World Cup briefing: Danny Welbeck was inspired by Mike Tyson’s autobiography

England and Arsenal striker Danny Welbeck has revealed that he spent hours at home reading books when he was out injured.

The former Manchester United forward missed Euro 2016 through injury but was named in Gareth Southgate’s 23-man squad for the World Cup in Russia.

During the eight months he spent on the sidelines after surgery on his right knee, the 27-year-old hit the books - and there was one in particular he enjoyed.

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He told The Sun: “I had so much time on my hands. Straight after surgery, I couldn’t put weight on my leg for two months so I was just sitting around reading. I went two months not even really leaving my house and I read more books than I did when I was in school.

“I liked the Mike Tyson one - he’s a fighter, he’s a mad man. You fight for competition in sports and you see in different athletes different mentalities and you take bits from each one - although I’m not just a fighter, I like to give love as well.

“I also liked Tim Grover’s Relentless: From Good to Great to Unstoppable. That helped me through that period because it talks about being injured as a sportsman and making your way back into the game.”

Kagawa and Yoshida in Japan’s World Cup squad

Japan coach Akira Nishino has confirmed his 23-man squad for the 2018 World Cup, talkSPORT reports.

Former Manchester United star Shinji Kagawa, who plays for Borussia Dortmund, is included along with Southampton defender Maya Yoshida and Leicester striker Shinji Okazaki.

In Russia, Japan are in group H with Senegal, Colombia, and Poland.

Japan’s 23-man World Cup squad:

• Goalkeepers: Eiji Kawashima, Masaaki Higashiguchi, Kosuke Nakamura
• Defenders: Yuto Nagatomo, Tomoaki Makino, Maya Yoshida, Hiroki Sakai, Gotoku Sakai, Gen Shoji, Wataru Endo, Naomichi Ueda
• Midfielders: Makoto Hasebe, Keisuke Honda, Takashi Inui, Shinji Kagawa, Hotaru Yamaguchi, Genki Haraguchi, Takashi Usami, Gaku Shibasaki, Ryota Oshima
• Forwards: Shinji Okazaki, Yuya Osako, Yoshinori Muto