Karim Benzema was one of the most talked about players of the transfer window, with Arsenal and Manchester United linked with signing the player.

The Real Madrid forward has publicly declared there was ‘nothing in the talk of a transfer’ away from Los Blancos, which surely can’t come as a surprise.

Though these isles have experienced an influx of La Liga stars, Benzema is a key player in the Spanish capital. He may not always have been a fan favourite, but the French international is simply one of the best in the world. Luis Suarez and Sergio Aguero offer a more dynamic, exciting option up front, but Benzema must be considered in their class.

Football is currently devoid of word class strikers. The best players in the world tend to be attacking midfielders, who can operate in a much more nuanced hybrid role. With Zlatan Ibrahimovic entering the autumn of his career, the Real Madrid star, Suarez and Aguero are by far and away the leading frontmen in world football.

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Which is exactly why Premier League sides never had a hope. The best players in the world seemingly want to play for Madrid or Barcelona. Alexis Sanchez, Angel Di Maria and Pedro have arrived in England over the past few years after barely putting a foot wrong for the Spanish sides – but only because these two juggernauts are so strong.

Cristiano Ronaldo, and to a lesser extent Gareth Bale, take the plaudits at the Bernebau, but the former Lyon man is equally as important.

Perhaps sometimes viewed as a weak-link, the 27-year old has truly shown his value in recent seasons.

Not only does he provide a cut-throat cutting edge, with a killer instinct to be admired, his ability to link play to CR7 and the Welsh wizard has been astounding. He’s perfect for Arsenal, but Arsenal aren’t perfect for him.

Though then ten time European champions currently find themselves trailing Barcelona, they are always in contention for the top prizes. The Gunners may be a huge side, but a step down in every sense of the word. A player of such quality belongs at a club of such quality, the mere notion of a move at this stage in his career is arguably terribly unappealing.

So when describing his current employers as ‘the best club in the world’, it’s hard to argue.

Arsene Wenger has captured Sanchez and Mesut Ozil from La Liga, but their places in the side had come under threat. As excellent as the Chilean has been, the Blagurana upgraded him for Luis Suarez. World Cup winner Ozil made way for Gareth Bale, the world’s most expensive player.

The thought of the Les Blues star plying his trade in North London is of course exciting. He could truly make them title contenders. Everything about him suits the Emirates outfit down to the ground. His lethal finishing is blended with a link-up play most Number 10’s would envy.

However, nothing about the Gunners currently fits Benzema, he’s simply too good for them.

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Hooliganism was once dubbed the English disease, as Liverpudlian, Cockney and Mancunian firms kicked over rubbish bins and stole shell tracksuits from some of Europe’s quaintest towns throughout the 1970s. But if there’s one ailment that uniquely plagues our game in the present day, it’s our shared willingness to go weak at the knees for any home-grown player to show half a half of decent form.

Partly due to the fact their more senior counterparts haven’t given us much to cheer about since 1966 and partly due to the Premier League’s nature or turning zeroes into heroes and vice versa almost overnight, it takes one step-over from a London or Liverpool-born teenager for most England fans to fall in love at first sight.

I’m not the most well-travelled of fellows (although I did once spend a week on the Isle of Wight) but I’m certain other countries don’t treat their youngsters in quite the same way, ladling bowl after bowl of inflammatory hype over their youthful skin before setting it alight with headlines like ‘You’re rubbish’, ‘Disgrace’ and ‘What a waste of money’.

Yet, sometimes when watching a player it becomes impossible to ignore your instincts, instincts telling you the next Bryan Robson, Paul Scholes or Wayne Rooney is manifesting in front of your very eyes. Sometimes you know when you’re looking at the real deal, a youngster destined for great things, and that’s the exact feeling I get when I’m watching Tottenham Hotspur’s Dele Alli.

Yes, we are just 10 games into the midfielder’s Premier League career. Yes, we have seen more illustrious talents, who have established themselves more considerably by the age of 19. For every Wayne Rooney, there are a thousand Francis Jeffers-esque names. For every Frank Lampard, there are a million Luke Chadwicks, with a million faces only a million blind mothers could love. Once the honeymoon period is over, Alli could well revert back to resembling what he actually is; a teenager recently plucked from the depths of League One.

But it’s the ease in which Alli has jumped up two divisions in the space of a single summer that tickles the hairs on the back of my exceptionally hairy neck, like a brown rug of excited approval. It took just a handful of performances in pre-season to convince Mauricio Pochettino that the teenager deserved a run in Spurs’ first team squad rather than a year out on loan; it took even less time to convince the Argentine that he should be in Tottenham’s starting line-up every week.

Alli’s displays have certainly justified a decision most would describe as either naive or brave. His midfield partnership with Eric Dier has been the foundation for many of Tottenham’s best results this term, including hard-fought draws with Liverpool and Arsenal, an attritional win against Crystal Palace and an emphatic 4-1 romping of Manchester City. Perhaps the biggest compliment you can give a 19-year-old after just ten Premier League appearances is that he doesn’t look out of place.

In drastic contrast, Alli looks like he’s been there all along; controlling the ball with a chest-high take on the centre-circle against Arsenal, the Premier League’s most in-form side at the minute, lamenting Erik Lamela, a £30million club-record signing four years his senior, for not passing the ball, waiting on the edge of the box whilst chaos ensues inside it until arriving at the perfect time to blast the ball into Aston Villa’s net, switching between the roles of No.10 and deep midfield with almost miraculous ease in the space of a single half. All miniscule moments from Alli’s first 763 minutes in the Premier League, but when put together all incredibly telling of his confidence, maturity, natural talent and tactical understanding.

Of course, my opinions mean little to the average England or Tottenham Hotspur fan. But the 6 foot 2 prodigy has worked under just three managers throughout his career and immediately convinced them all.

MK Dons boss Karl Robinson has described Alli as ‘the best young player he’s ever worked with’ and played him 72 times out of a possible 92 during his two full League One campaigns in the first team. Pochettino installed him as a Tottenham regular almost instantaneously and Roy Hodgson wasted no time in making the midfielder a fully-fledged England international, issuing him three caps out of a possible three since his October debut. Mirroring his Premier League displays, Alli hasn’t looked out of place in an England jersey either. Three different and completely independent managers at three diverse levels of the game can’t all be wrong, can they?

Nonetheless, that doesn’t mean Alli is destined for greatness. There are no guarantees in this world, and especially in the realms of football. But amid the age of unhealthy overhype, a new phrase has entered common diction that I feel particularly applies to the Spurs starlet. Instead of prophesising inevitable greatness, the popular trend is to state with less expectation but equal conviction; “he will go as far as he wants to go.” Clearly laden with superlative ability, attitude and determination will decide the heights of Alli’s career.

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This Premier League season so far has been defined by unpredictability and shock results, with the chief protagonists of upsetting the applecart current leaders Leicester City.

Claudio Ranieri’s men have gone from relegation candidates last term to the best team in the land this season and deservedly possess top spot going into Christmas.

Like in every team, a number of key figures have been critical to the Foxes’ rise, with Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez gaining the majority of plaudits.

Vardy’s goals, 14 in total, have been crucial in firing the King Power Stadium outfit to the table’s summit, while Mahrez gets better every week, scoring and creating strikes at will.

Although the sublime duo rightly hog the headlines, Leicester’s success has been a team effort and a host of other players deserve critical acclaim.

Here are three players that have thrived this season and have also been key cogs in the Foxes’ wheel…

Wes Morgan

Leicester’s captain, defensive talisman and leader, 31-year-old Morgan must go down as one of the most under-rated players in the Premier League.

The Jamaica international has spent the majority of his career in the Football League, but has shown both last season and this term that he has all the weaponry to be a rounded centre-half at the top level.

Added to Morgan’s influence and never-say-die attitude are the statistics that prove just how prolific a defender he is.

The veteran has not been booked in his last 26 games and has only committed six fouls all season, showing just how accurate and impressive he has been.

Danny Drinkwater

Before this season, Danny Drinkwater was not a name commonly known by many apart from the Leicester fans – despite the fact the central midfielder is a product of Manchester United’s youth system and a former England under-19 international.

However, this season the 25-year-old has been a driving force for the King Power Stadium outfit at both ends of the pitch.

A resolute combatant that has won his lion’s share of personal battles against more distinguished opposite numbers, Drinkwater has also played a role in unleashing the team’s attacking players with his distribution.

Although the former United man picked up an injury in the recent win over Chelsea, he has been one of the team’s standout stars this season.

N’Golo Kante

When Leicester made their summer signings, Gokhan Inler’s name stood out – but it has been another midfield addition that has kept the experienced Switzerland international out of the Foxes team and inspired his side to a progressive season.

Signed from modest French club Caen, Kante has been nothing short of a revelation this season, with his energy, work-rate and range of passing making him a daunting opponent regardless of his slight stature.

Added to Ranieri’s ranks for a fee believed to be in the £5million range, Kante must be adjudged as one of the best Premier League summer signings and continues to impress game-by-game.

Whilst the January transfer window may admittedly fail to carry the same level of drama and expectation as it’s often hectic summer counterpart, Manchester United are a club who simply can’t escape the influence it exudes on major sports headlines throughout the country, and transfer speculation sites alike.

Although the Red Devils certainly obtained themselves a fair amount of fresh quality last summer, January nonetheless poses another chance for Louis van Gaal to strengthen his squad at Old Trafford even further. After such a poor performance mid-week in the Champions League against PSV, maybe such a notion arrives as somewhat of a necessity.

However, even though Man United do in-fact seem rather short of options among their striking department at this stage in the proceedings, current Wolfsburg left-back and Switzerland international – Ricardo Rodriguez – has nonetheless seen his name linked heavily with a move to Old Trafford this winter.

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So, whilst his may not be the first name on many United fans’ lips at the moment, do the Red Devils genuinely need the 23-year-old defender this January, or should LVG ultimately look to spend his resources elsewhere in 2015/16?

Well, as the Old Trafford faithful will certainly know from his current exploits in the Champions League this season, Ricardo Rodriguez honestly looks like he could well represent a truly special player.

Even at this particular stage in his career – the flying full-back may go down as one of the best assets of his kind currently operating on the European scene.

Whilst the left-back slot may not share the same kind of limelight as those playing in the attacking areas of the pitch for their respective team, Rodriguez is someone who still manages to shine inside the final third, despite the obvious limitations set upon him by his position at the back.

When it comes to scoring sublime free-kicks in the opposition’s half, displaying some of the best close-control technical skill we’ve seen from a defender in a long time, and simply providing his teammates with a constant service of well measured crosses from the wide positions – this is a player who rarely disappoints. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Rodriguez take a step up in his career sooner rather than later, even if Wolfsburg would likely want to hold onto one of their star men at all costs.

The 23-year-old’s vision along the flanks and ability to pick out passes in almost Andrea Pirlo-esque style really can be impressive on most occasions – but as is always the case with the very best full-backs out there – Ricardo Rodriguez doesn’t undervalue his defensive responsibilities either.

Manchester United would therefore be greatly improved with the Swiss international on board. He would offer a great deal more dynamism down the left-flank than what Marcos Rojo will ever be capable of, likely injecting some much needed creativity into a side clearly short of ideas when challenging defenders in the final third.

However, because the Old Trafford hierarchy somehow saw fit to spend £27 million on Luke Shaw not so long ago, maybe this particular transfer story was always going to turn out a non-starter from the beginning. Although the former Southampton full-back remains frustratingly side-lined at the minute with a broken leg, Manchester United have already set their stool out in the shape of the 20-year-old Englishman.

It would simply prove far too unsustainable for the Red Devils to include both Ricardo Rodriguez and Luke Shaw among their current ranks, for their supposed interest in the current Wolfsburg man won’t prove a cheap venture by any means. The Swiss international is considered one of the best left-backs in the world right now, so if Louis van Gaal really wanted Rodriguez on board at Old Trafford, he likely would have signed him instead of Luke Shaw in the first place.

With all things duly taken into account, the resources required to sign Ricardo Rodriguez could ultimately be better spent elsewhere this January, the 23-year-old would likely remain cup-tied in the Champions League of course – and although Manchester United are certainly short of options in the full-back department this season – the Red Devils will simply have to make their current squad work in light of Shaw’s ill-timed injury earlier on in the campaign.

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Once upon a time in a far off decade, English teams were the best in Europe.

That all seems a million years ago now, as we depressingly watch England’s best stumble and fall from grace in Europe year after year, with more success seen on the wheel at Roulettegeeks.com.

You would think otherwise, wouldn’t you? When you consider the power of the Premier League, the money, the wealth of talent within those top, elite Champions League teams and that the Premier League is supposed to be the best in the world, you would rightly consider the fact that one of them would be able to win it, or at least make it to the final.

Not so. The last English team to win it  was Chelsea in 2012 against a top Bayern Munich side. Yes, Chelsea had to equalise and yes, it went to penalties, but Chelsea still came out winners under Roberto Di Matteo’s guidance. Last season was an unqualified disaster, with Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City all being knocked out in the last 16.

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In the last five years, the facts show us that we have had two finalists, three semi-finalists and one winner. Only three English teams made the quarter-finals over the past four years and only Chelsea made it to the semi’s as eventual winners in the last four years. Gloomy reading.

However, the demise of English teams means that other countries have taken over, most notably, Germany and Spain. According to BBC Sport – in the last five years, the Bundesliga has produced 40% of finalists and Spain’s La Liga 30%, with the Premier League at 20%.

Real Madrid and Barcelona are tough opponents for any team, but the English teams find it completely mesmerising as they succumb to the Spaniards. Manchester City have felt defeat at the hands of the Spanish and in all probability, Arsenal are about to find out how it feels when they take on Barcelona. We would all love to see Arsenal overcome the power of Messi and co, but deep down I think we all know how which way it will go.

Manchester City go to Kiev, Chelsea to PSG (again) -both difficult ties – not that there are easy games anymore. It would also be preferable had Arsenal played in Spain first and then at the Emirates, but that’s life.

Manchester City will recall Dynamo Kiev in 2010/11, when the Ukranian side beat them 2-1 on aggregate, as Arsenal recall meeting Barcelona before. In the 2009/10 season, Barca beat the Gunners in the quarter-finals as Messi scored four times in the second leg.

Can we really see any of our three progressing? Manchester City might, if they avoid defeat in the away leg, and the same goes for Chelsea. To knock out the likes of PSG and their classy side would certainly be an achievement because the French side have their eyes firmly on the Champions League, as they run away with the domestic league title. Do I see any English Champions League winners? No, I’m afraid not. The last eight and no further, perhaps.

So, if the English teams are failing, is there fault somewhere? Is it the lack of homegrown talent, as Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal use fewer UK nationals in the Premier League than anyone else? Is it because the Spanish and the Germans get a winter break?

They’ve had winter breaks for years over in Europe, but that hasn’t stopped English teams winning before. I read somewhere that by the time Bayern start their break and then come back, Manchester City will have played around eight competitive matches. So shouldn’t they be on form and ready in that case? There are pundits and ex-managers who think the winter break is a good idea – Gary Lineker amongst them. We’ve never done that before and as it’s not broke, don’t try and fix it, but you know it will happen one day. What will we do without our Boxing Day and New Years games?

The number of talented homegrown players is also in decline, as teams consistently prefer to buy from abroad. They buy technically gifted and cheaper talent, while, in some cases, it appears their own academies are overlooked. There is some redress in the Premier League, but not enough and nowhere near enough at the level of Champions League.

It isn’t quite the same with the foreign teams, as they seem to include and nurture their own players far more. But can we keep blaming these situations? Surely by now, these teams have been in the competition often enough to know the ropes? They haven’t just arrived from a different planet without knowing how it works. So change it.

Fortunately, in terms of UEFA’s coefficient rankings, we are still behind Spain, but ahead of Germany and Italy and we therefore keep that extra place.

The Germans and the Spaniards always seem to hurt the English sides and they probably will again this season as well. With the three English teams, you have two Italian, three Spanish and two German teams, all of which look a lot stronger than our teams.

It’ll be interesting, but let’s hope it’s not too embarrassing.

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In recent years, the FA Cup has been accused of lacking real importance, now seemingly a lesser triumph than qualifying for the Champions League.

But with Manchester United and West Ham both unlikely to finish in the Premier League’s top four this season – although the current gap in points between themselves and fourth-placed Manchester City is by no means insurmountable – both clubs will be particularly desperate to progress to the semi-finals upon facing each other at 4pm on Sunday.

Indeed, Louis van Gaal needs a trophy to gloss over an otherwise disappointing season at Old Trafford, whilst the FA Cup would represent the phenomenal progress West Ham have made under Slaven Bilic this term – just as they prepare for a historic move to the Olympic Stadium.

With so much on the line and just three points separating the sides in the Premier League table, however, Sunday’s match could well be decided by who dominates the key individual battles. Here are FIVE Football Fancast view as the most important.

DIAFRA SAKHO VS CHRIS SMALLING

Diafra Sakho had a huge impact after coming on for the final half an hour against Everton last weekend, grabbing a goal to draw West Ham level before providing the assist to Dimitri Payet as Slaven Bilic’s side completed an impressive comeback.

So logic suggests the Senegal international will get the nod up front against Manchester United on Sunday. Emmanuel Emenike bagged a brace upon his FA Cup debut against Blackburn Rovers last month but has otherwise disappointed, whilst Enner Valencia remains an injury doubt and Andy Carroll is on the most part a supersub in Bilic’s plans.

The 26-year-old hasn’t managed to revive his near one-in-two strike rate from last season amid an injury-hit campaign, but he’s a hardworking, physical and talented striker who adds real penetration to West Ham’s attack.

Consequentially, the task of stopping him on Sunday must predominantly fall to Chris Smalling, an awkward and gangly centre-half reminiscent of a modern day Martin Keown. He’s got the power and pace to curtail Sakho’s, but hasn’t exactly been enjoying the best form of late. Indeed, United have kept just two clean sheets from the England international’s last eight appearances.

DIMITRI PAYET VS MORGAN SCHNEIDERLIN

With Didier Deschamps ruling Dimitri Payet out of contention for his Euro 2016 squad, I’m sure the Hammers talisman will relish the chance of embarrassing Morgan Schneiderlin, a fellow France international in with a good chance of making it to the Euros after amassing eight caps during 2015 alone.

Needless to say, the former Marseille man has become one of the stories of the season in the Premier League. He’s bagged eight goals and seven assists in 23 appearances and is already a cult hero down at Upton Park, echoing the attacking brilliance that once had fans treating Paulo Di Canio like a demi-god.

The 28-year-old’s technical quality and spatial awareness is up there with the best and the latter is what Schneiderlin will have to defend against most. Payet has been deployed in a number of positions this season and West Ham have utilised a variety of formations, but the French maestro always ends up causing damage from the pocket between midfield and attack.

Consequentially, Schneiderlin needs to control that zone for the full ninety minutes. The 26-year-old’s United spell has underwhelmed thus far, but he proved a real talent in the holding role at Southampton.

ANTHONY MARTIAL/MARCUS RASHFORD VS ANGELO OGBONNA

It remains to be seen who Louis van Gaal will utilise as the spearhead of United’s attack on Sunday. Marcus Rashford exploded onto the scene with four goals and one assist in his first two appearances for the Red Devils but struggled to have the same impact against Watford and West Brom and found himself fielded out wide during the 2-0 defeat to Liverpool in midweek.

That saw Anthony Martial take his spot as centre-forward, a likewise talent blessed with great power, pace and composure for a player so young. Consequentially, it’s a real tossup between the two, but both should be involved in the United starting Xi.

Either way, West Ham centre-back Angelo Ogbonna has proved himself a particularly tough customer since arriving from Juventus during the summer. The 27-year-old has brought Champions League quality to the Hammers’ backline and it really tells in the statistics – from the 21 fixtures he’s been involved in this season, West Ham have kept ten clean sheets.

MICHAIL ANTONIO VS MARCOS ROJO

Marcos Rojo has returned to the starting line up just when Manchester United need him most, filling the void at left-back that has constantly plagued the Red Devils since Luke Shaw’s season-ending injury all the way back in September.

The Argentina international is a versatile defender who offers unique height and power at No.3, but he looks set to have his hands full on Sunday if Slaven Bilic continues to select the in-form Michail Antonio in the right-hand role – either as a wing-back or an out-and-out winger – as expected.

Indeed, the 25-year-old is amid a sensational scoring run for the Hammers, bagging five goals in his last eight appearances across all competitions and three strikes in his last three outings – including winners against West Ham and Sunderland.

He’s not scintillatingly quick but boasts great strength, good movement and a lethal eye for goal with real poacher instincts, so Rojo can’t let the winger-forward out of his sight.

JUAN MATA VS CHEIKHOU KOUYATE

Juan Mata hasn’t been enjoying his best form of late or for that matter, throughout the season in general. Nonetheless, we’re all well aware of how talented a player the Spaniard is and on paper at least, he remains Manchester United’s strongest asset and biggest threat in the middle to final third.

He ranks third and second for Premier League goals and assists respectively throughout United’s squad and output remains the 27-year-old’s defining ability, so any space around or in the box is a real no-no from the Hammers’ perspective.

He’s found himself deployed as a centre-back in recent weeks, but something tells me Cheikhou Kouyate will return to the engine room this weekend and the Senegal international is the ideal candidate to curtail Mata’s influence for two key reasons.

First of all, the 26-year-old is a phenomenal enforcer. His energy is simply incredible and he’s averaged an impressive 2.9 tackles, 2 interceptions and 2.5 successful aerial duels this term, so has a good chance of keeping Mata quiet.

Perhaps more importantly, considering he’ll probably be the Hammers’ deepest-lying midfielder and Mata is famed for his almost hilarious inability to effectively track back, Kouyate has a real knack for breaking through from midfield with powerful runs.

So if he manages to run off the back of Mata, Kouyate could make a real difference for West Ham in the final third. He’s netted four times in the Premier League already this season.

Liverpool will employ a “quality over quantity” approach in this summer’s transfer window, with a move for Mario Gotze a signal of the new intent, according to Anfield hero John Barnes.

The Reds have been aligned with the World Cup-winning midfielder over the course of the past few weeks, with widespread speculation suggesting that the 23-year-old is open to the idea of working under Jurgen Klopp once again – the pair were together at Borussia Dortmund.

Gotze, given his record at club and international level, represents a significant hike in terms of quality of signing for Liverpool, who have been criticised for their vast level of business across the last two summers.

The likes of Christian Benteke, Roberto Firmino, Mario Balotelli and Adam Lallana have all been signed for big fees with varying levels of success, as the club have slipped away from their near title win in 2013/14.

And TitanBet brand ambassador, Barnes, thinks that this window under Klopp will be a case of “quality over quantity”, even if Gotze evades Liverpool’s grasp:

“I think they are going to go for quality over quantity, regardless of whether they get Gotze or not.” He said.

“Of course Gotze is a very, very good player, even if he plays in a position that Liverpool don’t need to significantly strengthen.

“Liverpool are at the stage now that if any quality player becomes available, they should go for him.

“Even if they play in a position they don’t need, if they have the quality to improve the team it makes sense.”

Barnes went on to claim that he trusts Klopp’s judgement on the types of players needed:

“Klopp knows the kind of players he wants.

“[Joel] Matip may not have been an obvious choice, but I think that he’ll be a good signing.

“I know that Liverpool are not going to get the players Manchester City, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich want, so the players they’ll get are the ones Klopp knows and are realistic.

“I trust Klopp to make the right decision.”

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Ryan Mason is backing England for glory at the Euro’s this summer, as well as his Tottenham side for Premier League glory next season.

We at FootballFanCast.com were lucky enough to speak with the 24-year-old Englishman this week, and he gave us his thoughts on England and Euro 2016, as well as an insight into his relationship with Mauricio Pochettino and his hopes for next season.

Mason – a Lilywhite through and through – graduated from the youth academy at White Hart Lane and has gone on to become a key figure in the first team squad since returning from an impressive loan spell at Swindon Town during the 2013/14 season.

Despite suffering both knee and ankle injuries earlier in the campaign, keeping him out for a fair portion of the season, Mason still made 29 appearances in all competitions, chipping in with two goals and captaining his boyhood club for the first ever time during a 1-1 draw with Fiorentina in the Europa League.

Ryan was helping Farah menswear’s #MatchReady campaign find the perfect pub for England fans to watch all the action this summer, and took time out of his busy schedule to chat with us. Here is what he had to say ….

How do you see England doing this summer?

“Hopefully very well. They are a young team with some experienced players in their as well. Im sure they will go out with no fear, think they are the big team, worry out themselves and perform to the best of their abilities.”

Is there any particular non-Spurs player you think will shine at the Euro’s?

“I wouldn’t pick one particular player out to be honest, I’m just going to watch it and enjoy the spectacle. There are lots of exciting players and I’m sure they’ll be some players who will have a little ‘purple patch’ over the Euro’s. It’s going to be good to watch.”

Except for yourself, was there anybody in the England squad that you were surprised didn’t get a call up for this summer?