Liverpool midfielder Ryan Gravenberch withdraws from the Netherlands squad for their two-legged Nations League quarter-final against Spain.

Manchester City playmaker’s patchy international form is a source of frustration. Now is the time to step up Phil Foden remains England’s enigma. The Manchester City attacker has often been inspired for his club and insipid for his country. He was the best offensive player in the Premier League last season, scoring 27 goals in all competitions, but he flattered to deceive during England’s baffling run to the final of Euro 2024. A solitary dazzling performance in the semi-final victory over the Netherlands merely heightened the frustration. Playing as an inside-forward in Gareth Southgate’s rejigged 3-4-2-1 system, Foden was at his bewitching best in that game. He drifted into pockets and ran at defenders, teasing them with his close control and sharp one-twos. He hit the woodwork with a wondrous shot from long range. He burrowed into the area, all quick feet and low centre of gravity, and had an effort hacked off the line. He was involved during one of England’s best moves during the second half, slipping a clever pass into Kyle Walker, who was marginally offside when he crossed for Bukayo Saka to sidefoot past Bart Verbruggen from close range. Continue reading...

Like their rivals, the problem is not the rise in revenue that a new home offers but that so little of it ends up being spent on players Build it and they will come – but you should be aware that you will be left with significant debt repayments, an element of the story to which Kevin Costner took a characteristically cavalier attitude. Which may be why Field of Dreams was about building a baseball stadium in Iowa for Shoeless Joe Jackson and the ghosts of the 1919 Chicago Black Sox rather than, say, Daniel Levy constructing a football stadium in Haringey for Vincent Janssen and the remnants of the 2019 Tottenham Hotspur team. In the past week, Manchester United have revealed plans for a new £2bn stadium, capacity 100,000, next to Old Trafford, while Newcastle are reported to be looking to move from St James’ Park to a 65,000-capacity stadium on Leazes Park. Everton will move into a new stadium at Bramley-Moore dock next season. Wrexham are building a 5,500-capacity Kop. New stadiums suddenly are fashionable again after a period in which they came to seem almost an afterthought. That, perhaps, is an unintended consequence of profitability and sustainability rules (PSR). Continue reading...

Spurs face Eintracht Frankfurt in last eight‘We’re a good team, the belief is definitely there’ James Maddison believes Tottenham are real contenders to win the Europa League and is hoping their victory over AZ Alkmaar can be the catalyst for Ange Postecoglou’s side to make it a “special season”. Spurs overturned a 1-0 deficit from the first leg with a stirring 3-1 home victory over the Dutch side on Thursday to set up a quarter-final against Eintracht Frankfurt next month. Maddison was instrumental in the move that created Wilson Odobert’s winning goal, having earlier scored his 11th of the season to make it 2-0. Continue reading...

Former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp warned that Premier League sides would be unable to compete with Saudi Arabian money when Fabinho and Jordan Henderson had their heads turned by huge contracts

Trent Alexander-Arnold has been ruled out of the Wembley final with an ankle injury and skipper Virgil van Dijk has backed Jarell Quansah to shine in his absence

Forward sounds urgent warning, discusses Manchester City upheaval and says she is starting to click with Khadija Shaw Vivianne Miedema made her senior debut as a 15-year-old in the Netherlands, and 13 and a half years and more than 300 goals later there are few players better qualified to comment on the evolution of the women’s game than the Manchester City forward. She is deeply concerned by the growing number of incidents of so-called fans abusing players. “We’re always saying we’re proud in the women’s game that we’re very inclusive but somehow that is starting to slip away a bit,” Miedema says. “If we don’t act really strongly right now then it might be too late. Continue reading...

Liverpool have yet to resolve the possibility of Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah all departing Anfield this summer as their contracts near expiration

Liverpool's star trio are still to sign any new deal, and the uncertainty around their futures continues to ramp up as we head towards the end of what looks like being a successful season

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has shared an update on his future, while Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim has called on his players to prove the club's co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe wrong

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk says he has "no idea" whether he will stay at Anfield beyond the current season.

Virgil van Dijk's Liverpool contract is due to expire in June and he has given this update on his negotiations with the club

Captain says no decision has been made on his future‘If anyone says they know, they are lying,’ he says Virgil van Dijk has said he has “no idea” whether he will be a Liverpool player next season. The captain’s contract expires this summer and he is yet to sign a new deal. Unless Van Dijk extends his stay he will have played his last European game for the club after Liverpool were knocked out of the Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain. His teammates Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold are in the same situation. Talks have been held with all three. Continue reading...

Liverpool face Newcastle in the Carabao Cup Final at Wembley on Sunday after exiting the Champions League on penalties to Paris St Germain and Virgil van Dijk has fired a warning to his teammates