Villa pens one-year extension with New York City

An opportunity

With Sturridge keen to make an impression and push for a place in the team that will be heading to Euro 2016, Liverpool striker must also use the opportunity to prove his worth.

Daniel Sturridge has so far made only seven Premier League appearances for Liverpool, but he has made an instant impact to the squad by adding flair along his four goals in Liverpool shirt over the past couple of weeks.

Heading into the 2014 World Cup in Brazil as Roy Hodgson’s first-choice striker, Daniel Sturridge now has stiff competition in the likes of emerging duo of Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy in England’s squad.

Kane and Vardy both struck for England in their impressive come-from-behind victory over Germany, thus extending their incredible club form and w…

The agent of Atletico Madrid star Arda Turan has caused quite a stir by revealing that his client wants to leave los Colchoneros.

The Turkish midfielder developed into a key player at Vicente Calderon shortly after arriving at the club from Galatasaray and he has been integral to Atletico’s chase for glory over the last two seasons.

Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone was prepared to build his team around Turan and Falcao, but it appears the attacking midfielder will not be staying at Vicente Calderon for much longer.

Arda’s representative Ahmet Bulut dropped a real bombshell by saying that his client wants out at the end of the season.

“I have wanted to see him play for another team in another league and Arda also wants to play for another club, to…

France midfielder Yohan Cabaye is aiming to start his side s Euro 2012 campaign on a positive note against England in their first group game.

Cabaye was brought to England by Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew last off-season and has impressed during his debut Premier League campaign, which has led to a more prominent role in the international setup.

And he believes that the exposure to the English game will serve him well against Roy Hodgson s men.

I think my first season in England is going to help me to do the right things with the French national team, he told the Newcastle s official website.

Now the season with Newcastle is over I am very focussed on the competition and I cannot wait to know if I am in the 23-man squad or not.

Followin…

Zinedine Zidane deserves to keep his job at Real Madrid even if they do not win any further trophies this season, according to Michael Laudrup.

The Spanish and European champions are 16 points behind LaLiga leaders Barcelona, although they have a game in hand, and face a daunting two-legged tie with Paris Saint-Germain in their bid to win a third consecutive Champions League.

A much-changed Madrid side reached the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey on Wednesday with a 5-2 aggregate win over Numancia, but the 2-2 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu means they have now only won once in their last four games.

The fact the domestic cup represents their most obvious chance of silverware for the remainder of the season has led to questions over the future of head coach Zidan…

Swansea City goalkeeper Michel Vorm is confident his team can overcome League Two outfit Bradford City in the League Cup final.

Swansea City goalkeeper Michel Vorm is confident his team can overcome League Two outfit Bradford City in the League Cup final.

Since arriving in the off-season of 2011 for a fee of around 1.5 million pounds, the Netherlands shot-stopper has made 53 appearances and kept 17 clean sheets.

In an interview with Dutch football magazine Voetbal International, Vorm admitted his surprise at the Swansea s rise to prominence and insists the greater quality in their squad should secure an easy win over Bradford.

He said: We have been playing for more than one-and-a-half years in the Premier League. When I came from Utrecht, I did not exp…

Didier Deschamps remains confident Paul Pogba will be fit to play a big role for France at the World Cup despite missing the start of the season through injury.

Pogba sustained a knee problem in pre-season after returning to Juventus from Manchester United on a free transfer.

There were early suggestions surgery could see the World Cup winner miss Qatar 2022, but he has opted instead for therapy that aims to ensure a far swifter return.

Pogba is set to again be paired with N Golo Kante in the France midfield in November, although the Chelsea man has not been without his own injury issues in recent seasons.

We re talking about players who are in high demand – two players who have a big experience, leaders, Deschamps told Le Parisien of the duo.

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Inter coach Roberto Mancini is unsure whether Mauro Icardi will be sold after the captain was a notable absentee from Sunday s pre-season defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.

Icardi has been linked with a move to Serie A rivals Napoli as a potential replacement for fellow Argentinian Gonzalo Higuain, and those reports were sent into overdrive after the Inter skipper was nowhere to been as the Italian club lost 3-1 to PSG in the International Champions Cup.

A coy Mancini was asked about Icardi – who is under contract until 2019 – post-match in Oregon, and he said: As for whether Icardi is not for sale, you ll have to ask the president.

Mancini was also quizzed on Lazio midfielder Antonio Candreva, who is reportedly set to leave Rome in favour of a switch to Milan.<…

Andre Villas-Boas is relieved that Gareth Bale escaped serious injury in the heavy tackle from Charlie Adam.

The Welsh winger was left stricken after the Reds midfielder appeared to tread on his ankle in Tottenham s pre-season friendly with Liverpool in the United States.

Bale was in such a bad way that he was immediately substituted throwing his availability for the start of the season into doubt.

A similar challenge from Adam, then playing for Blackpool, had also prematurely ended the 23-year-old s 2010-11 campaign.

Needless to say, we are extremely relieved Gareth has not been seriously injured, Villas-Boas told The Daily Mail.

There is previous history between the two players on the challenge that was done I think three years ago.

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Paris Saint-Germain head coach Thomas Tuchel claims Neymar is happy at the club and his own relationship with the forward has never been better.

Neymar was involved in a transfer saga earlier in the year, with a possible return to Barcelona failing to materialise before the deadline.

PSG fans initially gave the Brazil international a hostile reception on his return to first-team action, but he has reintegrated himself with some key performances.

With the January transfer window fast approaching, Tuchel insisted Neymar, 27, was in a good frame of mind in the French capital.

Between him and me, not much has changed, Tuchel said at a news conference ahead of the Coupe de la Ligue clash with Le Mans on Wednesday.

We have always had a good relatio…

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stions that he is due to undergo a medical with Inter on Monday ahead of a proposed move to San Siro.

The Croatia international impressed at Euro 2016 and has been heavily linked with a move to the Serie A side in recent days.

However, Pjaca insists that reports he is on the verge of penning a deal with Roberto Mancini s men are wide of the mark.

I would like to stress that there is no truth in the reports suggesting I am on the verge of joining Inter, the 21-year-old wrote on his official Facebook account.

I am currently on holiday and will soon be joining my team-mates at Dinamo Zagreb for pre-season.

Pjaca, who joined Dinamo from Lokomotiva Zagreb ahead of the 2014-15 season, has a contract with his current club until June 2019.

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