Burnley midfielder Michael Keane says his club’s representation in Gareth Southgate’s England squad is testament to the Clarets’ recent good run of form in the Premier League.

Keane’s side have picked up seven points form a possible nine, a run of form which has also seem them hold Manchester United to a draw at Old Trafford.

The 26-year-old hailed teammate and goalkeeper Tom Heaton’s performances in recent weeks and the pair’s subsequent inclusion in the squad, hailing his side’s endeavour to have their key names competing for top honours.

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He said: “It is massive for a club like Burnley to have two players called up to the England squad. I think it is very rare for a club like us to have two representing England.

“I think Tom (Heaton) has been world class especially in these last few weeks. He has pulled off some huge saves and helped us get these points on the board.

“I think the club is really proud of us and it is a good achievement.”

Once the international break comes to an end, Burnley travel to The Hawthorns to play West Brom on Monday 21 November, but will have limited recovery time before hosting Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City at Turf Moor just five days later.

Jack Stephens admitted he couldn’t have asked for more after scoring a last-gasp winner on home soil at St Mary’s for England Under-21s.

The Southampton defender netted in the closing stages of the 3-2 win over their Italian counterparts, joining fellow Saints James Ward-Prowse and Nathan Redmond in the side.

The 22-year-old has not yet featured in the Premier League for Southampton this season, but has played in the Checkatrade Trophy and the EFL Cup.

But he relished the chance to strut his stuff on home soil against the Azzurrini.

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Stephens said: “Everyone is just delighted and being the Saints lads as well it just makes it even more special.
“It was a great occasion and exciting for me, Prowsey and Redders and it was just an honour to walk out with an England shirt on in front of the home fans.”

Stephens winner was made in Southampton, with Stephens finishing from Ward-Prowse’s cross, and Redmond was delighted to see his teammates impress on the international stage.

“It was fantastic,” said Redmond. “Prowsey put the ball in and for Stevo to finish it off I’m delighted for him. The lads are buzzing that we’ve got the three points.”

Bournemouth midfielder Junior Stanislas has said his side will be using the international break to improve their fitness ahead of their trip to Stoke on November 19.

The international break comes after the Cherries surrendered a 1-0 home lead to bottom-placed Sunderland in a surprising result and Stanislas insisted the tough training continues despite some players’ absence.

He said: “As soon as some of the boys go away on an international break we work very hard.

“We work hard in a normal week but on an international break when there are no games there is a chance for us to get out fitness working and work on numerous things that need improving.”

Eddie Howe’s side lie 13th in the Premier League and will travel to the North West knowing that they would leapfrog Stoke City should they claim their first away win this season.

Dan Gosling’s goal in the loss to the Black Cats was the Cherries’ first in the three games since they hit six past Hull and Howe will be hoping his team can rediscover their shooting boots when they visit the Bet365 Stadium.

While he may not be the most popular figure off the pitch, few can deny Chelsea skipper John Terry’s talent as a defender.

But the 35-year-old Blues stalwart admits he would not be the wall he is without an unlikely mentor – Gianfranco Zola.

This week marked 20 years since the extraordinary Italian signed for Chelsea, and the south-west Londoners are certainly an entirely different beast now from that day having collected countless titles since Roman Abramovich’s Russian revolution in June 2003.

Zola’s performance in the final game of the 2002/03 season against Liverpool was one of the reasons Abramovich decided to buy the club, and his brilliance on the pitch has given him legendary status around Stamford Bridge.

But Terry, who is currently looking to battle his way back into Antonio Conte’s watertight backline, admits Zola set the standards at the club when he was a youngster and taught him a thing or two about the art of defending.

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“He didn’t accept people not working hard or not trying, and obviously when you have players like Gianfranco around it naturally lifts the quality and intensity of the sessions,” Terry said.

“Even after training he’d grab a bag of balls, call you over as a young defender and run at you, twisting, turning and leaving you in tangles.

“It was all a learning curve, though, because he would step in and tell you where to position your body to make it more difficult for the striker. He was always offering advice.

“It was the same with his free-kicks. Over the years we saw so many of them go in the top corner and as a youngster watching from the stands, every time we got a free-kick on the edge of the box you fancied him to score.

“That was purely because he worked so hard and practiced them over and over. That was a massive lesson to us all back then.”

Ron-Robert Zieler has largely played second fiddle to Leicester City’s Premier League winning goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel so far this term, but he is confident of succeeding in the Danish stopper’s injury-enforced absence.

With Schmeichel suffering a groin injury earlier in the season, Zieler has already racked up eight Premier League appearances for Claudio Ranieri’s side.

And with the Denmark international breaking his hand in the Foxes’ Champions League draw with FC Copenhagen, Zieler is again gearing himself up for an extended run in the team and is relishing the chance to prove his credentials as Leicester’s No. 1.

“I am very confident in myself,” said Zieler “When I go out I try to show my best performance and I thought it was okay (against West Brom).

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“I am looking forward to getting a few games now and I am determined to play well.

“I know what I am capable of and I just try to do the best I can for the team so we can get some points. I want to show what I am capable of.

“I am just focused on myself now and not Kasper. I wish him all the best with his injury but I am focused on myself and my performances in the coming games.”

Everton suffered just their third Premier League defeat of the season last time out and boss Ronald Koeman claims they owe their fans a reaction next weekend.

The Toffees were turned over 5-0 by a rampant Chelsea side at Stamford Bridge – a performance that veteran BBC commentator John Motson described as the greatest he had seen in Premier League history.

Everton will need to put that behind them as they host Swansea City next Saturday and having not lost a league match at Goodison Park since March, Koeman is hopeful of bouncing back.

“Of course, we have been able to count on the home support,” he said. “When you play at home you need to feel comfortable.

“We have a lot of good results at home and after the defeat against Chelsea, what we need to give the fans is a good reaction and three points.”

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The majority of the Everton squad are currently on international duty and Koeman admits that has made for a strange week of training as they steadily build towards the Swans clash.

“The international break is always a quiet time,” added the Dutchman. “We have had a few training sessions this week but the team is only about five or six players.

“It is difficult because you like to have a bigger squad to train. But from Monday onwards we will include some under-23s players and that will give us a bigger group.

“Then let’s hope that all the international players come back on Thursday without any problems ahead of the weekend.”

Scottish midfielder James McArthur believes the international fixtures could be the perfect break for Crystal Palace after a run of poor results.

The Eagles lost their last four games in the Premier League prior to the break and haven’t picked up three points since a 3-2 victory over Sunderland on September 24.

The poor run has seen Palace slide down the league table and leaves them just a single point above the Hull City who are in the relegation zone.

Palace face Manchester City when they return to Premier League action later this month before crunch matches against Swansea and Hull prior to Christmas.

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And McArthur, who is currently with the Scotland squad, is confident that their fortunes will change when the team regroups following their international commitments.

“It’s not nice in the international break now for the players, you’re not playing, and when you’re on a losing run you want to try and make it right,” he said.

“We have normally felt international breaks have come at a bad time, but it feels like it’s come at a good time now.

“We can regroup, get everyone a lot more solid, take away the mistakes and hopefully it will result in three points against Manchester City when no one expects you to.”

Sunderland may have battled from a goal behind against Bournemouth to claim their first Premier League victory this term but manager David Moyes insists his side will not get carried away.

The Scot praised his players’ work rate during last week’s win – which saw them prevail 2-1 despite going down to ten men after Steven Pienaar’s red card – and believes the Cherries will be disappointed they were not more clinical in front of goal.

But the Black Cats have now turned their attention to next Saturday’s crucial fixture against Hull at the Stadium of Light and the 53-year-old is keen to banish complacency, with plenty of work still to be done.

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“I’m very happy, it’s our first win of the season; we’ll not get carried away, we now need to go out and get number two,” said Moyes.

“We got the result against all of the odds. There was a little bit of luck on our side and we’ve not had that in recent games.

“We had to hang on after going down to ten men and we played the best part of 30 minutes that way and it did feel longer, but we kept at it and we got our goal.

“It’s our first win; let’s not get carried away, we’ve a lot of work to do to climb up the league.

“I’m really happy for the supporters, they travel in their numbers and they’ve stuck with us, so that result is for them.”

His rise from injured Hammer to being part of Gareth Southgate’s England squad is the stuff of dreams according to left back Aaron Cresswell.

The 26-year-old suffered a knee injury during pre-season and has made just two appearances for West Ham United this term but was brought into the squad due to Danny Rose’s injury concerns.

Ryan Bertrand completes a trio of left-backs in the current squad meaning opportunities to start for his country may be limited for Cresswell but he’s just happy to be in and around the camp.

“It was unfortunate to get that injury in pre-season, having missed just one game in two years for West Ham,” he said.

(Photo by Michael Regan – The FA/The FA via Getty Images)

“For that to little setback and little injury to happen in pre-season, then to come back after three months, play a few games and get a call-up to the national side is the stuff that dreams are made of.

“The manager (Gareth Southgate) has been fantastic. To come here and train with some of the world-class players who are here is great to be a part of.

“The next one is after the New Year, but I want to do my best while I’m here and be in the manager’s plans for the near future.”

Jose Holebas has explained his decision to retire from international football was to focus on club side Watford.

The 32-year-old called time on his international career last month after winning 38 caps for Greece over five years.

He admits it was not an easy decision to make, with Greece trying to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, but will instead concentrate on helping the Hornets.

Sitting in eighth in the Premier League under new boss Walter Mazzarri, Watford have made a promising start to the season, and Holebas believes he has plenty to offer the Hornets.

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“It was a personal decision for me,” he said.

“I just decided maybe now was the time to focus on my club. I had been with the national team for five years, playing every time with coaches coming and going, but I decided this was the right time to step back.

“It was a difficult decision. When you make a decision like this everyone looks at your age, but for me, age means nothing.

“I’m totally fit and healthy and I think I can maybe play for another five years. It’s just that now I’m going to focus completely on my club career.”