Koeman accuses Martin O’Neill of ‘killing’ James McCarthy

Ronald Koeman has issued a scathing attack on Martin O’Neill’s treatment of James McCarthy and accused the Republic of Ireland of “killing” the Everton midfielder.

McCarthy played the entirety of Ireland’s World Cup qualifying win against Georgia plus 81 minutes against Moldova in his first competitive outings since undergoing groin surgery last month.

The player was sidelined for almost six weeks after the operation, and last played for Everton on August 23rd, but started two World Cup qualifiers in four days having declared himself available for his country.

Koeman described the 25-year-old as “massively overloaded” before Everton’s visit to Manchester City tomorrow: “It is ridiculous that he has surgery, five to six weeks out, three training sessions, plays 90 minutes and then, after three days, plays another 80 minutes … Play him for 45 minutes, 60 minutes, but not 95 minutes after five to six weeks out, the second time 80 minutes! You are killing the player.”

Arsène Wenger believes that Gareth Southgate is the outstanding candidate to be appointed as the next permanent manager of England. In a very small field, Wenger has been linked to the position as well, with the English Football Association’s chief executive, Martin Glenn, having said that “he’d fit the criteria perfectly”.

Wenger’s contract with Arsenal expires at the end of the season and he has flirted with the idea of managing the country in which he has lived and worked for the past 20 years. But it is certain that he will be offered a new deal at Arsenal and, in recent days, he has appeared to distance himself from the possibility of taking the England job next summer.

“Is Southgate the outstanding candidate for the job? Yes,” Wenger said. “In England, there’s always the demand for the big names – that is the difficulty. What is most important to me is the competence of the person and, if a person is competent, then he can make a name for himself. He [Southgate] has a good opportunity to show that. I’m happy to see that he has an opportunity to show that he has quality.

“He has handled himself quite well. He has accumulated experiences, first with Middlesbrough and now with the FA. He was a good observer of what was going on in the English national team and, after that, we’re in a job where you are questioned, especially when you have less experience.

“The only answer he can give is by doing his job, and our job is selection and decision-making.”

Dembélé setback

Meanwhile,

Mousa Dembélé

has suffered a foot injury in training that is causing him pain when he kicks the ball, according to

Tottenham Hotspur

manager

Mauricio Pochettino

.

It is the latest setback to hit the midfielder and Pochettino said he would undergo further tests today.

It is unclear whether Dembélé will be available to play at West Bromwich Albion tomorrow, or for how long he will be sidelined, but what is known is that it is a recurrence of an old injury.

The Spurs manager had better news on Harry Kane, who has not played since he seriously damaged the ligaments in his right ankle against Sunderland.

“At the end of this week, maybe he can start to train and touch the grass a little bit,” Pochettino said. Guardian Service