England Manager Roy Hodgson is facing a fresh scandal concerning Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand after claiming his England career was over on a London tube train.

The former West Brom boss announced his squad at a press conference today and as expected, did not include the 33-year-old centre back.

The claim was made on a jubilee train as Hodgson was reported to have said that “it was the end of the road” for Rio, according to the Daily Mail.

This will come as another surprising snub to a defender who has been capped by his country 81 times and was hoping for a fresh opportunity to play for the national team, after John Terry recently retired from international football.

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Rio Ferdinand himself, recently mentioned that he was aiming to play at least 35 games competitively this season after having his last few seasons hampered with injury. He will be expected to be starting in the Premier League game on Sunday against Newcastle United.

Following Northern Ireland’s memorable draw against Portugal on Tuesday, Huddersfield midfielder Oliver Norwood has told the Daily Mail how he used his old connections with Manchester United to obtain an invaluable relic of international football.

After the full time whistle, Cristiano Ronaldo rejected offers to swap shirts with many of the Northern Ireland players. The world-class winger then gave his jersey, worn on his 100th appearance for Portugal, to 21-year-old Norwood.

Norwood has now explained how he became the unlikely recipient of the Portugal No.7 shirt. The midfielder was released by Premier League side Manchester United in the summer, and shares an agent with United star Rio Ferdinand.

“Rio and I have the same agent, and I knew he had kept in touch with Ronaldo from their days together at United,” Norwood explained.

“So I phoned him last week and asked if he could put a word in for me. I just explained how much it would mean to have Ronaldo’s shirt, and could he possibly see what the chances were.

‘I was hoping that might do the trick, but I wanted to make sure, so I went up to Ronaldo before the game and introduced myself. He just said: ‘Yeah, Rio spoke to me. Don’t worry – the shirt’s yours.’

“I will frame it, as soon as I get it home, and keep it. It will have pride of place among all my football possessions. I will show it my kids and grandkids in years to come and tell them that’s the shirt Ronaldo wore in his 100th international appearance. I was on the pitch with him, and there’s the evidence.

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“I’m absolutely thrilled with it, and I owe Rio for setting it up for me. It was so good of him, and I am really grateful.”

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European Champions Chelsea are about to snap up Fluminese wing back Wallace, according to the player’s agent Fernando Moraes.

Wallace was rumoured to be part of the deal taking Deco to Brazil a few years ago, but it seems that now the player has turned 18 he will finally make his move to Stamford Bridge.

Moraes did however claim that despite the deal being nearly done, he doesn’t expect his client to be sent out on loan in the near future.

“There are very advanced negotiations with Chelsea and the signature is almost certain,” Moraes said, according to Italian radio station Centro Suono Sport.

“If Wallace goes to Chelsea, he will be playing there.

“I had contact with Roma and many other Italian clubs, but that was a long time ago.

“I rule out the possibility of a loan [from Chelsea to Roma]. If he joins Chelsea he will play for the Blues.” (Daily Mail)

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Liverpool FC manager Brendan Rodgers is hopeful that changes at Chelsea won’t damage his chances of securing a deal to sign striker Daniel Sturridge in January.

The Chelsea forward has emerged as Rodgers’ prime target in the Premier League transfer window as he looks to strengthen a forward line heavily reliant on Uruguayan forward Luis Suarez.

However, the appointment of Rafa Benitez could complicate matters if he sees Sturridge as more of an integral part of his squad than his predecessor Roberto Di Matteo did.

“You never know when new managers go into clubs, but we will see what happens over the course of the market for us,” Rodgers told The Telegraph.

The player himself is said to be keen on the move and has made no secret of his desire to play as a striker through the middle,  something which he has not really had the opportunity to do at Chelsea with Fernando Torres being preferred in that role.

Rodgers is also reported to be keen on unsettled Arsenal forward Theo Walcott, and after he was left out of the club’s 2013 calender it has sparked further indications that he is nearing an exit from the Emirates.

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Both of these players added to the likes of tricky winger Raheem Sterling and the imperious Suarez would give Liverpool more depth in their attacking options, but it remains to be seen whether Rodgers can get the players he wants come January.

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Arsenal’s main transfer target, Wilfried Zaha, has mockingly tweeted his frustration at watching the Gunners during their 2-1 Champions League defeat against Olympiakos Tuesday night.

Finishing behind Schalke 04 the Gunners have to settle for a tough knockout tie in the next phase of the Champions League against a group winner.

They took the lead against the Greeks in the first half when Tomas Rosicky side footed from the penalty spot after a clever cutback by Gervinho. Arsenal’s collapse came in the second half after conceding two goals to Giannis Maniatis and Kostas Mitroglou respectively.

Championship striker Zaha admitted that he stopped watching the tie after Arsenal fell behind, tweeting, “I swear I’m not watching Arsenal anymore.”

The Crystal Palace forward then retweetd Mark Bright’s comment, saying, “’Arsenal are poor. Plain and simple. Sorry @IanWright0 its so annoying watching them, used [to] be made of steel. Now, papier mache!”

Zaha’s comment alone merely playfully mocks the North London side, however, his retweet of TV pundit Bright gave his view a more caustic quality.

The playful swipe, made in the public sphere, has the potential to isolate the youngster if a move to his boyhood club Arsenal ever transpires this January, or this summer.

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As reparation for his earlier tweet Zaha admitted that “I am a[n] Arsenal supporter but they do stress me out.”

Arsene Wenger has already admitted admiration for the player’s footballing acumen, but his social media savvy is certainly a work-in-progress.

Both Liverpool and Newcastle United will make a January approach for Valenciennes centre back Nicolas Isimat Mirin according to the Metro.

The French club are happy to talk to admirers if a bid of £4million or more is placed in the January transfer window.

Both the Reds and the Magpies are desperate to sure up their failing defences with the pair massively underachieving this season after so much expectation in the summer.

Newcastle have had numerous injury problems this season with Fabricio Coloccini and Steven Taylor both being affected while Liverpool are planning for life without club legend Jamie Carragher.

The French centre half is just one of a batch of impressive young Ligue 1 players that have blossomed this season, sparking an Arsene Wenger style raid of the French League in January.

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Valenciennes are happy to do business with regard to Isimat Mirin but they would want to keep the defender on loan for the rest of the season.

Leeds United manager Neil Warnock has praised Ross Barkley after the Everton loanee put in an encouraging performance in the weekend’s clash against Barnsley.

The match against their Yorkshire rivals ended in disappointment for Leeds, who went down to a 2-0 defeat against the Championship strugglers.

But the performance of Barkley, who has joined on loan from the Toffees in a bid to get more game time, was a positive element in an otherwise forgettable day.

And Warnock admits he was not surprised by the 19-year-old’s display, saying he was well aware of what he would bring to the Elland Road outfit.

“I said to him afterwards that we’re not always like that”, Warnock told his club’s official site.

“You could see why we brought him here and you could see what he’s got. He’s got good energy, he created chances out of nothing and he was the one bright spark of the team.

“I thought the Leeds fans could see that with the reception he got at the end. They appreciated him and what he brought to the team.”

Barkley will be unavailable for Leeds’ next match, an FA Cup third-round replay against Birmingham on Tuesday evening.

The midfielder is ineligible for the fixture, alongside fellow January signing Michael Tongue, having signed for United after the initial 1-1 draw with the Blues.

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A victory for Warnock’s men would see them secure a home tie against Tottenham Hotspur in the competition’s fourth round.

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Arsenal’s Bacary Sagna is having a troubling season to say the least. The French right-back has been continually struggling with injury throughout his time in the Premier League, but now, having been given the run of a few games in the first team, it seems he is past his best, and his times on the sidelines have unfortunately taken the best of him.

Another good player ruined by injury; it’s certainly a shame. But Arsene Wenger must move on, and it seems he’s well aware of the situation, with Sagna set to be shown the exit door at the Emirates in the summer.

So who will replace the french defender? Carl Jenkinson is a solid right-back, but he’s still learning his trade. A new right-back will certainly be one of Wenger’s top priorities in the next transfer window, but who is the Gunners gaffer even looking at?

Well here’s five suggestions of footballers who will be on Arsene Wenger’s shortlist, as he attempts to find a replacement for Bacary Sagna.

Click on Sagna to find out who could be Arsenal’s new right-back next season

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Spurs boss Andre Villas-Boas has been credited with an interest in Fiorentina’s Spanish midfielder Borja Valero.

Valero, who spent the 2008/09 season in the Premier League with West Brom, has been in fine form for La Viola this season and Villas-Boas is believed to have already contacted the Italian side with regards to a summer transfer.

The 28-year-old Spaniard only joined Fiorentina last summer from Villarreal and has since established himself as a key player in Vincenzo Montella’s side. The central midfielder will want to add to his one cap for Spain which he received in 2011.

Valero has given no indication that he is looking to leave Fiorentina but the lure of Champions League football could convince the midfielder to move to White Hart Lane if Spurs step up their interest and make a concrete move.

Fiorentina are currently 6 points behind AC Milan for the last Champions League place after a successful campaign under Montella. Fan favorite Valero is a major reason for that success, which lead him to say “perhaps this is my best season.” He has been one of the top passers in Italy during his time at Fiorentina, who play an expansive style of football.

Tottenham are currently in third place with seven matches left to play in the season. If they do qualify for the Champions league, they will be looking to get more depth in both attack and midfield this summer.

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Anders Lindegaard has revealed he’s frustrated about his lack of game time at Manchester United, suggesting he’s ready to leave the club.

Despite sharing the goalkeeping duties with David De Gea last season, it has become apparent that the Spaniard is Ferguson’s number 1 choice for the club. Lindegaard hasn’t featured for United in 2013.

The Dane spoke to the Mirror about his lack of game time, as he’s watched from the stands for most of the season:

“For me at the moment it’s not easy being on the bench when the team is performing as well as we do. We live for the thrill of playing and the adrenaline you get when you step out on the pitch.”

The 28-year-old added: “Everybody wants to play and I’m not different from anyone else. I’m sure all the players who are not in the starting line-up every game would say the same.”

The goalkeeper’s lack of games could be enough to see him move to a different club, offering him first team football. West Ham have been linked with the Danish ‘keeper, who could replace the ageing Jussi Jaaskelainen.

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Lindegaard has only been capped five times for Denmark, but wasn’t involved in all 3 of their last World Cup qualifiers, and isn’t expected to feature during the current international break.

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