As with any collection of athletes who bare the Three Lions on their chest, the Under-21 branch of English footballers fizzled out of the European Championships in Denmark with late heartache against the Czech Republic a few weeks back. Several individuals within the team are held in high regard and have commanded staggering transfer fees of recent – not unlike their senior counterparts – but Stuart Pearce’s charges scored just twice in three games and returned to these shores having failed to record a single win.

With this debacle still fresh in our minds, here is a list of the ten most promising talents currently making waves for the Under-17s and Under-19s who will be pushing for consideration when the next Under-21 tournament transpires in two years….

Click on Alex Henshall to see the TOP TEN…

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List compiled by Josh Sheridan

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Liverpool finally sealed the deal for Stewart Downing as the Reds took their summer spending through the £50m barrier. Kenny Dalglish clearly believes buying the best of British is the ideal way to restore the club to its former glories, despite the premium cost that comes with it.

In the papers this morning there have been a mixed bag of stories that include; Toure eyes title for Manchester City; Chelsea set to bid £30m+ for Modric, while a friend of Fabregas calls on Arsene Wenger to stop acting like a clown.

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Corinthians make new Tevez offer – Sky Sports

Chelsea to up Modric bid beyond £30m – Guardian

Friend of Fabregas tells Wenger to stop ‘acting like a clown’ – Daily Mail

Just call me Yaya glory – Sun

Downing completes move to Liverpool – Guardian

Peacemaker Barton calms Newcastle louts as violence mars pre-season friendly – Daily Mail

Liverpool urge Uefa to look into City’s Etihad deal – Guardian

Tottenham miss out on their own Chicharito – Mirror

Arsenal on cusp of signing Costa Rica starlet Campbell – Daily Mail

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Chelsea want to buy Parker rather than borrow him – Mirror

United’s Sneijder bid hits rocks – Daily Telegraph

Essien blow gives Josh his chance – Sun

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Wesley Sneijder is refusing to rule out the possibility of joining Manchester United this summer. The Dutch playmaker has been heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford, with Fergie himself conceding that he will be happy to sign him providing he conformed to the wage structure that is currently in place. Reports at the weekend suggested that United have issued him a take it or leave it ultimatum, as the club are refusing to meet his current demands.

In the papers this morning there have been a mixed bag of stories that include Harry Redknapp dismayed by crazy wages; Alonso believes Liverpool will make the top four, while Joey Barton unleashes another twitter rant about Newcastle.

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Manchester United move still a possibility, admits Sneijder – Guardian

Redknapp dismayed by ‘crazy’ wages of players – Guardian

KO fear for Wilshere – Sun

Barton in Newcastle Twitter rant – Daily Telegraph

QPR boss Warnock to inherit transfer war chest with takeover imminent – Daily Mail

FA plan South America tour in 2013 to give players flavour of football in Brazil – Daily Mail

Wayne’s in the money at Swans – Sun

Xabi Alonso: Liverpool will be top four this season – Mirror

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Baines: We cannot use Arsenal pursuit of Jagielka as excuse – Mirror

Chelsea to launch third bid for Modric this week – Mirror

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Manchester City midfielder Nigel de Jong believes his club’s victory in the pre-season Dublin Super Cup bodes well for the campaign ahead.City defeated a League of Ireland XI 3-0 on Saturday, before seeing off Serie A runners-up Inter Milan by the same score-line a day later.

Set to compete in the Champions League for the first time and now seen as genuine challengers for the English Premier League title, De Jong can sense the optimism among his teammates.

“Everybody’s excited to start the new season, especially after the win at the tournament today,” De Jong said.

“We just have to see how it goes and like I said everybody’s excited for the new season and we have to fight for every competition.”

“We’ll see at the end if we get some silverware.”

The newest addition to City’s expensively assembled squad is Argentina forward Sergio Aguero, who joined from Atletico Madrid last week for a reported fee of 35 million pounds.

Netherlands international De Jong believes such a costly outlay is an indication of the club’s intent to compete on all fronts in 2011/12.

“It’s a big signing,” he said.

“It’s a statement as well that we are serious contenders for every competition we’re in.”

“Every year is the same pressure for us. With spending money comes high expectations so we know that as a group and we just have to make sure we stick together.”

“And you need to add some extra power to your squad as well if you want to remain and fight in every competition.”

The biggest cloud on City’s horizon is the uncertain future of striker Carlos Tevez, who captained the team last season and finished as top scorer.

Tevez has sought a move away from Manchester to be closer to his family in Argentina.

Ivory Coast midfielder Yaya Toure has sympathy for his teammate, but remains hopeful the 27-year-old can contribute to the City cause in the coming season.

“We all know his situation with his family and when he plays he’s not enjoying it because he’s not happy without his family,” Toure said.

“It’s a difficult situation. I don’t want to express my feelings about that, but if Carlos Tevez stays with us it will be fantastic as we’ve signed Aguero who plays in the (Argentina) national team with him.”

Wayne Rooney has sprung to the defence of new Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea after a number of high profile mistakes in the early part of the 2011-12 season, and feels the Spaniard will be an excellent signing.

The Premier League champions signed the 21-year-old from Atletico Madrid for £18.3 million in the summer as a replacement for outgoing Edwin van der Sar, and the England forward has been impressed with the new stopper.

“David is obviously a good shot-stopper. I hadn’t seen much of him before he signed, but that was something I saw immediately. Also his passing out from the back is alongside Edwin’s. He rarely kicks long to a forward,” the striker told The Daily Mail.

De Gea made mistakes to gift goals to Manchester City and West Brom in the first two games of the season for the Old Trafford outfit, but has appeared to bounce back in recent fixtures.

“He is still young and has probably got a lot to learn, but he is working hard and doing well in training. He is a strong character. After the Manchester City game, and then West Brom, he didn’t seem to be affected.

“He was on the training pitch the next day, working hard. The last couple of games he’s done well for us and he will only get better the more he plays,” Rooney concluded.

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Tottenham are weighing up a January move for Academica Coimbra star Eder the Mirror understands after watching twice in the past fortnight.

The 23-year-old, who’s full name is Éderzito António Macedo Lopes, has been targeted by manager Harry Redknapp to provide some additional competition to his front line.

Despite signing Emmanuel Adebayor on deadline day and having Jermaine Defoe and Roman Pavlyuchenko to choose from the Spurs boss still wants to bolster his attacking options and Eder has emerged as a target.

Scouts from North London have been watching his progress over the last few weeks and have been impressed by his displays for Academica who play in the Portugal’s top flight.

A cut price move to White Hart Lane now seems to be on the cards with Academica keen to sell him before his contract expires next year meaning he can leave for nothing.

The Guinea-born player has also attracted interest from Italian side Parma and German outfit Hannover although a move to the Premier League could prove to hard to resist.

It’s though Eder would command a fee of around £2 million should Spurs decided to make a move in January despite the striker being a free agent when his current deal comes to an end in the summer.

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Sir Alex Ferguson takes his table-topping Manchester United side to Anfield on Saturday lunchtime to face off against Kenny Dalglish’s Liverpool.The Scotsmen have built up a long and heated rivalry over the years and that will be evident on the field as both sides look to continue their impressive form.

Before the international break Dalglish’s men had grinded out a 2-0 win down the road at Mersey rivals Everton but the visit of United will pose a much greater threat. Andy Carroll was on the mark in that game and with confidence now flowing through the 22-year-old’s ample frame he’ll be tasked with unsettling the Red Devil’s young defence. Dalglish is unbeaten in his last five league games against United – a run stretching back to 1986. He could have Steven Gerrard back in the starting eleven for the first time this season. He’s scored four goals in this fixture and will be eager to make it five if he’s thrown back into the mix. The game also marks the first anniversary of John W. Henry’s takeover at Anfield and there is no doubt his arrival coincided with the clubs incredible turnaround. This time last year the beleaguered Roy Hodgson was in charge and floundering at every turn. Now they have a club legend in the dugout and a squad packed to the rafters with multi-million pound talent.

Their record against United is strong and they haven’t tasted defeat in this fixture at Anfield since 2007. Ferguson’s side have lost on their last three visits and they’ll need to perform a lot better than they did against Norwich two weeks ago. Despite being punished with a three-match ban for his red card in Montenegro last week Wayne Rooney will lead the Red Devil’s attack looking to score at Anfield for the for the first time since 2005 when he hit the winner in a 1-0 victory. The England striker already has nine goals to his name this season and reaching double figures will be a high priority. United have smashed 34 goals in and are unbeaten in 11 league and cup games. They are sitting pretty at the Premier League and that could be put down to their unwavering resilience. Statistically they at their most potent in front of goal during the last five minutes of the game so Liverpool fans should be wary of checking their watches too early.

Key Players

Jose Enrique – The Spanish fullback has had a great start to life at Anfield and will be crucial to Liverpool’s chances on Saturday. With Nani and Ashley Young having a penchant to swap wings throughout a game Enrique will need to have his defensive hat on to snuff out two of United’s main attacking threats.

Wayne Rooney – Despite his sending off for England last week Rooney is still an integral part of Ferguson’s side with nine goals to his name already this season. The striker is in red-hot form his boss will be looking at him to provide the inspiration and goals to give secure victory over his old foes.

Verdict: 1-1

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Jose Enrique is Liverpool’s top ranked player in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index in 21st place followed by Luis Suarez in 21st place Liverpool defeated one of their great rivals in their last Barclays Premier League game. Liverpool covered 107.6km in the game against Everton compared to the Toffees 106.4km. Wayne Rooney remains the Premier League’s top goal scorer with 9 goals this season. Rooney has had an incredible 32 attempts at goal this season, one every 18 minutes, getting 59% on target Rooney has gone on the record recently as saying that United are now defending from the front like Barcelona, and the stats show he is right. Rooney, Nani, and Young have won 6, 9 and 5 tackles respectively this season. This is especially impressive when you compare it to cross-city rivals Aguero and Dzeko who have each won just one tackle.

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Reports breaking today suggest that Spurs have joined Arsenal in the race for Le Havre’s versatile, highly rated hopeful Jeremy Balmy. (The Mirror)

The 17 year-old is said to be available next summer and both Harry Redknapp and Arsene Wenger have expressed an interest.

However, the North London rivals are likely to face competition from Valencia for the teenager.

Balmy is currently seen as one of the brightest young player’s in French football, yet his contract situation means he looks likely to move.

The youngster is said to favour a move to England, with Arsenal currently touted as the favourites to secure his signature. Arsene Wenger has an exemplary record of youth development and has numerous contacts in French football to help facilitate the move.

Aside from Balmy, Wenger and Redknapp are both said to hold a shared interest in numerous other targets. Junior Hoilett of Blackburn, Eden Hazard of Lille and Jan Vertonghen are all apparently being targeted by the rival managers.

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This season’s Premier League may go a long way to shaping the decision of such targets, Champions League football is not guaranteed for either side, with qualification likely to be a crucial factor in attracting such targets.

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Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho is allegedly targeting Manchester City’s Nigel De Jong, after the Dutchman’s recent contract talks broke down. (Metro)

The midfielder’s performances in recent seasons have brought widespread admiration, and last season in particular De Jong was seen as a key player in Roberto Mancini’s side.

However, following another summer of investment by City, De Jong has struggled for a starting berth, with Mancini often preferring a more attacking line up with Gareth Barry given the holding role.

Now, following a recent breakdown in contract talks, De Jong’s days at City may be numbered. The defensive midfielder is rumoured to want at least double his current £55,000 a week deal, yet the City board are not willing to offer such a significant wage increase and will not be offering a new deal until the summer at the earliest.

City paid £18 million to land De Jong from Hamburg two seasons ago, and Real Madrid are believed to see a fee of around £20 million as value for money.

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If De Jong is to leave City, it is likely Madrid will face competition from Europe’s other big guns for a player with significant international and European pedigree.

Calling on football fans from around the UK. We don’t often have a chance to celebrate being British in the world of football, what with the home nations struggling to make it to the big championships and crashing and burning if they do get there. It’s a continue battle, having to put up with the taunts of Germany, France and now Spain, who have all won big tournaments in recent years. When was the last time a home nation won a major tournament? Everyone will tell you, even Scottish fans begrudgingly, that it was when England won the World Cup at Wembley in 1966. You do the maths; soon it will be fifty years since silverware was lifted. However, here’s an opportunity for you to show your Best of British and win a tidy cash prize.

Betfair are running a competition, which requires your British accent to come to the fore. You don’t even have to use your own accent if you don’t want to, if you’re something of a specialist when it comes to accents then you can show off and use a completely different one. It doesn’t matter whether you use a Geordie, Scouse, Cockney or Brummie accent, as long as you sound 100 per cent British then the job’s a good ‘un. So get practising that accent to make sure that you can pull it off without any trouble at all. That’s half the job done; but what do you need this accent for I hear you ask? Now all you’ve got to do is create a great video!

Betfair are looking for you to create a video that explains what they’re all about. If you’re not familiar with the betting website, then you might want to do a bit of research while you’re perfecting that accent. The three million strong betting community want you to explain their betting system, how other than football there are sports aplenty for you to bet on and that you can even bet in-play. Cram all that info into a 60-90 second video and Bob’s your uncle. You’ll be marked on how compelling your story is, the production quality of your video, how well you capture the spirit of Betfair and how accurate your video is, so don’t go telling porkies!

Watch the clip below to get an idea on just what you have to do and then get making your video so that you’ll be in with a chance of winning a chunk of the $15,000 prize pool. If that wasn’t incentive enough, I don’t know what is…

Click here to enter the competition

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This post is sponsored by Zooppa – Betfair.