Arsene Wenger rules himself out of England job saying it's "very important" the FA chooses an Englishman

WENGER 

Arsene Wenger has effectively ruled himself out of the running for the England job after claiming it is "very important" the FA appoints an Englishman.

Wenger also revealed there has been no contact from the Football Association to check on his availability and if he would be interested.

It comes despite FA chief executive Martin Glenn saying Wenger would be the "perfect" fit but the Arsenal manager distancing himself from the role must be seen as a huge boost to Gareth Southgate's prospects.

Frenchman Wenger, 66, whose current £8m-a-year contract expires this summer, says his priority is to stay at Arsenal.

Wenger, in an interview with beIN Sports, said: "It's very important [that it's an Englishman].

"I've always said that England has a huge football passion and if tomorrow you have a game with France then it would be difficult [for me] not to sing the national anthem.

"It's logical. I thought they'd say I'm half English after being here for 20 years! It's better to have an Englishman.

"It would be difficult to manage another English club team. The national team is different. But my first priority has always been Arsenal."

Southgate has been put in charge for the next four games and the FA will not begin the search for a new manager until after he has had a chance to impress.

But that delay would allow them to move for Wenger in the summer. While Wenger did not close the door completely , they are his strongest words yet on the matter and it is very clear that he wants to stay at Arsenal and sign a new deal.

Wenger went on to say that he had sympathy for both Roy Hodgson and Sam Allardyce but said the FA have not been in touch.

"There has been no contact," he said. "There is nothing really to add. Personally I want England to do well.

"I think Roy Hodgson was unlucky and Sam Allardyce, by his own admission, said he made a mistake.

"It was untenable because if he stayed in charge then at every press conference the subject would've come up again.

"During the tournaments the pressure on the national team is massive and sometimes that makes it very difficult."

Zinedine Zidane not afraid of the Real Madrid axe but expects it one day

ZIDANE

Zinedine Zidane says he is not afraid of being sacked by Real Madrid and knows he will suffer that fate at some point during his career.

The World Cup winner replaced Rafael Benitez in the Santiago Bernabeu hotseat in January, and led them to glory in the Champions League - the 11th time they have been crowned Europe's best club team.

He was unable to deliver the LaLiga title, though, as they finished a point behind Barcelona, and the new campaign has brought fresh challenges.

After an impressive start that almost saw Madrid equal Barcelona's record 16-game winning run in the top-flight with a 2-0 victory over Espanyol, they have not won since.

Madrid have drawn four successive games - three in the league and one in the Champions League - and the pressure on Zidane has begun to build.

"I'm not afraid of being fired," he told RMC. "Anyway, it will happen. 

"I thoroughly enjoy what I do. I have an incredible opportunity, I am happy wth what I do. I enjoy my job, which is not always easy. 

"But I want to learn and advance. Working with these great players I learn every day. I am dedicated to what I do on the field. What is interesting to me is the week [of training], more than the matches. 

"I have an exceptional group, whether we win or we lose they are good people."

Zidane believes Madrid's current problems are more psychological than physical, and is confident he will be able to find a solution to get them back to winning ways.

He added: "What's important it's to find solutions and I'll find the solution. There is nothing catastrophic, but it's not trivial. 

"I don't think it's a physical problem. It's the first minutes of the games that are penalising us. The content of these games in LaLiga were very bad, especially against Villarreal. 

"It's psychological. We are trying to find the problem."

Brazil and Barcelona forward Neymar in a bloody mess

NEYMAR

The video above shows the challenge on Neymar that left the Brazil and Barcelona forward bleeding heavily from the face.

The injury occurred in the 65th minute with Brazil already 4-0 up against 2018 World Cup qualifying opponents Bolivia (Neymar kicked off the scoring in the 11th minute).

With the ball on the left hand side, Brazil's number 10 attempts to trick his way past Bolivia's Yasmani Duk.

But Bolivia's number 18 catches the Brazilian out, tackling him in the process. Leading the challenge with his arm, Duk catches Neymar to the right of his eye and opens up a cut.

The Barcelona forward immediately falls to the ground clutching his face and blood can be seen pouring out of the wound.

Despite being treated, Neymar was substituted in the 68th minute.

Brazil went on to win the game 5-0 thanks to a goal from Liverpool star Roberto Firmino .

Graziano Pelle kicked out of Italy squad for "disrespectful behaviour" after being substituted

PELLE

Former Southampton striker Graziano Pelle has been kicked out of the Italy squad for "disrespectful behaviour."

The Italian FA (FIGC) announced on Friday morning that coach Gianpiero Ventura had "excluded" the forward from the squad to play FY Macedonia on Sunday in Skopje.

Pelle refused to shake his manager's hand and stormed to his seat in the dugout after being substituted with the Italians needing an equaliser in Thursday night's draw with Spain.

Ventura tried to play down the incident after the 1-1 draw in Turin . "These things happen," he said. 

"I think Graziano was more angry at himself and the way his performance went than anything else."

But a statement from the FIGC has since confirmed his removal from the squad.

"Being part of the national team involves the sharing of values of your teammates and the famous blue shirt.

"This starts with respect towards staff, teammates and supporters.

"The player will today return to his club."

Pelle later posted an apology on Instagram: "Unfortunately, I have once again made a mistake.

"It was unacceptable behavior, against the coach in the first place and also to my teammates, who have always shown to have team spirit in a fantastic Italy group that we all belong to.

"Like any great mistake, you always suffer the consequences. And it is only right that I take full responsibility. I must ask from the heart for forgiveness from everyone."

Pelle moved to Shandong Lueng for £13million this summer to sign a big-money deal.

The 31-year-old earns £125,000 per week in the Chinese Super League and will return to Asia shortly.

He was linked to Juventus and Lazio during the summer, while a move to play under his former national team boss Antonio Conte at Chelsea was also a possibility until he received the eye-watering offer.

Everton defender Phil Jagielka pulls out of England squad due to injury

PHIL JAGIELKA

Phil Jagielka has pulled out of the England squad to face Malta to Slovenia.

The 34-year-old Everton defender picked up an injury in training, the Football Association have announced.

Despite being a man down, new manager Gareth Southgate has decided not to call up a replacement.

Southgate drafted in Marcus Rashford, Jesse Lingard and surprise package Glen Johnson when he named his first senior squad earlier this week.

Former Three Lions boss Sam Allardyce left 18-year-old Rashford out last time but the Manchester United striker scored a hat trick as the under-21s thrashed Norway last month.

That has done enough to get him back in the seniors with Harry Kane ruled out while United winger Lingard was called up after Liverpool’s Adam Lallana pulled out.

But Stoke right back Johnson, 32, was the shock inclusion but only got the call after Liverpool’s Nathaniel Clyne pulled out with a knee problem.

Updated England squad

Fraser Forster (Southampton), Joe Hart (Torino, loan from Manchester City), Tom Heaton (Burnley), Ryan Bertrand (Southampton), Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Glen Johnson (Stoke City), Danny Rose (Tottenham Hotspur), Chris Smalling (Manchester United), John Stones (Manchester City), Kyle Walker (Tottenham Hotspur), Eric Dier (Tottenham Hotspur), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal), Michail Antonio (West Ham United), Jesse Lingard (Manchester United), Raheem Sterling (Manchester City), Theo Walcott (Arsenal), Dele Alli (Tottenham Hotspur), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Daniel Sturridge (Liverpool), Jamie Vardy (Leicester City)

Cameroon legend Songo in comma

                                                                           SONG

Former Liverpool defender Rigobert Song, 40, the ex-captain of Cameroon's national side, was in a coma on Monday after suffering a stroke.

Cameroon's state radio reported that Song, who also played for West Ham United, Metz and Lens in France and Galatasaray in Turkey, was rushed to a nearby hospital from his Yaounde home on Sunday after suffering a cerebral aneurysm.

Song was in a coma, the radio reported.

"I wish you lots of courage and a speedy recovery," former Cameroon team-mate Samuel Eto'o said in a Facebook post. 

Song, capped 137 times, played in four World Cup finals and a record eight African Nations Cups as well as winning Olympic gold in 2000.

Paul Pogba's brother reveals he doesn't support Manchester United

                                                                         POGBA

Paul Pogba comes from a footballing family. He and his two brothers have all made it into the professional game with Mathias playing for Dutch outfit Sparta Rotterdam and his twin Florentin excelling for Ligue 1'a Saint-Etienne.

But while Paul's big brothers are currently cutting out respectable careers in the game, it is the youngest of the family that is by far and away the best footballer to come out of that talented household.

The 23-year-old became the most expensive player in history this summer when Manchester United paid £89million to sign him for a second time.

It was a move that few would have expected after the manner of his exit in 2012. After coming through the youth ranks at Old Trafford, he fell out with Sir Alex Ferguson over a lack of playing time and joined Juventus on a free transfer.

It was a move that some questioned at the time but proved to be a masterstroke for the Frenchman's career. He won four Serie A titles and became one of the best-known footballers in the world. However, he retained a soft spot for the Red Devils and a move back to Cheshire was never off the table in his mind.

But his love for Manchester United doesn't appear to spread across the entire family with his brother, Florentin, revealing that he actually supports their Premier League rivals Arsenal.

He told French TV station Telefoot: "Playing in the Premier League is a childhood dream of mine. I had opportunities this summer. I love Arsenal!"

In a wide-ranging interview, Floretin also revealed that his brother Paul was "starting to wake up" in the Premier League after a slow start to the season. He was a candidate for man of the match in their 4-1 win over Leicester City last week, contributing a goal to an impressive team performance.