![\"Jordan](\"http:\/\/u.goal.com\/129800\/129889_news.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/div>\nJordan Henderson, Sunderland<\/p>\n
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COMMENT<\/strong> England’s under-21s are worth more than their seniors<\/span><\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n This week it was announced that Jordan Henderson would move to Liverpool for a fee in the region of \u00a320 million, while Phil Jones would sign for Manchester United for \u00a316m. Last summer Chris Smalling transferred to Old Trafford for \u00a310m. Jack Rodwell, of Everton, is routinely valued by the press at around \u00a320m. Andy Carroll, eligible but not included in Stuart Pearce’s Under-21 squad for this summer’s European Championships, cost Liverpool \u00a335m in January. That’s about \u00a3100m worth of talent.<\/p>\n Those are good players. But they are no better than Mario Gotze, Christian Eriksen or Eden Hazard; full internationals and first team regulars at league champions; about to embark on a campaign of Champions League football. Yet when these bona fide players are linked with Premier League teams, they are linked at knockdown prices vastly inferior to those quoted for the English lads.<\/p>\n Being English and becoming a regular with a modest Premier League team like Sunderland, Blackburn, Fulham, Everton or Newcastle is seemingly sufficient for a player’s value to become bloated beyond any sense of reality. This is due, in part, to Uefa’s impending legislation on quotas of homegrown talent in squads.<\/p>\n Unproven, albeit promising, players from within the English Premier League are valued high above their counterparts from overseas; prices for organic English talent are prohibitively expensive. A dearth of talent in the English game has driven up manifold the prices of half-decent players and the pattern repeats transfer window on transfer window.<\/p>\n The nurturing club cannot afford to turn away bids. That effectively ends the education of the player who would then be expected to jump in at the deep end in a more demanding environment. The buying clubs involved may be investing for the future but it is a lot to ask for a teenager with only a season’s top level football behind him to live up to expectations over five years of an inordinate contract. Premature transfers have been the downfall of many a prodigy, Ryan Babel and Giovani Dos Santos to name only two.<\/p>\n Patience and faith are required in the development and breeding of young players. The elite clubs in England have become obsessed with signing the next Phil Jones when they should be more concerned with developing him. The Three Lions should walk the Euro under 21s in Denmark if their players really are that good. They won’t and they’re not.<\/p>\n The accused Mexican players are innocent until proven guilty<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n <\/span> The drug is used by people who suffer with breathing difficulties as a decongestant and bronchodilator. It is also classified as a performance enhancing drug. Last year the Tour de France winner, Spain’s Alberto Contador, was found to have traces in his system and was hit with a one-year ban by the Spanish Cycling Federation. However, earlier this year, he was cleared with ‘food contamination’ as the reason given for the presence of Clenbuterol. That should be borne in mind when discussing the fate of the accused quintet.<\/p>\n Furthermore, in December, the Mexican Health Ministry announced that 39 cases of Clenbuterol contamination had been recorded in the previous year due to meat of dubious origin in the Jalisco region. Presumptions and judgements, therefore, should be withheld until the investigation is concluded.<\/p>\n The United States are Mexico’s principal and perennial rivals for the Gold Cup. But the reaction in certain sections of fan support has crossed the sporting boundary. The level of vitriol, not to mention outright racism, levelled against the Mexicans by certain sections of the USA’s support has been abhorrent. It should be remembered that they are innocent until proven guilty.<\/p>\n ‘Smiling Assassin’ Zlatan Ibrahimovic is back with a bang<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Ola Toivonen was forced to depart proceedings early through injury, paving the way for Zlatan to make his first Sweden appearance of the year on 25 minutes. It did not take him long to make an impact. By half-time he had scored twice and whistled a free kick narrowly over the bar.<\/p>\n He displayed strength, vision and panache and revelled as the crowd lauded him with affectionate chants.<\/p>\n “It’s amazing,” he said after the game. “I have been lucky in my career, I have had this positive support on my side, especially at home. It makes me do extra and add extra motivation, like it did today when I came on to the pitch.”<\/p>\n In the second half, he completed a hat-trick with a header and laid on a sumptuous pass for Emir Bajrami’s fifth goal in a trashing for Mixu Paatelainen’s side. The team was visibly enlivened by his presence. The midfielders always sought him for the pass and his class shone through brightly.<\/p>\n International football looked to be an encumbrance for Zlatan two years ago but he looked genuinely happy to be back this week. So did his team-mates.<\/p>\n Faroe Islands register their first win<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n The victory came as sweet vengeance for the Faroese, who had commanded a 1-0 lead over the same opposition until injury time in August. On that occasion they lost their resolve, and permitted Estonia to score twice and deny Kerr what would have been his second victory in charge of the world’s 135th best side.<\/p>\n “They had to come at us but we had the disappointment of conceding two goals in injury time in Estonia. That was in the players\u2019 heads and they were not prepared to let it slip,” Kerr told the Irish Times<\/em> after the win.<\/p>\n While victories will undoubtedly continue to be a minority event for the Islanders, who still field part-time players, improvement has been gradual yet constant under Kerr. The Irishman has presided over three unbeaten matches out of four at Toftir and the team contains the promising Newcastle youngster Joan Simun Edmundsson.<\/p>\n Italy visit Toftir in September and will not be relishing the prospect of an Atlantic wind pounding their faces and a Faroe team intent on giantkilling.<\/p>\n Ronaldo given an appropriate send-off<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Nonetheless, it was appropriate to see R9 say goodbye with a smile on his face. His retirement announcement in February, after taking abuse at the hands of Corintihans fans, was an altogether more abrupt and saddening farewell. He cried in front of the cameras and wiped his face dry. He wasn’t ready to say goodbye. Playing was having a debilitating effect on his body but walking away was visibily killing him.<\/p>\n So it was a poignant moment for the striker to be given a worthy send-off in the only arena he knows best – the field of play.<\/p>\n \u201cForgive me, I had three chances but couldn’t score a goal in my last 15 minutes, which would have been a small reward for everything you’ve done for me,\u201d he said. \u201cMy huge thanks for everything you’ve done for my career, for accepting me the way I am, for crying when I cried, for smiling when I smiled. I simply have to thank you from the bottom of my heart.\u201d<\/p>\n Best of luck Ronnie.<\/p>\n Follow Peter Staunton on<\/em> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
By Peter Staunton<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/u.goal.com\/133700\/133721_hp.jpg\")
On Thursday five members of the Mexico national team tested positive for a banned substance ahead of their game against Cuba in the Concacaf Gold Cup group stages. Guillermo Ochoa, a goalkeeper of high promise, Francisco Rodriguez, Edgar Duenas, Antonio Naelson and Christian Bermudez were found to have tested positive for use of Clenbuterol. A sixth, Ricardo Osorio, also tested positive but left the squad on Monday with a urinary tract infection.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/u.goal.com\/34400\/34488_hp.jpg\")
The AC Milan striker, due to his indiscretions in Serie A, has been without first team action since the start of May, but a lack of match fitness did not affect his ability to rip Finland to shreds on Tuesday.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/u.goal.com\/112500\/112553_hp.jpg\")
The craggy frontier of north western Europe was the venue for the Faroe Islands’ first win of the Euro 2012 qualification process. The windswept village of Toftir played host to a memorable yet deserved 2-0 victory over Estonia on Tuesday. The three points leave Brian Kerr’s team on four overall, only two behind Northern Ireland, whom they play next.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/u.goal.com\/133600\/133602_hp.jpg\")
‘The Phenomenon’ was permitted one last hurrah for the national team in the form of a 15-minute cameo against Romania on Tuesday night. The once fearsome forward, now 34, lumbered from the bench two-thirds of the way through the first half to take his place to rapturous applause. He replaced Fred and was given three clear opportunities to score but could not take any of them. A younger Ronaldo would have gobbled them up.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/u.goal.com\/93900\/93900.jpg\")
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