Mourinho: I am fanatastic if I win or lose

The Chelsea coach has defended himself against recent criticism by comparing his situation to that of Manchester United's Wayne Rooney, who has been accused of poor form

Jose Mourinho has hit back at his recent critics by likening himself to Wayne Rooney, and claims that he is a "fantastic manager" whether Chelsea win or lose.

Mourinho has been under pressure in recent weeks as Chelsea have struggled early on in defence of their Premier League title, trailing leaders Manchester City by 11 points after just five games of the season.

The Stamford Bridge side recovered from two conseucitve league defeats to beat Maccabi Tel Aviv 4-0 in their opening Champions League group game on Wednesday, and Mourinho says observers should not be so quick to judge managers and players such as Rooney based on form.

"There are people who are not happy with so many successes," the coach told reporters.

"Wayne Rooney was a disaster, then he beats the record with England and he's suddenly the best player in the history of English football. Rooney is a fantastic player when he's not scoring goals or when he is.

"I am a fantastic manager when I'm not winning matches and I'm a fantastic manager when I am.

"You like 'up and down,' but it's not like that. The pundits get big money not to say easy things. They have to be geniuses in their analysis or they don't deserve the money they get."
Mourinho also thanked Chelsea fans for their support on Wednesday, saying: "It shows that they don't read papers or they don't have short memories: if they don't read papers they'll support me, if they don't have short memories they'll support me.

"There's an easy way for them to think, which is: 'We won four premier Leagues, three with him and one with his team, so this guy is not bad. Let's support him, and we have a chance to win a fifth.'"

Chelsea face Arsenal on Saturday, and Mourinho added: "For all of us to have woken up again after a defeat and two days before a London derby against Arsenal, I could imagine how it would feel."

Official: De Gea signs new deal with Manchester United

The Spain goalkeeper was expected to move to Real Madrid this summer but, following the bizarre breakdown of his transfer, has now signed fresh terms at Old Trafford

David de Gea has signed a new four-year contract with Manchester United, with the option to extend for a further year.

The 24-year-old Spain international, who arrived from Atletico Madrid in 2011 was expected to seal a return move to La Liga to join rival Real Madrid this summer.

However, following the move collapsing on transfer deadline day due to documents arriving late, De Gea has opted to sign fresh terms at the Premier League club.

David De Gea has signed a new four-year contract at #mufc with an option to extend for a further year. pic.twitter.com/Z3JuQOaNEi

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) September 11, 2015

"I am delighted to be starting this new chapter in my United career," said De Gea.

"I have always enjoyed playing with these great players in front of our fantastic fans. Manchester United is a special club and Old Trafford is an ideal place for me to continue to develop my career.

"I'm looking forward to putting a difficult summer behind me and concentrating on working hard to improve and help my teammates to be successful."

I feel proud to announce that I'll continue with you and @manutd. Thanks for your unconditional support! pic.twitter.com/I6J7XGHKe2

— David De Gea (@D_DeGea) September 11, 2015

United manager Louis van Gaal, who has opted to play Argentina's Sergio Romero ahead of De Gea in all four of his side's league games this year, expects last season's first-choice stopper to enjoy a lengthy career with the club. 
 
"I am absolutely delighted David has signed a new contract," the Dutchman enthused. "He is one of the best goalkeepers in world football. I am very pleased that he will be part of the team for many years to come.

"David made a very important contribution to our performance last season and he has been the club's Player of the Year for the last two seasons.

"He is a popular player who is keen to learn and enhance his game. At such a young age for a goalkeeper, he has many years ahead of him."

CHELSEA GOAL KEEPER THIBAUT COURTOIS OUT FOR TWO MONTHS WITH KNEE INJURY

chelsea goal keeper thibaut courtois is reportedly facing two months on the sideline after sustaining a knee injury in training..The international has been ruled out of the clash with everton...in the meantime, Asmir begovic is expected to deputise as chelsea try to get back to winning ways following just one triumph in their first four league games of the season

Messi skips Barcelona training ahead of crunch Atletico game

The Argentina international is reportedly attending the birth of his second child but could now be a doubt for Saturday's visit to the Vicente Calderon Stadium

Barcelona star Lionel Messi has missed training ahead of the Catalan outfit's crunch clash with Atletico Madrid on Saturday.

Reports in Spain suggest the Argentina international was granted leave due to the impending arrival of his second child, though no official confirmation has been given as yet.

The four-time Ballon d'Or winner was only a substitute for Argentina against Mexico in midweek, though he did come off the bench to score a late goal.

Luis Enrique is already without Claudio Bravo and Dani Alves through injury for the clash with theRojiblancos while Gerard Pique remains unavailable through suspension.

Barca travel to the Vicente Calderon Stadium having won both their opening Liga fixtures, with Atletico also holding a 100 per cent record.

ANDRE AYEW AND MANUEL PELEGRINI WINS PLAYER AND MANAGER OF THE MONTH OF AUGUST

CONGRATS TO THEM.........

Van Gaal: I cannot understand what Rooney says

The Dutchman believes he is 'well articulated' but admits he struggles to understand his Manchester United captain during conversations

Louis van Gaal admits he struggles to understand Wayne Rooney whenever he has a conversation with hisManchester United captain.

Van Gaal hailed the 29-year-old as one of the five best players he’s ever managed during a supporters event on Wednesday night.

But when asked about his English in an interview with a Dutch television station, the United boss admitted Rooney’s accent has caused problems.

"When I speak, I am well articulated,

“If you put Wayne Rooney here in the seat, and you start talking to him, do you think people can understand Wayne Rooney? You simply can't understand what he says."

Ibrahimovic and Pastore to miss Bordeaux match

The pair will sit out this weekend's game but are likely to be fit in time for next week's Champions League clash with Malmo

Paris Saint-Germain will be without Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Javier Pastore for Saturday's Ligue 1 clash withBordeaux at Parc des Princes.

The defending champions have begun the new season in impressive fashion, winning all four league games and lifting the Trophee des Champions without conceding a goal.

But they will be tested without two of their best players this weekend, with Pastore still returning to fitness after a calf problem and Ibrahimovic rested ahead of their Champions League clash with Malmo.

"Ibra could play tomorrow, but he won't. He won't be in the squad," Blanc revealed.

"We will give him some more time to get ready for the Champions League game against Malmo. That's one of the advantages of having a substantial squad.

"His injury isn't serious, but it is painful and that means he needs to rest.

"Pastore will not be with the group tomorrow. He has trained well [over the international break] and he has needed it.

"He had two small injuries around the calf. He needs to work and to complete the sessions he is missing.

Kovac sacked as Croatia coach

After almost two years in the role, the former Bayern Munich midfielder has been removed as national team boss following a string of bad results

Niko Kovac has been sacked as Croatia coach in the aftermath of disappointing recent results that have seen their hopes of Euro 2016 qualification unravel.

Croatia topped Group H at the start of this month, but a goalless draw with Azerbaijan followed by a 2-0 defeat to Norway meant they dropped to third, with Kovac accusing his side of lacking heart in the matches.

Captain Luka Modric was one of those to refute suggestions of a lack of effort and Kovac ultimately paid the price for a turbulent spell following an executive board meeting of the Croatian Football Federation (HNS) on Wednesday.

HNS president Davor Suker said at a news conference: "Based on the unanimous decision of the board, we have decided to terminate the contract with Niko Kovac and with all members of the coaching staff

"We spoke as two friends, and when he heard the news he accepted it like a gentleman."

Having replaced Igor Stimac in charge of the national side on a contract until the end of Euro 2016 qualification, Kovac guided Croatia to last year's World Cup in Brazil, via a play-off victory over Iceland, where they exited at the group stage with one win from three matches.

A positive start to qualification for Euro 2016 gradually went downhill, with Lokomotiv Zagreb coach Ante Cacic reported as a potential replacement for the former Croatia international.

However, Cacic told Croatian media this week that, while he was "proud" to be mooted, nobody had contacted him regarding the role.

The HNS posted via Twitter: "Search for a new head coach will be led by president Davor Suker and technical director Romeo Jozak. New coach is expected by 21 September."

SCORES FROM TODAY EURO 2016 QUALIFIERS

EURO 2016 - Qualification:: group C

Belarus 2  Luxembourg  0
Macedonia 0  Spain 1
slovakia  0    ukrain 0


EURO 2016 - Qualification:: group E

England 2   switzerland 0
lithuania 2 san marino 1
slovenia 1  Estonia   0 


EURO 2016 - Qualification:: group G

Liechtenstein  0   Russia 7
moldovia 0  montenegro 2
sweden  1 Austria 4

NIGERIA 2 NIGER O

oliseh records first victory with the eagles....PHOTOS DURING THE MATCH

NIGERIA VS NIGER....4PM...

Niger XI vs Nigeria: 16. Kassali, 4, Ganiyu, 18 Kwae, 23 Saimaila, 15 Katakoie, 19 Koudize, 12 Sako, 17 Cisse, 11 Wonkoye, 7 Sidibe, 20 Maita.....


Nigeria XI Vs Niger: Ikeme, Oboabona, Omeruo, Kwambe, Obiora, Rabiu, Ujah, Akas, Igbonu, Usman, Musa (c)


Knowing there's nothing but pride and a good feeling for his countrymen at stake, coach Sunday Oliseh has made almost a full change to his line up from Saturday's match against Tanzania, leaving stand-in captain Ahmed Musa and goalkeeper Carl Ikeme in the side.....LIVE FROM THE ADOKIE AMEISEMAKA STUDIUM IN PORT HARCOURT....

Sweden 20.45 Austria

Sweden are undefeated in their last 14 UEFA European Championship home qualifiers, a reassuring stat as they take on an impressive Austria side in Group G.  Another tight encounter seems likely as Sweden and Austria come together again in UEFA EURO 2016 qualifying Group G.

Leading the group by seven points from the second-placed Swedes, Austria require a victory or a draw at the Friends Arena in Solna to achieve their first-ever UEFA European Championship finals qualification; even a defeat could suffice if third-placed Russia failed to win away to Liechtenstein.

• The following players are a yellow card away from a ban: Albin Ekdal, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Pontus Wernbloom (Sweden), Julian Baumgartlinger, Aleksandar Dragovic, Florian Klein and Sebastian Prödl (Austria).

Previous meetings
• Erkan Zengin responded to David Alaba's early penalty for Austria as Sweden earned a 1-1 draw in the sides' first Group G meeting.

• Austria have had marginally the better of their 34 previous encounters with Sweden, with the record W16 D6 L12 (W5 D1 L9 as the away team, W10 D5 L1 at home). The sides have met three times on neutral territory: a friendly at London's White Hart Lane on 2 August 1948 which Sweden won 3-0; a Gelsenkirchen (Germany) play-off for the 1974 FIFA World Cup which Sweden edged 2-1; and in Buenos Aires in the 1978 World Cup group stage, when Hans Krankl's 42nd-minute penalty earned Austria a 1-0 victory.

• The countries' 13 competitive tussles have been similarly tight: Austria's record is W6 D2 L5 (W4 D2 L0 at home – W1 D0 L4 in Sweden) – as well as a win and a draw on neutral territory. Only once, in Austria's 2-0 World Cup qualifying victory over Sweden on 10 June 1972, has there been a winning margin of more than a single goal.

• The teams' 2014 World Cup qualifying encounters were typical. Austria prevailed 2-1 at home on 7 June 2013 (Alaba 26p, Marc Janko 32; Johan Elmander 82), then lost by the same margin in Solna on 11 October (Martin Olsson 56, Ibrahimović 86; Martin Harnik 29).

Form guide
• Marcel Koller's Austrian pacesetters are on a six-game winning streak in the section following that curtain-raising 1-1 stalemate with the Swedes in Vienna. However, Erik Hamrén's charges surrendered their unbeaten record by succumbing 1-0 in Russia on Saturday.

• Nonetheless, Sweden are undefeated in 14 UEFA European Championsip home qualifiers (W11 D3) since a 1-0 loss to Latvia in October 2003.

• Austria have won their past four competitive away assignments since that reverse to Sweden in 2014 World Cup qualifying and have won all three of their away matches in Group G.

Trivia and links
• At club level Austrian sides have had the better of the nations' meetings, with the record W12 D3 L8, though Malmö were the most recent victors in fixtures between teams from the two countries, coming from behind to win their UEFA Champions League third qualifying round tie against Salzburg 3-2 on aggregate last month after losing the away leg 2-0.

Liechtenstein 20.45 Russia

Liechtenstein will look to end a nine-game wait for a competitive home victory against a Russia side who beat them 4-0 in their opening Group G fixture. Russia will hope to prolong Liechtenstein's nine-game wait for a competitive home victory as they pursue a sixth successive victory against their Group G hosts

The Russians renewed their bid for automatic qualification with Saturday's 1-0 home win over Sweden in their first outing under new coach Leonid Slutski. With that result in Moscow reducing to one point the gap to the second-placed Scandinavians, Russia will overtake the Swedes on Tuesday if they overcome Liechtenstein and Sweden fail to beat group leaders Austria in Solna.

• Sandro Wieser is suspended after accumulating three bookings. The following players are a yellow card away from a ban: Mario Frick (Liechtenstein) and Denis Glushakov (Russia).

Previous meetings
• Two own goals and a penalty helped Russia dispatch Liechtenstein 4-0 in their opening Group G assignment.

• Liechtenstein's record in five matches against Russia reads W0 D0 L5 (W0 D0 L2 at home – W0 D0 L3 away).

Form guide
• Liechtenstein are without a competitive success in nine home games (D4 L5) since beating Lithuania 2-0 in UEFA EURO 2012 qualification on 3 June 2011.

• Russia were awarded a 3-0 win after their last Group G away match – against Montenegro – was abandoned due to crowd problems. It ended a sequence of three qualifying away matches without victory (D2 L1). The Russians had, however, triumphed 2-1 in Hungary in a November 2014 friendly.

Trivia and links
• This fixture takes place the day after Liechtenstein striker Frick's 41st birthday. Former Finland striker Jari Litmanen is currently the oldest player to have scored in UEFA European Championship action, netting in a 2010 qualifier against San Marino aged 39 years and 270 days.

• The nations' only meetings in UEFA age-group tournaments both ended in 6-0 wins for Russia's Under-19s – in 2003 and 2006.

• This is Russia's first competitive away match since the departure of coach Fabio Capello.

England 20:45 Switzerland

Roy Hodgson's loyalties will be tested once more as the former Switzerland coach plays host to his old side with England in UEFA EURO 2016 qualifying Group E. England are on a daunting run of form in qualifying games at Wembley as they welcome Switzerland in UEFA EURO 2016 qualifying Group E.Roy Hodgson's men became the first team to qualify for next summer's finals with Saturday's 6-0 victory in San Marino, a result that also maintained their 100% record in Group E and kept the Three Lions on course to become just the sixth side to achieve UEFA EURO qualification with wins in every game.

Vladimir Petković's Switzerland will join Tuesday's hosts in France if they prevail at Wembley and currently fourth-placed Slovenia draw at home to Estonia, who are third. England will wrap up top spot with a win or a draw.

• The following players are a yellow card away from a ban: Raheem Sterling (England), Granit Xhaka and Blerim Dzemaili (Switzerland).

Previous meetings
• Danny Welbeck scored two second-half goals in Basel as England launched their Group E campaign with a 2-0 success against Switzerland.

• England's record in 23 senior meetings with Switzerland is W15 D5 L3 (W5 D4 L0 in London – W9 D1 L3 in Switzerland). Those fixtures also include a 3-0 win for England in Coimbra, Portugal, at UEFA EURO 2004.

• England beat host nation Switzerland 2-0 at the 1954 FIFA World Cup (Jimmy Mullen 43, Dennis Wilshaw 69), but drew 1-1 against the Swiss at EURO '96. Alan Shearer's 23rd-minute goal at Wembley was cancelled out by Kubilay Türkyilmaz with seven minutes left.

• England are unbeaten in nine games against Switzerland (W6 D3) since a 2-1 loss in a World Cup qualifier in Basel on 30 May 1981. Alfred Scheiwiler (28) and Claudio Sulser (30) struck for Paul Wolfisberg's Switzerland with Terry McDermott (54) registering for Ron Greenwood's England.

• England flirted with defeat when the sides met at Wembley on 4 June 2011, Tranquillo Barnetta (32 35) giving the visitors a 2-0 lead before Frank Lampard (37) and Ashley Young (51) earned the hosts a share of the spoils.

Form guide
• England are unbeaten in 17 qualifying matches in London (W14 D3) since a 3-2 reverse to Croatia in their final UEFA EURO 2008 qualifying fixture at Wembley.


• Hodgson was Switzerland coach from January 1992 to November 1995, guiding them to the 1994 World Cup – their first since 1966 – and EURO '96. The latter was the first time the Swiss had reached a UEFA European Championship, although he left for Internazionale Milano after qualification had been secured.

• England captain Wayne Rooney equalled Sir Bobby Charlton's record of 49 international goals for the Three Lions with a 13th-minute penalty in San Marino on Saturday.

• Switzerland's Valon Behrami (Watford), Gökhan Inler (Leicester City) and Xherdan Shaqiri (Stoke City) are based in England.

• In 11 meetings in UEFA age-group competitions, Switzerland's record against England reads W1 D2 L8.

• Swiss and English clubs have met in 50 UEFA games, with the Swiss sides' record reading W12 D11 L27.

FYR Macedonia vs Spain

Top meets bottom in Group C as FYR Macedonia welcome two-time European champions Spain to Skopje looking to put Saturday's defeat by Luxembourg behind them.  FYR Macedonia are bottom of Group C after losing to Luxembourg on Saturday, so a home encounter with a pace-setting Spain team who gave them a torrid time in their opening Group C fixture is perhaps not ideal.• Besart Abdurahimi and Stefan Ristovski are both suspended after accumulating three bookings. The following players are a yellow card away from a ban: Vance Sikov, Aleksandar Trajkovski (FYR Macedonia), Diego Costa and David Silva (Spain).

Previous meetings
• Spain kicked off their Group C campaign with a 5-1 victory over FYR Macedonia. The highlights included a goal for Paco Alcácer on his competitive debut and a first strike in 70 Spain appearances for Sergio Busquets.

• FYR Macedonia's record in four games against Spain reads W0 D0 L4, suffering two defeats both home and away. Agim Ibraimi's penalty in the sides' first Group C meeting was their first competitive goal against the Spaniards.

Form guide
• FYR Macedonia have lost their last two Group C home matches following a 3-2 success against Luxembourg in their initial fixture in Skopje.

• Spain's 2-1 loss in Slovakia earlier in their Group C campaign remains the sole defeat in their last 20 qualifying competition away fixtures (W18 D1 L1), dating back to a 2-0 reverse in Sweden on 7 October 2006.

• In the nations' seven meetings in UEFA age-group competitions, Spain's record reads W6 D1 L0. The FYR Macedonia side that held Spain to a 0-0 draw in a UEFA European Under-16 Championship qualifier in Segovia on 4 November 1997 is the only Macedonian team to have avoided defeat against Spanish opposition in any UEFA competition.

• In the only UEFA encounters between the countries' clubs, Celta Vigo beat Pelister 3-0 at home and 2-1 away in the 2000 UEFA Intertoto Cup third round

Belarus 20:45 Luxembourg (EURO 2016 QUALFIERS)

Belarus will look to end a five-game wait for a competitive home win as they welcome a Luxembourg side who they were unable to beat in their opening Group C game.Luxembourg will look to end another long drought away from home in qualifying matches as they come up against Belarus in UEFA EURO 2016 Group C.
• The Luxembourgers are boosted by Saturday's 1-0 home success over now-bottom-ranked FYR Macedonia, whom they have leapfrogged to join Tuesday's visitors Belarus on four points in the section. Neither team can now qualify, however, despite the weekend victory being Luxembourg's first win of the campaign.

• Aleksandr Martynovich (Belarus) and Christopher Martins (Luxembourg) are both suspended after accumulating three bookings. The following players are a yellow card away from a ban: Timofei Kalachev, Igor Shitov (Belarus), Daniel Da Mota, Dwayn Holter, Ben Payal and Chris Philipps (Luxembourg).

Previous meetings
• Stanislav Dragun struck to cancel out Lars Gerson's opener as Belarus held Luxembourg to a 1-1 draw in the teams' first Group C encounter last September.

• Belarus's record in seven matches against Luxembourg is W3 D3 L1 (W2 D0 L1 in Belarus – W1 D3 L0 in Luxembourg). The sides have been drawn together in three successive UEFA European Championship qualifying competitions, also pooled together in the run-up to UEFA EURO 2008 and UEFA EURO 2012.

• On 13 October 2007, Alphonse Leweck's header secured a 1-0 triumph for Luxembourg in Belarus – their first competitive victory in 12 years.

Form guide
• Belarus are without a win in five competitive home games (D1 L4), including defeats in their last four – and their only three competitive games at the new Borisov Arena.

• Luxembourg have lost their last five competitive away matches. They have not won in 17 away qualifiers (D3 L14) since a shock 2-1 success against Switzerland in qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup on 10 September 2008.

Trivia and links
• Luxembourg midfielder Payal turns 27 the day of the Belarus game. Team-mate Da Mota celebrates his 30th birthday three days later.

• Luxembourg's record in four UEFA age-group competition matches against Belarus is W0 D2 L2.

• In the only encounters between the nations' clubs in UEFA competition, Dinamo Minsk beat CS Hobscheid 6-0 at home in the first round of the 2001 UEFA Intertoto Cup, drawing the return fixture 1-1.

Chelsea willing for Ivanovic to run down contract

Chelsea are ready to cut loose Branislav Ivanovic.

The Sunday Mirror says the Serbian right-back is out of contract at the end of the season and is yet to be offered fresh terms.

The Sunday Mirror report that MLS sides LA Galaxy and New York City FC are both eager to bring him to the USA.

They also say that Cesar Azpilicueta then will switch from left-back to the right side and new signing Abdul Baba Rahman come in.

WILMOTS SLAMS HAZARD

The former Lille winger has been criticised for his performances by Jose Mourinho in the opening weeks of the season and was similarly singled out by his international manager

Eden Hazard's late winner in Belgium's 1-0 defeat of Cyprus was not enough to spare him the wrath of coach Marc Wilmots, who described the Chelsea man as his worst player on the night.

Hazard slammed home Dries Mertens' cross late on in a dour game in Nicosia to all but confirm Belgium's place at Euro 2016, but Wilmots was less than impressed with his side's laboured performance.

This follows hot on the heels of Jose Mourinho hitting out at the former Lille man for his performance level in the Blues opening Premier League games .

And Wilmots too singled Hazard out for criticism, telling reporters: "He was the worst tonight.

"I thought about substituting him, but in the last 10 minutes he always the ability to do that. At the World Cup, this was the case.

"I obviously expect more from him, but he will grow as the season progresses."

Wilmots praised Mertens and fellow substitute Divock Origi for turning the game in Belgium's favour, but was less than impressed with the overall display, which came three days after a 3-1 home win over Bosnia-Herzegovina.

He said: "The contribution of Origi and Mertens in the second half was important, because I wanted quick combinations. As a result, in the last half hour we were often dangerous.

"Collectively, this was one of our worst performances I do not know why.

"Maybe because we're still early in the season and we cannot yet play at a high enough pace. Guys like Marouane Fellaini have little rhythm in the legs."

He added: "We have to play two games in 72 hours, which is evident, especially in this heat.

"Moreover, everyone wants to win against us, and this also applies to Cyprus."

Belgium now sit second in Group B, knowing victory over rock-bottom Andorra will send them to Franc

FORMER CHELSEA STRIKER REJOINS WERDER BREMEN

The former Chelsea striker has moved to the Bundesliga club for the third time in his career, and has been reunited with head coach Viktor Skrypnyk, a former team-mate of his
Claudio Pizarro has joined Werder Bremen for the third time in his career after agreeing a deal until the end of the season.
The veteran striker first represented the Bundesliga club between 1999 and 2001 before leaving for domestic rivals Bayern Munich.

Pizarro returned to the Weserstadion on an initial loan deal in August 2008 following an unhappy spell with Chelsea in the Premier League before signing permanently a year later.

The Peru international again left for Bayern ahead of the 2012-13 season, but his contract at the Allianz Arena was not renewed at the end of last term leaving him free to rejoin Bremen.

"I am pleased to be here again," he told the club's official website. "It is a very challenging task. I hope I can use my experience as much as possible for the team."

Pizarro won the DFB-Pokal with Bremen in 2009 and counts six Bundesliga titles, five Pokals and a Champions League medal among his achievements with Bayern.

The 36-year-old has been reunited with head coach Viktor Skrypnyk, who was a team-mate of Pizarro's during his first spell at Bremen.

MICHAEL CARRICK WITHDRAWS FROM ENGLAND SQUARD

England midfielder Michael Carrick has withdrawn from the national squad due to injury, the national team have announced.

Having been left on the bench for the 6-0 win over San Marino, the 34-year-old man was tipped to feature in the Three Lions' upcoming clash with Switzerland, but now returns to Old Trafford with Jonjo Shelvey likely to make the cut instead.


.@ManUtd midfielder @carras16 has withdrawn from the #3Lions squad due to injury and will return to his club. pic.twitter.com/iHdWQ9eXqE
— England (@england) September 7, 2015