Joe Cole feels like “the time is now” as England head into this summer’s European Championship.

Gareth Southgate is preparing to take charge of his fourth and potentially last major tournament, having reached the World Cup semi-finals and quarter-finals as well as a continental final.

England’s agonising penalty shoot-out defeat to Italy in the Euro 2020 showpiece remains raw but has only increased the squad’s desire to go one better in Germany.

Cole believes those shared experiences are indicating this can be “a real positive summer”, with the former international excited by what Southgate’s side can achieve.

“Listen, they were penalty kicks away from winning a tournament,” the former England international told the PA news agency. “There’s been semi-finals, quarter-finals – the experience is there now.

“They have got young players in the squad, but they’re so experienced and so knowledgeable, as a team and as a group. You know, I think the time is now.

“The only difference going into this tournament is there’s a little bit more expectation on them and it’s how do they cope with that, but I think they’ve got the right manager for that.

“I think Gareth will manage the anxieties of the squad – of the team – and just keep them focused on the task in hand.

“I think Gareth is in the right place. Very, very good character in that situation. I think it actually sort of would benefit to have someone of his character there.”

Cole is well placed to analyse England’s chances having represented his country 56 times and worked as a pundit throughout the build-up to Euro 2024.

The retired creative midfielder is also a former international team-mate of Southgate, who he believes deserves more appreciation for the job he has done in charge of the men’s team.

“Factually, Gareth Southgate is the most successful England manager since Alf Ramsey,” Cole said.

“If you’re going to have a discussion with someone and anyone’s picking holes out of it, that is the facts.

“He’s taken the team deeper in tournaments than anyone and he’s just underappreciated. Underappreciated the job he’s done.”

Cole – who has signed up to play in Soccer Aid for UNICEF on June 9 – was in the same 2002 World Cup squad as Southgate and part of the last England side to play in a major tournament in Germany.

Sven-Goran Eriksson’s much-hyped ‘Golden Generation’ bowed out in the quarter-final stage of the 2006 World Cup and Cole believes things are better for the national team this time around.

“It’s a different landscape,” Cole said. “We had different problems to deal with than this group of players.

“When you go into a tournament, you need moments to happen for you. Every tournament we played in, it was either a penalty shoot-out or it was a sending off or an injury.

“These big moments went against us, but ultimately I feel this group are better educated from a footballing perspective.

“I feel where we are in England – in terms of how we play football – is the right way now.

“I feel for many, many years, we weren’t playing in the right way tactically, so I think this group have been brought up under a different system. Underneath it all, I think ultimately they’re better equipped because of that.”

England continued their Euro 2024 preparations with Saturday’s late 1-0 loss to Brazil and even later Jude Bellingham goal in the 2-2 draw with Belgium three days later.

Southgate’s side have two further warm-up friendlies against Bosnia and Iceland in June, with the squad due to fly out to Germany the day after Cole pulls on an England shirt once again in Soccer Aid.

“It’s always nice to go back and play at Stamford Bridge,” he said of the June 9 clash against a World XI at former club Chelsea.

“It always surprises me how popular it is. The kids love it, people tune in, it’s a real family occasion.

“It’s great to be part of and it’s just one of them things that’s a win-win all round for everybody. We love doing it and most importantly it’s for a great cause.”

:: Soccer Aid for UNICEF 2024 takes place on June 9 at Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge, with tickets available at www.socceraid.org.uk/tickets

British Virgin Islands booked their spot in the second round of the Concacaf World Cup qualifiers, following a 4-2 penalty shootout win over US Virgin Islands in their play-off contest at the AO Shirley Recreation Ground in Road Town, BVI, on Tuesday.

After playing out a 1-1 stalemate in the first leg, both teams again failed to separate themselves in a goalless second-leg encounter and so it was down to the dreaded penalties to decide the outcome. In the end, it was British Virgin Islands that held their nerves best from the 12-yard spot to progress to the business round of qualification.

They will join Jamaica, Dominica, Dominican Republic and Guatemala in Group E for the second round of the qualifiers, which are scheduled to run between June 2024 and June 2025. A total of 30 countries will vie for spots in the final round. 

The final round which will be played between September and November 2025, will see teams battling for five spots to the 2026 FIFA World Cup to be hosted jointly by Concacaf powerhouses Mexico, United States and Canada.

Of the five teams, three will earn direct qualification, while the other two spots will be decided via a play-offs.

 

Chelsea midfielder Romeo Lavia will miss the rest of the season after suffering a setback in his recovery from a thigh injury.

The 20-year-old suffered the injury when making his Blues debut as a substitute against Crystal Palace in December.

Chelsea said in a statement on their website: “Midfielder Romeo Lavia is to unfortunately miss the remainder of our 2023-24 campaign following a setback in his recovery.

“Recent medical assessments have confirmed that Lavia, who sustained a significant thigh injury against Crystal Palace back in December, will not feature again this season.”

Lavia, who joined Chelsea from Southampton last summer for an initial £53million, has endured a difficult start to life at Stamford Bridge.

He missed the first half of the season due to an ankle injury.

Gareth Southgate has plenty to mull over as he weighs up England’s options and issues ahead of selecting his European Championship squad.

The Euro 2020 runners-up will announce an expanded provisional group on May 21 and have until late on June 7 to submit their final 23-man squad to UEFA.

Following the final two friendlies before Southgate’s selection, the PA news agency takes a look at how the England boss likely sees his options.

GOALKEEPERS

On the plane: Jordan Pickford (Everton).

In the departure lounge: Sam Johnstone (Crystal Palace) and Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal).

Hoping for a late ticket: Jack Butland (Rangers), Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Nick Pope (Newcastle) and James Trafford (Burnley).

Pickford has been England’s number one for the last three major tournaments and that will continue in Germany. Ramsdale appeared his closest contender but is now clinging onto a squad spot having been usurped as Arsenal’s number one. Johnstone is the likely number three, especially with Pope injured.

DEFENDERS

On the plane: Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), John Stones (Manchester City), Kieran Trippier (Newcastle) and Kyle Walker (Manchester City).

In the departure lounge: Ben Chilwell (Chelsea), Levi Colwill (Chelsea), Lewis Dunk (Brighton), Joe Gomez (Liverpool), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Luke Shaw (Manchester United).

Hoping for a late ticket: Jarrad Branthwaite (Everton), Eric Dier (Bayern Munich, loan), Rico Lewis (Manchester City), Tino Livramento (Newcastle), Reece James (Chelsea), Fikayo Tomori (AC Milan).

Ignoring boarding calls: Ben White (Arsenal).

Maguire, Stones, Walker and Trippier have been to every major tournament under Southgate and are set to be on the plane once more, assuming they are fit.

Guehi missed March’s games with an issue of his own, but Southgate is confident his third-choice centre-back will be fit for the summer. Konsa and Dunk are pushing for the fourth spot. The latter impressed during his first England appearances this week, whereas Dunk’s stock dropped with a costly error in each friendly.

Branthwaite received his first call-up but did not feature, while Gomez and Colwill – who missed this camp through a toe complaint – would offer versatility to a 23-man squad.

James faces a race against time to be involved but left-back is a more pressing issue. Chilwell improved against Belgium after a poor performance against Brazil. Shaw is Southgate’s first choice but is a doubt for the Euros given he is not due to return to fitness until May.

White would likely be going to a third straight tournament had he not snubbed an England call-up this month.

MIDFIELDERS

On the plane: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea), Jordan Henderson (Ajax), James Maddison (Tottenham) and Declan Rice (Arsenal).

In the departure lounge: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool) and Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United).

Hoping for a late ticket: Mason Mount (Manchester United) and Kalvin Phillips (West Ham, loan).

Real Madrid star Bellingham and Arsenal man Rice are shoo-ins. Barring injuries and a woeful end to the season, vice-captain Henderson will join them whatever onlookers think of that. Gallagher appears to have also rubberstamped his spot along with Maddison.

Beyond that, though, there is a lot up in the air. Injury denied Southgate the chance to see Alexander-Arnold in midfield against high-level opposition in a month when 18-year-old Mainoo impressively staked his claim, earning the man of the match award on his first start against Belgium.

Phillips, overlooked for this squad after a disastrous start to life on loan at West Ham, is running out of time to earn a recall. Southgate says Mount is an outside bet.

FORWARDS

On the plane: Phil Foden (Manchester City), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich) and Bukayo Saka (Arsenal).

In the departure lounge: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle) Jack Grealish (Manchester City), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Ivan Toney (Brentford) and Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa).

Hoping for a late ticket: Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace), Dominic Solanke (Bournemouth), Raheem Sterling (Chelsea) and Callum Wilson (Newcastle)

In Kane, Saka and Foden, the England boss has three starters, never mind selections. It gets tougher after that due to the competition for spots.

Southgate warned at his squad unveiling that established Rashford and Grealish had a battle on their hands for a place at the Euros – a fight that increased after new boy Gordon impressed and Bowen put in his best performance yet against Belgium. Injury denied Palmer the chance to truly shine this month, but he is another knocking at the door. Chelsea team-mate Sterling looks set for a summer off.

Toney scored a penalty as he won his second cap on Tuesday and may have just edged ahead of Watkins in the race to be Kane’s back-up. Solanke is the next cab off the rank behind those two.

Gareth Southgate will name his provisional squad for Euro 2024 on May 21 as he looks to lead England to glory in Germany.

While domestic football returns to the fore this weekend, Southgate has plenty to ponder after the March international break saw England lose to Brazil and secure a last-gasp 2-2 draw with Belgium.

Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the key considerations for Southgate before a ball is kicked in Germany.

Injury worries

Southgate was unable to call on a host of injured players for the Brazil and Belgium fixtures, while more were then forced to pull out during the camp. Captain and all-time leading goalscorer Harry Kane and reigning England player of the year Bukayo Saka were among them, but it was defensively where Southgate’s squad was hardest hit. The defence which ended the game against Belgium did not contain a single player who would arguably be in the side to face Serbia in England’s Euro 2024 opener, so Southgate will be closely monitoring the fitness of the likes of Luke Shaw, Kieran Trippier, Harry Maguire, Kyle Walker and John Stones.

Forward thinking

An ankle injury saw Kane miss the Brazil defeat before he returned to Bayern Munich for treatment. The England skipper will no doubt be the main man through the middle this summer, fitness permitting, but the job of supporting role is another which could go to the wire. Only Erling Haaland has scored more than the 16 Premier League goals notched by Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins so far this season, while Ivan Toney marked his first England start with a goal from the penalty spot against Belgium and those two seem to be battling it out for the back-up role across the remainder of the campaign.

The Mainoo man

All things being equal, there are not many places up for grabs in Southgate’s preferred starting XI. But the third member of a midfield trio which will no doubt include Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham is a spot that will be considered by Southgate and his coaching staff in the coming months. Manchester United teenager Kobbie Mainoo shone on his full debut against Belgium, while Conor Gallagher, Jordan Henderson, Trent Alexander-Arnold and James Maddison – to name but a few – will all have hopes of impressing Southgate sufficiently enough to earn the shirt.

High-profile absentees?

It would have seemed ludicrous last summer to suggest treble-winning Manchester City forward Jack Grealish could miss out on a place at the Euros. Fitness, form and a lack of minutes this season, however, could see the £100million man fall between the cracks of Southgate’s squad, especially with the fierce competition in the wide areas. The same could be said of Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford, a long-time favourite of Southgate, but who played just 15 minutes across both March friendlies and is another whose inconsistencies at club level could cost him dear.

The future

Southgate’s own future has already been the subject of much speculation. His current deal with the Football Association runs until the end of the year and he has already been linked with the top job at Manchester United. Southgate, however, has stressed he will not speak to any interested parties until after Euro 2024 and branded the United reports “completely disrespectful” to Erik ten Hag. “I’ve got one job, basically, to try and deliver a European Championship,” he said.

Gareth Southgate says he is facing a “complicated” Euro 2024 selection choice given England’s potential fitness and availability issues heading into the summer.

This is the first time since the 2018 World Cup that the 57-cap former defender is having to pick a 23-man squad for a major tournament after it was expanded to 26 following the coronavirus pandemic.

But Southgate could name even more than that at the provisional squad announcement on May 21 as the England boss will have injury concerns to deal with and the late arrival of key players.

The final squad is not due to be submitted to UEFA until June 8, but some may not even have joined up with the team by that point due to cup finals, denting numbers for the warm-up friendlies against Bosnia and Iceland.

Asked how many extra headaches returning to a 23-man squad will throw up given the issues he is juggling, Southgate said: “Yeah, it’s going to be complicated, because firstly the injury situations that we have.

“Some will be back playing at the weekend, some will be back playing in a couple of weeks, some will be really close to the end of the season.

“Then we’re going to have the European finals, the FA Cup final and the two friendlies that we’ve got ourselves.

“It’s inevitable we’re going to be naming a longer squad, which is what we did before the Euros here even though we were dealing with 26 then.

“We really don’t know (how many will be in the provisional squad) because there are so many questions on the injuries at the moment.

“But we’ve gained valuable information about so many players this this week.”

Absentee-hit England suffered their first defeat in 15 months in Saturday’s late 1-0 loss Brazil at Wembley, where Jude Bellingham scored an even later goal to salvage a 2-2 draw against Belgium three days later.

Southgate had to experiment far more than he expected during the friendly double-header due an unprecedented injury list that left him without a third of the 40-odd players on his long list against Brazil.

Bukayo Saka, Harry Kane, Harry Maguire, Kyle Walker and Sam Johnstone all withdrew from the squad over the course of the camp, with Jordan Henderson unable to feature in either match.

“I had a plan on Saturday night for Tuesday that got blown apart in 12 hours, so to have a plan for something in two and a half months’ time at the moment is faintly ridiculous.” Southgate said.

“We know some of the core parts of that, we know who’s been able to play at that level, who our very best players are.

“And the rest, we’ve got a lot clearer picture of what people are capable of from the two games that we’ve played.

“We’re just going to see how people are when they come back into form, whether they can do that fitness-wise with their clubs.”

Anthony Gordon, Ezri Konsa and Kobbie Mainoo all made their debuts over recent days, with Ivan Toney registering his first goal – from the penalty spot – against Belgium on his first international start.

The quartet boosted their chances of making the plane to Germany, with 18-year-old Mainoo’s stock arguably growing the highest.

The Manchester United talent staked his claim for a midfield spot with out-of-sorts Kalvin Phillips omitted, Trent Alexander-Arnold injured and Henderson unavailable.

Mainoo won his first cap off the bench against Brazil and, just four months after making his first Premier League start, was named player of the match for his display on his full England debut on Tuesday.

“He gives us a different profile of midfield player to anything else we’ve got,” Southgate said.

“He’s adapted and adjusted brilliantly. You can’t believe his age, really, that he’s just taking it all in his stride as he has.”

Asked if he was confident Mainoo could shut out the noise after such an impressive full debut, he said: “I think, firstly, he seems very mature, very calm. He knows he’s making his way.

“We’re absolutely delighted with what he’s done, first and foremost, and then there’s a lot of the season still to be played with his club.”

Seamus Coleman is confident former team-mate John O’Shea has made a case for himself in the race to succeed Stephen Kenny as Republic of Ireland manager.

The 35-year-old Everton defender returned to the international stage after a year’s absence when interim boss O’Shea selected him in his squad for the friendlies against Belgium and Switzerland and then started him as captain in both games.

Coleman made his Ireland debut alongside O’Shea against Wales in February 2011 and the pair played together for their country until the former Manchester United man retired from international football in June 2018.

Asked about the vacancy and the 42-year-old’s chances of filling it after Tuesday night’s 1-0 defeat by the Swiss, Coleman said: “I don’t want to sound like someone who’s played a couple of games for the manager and I am doing all I can to get him in, but being completely honest, the way he has conducted himself, how impressive he has been…

“My time will be up soon, but going forward for the future – so it’s not on a personal level – I think the way he’s carried himself, the work that he, [coaches] Paddy [McCarthy], Glenn [Whelan] have done behind the scenes has been really impressive, what he has done for his country, that respect he has from people instantly…

“I think he will be in the running. I have no idea, but why not be in the running for it? And I’d be delighted for him – but that’s above my pay grade.”

The search for Kenny’s replacement – he was relieved of his duties in November after a disappointing Euro 2024 qualifying campaign – has extended to four months, although the Football Association of Ireland’s director of football Marc Canham has indicated that an announcement, which has been delayed by “existing contractual obligations”, will come in early April.

With leading candidate Lee Carsley, the European Championship-winning England Under-21s boss, having ruled himself out of the running, speculation has been rife as to the identity of the successful candidate.

Greece manager Gus Poyet, whose side lost their Euro 2024 play-off final clash with Georgia on penalties on Tuesday evening, is out of contract at the weekend and is the current favourite with the bookmakers, although O’Shea’s temporary tenure has been well received.

Asked about the interregnum and its impact on the players, Coleman said: “As captain, I care about the players and all the rest of that, but that’s not my job to figure out who the manager’s going to be.

“I am a player, I have always been a player, I don’t stand out of my zone. I have never been one to speak about people above me or anything like that, it’s not my job.

“Whoever it is will give their all for it. I think there’s a case for John, the way he’s carried himself, what he has done for the country. He has coached for a period of time now, the lads all really enjoyed it.

“Whoever that will be, we will find out soon and as always, we will have massive pride in representing our country and give our all for whoever will be in charge.”

Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane will make a return to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to face his former club in August.

A friendly game between the German giants and Tottenham will take place as part of the Visit Malta Cup on Saturday, August 10.

The match marks a return to north London for Spurs’ all-time leading goal-scorer, who joined Bayern for £100million last summer.

Team-mate Eric Dier will also face his former club after the defender left for Bayern in January.

A statement on the Tottenham website read: “This mouth-watering curtain-raiser to the new season takes on extra significance, with the club’s all-time leading goalscorer, Harry Kane and long-serving defender Eric Dier having recently joined the Bundesliga champions.

“This will be a 12th meeting with Bayern in our history and only the fourth to have taken place on home soil.

“We memorably overcame the German giants on our way to UEFA Cup success 40 years ago.”

England captain Kane has been impressive in Germany this season, scoring 37 goals in 35 appearances across all competitions.

He leads the Bundesliga goalscoring charts with 31 so far for Bayern, who currently sit second, 10 points off league leaders Bayer Leverkusen in the table.

Last time Bayern and Tottenham met was in the 2019/20 Champions League group stage and Spurs were beaten 7-2 at home before Bayern won 3-1 in the reverse fixture.

Aaron Ramsey will consider whether to continue his international career following Wales’ failed bid to reach Euro 2024.

Skipper Ramsey remained on the bench for the entire 120 minutes on Tuesday as Wales’ attempt to qualify for this summer’s tournament in Germany ended in a penalty shoot-out defeat to Poland in Cardiff.

Ramsey has suffered an injury-hit season after returning to hometown club Cardiff – he has not started a game for six months due to knee and calf issues – and turns 34 at the end of this year.

The former Arsenal and Juventus midfielder has won 81 caps and is sixth on Wales’ all-time list of goalscorers with 21.

The start of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup is 12 months away, and the PA news agency understands that Ramsey will contemplate his international future after Wales’ painful Euro exit.

“There have been no conversations like that,” Wales manager Rob Page said about Ramsey’s future straight after defeat to Poland.

“It’s been, what, an hour since we’ve ended the game.

“Aaron was a big part of this squad as well. It’s not just what he brings on the pitch, it’s off the pitch as well.

“We want to continue to add to the squad and at the right time we’ll start introducing the younger ones in.”

Ramsey signed a two-year deal at Cardiff last summer with an option to extend by a further 12 months, but has started only six games for the Bluebirds this term.

Ivan Toney scored on his first England start in the friendly draw with Belgium and is now aiming to make up for lost time by securing a place at Euro 2024.

The Brentford striker won and scored a penalty either side of a Youri Tielemans brace for the visitors, who looked on course for a Wembley win before Jude Bellingham’s last-gasp effort secured a 2-2 draw.

It was Toney’s full England debut and just his second cap, coming exactly a year after his first.

For the majority of that year Toney was sidelined through suspension, having been banned for eight months after breaching Football Association betting rules.

He returned to action for Brentford in January and has scored four goals for the Bees since, while England boss Gareth Southgate kept a watching brief.

“It was always going to be hard to watch knowing I should have been there,” Toney said of England games he missed while banned.

“But that’s done and dusted now. I can’t change it. There’s no point dwelling on something I can’t change because it’ll just hurt me even more.

“But hopefully I can make the Euros squad and put things right. I try to be confident, but let’s see what happens.”

There was a long delay between Toney winning the spot-kick for a foul by Jan Vertonghen and then coolly converting from 12 yards.

For Toney, though, the outcome of the penalty was never in doubt.

“It felt very good,” he told BeIN Sports.

“This morning I spoke to my friends and I said I feel a penalty today and when I ran in behind, I felt the contact and there was no doubt that it was a penalty.

“So it is just patience, really – wait for the keeper to get on the line and do what I do best.

“I practise them all the time, every day and just pretend it is a training pitch and put in the back of the net and I’ve done that.”

While Toney impressed and got off the mark for England, there were other standout displays.

Manchester United teenager Kobbie Mainoo’s midfield performance was particularly eye-catching, while Jarrod Bowen enjoyed arguably his best night in an England shirt too.

The 27-year-old West Ham forward looked sharp on his seventh cap but saw his first England goal chalked off when VAR ruled him offside as he headed home in the first half.

Bowen is also hopeful of squeezing into Southgate’s ranks in Germany.

“There is no question I want it more than ever,” he told BBC Radio 5Live. “The main thing now is to go back to West Ham, hit the ground running there, keep doing what I’ve been doing all season and hope I get the opportunity.

“There is a lot of football to be played before that squad is named. I have been in a good place this season and the main thing was to continue to do what I’ve been doing.”

Rob Page believes Wales possess a bright future and are “going places” despite Euro 2024 play-off heartbreak.

Wales missed out on a third successive European Championship as Poland won 5-4 on penalties at Cardiff City Stadium on Tuesday following a goalless 120 minutes.

But boss Page insists Wales’ young squad are heading in the right direction ahead of 2026 World Cup qualifying.

“I just know I’ve got a good group players, great staff, and we’re going on the right path,” said Page, who has over two years left on his contract.

“There are younger players to be introduced as well, so that’s my next aim.

“We haven’t got there this time, but with the games in June we can start to introduce a couple of the younger players and build on what we’ve got here.

“We’re a good group and we’re going places.

“We have learned lessons, I’ve learned lessons from the campaign overall from the first game in Croatia.

“If we get our values right, with or without the ball, we’re a force to be reckoned with.

“We’re disappointed but we’ll build on it.”

Page insisted after the agony of Daniel James’ missed spot-kick that he is the right man to take Wales forward.

Football Association of Wales chief executive Noel Mooney put Page’s future in the spotlight in October by saying the manager’s position would be reviewed, having not qualified for Euro 2024 automatically.

Page and Mooney held clear-the-air talks after those comments – but the FAW will conduct a review into the Euro 2024 campaign over the coming weeks.

Wales will return to friendly action this summer with a planned home game before heading to Slovakia on June 9.

“We’ve got games in June, Nations League in the autumn, and then the start of a World Cup qualifying campaign,” Page said.

“So that’s my full focus now, building on what we’ve already started and the transition we’re in at this time.

“Expectations go up because of the success we’ve had. Qualification for a Euros, then a World Cup, now we’ve been one penalty kick from another Euros without all the senior players we’ve had.

“We’ll continue to add youth and competition for places, the supporters buy into that. They see what we’re trying to do.”

Jordan James was a huge success story during the Euro 2024 campaign in forming a strong midfield partnership with Ethan Ampadu.

The Birmingham midfielder does not turn 20 until July and already has 10 caps to his name.

Striker Lewis Koumas seems certain to be the next teenager to be introduced to the senior ranks after scoring debuts for both Liverpool and Wales Under-21s over the last month.

Page said: “JJ will have learned a lot from that experience, that will hold him in good stead and make him bigger and better in the future.

“He’ll be another Ethan Ampadu with cap accumulation. 50-odd by the time he’s 23, no doubt.

“The age of the group is different to what we’ve had before. They are a hungry group.

“I’m keen to get as many of those young players as possible, but it’s got to be done in the right way.”

What the papers say

Arsenal’s pursuit of a striker has received some encouragement from a potential target. Newcastle’s Sweden forward Alexander Isak, 24, admitted “things can happen” during the summer according to the Daily Mail.

The Gunners have been tracking another Sweden forward but the Sun reports scouting trips to see Viktor Gyokeres, 25, at Sporting have seen the Lisbon club’s Ivory Coast centre-back Ousmane Diomande, 20, catch their eye.

Wolves are in pole position to sign Southampton’s Scotland striker Che Adams according to The Daily Telegraph. The 27-year-old becomes a free agent in the summer.

Brighton are looking at Nigerian winger Philip Otele at Romanian club Cluj, reports the Evening Standard.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Erling Haaland: Barcelona are keen on the Manchester City striker in 2025 according to Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo, which says the 23-year-old’s agent met with the La Liga club last month.

Joao Gomes: The Wolves midfielder, 23, has been identified by Manchester United as a replacement for fellow Brazilian Casemiro, 32, reports Spanish outlet Sport.

England’s all-time record scorer Harry Kane opened his international goal account within 80 seconds of making a “dream” debut on this day in 2015.

Kane netted almost immediately after coming on as a 70th-minute substitute against Lithuania at Wembley, wrapping up a 4-0 win with a thumping far-post header.

The then 21-year-old, who had already scored 29 goals for Tottenham that season, was given a standing ovation as he took to the field and it did not take him long to get the sell-out crowd back on their feet as, with one of his first touches, he found the back of the net.

Wayne Rooney, Danny Welbeck and Raheem Sterling scored England’s other goals, but the headlines belonged to Kane after a one-sided Euro 2016 qualifier.

Asked if he knew how long he had taken to get off the mark, Kane said: “Maybe a minute? Eighty seconds? Hey, it’s not too bad!

“It’s the start I dreamed of, it’s a little bit of a blur at the minute. It’s the best moment by far, to represent your country at senior level is the top. Hopefully I can keep doing it and it’s the first of many.”

It was a dream start which impressed then England captain Rooney – a man who knew a thing about coping with pressure and scoring goals and whose national-record of 53 goals Kane surpassed in March 2023.

“It’s fantastic, international football’s different and to score after 80 seconds is incredible for Harry,” he told ITV. “We’re all delighted and hopefully it’s the first of many.”

All those involved were quick to try and keep a lid on expectations, but given Kane now stands alone at the top of England’s goalscoring charts, they clearly knew what they were seeing.

“It is fantastic for Harry,” manager Roy Hodgson said. “We’re so delighted for him. It is a bit of a fairytale, but it’s nice when fairytales come true and it’s come true for Harry.”

“He’s crowned his England debut with a well-taken goal. Couldn’t be better really. It’s a very satisfying evening for us. I think it’s too early to put this pressure on Harry Kane. We should just be happy that he has done so well for Tottenham and made a name for himself to get into the England set-up.

“That’s not easy to do as we have a number of good forwards but let’s be happy with that and leave the future predictions to the future.”

Rob Page insisted he will take Wales forward after their Euro 2024 dream was ended by penalty shoot-out heartbreak.

Daniel James missed the decisive spot-kick as Wales lost 5-4 on penalties to Poland after a goalless draw at the Cardiff City Stadium.

Football Association of Wales chief executive Noel Mooney put Page’s position in the spotlight in October by saying the manager’s position would be reviewed if the Dragons did not qualify for Euro 2024 automatically.

Page and Mooney held clear the air talks after those comments – the 49-year-old remaining in post after Wales had to settle for a play-off place that ultimately ended in failure.

“I’ve got a great relationship with Dave Adams, the technical director,” said boss Page.

“We’ve had our issues in the past, haven’t we? It’s been well documented. But everything’s fine. Everything’s great. I think they appreciate it.

“The board, the chief exec, the president, I think they see the journey we’re on and what we’re trying to do.

“In 12 months, from retirement of senior players to introducing younger players and being one kick away from qualification. I think they see the work we’re doing and the supporters do too.”

Wales had never been involved in a penalty shoot-out in their history and it was left to James, with the 10th spot-kick, to feel the pain of failing to convert as Poland goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny pushed out his effort.

Page told S4C: “It is a cruel game and that is what I have said to the players. One kick away from qualifying and it hurts.

“I thought we were the better team. I’ve just said to the group, ‘look how far we have come – we are that disappointed we have not qualified for a major tournament’.”

Page offered sympathy to James and praised his squad for their efforts throughout the qualifying campaign.

He added: “We will rally round Deej. He had the bravery to take that penalty.

“I’m just so proud of that group and the nation should be proud of them. They have put a shift and some in tonight to try to get us there.

“We will be bigger and stronger for going through this horrible experience. We are going somewhere. There is something good happening with this group.

“They are so disappointed but they are hungry for it. We were nearly there, one kick away. There is a lot more to come.”

Page defended his decision to keep Aaron Ramsey on the bench and not send on his skipper in the closing stages.

Ramsey has not started a game since September because of knee and calf issues, but played 20 minutes for Cardiff in their last game following his latest injury.

“Who could he come on and replace?” said Page.

“We needed two sixes on the park and we weren’t going to take a risk in extra-time.”

Gareth Southgate praised Jude Bellingham’s never-say-die attitude after saving England from defeat against Belgium at the end of an international break that provides plenty of food for thought ahead of the Euros.

Among the favourites for glory this summer, the side third in FIFA’s world rankings stepped up preparations with a pair of high-level friendlies against the nations directly behind them in those standings.

Brazil are fifth and struck late on Saturday to inflict a first defeat on England in 15 months, which fourth-placed Belgium looked set to compound at rainy Wembley three days later.

Youri Tielemans opened the scoring after a Jordan Pickford error, with a Lewis Dunk mistake resulting in the Aston Villa midfielder scoring again after Ivan Toney had converted a penalty on his first senior start.

Fellow full debutants Ezri Konsa and, in particular, 18-year-old Kobbie Mainoo also impressed in a friendly that ended 2-2 after Bellingham struck at the end of second half stoppage time.

“I liked it because I know the rubbish we would have got if we lost two games on the bounce,” the Real Madrid midfielder told Channel 4.

“These are two games that are going to stand us in good stead going into the Euros. I know people will be negative but you have to take these games for what they are.

“You’ve got to keep perspective. We had a lot of lads making debuts (this week) and a lot of lads I’ve never played with. We created a lot of chances. I should have scored (previously). I was happy I could make it up to the team.”

England boss Southgate told the post-match press conference: “Jude, of course, is the headline.

“That competitive spirit, that desire not to lose, desire to win in the end, was decisive in getting the late goal.

“But I thought the whole team showed that throughout the game and recovered from setbacks with a pretty inexperienced team, really, against a team that have got some very, very good players. Very pleased with a lot of what I saw tonight.”

Bellingham pulled the Euro 2024 hopefuls through at the end of a challenging international meet-up marred by injuries.

John Stones joined England’s eye-watering absentee list when limping off with an adductor issue within 10 minutes on Tuesday, when Mainoo’s man-of-the-match performance was among a number of impressive displays.

“The great thing is definitely some players have emerged positively from the opportunities they’ve had,” Southgate said reflecting on the Brazil and Belgium friendlies.

“We’ve perhaps got more depth in one respect, but the injuries are a concern. We’ve got so many players missing at the moment, and we’ve still got the real heat of the season to come, with the intensity of the games, what’s resting on the games.

“We’re not going to know what we’re left with until right until the end but we’ll just have to make the best decisions that we possibly can.”

Southgate praised Toney, Jarrod Bowen and James Maddison for their attacking impact against Belgium, while Anthony Gordon has also earned plaudits during the week.

Southgate has plenty to mull over ahead of announcing his provisional squad on May 21, which has to be whittled down to a 23-man group by June 8.

“In terms of knowing the 23, there’s so many unknowns at the moment in terms of who might be available,” Southgate said.

“So, yes, these performances were very important for players to be able to see whether or not they could play against high level opposition.

“But equally the way they play between now and the end of the season with their club, in big matches is going to have a high tariff as well so we will track all of that.”

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