind in their assessments of France’s style of play, but Deschamps does not find their appraisals to be surprising given their disappointment at defeat.

“When you’re a high-level player, you’ve just had a great disappointment, you’ve been eliminated, I can understand that they do not have the clarity, the necessary hindsight,” Deschamps added.

“They do not realise the scope of their words. It’s part of the sport.”

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The teenage striker has ended speculation over his future by committing to the Reds, signing a contract to keep him at Anfield until 2023

Rhian Brewster has ended speculation over his future by signing a five-year professional contract.

The 18-year-old has rejected interest from a number of clubs, including Bundesliga duo Borussia Monchengladbach and RB Leipzig, to commit his long-term future to the Reds. He will be part of Jurgen Klopp’s senior squad this season.

Speaking after putting pen to paper on his first pro deal, Brewster told Liverpool’s official website: “It feels great. I’ve wanted to do this for a very long time now and I think it’s the right moment for me and my family. I’m looking forward to getting back fit and making some appearances.

“Since I got here the club has been amazing to me and treated me like family. It seems like I’ve been here my whole life, to be honest. It’s coming up to my fifth season now.

“I [still] remember my first training session. It’s amazing and I can’t wait to get started.”

Brewster is rated highly by Klopp, who made it clear in discussions with the striker that he sees a pathway to first-team football at Anfield.

“He has been key,” Brewster told the club site of the manager.

“Obviously I’ve had conversations with him and I’m just hoping he puts his faith in me and gives me an opportunity to play. I think he will, that’s why I wanted to stay here. Hopefully we can push on, not just as a team but as a club.”

That first team chance well have come last season, had the teenager not suffered a nasty ankle and knee injury playing for Liverpool’s Under-23 side in January. The Londoner is still recovering from that injury, though he is expected to return to light training next month. He will remain at Melwood when Klopp’s squad flies to the USA for their three-game tour on Saturday morning.

“I’d like to think that would have happened but obviously we’ll never know because of what happened,” he said. “But hopefully this year I will get my professional debut and push on from there.”

Speaking to Goal exclusively last month, Brewster said he was desperate to play senior football this season, whether at Liverpool at elsewhere. He and his representatives considered the idea of leaving Merseyside, with offers from both Gladbach and Leipzig taken seriously. After lengthy discussions with Klopp, director of football Michael Edwards and Academy chief Alex Inglethorpe, however, it was decided that staying at Liverpool was best for the England youth international’s development.

Brewster enjoyed a rapid rise to fame in 2017, appearing on the bench for Liverpool’s first team in a game against Crystal Palace and then making national headlines for his exploits with the England U17 team.

First, he helped Steve Cooper’s team to the final of the European Championships where they lost on penalties to Spain, then he went one better by firing them to World Cup glory in India. His eight goals made him the tournament’s leading goalscorer.

He also received widespread praise after bravely detailing, in an interview with The Guardian, numerous instances where he suffered racial abused playing for club and country. At the Football Writers’ Association’s end of season awards ceremony, he was mentioned by Klopp in a speech given to honour Footballer of the Year Mohamed Salah. Brewster, speaking to Goal, said Liverpool’s support during that period was something he would not forget.

Now, he gets the chance to repay them in goals and performances.

The former Three Lions international doubts that Gareth Southgate’s side can challenge at the next major tournament as they remain behind rivals

England “got found out” at World Cup 2018, says Paul Merson, with only three players having impressed in a squad which remains some way short of challenging for top honours.

The Three Lions exceeded all expectations in Russia as they made their way to the semi-finals, with the efforts of Gareth Southgate’s side restoring pride in a fan base which had started to lose interest.

They were, however, to come unstuck against Croatia in the country’s biggest game since 1990, before suffering a second defeat of the tournament to Belgium in a third place play-off.

Merson believes those setbacks highlighted problems which have existed for some time, with there little reason to believe that a side being talked up for future success can compete at Euro 2020.

A man with 21 England caps to his name told the Daily Star: “I’ll be shocked if England end up winning the next Euros.

“It’s even harder to win than the World Cup because there is more quality in that tournament.

“In the cold light of day, we only played three games against teams who are any good and we lost all of them.

“England got found out really and you could see it in the play-off game against Belgium. They’ve just got better individual players than us.

“People say it’s a young team and it will get better but so will everyone else. Belgium’s front three will be in their prime at the Euros and they will have more chance of winning it than we do.

“That’s why this tournament should ultimately go down as a missed opportunity for England. We came so close to reaching the final and may not ever get as good a chance of doing it again.

“Kieran Trippier has done his reputation a whole lot of good. He was one of the players of the tournament for me.

“Harry Maguire grew into the tournament as well and has made a name for himself now. But he looked tired at the end.

“And Jordan Pickford has done well. People were asking questions about him before the tournament but he’s answered every one. I think he’s only going to get better and should be the No.1 for years to come.

“But apart from those three no one has really stood out.”

England will face another stern test of their credentials in their first post-World Cup outing, with their UEFA Nations League campaign set to be opened at Wembley against Spain on September 8.

They will then take in a friendly date with Switzerland before tackling World Cup finalists Croatia in their second Nations League Group 4 outing in October.

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After just three weeks off, the trio will return for the Reds, while manager Jurgen Klopp has given an update on his other World Cup stars

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has confirmed that Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Marko Grujic will all be in the party that travels for the club’s pre-season tour of the USA.

Salah, Mane and Grujic all spent a portion of the summer at the World Cup, where they turned out for Egypt, Senegal and Serbia, though all were eliminated before the knockout stages.

Klopp has confirmed that they will be expected to return from holiday in time to turn out for matches against Borussia Dortmund, Manchester City and Manchester United as part of the ICC Champions Trophy.

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Speaking to the club’s official website, Klopp said: “That’s the start for them.

“They had their holiday and then they’ll come with us to the USA. They only had three weeks’ holiday so it means they didn’t lose too much.

“We have to see how they present and then we’ll see if they can play in the games. They will be there. And then the last group [of World Cup players] comes much later.”

Salah and Mane, particularly, were important players for the Reds last season as they charged into the Champions League final only to lose 3-1 to Real Madrid.

Indeed, such were the Egyptian’s exploits in the latter half of last term, he has been tipped as a potential Ballon d’Or candidate. He found the net 32 times in 36 appearances in the Premier League, while he struck another 10 times in 13 Champions League outings. 

Klopp, meanwhile, has confirmed that Roberto Firmino, whose Brazil side made it to the World Cup quarter-finals, will not be part of the squad that travels to America. Instead, he will be expected to join up for a four-day spell in France.

“Bobby will be in for the second camp,” he said before explaining the situation with the players still at Russia 2018.

“Then we have the English guys, Simon [Mignolet] and Dejan [Lovren] will come another week later – we’ll already be back from France and will have exactly one week to prepare the game [against West Ham United]. That’s no problem.”