Man Utd captaincy a ´dream come true´ for Maguire as Young bids farewell

An irritated Ernesto Valverde denied he is leaving Ivan Rakitic out of his Barcelona team due to uncertainty about the midfielder s future.

Rakitic was an unused substitute on Saturday as LaLiga champions Barca were held to a 2-2 draw away to Osasuna.

The Croatia international has only played 44 minutes this season, as a substitute in the 1-0 loss to Athletic Bilbao, amid persistent talk he has been offered to Paris Saint-Germain as part of a proposed deal to bring Neymar back to Camp Nou.

Barca head coach Valverde, though, insisted his team selections are purely tactical.

What do you want me to say? he told reporters when asked about Rakitic. Last year he was playing and Nelson [Semedo] was on the bench. The other day he played well and we stuck with th…

Everton are interested in signing Rodrigo from Leeds United in the summer transfer window, according to . The report has claimed that Everton are hopeful of signing the Spain international forward on a two-year deal, but there are clubs in Saudi Arabia who want to secure the services of the 32-year-old.

Leeds will play in the Championship next season after getting relegated from the Premier League. Everton struggled last season and almost went down to the second tier of English football along with Leeds. The Toffees are a big and established club in the Premier League.

Rodrigo made 23 starts and eight substitute appearances in the Premier League for Leeds last season. The 32-year-old Spanish forward scored 13 goals and gave one assist in those games. During the 2021-22 …

Liverpool have confirmed Virgil van Dijk has damaged ligaments in his knee, meaning he is likely to miss most of the rest of the season. 

The Netherlands international was forced off early in the Merseyside derby after a challenge by Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, who was fortunate that an earlier offside flag meant his lunge went unpunished. 

Van Dijk is set to undergo surgery and the Reds have not put a timescale on his return to action. 

Jurgen Klopp was already dealing with a major injury issue, goalkeeper Alisson missing Saturday s 2-2 draw at Goodison Park due to a shoulder injury sustained prior to the international break. 

So how have Liverpool coped with and without the star defensive duo previously? Time to take a look, with hel…

According to Catalan outlet , the future of Barcelona winger Raphinha is rather unclear at this point, despite his excellent performances in recent matches.

North London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur are believed to be maintaining a long-standing interest in the Brazil international, and there has apparently been an offer for his services of €80 million from Saudi Arabia. Raphinha hasn t shown any desire to leave Barcelona at the end of this season for now, but the club s financial worries might prompt them to put him up for sale nonetheless.

Prior to his move from Leeds United to Barcelona in 2022 for just under €60 million, Raphinha was reportedly of interest to the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City as well. In case Mohamed Salah leaves Anfield at the …

Borussia Dortmund sensation Erling Haaland enjoyed another unforgettable day in his young career on Saturday.

The 20-year-old Norway striker was this week named as the winner of the prestigious Golden Boy award, which recognises Europe s outstanding player under the age of 21.

Just in case there were any doubting Haaland s suitability for the gong, he set about dismantling Hertha Berlin, scoring four times as a rampant Dortmund won 5-2 and closed to within a point of European champions Bayern Munich at the top of the Bundesliga.

Such exploits underline that Haaland is as much a player for the now as he is for the future and an Opta dive into the top marksman in Germany s top flight this season finds him rubbing shoulders with the best in the business.

18 …

Arsenal failed to halt their dismal Premier League form as Everton claimed a 2-1 victory to keep the pressure on Mikel Arteta.

The Gunners, without injured captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, have now gone seven league games without a win after Yerry Mina s header and Rob Holding s own goal lifted Everton up to second.

Nicolas Pepe s penalty had restored parity at Goodison Park, where Arteta spent six-and-a-half seasons as a player, but it was not a platform from which Arsenal could build.

Though Jordan Pickford s error led to David Luiz hitting the post, Mina s 45th-minute header ultimately proved enough for Everton to secure a third straight win.

Michael Keane was just inches away from breaking the deadlock as Everton started in confident fashion, and …

Atletico Madrid lost early ground to Barcelona in their quest for the LaLiga title as they were held to a 1-1 draw with city rivals Rayo Vallecano on Sunday.

The visitors withstood an early spell of pressure and almost took the lead in stunning fashion when Julian Alvarez s strike from distance cannoned off the crossbar.

But Diego Simeone s side found themselves a goal down in the 35th minute when Isi Palazon turned home Raul de Tomas cross after good work from Jorge de Frutos.

However, parity was restored four minutes after the break when Conor Gallagher struck beyond Augusto Batalla from the edge of the area to net his second goal in as many games for his new club.

Atletico continued to push for a winner, with Alvarez and Angel Correa going close, bu…

Brazil legend Pele has been admitted to hospital to undergo treatment for a colon tumour, but is in a stable condition.

The three-time World Cup winner required an operation to remove a colon tumour in September and has since continued undergoing chemotherapy as part of the rehabilitation process.

Sao Paulo s Hospital Albert Einstein confirmed on Wednesday that Pele had been hospitalised again, adding he is in stable condition and should be discharged in the next few days.

The patient is stable, and the forecast is that he will be released in the coming days, the statement said.

The legendary striker has suffered from ill health in recent years, having prostate surgery in 2015 after being admitted to hospital twice in six months, and he was hospita…

Xavi hopes Atletico Madrid s Luis Suarez receives a standing ovation from Barcelona s supporters on Sunday, as he ranked the Uruguayan alongside Samuel Eto o as the best modern-day Barca centre forward .

Suarez left Barca – in frustrating circumstances for the former Liverpool star and his close friend Lionel Messi – in 2020, with then-coach Ronald Koeman having deemed him surplus to requirements.

Barca s decision backfired as Suarez went on to propel Atleti to their second LaLiga title under Diego Simeone, scoring 21 top-flight goals last season.

The 35-year-old scored 198 goals for Barca between 2014 and 2020, netting once every 120 minutes, and said he was disrespected by the club when they decided to ship him out.

Xavi played alongside Suarez in…

Liverpool took a huge step towards a top-four finish on an action-packed Wednesday in the Premier League.

Jurgen Klopp s men beat Burnley 3-0 and, with every team in the division now having played 37 games, they head into the final weekend in fourth – ahead of FA Cup winners Leicester City on goal difference.

There were also away wins for Arsenal and West Ham as two former England managers bade farewell, while the current Three Lions captain saw Tottenham s season take another turn for the worst.

Joe Willock also claimed a piece of history for himself and here we look at that and some of the other best facts as the last midweek round of a condensed campaign came to a close.

21y 272d Joe Willock has now scored in six consecutive Premier League appearance…