New Sunderland midfielder Jack Rodwell warned English teenagers they could risk their careers signing for Manchester City.
Rodwell joined Sunderland on Monday, ending his fruitless two-year stint at City after just 16 appearances in the Premier League, and the 23-year-old wants his experience to serve as a cautionary tale to the next generation of English footballers.
The midfielder is one in a long list of young Englishmen, who have struggled to establish themselves at Etihad Stadium, with Micah Richards and Scott Sinclair still there, while the likes of Adam Johnson and Daniel Sturridge have left to enjoy greater success elsewhere.
Rodwell denies it is all about nationality at City but admits he would be reluctant to recommend that a young player signs with the…
Chico Flores has left Swansea City to link up again with former manager Michael Laudrup at Lekhwiya in Qatar.
Laudrup was appointed as the new coach of the Qatari champions last month, having been sacked by Swansea in February.
And he will now be joined at the club by Chico, who released an open letter to Swansea s fans on Saturday as news of his move was confirmed.
I write this letter with grief, gratitude and joy, for I will be facing a new personal and sporting challenge, wrote the 27-year-old.
I have experienced so much these two seasons that, by far, exceeded my expectations. That is why today I am sad to leave a club that has been like a family since the beginning and allowed me to enjoy and experience football in a very special and intense way.
Manchester City defender Joleon Lescott is confident the club will quickly adapt to life without Roberto Mancini.
The Italian was sacked after failing to add to the 2011 FA Cup and 2012 Premier League trophies he won for the club, with Manuel Pellegrini the overwhelming favourite to take over at the Etihad Stadium.
City produced a lacklustre performance in their final Premier League fixture of the season as they fell to a 3-2 home defeat to Norwich.
But Lescott is confident the side will come back strongly.
It s been a difficult for everyone but it is important as a player you understand that no matter what happens you need to keep striving to improve every games. We ll continue to do that.
The decision has been made by the club and we have to respect that as players. …
Leon Goretzka limped off injured for Germany in Tuesday s clash with Belgium, making him a doubt for Bayern Munich s crunch Bundesliga clash with Borussia Dortmund.
Bayern trail Dortmund by just one point at the Bundesliga summit but may have to do without Goretzka for Saturday s crucial Klassiker after the midfielder suffered an apparent ankle injury.
The Germany international initially went down and required treatment in the 29th minute before failing to continue as Hansi Flick sent on Felix Nmecha three minutes later at RheinEnergieStadion.
That was in a double substitution, the second part of which was not enforced as Emre Can replaced Florian Wirtz with Germany trailing 2-0 after early goals from Yannick Carrasco and Romelu Lukaku in Cologne.
Double …
Diego Maradona has bid an emotional farewell to Dorados after he called time on his spell at the Mexican second division club to focus on his health.
Dorados confirmed on Thursday that the Argentina icon would step down from his role as coach as he prepares to undergo shoulder and knee surgery.
The former Argentina boss was appointed in September 2018, and led Dorados to the final of the both the Apertura and Clausura, but lost on both occasions to Atletico San Luis, therefore missing out on promotion to Liga MX.
And, taking to his official Instagram account, the 58-year-old has thanked Dorados and their fans, as well as clarifying the reasons for his departure.
I wanted to make it clear that my departure from Dorados has to do with my health, Maradona…
Brazil head coach Tite said he understands why fans booed following the Selecao s lacklustre start to their Copa America campaign.
Philippe Coutinho s second-half brace and Everton s late stunner guided Brazil to a 3-0 win over Bolivia, but not before the tournament hosts were booed by their own supporters on Friday.
A poor first half in Sao Paulo was met by jeers at half-time, with the subdued atmosphere highlighting the Copa curtain-raiser at Estadio do Morumbi.
Brazil responded with two goals in the space of eight minutes via Coutinho to start the second half, and substitute Everton sealed the Group A victory in the 84th minute.
Asked about the boos post-match, Tite – whose team were playing without injured superstar Neymar – told reporters: We fel…
Vincent Kompany wants his Manchester City team-mates to seize the moment ahead of a decisive two weeks in their incredible 2017-18 campaign.
City travel to Everton on Saturday knowing a win will grant them the possibility to seal the Premier League title with a victory over bitter rivals Manchester United on April 7.
Either side of the Manchester derby there is the small matter of a mouth-watering Champions League quarter-final showdown with Liverpool – the only team to have beaten Pep Guardiola s EFL Cup winners in England s top-flight so far this season.
It starts from now, really, said club captain Kompany, who has endured a wretched record away from home against both Merseyside clubs during his decade-long association with City.
What a privilege to…
Liverpool star Luis Suarez says it would be difficult for him to turn down La Liga giants Real Madrid.
Suarez, 26, is contracted to the English Premier League side until 2016, but has been the subject of speculation linking him with a move away from Anfield since receiving a 10-match ban for biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic.
With Gonzalo Higuain looking set to exit the Santiago Bernabeu, Real have been linked with moves for the Uruguayan pair of Suarez and Edinson Cavani.
Suarez said there had been no formal offers for his services, but admitted a potential move to Real Madrid interested him.
I ve talked to my agent – there s nothing concrete. To say no to Madrid would always be difficult and more so with the team they have, Suarez told Urugu…
Hatem Ben Arfa will leave Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the season, having been made an outcast by coach Unai Emery.
Ben Arfa has not featured for PSG since April 2017, when he scored a brace in a 4-0 Coupe de France win at Avranches.
The 31-year-old s lawyer Jean-Jacques Bertrand has accused PSG of violating France s professional football charter due to their treatment of his client.
And former Lyon, Marseille and Nice star Ben Arfa has now confirmed in a social media post that he will be departing the Parc des Princes.
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AC Milan coach Gennaro Gattuso has done an exceptional job since taking over in November and should be considered responsible for Leonardo Bonucci s return to form, according to former Juventus and Italy midfielder Alessio Tacchinardi.
A poor start to the season following heavy spending resulted in Vincenzo Montella s dismissal, with Gattuso getting promoted from Milan s youth side to replace him.
Milan have lost just two Serie A games since Gattuso took over and they head into Saturday s clash at Juventus having won five in a row in the league.
Bonucci – who joined from Juve in pre-season – has also enjoyed a resurgence after looking a shadow his former self in the first half of the campaign, and Tacchinardi thinks that improvement is down to Gattuso.
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