Marcus Rashford and Jordan Henderson included in England squad for World Cup qualifiers

Both he and Henderson missed out on last summer’s European Championship. Tuchel on Friday also included uncapped defenders Myles Lewis-Skelly and Dan Burn in his 26-man squad. (AP)
Short Url
Updated 14 March 2025
Follow

Marcus Rashford and Jordan Henderson included in England squad for World Cup qualifiers

  • Rashford’s international future had been uncertain after Manchester United sent him out on loan to Aston Villa
  • Both he and Henderson missed out on last summer’s European Championship. Tuchel on Friday also included uncapped defenders Myles Lewis-Skelly and Dan Burn in his 26-man squad

LONDON: Marcus Rashford and Jordan Henderson have been included in coach Thomas Tuchel’s first England squad ahead of World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Latvia.
Rashford’s international future had been uncertain after Manchester United sent him out on loan to Aston Villa. Both he and Henderson missed out on last summer’s European Championship.
Tuchel on Friday also included uncapped defenders Myles Lewis-Skelly and Dan Burn in his 26-man squad. Arsenal’s Lewis-Skelly is 18, while Newcastle’s Burn gets his first call-up at the age of 32.
England hosts Albania next Friday and Latvia three days later at Wembley Stadium.
The 34-year-old Henderson left Liverpool in the summer of 2023 for a big-money move to Al-Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia, but he lasted just six months and transferred to Ajax, in part to face European competition and keep his place in the England team.
But Henderson wasn’t picked by former coach Gareth Southgate for the Euros, where England reached the final before losing 2-1 to Spain.
___
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Aaron Ramsdale (Southampton), James Trafford (Burnley)
Defenders: Dan Burn (Newcastle), Levi Colwill (Chelsea), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Reece James (Chelsea), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal), Tino Livramento (Newcastle), Jarell Quansah (Liverpool), Kyle Walker (AC Milan)
Midfielders: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace), Curtis Jones (Liverpool), Jordan Henderson (Ajax), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa), Declan Rice (Arsenal)
Forwards: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Marcus Rashford (Aston Villa), Dominic Solanke (Tottenham).


Sweden’s Ekstrom takes Dakar stage seven win in Saudi Arabia

Updated 11 January 2026
Follow

Sweden’s Ekstrom takes Dakar stage seven win in Saudi Arabia

  • Qatar’s Nasser Al-Attiyah stays top in the car category

WADI AL-DAWASI: Mattias Ekstrom won stage seven of the Dakar Rally on Sunday as the field started the second week in Saudi Arabia with late drama for Toyota’s Henk Lategan while Qatar’s Nasser Al-Attiyah stayed top in the car category.

South African Lategan had looked like taking the stage and overall lead but let both slip through his fingers after the day’s final checkpoint.

Instead, Sweden’s Ekstrom, winner of the prologue in a Ford Raptor, became ‌the first ‌driver in the top car ‌category to take more ‌than one stage this year.

Lategan had led Ekstrom after 417 of 459km from Riyadh to Wadi Al-Dawasir, but finished eight minutes and 35 seconds behind the winner after having to stop for 10 minutes at the 428km mark.

Ekstrom moved up to second overall, four minutes and 47 seconds behind Dacia Sandriders’ five-times Dakar ‌winner Al-Attiyah with Lategan third.

Spaniard Nani ‍Roma was fourth for ‍Ford after being reinstated by stewards late on ‍Saturday’s rest day as winner of stage five and having a one minute and 10 second penalty rescinded.

In the motorcycle category, Australian Daniel Sanders extended his lead over American rival Ricky Brabec to four minutes and 25 seconds with Argentine rider Luciano Benavides a further 15 seconds adrift.

Sanders had been a mere 45 seconds clear after Friday’s sixth stage but Honda’s Brabec finished the 459km stage 10th to the Australian’s fourth.

Argentine Benavides won the stage, his second triumph of the event, in a one-two for the Red Bull KTM factory team with Spaniard Edgar Canet, while Honda’s French challenger Adrien Van Beveren was third.

Monday’s 481km stage eight is the longest of ‌the race with riders and drivers navigating canyons and dunes around Wadi Ad Dawasir.