Manchester United want West Ham’s Declan Rice next summer

There were plenty of smiles from Liverpool players after their first win over Manchester United at Old Trafford since 2014, but Sadio Mane was obviously not happy with manager Jurgen Klopp after starting the match on the bench.

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Valencia s scattered defenders looked like a collection of punch-drunk strangers after Atalanta wing-back Hans Hateboer tore gleefully down their vacant left flank and smashed home his second goal of the match.

With just over an hour played, Gian Piero Gasperini s blue and black wrecking machine were 4-0 up in the club s first ever Champions League knockout tie.

Blistering long-range strikes from Josip Ilicic and Remo Freuler sparked scenes of delirium in the stands at San Siro Milan s celebrated football coliseum and temporary home to Atalanta s European home matches, with more than 40,000 fans making the pilgrimage from Bergamo for the most significant night in their club s 112-year history.

The other standout victory in the last-16 of Europe s top competi…

Bayern Munich have hit out at Germany coach Joachim Low over the timing of his announcement that Jerome Boateng, Mats Hummels and Thomas Muller will no longer be considered for selection.

Low confirmed in a Bild interview on Tuesday the experienced Bayern trio all part of Germany s triumphant squad at the 2014 World Cup are being dropped ahead of Euro 2020 qualifying.

Germany had an appalling title defence at the World Cup in Russia last year, failing to progress from the group stage, before suffering relegation in their inaugural Nations League campaign.

Boateng, Muller and Hummels have played 246 international matches between them and Bayern complained that Low and Germany s general manager Oliver Bierhoff arrived unannounced at the club s Sabener Strasse t…

Luis Enrique said it was a good thing Gerard Moreno missed a string of chances in Spain s victory against Switzerland rather than Alvaro Morata following the recent criticism aimed at the Juventus striker.

Three-time European champions Spain booked their place in the semi-finals of Euro 2020 on Friday with a dramatic penalty shoot-out victory over 10-man Switzerland.

La Roja, who needed extra time to overcome Croatia in the last 16, were pegged back by a Xherdan Shaqiri strike in St Petersburg after Denis Zakaria s own goal had put them in front.

Even after Remo Freuler s dismissal with 77 minutes played, Luis Enrique s men could not find a way through due to a mixture of profligacy and a number of Yann Sommer saves – a tournament-high 10 in total.

Ge…

Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel has revealed that N Golo Kante and Thiago Silva have tested positive for COVID-19.

The pair were left out of Chelsea s starting line-up for Wednesday s EFL Cup semi-final first leg against Tottenham and will now serve a period of self-isolation.

Kante has featured in 17 of the Blues 31 matches this season, while Silva – who signed a one-year contract extension on Monday – has been used 22 times.

It is the second time in a little over three months that France international Kante has tested positive for coronavirus.

Asked about the duo s absence from the side to face Tottenham, Tuchel told Sky Sports: Unfortunately, Thiago and N Golo have tested positive.

It s huge for us because they are two huge players. We h…

Vincent Kompany has thanked Pep Guardiola and Manchester City team-mates past and present after it was confirmed he will be leaving the Premier League champions.

Kompany led City to a remarkable domestic treble this season, but the 33-year-old announced on Sunday that his appearance in the 6-0 FA Cup final win over Watford would be his last for the club, ending an 11-year stay.

Guardiola suggested in the build up to Saturday s game at Wembley that he would sit down to discuss Kompany s future at the end of the season.

Injuries have limited Kompany s game time over recent years, with the Belgian playing 26 times in all competitions for Guardiola s team in 2018-19.

He still made a crucial contribution, however, playing in City s final four league games an…

David Aganzo was once a teenage strike partner to Raul for Real Madrid in the Champions League, and now the Spaniard has become FIFPro s youngest president.

The 40-year-old head of Spanish players union AFE, Aganzo takes on the FIFPro post from Philippe Piat, who served two four-year terms as head of the global body.

His appointment was confirmed at FIFPro s general assembly in Paris on Tuesday, after Aganzo was put forward by the executive committee.

It means Aganzo will head up FIFPro for the next four years, leading the body that serves as an international players union.

He said, quoted on AFE s website: Without footballers, there is no football, let it be clear to everyone. I take the position with enthusiasm, knowing that it involves a great respo…

Tottenham interim head coach Ryan Mason reiterated any talks between the club and loanee Gareth Bale will not take place before the end of the season following his hat-trick performance.

Bale – on loan from LaLiga giants Real Madrid – improved his scoring run to eight goals in eight Premier League games with a treble in Sunday s 4-0 rout of relegated Sheffield United.

The Wales star forward has had an indifferent campaign, having been largely under-utilised when fit by former boss Jose Mourinho, who was sacked last month.

Bale has previously indicated he will return to Madrid next season where he is contracted until mid-2022 but performances like Sunday may sway Spurs to push harder to retain him.

I think that is a conversation at the end of the seas…

Northern Ireland boss Michael O’Neill has shrugged off speculation linking him with the vacant job at Aberdeen but said he could not rule out a return to club football in the future.

O’Neill, 54, is among the names mentioned as a possible replacement for Neil Warnock, who stepped down as Dons boss on Saturday less than an hour after guiding the club to the Scottish Cup semi-finals, becoming the fifth manager to leave Pittodrie in the last three years.

After naming his Northern Ireland squad for the upcoming friendlies away to Romania and Scotland, O’Neill was braced for questions on his future.

“I don’t really give it much thought,” O’Neill told the PA news agency.

“As I’ve said, I was at Aberdeen against St Mirren two or three weeks ago…

England s triumph at Euro 2022 was inspirational and the tournament showcased the significant improvement of women s football, according to Finland great Laura Kalmari.

Sarina Wiegman s Lionesses ended 56 years of major tournament hurt for England with a 2-1 victory over Germany last month, with Chloe Kelly s close-range finish in extra time proving decisive in front of 87,192 people at Wembley Stadium, setting a new attendance record for any European Championship match (men or women).

England scored 22 goals throughout the tournament – also a record for a men s or women s European Championship – as they sparkled on home soil, while Wiegman became the first coach to lift the trophy with two different sides after triumphing with the Netherlands in 2017.  

Sp…