London (AFP) – Former Manchester United striker Michael Owen believes Marcus Rashford can be the club's first-choice centre-forward for "years to come", but told AFP he will have to be patient. Rashford, 19, exploded onto the scene with United last season, scoring eight goals in his first 18 appearances and breaking into England's Euro 2016 […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Barcelona sporting director Robert Fernandez insists he is sure Lionel Messi will sign a new deal with the Catalan giants despite continued speculation over the five-time World Player of the Year's future. Messi has just 18 months left on his current contract and would have no shortage of lucrative offers should he […]

Identity is a throwaway term in modern football parlance. But it’s important. It can be a crutch for managers who are toiling in the nascent stages of their spell with a new club. If supporters can see a methodology forming, poor results are more tolerable. For Mauricio Pochettino and Jurgen Klopp in their respective positions […]

Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane hopes Cristiano Ronaldo will shrug off a foot problem in time to lead the European champions' bid to overcome a Copa del Rey deficit at Celta Vigo on Wednesday. Zidane's squad, down 2-1 from the quarter-final first leg at home, has been hit by a series of […]

London (AFP) – Hull City midfielder Ryan Mason is making "excellent progress" after fracturing his skull but will remain under close observation in hospital, the Premier League club said on Tuesday. The 25-year-old suffered serious injury when he accidentally clashed heads with Chelsea's Gary Cahill in the 14th minute of the 2-0 loss at the […]

London (AFP) – Yaya Toure says he wants to remain at Manchester City and is not interested in moving to China, amid reports of a big-money offer from the Chinese Super League. Reports last week said Toure, 33, had rejected an approach from a Chinese club that would have seen him paid around £430,000 ($536,000, […]

Algiers (AFP) – Algeria's Belgian coach Georges Leekens quit Tuesday after the side crashed out of the Africa Cup of Nations. Algeria were one of the pre-tournament favourites for the competition in Gabon but failed to win a game in their opening group. "For the good of all I decided to quit even though I […]

Port-Gentil (Gabon) (AFP) – Ahmed Elmohamady knows what it takes to win the Africa Cup of Nations and the Hull City man is quietly confident that Egypt can go all the way again on their long-awaited return to the tournament. Elmohamady is only 29 but the flying wing-back is a comparative veteran in a young […]

Port-Gentil (Gabon) (AFP) – Seven-time champions Egypt face Ghana in Port-Gentil on Wednesday looking for the result that will see them join their opponents in qualifying for the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals. The Pharaohs need only draw the game, which kicks off at 8pm (1900 GMT), in the Gabonese port city to be certain […]

Liverpool (AFP) – Liverpool's formidable home record was meant to provide the platform for a tilt at three trophies this season -– but Saturday's surprise 3-2 Premier League defeat by Swansea spoiled that idea. If Jurgen Klopp's team are to overcome Southampton at Anfield in the second leg of a League Cup semi-final on Wednesday […]

Glasgow (AFP) – Celtic stand on the verge of reaching a historic milestone when they return to league action on Wednesday. The runaway league leaders have been in cold storage for the past three weeks as the Scottish Premiership took a winter break but took a step closer to a domestic treble on Sunday with […]

Franceville (Gabon) (AFP) – Islam Slimani scored twice but Algeria's Africa Cup of Nations hopes were ended after a 2-2 draw with Senegal in Franceville on Monday. The Leicester City striker put Algeria ahead on two occasions but each time Senegal equalised, first through Papa Diop and then courtesy of Moussa Sow as they finished […]

Libreville (AFP) – Tunisia became the first team to score four goals at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations as they beat Zimbabwe 4-2 in Libreville Monday to seal a quarter-finals place. The Carthage Eagles, who led 4-1 at half-time, finished Group B runners-up behind Senegal and play Burkina Faso at the same stadium Saturday. […]

Kingston upon Hull (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Serbian international winger Lazar Markovic has been sent straight back out on loan to Premier League strugglers Hull on Monday by rivals Liverpool after a spell at Sporting Lisbon was cut short. The 22-year-old — who has joined until the end of the season — returned to Liverpool […]

Libreville (AFP) – Sporting agony in the shape of an early elimination from their own Africa Cup of Nations has only added to the other woes facing Gabon, a country already in the midst of a political and economic crisis. "The Africa Cup of Nations is not finished. I encourage all football lovers to enjoy […]