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Young calls time on England

Author: Brandon Barker
Date: 12/11/2009
Football betting

Aston Villa defender Luke Young has declined an offer to join up with the England squad to face Brazil and has retired from international football.

The 30-year-old full-back was approached by head coach Fabio Capello to replace injured Liverpool defender Glen Johnson in the squad for the friendly in Qatar.

However, the former Tottenham Hotspur and Charlton Athletic defender is reported to have spurned the advances of the Italian and called time on his seven-cap international career.

Young has not featured for the Three Lions under Capello, with his last international appearance coming against Argentina, one of the online favourites to win next summer's World Cup finals, in 2005.

Young joined the Midlands club in summer 2008 but has been out of the first-team picture this season. A thigh injury was followed by the death of his teenage brother and Young recently admitted he was struggling to cope with the loss.

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Germany have called off their friendly match against Chile following the death of goalkeeper Robert Enke on Tuesday night.

The 32-year-old died at the scene following an incident at a railway level crossing in Hannover. Police have confirmed the Hannover goalkeeper's death is believed to have been suicide.

The former Borussia Monchengladbach, Benfica, Barcelona, Fenerbahce and Tenerife keeper lost a daughter to a rare heart condition in 2006.

Enke was regarded as the probable German number one for next summer's World Cup Finals. He had missed Germany's last four matches with a virus but returned for his club side at the weekend.

Tottenham Hotspur striker Roman Pavlyuchenko has threatened to leave White Hart Lane following his lack of first-team action.

The Russia striker has found himself frozen out of the first-team picture this season and fears that his lack of action will harm his hopes of appearing in next summer's World Cup Finals.

Pavlyuchenko, who cost Spurs £14million when he joined from Spartak Moscow in September 2008, has not started a single Premier League game this season.

The 27-year-old finds himself behind Jermain Defoe, Robbie Keane and Peter Crouch in manager Harry Redknapp's plans.

Martin Johnson hopes the four changes he has made to England's starting line-up for Saturday's match against Argentina at Twickenham will help to revitalise his team.

Johnson was disappointed with his side's inconsistency during the 18-9 loss to Australia so has brought James Haskell, Duncan Bell, Dylan Hartley and Paul Hodgson into the team that will face the Pumas.

Haskell replaces Jordan Crane at hooker, Bell comes in for the injured David Wilson, Steve Thompson makes way at hooker for Dylan Hartley while Paul Hodgson is preferred to Danny Care at scrum-half.

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