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England's Ruud awakening

Ruud Gullit has claimed that key players not playing for top Premier League sides is the reason England consistently come up short in major tournaments.

The Dutch legend, who captained the Netherlands to Euro 1988 glory, also enjoyed spells in the Premier League as both a player and manager with Chelsea.

Asked about what the Three Lions are missing in their quest for a first triumph since 1966, the 60-year-old pulled no punches — even singling out five of Gareth Southgate’s stars in his stinging assessment.

Gullit explained: "With the Premier League, England has the most beautiful and biggest league in the world, but the five biggest clubs do not have English internationals playing in the most crucial positions. 

"That is killing the national team — there should be England players there, as they then get used to winning big trophies all the time. You win more with the bigger clubs.

"Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford plays at Everton, not a top-five club. Of the two central defenders, Harry Maguire is on the bench at Manchester United. John Stones does play at Manchester City, but not always.

"Declan Rice, the controlling midfielder, plays at West Ham and Harry Kane is a striker at Tottenham, where he has a team that has not won a trophy for years.

"That is England’s biggest problem. The team always plays well, but cannot make the final step."

Gullit also suggests that an idea floated by his former Blues team-mate Marcel Desailly is also a factor.

He added: "Desailly states that the French players have an example of a team that could win prizes and he is right. 

"Today’s generation at England never experienced 1966 and at all previous tournaments saw only penalty shootouts that failed."

Howe backs Bruno

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe believes Bruno Guimaraes is ready to put his World Cup woes behind him and star for the Magpies once again.

The 25-year-old midfielder made only two cameo appearances for quarter-finalists Brazil in Qatar, facing criticism in his homeland for not making an impact.

But Howe is backing Guimaraes to shine when he returns to club action in the coming days.

Howe said: "He’s fine physically. He’s obviously disappointed to not reach the latter stages of the World Cup with his country. 

"Their dream was to win the tournament, but he’s focused now on Newcastle and that’s very important for all the players, to put all that behind them and take what positives they can."

Guimaraes could be in line to feature tomorrow evening when his side take on Bournemouth in the last 16 of the Carabao Cup.

Miedema heartbreak

Arsenal forward Vivianne Miedema has shared her devastation after picking up an ACL injury that will see her sidelined for "an extended period".

The Dutch forward, 26, was stretchered off during the Gunners’ Champions League clash with Lyon on Thursday night and left the field in visible distress.

It has now been confirmed that she will undergo surgery in the coming days, with Miedema taking to Twitter to confirm the news this morning.

In her statement, she said: "It was one of those moments, where I knew straight away. 

"So many things going through your head: I won't be able to help my team any more this season, no World Cup, surgery and rehab for a long, long time.

"I won't be telling you I'll come back stronger or that I'm looking forward to spending the next however many months in the gym. It will be tough with plenty of difficult days (plenty of crying, which we've had a lot of already), but sadly enough it's part of football."

Miedema joins her Arsenal team-mate and partner Beth Mead on the sidelines after the Three Lions hero sustained an ACL injury herself last month.

No soft touch

Julen Lopetegui is expecting a tough test from League Two outfit Gillingham as he kicks off his tenure as Wolves boss tomorrow. 

The Gills head to Molineux dreaming of a Carabao Cup quarter-final spot but are enduring a dire campaign, sat rock bottom of the Football League having scored a miserly six goals in 20 fourth-tier outings. 

On paper, it looks the ideal opener for Spanish tactician Lopetegui but the ex-Sevilla boss is taking nothing for granted. 

He said: "I know that they have eliminated Brentford and I feel they are going to be a very dangerous team. 

"In the cup, all things can happen because it’s only one match. We have to be ready, we are alert and we know the way they play usually and we have to be ready for tomorrow."

Striker Raul Jimenez could return for the hosts having made three World Cup appearances from the bench for Mexico. 

On Jimenez, Lopetegui added: "He’s working very hard, like the rest of the squad. He’s trying to improve his feet and his body to feel better and help us more."

Record crowd watch Messi's crowning moment

Nearly 20 million Brits tuned in for Sunday’s classic World Cup final between Argentina and France. 

The pulsating 3-3 draw was broadcast across both BBC and ITV, with Lionel Messi finally sealing a world crown at the fifth attempt. 

It was a one-sided affair in the ratings battle, however, with BBC boasting a peak audience of 14.9m compared to ITV’s 4.3m. 

The total means 7.8m more Brits tuned into this year’s final than the 2018 showpiece.