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Manchester United midfield must be overhauled this summer and while Ederson alone is not the answer, his signing looks a step in right direction. The 26-year-old Brazil international from Atalanta can bring the dynamism that Michael Carrick needs.Kobbie Mainoo oozes class but United need different options as they seek to replace the departing Casemiro and the disappointingly limited Manuel Ugarte. Ederson, with whom they have long been linked, looks a smart signing because of his flexibility.At Atalanta, his adaptability has been illustrated by him partnering players as different as Teun Koopmeiners and Marten de Roon in midfield and proving an adept foil to both. Speaking to his old Corinthians coach Tiago Nunes back in 2024, he summed it up well."I think he has the characteristics to play a more purposeful game or a transition game. He has the ability to link up and find the best interpretation of space in a shorter game in short spaces, but he also has the physical ability for a high-speed transition game."At United, he will be expected to adjust to these different roles, these different styles. They need an all-rounder and that is what Ederson is - a tackler and a passer, a player to win the ball for his side and then pass it or carry it. He is more than a holding midfielder."I see him playing as a box-to-box player, a midfielder who isn't really someone to build the game but more of a player who can break through lines, get into the final third, progress up the field. I see him more as a midfielder with the freedom to get forward."Nunes first worked with Ederson when he was just a fledgling talent in his native Brazil and remembers a player "with characteristics that are difficult to find" in the country. He arrived at Corinthians from Cruzeiro and it took time for him to show his true talent."At that time, he was an introverted boy, very focused on what he wanted to achieve, what he wanted from his career, but still with a low level of confidence, who needed a lot of support from his coach, from the people around him, in order to achieve."I do not think he even imagined the size of his potential, because he was an athlete who was looking to find the best version of himself and he still had some adapting to do to succeed at a big club like Corinthians. But I am sure it was a year of learning for him."He took some time to find his place. There were some points, tactically and mentally, that he needed to develop at that time but he gained that experience with the help of time and games. He matured step by step and, consequently, history speaks for itself."Ederson was a revelation at Italian club Salernitana when he first made the move to Europe in January of 2022, helping them to stay up in Serie A for the first time in their history. He was sold to Gian Piero Gasperini's Atalanta team in the very next window.Again, an adjustment period was required. Gasperini's demands are different, a coach famed in Italy for his faster tempo and focus on man-to-man marking. While Ederson's first season at Atalanta was only a qualified success, he was superb in his second year.Gasperini described his "evolution on the pitch" as one of the "great satisfactions" of that season - one in which Atalanta finished fourth in Serie A and won the Europa League. They were the only team to beat Xabi Alonso's Bayern Leverkusen all year.There are two ways of interpreting the fact that Ederson needed time to adjust at both Corinthians and Atalanta. Some might see it as a concern given that the leap to the Premier League is significant. Others would argue that he soon found the solutions.The great Italian coach Fabio Capello once praised his "rare tactical intelligence" and that, coupled with his experience of a pressing game for Atalanta, offer encouragement that Ederson is a player suited to the Premier League. Nunes points to key qualities."He has two main strengths. Firstly, on the pitch, he has great physical strength, with the ability to play box-to-box, back and forth, sustaining the pace of the game. Secondly, he has a very strong mentality, with a very clear awareness of what he wants."That resilience was forged early. Perhaps you will have heard the tale of how his mother packed up for Sao Paulo when he was just 12 in the hope that her son would make it in football. They did not have enough funds for the return journey from the big city.Ederson grasped that opportunity. Now comes the next one. And there is more to come. "This is a player with a lot of potential that is yet to be developed." That was Nunes speaking in 2024. Ederson has proven himself to be robust and consistent since then."He has the ability and physicality to handle the pace of the game. He is a very vertical player with a lot of pace in the final third of the pitch. This is a player with very particular characteristics who can develop even more in a league as strong as the Premier League."Manchester United supporters will want more signings to bolster that midfield. But Ederson seems a sensible acquisition, a player at the right age to make an immediate contribution who can complement anyone they sign next. Expect him to do well.

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The French defender and Liverpool are likely to part ways due to a gap between Liverpool and Konate's position, in terms of value and wages.Konate, 27, signed for Liverpool from RB Leipzig in 2021 for £35m on a five-year deal.Both parties were initially keen to agree a contract renewal, with Konate telling reporters in April after the Merseyside derby that he was "close to an agreement" and there was a "big chance" that he would remain at Anfield next season. Negotiations began in November 2023, though an agreement has proved elusive.BBC Sport understands that negotiations have stopped and Konate will become the latest player to leave the club on a free this summer after Andy Robertson and Mohamed Salah.Last year, defender Trent Alexander-Arnold joined Real Madrid a month before his contract expired after the Spanish club paid a fee to release him early to play in the Club World Cup.Captain Virgil van Dijk's current deal expires next summer, while the club failed to sign Marc Guehi on deadline day last September, with the England player joining Manchester City in January.Liverpool are confident they have sufficient depth at centre-half after recruiting Giovanni Leoni last summer and the arrival of £60m Jeremy Jacquet, 20, this summer.But it does leave Van Dijk, 34, as their only experienced central defender.Frenchman Jacquet, who turns 21 in July, played 21 games for Rennes last season but missed the last four months with a shoulder injury.Leoni, 19, was ruled out for a year after after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in September, a month after joining the Reds from Parma for a fee of £26m plus add-ons.The belief within Liverpool is that other areas - like replacing Mohamed Salah and filling the gap after Hugo Ekitike's injury - are priorities, rather than agreeing to an expensive renewal for Konate.Latest Liverpool news, analysis and fan viewsAsk about Liverpool - what do you want to know?

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FA Cup final victory against Brighton would make it a perfect month and the squad are hungry for more successSecure your first league title for a decade? Tick. Extend your Golden Boot-winning striker’s contract. Tick. Lift a first Women’s FA Cup since 2020? Pending. May 2026 has gone swimmingly for Manchester City and they are hoping it will get even better.Once you get that sweet taste of long-awaited success, you want more, and coaches will tell you it is not reaching the top that is the hardest part, but staying there. Keeping hold of your best players is job No 1 in that regard, so persuading Khadija “Bunny” Shaw to perform a remarkable U-turn and stay for another four years was vital.The Jamaica striker, who scored 21 times in 22 league games this season, had signalled firmly to the club she had decided to leave, because other teams were offering more lucrative contracts and talks with City had broken down. The late intervention of senior management from the men’s arm of the club to ensure Shaw’s contract requests were met led to her change of heart. Shaw had made clear her preference was to stay and the club realised not only the value of keeping her, but the potential cost of her playing for a direct rival in Chelsea.Shaw’s exit would have been a major momentum-killer. Her mic-drop-style reveal that she was staying, presented on stage during Monday’s trophy parade in Manchester in front of thousands of overjoyed fans, signalled that the club are serious about trying to build a winning machine and perhaps even challenge for a first European title.The first stop is Wembley, where they face Brighton on Sunday when victory would land their first league and FA Cup double and first two-trophy season since 2019, when they triumphed in both domestic cups. It would also be their first FA Cup success in six years and their first in front of fans for seven years, because their extra-time victory over Everton in 2020 was played behind closed doors during the pandemic.City will not have it all their own way against a Brighton side who beat them in the league in April and have been in tremendous form since mid-March, but the ambition of a confident City team, buoyed up by Shaw’s deal, is clear.“Because we’ve won silverware, there’s more hunger there to win even more,” the midfielder Laura Blindkilde Brown said. “We were in the Champions League two years ago and we did well there and now it’s about trying to push on there and hopefully win that as well.”Perhaps the hardest thing for City in the fortnight since they lifted the WSL title has been finding a balance between celebrating and preparing. “We’re just trying to separate both, celebrate first and then really turn our focus on to Wembley,” Blindkilde Brown said.The 22-year-old has been one of the team’s success stories this season and something of an unsung hero, playing in 20 of their 22 WSL games, starting 18 and demonstrating a maturity beyond her years as she controlled games from the holding midfield role. “I’ve really tried to put a mark on the season and make a name for myself,” she said. “We’ve really built connections in the midfield and every game I’m just improving more and more and there’s still so much for me to improve.”The England international’s progress is another example of why the future looks so bright for the new champions and the core of their team looks capable of challenging on multiple fronts next term in their second season under the head coach, Andrée Jeglertz. There were four City players in the WSL’s team of the year, Shaw, Yui Hasegawa and Vivianne Miedema joined by the right-back Kerstin Casparij, who topped the league assist charts.“All the puzzle pieces fitted together this year and also with Andrée coming in and with some incredible recruitment, players-wise, it all just fit; it’s felt so good,” Casparij said at last week’s WSL Football awards in London, where she was accepting Shaw’s WSL player of the year prize on herbehalf.Casparij does not want that to be the final trophy she gets her hands on this season. “To win a double, after so many years, would be absolutely incredible,” she said. “That’s definitely a goal we have and we’ll give everything to realise that goal.”

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El Tri reached the quarter-finals the last time they hosted the tournament. They’re hoping old methods can revive the team after a disastrous outing in 2022It was January 1986 and the temperature at the peak of La Malinche, one of Mexico’s tallest mountains, had plummeted to a bone-chilling cold. A group of soccer players training for that year’s World Cup ran through a dense fog to the summit 14,600ft above sea level gasping in the thin air. Their Serbian coach, Bora Milutinović, had pushed his players to the limit, seeking not only to test their physical endurance but also hoping for a psychological breakthrough. Up there, the Mexico players suffered, shivered and cursed. But through hardship they became a family. That fabled image of survival on the mountain became the foundation for Mexico’s best-ever World Cup performance, the last time they played on home soil and one of only two times El Tri reached the tournament’s quarter-finals.Forty years later, the myth of La Malinche hangs over Mexico’s preparation for this summer’s tournament, which once again will be played on home turf. The team’s coach, Javier Aguirre, was one of Milutinović’s players at the 1986 World Cup and he has seemingly been inspired by the old belief that isolation and shared struggle can work miracles. At Aguirre’s urging, the Mexican Football Federation – just as it had in 1986 – took the controversial step of removing national team players from their clubs during the most decisive phase of the Liga MX playoffs. By the time the World Cup kicks off on 11 June, the players will have been sequestered together for 30 days.The departure of 12 players from Liga MX – first for a period of forced rest and then for training at Mexico City’s High-Performance Center – generated considerable discontent among the fans of clubs competing in the playoffs. The result: the tournament, which is supposed to be the highlight of the year, has become a lackluster affair.Chivas de Guadalajara, who traditionally only field Mexican players, lost five teammates to the national squad. Missing half of their starting lineup, the Red and Whites lost in the semi-finals to Cruz Azul, who only gave up one player, Érik Lira, to international duty. Cruz Azul went on to beat Pumas in a low-quality final.Former Mexico goalkeeper Félix Fernández, now an analyst for ClaroSports, voiced concerns that are shared by many fans in the country about Aguirre’s decision.“I think there’s no better way for a national team player to reach the World Cup than after playing in the [playoffs], because those are the most intense, most demanding matches,” Fernández says. “Yes, of course, there’s a risk of injury, but injuries can also happen in training.”But there are reasons why Aguirre and his staff made their decision. In 1985, Milutinović took the players away from their clubs for a full year. They toured the world, playing more than 20 friendlies in Asia, Africa, Europe and South America.Decades later, Milutinović still believes the decision was correct.“In my time, the only way we could accomplish anything was to be together,” the 81-year-old says over the phone from China, where he is travelling. “Thanks to that time spent together, we created a suitable environment where we were mentally prepared, and it was so effective that we played a very, very successful World Cup in ’86.”He says the team spent two weeks on La Malinche, climbing up and down the dormant volcano many times, including at night. Players in later interviews talked about being terrified of heights and crawling on all fours. A couple of players wandered off and got lost and the team had to rally together to find them. “That lesson we learned helped us create a positive atmosphere and have confidence in ourselves,” Milutinović says.He says that in 2026, a player spending a year away from a club is “impossible … times are different”. But he warns that “a month is nothing”.Part of Milutinović’s plan in 1986 was for Mexico to gain a wealth of experience on the global stage, something this year’s team won’t have time for.“Before the World Cup, we played 56, we had won [29] of them. There was confidence and everything … You play the game the way you train,” he says. “Every training session is a competition, a desire to be better, to compete, and above all, to enjoy it. Enjoy the game.”Critics such as Fernández worry the current players aren’t capable of absorbing a message of unity and joy similar to the one Milutinović preached back then.“Nowadays, the amounts of money [players] earn can easily detach them from reality,” Fernández says. “The camaraderie has been greatly diminished. Today’s footballer is constantly on his cell phone, watching TV series and movies. It’s not like before when you’d get together in a room with four or six of you to talk. This lack of interaction ends up affecting them on the field.”Mexico have played six times this year, but only half of those have come with their full-strength squad. Their Europe-based players were missing for their most recent match, last week’s 2-0 win over Ghana. But Ghana fielded a weakened team too, and their coach, Carlos Queiroz, didn’t even attend the game.Fernández and others also believe there are deeper problems that can’t be fixed with a month of extra training sessions. The roots of these deficiencies lie in top-level decisions made since the team’s failure at Qatar 2022, when El Tri crashed out in the group stage, their worst finish at a World Cup in four decades. The insularity of Mexican soccer means young players often stay at home rather than gain valuable experience in the top European leagues. The decision to end promotion and relegation in Liga MX also means a lack of jeopardy that can sharpen players’ edges.“The Mexican national team today doesn’t have the level to be among the top 17 in the world,” Fernández says. “Terrible decisions have been made, and nothing has been done. It never crossed their minds that Mexico was hitting rock bottom.”With the exception of the team’s two best players – Genoa captain Johan Vásquez and Fulham’s Raúl Jiménez – the squad is either in poor form or lacking match fitness. Milan’s Santiago Giménez is coming off a series of injuries and his scoring has dried up. Edson Álvarez (Fenerbahçe), Luis Chávez (Dynamo Moscow) and the inconsistent rookie Obed Vargas (Atlético Madrid) have all missed time at their respective clubs.Fernández says the lack of stars in their prime has led to an unusual phenomenon. Billboards on Mexico’s streets show the faces of former stars such as Rafael Márquez, now an assistant coach for El Tri, instead of members of the current squad.Milutinović, ever an optimist, believes Mexico’s passionate fans will ignite pride in the players. He saw how the country pulled together in the aftermath of Mexico’s devastating earthquake in 1985. “The fans and everything else had a huge influence on Mexico achieving that result in ’86,” he says.Milutinović also believes Mexico’s preparations for this World Cup could benefit some Liga MX teams. For example, the five Chivas players who missed the playoffs to join up with El Tri will come back with invaluable World Cup experience and make their club team even stronger.“For me, Chivas is the champion,” he says. “Working with young players is key. It leaves behind a squad with a future, in a World Cup environment that will serve them well.”For now, on the training pitches in Mexico City, the players are racing against time, under the guidance of Aguirre, to find the rhythm and mental strength they need to face their biggest challenge. Thirty days in a bubble to try to fix years of systemic problems. The outcome is uncertain, but if history is a guide, maybe coming together for an intense period will give the team the boost they need.Milutinović says he never told his players they had to win. He just told them they had to give everything of themselves and look out for each other. Before every game at the 1986 World Cup he repeated a mantra: “La Malinche, La Malinche, La Malinche”, evoking the mountain in front of them they needed to conquer. We will find out if this year’s team are up to a similar challenge in the coming weeks.

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The Champions League final is set. On May 30, holders Paris Saint-Germain will aim to defend their title in Budapest while Arsenal look to lift the trophy for the first time.On their respective journeys to the final, both teams have shown their worth.PSG's thrilling 6-5 win over Bayern Munich made for one of the best ties in the competition's history, while Mikel Arteta's men proved they can win when it matters most after navigating a tricky encounter with Atletico Madrid.Now, all eyes will turn to the Puskas Arena on May 30.Ahead of that fixture, Sky Sports' writers analyse what a combined starting line-up, incorporating the world-class talents scattered across both squads, would look like.William Saliba, Gabriel, Marquinhos and Willian Pacho all have strong claims but Saliba and Marquinhos just edge it.Arsenal beware - PSG don't look like losing CLGabriel tends to attract more acclaim than Saliba but the Frenchman is similarly strong defensively and far superior on the ball. Desire Doue is an outstanding talent but a fit Bukayo Saka holds him off on the right.Nick WrightThe Champions League final will be a classic case of attack vs defence which is why both sides dominate opposite ends of this XI.Paris Saint-Germain's quality in forward areas is obvious, although Bukayo Saka is unfortunate not to make the line-up with the talented Desire Doue preferred on the right wing.Only Nuno Mendes has forced his way into the defence with Arsenal undoubtedly stronger at centre-back and in goal, but there is a strong argument for both of PSG's full-backs to be included.David RichardsonIt was a tight call between Declan Rice and Warren Zaire Emery, and Bukayo Saka and Desire Doue, but I've opted for the Arsenal duo to provide a bit more bite in midfield and a rejuvenated Saka is hard to leave out.Jurrien Timber has been brilliant and unlucky to be behind the world's most complete right-back in Achraf Hakimi.Rajvir RaiA combination of Arsenal's resolute centre-backs in William Saliba and Gabriel and PSG's attacking full-backs, Nuno Mendes and Achraf Hakimi, make a back four with a little bit of everything. PSG skipper Marquinhos can really count himself unlucky not to feature.In midfield, it's hard to look past PSG's trio but Declan Rice 's performances this season mean he gets into the Xi alongside Joao Neves and Vitinha.In attack, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is the first name on the team sheet. His unpredictability added to Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembele's clinical nature in front of goal is a tried and tested combination, and it would be easy to add Desire Doue in to complete a PSG front three. However, Arsenal's talisman. a fully-fit Bukayo Saka, just edges the French youngster.Oliver YewI've picked five Arsenal players and six from PSG. Too diplomatic? Maybe. But this is a difficult task.One absolute certainty is the selection of David Raya in goal. The Spaniard has played 48 times for Arsenal in all competitions and kept 26 clean sheets.PSG have used three goalkeepers this season - Lucas Chevalier, Matvey Safonov and Renato Marin - and they only have 23 shut-outs between them.The 30-year-old is one of the best goalkeepers in the world right now - if not the best.Dan LongAlthough Gyokeres has scored 21 goals in 51 appearances across all competitions for Arsenal, it would be hard to look past Ousmane Dembele's credentials.The Ballon d'Or winner, who has 19 goals and 10 assists to his name this season, is a ruthless finisher and can also create for those around him.He leads the line alongside Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Desire Doue to form the most lethal front three in Europe. You can't look past that.Abdullahi Ibrahim

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"We are just another group of people that have the opportunity to win the Champions League and I pray that we take it. When we do, it will be a special moment for sure."Fresh from being crowned Premier League champions for the first time in more than two decades, Eze's words suggest Arsenal are confident of further glory in Europe on Saturday.Eze's quotes may seem surface-level at first glance, but Arsenal's No 10 is no stranger to realised prophecy.And Arsenal are no longer the nearly side; they are a team of believers, doers and winners. So before a ball is kicked in the Champions League final, you have to take heed of his faithful predictions as they have a history of being correct.The Premier League trophy, with Arsenal coloured ribbons, stood shining at Royal Russell School in south London this week. For Eze, it is now his trophy, which was on show as part of the fourth annual Eze Foundation Invitational.A year ago, Eze was at Crystal Palace holding his Invitational and had just a few days prior crashed in the winning goal in the FA Cup final to secure the Eagles their first major trophy. The Premier League trophy was there on that occasion too, owing to the support the league gives the Eze Foundation.There was no other reason for it to be there, in truth.Stream the Premier League with no contractBut still high off the jubilation of the Palace cup victory, it inspired Eze, just as it did the few hundred young people from south London who stood alongside it, taking pictures."Everything there is for me to win, I want to win, and I'll do anything I possibly can to win the Premier League," he told Sky Sports in May 2025.A year later, he has done it. But standing next to the Premier League trophy a year later, that same confidence was oozing from Eze's calm demeanour."It's special to be a Premier League champion," he told Sky Sports."I'm grateful to God to even have the opportunity to play in such competitions, to run that race. It's something I won't get over for a long time, but I know where it came from."Arsenal's trophy lift at Eze's former parish, Selhurst Park, brought an end to 22 years of hurt.Eze's story is intertwined within all of that too, with his own years of hurt from joining and then being released by the Gunners before returning in a £60m move.His post on X, formerly known as Twitter, from 2015 that read: "I swear imma make It and when I do, they're gonna show this tweet lol". Now it accurately reflects the toils of his own journey, resulting in the realisation of a dream.I swear imma make It and when I do, they're gunna show this tweet lolBut the job is not finished. Eze and his team-mates can still make history by winning the Champions League.Arsenal will take on a Paris Saint-Germain side, led by Luis Enrique, eyeing back-to-back Champions League triumphs. Last summer they put Inter Milan to the sword in a 5-0 thrashing to win a treble.After winning the league, from the outside looking in - there is a confidence in north London.The social media posts and the leaked footage of Mikel Arteta saying Arsenal will be the "champions of Europe", suggest there is almost an expectation surrounding and within this Arsenal side. Eze, himself, is relishing the excitement of achieving the unprecedented.Still, Arsenal go into the game with a cloud placed above them by critics questioning their approach. But now it is done and Arsenal have won the Premier League, none of that matters as far as Eze is concerned."You go through ups and downs and loads of noise in the media," Eze said."But, at the end, all that matters is who won. And it doesn't matter how you won, it doesn't matter what you did to win."To do it how we've done it, for me, is also quite special because we've blocked out so much noise, so much attention around us. Style of play is very subjective."There are so many different opinions about it but ultimately, when you are winning games, that's all that matters."Eze was aged seven when Arsenal lost their last Champions League final in 2006. Now, in Budapest, Eze has the chance to impact the game himself."The Champions League final is what dreams are made of," Eze added."These are things that you've spoken about and wanted as a kid. To be able actually to be there is a special thing."Confident? Yeah for sure. I feel like we've achieved something that means so much to us and the joy, the confidence, the power that comes with that is special. So I'm sure we'll be bringing that on the day as well."It's quite liberating. It's an opportunity to do something that has never been done before. Loads of people have had the opportunity."We are just another group of people that have the opportunity and I pray that we take it. When we do, it will be a special moment for sure."From south London to north London, back to south London before returning to north London and lifting the title in south London - Eze's faith has paid off.But now it is on to Budapest, where one more dream can come true.

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Portuguese Cup winners Torreense will join an exclusive group of second division clubs to play in European competitions after they suffered play-off final defeat.Torreense secured a place in the league phase of the 2026-27 Uefa Europa League with a stunning 2-1 win against Sporting CP in the final of the Portuguese Cup on Sunday.After winning a first major trophy in their 109-year history and finishing third in the Portuguese second division, Torreense had the chance to secure promotion to the top flight via the play-offs.They faced Casa Pia - who finished 16th in the top flight - over two legs. However, after a goalless first leg, they lost 2-0 away from home on Thursday.That means Torreense - who are from Torres Vedras, a town 25 miles north of Lisbon, and play in a stadium that holds about 2,500 spectators - will play European football next season as a second division club.Because their 2,500-seater home stadium does not meet Uefa's requirements, they will play their matches 193 miles away at the Estadio Algarve in Faro.Other clubs that have already secured their place in the league phase of the Europa League include Bournemouth, Sunderland, Crystal Palace, Juventus, AC Milan and Bayer Leverkusen.There are more examples of second tier sides playing in Uefa competitions than you might think.Torreense will not be the only second division club competing in Europe next season - Vestri, based in a village of less than 3,000 people, beat Valur in the 2025 Icelandic Cup final. They will enter the Europa League in the first qualifying round.Liechtenstein's FC Vaduz have spent much of the 21st century playing in the Swiss second division, but are regular participants in the Europa League qualifying rounds thanks to winning 21 of the past 22 editions of the Lichtenstein Cup.However, they will play top flight football next season after being crowned Swiss Challenge League champions.USV Eschen/Mauren took the Vaduz route into Europe when they beat the perennial cup winners in 2012 while playing in the Swiss third division, but were defeated in the Europa League first qualifying round.Millwall lost the 2004 FA Cup final to Manchester United, but qualified for the Uefa Cup because their opponents were already assured a place in the Champions League.The London side entered the first round proper - a round that took place before the group stage - where they were beaten 4-2 on aggregate by Ferencvaros.Birmingham City's League Cup final victory over Arsenal in 2011 earned them a spot in the play-off round of the 2011-12 Europa League, but a few months later they were relegated from the Premier League.After beating Nacional of Portugal 3-0 on aggregate, Birmingham narrowly missed out on a place in the knockout rounds after finishing third in their group with 10 points.Wigan Athletic went on a similar journey two years later - days after beating Manchester City in the FA Cup final and booking their place in Europe for the first time in club history, Roberto Martinez's side were relegated from the Premier League.The Latics' group stage campaign in the 2013-14 Europa League did not go according to plan, as one win in six games saw them finish bottom of a group containing Rubin Kazan, Maribor and Zulte Waregem.Ipswich Town were relegated from the Premier League in 2001-02 but earned a place in the following season's Uefa Cup through the Uefa Respect Fair Play ranking - they reached the second round.Swiss giants FC Zurich finished bottom of the Swiss Super League in 2015-16 but won the Swiss Cup to qualify for the group stage Europa League, where they failed to reach the knockouts.Alemannia Aachen lost to Werder Bremen in the 2004 German Cup final, but took the prize of a place in the Uefa Cup because Bremen had qualified for the Champions League.They successfully navigated the first round and group stage to reach the last-32, where they were eliminated by eventual semi-finalists AZ Alkmaar.FC Gueugnon of France stunned Paris Saint-Germain in the 1999-2000 French League Cup final, but lost in the first round of the Uefa Cup the following season.Wisla Krakow of Poland and Corvinu Hunedoara of Romania have also played in European qualifiers while being outside their nation's top tier.Listen to the latest Football Daily podcast

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22-year-old to join up with Socceroos training squad in Los AngelesAttacker turned down offer four years ago to play for country of birthThe Socceroos have been handed a huge boost on the eve of the World Cup with young attacker Cristian Volpato to join up with the training squad before a friendly against Mexico in Los Angeles.The 22-year will make a shock switch of allegiance from Italy to Australia four years after turning down the opportunity to represent the country of his birth at the tournament in Qatar.FA has lodged all requisite paperwork to Fifa and is now waiting for the governing body to ratify Volpato’s decision to switch allegiance to Australia after representing Italy at the youth level.Volpato was born and raised in Sydney and played his junior football at Sydney United 58, Sydney FC and Western Sydney Wanderers, before moving to Italy. He represented Italy at the Under-19, Under-20 and Under-21 levels from 2022 with a last appearance in a friendly in March 2025.He snubbed multiple previous attempts to lure him from Italy and across to the Socceroos, including when then head coach Graham Arnold invited him to join up with the squad ahead of the 2022 World Cup.Australia’s persistence appears to have paid off, with Volpato not included in a youthful Italy squad named for friendlies against Luxembourg and Greece in June, while the four-time winners missed out on qualifying for a third successive World Cup.Popovic has said in the past that he would never “sell the shirt” but Volpato is unlikely to make the trip to Los Angeles without being in line for a late call-up to the Socceroos squad for the World Cup, especially with first-choice attacker Riley McGree ruled out this week due to a hamstring injury.The attacker joined the youth set up at Roma in 2020 and rose through the ranks to make a senior debut under José Mourinho during the 2021-22 Serie A season. He made 14 appearances and scored two goals across all competitions for I Giallorossi before moving to Sassuolo in 2023.Volpato has played 72 times and scored seven goals, with 11 assists, across all competitions for Sassuolo, and helped the club immediately return to Serie A after being relegated to the second tier at the end of the 2024-25 campaign. He scored twice, and added four assists, in 24 appearances during the current Serie A season.The Socceroos now have 30 players included in their train-on unit, with Popovic needing to reduce the number to 26 before a World Cup squad is named by 1 June.Volpato will not be part of the Socceroos side that faces World Cup co-hosts Mexico at the Rose Bowl in Los Angeles California on 31 May (AEST), but is in the frame to be considered for their first game of the tournament against Turkey on 14 June.

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Northern Ireland's World Cup dream may have been ended by Italy in March but the squad for June's internationals suggests Michael O'Neill has one eye on the future.Friendlies against Guinea and France have given O'Neill the chance to bring in younger faces, with uncapped teenagers Braiden Graham and Ceadach O'Neill included in the squad.Fresh off the back of signing a new four-year contract extension with NI, Michael O'Neill said this window presents an opportunity to "accelerate players".Of course, there are no guarantees either will establish themself in the squad, but it does provide an opportunity for them to showcase what they can offer at this level."It's difficult to say they're ready to be senior international players. We have to be mindful of that," said O'Neill."They've had limited minutes at first-team level but they're in our pathway and we have to protect that and we have to show them the route to playing for ourselves and being a senior international, and that they're highly regarded within our pathway as well."There are players that I could include instead of those younger players. If I'm honest, I don't feel that they're playing the club football at a high enough level that would affect the starting 11 at this minute in time."So for me, the emphasis has to be on using some of the squad in terms of development."But who are the youngsters hoping to help solve Northern Ireland's long-standing struggles in the final third? BBC Sport NI has had a look.Graham, 18, has caught the eye of fans both on Merseyside and across the Irish Sea following an impressive period in the Everton academy.The forward has scored 16 goals this season for the under-21 side, who finished 18th in Premier League 2.Graham began his career at Irish Premiership side Linfield and became the youngest player to make a senior appearance for the first team at 15 years and 137 days.After making the move to Everton in July 2024, he signed his first professional deal four months later.His performances at youth level have attracted the attention of first-team manager David Moyes and he is tipped to make an appearance soon after being included on the bench for the Toffees' trip to Nottingham Forest in December.A lack of attacking threat has long been an issue for Northern Ireland.Graham's former boss at the Blues - David Healy - lit up the pitch when he wore the number nine shirt for NI, while Kyle Lafferty played a pivotal role for the side when they qualified for the Euros in 2016.However, despite the current youthful team showing signs of real promise, the recurring issue of lack of strikers has resurfaced.The teenager finished the season third in the PL2 goalscoring charts and impressed too during his time with Linfield.Graham's lack of senior football suggests he has plenty of development ahead of him, but he is clearly considered a player for the future."One thing that Braiden always has done through the ranks and at all the age groups at Linfield, including the first team, was score goals," Healy told BBC Sport NI."He's a threat in the box, he finds himself in space, technically he's very good and he's probably the most natural goalscorer that I've ever seen in terms of finding himself in the space and knowing how to score the goals."I've seen Braiden play from when he was 13 and he used to score five or six goals near enough every other game. He has that ability and he has the confidence."Graham's former Blues team-mate O'Neill has also been included among the attacking options.O'Neill moved to Arsenal from Linfield in April 2025 and has since signed a professional contract.A regular for the Premier League champions' under-18 side, O'Neill has yet to make his senior debut but trained with Mikel Arteta's first-team squad and was on the bench for the FA Cup ties against Wigan Athletic and Southampton.At international level, he scored during the U19 Euro qualifying game against Kazakhstan in March and also featured in the recent U21 Euro qualifying campaign.O'Neill's versatility as a winger, centre-forward or attacking midfielder is a huge bonus for Northern Ireland.He has also shown leadership capabilities early in his career by captaining underage sides.With George Saville and Brad Lyons absent, and Ethan Galbraith in the squad despite not featuring since the play-off defeat in March, Michael O'Neill may give the Arsenal youngster an opportunity."Ceadach's so blessed with two brilliant feet, he has so much ability," Healy said."Arsenal has been incredible for him. He opens up defenders, he's brave on the ball for somebody so young, plays in numerous positions and technically is very good."So, given the opportunity and given the minutes, I've no doubt the two of them [O'Neill and Graham] will thrive in and around the environment. It's something Michael does pretty well and the senior players in the ranks will certainly help the younger players."NI's O'Neill signs four-year contract extensionUncapped teenagers Graham and O'Neill in NI squad