Roy Hodgson has claimed he would never encourage his players to cheat or bend the rules to their advantage.

Yet countless times England seem to find themselves on the wrong end of those tricks of the trade that nations more streetwise than ourselves roll out to gain an extra edge.

Ahead of the Three Lions’ EURO 2016 opener against Russia on Saturday evening, here are FOUR occasions we’ve have ‘come a cropper’ of the ‘dark arts’…

4. Wayne Rooney v Portugal, World Cup 2006

Rooney ultimately paid the price for his refusal to go to ground and take a cheap free-kick in this World Cup quarter-final against Portugal in Germany.

And to rub salt in the wounds it was his Manchester United team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo that made it happen.

The Three Lions striker, 20 at the time, was attempting to keep possession just after the hour mark as Portugal’s players mercilessly hounded and kicked him.

As he lost the ball, and his balance, Rooney’s studs came down close to Ricardo Carvalho’s legs and the Portuguese rolled around as if his life was in danger.

But referee, Hector Elizondo, was not about to produce a card until Ronaldo pleaded with him and Rooney reacted with a shove.

That brought a swift change of heart from the official and as ‘Roo’ trudged off, Ronaldo’s wink to his team-mates said everything… “Got him!”

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3. David Beckham v Argentina, World Cup 1998

Glenn Hoddle guided England to the last 16 at the 1998 World Cup, ultimately won by hosts France, but our journey was to end here.

We lost, as usual, on penalties but the killer blow was landed long before that.

Locked at 2-2 with Argentina after an end-to-end first half, the second 45 minutes promised to be a corker – until Diego Simeone went in hard through the back of David Beckham.

It was a rough challenge on England’s young midfield star and it was compounded by the way he leant on the 23-year-old’s back to push himself up.

That was the final straw for Becks, who had taken a few other kicks and shoves, and he aimed a petulant kick at the midfielder’s legs.

Job done for the Argies. The force of the kick wouldn’t have been enough to hold a door open, but down went Simeone… and off went Beckham.

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2. ‘Hand of God’v Argentina, World Cup 1986

This needs no introduction. Diego Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ was the ultimate in dark art skullduggery as Argentina saw off England on their way to a second world crown.

With this Mexico quarter-final deadlocked at 0-0 after half-time in front of 114,000 fans in sweltering conditions, Maradona set off on one of his mazy runs.

Selling Terry Fenwick a dummy and walking past Glenn Hoddle, he tried a one-two on the edge of the box only for Steve Hodge to loop the ball back up towards the keeper.

And as Shilton raced off his line, Maradona disguised a deft punch to lift the ball over him and into the net.

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1. Paul Gascoigne v West Germany, World Cup 1990

This may seem an unlikely rival to the ‘Hand of God’, but the ramifications were massive as it sent shockwaves through English football, wrecking the chance of a first final since 1966.

Further still, whereas Diego’s handball was picked up immediately on TV cameras, this one has remained largely hidden, even 26 years on, so wily and sly was its execution.

The score was locked at 1-1 in the first half of extra-time and a young Gazza, the unexpected star of the tournament in Italy, showed a little too much of the ball to West Germany’s Thomas Berthold.

Stretching to keep possession, it looked like Gazza had felled the German. But ,if you look closely at a replay from the right angle, you can see he does not touch him.

That, of course, did not stop Berthed hitting the deck like a sack of spuds and rolling once, twice, three times.

The yellow card meant the end Gascoigne’s tournament, regardless of the result, was over, and, if the tears and the torment were not bad enough, the penalty shootout sparked a fear of spot-kicks from which England have simply never recovered.

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In what must already be the most protracted transfer saga of the summer we can all now rejoice as Zlatan Ibrahimovic has finally confirmed what was arguably the worst kept secret in football: the former Sweden international is a Manchester United player.

After such a long drawn out process you would be forgiven for not caring all that much, but Man United fans have grounds for celebration as the former Paris Saint-Germain forward will now move to Old Trafford and once again link up with Jose Mourinho.

It’s fair to say he had a dismal EURO 2016, in which Sweden went home without a point, and Ibrahimovic himself only had seven shots on target in the process. He also missed out on the opportunity to become the first ever man to score in four successive European Championships.

Mourinho and Man United fans alike will be hoping that they have signed the Ibrahimovic who ran riot in Ligue 1 for PSG and not the one who was seemingly carrying a whole nation on his shoulders over the past few weeks. The question that everyone else will be asking though is whether or not Manchester United have signed the Swede a year or two too late.

Is Ibrahimovic over the hill? He will have to start quickly to make sure the doubters are not proved right, and let’s not forget this is someone who has won 13 league titles in 15 seasons – how United fans would love that run to continue next season!

There are not many big name signings that come to the Premier League at the age of 34, but there was ever to be an exception then this man must surely be it. It’s no coincidence that he has won trophies wherever he has gone and with the chance to pair up with his old boss at Inter Milan, Mourinho, once again you get the feeling that this could be a pretty fruitful relationship.

What will be deemed as success for ‘Ibra’s’ stint at Old Trafford? You would imagine at least 10 goals next season would be required as a benchmark and then any trophies on top would be an added bonus and go some way to paying back the hefty wages that he is due to collect.

Also where does this put Marcus Rashford in the pecking order? In the battle of youth vs. experience, perhaps at 34 Ibrahimovic won’t be playing every game but you can’t help but feel for Rashford personally, as this signing has come at the worst time for his personal development.

For all the questions that will be asked now and throughout the season one thing we do know is that Old Trafford certainly will not be a dull place next season.

This article was submitted via our Write For Us feature. Think you can do better? Submit your own article via the link below, and give yourself the chance of winning monthly cash prizes…

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Manchester United started their Premier League in pretty emphatic fashion against Bournemouth. Jose Mourinho’s first league match as the boss of the Red Devils saw a comfortable victory and, most worryingly, saw Wayne Rooney etch his name onto the scoresheet as he nears countless records.

The former Everton star has been the figure of hatred for many a football fan this year – more than any other year. His poor performances for England did not help his cause and his start to the campaign with Manchester United has been largely uninspiring.

Now, with the addition of Paul Pogba, Manchester United face a conundrum of sorts. Rooney’s role in the side is up for debate and Jose Mourinho faces his first really tough decision as the new gaffer. He must find a way to keep all of the large egos in the United squad happy, without denting his own significant self-loving.

Rooney must be dropped, yeah? I guess that’s the general consensus? Well, here are FIVE reasons why…

Stop the shoehorn

When you don’t really know a players best role, it’s pretty damn hard to justify their selection in the side.

Rooney has been an eight, a ten and a nine over the last 12 months and none of them look particularly natural any more. He does not deserve a place as a central midfielder, an attacking midfielder, nor does he deserve to play as centre forward whilst Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Marcus Rashford are fit.

It’s hard, but Rooney doesn’t really have a role in the side. When you are having to try and shoehorn him in, it’s probably a sign it’s not working.

Lad named Paul

Paul Pogba. The world’s most expensive footballer is not far away from his Manchester United debut and, as it stands, Wayne Rooney will be a member of the same eleven as Pogba.

Unless Rooney can play as the lone front man – which is questionable now – he is surely going to be a hindrance to Pogba. Pogba will need space and freedom to operate in midfield and, in many ways, needs to rule the manor.

Rooney might just prove to get in his way at times.

Ignore the name

On his recent performances, Wayne Rooney would not get in to the side if he was not such a club legend.

Of course this is the case for many players, and often it makes sense to keep the player involved, but Rooney is being treated like an integral starter. His role at the club as a leader will not have to diminish, but his form is not deserving of a starting berth and that should sink in eventually.

For the greater good

The balance of any football team is more important than any individual; possibly with the exception of Lionel Messi.

If Manchester United are going to switch between 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3, it’s tricky to see how Rooney can fit in without compromising the balance of the side. The arrival of Paul Pogba means that at least one midfield berth is taken and, if sense prevails, that will be in a 4-3-3.

Could Rooney and Pogba play as the advanced pairing in a 4-3-3? No, probably not.

Energy? Nope…

For a player of his calibre, Wayne Rooney has oddly relied on his energy more than most of his talent.

His ability to cover yardage has been just as important as his technical gift and, when his fitness declines as it is, this leaves an issue. Rooney is no longer the all-action star that many thought could contribute in a box-to-box capacity and, for that reason, he is no an integral part of a Mourinho side.

Ander Herrera could play a similar role from deep to Rooney and, although he lacks much of the attacking nous, Herrera would offer an engine in midfield.

According to reports from BILD, Wolfsburg are still interested in signing Tottenham Hotspur winger Heung-min Son – but the Premier League club want £33.5million (€40million).

What’s the word?

Wolfsburg were strongly linked with the South Korea international during the final days of the summer transfer window, with Sky Sports (via Sky Germany) reporting on their interest and The Daily Mail alleging a formal bid worth £24million was made.

That appears to be corroborated, to some extent, by Bild, who reveal Die Wolfe ‘supposedly’ launched a £27million bid to sign the 24-year-old – presumably during the final stages of the summer window.

Always keen to make a profit, however, Spurs want £33.5million for Son, which is around an £11million increase on the fee they paid Bayer Leverkusen for the Asian attacker in summer 2015. Wolfsburg remain keen but want the price to drop.

Why would Spurs sell after just one full season?

Despite the fanfare surrounding his arrival, Son didn’t exactly hit the ground running in the Premier League. Injuries were a factor but rather tellingly, he became an increasingly peripheral figure as the Lilywhites moved closer to (but inevitably missed out on) the Premier League title. As you can see below, the former Bundesliga man never really came close to rivalling Mauricio Pochettino’s other attacking midfield options:

So, is he worth £33.5million?

In theory, absolutely not. Spurs admittedly hold all the cards with Son’s contract not due to expire for another four years, but are they really suggesting the South Korean’s value has gone up by sitting on the bench for the last 12 months? It just doesn’t make sense.

But nobody said the transfer market is a rational place. It works on supply and demand and the level of inflation is quite incredible. In summer 2015, the average Bundesliga club spent £18.3million; in the transfer window just passed, it jumped up to £25.5million – staggering when the variation between clubs at the top and bottom of the league is taken into account as well.

That being said, the Bundesiga’s all-time record signing remains Javi Martinez, who cost €40million in summer 2012. Are Wolfsburg – a club who finished 8th last season – really about to match that for a player who spent last season on the bench? It seems unlikely.

Make your mind up!

But we’re going to let you make your mind up on whether Spurs’ asking price is a reasonable one. Below is a video of Son in action, followed by a quick poll. Enjoy!

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It was a pretty frustrating night all told on Tuesday for England fans.

The Three Lions travelled to Slovenia for their most recent World Cup qualifier on the back of two wins but could not make it three out of three in what was a dour contest that ended 0-0.

In truth, England were actually lucky to come away with a draw after a number of careless mistakes by their players were neutralised by an in-form Joe Hart.

It was a game that never really got going and will not live long in the memory, with some players coming in for a fair bit of criticism, Daniel Sturridge being one.

The Liverpool forward could not seem to find his rhythm before being replaced in the second half and in trying to make it work for himself he instead failed to link up with his team-mates leaving England fans exasperated on Twitter.

Here are some of the best reactions…

It seems like a long time ago that Arsenal had a genuine world-class forward at their club, with Gooners having to endure years of Olivier Giroud, Nicklas Bendtner, Maroaune Chamakh and other sub-par options- although to be fair to Giroud, he has actually been a decent servant to the club and is better than a lot of people will make out.Anyway, the French striker will probably find it difficult to break back into Arsenal’s squad following his return from injury as Arsene Wenger has finally cracked the code in attack- and it turns out he had the answers at his disposal in his squad all along.

Alexis Sanchez has shone in a central role in Arsenal’s side this season and his superb first-half lob against Ludogorets in the Champions League this evening saw him continue a fine run of form in the competition. Scoring against Paris Saint-Germain and providing two assists in the victory over FC Basel, Alexis is proving to potentially by Theirry Henry 2.0 having moved into his new role from a wide position.

This isn’t anything new though, as Alexis’ involvement on the European stage has been superb for Arsenal. The Gunners have scored 13 goals in the past two seasons in the Champions League with Alexis Sanchez on the field and during that time, the Chilean has been involved in all but one of those efforts.

He’s not doing it on his own though, as after a decade in North London Theo Walcott is finally performing to the standard many expect from him. Supported by Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil, the Englishman has been prolific this season and his numbers show that the Gunners now have two reliable attackers within their squad.

Things haven’t exactly clicked in the Premier League for Manchester United under Jose Mourinho.

The Red Devils are currently eighth in the table after winning only one of their last seven game. They have also failed to score in their last three league, with star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic struggling in front of goal.

Things have looked slightly more promising in the Europa League, however. After recovering from an opening game loss to Feyenoord, United earned themselves back-to-back wins including a comfortable 4-1 victory over Fenerbahce.

At the start of the season, it looked at though Jose Mourinho was going to treat the Europa League as a secondary concern and perhaps use the competition to blood United’s youngsters or give playing time to the club’s rotation options.

With a number of established players currently under-performing, however, the boundaries between who is a first-team player and who is on the cusp are becoming blurred.

That leaves Mourinho with some real selection dilemmas ahead of Thursday’s clash. But here’s a look at the XI the Portuguese should pick to claim another win over the Turkish club.

GK – SERGIO ROMERO

Sergio Romero can count himself pretty unlucky not to have featured more in Europe this year.

The Argentine proved more than capable when called upon and manned United’s goal for their only clean sheet in the competition against Zorya.

Romero has done nothing to suggest he can’t handle himself as United’s second choice – perhaps Mourinho would be better off using him as United’s main European keeper, similar to David Ospina at Arsenal.

RB – TIMOTHY FOSU-MENSAH

With Antonio Valencia injured, the right-back spot is currently a battle between Matteo Darmian and Timothy Fosu-Mensah.

The Italian seems to be first-choice in the league after a solid performance against Burnley last weekend.

This should mean Fosu-Mensah gets a game against Fenerbahce on Thursday, although it may soon be a question of whether the young Dutchman should start outright – he was one of the top performers against Zorya and any playing time will be good for his development.

CB – CHRIS SMALLING

With Eric Bailly and Phil Jones out injured, Chris Smalling remains one of the club’s few fit centre-backs – although Mourinho might decide to rest him for the weekend.

The 26-year-old has been shaky in recent weeks but a game against opposition United have already comfortably defeated could be exactly what he needs to get his confidence back.

The centre-back’s ability in the air will also be important to counter the aerial threat from players like Martin Skrtel at set pieces.

CB – MARCUS ROJO

In terms of who should partner Smalling, it’s a straight shootout between Daley Blind and Marcus Rojo.

Although Blind has been the more consistent of the two, we’re going with Marcus Rojo for his ability in the air.

Fenerbahce have scored five goals from set-pieces so far this season and United will need tall players in the box to ensure they don’t concede from free-kicks or corners.

LB – DALEY BLIND

While we wouldn’t have Daley Blind at centre-half for this one, there is a place for him in our team.

With Luke Shaw just returning from injury it’s important to give him a rest wherever possible, so we’d save him for Sunday’s match against Swansea.

Blind has covered well in the 21-year-old’s absence and can be trusted to be responsible in defending the left-hand side.

CDM – MICHAEL CARRICK

Considering how well Michael Carrick can dictate the tempo of a game and control the midfield, it’s a wonder he hasn’t played more often.

The 35-year-old made a clear difference when he played against Fenerbahce, keeping things simple and allowing Pogba to roam forward.

Things may not be as easy away from home, but we’d still have him anchoring the midfield and letting the Frenchman wreak havoc further up the pitch.

CM – ANDER HERRERA

Considering how Fenerbahce’s threat from set-pieces has already been highlighted, you may be surprised to see Marouane Fellaini hasn’t been selected.

The last game between the two sides highlighted how important Carrick can be, but he needs someone more mobile beside him or the midfield will get overrun.

Ander Herrera has already shown this season how capable he is at winning the ball and retaining possession. The Spaniard is quickly becoming an indispensable player in the United team.

CM – PAUL POGBA

Paul Pogba was the standout player when the two sides met at Old Trafford.

The Frenchman scored two goals and put in a performance that showed why he could be worth his huge price-tag.

Rather than have the 23-year-old in the hole with Herrera and Carrick behind, it would be interested to see them all in a midfield three –  with Pogba given the license to roam forward and experiment with his attacking capabilities.

RW- HENRIK MKHITARYAN

One of the more bewildering aspects of Mourinho’s reign is just why Henrik Mkhitaryan hasn’t been given a run in the side.

Despite costing the Red Devils £27m from Borussia Dortmund only this summer, the Armenian hasn’t been given more than 45 minutes to show what he can do.

The midfielder didn’t exactly set the world alight but that may have been because he was carrying an injury exacerbated on international duty.

Assuming he’s fit, a continental game is the perfect stage for Mkhitaryan to show what he can do.

LW – ANTHONY MARTIAL

Anthony Martial has been in and out the side so far this season but is arguably United’s most threatening attacker on his day.

The Frenchman has been inconsistent and struggled with injury so far but – as his goal against Stoke City showed – he has the quality to make things happen.

What the 20-year-old does need is game-time, to get himself back into the groove of things. Mourinho would be smart to give him at least an hour before bringing on someone like Memphis Depay.

ST: MARCUS RASHFORD

Just like Wayne Rooney, it may be worth Mourinho considering how long he needs to persevere with Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Like the Englishman, Ibrahimovic has been dropping too deep rather than leading the line, resulting in a third of his efforts coming from outside of the box. Even when he’s in the area, his finishing is letting him down.

Marcus Rashford, on the other hand, has the directness and composure United need from a striker. His attacking threat is wasted on the wing – it’s time for the 19-year-old to show what he is capable of up front.

Moussa Dembele is having a spectacular season spearheading the Celtic attack in Scotland.

He’s drawing plaudits from all around Europe for his energetic displays and clinical finishing at home and abroad.

This is of course also attracting the scouts of many top European clubs and for many of them, Dembele offers the chance to pick up a fantastic prospect at perhaps a cheaper cost than if he was playing in one of the big five European leagues.

Manchester United increasingly need to look to the future and pull in the next band of talented youngsters from across the world if they’re to ever get back on an equal footing with their fellow elite clubs, and ESPN claim that the Bhoys’ Frenchman is a player they’re keen on.

Here are our FIVE reasons why Man United should be looking at Dembele and why he may well be an inspired signing should they take the plunge…

He doesn’t just do it for Celtic

Dembele hasn’t been in red hot form for just Celtic this season, he’s also been terrorising defences in his age group on the international scene, none more so than England’s.

During the most recent international break, he hit a double against the Young Lions to sink them 3-2 – they were two exquisite strikes that could have beaten any ‘keeper, too.

If a player is making this kind of impact for France’s youth teams, it’s time to sit up and take notice.

Big game player

It’s all well and good having talent, but until you apply it in the big games and the big occasions then it means nothing.

Dembele has been the ultimate big game player for Celtic. Not only is he a cup tie specialist, becoming the first Celtic player since 1982 to score in every round of this season League Cup, he does it front of the big crowds.

Incredibly 15 of his 17 goals for Celtic have come at Celtic Park or Hampden Park, Scotland’s two biggest stadiums. He feeds off the energy of supporters and delivers for them with aplomb.

He’s Champions League calibre

Dembele has scored three goals in Group C of this season’s Champions League and a further two in qualifying for the tournament, giving him five European goals in total this campaign.

That’s not bad going for a 20-year-old who only joined the club in the summer.

Perhaps most importantly for Manchester United fans is the fact that two of them came against Manchester City…

The future is bright

Dembele’s talent right now is of a high standard but it’s when you think about his future that things get really interesting. For instance, there have already been comparisons to Didier Drogba.

Brendan Rodgers, quoted by the Daily Telegraph, recently said: “I worked with Didier Drogba at Chelsea and I think Moussa’s of that ilk. Didier came into Chelsea at 26. This boy’s just turned 20. He’s still a baby but he’s tough.”

To get in early on a potential Drogba-level star would be a massive boost to Man United’s Premier League chances over the next few years.

Value for money

Despite his talents, there’s no escaping that Dembele is operating in a league well below the standard of the English Premier League.

Far from that being a negative, Man United should use it as a positive and take the chance while they have it.

Virgil van Dijk, who Southampton signed from Celtic for a fee widely reported to be around £11m, proves that success can be had when looking north of the border – the big defender is worth at least double that now and arguably triple that.

If Man United are willing to take a risk, they could get the bargain of the century.

Manchester United have started 2017 as they ended 2016, in winning form.

The Red Devils comfortably brushed West Ham aside with two second half goals that mean United have now won their last six Premier League matches in a row. Only Chelsea are in better form right now.

Incredibly United still sit in 6th place, but with teams above them looking more likely to drop points, surely it’s only a matter of time before Mourinho’s men move into the top four.

It was Juan Mata and, you guessed it, Zlatan Ibrahimovic who provided the goals that secured the victory. Those goals came during a dogged Irons display that was hampered by Sofiane Feghouli’s harsh sending off in the fifteenth minute.

From that point on the Red Devils never really looked like losing but David de Gea did make a massive save just before Mata scored the opener.

No-one would argue there wasn’t an element of luck in their win but all in all it was a joyous evening for Man United supporters. Particularly impressed by Mourinho’s impact on the 90 minutes, they took to Twitter to share their joy in another fine result…

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Wayne Rooney put his name in the history books once again over the weekend, with his stunning equaliser against Stoke City seeing the England captain netting his 250th goal for Manchester United.

That striker saw Rooney become the Red Devils’ all-time leading goalscorer, surpassing Sir Bobby Charlton, who’s England record Rooney had already broken, to stand as the finest goalscorer in the history of the Premier League giants.

Sir Alex Ferguson, who had a huge impact on Rooney’s career after signing him as a teenager from Everton in 2004, has now claimed in an interview with the BBC that the striker’s record may never be broken- although he does think Marcus Rashford has a chance.

“In the present-day game, it is difficult to see any club having players who can stay with them for 10 years.”

“Jose has mentioned Marcus Rashford and there is an opportunity for that young lad, if he stays at United, and develops his potential the way that Wayne has. But it is a very big target to hit.”

“Bobby Charlton’s record was quite substantial. I couldn’t think anybody would beat that. It is an achievement par excellence.”

Rashford, just 19, already has eight Premier League goals to his name but would require a massive improvement to even get close to Rooney’s numbers, which may prove difficult due to the Red Devils’ decline in the years since Sir Alex Ferguson retired.

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