“European Nations League”: James Hill in the England squad for the first time

Bournemouth defender, James Hill, was called up to the England national team squad, for the first time, for the matches against Croatia and Spain, the world champions, in the last two rounds of the first-level competitions of the European Nations League.

German coach Thomas Tuchel turned to Hill, after it was confirmed that central defenders Mark Guehi and Ezri Konsa would be absent from the match against Croatia scheduled for Thursday at Wembley Stadium, where the “Three Lions” need to avoid losing by 8 goals or more, in order to join Spain to the quarter-finals (they won the first leg over Croatia 7-0).

Guehi withdrew from the camp due to an injury he suffered during Manchester City's loss to Nottingham Forest, on Saturday, in the English Premier League.

On Monday, the English Football Association decided to summon Newcastle defender Dan Byrne. Because Arsenal defender Konsa will not be ready to face Croatia at Wembley Stadium; As he continues a special program for recovery and regaining physical readiness.

Konsa is expected to be ready for Sunday's match against Spain in Madrid.

After being largely obscure, Hill achieved a rapid rise this season, and participated in 15 matches with Bournemouth, which caught the attention of Tuchel.

Hill will compete for a place in the heart of the English defence, along with Dan Byrne, Jarrell Quansah and Jarrad Branthwaite.

A statement issued by the English Football Association said: “Bournemouth defender James Hill received his first call-up to the England national team,” adding: “The 24-year-old player, who previously represented England at the U-20 and U-21 levels, joined the national team ahead of the two upcoming matches in the European Nations League.”

He continued: “On the other hand, Ezri Konsa will not be available to face Croatia at Wembley Stadium on Thursday, as he continues to implement his special (qualifying) program, but he will return to full group training later this week, before the trip to Spain, on Sunday.”

Defender Ibrahima Konate said that his colleague Kylian Mbappe, captain of the French national team, has overcome a difficult stage, and is now focusing on helping his team prepare for the European Nations League matches against Italy and Turkey.

Mbappe returned to the French national team after missing the last 3 matches. He was injured, failed to win the Ballon d'Or, and was criticized in China for his comments about the late leader Mao Zedong, the founder of modern China.

Konate confirmed to reporters about Mbappe: “He is in a very good mental state, and you can see that in his recent matches. "He was decisive in front of goal. He is very important for us in Madrid."

The Real Madrid striker (27 years old) ranked second behind England captain Harry Kane in the Ballon d'Or voting.

He was also forced to apologize for statements he made during an interview that showed a satirical image of his face superimposed on a picture of Mao.

This incident sparked angry reactions in China, prompting several brands to end their commercial partnerships with Mbappe, and the Chinese state channel CCTV also stopped its coverage of the Spanish League.

Konate, Mbappe's teammate at Real Madrid, explained that the World Cup winner responded to the situation in his usual way.

He added: “He is a competitive player, so it is natural for him not to win the Ballon d’Or, when he thought he had a chance to win it, was difficult, but he was completely focused in training the next day.”

Brazilian striker Andric did not rule out the possibility of leaving Real Madrid again during the winter transfer period. In an effort to get more time on the field, according to what he reported on Tuesday from Singapore on the sidelines of his country’s friendly match against Japan.

The 20-year-old striker said: “I don’t know what will happen next January.” All I ask is for the best for my career. “What is destined to happen will happen.”

He added: “I am still young.” I'm only 20, so I'll see what happens. “I just want to play, be happy, help my teammates, score goals and make them, as I did in Lyon, where I lived the best periods of my life.”

In the second half of last season, and in light of his marginalization at Real Madrid, Indrik was loaned to Lyon in France, in a successful experience that opened the doors for him to the Brazilian national team, with whom he participated in the World Cup last summer in North America.

During his time with Lyon, he scored 8 goals and provided 8 assists in 21 matches.

He admitted that he was aware of the intense competition for attacking positions at Real Madrid, saying: “It is an honor for me to be at Real Madrid. But I know that in my position there is one of the best players in the world, (Frenchman) Kylian Mbappe, and we all know that he is (a candidate to become) one of the Ballon d’Or winners.”

After suffering an injury at the beginning of the season, Endrik only participated in 141 minutes in total, during which he played 4 matches in the Spanish League and 3 in the Champions League, scoring only one goal.

Despite the limited time he spent on the field, Endrick praised his new coach at the Royal Club, the Portuguese Jose Mourinho, saying: “Mourinho is someone in whom I place great confidence. He comes to me every day and asks me how I am, but not about football, but always about my personal life. I appreciate that very much. He was one of the first coaches to talk to me and make me feel really welcome. “I am very grateful to him.”

The Brazilian national team will face its Japanese counterpart in a friendly match, on Saturday, after it had narrowly defeated it in the round of 32 of the World Cup this summer, with a score of 2-1.

Three days after the match with Japan, the Seleção will face the Singapore national team.