Is there a major international football tournament coming up by any chance?

I only ask because I’ve noticed that a number of England’s best players have started to go down with long-term injuries. And nothing says a World or European Cup is on the horizon more clearly than an England star on crutches.

First Harry Kane’s hamstring exploded, meaning he will probably be out of action until mid-April at the very earliest. Then Marcus Rashford went down with a double stress fracture of the back, which will require a couple of months to glue back together.

In theory, of course, both could (and probably will) be back playing football before the end of the season. But how sharp are they likely to be if they haven’t been playing regularly? And how much would that lack of match practice make them more prone to further injuries?

We’ve had this in the past – pretty much at every major tournament in my lifetime, in fact. Michael Owen, David Beckham and Wayne Rooney, to name but a few, have all been injured in the build-up to a summer tournament. (If Beckham hadn’t, then most of us still wouldn’t know what a metatarsal is…)

But this is the first time I can remember that two out of the three, arguably first-choice forwards have been struck down at the same time with a competition just a couple of months away. (Raheem Sterling should be locked in a cupboard for the next five months, just to be safe.)

All the talk has been how formidable England’s forward line is, and how much fear it strikes into opponents. But it won’t be that awe inspiring if it has to be wheeled on to the pitch.

Some people may argue that a rest and recuperation break right now is actually a blessing in disguise, and that Rashford and Kane will be fresh and eager to take on the rest of Europe.

Nothing says a World or European Cup is on the horizon more clearly than an England star on crutches

All I would say to that is: stop being so optimistic.

This is England we are talking about so we will inevitably end up with two 75 per cent fit forwards as part of our squad and a manager determined to play them even though they will be panting and puffing after 30 minutes.

That just the way English international football works…

Stand by your man

Most inspired decision of the football season?

Probably a bit early to say for sure, but I would certainly suggest Southampton opting not to fire Ralph Hasenhuttl is right up there with the best.

When they were hammered 9-0 at home by Leicester City back in October, there weren’t many people who would have shied away from putting their houses on him being sacked by the club.

That is not the sort of result you can just pass off as a mere blip, especially considering the team’s overall form was pretty abysmal and they were firmly rooted in the relegation zone.

Yet Southampton’s board showed a level of calm-headedness and restraint that you very rarely see in this day and age. When the whole world was waiting for them to pull the trigger, they decided instead to hold their fire.

Many people, myself included, thought this was a daft thing to do. You simply don’t concede nine goals, at home, unless something is fundamentally wrong with the whole operation. And the manager has to bear responsibility for those failings.

And, on that basis, sacking seemed the only sensible course of action.

Three months later, however, and the Saints are marching on. Emphatically. Their midweek victory away to Crystal Palace lifted them up to ninth in the table – a far cry from when they seemed certainties to be playing in the championship next season.

Their results have been so good, in fact, that they are second only to Liverpool in the form table, and their run over the past 90 days or so even included a 2-1 victory away to Leicester, which I am sure was rather sweet.

I am not someone who advocates managers being fired left, right and centre. It makes me rather uncomfortable when they are sacked without being given a chance to turn things round.

But even so, I don’t think I would have been able to show so much belief in my manager had it been my team on the end of a record-equalling and generally humiliating defeat.

Luckily for Southampton’s fans, their owners thought differently and their team is reaping the rewards. Sticking with Hasenhuttl has turned out to be an inspired decision.

I wonder if other clubs may look at what he has done having been given a chance, and give their own managers more time to turn things round in the future?

Of course they won’t.

When the perfect player gets away

There are many rumours as to why Manchester United failed to buy Norwegian wonderkid Erling Haaland. Some suggest they couldn’t agree on a price, others that super agent Mino Raiola wanted a sell-on clause which they refused.

We are very unlikely to ever know the full truth. But what we do know is that the deal never materialised and Haaland instead signed for Borussia Dortmund.

And it is already starting to look like United may have made a mistake of cosmic proportions.

Haaland made his debut for his new German club last weekend, coming on in the second half when they were trailing 3-1 to Augsburg. He promptly scored after three minutes and went on to bag a hat-trick in a 5-3 win.

Although he is still only 19, Erling looks like he may be the next big thing in football, and you have to wonder how United let him slip through their fingers.

If they are serious about rebuilding and serious about focussing on youth then this was the perfect player for them. He ticks every required box, and a few boxes that United didn’t even know could be ticked.

That he is now Dortmund’s asset should be a matter of shame for whoever pulled the plug on the deal at Old Trafford.

james@findit.com.mt
Twitter: @maltablade