Roberto De Zerbi hopes to help goalkeeper Jason Steele gain England recognition after claiming Lewis Dunk’s international recall is a comparable achievement to Brighton qualifying for the Europa League. Seagulls skipper Dunk has been included in Gareth Southgate’s squad for next month’s Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia, having been in international exile since his debut in November 2018. The 31-year-old has been rewarded for his key role in Albion’s sixth-placed Premier League finish. Former Middlesbrough, Blackburn and Sunderland keeper Steele has also been instrumental during a remarkable season at the Amex Stadium after dislodging Robert Sanchez as first choice in early March. Brighton head coach De Zerbi believes the 32-year-old is capable of joining Dunk in the national team set-up to compete with the likes of Jordan Pickford, Aaron Ramsdale, Nick Pope and Sam Johnstone. “It’s great news,” the Italian said of Dunk’s call-up. “I think it’s maybe the same big news like Europa League because to help one of our players to achieve a target so important, so prestigious is a proud (moment). “We have to be proud – not only the coaches but the players – for one player. “We will work in the next season to help Jason Steele to achieve the same target of Lewis Dunk because he has the quality to achieve one target so important. “In my vision, in my idea, Jason Steele is a top keeper. It’s difficult to find another keeper of this level. “I study football 24 hours per day but it’s very hard to find another keeper with this quality.” Steele, a former England Under-21 international who represented Great Britain at the London 2012 Olympics, had never played in the top flight until last term. He has registered six clean sheets and one assist during the past three months, having been preferred to Sanchez due to his ability to play out from the back. Steele joined the Seagulls in June 2018 – on the back of suffering successive relegations to League One with Blackburn and Sunderland – and had to wait more than three years for his league debut. “Football is nice because the past is not important,” said De Zerbi. “I have to analyse the present and sometimes the potential in the future but the past is not important. “You can change your life in one day, if you believe in yourself and you believe in work. “And I told him the same: ‘Jason, you have to think you can change. I give you the possibility to change your life, to change your career and you have to believe in yourself because I help you and you help me and you help the team’.” Brighton complete an unforgettable campaign at Aston Villa on Sunday after cementing their Europa League spot with Wednesday evening’s 1-1 draw at home to champions Manchester City. De Zerbi, who succeeded Graham Potter in September, feels Albion can progress significantly next term. “I am looking forward to working in pre-season because I think we can improve in a lot of things,” he said. “We have played not more than 70 per cent and we have another 30 per cent of improvement.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Rob Edwards relieved to hear skipper Tom Lockyer is doing okay after Luton win Pep Guardiola has no concerns about ‘scoring machine’ Erling Haaland I am on my phone all the time – David Moyes finds it difficult to switch off

Boss Dean Smith is prepared to rely on Jonny Evans again in Leicester’s desperate last-gasp survival bid. The defender made his first Premier League start in seven months in Monday’s 3-0 defeat to Liverpool following an injury-hit season. He could start in Monday’s trip to Newcastle, which Leicester will need to win to survive after Everton drew with Wolves and if Nottingham Forest avoid defeat against Arsenal on Saturday. Evans was preferred ahead of £15million January signing Harry Souttar and Smith is ready to turn to the former Manchester United man again. “He is a really big influence and he did alright the other night. There was no gamble from us putting him in,” he said. “He’d had four weeks training and some 11 v 11 minutes in training as well so we had no doubts about that. “We’d have been guided by Jonny if he’d had any doubts but he’s a top professional, really good player. “So, possibly (we would not be in this mess) but I don’t know as I wasn’t here. From what I’ve seen I’d have liked to have him for all eight games. “All his career he has been in the Premier League. From what I’ve found of him so far, he’s a really affable character but a leader the others will want to follow as well. So in terms of the experience he’s probably been missed.” Evans, from his time at West Brom, and Jamie Vardy – following the Foxes’ Great Escape in 2015 – have Premier League relegation battle experience in the squad. Smith also guided Aston Villa to safety in 2020 and believes any knowhow to help them survive is crucial. He said: “The experience you have in the dressing room you use to the best of your abilities. Shakey (Craig Shakespeare, assistant) was here when Leicester stayed up before so I’m leaning on him, I’ve had the same with Aston Villa. “All that experience we have to give to the players and help them.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Nico Denz wins another stage as Geraint Thomas surrenders Giro d’Italia lead Ryan Mason encourages little to be read into Harry Kane’s wave to Spurs fans Jon Rahm struggles in heavy rain at start of third round of US PGA Championship

Roberto De Zerbi believes Brighton star Evan Ferguson can develop into one of Europe’s leading strikers after he became only the fourth teenager to hit a Premier League hat-trick. The 18-year-old joined late former Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Chris Bart-Williams and ex-Liverpool strikers Robbie Fowler and Michael Owen on an exclusive list with a match-winning treble in Saturday evening’s thumping 3-1 success over Newcastle. Ferguson slotted home on the rebound to give Albion a first-half lead before bending home a superb second and then claiming the match ball with a deflected finish five minutes later. Seagulls boss De Zerbi feels the Republic of Ireland international offers far more than just a threat in front of goal and has potential to rival the game’s elite marksmen. “His improvement is important for him, for us, for his career because he’s working to complete his qualities, not only score, because he can become big, big, big,” said the Italian coach. “His qualities are enough to become a great player, one of the top scorers in Europe. “He’s (born in) 2004. I don’t know how many young players like Evan they score these goals in their careers.” Ferguson, who made his professional debut for Irish club Bohemians aged just 14, now has 10 top-flight goals in just 12 starts following a standout display at the Amex Stadium. His heroics capped a memorable week for Brighton in which they were drawn to face Ajax, Marseille and AEK Athens in their maiden Europa League campaign and signed Ansu Fati on loan from Barcelona. With the summer transfer window closing on Friday, the Seagulls are not in imminent danger of Ferguson being poached by a bigger club. Yet De Zerbi has no concerns about that eventually happening. “It’s normal for Brighton to sell players,” he said. “The most important thing for Brighton is not to keep the most important players but to find their replacement. This is the right work we have to do. “About Ferguson, I’m really delighted today but not for the goals. “OK, with his goals we can be happy now because we won the game but I’m really pleased for the performance, especially in the first half. “He played very well, he found the right position between the lines. Newcastle defended 4-4-1-1 and with 4-4 there is the open space to receive the ball for the striker. “He understood very well that position.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Mathys Tel helps Bayern Munich come back and win at Borussia Monchengladbach Jack Draper silences New York crowd with four-set win over American Michael Mmoh Marco Silva says it should be ‘impossible’ to allow controversial Man City goal

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President Volodymyr Zelensky said it was only a "matter of time" before Ukraine became an official Nato member as he met the defence bloc's chief in Kyiv. Kyiv has pushed to join Nato despite Russia's threat. Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg reiterated on Thursday that Ukraine would be a member of the trans-Atlantic military alliance. He said the bloc would stand with Kyiv as long as it takes. Mr Stoltenberg met the war-time president in Kyiv to discuss the status of the ongoing Russian war, a day after Moscow accused Ukraine's allies of helping plan and conduct last week’s missile strike on the Black Sea Fleet’s headquarters in the annexed Crimean Peninsula. "We discussed strengthening Ukraine's air defence further in order to protect people from Russian terror," Mr Zelensky said in a post on social media X, describing Nato as a "de facto" ally. He added that Mr Stoltenberg agreed to make efforts to get the bloc members to provide additional air support to protect Ukraine’s power plants and energy infrastructure that were damaged by Russian attacks. The president said he reminded Mr Stoltenberg of the persistent drone, missile and artillery attacks that often strike residential areas. At least three women were killed in the street after artillery hit a residential area in Kherson in a fresh bout of Russian attack on residential places. “In the face of such intense attacks against Ukrainians, against our cities, our ports, which are crucial for global food security, we need a corresponding intensity of pressure on Russia and a strengthening of our air defence,” Mr Zelensky said. Nato has contracts for £2.08bn in ammunition for Ukraine, including 155 mm Howitzer shells, anti-tank guided missiles and tank ammunition, Mr Stoltenberg said. He continued: "The stronger Ukraine becomes, the closer we come to ending Russia’s aggression. “Russia could lay down arms and end its war today. Ukraine doesn’t have that option. Ukraine’s surrender would not mean peace. It would mean brutal Russian occupation. Peace at any price would be no peace at all.” Mr Zelensky separately met France’s defence minister Sebastien Lecornu to discuss the supply of weapons to Ukraine. Mr Lecornu brought a delegation with 20 representatives from French defence contractors who manufacture drones, robots, artillery, ammunition and employ artificial intelligence and cybertechnology. With agency inputs Read More Ukraine-Russia war – live: Putin’s strikes kill five in Kherson and Donetsk regions Ukraine war: British national killed in action while volunteering as medic Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva's Olympic doping case will resume for two more days in November The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary

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The prize fund for this season’s Women’s FA Cup has been doubled to £6m, the Football Association has announced. The FA board has approved a £3m increase compared to last season, which means a prize pot of £44,000 per match at the third-round stage, up from £12,500 in the same round last season. Winning the final will now earn the victors £430,000 compared to £100,000 last season, the FA said. It is the second consecutive season in which the prize pot has increased, with last season’s uplift focused on the money available at the earlier stages of the competition. The FA’s director of women’s football, Baroness Sue Campbell, said: “Doubling the prize money showcases the FA’s clear commitment to the future of the Women’s FA Cup and will help us maintain its stature as the most prestigious domestic women’s cup competition in the world. “That’s why we’re delighted to be making a second successive increase to the prize fund, ensuring that as clubs progress through the competition they receive financial rewards that will empower them to invest in their own futures. “Ultimately, we want the women’s competition to receive the same prize money as the men’s, and this new increase is a positive step in the direction of achieving that long-term ambition.” The men’s FA Cup prize fund for the current season was confirmed in June, with £2m on offer for winning the final and £1m for the losing finalists. Those teams would also benefit from payments for progressing through the earlier rounds. FA chief executive Mark Bullingham said last month that changes to the future format of the Women’s FA Cup were being considered. “We’ve done a really good job of growing the final as an event. When I first started working with the FA it was an event that got less than 20,000 and wasn’t even at Wembley,” Bullingham said at the Leaders Week conference at Twickenham in October. “We’re now selling out Wembley, and that’s a big event for us in our calendar. So the final is going really well. “Our challenge now is to grow the rest of the competition. Within that, we don’t always feel that the women’s competitions have to follow the format of the men’s, so we’re looking at how we could at least evaluate some potential changes that may be more creative and allow the competition to have its own structure and format. “So we’re evaluating those at the moment with the view to what would appeal to fans more, what would appeal to broadcasters more and how do we grow even more quickly? “Like the rest of the women’s game, we will grow it. It’s just how do we accelerate it even faster?” Read More How Manchester United managers have fared since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement I will never back down – Leandro Trossard happy to play anywhere for Arsenal Tottenham star reveals secret to upturn in form after summer transfer How Manchester United managers have fared since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement I will never back down – Leandro Trossard happy to play anywhere for Arsenal Tottenham star reveals secret to upturn in form after summer transfer