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Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp believes Ross Barkley could still have a long-term future with Chelsea, provided he manages to impress the club’s head coach in pre-season. The England international joined the Blues from Everton midway through the campaign but he has since appeared in just three matches owing to his recurrent hamstring troubles.

Speaking on Sky Sports, Redknapp was pleasantly pleased with Barkley’s start in the final game of the season against Newcastle United but feels the Englishman should work harder in pre-season in order to prove his worth to Antonio Conte or the new manager in charge, he said: “Surprise but I’m also pleased (to see him start. I feel for him a little bit, he’s had a lot of injuries this year.

England recorded a 6-1 victory over Panama to book their spot in the Round of 16. The Three Lions were clinical in front as they swept away their rivals ranked 55th in the world, scoring from set-pieces.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has admitted that Harry Kane is still feeling the effects of the ankle injury sustained against Bournemouth on March 11. The setback forced the Englishman to miss England’s friendlies during the international break but he has since returned to score three timesin five appearances.

Speaking after the 2-0 win over Watford, Pochettino admitted that Kane has a lingering ankle issue but he does not expect this to hamper his performances at the World Cup, he said: “Yes, of course.It is a mix about different things.

Tottenham Hotspur favourite Glenn Hoddle believes Dele Alli should be able to win back his starting position with England ahead of this summer’s World Cup finals in Russia. The 21-year-old could only find himself as a substitute during the recent run of international friendlies with Gareth Southgate preferring to pick Jesse Lingard ahead of him in the pecking order.

However, Hoddle feels this won’t have a long-term effect on the young attacker, and feels Alli should command a regular role ahead of the likes of Adam Lallana, Jack Wilshere and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain being a bigger threat in front of goal.

England manager Gareth Southgate believes Marcus Rashford has the big-game mentality which makes special from most of his national teammates. The Manchester United forward has been backed to shine in the upcoming friendlies against the Netherlands and Italy, where the Three Lions will be without the services of Harry Kane through an injury.

Speaking in a press conference, Southgate talked about the mentality of the United graduate, who played a significant role for England during the back-end of their World Cup qualifiers. The England boss was also in attendance to watch Rashford score a brace against Liverpool this month, and the 47-year-old feels the youngster is not fazed by the big occasions.

Manchester United legend Roy Keane was critical over the performance of Jack Wilshere following Arsenal's shock Europa League defeat to Ostersund in the round of 16 second-leg. The Gunners had secured a comfortable 3-0 lead from the first-leg, but they made hard meal of their home fixture, though they eventually qualified by a 4-2 aggregate score.

Speaking on ITV, Keane was not impressed with the lack of urgency in the Gunners' play versus Ostersund. The former United ace continued to dub Wilshere as the most 'overrated player on the planet' after he failed to lead by example being the skipper on the night.

Labour Party president Jeremy Corbyn does not believes England will offer a strong challenge for the 2018 World Cup despite deemed by many as one of the dark horses for the upcoming tournament in Russia. The Three Lions suffered a damaging exit in the group stages in Brazil four years ago, and they are hoping for a vast improvement with several younger stars having emerged from the Premier League.

In an interview with Copa90 Youtube channel, Corbyn was asked about his favourites for the upcoming World Cup, and though he initially went with England, he believes one of Brazil or Germany will end up winning the major showpiece tournament, he said: "I would love to say England but I doubt it. I think it is going to be Brazil or Germany."

Football has been generating a lot of revenue from different sources year on year, and it's got even bigger with the help of sports marketing agencies on the look-out for any means possible to milk a sponsorship deals. The Premier League has been a real money spinner, generating revenue from naming rights, advertising, shirt sponsorship, kits sponsorships, endorsement etc. Recently, even sleeve sponsorships were even introduced.

The biggest clubs across Europe keep negotiating for higher shirt sponsorship deals. Real Madrid are reportedly in negotiations with Fly Emirates for a better deal, commensurate or higher than that of FC Barcelona and possibly Manchester United.

Everton striker Wayne Rooney believes Arsenal should have taken the option of selling both Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil during the summer transfer window. The pair have refused to extend their contracts with the New Year coming up, and it looks likely that they will leave on free transfers at the end of the 2017/18 season.

Speaking to TalkSPORT, Rooney stressed that the duo are likely to leave the Emirates next summer, and this could potentially raise question marks over the Gunner's handling over the situation, he said: "With the two of them not signing contracts in the summer, I think that told you everything. The way it is, I don’t think they will be at Arsenal [next season]. I feel they should have taken the money and looked elsewhere because, although they are top players and it is difficult to let those players leave the football club, when the going gets tough – as it is at the minute for Arsenal – you want players who want to be there and you can put your trust in. If they are not going to be there at the end of the season, maybe there are a few question marks."

England head coach Gareth Southgate has revealed that Danny Drinkwater turned down a recall to the national squad as he is still short of full fitness. The Chelsea midfielder returned for first-team action midway through the previous month, but he has since managed just one start for the west London club.

Speaking to BBC Radio Five Live, Southgate insisted that he can't risk players for the upcoming friendlies versus Germany and Brazil unless they are fully fit. In the absence of Jordan Henderson, the manager had initially planned to recall Drinkwater to the squad, but his denial resulted in a maiden call-up for Burnley's Jack Cork.