European Championship 2016

[Master]

I would have taken Townsend at the expense of Barkley.

Euro 2016: Marcus Rashford in England squad - Townsend and Drinkwater miss out

Manchester United's teenage striker Marcus Rashford has been named in Roy Hodgson's 23-man England squad for the 2016 European Championship in France.

Rashford, 18, scored on his international debut in the 2-1 friendly victory over Australia on Friday.

Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge is also included, but Newcastle United's Andros Townsend and Leicester City's Danny Drinkwater both miss out.

England face Portugal in their last Euro 2016 warm-up match on Thursday.

Hodgson's side begin their campaign in France by playing Russia on 11 June, before meeting Wales on 16 June and Slovakia on 20 June.

Rashford, who signed a new four-year contract with Manchester United on Monday, only made his first-team debut on 25 February, but scored eight goals in 18 club games to earn an international call-up.

Sturridge, 26, missed England's last two friendly matches but did take part in a training session on Monday.

He also trained at Watford's training ground on Tuesday, along with Liverpool team-mate Jordan Henderson and Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere, with all three considered fully fit.

Southampton full-back Ryan Bertrand, 26, is carrying an unspecified injury but even if he does not play against Portugal at Wembley, he is not regarded as a fitness concern for the tournament.

Drinkwater helped Leicester claim a shock Premier League title, while Townsend - included in the preliminary squad predominantly as cover - was a member of the Newcastle team relegated from the top flight.

The pair were told of their omissions by Hodgson on an individual basis in the manager's hotel room following training.

BBC Sport understands both took the news in a respectful, professional way and wished Hodgson and the team well.

The rest of the squad were informed of Hodgson's selections at a team meeting shortly afterwards.

Drinkwater and Townsend said goodbye to everyone involved before leaving the England camp and will not be on standby for the tournament.

Drinkwater said later he was "disappointed" not to make the final 23 but described the season as a "huge positive".

Former England winger Trevor Sinclair told BBC Radio 5 live: "For me Drinkwater has had such a good season and played such a pivotal part in Leicester's success, he deserves to be in the squad.

"I think he's had an absolutely outstanding season. He's shown what he can do at international level. What he does on the pitch a lot of the time goes unnoticed. He works so unselfishly for the team, I think he may be a big miss for the England squad.

"Townsend will feel unlucky because he's had a great finish to the season, despite Newcastle getting relegated.

"What I will say is, at least he's getting looked at. While he was at Tottenham he wasn't even getting the opportunity because he wasn't playing."

Hodgson initially named a 26-man squad after the final round of Premier League games, having intended to reveal his final selection on 12 May until injury concerns prompted a delay.

That was cut to 25 when Manchester City midfielder Fabian Delph was moved to the standby list after picking up an injury.

Hodgson's squad is the youngest to represent England at a European Championship, with an average age of 25.

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Joe Hart (Manchester City), Fraser Forster (Southampton), Tom Heaton (Burnley).

Defenders: Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Chris Smalling (Manchester United), John Stones (Everton), Kyle Walker (Tottenham Hotspur), Ryan Bertrand (Southampton), Danny Rose (Tottenham Hotspur), Nathaniel Clyne (Liverpool).

Midfielders: Dele Alli (Tottenham Hotspur), Ross Barkley (Everton), Eric Dier (Tottenham Hotspur), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Adam Lallana (Liverpool), James Milner (Liverpool), Raheem Sterling (Manchester City), Jack Wilshere (Arsenal).

Strikers: Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur), Jamie Vardy (Leicester City), Daniel Sturridge (Liverpool), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United).

Euro 2016: Marcus Rashford in England squad - Townsend and Drinkwater miss out - BBC Sport

[superheavyrhun]

I do think that Danny Drinkwater should have been in there, and also Mark Noble. Taking a persistent cripple such as Jack Wilshere is too much of a risk, while I'm not convinced that Henderson should be in there either.

Equally, my same instincts go roughly the same for Joe Ledley in the Wales squad, I just don't see that taking players who miss the end of the season with injury works out well. Emyr Huws has proved to be a really creative influence for us in midfield, and I'd have him in there instead of Ledley. Flying out to France a week Friday!

[Master]

Drinkwater and Noble are too defence minded when Milner, Dier and Henderson can do all that. Wilshire is an attacking and creative midfielder who was on fire this time last year and Roy wants a glimpse of that quality in France.

[X]

France will win it this time.

They've got loads of strikers this year




Badum-tish

[Master]

France v Romania on in 30 minutes, at last!

I got France and Belgium in the sweep stakes.

I will stick with football stories only.

[Master]

Spain goalkeeper David de Gea denies forced sex party claim



Spain and Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea has denied a claim reported in a Spanish newspaper that he organised a sex party with prostitutes for teammates in which a woman was made to take part against her will.
"It's all false," de Gea said.
The claims are contained in court papers in a trial against a pornography baron seen by El Diario newspaper.
A witness claims the defendant forced her and another girl into sex with two Under-21 internationals in 2012.
"I am the first one to be surprised by this report. I deny it, it is false and nothing more, it is a lie and false," de Gea told a press conference at Spain's Euro 2016 training base.
"It is false what is coming out in the press and it will be in the hands of my lawyers," he added.
The claims are part of a continuing case against pornographer Ignacio Allende Fernández, known as Torbe, who is accused of being the head of a prostitution network that abused Spanish and foreign women, some of them underage.
Torbe was remanded in custody in April charged with offences including sex attacks, sexual exploitation and child pornography.
The protected witness, who claims she was forced into the prostitution ring, said she was taken to a Madrid hotel and introduced to another girl and two footballers.
Once in a room with the other girl, the witness - known in police interview papers as TP3 - said that she was told by Torbe that she had to comply with the sexual demands of the two Under-21 internationals.
When she said she did not wish to take part, she claimed to police that Torbe "grabbed her forcefully by the arm".
The witness said she had told Torbe in front of the footballers that she did not want to take part in the sexual encounter, El Diario reported.
El Diario claimed the players said they did not want any recordings of the encounter to be made in case their playing careers were affected.
The witness claimed the encounter had been arranged by de Gea, according to the police report published by El Diario.

Spain goalkeeper David de Gea denies forced sex party claim - BBC News

[Jimanuel Boogustus]

Payets goal though.... Fuck me that was a spanker!