The wisdom of Steve McClaren naming a massive 28-man squad for England’s friendly with Holland was proved after six players withdrew.

Steve McClaren’s massive England squad for this week’s friendly with Holland has been trimmed down to 22 following the withdrawal of half a dozen players this evening.

Ajax could be on the verge of salvaging a lucrative consolation prize from what has been a miserable season after thrashing arch-rivals Feyenoord 4-2 in Rotterdam and 7-2 on aggregate to reach the play-off final for Holland’s second Champions League spot next season.

DUTCH star Jan Kromkamp already feels at home at Liverpool, having helped inflict defeat on two of the club's main rivals.

Middlesbrough striker Mark Viduka is backing his side to head into the knockout stage of the UEFA Cup as Group D winners after taking the pressure off themselves with a battling draw in Holland.

AZ Alkmaar 0 Middlesbrough 0

Middlesbrough will receive only 408 tickets for next month’s UEFA Cup clash against AZ Alkmaar in Holland.

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AZ Alkmaar 1 Rangers 0