List of All Articles with Tag 'per'

Daley Blind has spoken about being interested in returning to Manchester United to reunite with Erik ten Hag after leaving Ajax.

Gareth Southgate believes England have “hit a sweet spot” a year out from the European Championship but says there can be no let-up as his talented, ever-improving group hunt silverware. Monday’s 7-0 annihilation of North Macedonia means it is a case of when rather than if their place at next summer’s finals in Germany is rubber-stamped. Bukayo Saka sparkled with a hat-trick at Old Trafford as England headed on the road for a home match for the first time since last June’s humbling at the hands of Hungary. The 4-0 Molineux mauling in the Nations League led fans to turn on Southgate, who took that in mind when considering his future after the World Cup. But that low, combined with the frustration of bowing out in the quarter-finals in Qatar, has helped sharpen England’s focus as they look to win next year’s Euros, having lost in the final of the previous edition on penalties. “I think when you look back at last summer, four matches, a couple of them behind closed doors, the need to rotate the squad, need to look at new players, there were a lot of circumstances as we knew at the time around those performances and results,” Southgate said of their Nations League struggles last June. “Post World Cup, I think we’ve hit a sweet spot where there’s a hunger to go further than we’ve been and a desire to keep pushing forward. “But a confidence from the matches that we’ve played and the big nights we’ve been involved with, and the ability that they know they have, so that’s a good place to be. “We have to keep pushing them now because they’ve set a standard in the last four games against different sorts of opponents, different environments, where anything can be possible. “I think they’ve been really good to watch, they’ve been exciting to watch, there’s competition for individual places, there’s competition to get in the squad. “But around all of that there’s a brilliant feel with them as a group and that is what creates a strong team. “I think the crowd have connected with that, the crowd was brilliant from before kick-off tonight.” Saka’s first career hat-trick, a Harry Kane brace and goals from Marcus Rashford and Kalvin Phillips wowed the Old Trafford crowd on Monday night. It was England’s fourth win from four Group C matches – a pool that started with an impressive 2-1 victory against Euro 2020 final foes Italy in Naples. That result set the tone for a side that has steadily built the kind of mentality that means they head into matches expecting, rather than hoping, to win. “100 per cent,” Southgate said. “That’s experiences with their club, but also as a collective because we’ve always had moments where clubs have done well. “But then how do you match that in when Declan (Rice) first played with us. I remember the Nations League semi-final with Holland, it’s the biggest game of his life, he’s still learning his trade and still learning the position. “Now he’s played a European final for us, European final for his club, big nights for us. “The experiences they have together are more important, but you can’t take out the confidence that, if you’re a European champion, as the Manchester City boys arrive here (as), then they’re carrying that into the camp as well. “But what they did, they didn’t come like a load of big shots and say, ‘We’re European champions’. “They got straight on to the training pitch, mucked in, supported the group from the side in Malta, and then they perform (against North Macedonia).” The shared experiences across multiple tournaments and qualification campaigns have also seen players’ caps quietly stack up. Despite not having any centurions, England’s starting line-up against Macedonia was their second-most experienced ever, with the combined 590 caps only beaten by 595 against Algeria in 2010. “We’ve known that accumulating caps is one thing, but accumulating big game experience is another,” said Southgate, whose most-capped player is 84-cap skipper Kane. “And also, the really pleasing thing is that we’ve got a lot of young players with a lot of caps as well. “So, it’s not that this team is just this next summer and nothing else. We want it to be sustainable for England, we want England to be challenging for as long as we can see. “That’s also an important part of what we need to do, so we have to keep bringing young players into the squad, give them a feel of what it means to play in this group and evolve the team as we go. “There’s that competition now and that drives the players. “They’ll listen to what you say as a coach, but if there are other players in your position that you know are hunting you down and after your spot, then that drives your performance.”

Bukayo Saka’s hat-trick against North Macedonia was the 12th this century by an England player. Here, the PA news agency takes a look at the other 11, scored by just six players. Michael Owen (v Germany, September 2001) Owen’s first international hat-trick came in the famous 5-1 World Cup qualifying win at the Olympic Stadium in Munich which has entered the annals of England folklore, benefitting from knockdowns from Nick Barmby and Emile Heskey before lashing a Steven Gerrard pass past Oliver Kahn. Michael Owen (v Colombia, May 2005) Owen’s second and final treble came in the less-heralded surroundings of a 3-2 friendly win in Giants Stadium, New Jersey, at the end of a criticised post-season tour to the United States, going past Sir Tom Finney, Nat Lofthouse and Alan Shearer on the all-time scorers list. Peter Crouch (v Jamaica, June 2006) The day ‘The Robot’ entered football history as England ran riot with a 6-0 friendly win at Old Trafford before departing for the World Cup in Germany, with Crouch even being able to afford to miss a penalty before completing his hat-trick. Theo Walcott (v Croatia, September 2008) Walcott justified his selection ahead of David Beckham as Croatia were hammered 4-1 in Zagreb in a World Cup qualifier, becoming England’s youngest scorer of a hat-trick at the age of 19. Jermain Defoe (v Bulgaria, September 2010) Defoe became the first England player to score a hat-trick at the new Wembley Stadium in a 4-0 Euro 2012 qualifier, with all three goals coming courtesy of Wayne Rooney assists. Harry Kane (v Panama, June 2018) Kane joined Sir Geoff Hurst and Gary Lineker as the only England players to score World Cup hat-tricks as a 6-1 win advanced them into the knockout stages in Russia but it was hardly a classic of the genre, with two penalties followed by a fortunate deflection off his heel from Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s shot. Raheem Sterling (v Czech Republic, March 2019) Sterling scored Wembley’s first England hat-trick in nine years in the 5-0 Euro 2020 qualifier, finishing off a 24-pass move for his opener before adding two in six second-half minutes – a shot on the turn and a 20-yard strike deflecting off Ondrej Celustka. Harry Kane (v Bulgaria, September 2019) Kane’s second international hat-trick was very similar to his first in that it featured two penalties after Kane had opened his account with a smart finish on the turn. Harry Kane (v Montenegro, November 2019) Just two months later England celebrated European Championship qualification with a 7-0 thrashing in which Kane moved sixth on the country’s all-time leading scorers list with 31 after a first-half hat-trick, which included two headers. Harry Kane (v Albania, November 2021) Kane registered another first-half treble in a 5-0 hammering which put England on the verge of reaching World Cup 2022, the highlight being a stunning scissor kick from Phil Foden’s corner. Harry Kane (v San Marino, November 2021) Kane became only the fourth England player to score hat-tricks in consecutive games with four goals in a 15-minute spell before half-time in a 10-0 thrashing to move level with Gary Lineker on 48 England goals. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live It’s been an awful few days – ‘Emotional’ Fred Wright eyes first British title FIFA to examine alleged racism incidents from two international matches Rob Page urges Wales to improve discipline against opponents ‘good at dark arts’

The French national financial prosecutor’s office says investigators are searching the headquarters of Paris Olympic organizers in a probe into suspected corruption

Heavy overnight and early morning rain meant the first session of the final day of the opening Ashes Test at Edgbaston...

The start of the fifth and final day of the Ashes series opener has been delayed by heavy rain at Edgbaston on Tuesday

Billie Jean King thinks back on the landmark gathering of female tennis players at a London hotel shortly before they competed at Wimbledon a half-century ago and acknowledges she wasn’t sure how things would go that day

Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak has warned his club's rivals that the treble winners' influence will grow even stronger...

Chelsea have completed the signing of France football international Christopher Nkunku from RB Leipzig, landing the versatile attacker for around a reported £52million. He becomes the first signing for the club since Mauricio Pochettino was confirmed as the new manager, with both men set to officially join the Stamford Bridge club on 1 July. Nkunku, age 25, came through the ranks at PSG before heading to Leipzig where he scored 23 goals last season. He has won ten caps for the French national team, though missed out on a place at the World Cup in November and December due to a knee injury. “I am incredibly happy to be joining Chelsea,' said Nkunku upon signing. “A big effort was made to bring me to the club and I am looking forward to meeting my new coach and teammates and showing the Chelsea supporters what I can do on the pitch. “Having played in Ligue 1 and the Bundesliga, I now want to play in the Premier League, one of the strongest leagues in the world. I am very excited for this challenge and will be proud to wear the Chelsea shirt.” Chelsea co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley added: “Christopher has proved himself one of the standout attacking players in European football over the past two seasons and will add quality, creativity and versatility to our squad. “He has demonstrated his ability at the highest level with RB Leipzig and France and we look forward to him joining up with his new teammates ahead of the new season.” Nkunku, who has signed a six-year contract, can play anywhere in the forward lines. Initially a wide attacking midfielder, he has been a regular both as a roving centre-forward and an advanced midfielder for Leipzig, while also playing in support of a striker in the flexible systems of Jesse Marsch and Julian Nagelsmann at the club.

Chelsea sealed their swoop for France forward Christopher Nkunku from RB Leipzig in a deal worth a reported £63 million...

Victor Wembanyama's long frame and versatile game makes him the top big man in this year's NBA draft

Chelsea has signed France forward Christopher Nkunku from Leipzig on six-year contract