Roy Hodgson has told Jordon Ibe he can break into the England squad if he performs well over the next few weeks.
Ibe received his first England U-21 call-up earlier this month, but Hodgson is considering fast-tracking the Liverpool winger into the senior set-up.
“He is someone we have been looking at,” the England manager said of the 19-year-old.
“I want Jordon to fight for his place in the team but he is certainly a player we like very much, one who we have our eyes on and no (it’s) far from impossible that he gets called up in one of the next games.”
McClaren rules out Papiss Cisse sale
Steve McClaren has no intention of allowing striker Papiss Cisse to leave Newcastle.
The 30-year-old Senegal international was the subject of persistent speculation over the summer and continues to be linked with clubs in the Middle East, where the transfer window does not close until later this month.
However, McClaren is ada-mant Cisse is not for sale.
“He’s not going anywhere. I came here and there was a lot of debate and talk about Papiss coming or going,” McClaren said.
“He’s a threat... a goalscorer. When you’ve got Papiss in the team you always have a chance of winning games.”
Luis Enrique defends Messi decision
Barcelona coach Luis Enrique defended his decision to start Lionel Messi on the bench for Saturday night’s 2-1 win at Atletico Madrid.
Messi brought a tight game to life and capped his performance with a superb winner.
The Argentine had been dropped to the bench after missing a day of training during the week as he attended the birth of his second child.
“He (Messi) is key for us and we have to take care of him,” Luis Enrique said.
“We knew he had been travelling and we wanted to reserve him for later in the game. Barca have a deep squad and that is important.”
Referee apology
Referee Knut Kircher has issued an apology to Augsburg after getting his decision wrong to award Bayern Munich a last-minute penalty in a 2-1 derby win for the Bavarians.
Kircher pointed to the spot after consultation with his linesman when Douglas Costa barged into Markus Feulner inside the penalty area and went to ground.
Kircher yesterday said he regretted making the decision.
“I’ve spoken to (Augsburg’s director of sport Stefan) Reuter and I have apologised,” Kircher told reporters.
“We’ve seen the images again and our perception of it was simply wrong.”
Marchisio could skip Etihad trip
Claudio Marchisio looks set to miss Juve’s opening Champions League clash against Manchester City this week due to a thigh injury.
The Bianconeri midfielder was taken off for precautionary reasons during Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Chievo, but there is concern he could be set for yet another spell on the sidelines after only recently returning from injury
Marchisio featured for 45 minutes before being substituted at half-time after feeling his muscle harden, as Juve slumped to a disappointing 1-1 result at home.
Tests will be conducted to determine the severity of the knock, but there is concern that the Italy international will be ruled out of Juve’s trip to the Etihad Stadium tomorrow.
Vermaelen sidelined again by injury
Thomas Vermaelen’s struggles with injury continued on Saturday when the Barcelona defen-der picked up a calf problem in the 2-1 La Liga victory at Atletico Madrid.
The Belgian international damaged his hamstring at last year’s World Cup in Brazil, shortly before he joined Barca from Arsenal. The 29-year-old eventually needed surgery and did not make his debut until the final weeks of last season.
Barca said that Vermaelen, who had to come off in the 27th minute at the Calderon and was replaced by Frenchman Jeremy Mathieu, had damaged the calf muscle in his left leg.
The club did not say how long he might be sidelined but Spanish media reported he would be out for three weeks.
Adebayor released
Tottenham striker Emmanuel Adebayor has been released from his contract by mutual agreement, the English Premier League club said yesterday.
The 31-year-old Togo international has not played for Spurs this season and was left out of both their Premier League and Europa League squads.
“We can confirm that we have reached a mutual agreement with Emmanuel Adebayor which will see him released from his contract with the club,” Tottenham said in a statement.
Adebayor joined Tottenham on a loan from Man. City in 2011, then signed a permanent deal in 2012 but has since fallen out of favour with the London club.