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The 22-year-old reveals the batting advice from Ricky Ponting that has turbo-charged his IPL form

Alex Malcolm06-May-2024Rising star Jake Fraser-McGurk says he has no issues with missing out on Australia’s T20 World Cup squad and believes he wasn’t in a position to feel like he had earned a place in the final 15-member squad.Fraser-McGurk was a notable omission from Australia’s squad last week alongside Steven Smith as the selectors opted for a tried and trusted group that gave them flexibility in terms of the combinations they could use.Fraser-McGurk has not played a T20I for Australia, having played just two ODIs at the back end of the Australian summer, but has lit up IPL 2024 with two 15-ball half-centuries including scoring 84 off 27 balls against Mumbai Indians where he smashed the IPL’s best bowler Jasprit Bumrah for a six and two fours and India’s allrounder Hardik Pandya for 22 off an over.Related

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Ponting on Porel: The moment I laid eyes on him, I knew he was a very special talent

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Jake Fraser-McGurk, the ideal T20 batter

'Everything's happening so quickly' – Fraser-McGurk on his rapid rise to stardom

But Fraser-McGurk told the that he was not bothered by his non-selection in the World Cup squad and said his conversations with the selectors had been clear.”The communication was really good,” Fraser-McGurk said. “There’s two ways you can look at it. You can look at it through, ‘this is what I’ve done to prove my case,’ and then there’s also, ‘look, a month and a half ago I wasn’t even in the picture.'”They probably had a good idea of what [the squad] was a month and a half ago, trying to build that and get the connection in the team. And it’s also hard to fit in. You’ve got David Warner, our best opener ever in three formats. You’ve got Travis Head, who is lighting it up over here and has lit it up over the past 18 months.”And then Mitch Marsh is the same and he’s also the captain.”I can’t really see myself batting five or six because we’re pretty set there with Tim David, Cam Green and those sort of blokes. That’s the way I think about it. That’s fine. There’s hopefully going to be more time for that.”If I do somehow get a travelling reserve [spot] then great, I can get a good experience there. It didn’t really bother me a hell of a lot because I wasn’t in this position to sort of feel like I’ve earned that yet. World Cup cricket is a lot different to IPL and franchise cricket.”Fraser-McGurk said he is loving being in the Delhi Capitals environment and revealed that coach Ricky Ponting has given him some batting advice that has helped him enormously.”What he said to me that’s really stuck with me is ‘you hit the ball a lot further when you swing at 80% instead of 100%, you just have to find the middle and then it’ll go for six,'” Fraser-McGurk said.”And I was like, okay, well, that’s good, because when I swing harder my head moves. And I did look at the footage throughout all the recent games I’ve been playing apart from the IPL, and he’s right, when I do swing quite hard my head’s moving as I’m trying to hit the ball.”Someone who can pick up those little things like that, and you’re probably not even going to notice it, to have someone who can see that within the first couple of sessions of watching me bat, that sort of blew my mind and then I’ve just been training that the whole time and it’s paying off quite well.”

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk addressed the club's defensive woes as Crystal Palace twice came from behind to beat the Reds and lift the Community Shield on Sunday. Van Dijk admitted there have been problems in the backline that need to be resolved and urged his colleagues to regain last season's defensive form, where the champions conceded 41 league goals.

Van Dijk addressed Liverpool's defensive woesSent message to entire Reds squadLiverpool lost on penalties to Palace in Community ShieldFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Hugo Ekitike handed the Reds an early lead before Jean-Philippe Mateta equalised from the penalty spot. The reigning English champions soon restored their lead only to concede another equaliser towards the end of the game. The match then went to penalties, where Palace emerged victorious 3-2.

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Speaking to reporters after the game, Van Dijk admitted the team needs to work on improving their defence ahead of their title defence, as the Dutchman said: "We have conceded every game bar one this pre-season. Something we definitely have to work on. We will. I am not worried whatsoever. There is a reason why we were defensively good last year and we can get back to it."

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The 34-year-old also sent out a message to his team-mates before the start of the 2025-26 campaign as he urged the entire team to come together after the setback the club faced collectively following Diogo Jota's tragic death. The Dutch defender added: "It will be a very difficult season but we are all in this together. As a team, fans, it was always going to be tough with everything that happened (with Diogo), the only way to overcome it is together."

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Arne Slot's side kick off their league campaign on Friday night when they entertain Bournemouth at Anfield.

The MLS transfer window closes Aug. 21, and the Inter Miami coach insists he doesn’t want any more departures

Callender joins Charlotte FCPiovi getting closer to Miami host Tigres tomorrow in the Leagues CupGet the MLS Season Pass today!Stream games nowGetty Images SportWHAT HAPPENED?

With the transfer window closing on Aug. 21, Javier Mascherano struck a more direct tone about Inter Miami’s transfer plans. While open to adding players – like the long-rumored deal for Cruz Azul's Gonzalo Piovi – he stressed that he doesn’t want to see further departures after Federico Redondo and Drake Callender left earlier this window, with Fafa Picault and David Ruiz also rumored to be on the way out.

“Until the last day, we’ll keep evaluating. The club is working to bring in one or two players," he said in Tuesday’s press conference ahead of the Leagues Cup quarterfinal against Tigres. "Hopefully that happens. I don’t expect any departures – we want everyone to stay until the end of the season. My idea is not to let anyone go.

“Regarding Gonzalo [Piovi], it’s already out everywhere, and it’s something the club is working on. I can’t say much more, but the club is also working on another defensive option, so we’ll see."

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Cruz Azul manager Nicolás Larcamón admitted Piovi’s potential departure is a real possibility.

“I’m aware there’s significant interest from Inter Miami, and with all the machinery they have to generate attraction around players, I don’t need to explain the negative impact it could have on us. Piovi often gets involved in attacking situations because of his versatility. Losing him would be a big blow, but we have strong confidence in the rest of our squad,” Larcamón said.

Piovi, 30, would add to Miami's sizable Argentine contingent on the squad. The full back spent most of his career in Argentina's top flight before joining Cruz Azul in Liga MX in 2024. He's made 60 appearances for the club. 

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According to reports, Inter Miami would be willing to pay between $6 and $7 million for Piovi. Cruz Azul originally signed him for $2.5 million, and according to Transfermarkt, the Argentine defender is currently valued at $3 million

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR INTER MIAMI?Inter Miami will host Tigres this Wednesday in the Leagues Cup quarterfinals at Chase Stadium.

West Ham vice-chair Karren Brady has explained why the club were willing to offload Mohammed Kudus to rivals Tottenham in the summer transfer window.

Kudus left West Ham to join SpursBrady speaks about summer transferNew signing already shining at TottenhamFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Kudus swapped West Ham for Tottenham this summer in a transfer worth around £55 million ($75m). He has signed a six-year deal with Thomas Frank's side and is the first player to make the move from West Ham to Spurs since Scott Parker back in 2011.

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Kudus has already made an impact in north London. He bagged two assists on Saturday as Tottenham opened up their campaign with a 3-0 win over Burnley. In contrast, West Ham slumped to a 3-0 defeat to newly-promoted Sunderland. Brady has now lifted the lid on West Ham's decision to let Kudus go and says he didn't particularly impress for her club last season.

WHAT BRADY SAID

She told Sunday Edition: "It's always difficult to lose players that you want to keep. But the financial restraints and the PSR and all the rules and regulations in football mean that you have to do some trading. That's just the way it is. All clubs are having to do it. You're either restricted on what you can buy because you have to be careful of the financial rules or you have to sell to try and buy. So that was the decision that was made. [Kudus] didn't have a particularly good season for West Ham last year by his own standards. So we looked to move on."

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Kudus will be hoping to maintain his strong start to life on Spurs on Saturday against Manchester City. Tottenham then face Bournemouth before a clash with Kudus' former team West Ham on September 13.

Brendan Rodgers' Celtic suffered an embarrassing exit from the Champions League play-off round after they went down in penalties against Kazakh side Kairat Almaty. After both legs ended in goalless draws, the tie was taken to the penalty shootout, where Kairat emerged victorious 3-2 and progressed to the league stage. The Kazakh club will be placed in Pot 4 during the draw.

Celtic crashed out of UCL play-off roundLost to Kairat in penaltiesCeltic next face Rangers on SundayFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Reigning Scottish champions Celtic failed to qualify for the Champions League 2025-26 league stage after going down against Kairat Almaty 3-2 in penalties. After failing to score at home in the first leg, Celtic once again appeared toothless as the second leg in Almaty too ended in a goalless draw. In the tie-breaker, Adam Idah and Luke McCowan missed the first two penalties, while Daizen Maeda's miss in the team's fifth kick handed the opponent the tie. 

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The elimination from the Champions League's play-off round comes as a huge shock for Brendan Rodgers' side, who had almost reached the round of 16 stage last season, only for Bayern Munich's Alphonso Davies' later winner, which sealed the tie in the Bundesliga giants' favour.  

WHAT RODGERS SAID

After the game, the Celtic boss expressed his disappointment, as he told reporters: "It’s bitterly disappointing because we were on the right track last season, working very well and playing really good football. To not be in there this season, it’s a huge blow for us. I think we all know the consequence. If you don’t win the tie, then you drop into the Europa League. So we want to be in the Champions League, but we aren’t.

"So the Europa League’s still a prestigious tournament, but we missed a massive opportunity here over these two games. It is a long journey. You’d rather be travelling and having won the game, but we haven’t."  

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Celtic will be back in action this Sunday as they take on arch-rivals Rangers in a Scottish Premiership clash. 

Arne Slot congratulated Newcastle for signing striker Nick Woltemade ahead of Liverpool's potential new bid for Alexander Isak. The Magpies are reportedly on the verge of announcing their most expensive signing in club history after striking a £74 million deal with Stuttgart for the German striker. His arrival comes at a crucial moment for Eddie Howe’s squad, with Anthony Gordon suspended and Isak’s future hanging by a thread.

Newcastle to land Woltemade from StuttgartLiverpool ready record bid for IsakSlot plays transfer cards close to chestFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The Isak-to-Liverpool story has rumbled all summer, but this week it has shifted into overdrive. Newcastle rejected a mammoth £110m ($149m) opening offer from the Premier League champions a month ago. Now, Liverpool are reportedly preparing to smash through the British transfer record with an eye-watering £130m ($175m) bid in the final days of the window.

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Slot refused to be drawn on specifics regarding the pursuit of Isak, but he did tip his hat to Newcastle’s business.

"Newcastle have signed a new No. 9 (Woltemade from Stuttgart) which is very nice for Eddie," he told reporters. "Newcastle, if it’s true, and I have no reason to not believe what you are saying, are about to sign a new No. 9. That’s very nice for Eddie as Anthony Gordon is suspended and Alexander Isak has not been training with the team, so it’s nice to have a new No. 9. I think I said after Monday, I could make a sub to impact the game."

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With Woltemade's signing almost sealed, Slot hinted that the stars might be aligning in Liverpool’s favour: "As always we try to sign players to help us but there are no reasons to think after two games we need more. We will always try to strengthen if it’s the right player at the right price. There are only a few days left (of the transfer window being open), so let's see. There are only three or four days to go now, so let's see if we do something."

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Amid all the transfer noise, Liverpool’s immediate attention turns to the pitch. They host Arsenal on Sunday in a heavyweight clash that could shape the early title narrative. Slot will be buoyed by the return of Alexis Mac Allister, who missed the trip to Newcastle, and young defender Conor Bradley, who has enjoyed a full week of training and may be fit enough to feature.

West Indies now need to win both their remaining games to stay in contention for the final

S Sudarshanan23-Jan-2023A huge, authoritative partnership followed by a clinical bowling display helped India pick up their second win in the women’s T20 tri-series. Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur added an unbroken 115 for the third wicket, both hitting half-centuries in the process, to power India to 167 for 2.The Indian bowlers, led by Deepti Sharma’s 2 for 29, then restricted West Indies to 111. Shikha Pandey, playing her first T20I since October 2021, returned economical figures of 0 for 18 off her four overs. West Indies’ only resistance came via a 71-run partnership between captain Hayley Matthews and Shemaine Campbelle.West Indies gain early control
Having been asked to bowl first, West Indies made a good first impression. Having made her international debut for Barbados at the Commonwealth Games last year, Shanika Bruce – playing her first match for West Indies – kept openers Yastika Bhatia and Mandhana quiet. She regularly beat Bhatia’s outside edge and only gave away two fours in her two overs in the powerplay.From the opposite end, Shamilia Connell, who was impressive against South Africa, barely gave away runs, bowling ten dots in her two overs. In all, West Indies bowled 21 dots in the phase and gave away only 37 – 12 of which came off a single Karishma Ramharack over in which Bhatia fell.Mandhana, Harmanpreet change the narrative
Harmanpreet was returning after missing the opening clash due to illness and found herself in the middle with Mandhana with India devoid of much momentum. They were placed at 60 for 2 at the ten-over mark with Mandhana on 21 off 20.Harmanpreet then bookended the 11th over with fours off Matthews to signal a change of gears. The three overs after drinks saw India plunder 28. They also used the sweep against the legspin of Afy Fletcher and the delicate dabs against left-arm spinner Kaysia Schultz.This was after wicketkeeper Rashada Williams dropped a regulation catch of Harmanpreet – when on 21 – in right-arm seamer Shabika Gajnabi’s first over. Mandhana took on Gajnabi’s next over, striking her for three fours, including one to bring up a 39-ball half-century. It was the 20th time she’d passed fifty, the third most by a player in T20Is.The pair took 18 off the 18th over bowled by Connell, with Mandhana and Harmanpreet hitting a couple of fours each. Harmanpreet also completed a fifty in the final over as India managed to score 50 off the last four overs.Campbelle, Matthews save West Indies the blushes
Deepti struck on her first ball in India’s defence of 167, trapping Britney Cooper lbw with the perfect offspin where the ball beat Cooper on the inside edge before having Williams stumped in her next over. Having injured her ankle after the first innings, Matthews slid down the order with West Indies – opening with Cooper and Williams – sending Campbelle and Gajnabi in at No. 3 and No. 4 respectively. When Gajnabi was out lbw in the seventh over, the script seemed quite familiar.But Campbelle and Matthews then steadied the innings and changed gears after the tenth over when they were 39 for 3. While Campbelle swept the first ball of the 11th off Devika Vaidya for four, Matthews hit her for three more in the over. Both Campbelle and Matthews managed to find the boundaries regularly, but the target was never really within sight. They added 71 for the fourth wicket and it ended when Amanjot Kaur took a stunning catch after running to her left at deep midwicket and diving forward to dismiss Campbelle for 47.Matthews managed to stay unbeaten but West Indies fell short by 56. They will now need to win both their remaining games to stay in contention for the final.

Substitute Harry Kane bagged a goal and an assist as a Michael Olise-inspired Bayern Munich routed Hoffenheim 4-0 to end the season on a high.

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Bayern Munich beat Hoffenheim 4-0Olise, Kimmich, Gnabry and Kane scoreMuller plays last Bundesliga game for BayernFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱TELL ME MORE

The Bundesliga champions rang the changes for their final match of the league season, with the outgoing Thomas Muller leading Bayern's attack.

After a low-key start to the contest, Olise curled in an inch-perfect free-kick from 25 yards to give the visitors a 33rd-minute lead. Muller wasn't far away from getting on the scoresheet, but he couldn't keep his first-time shot under the bar.

Andrej Kramaric, who scored a hat-trick at home to Bayern last season and has eight goals against them in his career, should have equalised shortly after the break but his strike whistled past the post.

And in no time at all, they were punished as Olise's perfectly weighted pass was swept home by Joshua Kimmich, via a deflection, eight minutes after the interval.

Kane, who wasleft out of the starting lineup, rattled the woodwork shortly after coming on, but he showed the presence of mind to set up Serge Gnabry, who smashed home moments later in the 80th minute.

The England captain didn't have to wait long for his goal when he blasted the loose ball into the top corner against the fading hosts four minutes from time. Bayern managed to give Muller an ideal send-off, but the veteran will return for their Club World Cup campaign next month.

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This game had a very end of season feeling to it but Bayern showed enough quality to get the job done with relative ease. And the man who made that possible was former Crystal Palace star Olise, who has proven to be an excellent signing. His free-kick was sublime and he set up Kimmich, too.

THE BIG LOSER

Hoffenheim put up a feeble performance on a day when their place in the Bundesliga for next season was not assured. Luckily for them, Heidenheim lost heavily on the final day to ensure Christian Ilzer's team avoid a relegation play-off, but this was a meek display from the hosts.

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As this was the last round of Bundesliga fixtures this season, Bayern will next be in action when the Club World Cup rolls round in mid-June, where the Bavarians face Auckland City, Boca Juniors and Benfica in the group stages of the competition.

Handscomb and Murphy likely to bolster Victoria team while WA quicks Morris, Kelly and Paris all a chance to return for Shield decider at the WACA ground

Tristan Lavalette22-Mar-2023The bitter realisation started to sink in for coach Chris Rogers as Victoria’s disappointing campaign continued against lowly New South Wales at home in December just before the Sheffield Shield’s mid-season break.”I thought we were staring down the barrel of a wooden spoon,” Rogers said last week.Victoria’s season was effectively on the line having lost two straight matches after drawing the first three. Last season’s finalists had slumped against NSW in their second innings to 6 for 131, a lead of just 57, leading to a glum Rogers fearing the worst.That was until 20-year-old batter Campbell Kellaway hit 81 to spark a comeback 69-run victory that turned around Victoria’s season.Related

Handscomb signs deal with Leicestershire for County Championship

Rocchiccioli relishes the graft of bowling offspin at the WACA

Shield final specialist Marcus Harris is keeping Ashes in perspective

Four subsequent wins since the season’s resumption has powered a youthful Victoria into a rematch of last year’s decider with defending champions Western Australia at the WACA starting on Thursday.While Rogers had started to lose hope, Victoria’s players always maintained they were not far away from a change of fortune.”Wooden spoon…that’s a bit harsh. I’m having a chat with Buck [Rogers] after that,” grinned Victoria captain Peter Handscomb on Wednesday in Perth.”The signs were there. Just those little moments we couldn’t get over the line earlier in the season. We’re finally winning those clutch moments.”Victoria’s climb up the ladder has been built around a strong bowling attack underpinned by exciting quicks Mitchell Perry and Fergus O’Neill, who have taken 55 wickets between them.With Handscomb missing the resurgence due to being on Australia’s tour of India, former Test opener Marcus Harris and in-form Matthew Short have led the batting order superbly.Having only recently returned from India, Handscomb has walked into a highly confident squad feeling bullish about their chances of ending WA’s bid for a second straight treble of domestic titles.”Generally speaking, as a Victorian team we have always had a bit of confidence and these young guys coming through are not short of confidence either,” he said. “It’s good just rolling back in, I haven’t had to say too much. These guys are just running their show.”Todd Murphy returns for Victoria after outstanding tour of India•BCCIHandscomb and Murphy create selection headachesVictoria will have a slightly different line-up that beat a weakened WA at the WACA last week to leapfrog Queensland into second place on the ladder.Handscomb is set to replace either veteran opener Travis Dean or emerging batter Ashley Chandrasinghe.But a major selection dilemma looms between veteran left-arm spinner Jon Holland and offspinner Todd Murphy, who is fresh from his eye-catching performances in India.Holland has taken 12 wickets at 28.75 in seven matches this season, including 3 for 15 in WA’s first innings of 122 last week.Murphy appears likely to get the nod but has never played at the pace-friendly WACA, a ground renowned for being uncompromising for spinners.”Todd Murphy hadn’t played a game in India either and he still got picked and did well there,” Handscomb said. “We are not fussed about whether guys have played here or not. We have a lot of talent in the squad.”Whoever misses out who has been playing … it’s going to be tough.”Given their pace riches, further strengthened by Test quick Scott Boland who took eight wickets against WA in his return, and the ground’s reputation, Victoria is unlikely to play both Holland and Murphy although the surface is set to be more sedate for the five-day final.Amid particularly spicy conditions, marked by a green-tinged pitch, only two of the five matches at the WACA this season have reached day four and both those games wrapped up before lunch.Lance Morris returns to bolster WA•Getty ImagesWA set to unleash Lance MorrisBut much like last season’s final, where WA won on first-innings bonus points after a draw, there should be a more even contest between bat and ball.”It looks a little nicer to bat than the whole season, [but] we’ll back our bowlers to take 20 wickets,” WA captain Sam Whiteman said.Coming off a thrashing to Victoria, where they appeared to go through the motions having already secured a home final, WA will be boosted by the expected returns of quicks Lance Morris, Joel Paris and Matt Kelly.Having been overlooked for selection in India, Morris has not played since the BBL in late January with his last red-ball match being against Queensland in early December.”I had the joy of facing [Morris] in the nets yesterday and got through unscathed,” Whiteman said. “He’s bowling fast and after a month of bowling in the nets he’s raring to go.”While Handscomb admitted that spoiling WA’s golden run was “extra motivation”, Whiteman preferred playing by the organisation’s playbook of not giving away too much publicly.”There’s definitely no talk of winning all three titles this season,” he said. “I don’t think there are any internal pressures. We’ve played really good cricket this year and earned the right to play at home.”They have a full head of steam. It’s going to be a bloody good game.”

The SNL cast member made a public display of family pride during the season finale following the Eagles’ historic FA Cup win

Nwodim's jersey choice came hours after Palace secured their first major trophySNL star previously confirmed her family connection to Eze in 2023Eagles beat Manchester City 1-0 in the 2025 FA Cup finalGetty Images EntertainmentWHAT HAPPENED

During the closing moments of Saturday Night Live's season finale on May 18, 2025, cast member Ego Nwodim was spotted wearing a Crystal Palace kit. The SNL star was seen wearing the Eagles’ third jersey from the 2022-23 season just hours after her cousin Eberechi Eze and the club won their first major trophy by beating Manchester City in the FA Cup final. Not only that, her fellow cast member Marcello Hernandez stood with his arm wrapped around Nwodim's shoulder as the two pointed and tugged at the shirt to celebrate the achievement.

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Crystal Palace's 1-0 victory over Manchester City at Wembley Stadium marked the end of a 120-year trophy drought for the south London club. Eze scored the decisive goal, cementing his status as a club hero and validating his emergence as one of the Premier League's most exciting talents. The win represents one of the most significant upsets in recent FA Cup history, with Palace defeating Pep Guardiola's dominant Manchester City side against considerable odds.

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Crystal Palace will complete their Premier League season with fixtures against Wolves on May 20 and Liverpool on the final day of the season on May 24 while basking in their historic achievement. For Eze, his focus will be on finishing the season strong so that he earns a call-up to the England national team ahead of the World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Senegal scheduled for early June.