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    Jose Mourinho reveals Harry Kane hasn’t discussed future with him as Tottenham play hardball over transfer

    JOSE MOURINHO and Harry Kane have not spoken about the striker’s Tottenham future.The England captain revealed last week he will wait until after this summer’s Euros before deciding whether to stay at the club.
    Spurs boss Jose Mourinho claims there is nothing to discuss with Harry Kane unless the strikes raises any issue with himCredit: Reuters
    England skipper Harry Kane hit the penalty opener in Thursday’s 2-1 World Cup qualifying defeat of PolandCredit: Getty
    SunSport revealed on Friday chairman Daniel Levy is not prepared to sell his star man.
    And when asked  if he has had conversations with Kane about the situation, Spurs boss Mourinho said: “No. He works so well every day.
    “He is such a professional, committed with the team,  performing well.

    “I’ve nothing to speak with him about. He has three years of his contract remaining.
    “Unless he wants to speak with me about it… and until now he never approached me in relation to anything.”
    Asked if he was surprised by the speculation over academy product Kane, Mourinho said: “I cannot play that game. I have to focus on what he is for us.
    “Of course, I’m always pleased when my players go to national teams and do well, so I’m happy he does well with England.
    “But I cannot play the game of what people say, what the people don’t say.”
    Ahead of Sunday’s visit to Newcastle, Mourinho added: “I focus on what he did for us in the last match against Villa.
    “I focus on the effort I saw him put on the pitch for England against Albania and Poland and I focus on the match against Newcastle.
    “Scoring two, one or nil, he will be there for the team. That’s where I have to focus.”
    Kane’s two goals for England this week took his tally for club and country this season to 29.
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    Mourinho added: “I don’t know if he always has a smile on his face. 
    “It’s very important that a player is professional. And he’s very professional.
    “He’s doing well for club and country. I think he has to be happy with the moment he’s living.”
    Harry Kane gives a goal scoring masterclass in Tottenham training More

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    Jordan Pickford terrified injury setback could torch his Euros hopes after missing England qualifiers

    JORDAN PICKFORD is sweating over his fitness ahead of Euro2020.The Everton keeper knows that he needs to be 100 per cent fit to be included in Gareth Southgate’s summer plans.
    Jordan Pickford is worried he may not get an England call for the EurosCredit: Rex
    England’s number one keeper is still sidelined with an abdominal injury which saw him miss the three World Cup qualifiers.
    Pickford is still not back in first-team training but hopes he could return to action later this month.
    But the former Sunderland keeper is terrified that any setbacks could seriously harm his chances of being selected for the summer tournament.
    Pickford, 27, has also suffered a number of niggling injuries throughout the season which he has played through which have affected his performances.
    He was forced off just before half-time in the 2-1 defeat to Burnley on March 13 and has not played since.
    Nick Pope deputised for England over three games but did not impress Southgate with his part in Poland’s equaliser – although the Three Lions won 2-1 – following a mistake by John Stones.
    Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti has admitted that he is unsure when Pickford will return.
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    Gareth Southgate wants to take a fully fit squad into the EurosCredit: Getty

    The Goodison boss, whose team faces Crystal Palace on Monday, said: “Not sure how long it will be.
    “He is improving day by day but he still hasn’t worked on the pitch.
    “Maybe he will start next week to work on the pitch with the goalkeeping coach.”
    England coach Southgate has a strong rule that he will not take half fit players to The Euros.
    That is why Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson could also miss out if he does not return to action soon.
    Previously, England have had a history of taking injured players to major summer tournaments.
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    Gareth Southgate says England should have scored more after their victory against Albania More

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    Joe Cole a shock contender for England Under-21s job with Aidy Boothroyd on chopping block

    JOE COLE is a surprise contender to become England Under-21 boss.Current coach Aidy Boothroyd is set for the axe following the disastrous European Championship campaign.
    Joe Cole is rated as a possibility to succeed Aidy Boothroyd, with Frank Lampard and Mark Warburton also mentionedCredit: Jamie McPhilimey – The Sun
    Aidy Boothroyd is tipped for the sack after England Under-21s’ group exit in the European ChampionshipCredit: Getty
    England’s colts finished bottom of their group and  Boothroyd then further damaged his chances of staying on by describing the role as an “utterly impossible job”.
    Former Chelsea and England midfielder Cole, 39, obtained his Uefa A licence a year ago and is passionate about making a move into management.
    He is also passionate about our national team.
    Since retiring as a player, Cole has worked as a coach in the academy of his old club.
    He has also been to England’s HQ at St George’s Park to study training sessions and give talks to youth players.
    Cole’s old Chelsea team-mate Frank Lampard and current QPR boss Mark Warburton have also been touted as possible successors to Boothroyd.
    Warburton has since played down the speculation and it is believed that Lampard, who has just become a dad again, plans to enjoy a “long holiday” before considering a return to management.
    England’s Under-17 coach  Justin Cochrane is another in the frame.
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    Cole works as a pundit for BT Sport but sees coaching as his long-term ambition.
    The U-21s thought they had done enough to scrape through as goals from Ebere Eze and Curtis Jones put them 2-0 up against Croatia.
    But in the first minute of stoppage time, Croatia left-back Domagoj Bradaric unleashed a rocket from outside the area that eliminated England.
    Watch Harry Maguire search for John Stones after Man Utd star spared partner’s blushes with England winner More

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    Karren Brady: Like other sufferers, I cannot believe social networks are unable to take measures to identify abusers

    ABUSE from the crowd, chanted or shouted, is bad enough but on social media, it is worse. It rankles for longer.I have experience of both, and on the street, too, but in cold print even if it comes from some weirdo with nothing better to do, it also tends to stick.
    Karren Brady has galled on social media giants to do more to stop racismCredit: PR Handout – Free to use
    Mark Zuckerberg has attracted criticism for not doing enough to stop online abuseCredit: The Mega Agency
    For a black man, racial abuse does more. It stains.
    Like other sufferers, I cannot believe Facebook, Instagram, ­Twitter and other social networks are unable to take measures to identify culprits or delete their filth.
    Speak up Nick Clegg, a two-faced politician who graduated to many-faced vice-president of global affairs for Facebook.
    Neither Clegg nor his employer, Mark Zuckerberg, hold out much hope of netting obscenity before it is published.
    And if they act with urgency it will be because, Clegg points out: “Advertisers don’t want their brands and products displayed next to extreme or hateful content — a point that many made explicitly last summer during a high-profile boycott by a number of household-name brands.”
    So there we have it. Never mind the targets of racial abuse, vulnerable and very angry, it’s big advertisers like Disney that really matter.
    But let’s get back to the former Deputy Prime Minister mentioning a boycott last summer.
    It was run by StopHateForProfit for the whole of July and it was estimated it cost Facebook and Instagram, also owned by Zuckerberg, about £23million.
    This is a fiddling sum compared with damages of about £500m ordered by an Illinois court for ‘photo tagging’, a jazzed-up phrase for using facial recognition software.
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    Thierry Henry has called for social media to do more to stop racists

    Even so, such losses are no more than damage on a car bumper to Zuckerberg whose companies earned over £50bn in the last year.
    Hate speech is no more than a troublesome ailment to the social networks.
    But not to us, and I can only assume that lawyers in many countries are assessing whether damages could be won for victims.
    It could be a short-cut to these networks taking significant action.
    Black and ethnic minority footballers are easy targets and so far are victims without serious redress.
    Football is at the apex of victimisation because it is incomparably popular in this country.
    Everybody knows Manchester United and I’d guess a huge number know Marcus Rashford’s name.
    He has been racially abused and says: “I’m a black man and I live every day proud I am.”
    Thierry Henry takes a different tack. He no longer uses social media.
    Arsenal launched a campaign  StopOnlineAbuse to add to ‘Black Lives Matter’ and others aligned with kicking out racism.
    Hnery has quit Twitter until it become a ‘safer place’
    Yet I can’t help thinking they are diffusing the message and prompting insane rage in people of limited conscience.
    Henry’s reaction seems the most effective, for the time being. Companies who claim they are doing everything in their power to prevent racist abuse just aren’t.
    If Zuckerberg, Clegg and their peers spent as much time and money editing out foul abuse as they do in chasing more users, then the debasing of their output would soon be under control.
    Theorists say that improved equality education at school and beyond would eradicate abuse.
    Certainly it would help but we all know that murder and rape is wrong and yet human nature has a disturbed side and racial hatred should be added to the list.
    Social media action is vital but weeding out culprits, big fines and jail must have a part to play.
    ⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds
    Thierry Henry breaks silence after quitting Twitter as he tells Good Morning Britain ‘I will be back on it when it’s safer’ More

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    Knife-wielding burglars who raided Dele Alli’s house still on the run

    BURGLARS who raided the house of footie ace Dele Alli are still on the run almost a year later.Scotland Yard admitted no one had been nicked for the knife raid during which the star was punched in the face.
    The burglars who raided Dele Alli’s home are still at largeCredit: Getty
    It said: “No arrests have been made and enquires are ongoing.”
    It is the latest in a string of blows for the 24-year-old England and Spurs midfielder.
    Dele has been dumped by girlfriend Ruby Mae, also 24, and has suffered a disappointing season.
    Model Ruby Mae was at the home when it was raided and the couple have since split upCredit: Reuters

    Ruby, a lingerie model, was with him in Barnet, North London, when two knife-wielding thugs snatched jewellery and watches worth £350,000 on May 17 last year.
    A source said last night: “This is more bad news for Dele.
    “The past year’s been awful for him.”
    Police investigated the raid at Dele Alli’s home last yearCredit: Paul Edwards – The Sun
    Dele Alli has split from model girlfriend Ruby Mae ‘because he spent too long playing Fortnite’
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    Alexander-Arnold, Dier and Abraham could be big-name casualties of Southgate’s Euro 2020 squad but Pickford set for No1

    IT sounds as if Gareth Southgate actually enjoys the mental torture of picking a 23-man squad for a major tournament.The tough decisions, the horrible rejection phone calls, trying to ensure a perfect balance for every conceivable eventuality.
    Trent Alexander-Arnold looks set to miss out on an England spot for the EurosCredit: PA
    Tammy Abraham is another at risk of being left out by Gareth SouthgateCredit: Getty
    The England boss looks certain to leave out regular squad members such as Trent Alexander-Arnold, Eric Dier and Tammy Abraham.
    Then he must choose one of Reece James and Kieran Trippier.
    If Jordan Henderson is fit then there is a likely choice between Jude Bellingham and James Ward-Prowse.
    And probably another call to make between Bukayo Saka and Jadon Sancho.
    But when he was asked about suggestions that Uefa may allow bosses to name larger squads for the Euros, due to Covid concerns, Southgate said he was against the idea.
    Wednesday’s 2-1 World Cup qualifying victory over Poland was England’s last match before Southgate names his Euros squad.
    And the likelihood is he will only be naming a 23-man party with another group of players on standby in case of positive Covid tests.
    Judging by Southgate’s words and actions, as well as conversations with those close to the England boss, there are plenty of significant pointers towards his Euro plans…
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    Eric Dier is another regular who will struggle to make the 23-man squadCredit: Rex

    Jordan Pickford, not Nick Pope, will be England’s No 1 at the tournament.

    Southgate’s Plan A is a 4-2-3-1 with two holding midfielders — Declan Rice and Jordan Henderson or Kalvin Phillips, depending on the Liverpool skipper’s fitness.

    He will pick only eight defenders in his squad, with Kyle Walker and Luke Shaw certain to be included, as they can both operate in a back three if and when England shift to a 3-4-3.

    Southgate had decided before these three qualifiers that a flat back four would be his go-to formation for the summer.
    He said: “We’ve normally got so many good attacking options — ideally you want to get attacking players on the pitch and that’s harder with a back three.
    “But there is that balance of making sure that we are not open at the back.
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    “Heading into the World Cup in Russia we were very clear we were going to be 3-5-2 and were very clear we were going to pick the players to fit that system.
    “We’re more fluid and adaptable now. We have some exciting wide players and players who can come in off the line and play as an attacking No 8 or No 10.
    “Some of them are still learning how to win, needing experiences like the Poland game. But we’ve got to find a way of getting them into the squad.”
    Southgate was heartened by the return to form of John Stones at Manchester City and felt that pairing him with Manchester United’s Harry Maguire, behind two defensive midfielders, would give England the right balance.
    It does not seem that Stones’ horrible error, which gifted Poland an equaliser, has spooked him in returning to a back three and wing-backs for England’s tournament opener against Croatia.
    Southgate partially blamed the pass from keeper Nick Pope for Stones’ error, indicating that Pickford’s superior distribution will earn him the nod over the Burnley player.
    And Southgate says he will pick only eight defenders in his squad — a further suggestion that a flat back four is his preference.
    England boast the most-valuable squad of all Euro 2020 nations
    Asked whether he needed to name more than eight defenders, he said: “I don’t actually think we do.
    For example, in Russia we played Kyle Walker in a back three. Luke Shaw has played in a back three for Man United. Ben Chilwell has as well.
    “It’s not essential to have more than eight and the more defenders we take, the less we have in other areas.
    “We’ve got to have enough to cover ourselves in case of problems during the tournament but we also have to get that balance right.”
    Southgate was glowing about West Ham man Rice and Leeds defender Phillips — two men who have never played Champions League football but who are firmly in his plans.
    Rice, man of the match against Poland and Albania, is a nailed-on starter at the Euros, while Phillips could well feature if Henderson — England’s one current injury doubt for the tournament — fails to recover from groin surgery.
    Southgate said: “Declan has been a very important player since game one. We’re really pleased that we’ve found Kalvin as well in that area of the pitch.

    “The top teams have those players who can break the game up but can use the ball well and those two are in that category.
    “Very often when we’ve been without Henderson, we’ve looked short of that type of player.
    “Declan’s tactical maturity has been outstanding. His reading of danger, the number of times where he’s come across at the right moment, intercepted play, come away with the ball and then used it well.
    “We know  he’s not had those big matches, those latter stages of big cups, European ties, so a lot of his development has been with us.”
    Of course, Henderson may not be fit and there could be more  injuries, which end up making Southgate’s squad selection easier.
    But as far as the England  manager is concerned, where would be the fun in that?
    Watch Harry Maguire search for John Stones after Man Utd star spared partner’s blushes with England winner More

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    Jadon Sancho and Jack Grealish face missing out on England’s Euro 2020 squad with Jesse Lingard impressing Southgate

    JESSE LINGARD is emerging as a wildcard selection for Gareth Southgate’s 23-man Euros squad.The midfielder, a stalwart of England’s run to the 2018 World Cup semi-finals, has come from nowhere to be a serious contender again.
    Jesse Lingard is a popular, gregarious figure within the England campCredit: Getty
    Sancho and Grealish could be in danger of losing their placesCredit: Marc Aspland – The Times
    His outstanding form on loan at West Ham had earned the Manchester United outcast a shock call-up to Southgate’s squad for the World Cup qualifiers — and Lingard played in all three.
    When naming that party, Southgate admitted Lingard, 28, had been ‘lucky’ to be included, because of injuries to Jack Grealish, Jadon Sancho, James Maddison and Harvey Barnes.
    But it is believed that Southgate has been so impressed by Lingard’s form, as well as his huge popularity within the squad, that he is trying to figure out who to omit to find room for him.
    That could mean the axe for Sancho or Grealish — both would be huge calls.
    Three Lions boss Southgate revealed he is already telling his players whether or not they are likely to make his Euros squad — two months before the final decisions are confirmed.
    He said: “I’ve spoken to quite a few so that they know exactly where they sit.
    “You’ve got to manage expectations about what they might need to do between now and the end of the season.
    “And, of course, everybody is so close. It’s not something anybody sees outside the camp, but when you’ve got players training at the right level every day, encouraging each other through those sessions, socially getting on well.
    Lingard, 28 was a Southgate favourite during the 2018 World CupCredit: EPA
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    “It’s not all about that social part, but the part where you accept being on the bench, accept playing your part and not playing the number of minutes.
    “That is critical and was important to us getting nine points.”
    Southgate claimed England’s 2-1 win over Poland was a boost for team spirit.
    He said: “We often talk about team spirit and going out for meals, or nights out. But spirit is grown by winning important matches together.”

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    Martin Keown says that Phil Foden should be ahead of Jesse Lingard for England More

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    Harry Kane set to STAY at Tottenham with club refusing to sell him to Prem rival and wanting £175m from foreign clubs

    HARRY KANE is set to stay at Tottenham this summer with the club refusing to let him join another Premier League team.And unless the big guns in Spain are able to come up with the £175million that would be needed to get the England captain out, Kane, 27, accepts he will be a Spurs player next season.
    Kane, 28, will be denied a move this summerCredit: Getty
    Kane realises he might have to quit his boyhood club to win football’s biggest prizes — but he is loyal to Tottenham, he loves the club and is not currently willing to force his way out.
    The star striker has three years to run on the bumper contract he signed in June 2018 and hopes the club will match his ambitions in that time.
    But SunSport understands Spurs are ready to dig their heels in and make it almost impossible for him to get away before then if Kane did make the first move.
    Chairman Daniel Levy will not do business with any Premier League club — blowing a hole in the hopes of either of the Manchester giants luring him away.
    And with a value in excess of £175m, Continental clubs — who have been financially ravaged by Covid — will be unable to afford him.
    Real Madrid are the most likely club to try to make a move and Kane would not rule out a switch there but the fee is currently unachievable.
    Spurs will not be bullied into letting their biggest star leave just because his head may be turned by other options elsewhere.
    Despite unrivalled service to Tottenham throughout his career, he will not be granted a transfer away without a fight.
    Spurs have had a disappointing seasonCredit: Getty
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    Levy is already regarded as one of the most difficult to deal with when it comes to agreeing deals on selling players.
    European giants like Barcelona and Real Madrid have been interested in the past but their own financial problems make them unlikely to come to the table with any  genuine offer.
    Spurs also know that with players such as Erling Haaland, 20, and 22-year-old Kylian Mbappe available, they offer better long-term value for big money than Kane who will be 28 by the start of next season.
    Kane, who has 27 goals this campaign, is set to finish as Tottenham’s top scorer for the seventh season running and needs another 52 to beat Jimmy Greaves’ club record of 266.
    His 160 Prem goals put him ninth on the division’s all-time scorers — exactly 100 behind Alan Shearer’s leading mark.

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    Rio Ferdinand says Man City should go for Erling Haaland over Harry Kane as he’s younger and cheaper More