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Ezri Konsa had to scrap plans for a winter getaway after his late call-up but the Aston Villa defender always believed it was a case of when rather than if his England chance would come. The talented 26-year-old has long been tipped for a senior call-up, only to once again miss out on a maiden call-up when the squad for the final Euro 2024 qualifiers was announced last Thursday. But an injury to Lewis Dunk opened up a last-minute spot in Gareth Southgate’s set-up, leading to a surprise phone call after Villa’s 3-1 victory against Fulham at the weekend. “I was literally driving home after my game on Sunday,” Konsa said. “Me and the missus were talking about having a little break, going away. “Two minutes later I ended up getting the call. It was a weird feeling. It didn’t really sink in until I got home. “The missus was crying a bit, she was more excited than me! I’d rather be here anyway (than on holiday), so it’s fine.” It has certainly been a whirlwind few days for a player whose belief has never wavered despite much-mooted England opportunities failing to materialise break after break. “It is a proud moment for me and my family,” said Konsa, who was part of England’s 2017 Under-20 World Cup win. “It is a dream come true, ever since I was a little kid I wanted to play for England so I’m just grateful for the opportunity. “I knew I had a lot to work on in my game, only recently in the last two seasons we have excelled at Villa and that part of it has helped me become the player I am today. “I knew my time would come. It was just a matter of when. I was patient and, as I said, me and my family are really happy. “I always believe in myself and always back myself and I am really enjoying my football now.” From Charlton to Brentford and on to Villa, the defender has stepped up when he has needed to and is ready to do the same with England. Konsa could make his debut in the final Euro 2024 qualifiers at home to Malta or away in North Macedonia, giving him the chance to stake his claim for next year’s finals. “Yeah of course that is every player’s target to want to go to a major tournament and play for your country,” he said. “That is definitely on my list and definitely something that I am planning on doing.” Winning a cap is his first focus as Konsa looks to follow a star-studded group of graduates from Senrab – the well-known east London youth team, where coach Tony Caroll revealed he was nicknamed ‘Little Rio’. Konsa says Rio Ferdinand was one of the players he idolised, as was John Terry – a fellow ex-Senrab player that he loved growing up and learned a lot from during his time as Villa coach. “I worked with him for two years and he really helped my game,” Konsa said of “legend” Terry. “I used to ask him a lot of questions on how he was able to maintain playing at such a high level and he gave me a lot of advice. “I took that on and it has definitely helped me get to where I am today. “Yes, he was in touch and he sent me a nice message. “He just said ‘congratulations’ and that I needed to enjoy it and be myself.” Read More Incoming Welsh Rugby Union boss vows to ‘turn this round’ after damning review Fin Smith targets England debut next year having caught Steve Borthwick’s eye Cesc Fabregas determined to take ambitious Como into Serie A Jos Buttler admits to ‘mistakes’ during England’s World Cup campaign Anything is possible – Eric Dier on Tottenham’s Premier League title challenge Welsh Rugby Union was a ‘toxic’ environment, independent report finds

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Cesc Fabregas is determined to take Como to Serie A after taking over as boss at the Italian club. The former Arsenal, Chelsea and Barcelona midfielder, who is an investor in the club along with Thierry Henry, replaced Moreno Longo as interim boss on Monday in what is his first managerial position. He ended his playing career in the lakeside city last season and was coach of the club’s under-19s before getting the top job. Como are a club on the rise, having won back-to-back promotions and currently sit sixth in Serie B following a 2019 takeover. The Spaniard says he does not see the position as a stepping stone for a Premier League job, but a long-term project to get them to the top tier in Italy. “Obviously, now it is one of the main objectives, 100 per cent,” he said at Web Summit in Lisbon. “Whatever my role is I will always give my best. “When I joined the club one of the main objectives was to become the coach of Como 1907, I didn’t expect it to come so soon because I retired a little bit earlier, I could still be playing. “It is an opportunity for me. It is a long-term project, I am not here for two days or two months, it is a long thing. I trust the club, I trust the people, my family has found happiness in Como. “I feel great, I feel ready. This is something that happened very quickly in the last couple of days. “I have a lot of respect for the manager that was in charge for the last year and a half. I am used to the pressure, I am used to the requirements that the club wants, I am looking forward to it, it is very, very exciting.” Mirwan Suwarso, representative of the Como ownership group, said they sacked Longo because data showed they were regressing ahead of the January transfer window. He has grand plans to turn Como into the “ultimate soccer tourism destination”. It is an opportunity for me it is a long-term project, I am not here for two days or two months, it is a long thing. Cesc Fabregas “We have to rely on data and it showed that as we are heading towards the transfer window we are actually regressing in terms of our performance,” he said. “So instead of investing heavily in the transfer window in the wrong bloke we had to fix it so that is why we pulled the trigger. “When we stumbled upon the football club in Como we realised we had a great opportunity. Como is a great destination for tourism but at the same time there is nothing around it. “So our goal is to build the ultimate soccer tourism destination in the world and Lake Como is the perfect setting for it. It shows, we have been growing extensively.” Read More England skipper Jos Buttler vows to learn from World Cup ‘mistakes’ Anything is possible – Eric Dier on Tottenham’s Premier League title challenge Welsh Rugby Union was a ‘toxic’ environment, independent report finds We know what it means to Wales to get to Euro 2024 – Jordan James Rohit Sharma urges India to retain same mindset for World Cup semi-final Sol Campbell ‘happy in different space’ as he turns back on football management

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