Sports

Competition: Premier League
Market: Di Matteo to be next Aston Villa manager
Odds:

Aston Villa are reportedly in talks with former Chelsea and Schalke manager Roberto Di Matteo with a view to him replacing caretaker boss Eric Black for the 2016/17 season. The Midlands outfit will now be plying their trade in the Championship, and the club’s new owner is said to be keen on the 45-year-old.

Villa have a number of potential candidates on their shortlist. Ex-Everton and Manchester United manager David Moyes, former Leicester City boss Nigel Pearson and current Hull City head coach Steve Bruce are among the favourites, but Villa chairman Dr Tony Xai is said to be keen on Di Matteo.

With promotion to his name during a short-lived spell with West Bromwic…

Manchester United have turned to one of the Premier League s serial winners in Jose Mourinho as they look to revive fortunes that have flagged under David Moyes and Louis van Gaal.

League finishes of seventh, fourth and fifth have fallen well below usual standards at Old Trafford, and three-time title winner Mourinho will be tasked with reasserting United s place among England s elite.

Here, we use Opta data to show the pedigree that Mourinho will bring with him to the Theatre of Dreams.

66  Mourinho has won 66 per cent of his Premier League fixtures, a record. Only United great Alex Ferguson (65.2 per cent) even comes close.

150  Mourinho went 150 home league games without suffering defeat, a run that encompassed four clubs Porto, Chelsea, I…

Ashley Young has expressed his delight at being recalled to the England squad and insists he never gave up on his international career as he prepares to make his first appearance in over four years.

The Manchester United winger, who has enjoyed a career resurgence since being deployed as a full-back and wing-back at Old Trafford, has not played for his country since a World Cup qualifier against Ukraine in September 2013.

But Young s form for United earned him a call from Gareth Southgate for the upcoming glamour friendlies against Germany and Brazil at Wembley.

Now he has returned, the 32-year-old will not relinquish his place lightly as he sets his sights on a World Cup spot next year.

I ve showed I deserve to be in the squad, Young told reporters ahea…

Given his reputation as a voracious reader, it was perhaps unsurprising that Roy Hodgson brought a Dickensian flavour to his final news conference as England manager.

A late addition to Tuesday s briefing in Chantilly alongside Football Association (FA) chief executive Martin Glenn, Hodgson insisted he was not there to toe any party line.

I don t want to come here as Uriah Heep, he blurted, referencing the infamous yes-man from David Copperfield.

There was not much danger of that. As a rule, such characters don t grumpily wonder aloud whether there is any point in them being there. Hodgson might have been a fine football coach in his day, but here he proved a terrible yes-man.

This came after being chiefly responsible for a terrible football team. Bol…

Paris Saint-Germain had won just two Ligue 1 titles between its founding in 1970, following the merger between Paris FC and Stade Saint-Germain, and the takeover by Qatar Sports Investments in June 2011, with their last victorious campaign going as far back as 1993-94.

However, since control of the club switched to Nasser Al-Khelaifi, PSG have dominated the French top flight.  

They had to settle for second place behind Montpellier in 2011-12, but no team has come close to matching them as the capital club have cruised to four consecutive Ligue 1 titles, edging closer to overhauling Lyon as the most successful team in the division this century, posing the question as to whether PSG have any legitimate challengers.

Les Gones had been calling the shots in France i…

Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo has confirmed that Rio Ferdinand attempted to persuade him to rejoin Manchester United.

Portugal attacker Ronaldo won the 2013 FIFA Ballon d Or on Monday, eclipsing challenges from Lionel Messi and Franck Ribery to be named the world s top footballer.

Ronaldo left Old Trafford to join Real in a then world-record move for a fee in the region of £80million in 2009 and has produced magnificent form, scoring 230 goals in 223 appearances since his switch to the Bernabeu.

United defender Ferdinand revealed last week how he pleaded with the 28-year-old to return to the Premier League club, and Ronaldo has now verified those claims.

It was true that Rio spoke to me a lot, Ronaldo said.

Rio is a great friend of mine, we played ma…

Prediction: Correct score Manchester City 1-0

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A potentially decisive clash in the race for the Premier League title is in the offing this weekend as leaders Liverpool host Manchester City at Anfield.

The Reds currently sit six points clear at the top of the league table and could stretch that to nine with a victory on Merseyside. Meanwhile, Pep Guardiola s troops could get to within touching distance should they claim maximum points.

Liverpool

So far this season, the Reds Premier League form has been pretty flawless. 11 games into the season, Jurgen Klopp s men have only dropped two points out of a possible 33 and that was in the recent 1-1 draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford. There has been one glaring problem thro…

Spanish midfielder Juan Mata will not be renewing his contract with Manchester United and is looking to leave Old Trafford next year, according to reports in England.

Mata has rejected a contract renewal offer and is set to leave Red Devils on a free transfer when his current deal with Manchester United expires at the end of the 2018/19 season.

The 30-year-old midfielder joined Manchester United from Chelsea in 2014 in a deal worth £47 million.

He featured in of United’s Premier league fixtures this season but is not being regarded as a first-choice player by Jose Mourinho which might be the biggest reason behind his decision not to renew his contract.

According to the latest reports coming from Spain, Juan Mata could be set for a sensation return to …

Alexis Sanchez has accepted a 16-month prison sentence in relation to committing tax fraud worth €1million during his time with Barcelona.

The Manchester United forward will not serve any time in jail in line with Spanish law, due to this being his first offence and the sentence being fewer than 24 months.

As reported by Spanish news agency EFE, Sanchez s punishment relates to concealing income from image rights between 2012 and 2013.

Sanchez admitted his guilt and agreed to pay the Spanish authorities the money defrauded, plus interest.

The Chile international is the latest high-profile player associated with LaLiga to have been punished for tax fraud over recent years.

In 2016, Lionel Messi was handed a 21-month prison sentence, although his s…

Jorginho admits his missed penalties earlier in the campaign will haunt him forever following Italy s failure to qualify for the 2022 World Cup.

The Azzurri were crowned Euro 2020 champions just eight months ago after beating England in the final on penalties.

However, Roberto Mancini s side will not be at the World Cup later this year after they were stunned 1-0 by North Macedonia in the playoff semi-finals.

Although the hosts dominated proceedings in Palermo, Aleksandar Trajkovski struck in stoppage time to give the visitors a shock victory.

Having drawn four of their last five games, Italy had to settle for a playoff place after finishing two points behind Switzerland in Group C.

Among them was a 1-1 stalemate with the Swiss, during which Jorgi…