Boss already has Liverpool in his sights...
DANNY Welbeck, Danny Rose and Alex McCarthy sat out England training yesterday as a precaution.
The trio did not take part in the session at St George’s Park, with Gareth Southgate preparing his squad for the forthcoming Nations League double-header against Croatia and Spain.
Newcomers Mason Mount, Jadon Sancho, Lewis Dunk and James Maddison were all involved, with Chelsea midfielder Ross Barkley back in the ranks for the first time since March last year.
All three players who missed training played in the Premier League over the weekend.
Arsenal forward Welbeck started the 5-1 win a Fulham on Sunday, while Rose played 88 minutes of Tottenham’s narrow victory over Cardiff and McCarthy was in goal for Southampton’s 3-0 loss to Chelsea.
The other 22 members of Southgate’s squad all completed the session unscathed before signing autographs and posing for photographs with invited guests of the Football Foundation.
Maddison was the last player to depart the training pitches after a lengthy conversation with Southgate, who also spent time talking to recalled Tottenham midfielder Harry Winks.
Southgate’s side face Croatia in Rijeka on Friday as they look to exact some revenge for their World Cup semi-final defeat. HUDDERSFIELD Town will start their preparations to tackle Liverpool at PPG Canalside today.
After another encouraging performance and valuable point in the 1-1 draw at Burnley, head coach David Wagner felt it important to give his squad a little bit of time off.
Wagner has eight players away on international duty and will be keeping HUDDERSFIELD Town are one of the favourites for relegation from the Premier League after their disappointing start to the top-flight season.
The Terriers were tipped to struggle in the top tier this year and a haul of three points from their opening eight fixtures has not a close check on the progress of key midfielder Aaron Mooy, who has withdrawn from the Australia squad to face Kuwait because of a groin niggle.
It is not thought the injury, which Wagner revealed had been suffered at Turf Moor, is serious enough to threaten Mooy’s chance of facing Liverpool a week on Saturday.
But Town will be taking no chances with their prize playmaker ahead of that 5.30pm kick-off on convinced the bookmakers to lengthen Town’s odds.
SkyBet have the West Yorkshire side at 2/5 to go down this term, with only Neil Warnock’s Cardiff City at shorter odds (2/9).
Burnley (15/8), Fulham 2/1 and Newcastle United (9/4) complete the bookmakers’ front five for the drop, despite Sean Dyche’s side currently residing in 12th in the table.
Town’s most recent opposition October 20. “The players will have had three days off and now we will do our work like always,” said Wagner, whose side are third from bottom of the Premier League table.
“We need a little bit of a break, but now we will be all together.
“We will meet and train again for the week and then, next week, we will train and prepare for the very, very exciting match which is in front of us.”
Meanwhile, the Town boss has said there will be no behind-closeddoors matches for his players before the Liverpool clash.
Wagner is normally keen to keep his players ticking over with match action in the international breaks – but not this time.
The Town boss has put up the buffers at the suggestion of playing again before Liverpool visit the John Smith’s Stadium.
Last month, between the away draw at Everton and home defeat by Crystal Palace, Town played a behind-closed-doors match at PPG Canalside, involving members of have been given odds of 2/5 to stay up this season, slightly ahead of the Terriers (15/8) and Cardiff (10/3), but behind the likes of Newcastle, Fulham (both 4/11) and Southampton (1/5).
David Wagner and Warnock’s sides are also SkyBet’s outside bets to win the league at 5,000/1, while a top-half finish for the Terriers is priced at 40/1 compared to the Bluebirds’ 80/1. Much more likely for both clubs, according to the bookies, the senior squad and some from Mark Hudson’s Elite Development group. Last year Wagner also organised a match in the first international break, but he smiled at the suggestion this week. “There will be no secret matches, not this time,” beamed the Town boss. “We have too many injuries to do another game behind closed doors, and now too many internationals as well.” Town had nine senior squad members called up for international duty. The senior internationals were Jonas Lossl and Mathias Zanka Jorgensen with Denmark, Flo Hadgergjonaj with Switzerland, Steve Mounie with Benin and Aaron Mooy with Australia, although he has withdrawn because of a groin niggle.
There will be no secret matches, not this time. We have too many injuries
In Under 21 action are Philip Billing (Denmark), Jon Gorenc Stankovic (Slovenia), Isaac Mbenza (Belgium) and Abdelhamid Sabiri (Germany). is a rock-bottom finish, with Town at 2/1 to end up bottom of the pile, compared to the South Wales side’s 11/10, Fulham’s 10/1 and Burnley and Newcastle’s 11/1. Goalscoring is another area the bookies expect both Town and Cardiff to struggle in this season. Both teams have managed just four goals in their opening eight matches and neither side has seen a team member score more than one goal so far this campaign.