Italy coach Roberto Mancini reiterated his disappointment with the Italian system failing to produce young footballers, but only promised to give youngsters a chance after the clash with Argentina.
The Azzurri lifted Euro 2020 after a penalty shoot-out victory over England last July but failed to qualify for a second straight World Cup following play-off disappointment against North Macedonia in March.
That led to questions towards Mancini and Italian football over the lack of trust placed in younger players, with the more experienced campaigners such as Ciro Immobile and Giorgio Chiellini preferred.
Mancini subsequently suggested that Italy are suffering as Serie A coaches refuse to provide youthful members of their clubs the opportunities to develop.
France will be without Lucas Digne for the Nations League final after the defender withdrew from Les Bleus squad due to a hamstring injury.
Digne was an unused substitute on Thursday as France fought back from 2-0 down at half-time to beat Belgium 3-2 in Turin.
After goals from Karim Benzema and Kylian Mbappe levelled matters, full-back Theo Hernandez completed the turnaround with a superb 90th-minute winner.
The stunning comeback from Didier Deschamps side booked a final showdown with Spain on Sunday, though Digne will now miss that match.
Everton issued a statement revealing the 28-year-old is returning to Merseyside to have a minor hamstring issue assessed by the club s medical team.
Rafael Benitez will hope to have the player available when E…
Sheffield United have signed goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale to replace Dean Henderson, who tweeted out a message of thanks to the club after spending two seasons on loan at Bramall Lane.
The Blades announced they have paid Bournemouth a substantial undisclosed fee reported to be in the region of £18.5million to bring back Ramsdale.
Having left Sheffield United in January 2017, the 22-year-old started 37 games for Bournemouth in the 2019-20 season, though was unable to prevent the Cherries suffering relegation
Ramsdale has agreed to a four-year deal to seal his return, while Henderson is rumoured to be on the verge of signing a new contract at Manchester United.
The goalkeeping situation is something we have to make sure we get right, Sheffield United b…
Paul Pogba insisted he will not be retiring from football despite his four-year doping ban.
The Frenchman tested positive for doping twice, including for DHEA in September last year, and was handed the sanction in February.
The ruling means he will not be able to play football until August 2027, when he will be 34, but he is awaiting a date for his hearing with the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) to see if his suspension will be reduced.
There s still a chance to fight this injustice, which is what I believe it is, he told Sky Italia while attending France s last-16 tie against Belgium at Euro 2024 on Monday.
Let’s see. Things are hopefully going to get better. I am always positive, but let s see.
…
AC Milan are interested in signing Hakim Ziyech from Chelsea in the summer transfer window, according to Fabrizio Romano. The well-known and well-respected journalist has reported on that Chelsea will allow Ziyech to leave, and that Italian champions Milan are in talks with the attacking midfielder’s camp.
Romano has added that Ziyech, who can also operate as a winger, himself is open to a move to AC Milan, and that talks will continue in the coming days.
https://twitter.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1540441071846670338
Ziyech joined Chelsea from Ajax in 2020. During his time at the Blues so far, the Moroccan attacker has won the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup once each. The 29-year-old has scored six goals an…
Market: Both teams to score No
Odds: 4/6 @
With a spot in the quarter-final of this season s Copa Libertadores still hanging in the balance, Boca Juniors will host Corinthians in the early hours of Wednesday.
Starting with the hosts, while Boca Juniors might have managed to snatch a 0-0 stalemate in their first-leg meeting on foreign soil last week, the South American giants are in the midst of a worrying run of form. Really failing to pick up any kind of momentum last time out as they were hit with a dreadful 3-0 drumming against Banfield on home soil, there really is growing pressure on Sebastián Battaglia s shoulders. Although the Blues might have enjoyed a real romp earlier in the year, they have largely come crashing back down to earth. Including a 2-1 los…
Sunderland defender Emmanuel Eboue has been handed a one-year ban from all football-related activity over his failure to pay former agent Sebastien Boisseau.
The 32-year-old had previously been ordered by the single judge of the FIFA Players’ Status Committee to pay Boisseau an amount owed to him, but opted to appeal the decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Eboue s appeal has since been dismissed, though, and the decision of the Disciplinary Committee confirmed in full, meaning he now faces one year on the sidelines unless he pays the total outstanding amount owed to Boisseau.
Emmanuel Eboue, who has represented Cote d Ivoire and is currently registered for the English club Sunderland, is to serve a ban on taking part in any football-rela…
Everton are interested in signing Pontus Jansson from Premier League rivals Brentford in the January transfer window, according to . Jansson is out of contract at Brentford at the end of the season, and Everton want to secure the services of the former Leeds United central defender in January.
Jansson has been on the books of Brentford since the summer of 2019 when he joined from Leeds. The Sweden international central defender helped the Bees get promoted to the Premier League at the end of last season and is also the club captain of the London club now.
The 30-year-old central defender has scored one goal and provided one assist in 16 Premier League games for Brentford so far this season. The Bees are 11th in the league table at the moment with 20 points from 16 games…
Competition: Premier League
Market: Everton to beat West Brom
Odds:
The Premier League returns this coming week with yet another huge round of fixtures to come. Boxing Day will hold no rest for the players this year and the managers will have to rotate their squads if they are to make the most of all of the points on offer, and with this in mind, Everton travel to play against West Brom on Tuesday.
West Brom have been in awful form this year as they have been struggling throughout the campaign. After 19 games they have won just twice, while they have drawn eight times and lost nine games, scoring just 14 goals and conceding 27 already. With only 14 points for the season so far, something needs to change for the Baggies who are now three points s…
Clement Lenglet has suffered a hamstring injury, Barcelona have confirmed.
France defender Lenglet has been on the fringes for Barca this season, making just 16 appearances in all competitions, starting eight times.
The last of those appearances came against Deportivo Alaves on January 23.
It has been in stark contrast to previous seasons, when the former Sevilla centre-back was a mainstay of Barca s defence, playing 84 times in LaLiga between 2018-19 and 2020-21.
INJURY NEWS
Test conducted on Clément Lenglet this morning has revealed an injury to the femoral biceps in his left hamstring, meaning that he is unavailable until the injury clears.
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona)
However, the 26-year-old will now be out of action for…