London (AFP) – Gareth Southgate admits the Premier League's shrinking pool of homegrown talent could force him to look outside the top-flight to fill his England squad in the future. Southgate has named his first squad since England's run to the World Cup semi-finals as he prepares for the start of their Euro 2020 qualifying […]

Glasgow (AFP) – Steven Gerrard's arrival as manager of Rangers has focused attention on the other side of Glasgow but Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers' rebuilt reputation is at stake with his former pupil on the prowl. Rodgers and Gerrard face off for the first time on Sunday at Celtic Park after three seasons together as […]

London (AFP) – Rocked by their worst start to a Premier League season for 26 years, Manchester United head to Burnley this weekend with Jose Mourinho's future as manager firmly in the spotlight. Across Manchester, City have no such worries as the champions host Newcastle in a 10th-anniversary celebration of the transformative takeover by their […]

London (AFP) – Just 10 years after he bought struggling Manchester City, Sheikh Mansour has the satisfaction of knowing his billions have transformed the club from perennial underachievers into the kings of English football. Inspired by Pep Guardiola's managerial genius and the brilliance of Kevin De Bruyne, Sergio Aguero and company, City's record-breaking Premier League […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Sergio Aguero is entering the autumn of his glorious career with Manchester City but the record books suggest there will be no let-up in his prodigious goalscoring when Pep Guardiola's Premier League champions host Newcastle. The 30-year-old Argentine has scored five goals in four games for City this season, including […]

Paris (AFP) – Playing in their first European campaign in half a century, Burnley ran out of juice Thursday as they bowed out in their Europa League qualifier against Olympiakos while Rangers and Celtic both advanced. The Greeks had given Sean Dyche's men a steep hill to climb after winning 3-1 on home soil and […]

Santiago (AFP) – Manchester United forward Alexis Sanchez has been left out of Chile's squad for September friendlies away to Japan and South Korea because "his club needs him", coach Reinaldo Rueda revealed on Thursday. United have had their worst start to a Premier League season since the inaugural edition in 1992/93 following back-to-back defeats […]

Lille (France) (AFP) – South African international striker Lebo Mothiba has signed up for a second stint of French leave after swapping Lille for Strasbourg, his new club announced Thursday. The 22-year-old had arrived in the eastern city Wednesday for a medical ahead of inking a three-year contract for a four million euro ($4.4 million) […]

Monaco (AFP) – Real Madrid and Croatia star Luka Modric on Thursday received the accolade of UEFA Player of the Year in Monaco, beating his former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo and Liverpool's Mohamed Salah to the prize. "I'm very happy to receive this great prize. I have worked hard for this, to get to the highest […]

Monaco (AFP) – Cristiano Ronaldo can look forward to a return to Old Trafford in the Champions League this season after his new team Juventus came out in the same group as Manchester United in Thursday's draw in Monaco. Ronaldo spent six years at United, winning the Champions League in 2008, before moving to Real […]

Brussels (AFP) – Swedish teenage pole vaulting prodigy Armand Duplantis will go for the Diamond League trophy at Friday's Diamond League meet in Brussels knowing full well he might not be able to pocket the $50,000 prize money. The 18-year-old, who soared to a world junior record of 6.05 metres to win European gold in […]

Monaco (AFP) – Luka Modric of Real Madrid and Croatia on Thursday received the accolade of UEFA Player of the Year in Monaco after his Champions League exploits. "My father always pushed me to fight for my dreams, I owe him a lot for everything," said Modric, whose silky midfield skills helped Real to a […]

Berlin (AFP) – Arsenal forward Reiss Nelson is set to be the latest England junior international to play in the Bundesliga with Hoffenheim on the verge of signing the 18-year-old on loan. According to German magazine Kicker, Hoffenheim are set to pay the Gunners 500,000 euros ($582,945) to sign the England Under-19 winger, who can […]

London (AFP) – Gareth Southgate says Luke Shaw's new-found aggression and desire convinced him to recall the Manchester United defender for next month's matches against Spain and Switzerland. Injury-plagued Shaw has not played for his country since 2017, but the left-back has returned at the expense of Old Trafford team-mate Ashley Young in England's first […]

Paris (AFP) – France coach Didier Deschamps gave his firm backing to Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris and recalled "retired" defender Adil Rami as he named his first post-World Cup squad ahead of two Nations League matches. Barely six weeks after their triumphant World Cup campaign in Russia, France face Germany on September 6 and the […]