Manchester United stars Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho have been left out of Gareth Southgate’s latest England squad ahead of their upcoming Nations League fixtures.
The England manager named his 28-man squad for the games against Italy and Germany later this month and despite both making a decent start to the season, the wingers haven’t managed to break back into the side.
Gareth Southgate has named a 28-man squad for our #ThreeLions' upcoming games against Italy and Germany:
Rashford has three goals and two assists in six appearancesand Sancho two goals in seven, with the pair clearly starting to develop a strong relationship in combining for a number of these contributions.
Nevertheless, while it was confirmed that Rashford did not travel with the United squad for tonight’s match against Sheriff Tiraspol after picking up a ‘muscle injury‘, it seems Sancho’s early performances haven’t quite been enough to warrant a place just yet.
The 24-year-old informed fans on Twitter, wishing luck to his United and England colleagues.
In regards to @England every player wants to represent there country and I’m no different! Unfortunately I’m not ready yet as I’ve picked up an untimely injury. 🏴
The pair were omitted from Southgate’s last squad back in May and Rashford has been in and out of the national team for some time given numerous injury problems.
Southgate remarked that his latest fitness issue obviously confirmed decision but did hint that he could return to the fold in time for the World Cup.
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🗣 Gareth Southgate: “Marcus Rashford has shown some encouraging signs recently. He is a player we know well so if he can perform at a high level in the next few weeks, he of course will be under consideration [to go to the World Cup].” [@England]
Meanwhile, teammates Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw remain in the team and Dean Henderson (currently loaned out to Nottingham Forest) will be looking to challenge for the number one spot.
Over the other half of Manchester, five city players find themselves in the team, including Stockport’s own Phil Foden. Brentford’s Ivan Toney has also got his first senior call-up following an impressive start to this year’s campaign.
The England squad in full:
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson, Nick Pope, Aaron Ramsdale.
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Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ben Chilwell, Conor Coady, Eric Dier, Marc Guehi, Reece James, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw, John Stones, Fikayo Tomori, Kieran Trippier, Kyle Walker.
It seems fairly likely that the pair will return to the squad should the pair stay fit and United‘s form stabilise, with the players still yet to fully find their feet despite four wins on the bounce in the league.
Erik ten Hag’s team didn’t look at the races in their Europa League opener against Real Sociedad last week but they will certainly be hoping to put on a better display against Moldovan side this evening.
Salford City FC have been bought out by a new consortium
Danny Jones
Another era beckons for Salford City as a buyout of the Greater Manchester football club by a new consortiumhas been announced.
Well, sort of.
Salford City FC were famously the subject of a joint takeover by Singaporean businessman Peter Lim and members of Manchester United’s Class of ’92 over a decade ago, and now 11 years on from that last milestone moment in their history, the local side has a new administration once again.
It is a fresh chapter for the club, but supporters will be glad to hear that there will also be some continuity and key throughline of consistency among some of those at the top.
Salford City announces that the Club has been acquired by a new ownership group led by David Beckham and Gary Neville, and includes US-based businessman Declan Kelly and Lord Mervyn Davies who will both serve as new Co-Chairs of the Club’s board.
Led by Man United legends Gary Neville and David Beckham, who have been involved with Salford since 2014, the new nine-member consortium consists of the Dream Sports Group – a leading sports technology company based in India – along with a number of other key figures.
One of those is Lord Mervyn Davies, a former Labour MP and Minister of State for Trade, Investment and Small Business, who still serves as a trade envoy between the UK and Sri Lanka.
Another is Irish-American entrepreneur Declan Kelly, who is Chairman and CEO of The Consello Group, a global advisory and investing firm.
While the previous co-owners and fellow Class of ’92 United graduates are no longer shareholders at Moor Lane, it is said they will still play important roles at the club.
As the official statement reads, “The acquisition includes a commitment by the new shareholders to invest significantly in the Club, the team and its facilities”, meaning there will funds will likely be sweet aside not only for some healthy transfer business but more updates to the Peninsula Stadium.
Commenting on the announcement, Neville said: “I’m passionate about Salford City. This is a unique partnership with a diverse range of minds and expertise, held together by a love of football.
“Football will come first, however, it’s critical that we drive the Club towards sustainability in the next 4-5 years. I can’t wait for the next part of this journey.”
Meanwhile, Beckham went on to add in the excitable Instagram post seen above: “Salford played such an important role in my life growing up… It’s where I trained with United alongside my best mates every day, it’s where I bought my first house and where me and Victoria lived.
“I’m so proud to be part of a new ownership group alongside my mate [Neville] as we begin the next chapter of Salford’s journey. Football is at the heart of this community and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for the Ammies.
Chester Zoo’s sellout 10k charity run returns this summer with three new routes
Emily Sergeant
Chester Zoo has announced that its popular Run For Nature is back again this summer, and this year, there’s three new routes to run.
The UK’s biggest charity zoo saw success with similar sold-out events in 2023 and 2024, and is now looking for 2,500 runners to sign up for one of the North West’s most unique athletic experiences when it returns later this year – with all funds raised from the popular event going towards efforts to protect highly-endangered giraffes in Africa.
Participants will this year take on a brand-new route winding through more of the zoo than ever before, and enjoying glimpses of elephants, lemurs, and other incredible species along the way, before heading out into the picturesque Cheshire countryside.
Chester Zoo is inviting runners of all abilities to take part this year, as there’s a new 5km run added to the usual 10km route, and even a one-mile ‘Zoom’ fun run for kids aged four-15.
With only 2,500 places up for grabs, organisers say the event is expected to sell out quickly, just like it has the past two years, as runners race to support a very special cause.
All proceeds from this year’s Run For Nature in September will go directly towards protecting Nubian giraffes in East Africa – a species which has seen drastic population declines in the wild due to habitat loss, poaching and conflict with humans.
Chester Zoo’s sellout 10k charity run is returning this summer with three new routes / Credit: Chester Zoo
Runners will receive a wooden medal at the finish line and free entry to the zoo for the remainder of the day, so they can relax and celebrate their achievement among 30,000 amazing animals.
If that didn’t all sound brilliant enough as it is, top fundraisers from the day will also be in with a chance of winning some exciting prizes too, including annual zoo memberships, animal adoptions, and even special behind-the-scenes zoo experiences.
“We’re thrilled to be bringing back Run For Nature for a third incredible year,” explained Sarah Jones, who is the Fundraising Lead at Chester Zoo.
“We’ve now doubled the distance runners spend inside the zoo, so they’ll pass by even more iconic animals, [making it] a really special experience you won’t get anywhere else.”
Run For Nature is back at Chester Zoo this Sunday 21 September, and you can find out more and sign up to take part here.