From the back pages, February 6: Steven Gerrard: Jack Wilshere is so good it’s scary

It has taken two and a half years, under three England managers. But, on Wednesday, Roy Hodgson finally gets the chance to put his dream team midfield pairing in harness - with the knowledge that if Steven Gerrard and Jack Wilshere do not hit it off, he has run out of options. (The Mirror)

Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari still harbours regrets over missing out on England manager job. Luiz Felipe Scolari has acknowledged that his rejection of the opportunity to manage England still “hurts” him. (The Telegraph)

Neymar says England have no chance of winning the World Cup — because they are a one-team team. The Brazil superstar claims Wayne Rooney is Three Lions’ ONLY matchwinner. (The Sun)

He is the man at the centre of match-fixing allegations that have rocked English football. The man, according to reports that emerged on Monday night, who is alleged to have thrown a game when in goal for Debrecen against Liverpool in the Champions League in 2009. But Vukasin Poleksic did not go into hiding when he discovered on Tuesday he was the protagonist in another major scandal only seven months after serving a two-year suspension for such an offence. (Daily Mail)

England have suffered some horrible Six Nations fates in Dublin in recent years, but this time it is Ireland who are being advised to brace themselves. Mike Catt, the visiting skills coach, has known all the modern greats and says none of them, Jonny Wilkinson included, has had a steelier big-game temperament at a younger age than the current English fly-half Owen Farrell. (The Guardian)

The England captain Steven Gerrard said that a players’ delegation from the national team has approached the Football Association and pledged to offer to help over the plight of Paul Gascoigne, whose declining mental state has been a case of concern over the past week. (The Independent)

Billy Twelvetrees is facing the prospect of being dropped by England after only one appearance as Stuart Lancaster wrestles with his options at centre for the crucial RBS Six Nations match against Ireland on Sunday. (The Times)