Sports

Declan Rice is eyeing Nations League Finals glory with England despite fearing he was not good enough for the Premier League at the start of this season.

West Ham midfielder Rice was named in Gareth Southgate s final 23-man squad for the conclusion of the inaugural UEFA international tournament, with the Three Lions semi-final taking place against the Netherlands in Guimaraes next Thursday.

The 20-year-old has enjoyed a dizzying rise during a 2018-19 campaign when he switched international allegiance from the Republic of Ireland, with Manchester United one of a number of clubs frequently listed as being among his admirers.

It amounts to a situation far removed from West Ham s 4-0 humiliation at Liverpool in their opening game of the season, when Rice was haule…

Jose Mourinho claimed being punished for comments he made during his time in the Premier League left him feeling caged in England.

Mourinho spent over eight seasons combined in England s top flight, across spells with Chelsea and Manchester United.

The 56-year-old has also coached in his native Portugal, and in Italy and Spain with Inter and Real Madrid respectively.

And Mourinho believes that the media pressure, along with strict rules such as those over comments on match officials, made his time in England more difficult than anywhere else, despite his three Premier League triumphs with Chelsea.

176 Manchester United won 176 Premier League points since the appointment of Jose Mourinho as manager; fewer than Manchester City (222), Tottenham Hotspur (…

Jonas Gutierrez has thanked Newcastle United supporters for the rapturous ovation he received after completing his emotional comeback from cancer against Manchester United on Wednesday.

The Argentinian last played competitive football in April 2014 while on loan at Norwich City, before testicular cancer forced him to take a step back from football.

Gutierrez, 31, returned to training towards the end of 2014 and, after battling back to fitness, he played his first Newcastle match since October 2013 on Wednesday.

The visitors ultimately ran out 1-0 winners thanks to Ashley Young s last-gasp winner, but Gutierrez opted to focus on his personal situation, adding that he will never forget the fans reaction to his 65th-minute introduction, when he was handed the captai…

Chelsea defender Kenneth Omeruo appears set to rejoin Middlesbrough for the new season.

The 20-year-old Nigeria international spent the latter part of the 2013-14 campaign on loan at the Riverside Stadium, making 14 Championship appearances after arriving in January.

Omeruo subsequently played in all four of his country s matches at the World Cup in Brazil as they exited at the group stage, and he has clearly done enough to convince Middlesbrough head coach Aitor Karanka of his quality.

Posting on his official Twitter account on Sunday, the centre-back suggested that a move back to the club had been agreed.

He wrote: Holiday is finished.. Almost time for work again.. happy to be rejoining boro for a new season.

Omeruo had previously stated his de…

Darwin Nunez has issued an apology following his red card during Liverpool s 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace at Anfield.

The Uruguay international, who arrived from Benfica for a reported £64million (€75m), endured a frustrating home debut for the Reds, which culminated in an early bath after a headbutt on Palace defender Joachim Andersen.

Nunez had registered five shots none of which were on target when he reacted after a sustained period of provocation from Andersen just before the hour mark, throwing his head into the face of the centre-half.

The striker became only the second Liverpool player to be dismissed on his first home Premier League appearance; exactly 12 years after Joe Cole was given his marching orders in a 1-1 draw with Arsenal.

Apologie…

Jim Ratcliffe must prove his commitment to the culture, ethos and best traditions of Manchester United if he is seriously considering making a bid for the club, a group of prominent supporters said on Thursday.

The independent Manchester United Supporters Trust (MUST) outlined its expectations of any potential buyer, saying new money investment was essential and demanding fan representation within the ownership model.

Ratcliffe is definitely a potential buyer of United should the Glazer family put the club up for sale, a spokesperson for the British billionaire told The Times.

Amid claims the Glazers are considering selling a minority stake, lifelong United supporter Ratcliffe is reportedly willing to discuss taking such a holding, but only if it forms part of a…

Juventus general director Giuseppe Marotta says the Serie A champions have not given up hope of luring Chelsea winger Juan Cuadrado back to Turin.

The Colombia international, 28, spent the 2015-16 on loan at Juve, but he returned to Stamford Bridge following the appointment of Antonio Conte as Chelsea boss.

Nevertheless, Juventus remain hopeful Chelsea will allow Cuadrado to leave before the end of the transfer window.

A small opportunity has opened up again. We are keeping a close eye on the situation, with all due respect for Chelsea, who still own the player s rights, Marotta told Sky Sport.

Cuadrado is a player we like a lot. He has already had a positive experience at Juventus last season.

Marotta also touched on the situation of Simone Z…

Peter Stoger has slammed Borussia Dortmund for getting the basics wrong in their 6-0 hammering at the hands of Bayern Munich, adding that his side did not show the attitude required to have success in Der Klassiker.

Stoger s unbeaten run in charge of Dortmund in the Bundesliga came to an end in emphatic fashion at the Allianz Arena on Saturday Robert Lewandowski netting a hat-trick as the runaway league leaders ran riot.

Three goals in the opening 23 minutes had put the result beyond all doubt, but two efforts in the space of a minute from Lewandowski and Franck Ribery added further humiliation on the stroke of half time.

Former Dortmund star Lewandowski then inflicted further damage in the closing stages, and Stoger made no excuses for his side s performance.