Eniola Aluko still believes England can secure qualification for Great Britain at the Paris 2024 Olympics. The Lionesses – who need to finish top of Nations League Group A1 to have a chance at claiming GB an Olympic spot – slipped to third after losing 3-2 in Belgium on Tuesday. Sarina Wiegman’s side, with six points from four games, are three behind leaders the Netherlands and one behind second-placed Belgium. Their final two group fixtures see them play the Dutch at Wembley on December 1 and then Scotland at Hampden Park four days later. Former England and Team GB forward Aluko said: “It is a tough group with the Netherlands, Belgium and Scotland. It is not an easy group at all. I think the Nations League is deliberately competitive. “Really, England have got to win the last two games to have any chance of qualifying, but if any team is going to prove anyone wrong it’s the Lionesses, and they have done so well in the last two years.” Aluko is not doubtful that England – who were World Cup runners-up over the summer, a year on from winning the Euros – could pull through because they “have everything to win those last two games”. She added: “I think sometimes there can be a bit of a hangover from the World Cup where you have a massive high and then come back to normality. “Sometimes it takes players a little bit to get going again. The season only just started again and we are only five games into the Women’s Super League. “Fatigue is not just physical – it is mental as well. There are so many games and so many tournaments. “Frankly, the women’s game is really competitive. On any given day, Scotland can beat England and Holland can beat England – that is the sort of level of competition we are dealing with.” Aluko was speaking after she collected an MBE for her services to association football and to charity on Wednesday. The Prince of Wales, who presented Aluko with her MBE at a ceremony at Windsor Castle, told her “this feels like this is overdue”, and she later said of that moment: “It was lovely and a really, really nice thing to say.” Broadcaster and football executive Aluko’s playing career included featuring at three World Cups, three European Championships and the London 2012 Olympics. She began her career at Birmingham and had subsequent spells at Charlton, Chelsea and in the United States before returning to Birmingham in 2012. Aluko rejoined Chelsea from 2012 to 2018, during which time she won two WSL titles, the WSL Spring Series and two FA Cups. After announcing her retirement from playing in January 2020 following a spell with Juventus, Aluko had stints as sporting director at Aston Villa and Los Angeles-based Angel City FC. The 36-year-old has also worked heavily with charities and organisations such as Charity Water, Common Goal and Unesco. Read More Football fan convicted of racially abusing Rio Ferdinand Welsh rugby still has deep-rooted issues that need to be sorted – Alun Wyn Jones A bit far-fetched – Eoin Morgan dismisses link with England white-ball coach job England star Alex Greenwood well enough to return home after head injury Tiger Woods-designed course gives ‘a lot of options’ ahead of PGA Tour debut Golf, fish tanks, slippy socks and stray balls – freak injuries to cricket stars

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From hell to purgatory. Manchester United are left in limbo about their European future this season, after a game at Galatasaray where both sides left everything on the pitch. Andre Onana, however, let two free-kicks in. There was still more to an utterly thrilling 3-3 draw than that, as United lost a lead for the fifth time in five Champions League group games. This was also the second by two goals. That should torment Erik ten Hag, even as it would have delighted anyone else watching on. This was so much more entertaining than the divinely perfect football we’ve come to expect from the competition’s best level and there is, of course, a lesson in that. This might have been the way to put on a show. It isn’t the way to go about an away game in the Champions League. There should be an even greater aggravation to that for Ten Hag, though. So much of United’s attacking play looked like what you would consider his ideal. It was a long-awaited reminder of last season’s best form, particularly Scott McTominay’s counter-attacking finish that should have won it. It was all there. There was connection combined with emphatic force, as was seen with Alejandro Garnacho’s glorious strike for the first after that exquisite little through ball. There was pure individual inspiration, as seen with Bruno Fernandes’ blockbuster. There was then incision at pace, as they cut through Galatasaray for McTominay to slide in. This is the way United should be playing. The great question for Ten Hag, that is directly connected to the quandary of how they keep losing leads, is whether they can only play that way by going so open? It is some way removed from Pep Guardiola’s suffocation through possession. It is even further away from so many of United’s drab league games. There, there’s been a more dour resilience, where performance has actually obscured relatively acceptable form. This still shouldn’t be acceptable, though. United just shouldn’t be in this position. That could have been said before this game, but this made it much worse. It’s like there’s no in-between. It’s either “control” to the point of boredom or abandon to the point of this chaos. Galatasaray of course contributed. They were often as good in attack, and just as porous at the back. The number of chances they were willing to just offer up late on. It’s incredible they still came out with a draw. For that, they can look to United’s goalkeeper. One Hakim Ziyech free-kick like that would have been bad enough. Two might well be a season destroyer. It will be all the worse given he had recovered. There hadn’t really been a major error since the supposed turning point of the penalty save against Copenhagen. It was just another twist in this group stage. The one excuse that might be made for Onana is that the conditions made it especially difficult, particularly in situations like those free-kicks. It was also like a player as clever as Ziyech knew that. He went for it. Again, there was more to it than that. Like Galatasaray at the other end, United gave up so many chances that any two or three of a number of efforts could have ended up as goals. Kerem Akturkoglu's brilliant sweeping strike was one. That could have happened many times over. The chaos reduced the match to an element of blind luck – especially late on. That last proper move United had, where the ball ricocheted around Fernando Muslera’s goal, summed it up. It could have gone anywhere. As it is, United are going out. It should never have come to that. There are questions for Ten Hag there, beyond his choice of goalkeeper. How are they this erratic after a year and a half? How is it they have found a relatively forgiving group so punishing? How can translate some of this attacking to the league, without bringing that mayhem at the back? This is what United need to look to, other than a miracle. Hell, as Galatasaray still attempted to style their new Rams Park, wasn’t the place for that. Read More Arsenal through to last 16 as Manchester United squander lead again Erik ten Hag says Manchester United ‘have to learn’ from Galatasaray draw Man United suffer heavy Champions League blow in Galatasaray thriller Champions League: What do Man United, Arsenal and Newcastle need to reach last 16? Man United’s teen sensation who could offer salvation - and it’s not Garnacho Why Bruno Fernandes is the only choice as Man Utd captain

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What the papers say Arsenal are gearing up to grab Ivan Toney, with the Daily Mirror reporting Brentford have valued the 27-year-old at £60m ahead of a likely move for him in the January transfer window. Jadon Sancho has been urged by players at Manchester United to end his dispute with manager Erik ten Hag, according to the Daily Mirror. The Times reports that the PFA has offered to help the England winger, 23, settle his differences with ten Hag. Jesse Lingard has ended his one-month training stint at West Ham to move to Saudi Arabia, with the Daily Mirror reporting club manager David Moyes insisting the club is comfortable with Lingard’s decision. The Daily Telegraph reports that Chelsea secretly parted ways with Bruno, who arrived at Stamford Bridge under former manager Graham Potter’s watch and was a first-team coach under Mauricio Pochettino. Social media round-up Players to watch Romelu Lukaku: Roma are keen to turn the 30-year-old striker’s loan from Chelsea into a permanent move. Mohamed Salah: Negotiations between Liverpool, Saudi Arabia and the striker’s agent are becoming the subject of a Harvard study. Read More Erik ten Hag insists Manchester United players are fighting together to improve form From Paul Pogba to Angel Di Maria – Manchester United’s recent flops Jadon Sancho set for cut-price Manchester United exit

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