Sunderland striker Jermain Defoe never gave up hope of returning to the England squad.
The 34-year-old has not featured for the national side since November 2013, but could make his comeback in the friendly against Germany or the World Cup qualifier versus Lithuania after receiving a call up from Gareth Southgate, who is without injured Tottenham striker Harry Kane.
There were times where I did think maybe I am not going to get in . But that did not stop me from getting my head down, working hard and just hoping that one day I would get an opportunity to represent my country again, Defoe said at a news conference.
I never gave up. I was getting a lot of stick from the lads on the [Sunderland] training ground because I still have the England flag on my boots. Bu…
Chelsea boss Antonio Conte paid tribute to fantastic guy Davide Astori, who he coached during his time in charge of Italy.
Astori, 31, was found dead in his hotel room ahead of Fiorentina s match at Udinese on Sunday, with all Serie A matches consequently postponed.
The cause of the defender s death remains unclear, but an autopsy is due to be conducted while the rest of the squad fly back to Florence.
Astori earned four of his 14 Italy caps under Conte between 2014 and 2016.
[The news] really hurt me. It s very difficult in this moment to find the right words for the family, Conte told Sky Sports ahead of Chelsea s match against Manchester City.
I had him with the national team. It s very hard in this moment to speak about this tragedy.
According to , Manchester United full-back Luke Shaw will consider his future with the club this summer after criticism in the media by United boss Jose Mourinho.
The Portuguese boss launched a scathing attack on the 22-year-old after the Red Devils 2-0 win over Brighton in the FA Cup quarter-final, in which Shaw was hooked at half-time.
It is not the first time the youngster has been on the end of public criticism from the United boss either.
Set to consider his United future
According to a source close to Shaw, he is considering his future with the club this summer. The source told Sky Sports News: Mourinho s treatment of Luke is an absolute disgrace. If he has a problem with him, the decent thing to do would be to keep it in-house.
If this kind of a…
Ronald Koeman felt Lionel Messi was incorrectly denied a goal by VAR in Barcelona s 5-1 victory over Deportivo Alaves on Saturday.
After Francisco Trincao s opener at the end of a 35-pass move, Messi put the ball in the back of the net after Alaves goalkeeper Fernando Pacheco denied Antoine Griezmann in a one-on-one.
However, Griezmann was deemed to have been offside when played in by Sergio Busquets and the goal was disallowed, with referee Jorge Figueroa Vazquez warning Koeman about his remonstrations on the touchline.
Messi, who equalled Xavi s record of 505 LaLiga appearances for Barca, got on the scoresheet with a fine strike on the stroke of half-time, but Luis Rioja pulled Alaves back into the game in the 57th minute.
Trincao doubled his tally in t…
Arsenal are absolutely in a Premier League relegation battle and will be wondering what has hit them , according to West Brom coach Sam Allardyce.
The Gunners have not played a campaign outside the top flight for more than 100 years but face a fight to steer clear of danger this season.
Having gone seven without a win in the Premier League one short of their worst ever such run in the competition Arsenal are just four points clear of the bottom three.
Mikel Arteta s 15th-placed side face Chelsea on Boxing Day, followed by trips to Brighton and Hove Albion and West Brom, two of the teams below them in the table.
And Baggies boss Allardyce, appointed in place of Slaven Bilic earlier this month, expects Arsenal to struggle with their lowly new status.
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Real Sociedad forward Carlos Vela does not want Arsenal to trigger the €4 million buy-back clause in his current contract as he looks to achieve a top-four finish, and UEFA Champions League football, at the Estádio Anoeta, .
Vela, who joined the Gunners from Liga MX side C.D. Guadalajara in 2005, has spent the past two seasons in San Sebastián after failing to establish himself as a first-team regular at the Emirates Stadium.
During his time at Arsenal, Vela was also sent out on loan to UD Salamanca (2006-2007), CA Osasuna (2007-2008) and West Bromwich Albion (2011).
The 24-year-old bagged a team-high 12 goals and seven assists in 35 league matches while on loan at Sociedad in 2011-12, convincing La Real to pay Arsenal €3.5 million to s…
Wolves boss Gary O Neil says there is a lot of work to be done at Molineux ahead of next season, after their downturn continued with a 3-1 loss to Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Michael Olise, Jean-Philippe Mateta and Eberechi Eze were on target as Wolves were beaten in their final home game of the campaign, with the in-form Eagles making it five wins in six matches.
Wolves have won just one of their last 10 games in all competitions (two draws, seven defeats), a run which began with a dramatic FA Cup quarter-final collapse against Coventry City in March.
After beating Fulham 2-1 on March 9, O Neil s team sat eighth in the Premier League table, just one point adrift of the top seven.
However, injuries to key attackers Pedro Neto, Hwang Hee-chan and Matheus…
Slaven Bilic insists West Ham s Premier League double over Liverpool will count for little when the teams meet in the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday.
West Ham put in a brilliant away performance to win 3-0 at Anfield in August when Brendan Rodgers was in the hot seat.
Jurgen Klopp fared little better in the return clash earlier this month as goals from Michail Antonio and former Reds striker Andy Carroll secured a 2-0 win.
The Hammers return to Merseyside seeking a hat-trick of victories over Liverpool, but manager Bilic is taking nothing for granted.
It [beating Liverpool twice] does give us confidence, but it s still Liverpool away, he said.
When I heard it was Liverpool I didn t think oh yes we beat them twice come on give us Liverpool .
Tottenham great Glenn Hoddle says Mauricio Pochettino s side must make the most of an unpredictable Premier League season and secure a top-four spot.
Pochettino s youthful squad have been impressively consistent this term and sit fourth in the table approaching the midway mark conceding just 14 goals in the league this season.
The likes of Dele Alli, Eric Dier and Harry Kane in particular have impressed and Hoddle feels Spurs younger players can help the North London side reach the Champions League for the first time since 2010-11.
Hoddle a former Spurs winger and manager feels the rocky form of traditional title challengers Chelsea and Manchester United has left the door ajar for Pochettino s side.
I think [Spurs are] a good example but if every team pl…
Lionel Messi ended the season having stolen a march once again on great rival Cristiano Ronaldo after ending the LaLiga season with 35 goals to earn a fourth top-scorer Pichichi award.
The Barca icon has outscored Ronaldo by 37 goals to 25 to win the personal battle, although the Real Madrid man, winner of the Pichichi on three occasions, is celebrating winning LaLiga and has a Champions League final to look ahead to.
As is now customary for Messi, this year has seen records fall at his magic feet, having racked up 500 goals for Barca with his last-gasp Clasico winner that helped push Madrid to the very end of another Spanish slog.
The Argentina star scored twice as Barca came from two goals down to beat Eibar 4-2, but it was not enough for the club to retain LaL…