Everton midfielder Ross Barkley has vowed to adapt his game in order to rediscover the form that made him hot property last season.

The England international was a star turn in an Everton side that finished 5th in the Premier League in 2013-14, leading to rumours that the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea were interested in his services.

By his own admission Barkley has failed to replicate those excellent performances this season as Roberto Martinez s men found themselves in an unlikely relegation battle.

Barkley was on the scoresheet as Everton defeated Newcastle United 3-0 on Sunday to put a six-point gap between themselves and the bottom three, and the 21-year-old is promising to do more to improve his game.

It has been a tough season for me. I…

Chelsea are assessing Reece James after he withdrew from the England squad for Sunday s Euro 2024 qualifier against Ukraine.

James season has been ravaged by injury, limiting him to only 18 appearances for the Blues in all competitions.

A knee problem caused the right-back to miss the World Cup in Qatar, along with Chelsea team-mate Ben Chilwell.

James made his England return on Thursday, appearing from the bench for the final five minutes of a 2-1 qualifying win at Italy, only to suffer another setback.

Reece James has withdrawn from the England squad and will not feature against Ukraine on Sunday, an England statement read.

Defender has withdrawn from the squad and will not feature against Ukraine on Sunday.

22 players will be out to …

Kai Havertz and Nico Schlotterbeck have withdrawn from Germany s squad for Tuesday s friendly with Belgium.

Both players started Saturday s 2-0 win over Peru, but the German Football Association (DFB) confirmed on Sunday they have now returned to their clubs.

Chelsea attacker Havertz is ruled out of the Belgium match through illness, while Borussia Dortmund defender Schlotterbeck has a thigh injury.

Germany head coach Hansi Flick has decided against calling up any replacements for the friendly at RheinEnergieStadion in Cologne.

Belgium, who beat Sweden 3-0 in their opening Euro 2024 qualifier on Friday, will be without Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois due to a minor strain injury.

has travelled home from the squad due to illness, while Nic…

Market: Portugal to beat Holland

Odds: 

Euro 2016 champions Portugal continue their preparations for this summer s World Cup against Holland on Monday night. After a successful qualifying campaign, Fernando Santos side are in a tough group containing Spain, Morocco, and Iran. While Portugal have their sites set on this year s finals, the Dutch will be watching from the second consecutive tournament from their sofas.

For the hosts on Monday night, the Euro 2016 Champions have continued to impress and could be one of this summers World Cup finals surprise packages. Along with lifting the trophy in France two years ago, Fernando Santos Portugal side finished third in the Confederations Cup and also qualified for the World Cup at the head of Group B. Winning nine o…

It seems Samuel Umtiti is ready to leave , as Manchester United prepare to activate his €60 million release clause and double his current wages. With him gone, the Blaugrana s centre-back area looks pretty thin, and they are therefore getting ready to sign a replacement.

According to , the player that they ve identified as the preferred option is Sevilla s Clement Lenglet. The 22-year-old has impressed them so far in La Liga as well as in the Champions League, where his performance against Manchester United s Romelu Lukaku earned some very high praise.

Asked about the possibility of moving to Camp Nou, Lenglet said Barcelona are a great team, full of high-level internationals. But he also stressed that the situation is currently the same at Sevilla, and that at the mo…

Verdict: France to qualify

Best Odds:

Bookmaker:

Germany were somewhat fortunate to get past Italy in spite of an under-par performance, but they should face a much tougher task against tournament hosts with quite a few important players missing. France, on the other hand, finally turned on the style to hammer Iceland and they will be looking for more of the same at Stade Velodrome.

Germany

While Germany impressed to lift the 2014 World Cup trophy, the success also created some problems for Joachim Low, who needed a while to rebuild his squad after several star players retired from international duty. That was the main reason why Die Mannschaft were not seen as leading contenders for the Euro 2016 title, and, in all fairness, they failed to impress in…

Brisbane Roar have begun preparations for next season s A-League campaign with the appointment of former Australia international John Aloisi as their new head coach.

Aloisi replaces interim head coach Frans Thijssen after he guided the club to sixth place last season, before losing to Adelaide United in the elimination final earlier this month.

Thijssen had only been in charge since Mike Mulvey stepped down in November, but the Dutchman has been overlooked for the permanent role, the club instead turning to Aloisi.

I am extremely proud and honoured to join Brisbane Roar, the former Melbourne Heart coach told the club s official website.

The club has defined success in the first 10 years of the A-League and I am determined to ensure the high standards th…

Arsenal marked Jack Wilshere s return to action with a nerve-wracking 1-0 victory over a 10-man QPR, thanks to a late strike from Mikel Arteta.

The Spaniard scrambled the ball over the goal-line in the 84th minute following an afternoon of toil for Arsene Wenger s side in which they once again failed to find their attacking rhythm.

The result, which lifts the Gunners to fourth position in the Premier League, came thanks to a helping hand from QPR defender Stephane Mbia, who was sent-off in the 80th minute after foolishly kicking out at Arsenal captain Thomas Vermaelen.

QPR manager Mark Hughes will now face increasing speculation over his future as the west London club remain rock-bottom in the Premier League with three points from nine matches.

The Wels…

Benfica coach Jorge Jesus is resigned to losing highly rated midfielder Nemanja Matic during the transfer window.

The 24-year-old joined the Portuguese club from Chelsea in January 2011 as part of the big-money deal that saw centre-back David Luiz move in the opposite direction to Stamford Bridge.

Matic has since excelled under Jesus, making 45 appearances last season as Benfica narrowly missed out on the Primeira Liga title and lost in the UEFA Europa League final to Chelsea.

Now 58-year-old Jesus has acknowledged that he may struggle to keep hold of the Serbia international.

Of course Matic s exit worries me, Jesus told Benfica TV.

When he came to Portugal he was on the periphery at Chelsea. We thought that he had potential. In the two years that followed…

Brazil star Neymar says he is desperate for countryman and AC Milan forward Robinho to join him at Santos.

Robinho has endured a frustrating campaign to date and failed to recapture the form which saw the Serie A giants spend 18 million euros on his signature back in 2010.

Rumours have continued to linger about his future at San Siro, with the 28-year-old persistently linked with a move back to his homeland and his former club.

Neymar said he would be delighted if his club could tempt Robinho back home, and partner him with his international team-mate.

I am biased because he is my idol, Neymar told Xinhua. To have an idol back at the club would be something special.

If the fans want him then I want him here too. But ultimately it s the preside…