Aston Villa’s Dutch international defender Ron Vlaar has been ruled out for up to six weeks with a knee injury, the Premier League team said on Thursday. . “There’s a little bit of meniscus damage there but it’s not as bad as we thought,” manager Paul Lambert told the club’s website (www.avfc.co.uk). . Vlaar suffered the injury early in the 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace on January 1. . Villa, in 12th place on 22 points, face a Midlands derby at bottom club Leicester City on Saturday.
Author: David Folami
Uncapped midfielder Ahmed Kashi has been called up to play for Algeria at the African Nations Cup finals, the country’s official news agency said on Thursday. . The 26-year-old French-born player from FC Metz is expected to be named as a replacement for the injured Medhi Abeid of Newcastle United, said the Algerie Presse Service. The Algerian Football Federation was yet to confirm the call-up. . Algeria were the first of the 16 countries competing at this month’s tournament in Equatorial Guinea to name their final squad but still have a week to make changes before the deadline for the…
West Bromwich Albion named former Stoke City and Crystal Palace boss Tony Pulisas their head coach on Thursday, tasking the 56-year-old with the club’s Premier League survival. . Pulis has agreed a 2-1/2 year contract with the Baggies, the club said in a statement, replacing Alan Irvine who was sacked on Monday following a run of seven defeats in nine games. . “Every successful club is built on unity and that is what I shall strive to help bring to Albion,” Pulis said in the statement. . “We need everyone together from top to bottom – the supporters, all the…
Former England midfielder Frank Lampard will stay with Manchester City until the end of the season, the Premier League champions said on Wednesday. . Lampard initially joined City on loan for six months from New York City FC after leaving Chelsea at the end of last season. . “Manchester City can confirm that it has extended Frank Lampard’s contract up to the end of (the) season, enabling his continued participation in both domestic and European campaigns,” City said in a statement on their website. . The 36-year-old Lampard has scored six goals for City this season.
Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal says he has been overwhelmed by the support he has received from fans even after defeats but, if he does not act to strengthen his defence, he might soon find their patience running out. . After a dire opening to the season, Van Gaal has steadied the ship and Thursday’s 1-1 Premier League draw at Stoke City made it 10 games in a row without defeat. . They are firmly established in third place and though the title looks a step too far, a return to the Champions League is very much within their…
Few Chelsea fans would have begrudged Frank Lampard his farewell Premier League cameo at Manchester City but the goodwill is starting to dissipate after he scored another goal to keep his new club in the title hunt. . On Wednesday, Chelsea’s all-time record scorer Lampard tied up the deal that extends his loan from New York City to Manchester City until the end of the season and 24 hours later he showed exactly why Manuel Pellegrini was so keen to keep him. . The league champions, for the second time in four days, had blown a 2-0 lead in front…
Chelsea and Manchester City ended the first day of 2015 locked together at the top of the Premier League as City’s 3-2 victory over Sunderland on Thursday was followed by a shock 5-3 defeat for Chelsea at Tottenham Hotspur. . Chelsea, previously beaten only once this season, looked set for another victory when Diego Costa scored after 18 minutes but rampant Spurs surged back with goals by Harry Kane, Danny Rose and Andros Townsend (penalty) to lead 3-1 at halftime. . Kane then fired in his second goal seven minutes after the restart and though Eden Hazard pulled one back,…
Arsene Wenger has praised Alex Song ahead of Arsenal’s clash with West Ham today. . The former Gunners midfielder has impressed in his loan spell at the Hammers, who lie fifth in the table. . Wenger helped mould Song after signing him from French outfit Bastia and is not surprised the 27-year-old has gone onto play for Barcelona. . He said: “I brought him here at the age of 17 and kept him despite all the opinions against him. . “He developed into a very good player, so you don’t need to convince me he is a good player. .…
Manchester City can revert to fielding a specialist striker against Burnley as Stevan Jovetic has returned to fitness. . The Premier League champions have played without their three leading centre-forwards for their last two games, both of which they have won, scoring six goals, but manager Manuel Pellegrini is considering recalling Montenegro international Jovetic for today’s clash. . Jovetic has not featured in City’s last three matches after suffering a hamstring problem but was available for the Boxing Day victory over West Brom, when Pellegrini decided not to risk him on the pitch at The Hawthorns. . “Jovetic was on…
Sky Sports expert and former England midfielder Jamie Redknapp has boldly claimed that Chelsea’s current powerhouse Nemanja Matic could go on to eclipse club legend Claude Makelele. . During Jose Mourinho’ spell in charge at the club his Chelsea era between 2004-2007 was almost defined by Makelele. The Frenchman had a role now exclusively named after him at the best of a ‘Christmas tree’ midfield and provided impregnable protection for the defence. . In 2014 however, that role is being wonderfully executed by Matic in his own unique style and Redknapp believes the Serbian’s name may now be more synonymous…
Nigeria international striker Emmanuel Emenike has declared he has no plans to quit Turkish champions Fenerbahce. . “I do not even think of that for a moment because they do not want me here,” Emenike told Hurriyet newspaper. Emenike’s agent, Erdem Konyar, has also revealed that there are no offers yet for the striker. . The Turkish agent played down the talk about impending move for the former Spartak Moscow forward in the winter. He said: “Emenike has had no official offers. . “Even if he does receive official bids he has no intention to leave Fenerbahce, he is happy…
The agent of Cristiano Ronaldo expects him to play out his career with Real Madrid. Jorge Mendes has taken care of the former Manchester United star since he was 15 years of age. . “I believe that Cristiano will finish his career at Real Madrid. He’s happy at the club and is still keen to achieve more success at the Madrid. Will the club retire his shirt number when he finishes at Madrid? With every respect to the likes of Raúl and Di Stéfano, no player can compare to Cristiano Ronaldo. . “He’s the best player ever and I’d say…
Juan Mata has described playing alongside Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney as a privilege. . The Red Devils were 3-1 winners against Newcastle United on Boxing Day courtesy of Rooney’s brace and Robin van Persie’s second-half strike. . And the Spain international talked up Rooney’s qualities, as well as his United team-mates Radamel Falcao and Van Persie. . “I think he can play there, yes,” declared Mata in a post-match interview with MUTV. “He can defend, he can attack, he can pass and he can score goals arriving into the box. . “For us, he is a very important player…
Barclays Premier League club, Liverpool, have reportedly offered out-of-favour striker, Fabio Borini and £8 million for Nigeria international midfielder, Ogenyi Onazi. . According to reports in the English media over the weekend, Onazi is now a main target for Brendan Rodgers to solve his team’s holding role in the midfield as they struggle in the Premier League this term. . The Reds are using Borini as a bait in the planned bid since the Italian striker has long been admired by the Rome club. . It is not the first time that Rodgers will be linked with a move for…
Germany’s World Cup-winning goalkeeper Manuel Neuer on Friday played down his prospects of securing the World Player of the Year award over holder Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. . “I’m certainly not favourite,” the Bayern Munich star told German daily Süddeutsche Zeitung. . “The other two are international ‘marques’, they’ve clearly got an advantage.” . If Neuer does receive the Ballon d’Or he will be the first of his countrymen to do so since Lothar Matthaus in 1990 and only the second goalkeeper after Lev Yashin, of the then Soviet Union, in 1963. . For Germany coach Joachim Loew, the…
Spain forward Fernando Torres has agreed to return to Atletico Madrid on loan from AC Milan until the end of the 2015-16 season, seven and a half years after leaving his boyhood club, the La Liga champions said on Monday. . Torres, 30, has been struggling for goals since joining Chelsea from Liverpool in 2011 and moved to Milan on loan in August. . Chelsea and Milan agreed on Saturday to make the switch permanent, paving the way for Torres to be loaned to Atletico, where he will hope to resurrect his stuttering career under inspirational coach Diego Simeone. .…
Nigerian striker Peter Odemwingie is set to be offered a new contract by Stoke City despite being sidelined due to injury. . Odemwingie has been on the sidelines since August owing to a cruciate knee ligament injury, but the former West Bromwich Albion and Cardiff City man will be out of contract at the Britannia Stadium at the end of this season. . It is likely the striker will be offered an one-year deal by The Potters considering he will turn 34 next season. . Stoke City manager Mark Hughes has revealed that “there’s something in place” for Odemwingie despite…
Manchester United midfielders Ander Herrera and Adnan Januzaj have returned to training ahead of the Premier League trip to Stoke City, manager Louis van Gaal said on Tuesday. . United have climbed to third in the table after winning seven of their last nine games going into the match against Stoke on Thursday. . “Herrera has trained today for the first time with us and Januzaj has also trained two training sessions with us,” Van Gaal told a news conference. . “They don’t have match rhythm. Januzaj was ill and you have to recover from your illness, not from your…
Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal on Tuesday accused the English football authorities of neglecting player welfare and short-changing millions of supporters due to the over-crowded festive fixture schedule. . The Dutchman, currently in the middle of his first season in the English game, has been an outspoken critic of the Premier League’s traditional mid-season programme. . United drew 0-0 at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, kicking off only 43 hours after a Boxing Day win over Newcastle United, and Van Gaal believes the stress placed on the league’s superstars reduces the quality of the spectacle. . “Everybody knows the body…
Borussia Dortmund have full faith in coach Juergen Klopp who has no deadline either by when he has to lift the team out of the Bundesliga danger zone, general manager Hans-Joachim Watzke reiterated. . “We are fully convinced of him,” Watzke told Tuesday’s edition of the Bild paper. . Watzke said he has “zero point zero doubts” that Klopp still reaches players, dismissed a possible deadline scenario as “perverse” and insisted this position will not change. . Dortmund won the Bundesliga in 2011 and 2012, and were runners-up to Bayern Munich in the past two seasons. But they are struggling…