Manchester United’s Matteo Darmian could move in January – advisor

Inter Milan expressed an interest in Matteo Darmian but Manchester United have so far refused to listen to any offers, according to one of the Italy international’s advisors.
Darmian, 26, has fallen out of favour at United after a bright start following his move from Torino in July 2015, and his only appearance under new boss Jose Mourinho came in the 1-0 Europa League defeat to Feyenoord last month.
He has been tipped for a return to Serie A but representative Fausto Pari told Radio CRC: “We’ve got to see what United want to do. Italian clubs have tried [to sign him], but United closed the door immediately.
“He’s playing little or nothing and it’s a shame because he’s an Italy international. If the situation

Herrera slams criticisms of Mourinho & Rooney

Ander Herrera has hit back at criticism of Manchester United and their manager Jose Mourinho, insisting that people are too quick to want to attack the game’s biggest names.
United have fallen to sixth place in the Premier League after dropping eight points in four matches, attracting a multitude of negative reviews from fans and observers alike.
But speaking, Herrera has claimed that Mourinho is one of the best coaches he has ever worked with, even if the Red Devils have suffered a stuttering start to the 2016-17 Premier League campaign.
“When you are one of the best coaches in the world, it is normal to attract bad reviews if you lose a couple of games. It is inevitable, because that is how it works,” Herrera explained.
“But he has made things very clear, I enjoy training and I think Mourinho is one of the best coaches I have ever had in daily work.
“It is also true that in the Premier League every team loses points. In Spain it is also beginning to

I am not 100 percent, but I’m getting there – Gyan

Ahead of Ghana’s opening Group E match in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, striker Asamoah Gyan says he has almost returned to 100 percent fitness.
The veteran attacker is expected to lead Ghana’s attack when they host Uganda in Tamale on Friday afternoon, marking a return to the national team after missing the last international window’s matches due to injury.

NFF have cash for World Cup qualifier – Ex-marketing chief

Ex-marketing boss of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Idris Adama has alleged it is fraudulent for anyone to claim the federation are too broke to fly the Super Eagles to Zambia for Sunday’s World Cup qualifier.
NFF president Amaju Pinnick told the senate sports committee Tuesday they are yet to pay for the team’s chartered flight and the hotel in Ndola because they do not have the cash.
However, Idris Adama said he has it on good authority that is not the case.

Threesome sex tape of ex-Premier League star leaks online

Ex-Premier League defender Antonio Luna and Eibar team-mate Sergi Enrich have apologised after a video of them taking part in a threesome leaked online.
Luna, formerly of Aston Villa, and Enrich recorded themselves involved in a sex act with an unnamed women, of which both insist was “consensual” in a joint statement.
Luna and Enrich express regret at the “private act” going viral, blaming themselves for the leak, and the damage the publicity could have on their own reputation and that of the their club.
A statement posted by Enrich on Twitter reads: “In light of the circulation on social media of a sexually explicit video in which we, the undersigned, appear, we want to state that the video shows a recording of a private act which took place between fully consenting adults, within the

Gerrard, Pires, Okocha among stars for 6-a-side tournament

Steven Gerrard, Robert Pires and Jay-Jay Okocha are among the star names lined up for a six-a-side international tournament to be launched in London next summer.
Star Sixes, which will take place at London’s O2 Arena from July 13-16 next year, will feature Brazil, Spain, Germany, Mexico, Italy, France, England, Portugal, Australia, Nigeria, Netherlands and China.
Carles Puyol, Michael Ballack and Deco have also been confirmed for the tournament, which organisers said would be made up entirely of “recently retired fully capped international” players. Games are set to be played over 30 minutes and the tournament will feature a group stage followed by a knockout round.
Future events are planned for arenas in Berlin, Istanbul, Beijing, Sydney, Miami and Seattle.
Jonathan Rogers, the managing director of organisers Pitch International, said: “The long-term

Rooney still has huge role to play for Manchester United and England – Shearer

Former Newcastle United striker Alan Shearer believes Wayne Rooney still has a huge role to play for club and country.
Rooney, 30, has faced plenty of criticism following a difficult start to the season, with many unsure on where his best position is in either side.
The forward has been dropped from Manchester United’s starting line-up but Shearer, who made 63 appearances for his country, has tipped Rooney to bounce back and prove his critics wrong.
“Jose [Mourinho, United manager] hasn’t played him centre forward as of yet, he has played Ibra

Cristiano Ronaldo is the problem for Real Madrid – Capello

Former Real Madrid coach Fabio Capello believes the club’s biggest problem is Cristiano Ronaldo and a perceived lack of fitness.
Zinedine Zidane’s men have stuttered in LaLiga, with three consecutive draws seeing them slip to

Sharapova’s ex-boyfriend says she deserved ban

Maria Sharapova’s ex-boyfriend Grigor Dimitrov on Wednesday suggested she deserved her ban from tennis for a doping offence, an incident that has sent shockwaves through the sport.
“I think tennis misses her,” the Bulgarian world number 20 said of the five-time Grand Slam champion, adding that he had “zero doubts” she would make a successful return.
“As a competitor she’s just going to come back and she’s going to be so hungry to play and excited and motivated,” said Dimitrov, who dated the Russian superstar for two years until they split in July 2015.
But he added: “If you do something, I mean obviously there are circumstances. And whoever does something deserves what he gets for sure.”
Dimitrov was responding to a question about an interview in which Sharapova accused the International Tennis Federation (ITF) of trying to make an example of her by giving her a 24-month

Enugu Gov. Ugwuanyi donates N1 million to injured Egwim

Enugu State Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has donated a million Naira to injured Rangers striker Ifeanyi Egwim when he visited him in hospital.
Egwim has been operated on twice after he suffered a double leg fracture during Sunday’s championship decider at home against El Kanemi Warriors.

Messi’s been a Real Madrid fan since he was born – Isco

Isco is adamant that Messi has been a Real Madrid fan since he was born – although in this case Messi is his dog and not the Barcelona star!
Isco, 24, joined Los Blancos in 2013 but by that time he had already named his Labrador after Argentine star Leo.

Javier Tebas to run La Liga for four more years

La Liga has provisionally elected Javier Tebas to a second four-year term as president.
Tebas ran unopposed after Alex Aranzabal ended his proposed candidacy on Tuesday, a day before the deadline for candidates to register.

Nigerian football not at its best this year – Chukwu

Former Super Eagles coach Christian Chukwu has charged Nigerians not to write of the national U-17 female team, Flamingoes over their not-too-impressive performance against Brazil and England at the on-going 2016 FIFA Women’s U-17 World Cup in Jordan.
Chukwu, a member of the NFF Technical Committee said that the girls need more encouragement to excel in their career. He noted that the championship in Jordan is only a developmental tournament to discover stars, adding that the attitude of winning at all cost should be