WITH the club season nearly over, the Euro 2020 warm-up games have begun!
Meanwhile Matthijs de Ligt has clarified previous comments stating that he had turned down the coronavirus vaccine.
And Gareth Bale’s agent has rubbished reports that he is set to retire after Euro 2020.
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Follow all of the latest news, build up and updates below…
GOING FOR GLORY
Liam Cooper believes Scotland can make history at Euro 2020 by getting beyond the group stage for the first time ever.
The Leeds United skipper says Steve Clarke ’s side are brimming with confidence ahead of the tournament.
He said: “It’s massive for us to get off to a good start but there’s a hunger and desire to make the nation proud. We carry that on our shoulders.
“We’ve got a willingness to work for each other and a system that suits us.
“We’ve got two good warm-up games and come the start of the Euros, we’ll be ready.
“We know we’re building up to something and we must have the right mentality.
“Can we break new ground by getting out of our group? Why not believe? We see how hard we work every day.”
HEY JUDE
Jude Bellingham is still so young, Gareth Southgate has to ask the midfielder’s dad for permission to speak to him.
But Southgate believes Borussia Dortmund’s teenage sensation — and fellow English ‘exiles’ Jadon Sancho and Kieran Trippier — can bring extra know-how to England’s bid for Euro 2020 glory.
Bellingham will not turn 18 until midway through the tournament but is set to make the cut when the Three Lions manager trims his squad down to 26 on Tuesday.
Southgate said: “We have to make sure we look after all the players but I have to talk to his dad to talk to Jude, on a child protection basis.
“That is still the process, yet he is a first-team player who is playing at a massive club in Europe.
“It is a reminder of how young he is. He deals with things really maturely but we must never take that for granted.
“He is a very mature boy but at times you forget how young he is.”
GERMANY INJURY CONCERN
Bayern Munich duo Leon Goretzka and Niklas Sule could miss Germany’s opening match at Euro 2020, against France.
There are doubts over whether they will get up to speed over the next couple of weeks, having failed to completely train with the squad.
Joachim Low confirmed in the press conference that Goretzka will join the squad on Tuesday, having trained at home in recent days.
The German central midfielder will have individual sessions when he reports at training camp before joining other teammates on the pitch.
Goretzka missed four of Bayern Munich’s last six league games, while Sule has been plagued by a muscle injury in recent weeks, reducing him to just 72 minutes since the beginning of April.
I WANT DE JAB
Juventus superstar Matthijs De Ligt insists he has NOT declined to take the Covid-19 vaccine and will get the jab “as soon as possible”.
The Holland centre-back went on social media to clear up controversy after suggesting he was against the treatment as it was “not mandatory” and he wanted to “be in charge” of his own body.
A short message on Twitter read: “In my recent interview, I was not clear with my response.
“In order to clear any doubts: I am absolutely in favour of the COVID-19 vaccination and will take it as soon as possible.”
The 21-year-old had coronavirus himself contracted the coronavirus in January – missing two games as he recovered.
De Ligt has now linked up with Holland ahead of this summer’s Euros.
KROOS IN QUARANTINE
Germany are still waiting for Toni Kroos to join the camp after the midfielder’s coronavirus infection.
It has been two weeks since Kroos tested positive but he has still not returned a negative test.
Germany have a warm-up friendly against Denmark on Wednesday and another against Latvia on June 7 before starting their Euro 2020 campaign against France in Munich on June 15.
Kroos could feature in the warm up games as his infection is not thought to be serious.
Germany manager Joachim Low has provided an update on his situation. He said: “Yesterday he was still positive and for as long he remains positive, he has to stay in quarantine.
“As soon as he gets a negative test result on one day, he’ll set off on the journey to us. He’s already had light symptoms, though they were last week.”
“NO” SAYS LÖW
Meanwhile, Joachim Low’s future after the tournament has become a little clearer thanks to an update from journalist Fabrizio Romano on Twitter.
The Germany boss has denied rumours linking him to the vacant managerial position at Real Madrid.
He said: “No, I won’t be manager of any club this summer,” which means the 61-year-old could be due for a well earned rest after Euro 2020.
Low has been in charge of Germany for 15 years, having been part of the set-up since 2004, when he first joined as assistant manager.
GERMANS UP AND RUNNING
The Germany squad took to the pitch as part of their preparation for Euro 2020 today.
Joachim Low named a 26-man squad that includes a variety of Premier League stars, including Ilkay Gundogan, Timo Werner and Kai Havertz, who have not yet joined the camp due to the Champions League final.
The tournament is Low’s last chance to win silverware with his national team, as Hansi Flick has been confirmed to take over after the Euros end.
Low will be hoping his squad bounces back from the disappointment of exiting the 2018 World Cup in the group stages, and will surely be aiming to go all the way this time around.
READY TO GO
England players have started to convene in the north-east as Gareth Southgate’s European Championship preparations get under way.
The Three Lions manager last week named a 33-man provisional squad for this summer’s rearranged Euros, which he will have to trim down to 26 names on Tuesday.
Available squad members reported to Rockliffe Hall in the north-east on Saturday, kicking off a nine-day camp that takes in the warm-up friendlies against Austria and Romania in Middlesbrough.
England captain Harry Kane was among the arrivals, as were Jesse Lingard Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Kieran Trippier, amongst others.
Jordan Henderson also linked up with Southgate’s squad as the Liverpool skipper looks to prove his fitness, having been ruled out since undergoing groin surgery in February.
CZECHED OUT
The Czech Republic have vacated Scotland’s Oriam base camp as their preparations for Euro 2020 have been disrupted by Covid regulations.
They were due to train in Edinburgh but will instead base themselves in Prague, and travel to and from the UK for each of their Group D matches.
Scotland’s opponents had planned to stay and train at Oriam for the Euros, and had booked the facility – which is Scotland’s regular base – before they qualified for the tournament.
That forced Steve Clarke’s team to change their plans and they arranged to stay and train in Middlesbrough, roughly equidistant from Hampden and Wembley where Scotland will play their group games.
A statement read: “The Czech national team will spend the whole UEFA Euro 2020 tournament in Prague instead of the basecamp in Edinburgh as it was planned originally.
COLE PREDICTION
Former Chelsea ace Joe Cole believes Manchester City will be feeling most of the pressure in the Champions League Final.
Cole also expects the Blues’ young stars, some of which will play for England in Euro 2020, to shine bright.
Cole told Football London: “Where Chelsea and Man City are at the moment, the pressure is on Man City.
“You can see they are the better side over the course of 38 games but the club are so hell-bent on winning this trophy [Champions League] that the pressure is always mounting.
“For Chelsea, you’ve got young players happy to be there in the sense that it wasn’t expected this year. This was a transitional period.
“But they can go out there and win the game with talent all over the park. That is where I think the psychology of the game will be”
GREAL COMPETITION
Manchester United are facing competition from local rivals Manchester City over Aston Villa star Jack Grealish’s signature.
According to the Daily Mail, City are prepared to make Grealish English football’s first £100million player.
In fact, the Citizens have made the England international their priority signing in midfield ahead of next season.
If such a move for the 25-year-old goes through, the Premier League champions would break the current British transfer record of £80m for Harry Maguire, who joined United from Leicester in 2019.
City boss Pep Guardiola is also said to be a big admirer of Grealish
VARANE REACTS
Real Madrid ace Raphael Varane remains coy about his future and focuses on the upcoming Euros with France amid interest from Manchester United.
Varane said: “This is not the time to talk about my future, I am focused on the selection, on this Euro, it is normal and logical to ask the question and for my part it is normal and logical to focus on the upcoming deadlines.
“We are all human beings. We can think about it. As for my personal case, I am focused on the objectives that we have in the France team, it is not a subject that I will discuss every day in my room at Clairefontaine.
“I am focused on my goal, and now is not the time to discuss it. If I have to talk about it, it will be directly with the people concerned.”
O-KAY FOR NOW
Manchester City star Ilkay Gundogan took a slight knock during the last training session before tonight’s Champions League Final against Chelsea in Porto.
Gundogan came together in a challenge with Fernandinho and was slow to get back to his feet.
The star midfielder left practice before many of his team-mates and looked to be in slight discomfort as he went down the tunnel.
No official announcement has been made about his fitness yet but that is something Germany manager Joachim Low will be keeping an eye on ahead of Euro 2020
KANT COUNT HIM OUT
Chelsea star N’Golo Kante looks set to start in tonight’s Champions League Final against Manchester City.
That is great news for Blues boss Thomas Tuchel as well as France manager Didier Deschamps.
Kante has overcome a hamstring problem, which means he could start at the Dragao and will be fighting fit for Euro 2020.
Deschamps will be counting on the star midfielder a lot in the upcoming competition
GETTY IMAGES VACCINE DE-CISION
Juventus star and Netherlands international Matthijs de Ligt has decided not to have a coronavirus vaccine even though he tested positive for COVID-19 in January.
De Ligt told ESPN: “I have not taken a vaccination, it is not mandatory.
“I think you should be in charge of your own body. The risk of infection is always there.
“I try to come into contact with as few people as possible outside the Dutch national team”
BERGWIJN EXIT
Tottenham ace Steven Bergwijn could leave the club during the summer transfer window.
That is according to De Telegraaf, who claim that Bergwijn is looking to reignite his career after missing out on an international call-up by Netherlands manager Frank de Boer ahead of Euro 2020.
Ajax appear keen to sign the forward in the summer and help him regain his groove.
The Eredivisie champions are willing to pay around £12million but Spurs want closer to £21.5m
CITY LIONS
Manchester City will have six English players available for the Champions League Final against Chelsea.
Those are Raheem Sterling, Phil Foden, Kyle Walker, John Stones, Scott Carson and youngster James Trafford.
Four of the aforementioned are then expected to link up with England ahead of Euro 2020.
That is Sterling, Foden, Walker and Stones
CHELSEA LIONS
Chelsea are set to face Manchester City in an all-English Champions League Final in Porto.
A total of six English players have made Blues boss Thomas Tuchel’s squad and are in line – some more than others – to grace the pitch at the Dragao.
Those are Reece James, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Ben Chilwell, Tammy Abraham, Mason Mount and youngster Faustino Anjorin.
James, Chilwell and Mount will then link up with England ahead of Euro 2020
IT’S BEN EMOTIONAL
Brighton ace Ben White revealed he “cried for an hour” after learning of his call-up to England’s provisional Euro 2020 squad.
White told Sky Sports: “I got a phone call while I was out for dinner, I didn’t really believe it.
“[When I was] told me all the news, when I was going, it was obviously unbelievable.
“I put the phone down, rang my mum straight away, sat down there, cried…
“Mum was crying, my dad, had all my sisters there and, yeah, I just sat and cried for about an hour”
GETTY IMAGES FOR GREAL
Aston Villa ace Jack Grealish is “100% fit” for Euro 2020 according to Villa manager Dean Smith.
Smith recently said: “He is 100% fit. Firstly, we had to make sure he was ready to play for Aston Villa. We wouldn’t take a risk with only four games to go, with a player of Jack’s standing and quality, unless it was the right thing to do.
“We all believed it was the right thing to do – for him and for Aston Villa. Then once the season finished, if he gets picked, which hopefully he does, then it’s the right thing for England as well.
“If we felt there was any kind of future risk then we would have just shut him down for the rest of the season and he wouldn’t have had the chance to go to the Euros”
RICE WISH
West Ham ace Declan Rice is keen to join Manchester United ahead of the summer transfer window.
According to Manchester Evening News, Rice would be interested to move to United after recent talks with England team-mates, who play under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, ahead of Euro 2020.
The Red Devils have reportedly grown concerned over the star midfielder’s £100million asking price.
Hammers manager David Moyes recently said: “I don’t agree with the owners that Declan Rice is a £100m footballer.
“Far, far more than £100m”
FINAL EURO SQUAD
England boss Gareth Southgate is expected to name his final squad on Tuesday 1 June.
Southgate revealed his provisional 33-man shortlist on Tuesday ahead of Euro 2020 but seven players will soon be cut.
The England boss said: “There are 12 players still to play so we’re always going to need additional players and added to that we have some injuries at different stages, that we have very little info about.
“We felt more time will help us make better decisions. Our preference was to name the 26, but we have not got an ideal hand of cards – a lot of unknowns.
“Info and evidence are very important and we will have a lot more in the next seven days”
RICE BLOW
Manchester United have been dealt with a significant blow in their bid to sign West Ham star Declan Rice, who has also been linked with Chelsea.
According to the Daily Mail, United have become increasingly concerned over Rice’s asking price, which is said to be around 100million.
Hammer boss David Moyes previously said: “I don’t agree with the owners that Declan Rice is a £100m footballer.
“Far, far more than £100m.”
Rice has been included in England boss Gareth Southgate’s 33-man provisional squad ahead of Euro 2020
BALE RETIREMENT
Real Madrid talisman Gareth Bale, who spent the season on loan at Tottenham, was recently linked with early retirement.
Reports from Spain have claimed that Bale is considering negotiating a payout from Real and could even quit football altogether after Euro 2020, where he will play for Wales.
However, the star forward’s agent Jonathan Barnett has poured cold water on this speculation with an explosive statement.
Barnett told talkSPORT when asked about the matter: “Sorry, don’t speak about rubbish reporting”
GETTY IMAGES KOUNDE BOOST
Sevilla star defender Jules Kounde, who is set to compete for France in Euro 2020, has confirmed that he “will perhaps have to change clubs this summer”.
Kounde has been linked with a move to Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Real Madrid ahead of the summer transfer window.
And the centre-back, who stood out this term in LaLiga, has said he wishes to play for a “big club”.
Kounde told reporters at France’s Clairefontaine training camp: “Regarding my future, it’s certain that I will perhaps have to change clubs this summer.
“But nothing has been finalised yet. I have not decided anything.
“My goal is to play for a big club, to try to always progress and to win trophies.
“It’s true that I might have to move but that’s not relevant today”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
