ALL EYES ON ROONEY ROLE IN SPICY WEMBLEY CLASH
Given Scotland and England s recent political history it is somewhat fitting that the latest gauge of public opinion on whether Wayne Rooney should remain at the top level or leave the international stage will take place when the two nations meet at Wembley on Friday.
Rooney is England s all-time record goalscorer and is two strikes off attaining the same lofty status at Manchester United.
These are towering achievements that do not sit easily alongside weekly questions over whether he merits a place with club or country. This debate being rung out now for many months suggests there is uncomfortable weight behind the argument that Rooney is yesterday s man.
During Euro 2016, then England manager Roy Hodgson …
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has backed Queens Park Rangers to upset Manchester City next week to hand his side the title.
Speaking after United s 2-0 win over Swansea on Sunday, Ferguson argued that QPR s manager Mark Hughes would be keen to spoil City s title chances after being replaced as manager by Roberto Mancini in 2009.
He was sacked in a very unethical way and he ll remember that, Ferguson said.
Ferguson was happy with his side s performance despite only scoring two goals from 28 shots.
We did what we had to do and we won the match, the 70-year-old manager said.
I think that all the fans wanting us to score a lot of goals was a bit optimistic but we had a lot of chances, particularly in the first half where we played v…
Paul Pogba needs to get his head down and ignore any advice from his agent, according to former Manchester United captain Bryan Robson.
The French midfielder s representative Mino Raiola confirmed earlier this month he is in the process of working on a transfer, with Real Madrid and Juventus reported to be interested.
Pogba has also been vocal about his future and revealed in June he is ready to seek a new challenge elsewhere.
Despite the ongoing uncertainty, the 26-year-old is in Australia with his team-mates for the start of their pre-season campaign and played 45 minutes of Saturday s 2-0 friendly win against Perth Glory.
60 Since his return to the club in 2016, Paul Pogba has been involved in more goals in all competitions than any other Manchester…
Carlo Ancelotti insists he is to blame for Real Madrid s recent problems after the Liga title race was blown wide open by the leaders 1-0 defeat at Athletic Bilbao.
The European champions were aiming to bounce back from last weekend s 1-1 draw at home to Villarreal, but an excellent first-half header from Aritz Aduriz handed Bilbao a first win over Real since January 2010 in Saturday s contest at San Mames.
Real s attacking trio of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale were frustrated in their attempts to force an equaliser and failed to hit their usually high standards.
Head coach Ancelotti, whose side will drop to second if Barcelona beat Rayo Vallecano on Sunday, admits Real have problems in attack, but refused to pin that on his players.
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Juventus director Pavel Nedved says the Serie A champions will not rest during their relentless pursuit of top transfer targets in the off-season.
Juve clinched their 28th Scudetto last month after becoming only the third side in history to go through an entire Serie A season undefeated.
Nedved insists there is no risk of the club resting on its laurels, claiming the Turin giants are doing their utmost to strengthen Antonio Conte s squad for an assault on the Champions League next season.
We have clear ideas (of what we want to do) and we will certainly not sleep, the former Czech Republic international told Tuttosport.
Juventus are reportedly already close to agreeing a deal for Udinese duo Mauricio Isla and Kwadwo Asamoah, and have also been heavily l…
Manchester United s squad is more than capable of challenging for the Premier League title, according to Marcus Rashford.
United are seventh in the table after playing six matches of the 2016-17 league campaign, having made an inconsistent start to life under new manager Jose Mourinho.
They will be expected to win at home to struggling Stoke on Sunday but could face a tough task keeping pace with Pep Guardiola s slick Manchester City.
We have a squad that can challenge for the title and other trophies, so that s the priority, given what the club has been through over the last few years, Rashford told the Sun.
A revelation when he burst onto the scene last term and still only 18, the exciting forward did not expect to be part of the team charged with winn…
Xabi Alonso has revealed that his primary objective for the 2011-12 season is to help Real Madrid win the Champions League.
Real Madrid have now gone a decade without winning a European Cup, and claiming the trophy has become something of an obsession for the club.
And, after breaking Barcelona s stranglehold on La Liga, Alonso admitted that he is desperate for European success.
We had a brilliant championship campaign, Alonso said.
We won the title with 100 points. And we also beat Barca.
But next year I hope to win the Champions League. But we will work very hard to win the the three major competitions: La Liga, the Champions League and the Copa [del Rey].
Alonso is currently in Jakarta with his wife and he admitted that he has bee…
Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos could ditch his number four shirt for 93 in the final season of his career as a tribute to the stoppage-time goal that helped the Spanish giants win La Decima in 2013-14.
Madrid appeared to be set for a 1-0 defeat at the hands of city rivals Atletico in the Champions League final at the Estadio Da Luz, only for Ramos to come to the rescue and net a 93rd-minute goal to send the showpiece to extra time.
In the following 30 minutes Gareth Bale, Marcelo and Cristiano Ronaldo then guided Madrid to a hard-fought 4-1 win and their 10th European crown.
Ramos has nothing but fond memories of his famous goal and he has now revealed he is pondering a special tribute at some stage in the future.
Believe me when I say that the though…
Jose Mourinho concedes winning the Premier League might be a step too far for Manchester United this season.
Last week s 1-1 draw at home to West Ham left United 11 points adrift of table-topping Chelsea in sixth position.
United have not won the Premier League since 2012-13 and Mourinho admits ending that drought will be difficult as he still tries to move clear of Louis van Gaal s playing style after replacing the Dutchman in the off-season.
Sometimes when a manager takes over a new club the differences in approach are not significant, Mourinho said ahead of Sunday s trip to Everton.
In that case all it needs is a little touch, just a fingerprint from the new man and you can get a lot from what was already there. Here we are trying to do something com…
Verdict: Draw
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Bookmaker:
Tottenham are in pole position to reach the Champions League last eight after coming from two goals behind to earn a 2-2 draw in Turin, but eliminating a side like Juventus could prove a difficult task in spite of the small advantage. The Bianconeri have plenty of experience in playing these kinds of games, and they have reason to hope for a positive outcome.
Tottenham
Spurs have seriously raised the club’s profile in England over the last decade or so, becoming serious title contenders and they have slowly started showing their potential in Europe as well. Tottenham proved their worth this term by topping the Champions League group that also included European powerhouses Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund, but they lo…