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      Newcastle will look to loan out Australia World Cup wonderkid Garang Kuol in January transfer window

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      NEWCASTLE are still looking to send Australian wonderkid Grang Kuol out on loan in January. The winger, 18, became the youngest player since Pele in 1958 to appear in the knockout stages of the World Cup when the Socceroos were beaten 2-1 by Argentina. 
      Garang Kuol is set to be loaned out by NewcastleCredit: Getty
      The 18-year-old almost scored at the World CupCredit: Getty
      Kuol almost forced extra time but was denied a memorable injury-time equaliser by a stunning save from Aston Villa keeper Emi Martinez.
      Toon bought Kuol for around £600,000 in the summer but allowed him to stay at Central Coast Mariners until January.
      He will return to Mariners today and is set to feature in the A-League before January. 
      Newcastle boss Eddie Howe always intended to loan out the highly-rated teen, who has attracted interest from a host of Championship clubs. 
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      But because of his lack of senior appearances, strict work permit restrictions may mean they are forced to loan him to a foreign side until the end of the season. 
      The Magpies have been very impressive this season and battling at the top of the Premier League.
      After playing 15 games this season, Newcastle are sitting pretty in third place having won eight games as well as having the joint-best defence in the league.
      Howe brought in four first team players in the summer including, Nick Pope, Sven Botman, Matt Targett and Alexander Isak.
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      Former Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius was also signed on a free transfer to provide cover for Pope.
      The Magpies with the financial backing from their new Saudi owners look set to be able to compete with the biggest clubs in England. More

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      Tottenham fans love Richarlison’s emotional message to Son after knocking South Korea star out of World Cup

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      TOTTENHAM fans are gushing over Richarlison’s sentimental message to club team-mate Heung-min Son.Brazil put four past South Korea in the last-16 clash on Monday night in Qatar.
      The Tottenham star tweeted his love for pal Son
      The duo faced off in the last-16 clash and Richarlison’s Brazil came out on topCredit: Getty
      But Richarlison was anything but cocky as he posted an emotional message to his Spurs pal on Twitter.
      Richarlison wrote: “I know how hard you fought to be here and that’s why you’re a hero to your people.”
      Fans of the North London club loved what they saw on social media.
      One wrote: “Stop being cute, man, I can’t take loving you so much anymore.”
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      Another supported added: “It’s all love. Two goats…”
      A Twitter user enjoyed the moment and wrote: “Living in this embrace, such a beautiful friendship, you showing what it’s like to have sportsmanship!!! I love this friendship so much.”
      Before the game, Richarlison said Brazil had ten celebration dance routines planned.
      He clearly wasn’t joking.
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      And at one stage it seemed like fans might get treated to them all in one evening as Brazil set up a quarter-final tie with Croatia.
      As it was they settled for four. But had they really wanted to, you got the impression they could have reached double figures.
      Six minutes was all it took to get the party started, courtesy of Raphinha, and it never really stopped.
      The boys are definitely back in town and they’re going to take some stopping.

      Although Roy Keane tore into them for their DANCING after scoring against the Koreans.
      The five-time champions raced into a 4-0 lead at half-time and danced in celebration after every goal.
      The Irishman claimed it was “disrespectful” to the opposition and was “like watching Strictly”. More

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      Jadon Sancho set to link up with Man Utd team-mates at Carrington next week after individual training regime in Holland

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      JADON SANCHO is set to link up with his Manchester United team-mates next week at the Carrington training ground.The English winger has been on an individual training regime in Holland after missing out on a spot in Gareth Southgate’s World Cup squad.
      Sancho has been training alone in HollandCredit: https://twitter.com/UtdPlug/status/1595485609845571608
      He is due to reunite with his team-mates at Carrington next weekCredit: Getty
      The former Borussia Dortmund start was sent abroad to train alongside Dutch coaches on the advice of Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag in order to keep fit and refocus.
      Sancho has struggled to find his best form since his big-money move to Old Trafford.
      After starring in the Bundesliga, Sancho was the subject of a £73million transfer move.
      However, the 22-year-old has often looked like a shadow of the skillful player that lit up Germany.

      In his 52 games for the Red Devils, he has only scored eight and assisted four goals.
      That is in stark contrast to his 50 goals and 64 assists in 137 appearances for Dortmund.
      Ten Hag still sees promise in the forward and is hoping that the training camp can help him improve his form.
      Sancho’s poor performances saw him dropped from England, but Ten Hag believes the snub was down to the player having an illness.
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      Last month, he said: “He has had some really good performances and was going in a good direction.
      “But the last few weeks he struggled with illness. Then it’s normal that you don’t get the nomination. Every manager will take only fit players to the World Cup.”
      Sancho appears to be focused on getting back to his best and even deleted all of his Instagram posts. More

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      Spain Wags enjoy ‘girl’s night out’ in Qatar at plush restaurant ahead of partners’ World Cup clash against Morocco

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      SPAIN’S Wags went for a “girl’s night out” at a plush restaurant in Qatar last night.The glamorous group will be out in force to support their partners this afternoon as La Roja take on Morocco at Education City Stadium.
      Out for dinner were, from left to right and clockwise: Paula Batet (Pau Torres), Carmen Mora (Pablo Sarabia), Beatriz Espejel (Koke), Alice Campello (Alvaro Morata), Patricia Charlotte (Marcos Llorente), Laura Iglesias, Sira Martinez (Ferran Torres), Romarey Ventura (Jordi Alba), Nuria, Marta Marchena (Carlos Soler), Elena Galera (Sergio Busquets), Sandra Garal (Marco Asensio), Daphne Canizares (Dani Carvajal)Credit: https://www.instagram.com/beatrizespejel/
      While their other halves were going through their final preparations, Spain’s Wags let their hair down a little by enjoying a meal together.
      Eleven of the 26-man squad’s partners went to Spanish restaurant Tatel in Doha.
      After the fun night out, midfielder Koke’s wife Beatriz Espejel shared a group picture from the outing to her 156,000 followers.
      She captioned it: “Spanish Girls Team Night out!”
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      Among the group were a mix of Wags of more experienced players, as well as those whose partners are at their first World Cup.
      Romarey Ventura, Elena Galera, Alice Campello and Daphne Canizares, partners of Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets, Alvaro Morata and Dani Carvajal have experienced it all before.
      While for some others, it is a more novel experience.
      Pau Torres’ girlfriend Paula Batet stood next to Pablo Sarabia’s other half Carmen Mora for the photo.
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      Sandra Garal is dating Marco AsensioCredit: Instagram / @ssandragaral
      Marta Marchena’s boyfriend is Carlos SolerCredit: Instagram / @martamarchena3
      Alice Campello is dating striker Alvaro MorataCredit: Instagram / @alicecampello
      While also in attendance were Marcos Llorente’s girlfriend Patricia Charlotte, Carlos Soler’s Marta Marchena and Sandra Garal, partner of Marco Asensio.
      Another member of the group was Sira Martinez – girlfriend of Ferran Torres and daughter of manager Luis Enrique.
      Tatel’s menu features some pricey items.
      A T-bone steak would have set the girls back around £220, with a rice and seafood dish costing £60.
      While even a cheesecake for dessert would have cost £16.
      Tatel may have felt like a home away from home for the girls, with the luxurious restaurant chain having a branch in Madrid – as well as others in Ibiza, Beverly Hills, Riyadh, Bahrain and Mexico City.
      Sira Martinez was recently able to enjoy some down time with boyfriend Torres – the Barcelona ace taking her out to the fair.
      Ferran Torres started dating Luis Enrique’s daughter Sira Martinez last yearCredit: Instagram / @siramartinezc
      Beatriz Espejel is dating Atletico star Koke and loves to travelCredit: Instagram / @beatrizespejel
      Daphne Canizares is with Dani CarvajalCredit: Instagram / @daphnecanizares More

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      ‘He was narrating like David Attenborough’ – ITV host Laura Woods reveals Roy Keane’s off-air Lionel Messi analysis

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      LAURA WOODS has revealed Roy Keane narrated some Lionel Messi analysis “like David Attenborough” during a golden off-air moment.Host Woods, 35, and pundit Keane, 51, are both a part of ITV’s coverage of the World Cup in Qatar.
      Roy Keane is working as a pundit for ITV at the World CupCredit: Getty
      Laura Woods is one of ITV’s main presenters out in QatarCredit: Alamy
      Lionel Messi has been superb at his final World CupCredit: Getty
      And their broadcast caught a lot of attention when Keane and Graeme Souness became embroiled in a furious debate about the awarding of Argentina’s penalty in their loss to Saudi Arabia.
      Messi bagged his first goal of the tournament after dispatching the spot kick, but moments later in the studio the argument returned to the decision.
      And Keane was left raging with Souness following the Scot’s suggestion it was the correct call.
      The half-time disagreement made for excellent TV, with Woods and pundit Joe Cole letting the pair fight it out.
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      And Woods admits she loved every second of it.
      She told The Mail: “For a very long period, I sat there like a fan. I just watched and I couldn’t believe it, experiencing what everybody else at home is experiencing when they watch it.
      “You think: ‘What is happening? How amazing is this?’ I looked at Joe at one point and we were in disbelief. So I said: ‘And what about you, Joe?’
      “Joe’s always got an opinion but his voice is as quiet as I’ve ever heard him and he says sheepishly: ‘I thought it was a penalty…’ It was just brilliant!”
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      Woods, who described working her first World Cup as “magical”, also revealed details of Keane’s off-air analysis of Messi.
      She added: “But there’s other moments as well, that people at home don’t see. This is where privilege comes in.
      “I’d told Roy I’d never seen him [Messi] play in real life. Roy said: ‘Just watch Messi for a minute… It looks like he’s not interested and he’s just walking around when everybody else is running. But he knows where everyone is. He knows where the ball is and he reads the game like no one else reads it’.
      “As we were watching, the ball’s played through and Messi makes a run and scores.
      “It was offside, the one where his shoulder was just slightly offside, but the kind of poetry of it, where Roy Keane is almost… it was almost like he was narrating like David Attenborough.”
      Keane is a long-time admirer of Messi’s adversary Cristiano Ronaldo, but has not let that colour his love for the Argentine.
      Both Messi and Ronaldo are playing in their fifth and final World Cups.
      Argentina have safely booked their place in the quarter-finals where they will play Holland on Friday.
      Meanwhile, Portugal take on Switzerland in the last-16 on Tuesday evening, with a last-eight clash against Morocco or Spain waiting for them should they advance. More

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      Will the World Cup quarter-finals feature exclusively favourites or will Spain or Portugal bottle it?

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      IN a World Cup which saw no team win all their group games for the first time ever, most fans would have anticipated at least one upset in the round of 16.So far, the first round of knockout fixtures have gone the way of the favourite.
      Netherlands, Argentina, France, England and Brazil all registered relatively comfortable victories while Croatia required a penalty shootout to edge out Japan.
      Today is the last day a true underdog can join the heavy hitters in the quarter-finals with Morocco and Switzerland set to take on Spain and Portugal respectively.
      One wonders if the success and swagger of the teams already in the last eight has increased the pressure on Fernando Santos and Luis Enrique’s sides?
      Morocco are not to be taken lightly, Luis…Credit: getty
      The lingering spectre of the upset has never drifted far in Qatar and it would be natural for fans of Portugal and Spain to now be worried it has it’s haunting eyes set on their team.
      Let’s not forget, Morocco topped Group F ahead of Croatia and Belgium.
      Walid Regragui only took charge of his first game as coach of the Atlas Lions as recently as September 21st but the late change of dugout personnel has not had any adverse impact on the North Africans.
      In fact, since the decision led to Hakim Ziyech’s return to the international stage, it has to be said that Regragui’s appointment gave Morocco a boost on the eve on the tournament – the Chelsea attacking midfielder has been brilliant in Qatar.
      Achraf Hakimi, Nayef Aguerd, Sofyan Amrabat and Romain Saiss have all performed superbly too, ensuring their side is awkward to play against.
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      Pedri, Gavi and company will have to be at their best to play through what is a compact, organised and hard-working Moroccan outfit.
      And in Ziyech, Sofiane Boufal and Youssef En-Nesyri they have a forward line that can hurt Spain on the break – La Roja’s back four is far from the most impenetrable at the tournament.
      Still, Enrique’s troops will start as favourites because of the talent in the squad and their high ceiling – when it clicks, they are arguably the most fluent international side in world football.
      Switzerland beat Portugal in their last meetingCredit: getty
      As for Portugal, they won’t be underestimating Switzerland in the slightest ahead of this evening’s contest.
      The last meeting between the two teams was only a few months ago in the Nations League where Haris Seferovic’s first-minute goal proved to the winner.
      Although it’s worth noting that Cristiano Ronaldo and co won the reverse fixture in Lisbon 4-0.
      Murat Yakin’s side finished top of their qualifying group ahead of Italy, a development that eventually contributed to the Euro 2020 winners’ failure to reach Qatar, and they were only one goal away from finishing above Brazil in Group G.
      And of course it was Switzerland who eliminated France in the round of 16 last year at the Euros – giant-killing is in their nature.
      But again, Portugal’s overall quality makes them favourites – Bruno Fernandes registered two goals and two assists in the group stage before he was rested against South Korea and his return to the starting line-up is a given.
      Brazil sent out a message to the other quarter-finalistsCredit: getty
      From a Dream Team World Cup perspective, today’s fixtures are the last ones in which there are clear favourites (although some would argue Brazil v Croatia is mismatch on current form) and so the temptation will be to use transfers to back Spain and/or Portugal for healthy returns – this tactic worked superbly last night as Tite’s men had their wicked way with Son Heung-min and pals.
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      Looking ahead, the quarter-finals will cause headaches as gaffers will likely have to back one team or another in a series of relatively even match-ups.
      Kylian Mbappe’s electricity or England’s consistent defence? Lionel Messi’s destiny or Louis van Gaal’s charisma? Decisions, decisions… More

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      Brazil go against tradition with full backs Danilo and Alex Sandro concentrating on defending over attacking in Qatar

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      AS Cafu and Roberto Carlos sit up in the stands watching Brazil in the World Cup, they may well be reflecting that they do not have successors in the current team.Brazil pioneered the back four, unleashing it in a World Cup for the first time in 1958, when, with extra defensive cover, they did not concede a single goal until the semi final.
      Alex Sandro of Brazil has shown more defensive nous than attacking playCredit: Getty
      Brazil legends Roberto Carlos, Cafu and Ronaldo watch a different kind of Brazil team evolveCredit: Reuters
      Dropping an additional player into the heart of the defence had the effect of pushing the full backs out wider. They soon realised that they had a corridor of space in front of them that they could exploit.
      In that 1958 World Cup, Nilton Santos charged all the way up from left back to score a goal – something that was almost unthinkable at the time.
      The tradition was developed – who can forget Carlos Alberto bursting forward to seal the 1970 World Cup triumph with a blistering finish against Italy? The attacking full back became synonymous with Brazilian football.
      These players were more auxiliary wingers than proper defenders – and in that last World Cup win in 2002 Brazil ended up fielding three centre backs so that Cafu and Roberto Carlos could have maximum freedom to bomb forward.
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      But times have changed. One of the most striking developments in recent years has been Brazil’s developments of wide strikers. Centre forward has been a problem – one that Richarlison is currently solving.
      But they have more wide strikers than they know what to do with. This is reflected in the World Cup squad, where Antony and Gabriel Martinelli have to wait for their chance while Raphinha and Vinicius Junior are on the team sheet.
      And if the team have genuine wingers, there is little need for full backs to duplicate the function.
      The role of the full back, then, has changed. Coach Tite makes this clear. He says that he is not looking for Liverpool full backs.
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      Rather than the buccaneering wing play of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson, he wants Manchester City style players – full backs who may occasionally appear in the attacking line as an element of surprise, but whose basic role is to tuck in and make the extra man in midfield, hold the defensive line and also construct from deep.
      The switch in emphasis explains why it is not proving easy to fill the position. The first choices are the Juventus pair of Alex Sandro and Danilo – good players both, but hardly world beaters.
      And there is little strength in depth – hence the fact that 39-year-old Daniel Alves is still in the squad, and centre back Eder Militao is being improvised in the right back position.
      Brazil is not yet producing players who are tailor made for this new interpretation of the function.
      The role of full back is now much less glamorous and eye catching than it was in the days of Cafu, Roberto Carlos and countless others. But it is no less important.
      In the Qatar World Cup – and over the last few years – Brazil have shown a striking defensive solidity. That is despite playing a side with two wingers and a centre forward, plus Neymar and Lucas Paqueta.
      Defensive midfielder Casemiro deserves credit for helping out Brazil’s back fourCredit: Getty
      The emphasis of attack is on wingers like Vinicius JrCredit: Getty
      Holding midfielder Casemiro is receiving a lot of credit for keeping the opponents at bay. It is well deserved, but it must also be shared with the defensive unit behind him, where the more defensive positioning of the full backs, for example, is a great aid to the 38-year-old legs of Thiago Silva.
      Should Brazil go on to lift World Cup number six, it is unlikely that in decades to come Danilo and Alex Sandro will be watching matches from the FIFA VIP lounge.
      But Brazil’s Manchester City style full backs are still making an important contribution. More

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      France manager Deschamps faces not having contract renewed if he loses to England in World Cup as Zidane waits in wings

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      FRANCE boss Didier Deschamps could leave his role as national team manager if they lose to England on Saturday.The 54-year-old led Les Bleus to their second World Cup four years ago – two decades after helping them win their first as captain.
      Didier Deschamps will be able to decide his own future if France beat EnglandCredit: Getty
      Zinedine Zidane recently claimed he is ‘very close’ to returning to managementCredit: Splash
      They then suffered disappointment at the Euros as Switzerland knocked them out on penalties in the last-16.
      But the world champions have dusted themselves off and looked thoroughly impressive in Qatar, making light work of Poland to set up a last-eight clash with Gareth Southgate’s men.
      Yet despite Deschamps’ achievements as head coach, the France Football Federation may still decide against handing him a new contract if they go out of the World Cup at the hands of England.
      His current deal expires at the end of the tournament.
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      And France Football’s president Noel Le Graet explicitly stated before the action got underway in Qatar that the decision about his future would only be his to make if he reached the semi-finals.
      Le Graet said: “We both agree that we will see each other right after the World Cup.
      “If we make it to the semi-finals, it’s your choice [Deschamps’]. If you feel motivated to continue, there won’t even be a discussion about it because you will have earned it.
      “If we are not in the last four, we will have to talk about it. In that case, I have the upper hand.”
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      If Deschamps was to leave after the World Cup, Zinedine Zidane is the overwhelming favourite to replace him.
      The ex-Real Madrid manager, who won three Champions Leagues in a row during his time at the Bernabeu, was a team-mate of Deschamps’ during their 1998 triumph.
      He has been out of work since May 2021 when his second stint as Los Blancos boss came to an end.
      But in October he told RMC Sport he was “very close” to returning to management.
      And the France role is thought to be the one he is holding out for – having previously turned down the chance to join Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United. More