Thomas Tuchel has confirmed his 25-man England squad for the November international break, and Marcus Rashford is not part of it.

There had been an expectation that the Manchester United winger might return to the group, but his name was missing when the squad was announced on Friday. Rashford has featured for United since the last international window, coming off the bench for one minute in the defeat to Tottenham Hotspur and then starting the 2-0 loss to Atlético Madrid. He has not been involved since.

The reason is his ongoing hip issue, which has now kept him out of United’s last four matches in all competitions. With doubts still hanging over his fitness, Tuchel has opted to go in another direction for England’s crucial Nations League fixtures against Croatia and Spain.

Rashford is understood to be stepping up his recovery, but reports indicate he will not be ready to play until after the international break. That has left England looking to alternative wide options, with Arsenal’s Eberechi Eze, Barcelona’s Anthony Gordon, Liverpool’s Rio Ngumoha and Chelsea’s Morgan Rogers included instead.

England’s situation in Group 3 leaves little margin for error after the loss to Spain in the previous break. Tuchel’s side are locked in a direct battle with Croatia for second place, and a draw would be enough to secure that position. There is still a route to first as well, though it depends on England overturning Spain. The Three Lions are currently four goals better off than the world champions.

Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Jason Steele (Brighton & Hove Albion), James Trafford (Leeds United)

Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Real Madrid), Jarrad Branthwaite (Everton), Marc Guéhi (Manchester City), Lewis Hall (Newcastle United), Ezri Konsa (Arsenal), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen), Djed Spence (Inter Milan), Ben White (Arsenal)

Chelsea goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez has explained the scale of the injuries that have marked the last few months of his career, saying he will never fully close his right hand again after suffering a fractured ring finger during the 2026 World Cup period.

Martínez said the problem began in the Europa League final, when the finger detached and later proved to be broken in half. The former Aston Villa goalkeeper recalled being in tears when he saw the scan, fearing he would not make it to the World Cup. Rather than undergo surgery, he and Argentina’s medical staff chose a different route. He played with a plastic cast, heavy bandaging and a special glove made by adidas, with the finger put back into place and protected throughout the tournament.

The decision allowed him to start every match of Argentina’s run, though he admitted the injury limited him badly. Even on the eve of Argentina’s opener against Algeria, he said he was “diving like a zombie, with just one arm.” He also revealed he trained with a volleyball for most of the competition. Despite that, the finger still prevented a move to a Serie A club, believed to be Juventus, after the World Cup. Martínez said the transfer collapsed when a fresh X-ray showed the finger had broken again.

He eventually completed a move to Chelsea in the final hours of the summer window, but another setback followed soon after. Seven games into his Chelsea career, he collided with Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite while attempting to claim a free kick. The impact left him with a broken jaw and concussion, and he has no memory of the incident.

“I preferred the jaw than the head to be honest,” Martínez said. “It was one of the most beautiful knockouts, in the UFC that would’ve been the knockout of the night. I saw birds flying around for many days honestly.”

Martínez required four screws in his jaw and is still unable to eat purées. Reflecting on the twin injuries, he said the finger remained the worse problem.

The 2026 Ballon d’Or has been settled, with Harry Kane finishing on top after a voting year that produced several eye-catching results.

The headline names at the summit were expected to draw attention, but the real intrigue came further down the list. Some finishes felt harsh, others reflected the weight of trophies, and a few placements invited closer scrutiny.

Bruno Fernandes was the most striking example. No one is suggesting he should have won the award outright, yet placing him 27th, only one spot ahead of Al Qadsiah’s Julián Quiñones, was a major surprise. The Manchester United captain may have been affected by a recent dip, even though the judging period was meant to end on July 19. Over the 2025-26 season, he set a Premier League record for assists in a single campaign and was named the division’s Player of the Year, but he still finished behind five other Premier League players. A place inside the top 15 would have looked far more reasonable.

Fabián Ruiz also caused debate. His case was built on medals, not volume. A regular for the Paris Saint-Germain team that kept the Champions League and won Ligue 1, he also added the World Cup with Spain. That is a strong résumé, yet 10th still feels generous when weighed against his workload. He played only 20 Ligue 1 matches, started 13 of them, and finished the season with three goals and six assists across 2,634 minutes for club and country.

Michael Olise, one place above Fabián, had a compelling claim to a far higher finish. In 52 matches for Bayern Munich, he produced 22 goals and 31 assists, then added seven assists at the World Cup, a tournament record. Those numbers were exceptional, even if they were compared with Kane’s even stronger output.

Unai Simón’s victory among goalkeepers was shaped heavily by Spain’s World Cup success. He conceded just one goal in the tournament, but over the full campaign he allowed 54 in 37 La Liga appearances for an Athletic Club side that finished 12th. His 64.9% save rate was bettered by 16 goalkeepers in Spain’s top flight alone.

The Kopa Trophy, meanwhile, went to the expected winner. Lamine Yamal finished third in Ballon d’Or voting and retained the youth award, which underlines how established he already is in the game.