England boss Gareth Southgate is very happy that former Liverpool winger Raheem Sterling has been able to become a much more matured player in the last 24 months. Sterling made the switch to Manchester City in 2015 when he was just getting beyond his teens. He had made his reputation at Liverpool for his immense space. The initial few years at Manchester City were not exactly rosy for the winger – especially after the arrival of Pep Guardiola. However, the former Barcelona boss seems to have groomed the England international in such a way that he is now much more effective than ever before.

Sterling has been able to make 49 appearances for England since his debut in 2012. Even though he has scored only eight goals in all of these matches, it is incredible to think that six of these goals have come in the last two years. There is a lot of maturity surrounding the 24-year-old, who scored only two goals for England in his first five years with the national team. Sterling has not been getting statistically better just for England, as he has been able to put in a lot of high-profile performances even for City. Sterling came up with 23 goals last season and he is on course to getting 20+ goals for a second consecutive campaign.

Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri claims that Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Callum Hudson-Odoi are ready to become stars of this Chelsea first-team. So far, the youngsters have not been given a proper run out in the first-team as they have been largely used as substitutes. The impact that both players have had for Chelsea have been very limited in the 2018-19 campaign, but that has not prevented from both players making an impact at international level. This is especially true in the case ofHudson-Odoi, who went on to make his first senior appearance for England even before making a start in the Premier League.

This situation seems to have woken up Sarri, whose Chelsea team is also badly in need of new ideas, after the Italian finally admitted that the youngsters will be getting opportunities in the last few games of the campaign. Hudson-Odoi has been featuring more prominently in the Europa League, but it is expected that he will be starting more games in the last five matches of the Premier League campaign. Loftus-Cheek has had injury problems so far this season, but Sarri confirmed that the midfielder is finally beyond his back troubles and that they can both make an impact. Since both players are fresh at this moment, they will be able to provide a new impetus.

The memories of that summer in Russia have just about faded from the consciousness of England fans, as for four weeks there was a real belief that football was truly coming home. Unfortunately though, it was a dream that died after a semi-final defeat to eventual runners-up Croatia.

Eventually, England would have to make do with a fourth-place finish after losing to Belgium for the second time in the tournament. After defeat in their final group stage fixture, they once again came up short against Roberto Martinez's men in the third/fourth place play-off.

Coleen Rooney is believed to have swapped going to Wembley to watch her husband Wayne in his England farewell appearance for a shopping trip.

WAG Colleen had been seen doing her shopping for Christmas in Cheshire prior to the match against the United States, and it’s believed that she stayed up in Manchester instead of heading to London.

Wayne Rooney has backed Harry Kane to eclipse his goalscoring record with the England national side.

The 33-year-old recently secured his 120th and final cap for the Three Lions during the international friendly against the United States and speaking after that game, Rooney said that he is expecting Kane to surpass his scoring record in years to come.

Liverpool legend-turned-pundit Jamie Carragher believes Ross Barkley has better attributes than Dele Alli and Jesse Lingard in terms of raw ability and he could become the face of England’s midfield in the forthcoming years. The former Evertonian had a tough 2017/18 season where he struggled regularly with a hamstring problem but he has managed to come through it this term with consistent performances in the Blues shirt.

Speaking to Sky Sports News, Carragher said: “This lad has got to become mentally stronger, but in terms of ability, you think of the players who played in that position in the World Cup - Dele Alli and Jesse Lingard - and maybe you could argue they are better mentally but they are not better ability wise. If he becomes better mentally - as you would expect playing for a big team and achieving big things - I think he could become a must for the England team.”

England will be quite hopeful about taking something out of the game against Spain when they make the trip to Seville on Monday. Gareth Southgate’s men have been able to get just a solitary point from the first two group matches. After an opening defeat against Spain, England were only able to manage a goalless draw with Croatia in the second group match. As a result, England have been placed as the outsiders for a victory at the Benito Villamarin. The Three Lions are without a victory in four competitive games and they are placed at 19/4 for a victory in this match.

Meanwhile, Spain have been flying high under the regime of Luis Enrique and they have been able to score an incredible 10 goals in the last two matches. They have also conceded just one goal since making the trip to Wembley. As a result, Spain are overwhelming favourites to win the game and they are priced at just 4/6. Even though the price may not sound attractive, the draw is a good option for the meeting between these two teams as both have a strong set of players. Jordan Henderson and John Stones will be the players unavailable for the game. A draw is an attractive price had 3/1 to win the match.

England international Harry Kane has stressed that he cannot be compared with the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, who have achieved plenty of success over the past decade. Kane has been one of the Premier League’s most fearsome strikers over the past four seasons and he managed to take the same form into the recent World Cup where he was handed the Golden Boot for the most goals scored during the tournament.

Speaking at a news conference, Kane said that he wants to continue improving with his game but he is still far off from reaching the heights of Messi and Ronaldo, he said: “I think it's hard to compare myself with them two. Those two have set a standard of football over the past 10 years that has been unbelievable.Those are the heights we all want to reach. To finish top goalscorer in a World Cup was something I am extremely proud of.I don't think I can be up there with those two but I aim to improve.”

Prior to his goal against Fulham, the Spurs man had failed to score in over 1,000 minutes of top-flight football in August. With that run now over, a huge weight has been lifted and Kane may benefit directly from that lack of pressure. Lucas Moura has stepped up to the plate in the absence of Heung-Min Son and Mauricio Pochettino will be very happy with his team at this moment in time.

Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane has done it: his barren run without a top-flight goal in August is over.

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