Soccer VDO

Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson has urged Andros Townsend not to give up on another call-up with the England national team. The 28-year-old was a regular choice under Hodgson when he was the Three Lions head coach but he has not been able to break into the squad under the guidance of current boss Gareth Southgate.

Speaking in a press conference, Hodgson said that he would never discourage someone from playing at a higher level and that includes representing the national side. He added that Townsend has gone through a rough phase this season after an impressive 2018/19 campaign and the attacker would himself acknowledge the same.

England manager Gareth Southgate has said that Mason Mount call-up to the national team has been by merit. The 20-year-old has made a sublime start to his Chelsea career where he has already scored two Premier League goals from three appearances and that has paved the way for his selection with the Three Lions.

Speaking in a press conference, Southgate said that the midfielder has made the squad on merit and it is not based entirely on the performances in the Premier League this term. He added that he has monitored the youngster’s progress through the different age groups and believes the midfielder provides a genuine goalscoring threat in every game.

England youth international Joe Willock has credited Arsenal legend Freddie Ljungberg for turning him into a better player. The 20-year-old has largely featured in the Europa League in the past two seasons but he has now made the step up to become a regular starter in the Premier League under Unai Emery.

That has resulted from an impressive pre-season campaign with the club and when asked about the same, Willock credited assistant manager Ljungberg for the development, he said: “Freddie is not only such a legend at the club, he’s an unbelievable manager and coach. He’s a mentor for me, he showed me a lot behind the scenes that people don’t really know about.

Chelsea manager Frank Lampard believes Tammy Abraham can become a regular with the Blues this term after showcasing the hunger for goals elsewhere. The England international notched 26 goals in the Championship with Aston Villa last term and his progress has been rewarded with a regular role with the Blues in pre-season.

Abraham recently bagged the opening goal in the 2-1 friendly triumph over Barcelona and speaking after that game, Lampard said that the striker has the opportunity to make the mark with the first-team, he quipped: “Tammy's a goalscorer and he's hungry for goals. Now it's his time to prove it for Chelsea. To get his goal will put him in good stead. I won't get carried away with anything about this performance.”

Former England international Wayne Rooney has urged Jadon Sancho to stay put with Borussia Dortmund rather than pursuing a fresh challenge elsewhere. The young attacker has been the subject of interest from Manchester United in the past few months but Rooney believes his compatriot is better off continuing his development with the Bundesliga side.

Speaking to Bild, Rooney said that Dortmund provide the perfect platform for Sancho and other young players to develop. He added that Sancho should continue his progress with Dortmund rather than sealing a return with a Premier League giant where he could find himself on the substitutes’ bench.

England under-21 international Dean Henderson has acknowledged that he is unsure about his Manchester United future. The shot-stopper spent the previous campaign on loan with Sheffield United in the Championship where he was hugely impressive with a tally of 21 clean sheets from 46 appearances.

Despite this, he continues to remain out of contention for the Red Devils with the likes of David de Gea and Sergio Romero in the club’s ranks and speaking to Goal.com, Henderson has acknowledged that he has no idea regarding his club future, he said: “Who knows where I will be next season? It was something that you wouldn't have dreamt of when you went there and we were delighted to get over the line and get the promotion that everyone wanted. It has been fantastic. It has been a long time for them outside the Premier League and to get that football club back to where it belongs was a real special moment for myself.”

BBC Sport pundit Danny Mills has urged Tottenham Hotspur to stick with Kieran Trippier next season despite the defender’s poor showing during the current campaign. The England international had a fantastic 2017/2018 season with the north London side and he continued the form into the World Cup where he was one of the standout performers in the Three Lions’ run to the semi-final.

However, he has since struggled to replicate the same level of performance for club and country and his form had been treacherous in the current season where he has been guilty of making numerous defensive mistakes. Speaking to Football Insider, Mills acknowledged that Trippier has dropped his performances levels since the World Cup but warned Spurs against cashing in on his services this summer.

Burnley goalkeeper Tom Heaton is hoping to earn a call-up to the England national team when they embark on the Nations League finals this summer. The shot-stopper missed out on selection for last year’s World Cup after an early-season injury but he has managed to redeem himself with a strong Premier League season with the Clarets.

Speaking to Evening Standard, Heaton expressed his desire to be involved in the 23-man squad for the forthcoming Nations League finals, he said: “I am hoping to be involved, obviously I was in the last camp. I took a couple of niggles into the last camp but I was desperate to be involved in it and thankfully this time around I feel a lot sharper and ready to go. Hopefully I can look forward to an exciting summer. It is a trophy and there has been a buzz around England since the World Cup. It has been nice for me to get back involved in it and I am certainly looking forward to it.”

Gabriel Paulista reckons that his stint at Arsenal could have been so much more fruitful if the people in charge there had shown faith in him and had given him enough playing time.

Mason Mount claims that joining Derby has been a major step in his career. The young midfielder decided to move to Pride Park on a season-long loan deal from Chelsea. He was quite impressive for Dutch outfit Vitesse Arnhem last season. However, Chelsea decided to loan him to an English team and Mount did not think twice when the opportunity arose to be reunited with former Chelsea legend Frank Lampard. Lampard has been able to provide Mount with his first taste of senior level English football. The 20-year-old has been able to display a lot of good things in his first campaign in the senior level of English football and this has quickly earned him a call up to the England national team squad.

The midfielder has been able to come up with eight goals and three assists in 30 appearances for the Derby. His performances have been crucial behind helping the club put together a challenge for the promotion spots. Even though there has been a lot of inconsistency from Derby in recent times, the impact from Mount will not be forgotten. The midfielder says that playing in the Championship has been a big learning curve compared to his season at Vitesse Arnhem. The physicality is one of the shocking elements that have prepared him to a certain extent for senior football in England.