England face club v country row

England boss gareth Southgate is on course for a club-versus-country row before this summer’s European Championship, with Tottenham and newcastle intent on taking their international stars to australia.

The Premier league rivals will play a friendly at the Melbourne Cricket ground on Wednesday, May 22. They will make the long journey after the final round of league fixtures three days earlier. Southgate, though, is set to name his provisional England squad for the Euros on May 21, and newcastle’s Kieran Trippier and anthony gordon and Tottenham’s James Maddison will be in contention.

Mail Sport understands both clubs expect all players who are fit and available to travel to australia for a tour that is seen as key to commercial gains. That is hardly likely to please Southgate, whose squad will gather the following week ahead of a friendly versus Bosnia at St James’ Park on June 3. They face Iceland at Wembley three days later before the final squad is submitted on June 8. While Spurs will return to the UK following the game against newcastle, Eddie Howe and his team will stay on for an exhibition match with the a-league all Stars on May 24. It raises the possibility of the likes of Trippier and gordon — and potentially nick Pope and Callum Wilson — spending the week that would ordinarily be used for holiday travelling to and from the other side of the world. gordon, in theory, could have played 52 matches for club and country this season, plus the six from last year’s Under 21 Euros, after which he skipped a holiday to return for preseason. He runs the risk of burnout before a ball has been kicked in germany.