New England boss Gareth Southgate wants Wilfried Zaha to re-main an option for the Three Lions rather than see him switch his national allegiance to the Ivory Coast.
The 24-year-old Crystal Palace winger was born in Ivory Coast and moved to England with his family when he was four.
He picked up two senior England caps during Roy Hodgson’s tenure, but he is eligible to switch to his country of birth as both appearances came in friendlies.
Southgate said: “He’s a player I’ve obviously worked with. At the time, I had him with the U-21s.
“So, I would like to speak to him before we make a decision.”
Call for probe into Mou’s finances
Calls have been made for an investigation into Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho’s financial affairs after claims millions of pounds were moved offshore to avoid tax.
It is alleged Mourinho’s advisers may have helped him avoid paying tax on earnings from the use of his image rights for product endorsement.
MP Meg Hillier, chairwoman of the public accounts committee, said: “Revelations are extraordinary and warrant a close examination by the UK tax authorities.”
Forster sorry for costly error
Fraser Forster has apologised to his Southampton team-mates after his error led to Crystal Palace’s first goal in their 3-0 defeat on Saturday.
Despite having both time and space, Forster inexplicably missed a routine back-pass from Jose Fonte, gifting possession to Christian Benteke who was left with the simplest of tap-ins from in front of goal.
The keeper said: “Apologies to my team-mates for making that mistake, but it’s one of those things.
“It’s just flicked off my right foot as I’ve gone to clear it with my left... and it’s on a plate for Christian.”
Firecrackers injure Lyon goalkeeper
The Ligue 1 game between Metz and Lyon was abandoned after firecrackers exploded in the first half near visiting goalkeeper Anthony Lopes, who fell to the ground and was later taken to hospital.
The first device landed in the six-yard box after Gauthier Hein gave hosts Metz a 1-0 lead.
Lopes felt the impact of the first explosion and fell to the turf. Staff and doctors had gathered round the floored keeper when another firecracker landed by them and soon exploded.
The referee told both teams to return to the dressing room with around half-an-hour gone, and though Lyon’s official Twitter account said the match would resume, it was later called off after a delay of nearly an hour.
Palermo’s Gonzalez fails drink-drive test
Giancarlo Gonzalez, the Palermo defender, has had his driving licence taken away from him after failing a drink-drive test last weekend.
Gonzalez, 28, is currently unavailable for the struggling Serie A side as he is injured. The Costa Rican did not join the rest of the squad for the away trip to Fiorentina yesterday.
Reports said Gonzalez was stopped by Sicilian police late Saturday amid suspicions of drink-driving. Tests revealed that the player’s levels of alcohol in his blood were above the limit.
Gonzalez was also slapped with a €500 fine.
Draxler still looking for Wolfsburg exit
Wolfsburg midfielder Julian Draxler has reaffirmed his intention to leave the Bundesliga club as soon as possible after being jeered by fans on Saturday.
Draxler stated in an interview in the summer that he wanted out of Wolfsburg straight away, but the Bundesliga club refused to let him leave.
He has since lost his place in the starting XI and when he was brought on as a substitute in Saturday’s 3-2 defeat at home to Hertha Berlin, the boos were deafening.
“I don’t think I need to tell anybody what that does to a person – it certainly doesn’t help you,” Draxler said.
“There’s no doubt it makes it hard for you to perform on the field. I can understand the fans, though. They have every right to do that. I said in the summer the way I feel and I stand by that.”
Chelsea apologise to abused ex-player
Chelsea issued a public apology to former striker Gary Johnson for the sexual abuse he suffered as a young player and said it had been wrong to insist on a confidentiality clause when paying him compensation.
Last week, Johnson, 57, said that he had been abused by former Chelsea chief scout Eddie Heath in the 1970s, receiving £50,000 from the club in settlement in 2015.
In a statement the club said their former player had “suffered unacceptably” and they had “no desire to hide any historic abuse we uncover from view”.
Chelsea added that a review would establish whether they carried out a proper investigation when the allegations first surfaced.