No excuses for Swansea, says Vorm

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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Anzhi confirm interest in Gaitan

Russian Premier League side Anzhi have confirmed they are interested in signing Benfica forward Nicolas Gaitan.

The Argentine winger is one of the most sought-after footballers in Europe and is widely tipped to leave Estadio da Luz in the near future.

Portuguese newspaper O Jogo recently reported that free-spending Anzhi were showing interest in the 24-year-old, with club’s sporting director Roberto Carlos admitting the Russians are keen on Gaitan.

“There was a conversation in the summer, but then came a lot of agents, not the player, and we decided to pull out,” Roberto Carlos .

“Now, the interest remains and there may be something in January.”

Nicolas Gaitan joined Benfica from Boca Juniors in …

Japanese midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura has decided to move to Espanyol from Celtic after talks over a transfer to his former club Yokohama Marinos collapsed, according to Jiji Press.

Officials of the J-League club confirmed the decision after holding talks with Nakamura s agent on Monday, Jiji Press reported.

Club officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

Nakamura, 31, had initially expressed his readiness to re-sign with the Marinos when his contract with the former Scottish champions expires at the end of this month.

But the talks with Yokohama stalled, with Nakamura s side reportedly citing the club s insincerity over financial matters and requests for his appearances in club events before he signed a contract.

Yokohama had offere…

Pep Guardiola labelled Erling Haaland a special talent after the striker scored a perfect first-half hat-trick in Manchester City s 6-0 thrashing of Nottingham Forest on Wednesday.

Haaland, who is averaging a goal every 43 minutes since arriving in the Premier League, has now made the most prolific start to a career in the competition on record.

His third goal against Forest, scored with a close-range header after 38 minutes, was his ninth in five Premier League outings, bettering the eight-goal hauls managed by Sergio Aguero and Micky Quinn through their first five appearances in the competition.

Haaland needed just 16 touches to score his treble, and Guardiola is delighted to see the striker sending records tumbling so early in his Premier League career.

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England captain John Terry believes his team must become more streetwise if they want to end the country s long wait for World Cup glory.

After a fortnight in which diving has been top of the British football agenda due to controversial incidents involving Eduardo, Wayne Rooney and Aiden McGeady, Terry hinted that England s stars have often been too honest for their own good.

While Arsenal striker Eduardo was handed a two-match European ban for his theatrical fall against Celtic and Celtic midfielder McGeady was sent off for diving against Hibernian, Terry knows from first-hand experience that many cheats have got away with their acts of deception.

The Chelsea defender has no intention of condoning the kind of clear dive that landed Eduardo in hot water, but he …

Werder Bremen have completed the signing of United States international Aron Johannsson from AZ.

Johannsson moved to the Eredivisie in January 2013 and has scored 29 goals in 60 league appearances for the club.

The 24-year-old striker, who has scored four goals in 17 appearances for USA, will now continue his career in the Bundesliga after signing a four-year deal with Bremen.

This is the right step to move forward in my development, Johannsson told Bremen s official website.

Werder Bremen is a great club where I will do my utmost to develop myself and to make my contribution to the team s success.

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