After an appearance in the World Cup 2018 semi-finals, the striker believes that the time is right to demonstrate that they can beat top teams

Marcus Rashford doesn’t turn 21 until the end of this month but he is already one of the most experienced heads in an England squad that is being continually tweaked, remodelled and improved by manager Gareth Southgate.

The Manchester United forward is already a veteran of 27 caps – and two international tournaments – following his rapid rise from prospect to established professional.

It’s barely two and a half years since Rashford made his name, being thrust into a Europa League game against FC Midtjylland by Louis van Gaal after an injury in the warm-up to Anthony Martial.

Rashford had fought his way through the United ranks from the age of seven; his talent so great that he was given the opportunity to train with higher age groups where he mixed it with Paul Pogba, Ravel Morrison and his friend Jesse Lingard.

“I remember at first there were 40 or 45 of us and I’d say the real step up was when we got to maybe 10 or 11 [years old] and that number dropped down to about 20 and it started to get a bit more serious,” he tells Goal.

“Around that age, there were players coming from all over the world, so it got a bit more difficult.

“From the age of about 11 or 12, training with them more regularly was a massive part of my development and the other kids’ development as well.

“Training with your own age, there’s a certain amount that you can learn. But when you have the chance to train with older players, the level of learning, it goes up.

“You’re learning the same thing as what 18 and 19-year-olds are learning. So that was massive, a big learning curve for us all.”

The goals flowed early and abundantly; few English players could be said to have enjoyed such a meteoric rise as Rashford did.

A place at Euro 2016 under previous England managerial incumbent Roy Hodgson followed where the side were eliminated in humiliating fashion by Iceland in the first knockout round.

The Sam Allardyce regime was aborted quickly, and it seemed the national team was at its lowest ebb. But the pieces were picked up by Southgate who created one of the most promising young England squads ever to go to an international tournament.

The World Cup ended with semi-final defeat to Croatia after extra-time and it means England and Rashford have unfinished business heading into Friday’s UEFA Nations League match in Rijeka.

But what the Russian adventure also did was help re-establish a meaningful connection between the playing squad and the supporters, something that is still keenly felt by the players when they go on international duty.

“I think the timing was very good,” he says. “I think we needed something big to give the country some hope that we can win something in the near future.

“We didn’t get all the way in the tournament, but we definitely planted that seed where people can see that we’re growing and what we’re aspiring to be.

“The biggest thing is with the fans. I think it’s been a journey that none of us will forget for both players and fans that were watching all over the country. Back home was crazy.”

Now, they believe, it is time to go one further. The World Cup demonstrated that England had the mettle to win shootouts – with Rashford notching one of the successful penalties in the second round against Colombia – and the confidence to win knockout matches but their downfall again was an inability to put away teams in the upper reaches of the FIFA World Ranking.

That’s why Rashford sees the games against Croatia and Spain – to come on Monday – as an opportunity for the squad to take that crucial final stage of their development and vanquish top class opponents.

“These are very tough games, but this is the final step that we are at now – getting over the line against the biggest teams in the world.

“There’s no added incentive than other going there and beating them and that’s what we’ll feed off and that’s what will take us to the next level.”

They will be doing so with as many as seven players in the squad without so much as a single international cap between them. Another two of the selection have only one each.

Rashford already has a good working knowledge of the talents of the likes of James Maddison, Mason Mount and Jadon Sancho having studied their game extensively.

“I’ve seen a lot of the younger players when they’ve been playing not only first team football but academy football as well. I think we all know their quality and the talent they have. It’s just about nourishing it to get the best out of them for our game.

“That’s the enjoyment in football, there’s always people ready to come in. Just by their selection, that shows the strength in depth we have throughout the nation.

“Hopefully we can go into these two games and I hope that they do well.”

Rashford ranks Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold among the leading young talents in world football having got regular game time at Anfield under Jurgen Klopp.

“Trent has played quite a lot of games for his age. He’s performed well throughout his time.

“Consistency is the biggest thing so if you’re getting consistent minutes you improve and that’s what really separates as they get a little bit older. There’s a lot of talent and we have a lot of them here.”

Rashford had long been marked out as an emerging talent – even at primary school – before joining the elite Fletcher Moss Rangers club which also bred talents like Wes Brown, Danny Welbeck, Jesse Lingard, Ravel Morrison and Tyler Blackett.

His teams were beneficiaries of Football Foundation funding. The Football Foundation has delivered £1.5 billion worth of community projects since launching in 2000 – and has become the official sponsor of the England senior men’s team for the upcoming UEFA Nations League games against Croatia and Spain.

“In terms of what you envision in the future, going to Fletcher Moss you’ve seen people do it before you, you’re sort of following in the footsteps of those players.

“That is important at that age. You have to be able to see your vision, see what your dreams are made of and definitely at Fletcher Moss they give you that platform.

“Of course, the facilities have to be in place for you to be able to do that and thankfully it was in place at the time and we had no issues.”

The former Red Devils star has called for greater consistency from an attacking unit at Old Trafford which should be delivering more than it is

Manchester United should be getting “60-65 goals a season” out of Romelu Lukaku, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial, says Paul Scholes.

Jose Mourinho has an abundance of attacking talent from which to select, with the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Juan Mata and Paul Pogba also at his disposal.

The Portuguese has, however, been unable to generate consistent showings from international stars capable of delivering more to the collective cause than they are at present.

Scholes believes that the Red Devils have every right to demand a greater return from their enviable array of frontmen, with it up to them to play their way into form and deliver on the expectation around them.

The former United midfielder told BT Sport ahead of a Champions League clash with Cristiano Ronaldo’s Juventus: “The players are there, the talent is there.

“We talk about the front three all the time, think about the pace and the strength.

“Okay, Lukaku’s probably struggling for a bit of confidence, Marcus is probably struggling for a bit of confidence. But you look at those three and you must be thinking 60-65 goals a season. They need to start producing that now.

“We speak about Martial and Rashford being players of potential for the future but they’ve played over 100 games. The future is no good anymore, it needs to be now.”

While demanding an improvement in the final third from United, Scholes concedes that Mourinho also has defensive issues to address.

The Red Devils have relied on David de Gea to get them out of trouble on a number of occasions down the years, but the Spanish goalkeeper can only do so much.  

Pressed on how Mourinho can bring about a reversal in fortune for his side, Scholes said: “What he has to do is go back to attacking football, playing his best attacking players.

“I think he did that on Saturday [against Chelsea], he took a risk because he knows defensively they aren’t good enough.

“The personnel hasn’t changed from last season – they still conceded chances last season and the keeper was magnificent, he made three or four world class save every game and we aren’t seeing that this season. He’s still a world-class keeper but he can’t do that all the time.”

United, who sit 10th in the Premier League table at present, have conceded 16 times in nine games.

That is the worst defensive record of any of those in the top-half, with only Burnley, Cardiff, Fulham and Huddersfield having been breached on more occasions at this stage of the season.

The English champions swept aside Ukrainian opposition in the Champions League on Tuesday to earn high praise from their impressed manager

Pep Guardiola hailed Manchester City’s slick first-half display in the 3-0 victory over Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League as the best of his time in charge.

City became the first English team to win away to Shakhtar in Europe as they capitalised on Lyon’s draw at Hoffenheim to go top of Group F.

David Silva and Aymeric Laporte scored inside 35 minutes and the margin would have been greater had Gabriel Jesus and Riyad Mahrez been sharper in the opening exchanges.

Bernardo Silva’s strike after the break rounded off a polished display that delighted Guardiola, who before the match had openly doubted his team’s chances of winning the competition.

“Incredible. Our first half was the best first half we have played in the last three seasons,” the City boss said of the performance.

“We were under a lot of pressure after our defeat against Lyon. Our result in the last minutes at Hoffenheim [means] we are in a good position and now we can control our destiny.

“What pleases me the most is the way we played. The result is excellent, because we saw in the second half what Shakhtar can do. They pushed us a lot and they always have talented players.

“Winning away is so important and we will enjoy this victory tonight and in the next days.”

City could conceivably qualify for the knockout rounds when these teams meet again at Etihad Stadium in two weeks’ time.

Defeat there would leave bottom-placed Shakhtar on the brink of missing out on a top-two spot and head coach Paulo Fonseca is already braced for a tough occasion in the return fixture.

“It will be even harder to play City in Manchester,” he said.

“But we will fight until the end and try to earn some points. We play to win every game and the upcoming one will be no different.”

Jurgen Klopp has been patient with the Reds’ new midfield star but injuries to Jordan Henderson and Naby Keita will likely force his hand

“I don’t like to tell too many old stories,” began Jurgen Klopp. “But…”

The Liverpool boss had been asked about Fabinho, and when we might expect to see the Reds’ new €50 million (£43m/$58m) signing on a regular basis.

It’s been a fairly consistent question, in fairness, and one which Klopp has been consistent with when answering. Patience, patience, patience has been the message. Panic? Not here.

This time, though, came something different. He used the example of Ilkay Gundogan, whom he took to Borussia Dortmund as a 20-year-old in 2011, and who went on to become one of Europe’s most distinguished midfield players under his guidance.

“He didn’t play for half a year,” Klopp pointed out. “The only difference was he was a young player from Nurnberg and no-one asked about him.

“He asked, but he was not in the squad. He had a lot of difficult moments.”

A fair comparison? Not entirely. Gundogan, for example, had started 10 games for Dortmund by this stage of his debut season. As Liverpool prepare to face Red Star Belgrade in the Champions League this evening, Fabinho waits for his second. His only one to date came in the Carabao Cup against Chelsea last month. His team were beaten.

In total, the Brazilian has made four appearances, totalling 123 minutes. He’s the club’s fifth most expensive signing ever, but his Premier League debut came only on Saturday, a second-half run out as Liverpool edged past Huddersfield Town in a dog of a contest.

Klopp, in fairness, has at least been consistent. From Fabinho’s first week on Merseyside, he has preached caution. While some – Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Gini Wijnaldum – could be trusted to hit the ground running at Anfield and thrust straight into the starting XI, others require more careful treatment. Fabinho, Klopp said, would need time, just as Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Andy Robertson had before him. It was winter time before those two became a regular fixture in the side last season, remember.

Fabinho, too, has been relaxed about the situation, despite his obvious desire to play a bigger role at some point.

“Of course I want to play,” he told Goal recently. “However, I know I am on a new team in a new league, and it has its period of adaptation.

“I am working and I am calm, waiting for my moment to arrive.”

Well, it looks like his moment has arrived now. With both Jordan Henderson and Naby Keita ruled out with hamstring issues, Fabinho looks set to start against Red Star. A chance to show what he can do, to show what he’s been working on at Melwood.

“It’s his birthday today by the way,” Klopp said on Tuesday. “So it would be a nice present, eh?

“I didn’t make the line up yet but of course it is very important for us that he’s been here for a few months already and has got used to a few things. We’ll use him.”

Fabinho, of course, has good pedigree in the Champions League. His performances for Monaco in the 2016-17 season, when he helped them to the semi-finals, were enough to confirm Liverpool’s interest. And like Kylian Mbappe, Benjamin Mendy, Tiemoue Bakayoko, Bernardo Silva, Joao Moutinho and Thomas Lemar from that side, he eventually got his move. Since then, it has been about adjusting, learning, listening, waiting.

“If you watch Fabinho playing at Monaco, full of confidence,” Klopp said.

“You come to a new club and it depends a bit on your personality. He’s not the loudest person on the planet. It’s not that he’s come in and said: ‘Sit down all of you and I’ll explain how we do it at Monaco because we were in the Champions League semi-final the year before and became French champions’.

“He is more a rather reserved person – looking, watching, absorbing, and it always takes a little bit more time. But on the pitch, he is back now and that’s good. You only have to watch a few YouTube videos of him. It’s not important what summary of a Monaco season you watch because he was good in all of them!

“He has all the qualities. Hard challenges, good offensively, defensively quick, good shooter, fantastic set-pieces, good header, all these things. He’s good strategically too in the right moment.

“We just play differently, a different system, and that’s what always needs time to adapt.”

Now, the adaptation period is coming to its end. Red Star may not be Paris Saint-Germain or Napoli, or Manchester City or Tottenham, but they are a lively opponent and a win for Liverpool puts them in a commanding position to qualify for the knockout stages. Anfield expects.

The time has come to see what Liverpool have bought for their money.

John Stones will have a long career if he can master multiple positions as well as centre-back, says Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola.

John Stones will reap the long-term benefits of playing in a number of different positions for Manchester City, according to Pep Guardiola.

The England international filled in at right-back in the absence of the injured Kyle Walker as City demolished Burnley 5-0 in the Premier League on Saturday.

Stones has also been deployed in midfield at times for City this season as Guardiola tests the 24-year-old’s capabilities in a range of positions.

And the City boss is hopeful Stones can thrive by offering cover across defence and in the middle of the park, as well as in his most natural role at centre-back.

“He can’t play winger, attacking midfielder or striker – no way,” Guardiola told reporters. “I think it’s good for the young players like John Stones that they learn to play in different positions.

“It helps him become more intelligent, to understand the game more and he has more chances to play regularly because the manager needs him in other positions. He can play three in the back, in a four too, but I think he can play holding midfielder because we only have Fernandinho.

“He can play different positions and that is good for him. He has a long career in front of him.”

On Walker’s injury, which developed during the international break, Guardiola added: “I think he complained there that he was not feeling quite good.

“That is what he said to us when he came back, why he wasn’t comfortable and not ready against Burnley. He only played 10-15 minutes in Spain but they told me in that period he didn’t feel so good.

“Hopefully he can come back Tuesday for the game against Shakhtar Donetsk [in the Champions League], but he came back from the national team with a problem in part of his adductor and groin and some problems there and we didn’t want to take a risk.”

City are top of the Premier League but are yet to show their best form in Europe, losing at home to Lyon and requiring a late winner from David Silva to complete a comeback away to Hoffenheim.

But the resounding triumph over Burnley, secured thanks to goals from Sergio Aguero, Bernardo Silva, Fernandinho, Riyad Mahrez and Leroy Sane, was the ideal preparation for Tuesday’s Champions League trip.

“The clean sheet is so important but the most important is how many chances we concede,” Guardiola continued. “Anfield it was almost one, today [Saturday] we didn’t concede a shot on target. They had one clear chance but after that we were solid. You can’t win games if you’re not solid.

“We create on average 20 shots every game. That’s pretty good given we got 100 points and people couldn’t believe how good we were [last season]. We’re just nine games in but this is the way we want to keep going.

“The Champions League is a different competition – we dropped three points. Every game is a final and we are going to play Donetsk like a final.”

The duo’s relationship is peppered with small rows and disagreements but there also remains a respect between the two

“Palpable discord”, was the famous description by former Chelsea technical director Michael Emenalo of the relationship between Jose Mourinho and his players upon his sacking. Eden Hazard was certainly one of the figures at the heart of that dressing room collapse.

It was not that Hazard didn’t try to save Mourinho ahead of that moment. While it’s true that his performances were poor as The Blues fell to a series of humiliating results, he was carrying a hip injury throughout that whole period.

Some nevertheless have come to dub the campaign ‘Hazard’s missing season’.

Mourinho’s unhappiness was noticeable over the summer as a series of mistakes were made at Stamford Bridge. It included a poor pre-season and a long holiday for Hazard, where, by his own admission, he came back unfit and thus unable to show anywhere near his best form.

However, Hazard partly blames himself for the disaster after revealing how he now views that season in another open and reflective interview.

“In 12 years I’ve only had one bad season, the last six months under Mourinho and it was partly my own fault. After the title, we asked Mourinho for extra holidays. I came back totally out of shape,” Hazard told Belgian newspaper HLN.

“Mourinho’s image of an extremely defensive coach isn’t completely right. He is far from adventurous like [Pep] Guardiola, but the season in which we became champions, we made many goals and played good games… we had a team to get a lot of prizes.”

Hazard now has less than two years left on his Chelsea contract and that could give him the chance to push for his ‘dream’ move to Real Madrid next summer.

Some think that Hazard’s comments could be a ploy to cover all bases, with the futures of both Mourinho and Real Madrid manager Julen Lopetegui in doubt. It could be that Mourinho, or even Antonio Conte, could end up managing the European champions and Hazard has made it clear that the appointment of the Portuguese coach wouldn’t stop him looking to fulfil his dream.

That wouldn’t rewrite the history books though, and Mourinho’s reign at Stamford Bridge ended with fans actually turning on Hazard rather than their legendary former boss, who remains to this day the club’s most successful manager.

Hazard is now loved, but he was considered one of the ‘rats’ by the fans who protested the player’s conduct after Mourinho’s sacking in December 2015. There were no hard feelings between the two though as Hazard revealed that he sent a text message to Mourinho, apologising that he couldn’t perform to the level that all had become used to. Mourinho then replied ‘good luck to you and your wonderful family’.

Before his infamous third season, Mourinho had been the manager to get the best out of Hazard in his career. The PFA Young Player of the Year was his in 2014 after Mourinho’s side romped to the title, with Hazard a great source of both goals and assists.

It showed that Mourinho accomplished his mission to evolve Hazard into a more disciplined footballer, using his tough methods and barbed comments to encourage his young star to track back and defend more.

Mourinho believed that being tough with a young Hazard would get a response. “Today we’re playing with 10”, he said in front of the entire dressing room in reference to Hazard’s lack of interest in defending.

Ten was an important number for Hazard, who wanted to play primarily in a central role at Stamford Bridge. But Mourinho disagreed, opting to put him out on the left wing where he was commanded to chase full backs in the biggest games.

Hazard was also frustrated to see Chelsea play on the counter-attack in the Champions League semi-final against Atletico Madrid. Mourinho responded to suggest Hazard was at fault for Atleti’s equaliser, as they went onto win 3-1 at Stamford Bridge.

“When these comments come from a player like Eden, it is normal, because he is not the kind of player who is ready to sacrifice himself 100% for his team-mates,” Mourinho said. “At the same time, the comments were not even critical. No I am not happy [with Hazard]. I speak with him all season and try to improve him all season.”

Then there was the time that Hazard was dropped after losing his passport on a trip to France, causing him to miss training for ahead of a Champions League game.

It is a credit to Hazard’s talent that he has responded well under all of his managers’ various methods. It may not have been an idyllic relationship, but the pair continue to exchange the occasional message to this day.

It must be said that Sarri is a more natural fit to both Hazard’s temprament and style of play. His stunning start with eight goals and three assists this season will give Mourinho even more reason to fear his influence.

He has already shown his respect for Hazard in games at Manchester United, placing Ander Herrera on man-marking duty which yielded mixed results.

They suffered together and the door is open on a future reunion, but for the upcoming 90 minutes, they will look forward once more to making each other squirm.

The Blues sit level on points with Manchester City and Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table as they prepare to host the Red Devils

Undefeated Chelsea are involved in a blockbuster match to restart the Premier League season after the international break as Manchester United visit Stamford Bridge.

United are currently trailing behind the rest of the top six as they sit seven points behind Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool, who occupy the top three places in the table.

Many pundits believe that Alexis Sanchez’s last-minute winner against Newcastle before the international break helped save the job of manager Jose Mourinho, meaning he remains in charge for a return to his old stamping ground.

Maurizio Sarri could be set to heap more doubt on Mourinho’s long-term future at Old Trafford, as the Blues go into the match as heavy favourites.

Chelsea have suffered two main injury concerns over the international break after going into their last league game with a clean bill of health.

Antonio Rudiger suffered a groin injury at the end of Chelsea’s 3-0 win over Southampton but he has recovered. This is a huge boost as the defender becomes increasingly influential.

Ethan Amapdu, meanwhile, may only be a bit-part player for Chelsea, but he pulled out of the Wales squad after their recent 4-1 defeat to Spain left him with a knee problem.

Sarri says Ross Barkley has a minor injury and will likely miss Manchester United’s visit, but he is expected to be back for the midweek Europa League clash with BATE.

There’s another concern in that Callum Hudson-Odoi has come back from his time with England’s Under 20s team with a set back that will leave him out for a number of weeks.

Neither Chelsea nor Manchester United have any players out with suspensions ahead of Saturday’s clash, while there are no players in danger of bans should they pick up yellow cards.

Sarri faces another busy period handling his squad who will be battling for major honours on all fronts. The Manchester United game will be a big priority for Chelsea, with BATE Borisov to come in the Europa League on Thursday.

Willian is the only player at the club to have started in each of the last six games though Pedro remains a potential starter.

Chelsea have stuck religiously to a 4-3-3 formation this season and have operated with tactical consistency. Alvaro Morata has scored in each of his last two games which might give Sarri some food for thought after opting to play Olivier Giroud ahead of the £70m striker in recent weeks.

Ross Barkley may well retain his place ahead of Mateo Kovacic but the rest of the line-up looks set to be quite predictable, especially in comparison to that of United.

Mourinho has suffered the blow of having both Nemanja Matic and Luke Shaw added to the list of injury concerns ahead of their trip to west London, with the pair having both pulled out of their respective international squads since the Newcastle clash.

Scott McTominay has been a regular in recent weeks and he is also battling for fitness ahead of the Saturday afternoon kick-off while Ander Herrera and Jesse Lingard are expected to remain on the sidelines.

Marcos Rojo is a long-term absentee with a knee problem.

The match at Stamford Bridge kicks off at 12:30pm BST on Saturday, with live coverage available in the UK on Sky Sports Premier League from 11:30am and Sky Sports Main Event from midday. In the U.S. the game will be shown on NBCSN at 7:30am ET.

The goalkeeper has been labelled a “snake” for wanting to join Real but his compatriot is still lauded as a hero even though he has said the same

Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has been targeted by Chelsea fans on social media channels, even labelled a “snake” by some disgruntled supporters because of the way in which he handled his summer switch to Spain.

Indeed, the criticism has been relentless since the reigning European champions secured the services of the Belgium No.1 for a bargain £31.5 million ($40m) due to his determination to leave and the fact that he had less than a year left on his Blues contract.

It left Chelsea needing to pay over the odds to activate the £71m ($91.8m) release clause in Kepa Arribazalaga’s Athletic Club contract to in order to land a replacement before the season began.

The snake emoji now appears regularly across Courtois’ social feeds, as a sizable group Chelsea fans have come to view him as a hate figure.

The social media abuse has migrated into the real world, too, with the Blues away fans regularly chanting “Thibaut, you’re a c***” during matches. There’s also the slightly more creative but still bitter song “Oh oh oh, it’s Kepa! You know, he’s better than f***ing Thibaut!”

The treatment of Courtois is harsh, though, and the current transfer saga involving Chelsea’s star man, Eden Hazard, and Real highlights the hypocrisy of berating one man for wanting to move to Madrid while cheering another.

So many of Hazard’s most recent interviews echo those of Courtois from last season, with the winger openly entertaining the idea of moving to Madrid as the final year of his own contract approaches. 

Courtois had sporadically commented on a return to Madrid during his spell in west London but he stepped it up in December of last year, having just played his former club Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.

Previously, it had looked like he would renew his Chelsea contract but his comments on Real came as a blow and intensified the focus on him in the Spanish media.

Like Hazard now, a bid from Real was never guaranteed, but he undoubtedly benefited from going public with his possible interest in returning to Madrid. 

However, it is worth remembering that the primary motive behind the transfer was Courtois’ desire to be reunited with his two daughters in the Spanish capital, which he himself acknowledged on the day he was unveiled as Real’s new goalkeeper.

“I wanted to come here and, importantly, be close to my children [who live in Madrid with his former partner],” he explained. “When there was a firm offer on the table, I was in no doubt. My goal was to come to Real Madrid; everyone knew that.

“All I’d like to do is to thank the fans for the last four years and for how they’ve supported me at Chelsea. I’ve got a new opportunity in my career now and I have to make the most of it. I’ve got two kids here and that had a significant role to play in my decision.”

A family motive is hardly traitorous but his kissing of the Real badge at his unveiling was seen as provacative among the Chelsea fan base, as was inviting Hazard to join him at Santiago Bernabeu.

“He’s a wonderful player,” Courtois added. “I’d love to play alongside him again and we’ll have to see what happens in the future. If he ends up here one day, that would be brilliant.”

Hazard has already spoken of how he would want to avoid making the same public relations errors as his friend should he leave Stamford Bridge but that hasn’t prevented him from confessing it would be a “dream” to join Real, an admission that went down well with the Blancos dressing room.

In addition, those comments ensured that Hazard’s future remained a major talking point during the international break and the speculation over his next move is unlikely to subside any time soon, particularly as he used the carrot of winning the Ballon d’Or as a reason to move to La Liga.

Still, Hazard has more reasons to stay at Stamford Bridge than Courtois. Firstly, and most importantly, both he and his family are happy and settled in London, while there’s also the fact that he is enjoying the best form of his career under new coach Maurizio Sarri. 

Chelsea are willing to offer him a five-year contract worth £300,000 a week in the hope of persuading him to stay put, but everything hinges on the will of the player. 

Of course, while Courtois was successful in attracting a bid from Real, it doesn’t necessarily mean that Hazard will be too. Certainly, he will have to maintain his sensational form if Real are to select him as their next Galactico ahead of PSG’s superstar duo of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.

However, he is undoubtedly good enough for play for Madrid, and he knows it. What happens next is essentially up to him.

Courtois isn’t a snake for wanting to move to Madrid, though, and Hazard wouldn’t be either if history does indeed end up repeating itself next summer.