Sagna backs Mangala in Kompany absence

Juventus winger Marko Pjaca has given his nod on a Schalke loan move until the end of the season, Sky Sport Italia can confirm.

The 22-year-old Croatia international joined Juventus at the beginning of the 2016/17 season but suffered a cruciate ligament injury which cut his debut season with Bianconeri short and denied the talented winger an opportunity to prove his worth with the Italian champions.

Pjaca has since then failed to get back to the first team at Juventus and is now deemed surplus to the requirements.

And with the World Cup in Russia on the horizon, Pjaca is looking for a move out of Juventus in order to boost his chances of earning his place in the Croatia squad.

Pjaca was initially being mentioned as a bargaining chip in Juventus’ pursui…

When I played in the streets of Madeira and dreamed of reaching the top of the football I could not imagine that one day I would take a picture like this, he wrote.

I dedicate this moment above all to my family, my friends, my team-mates, the coaches with whom I have always learned and so many others at my clubs and with the national team.

Finally, a special thanks to my fans. These trophies are yours too!

Real Madrid are back in action against Numancia in the Copa del Rey on Thursday before resuming their Liga campaign at Celta Vigo this weekend.

The 3-0 Clasico defeat to Barcelona before Christmas left Zinedine Zidane s side fourth in the table, 14 points behind their bitter rivals at the summit.

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FIFA s director of security believes the governing body have successfully mitigated the threat of match-fixing at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Former Interpol director Ralf Mutschke – tasked with protecting the honour of football – has confidence in FIFA s long-term integrity measures to ensure criminality is eradicated from the game.

Mutschke acknowledged that an event of the magnitude of the World Cup would be targeted by fixers, but said the organisation s several preventative steps have left him confident of an incident-free tournament.

First of all, match manipulation and match fixing is the evil to all sports including football, Mutschke said.

Football is being played worldwide and therefore we are threatened by organised crime, by criminals on a worldwide …

Manchester City centre-back Joleon Lescott has rubbished reports linking him with a move away from the Etihad Stadium during the winter transfer window, insisting that he is more than happy to stay and fight for a place in the first-team, .

Lescott, 30, has been kept out of the City team by 19-year-old Serbia international Matija Nastasić this season.

According to reports, Lescott is attracting interest from a number of clubs in the English Premier League, including the likes of Aston Villa and Queens Park Rangers.

Both Villa and QPR, who have conceded a combined 81 goals in 46 league games, could certainly utilize the services of the England international.

Villa fresh off blowing a 2-0 lead against West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns have…

Bayern Munich chief executive Oliver Kahn has ruled out a move for another striker, despite the sale of Robert Lewandowski to Barcelona.

The Bundesliga champions have been linked with moves for Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Kane in recent weeks, although the club have distanced themselves from such rumours.

Lewandowski scored 50 goals in all competitions last season but made it clear he wanted a new challenge in Spain and secured a move to Barca in mid-July.

Speaking after Bayern s 5-3 DFL-Supercup victory against RB Leipzig, Kahn said there was no discussion about bringing in another number nine.

That was strong, he said of the performance to BILD. You could see how many opportunities we had going forward, how many different formations we had, how surpr…

Chelsea have agreed a deal reportedly in the region of £15million with Aston Villa for England Under-19s midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka.

Villa have allowed the 18-year-old to travel to London in order to discuss personal terms before undergoing a medical. 

He featured 12 times for Villa in the Premier League last season, with 10 of those appearances coming off the bench.

Austrian-born Chukwuemeka played a key role for England as they won the 2022 European Under-19 Championship at the start of last month, scoring three times in five games, including an extra-time goal in the 3-1 final win over Israel.

Aston Villa and Chelsea can confirm that the clubs have reached an agreement for the permanent transfer of Carney Chukwuemeka.

The 18-year-old …

Esteban Becker hailed a brave display as hosts Equatorial Guinea held off Burkina Faso in the Africa Cup of Nations

Equatorial Guinea coach Esteban Becker hailed his team’s performance in the goalless Africa Cup of Nations draw with Burkina Faso.

As in their opening Group A game against Congo, the host nation produced a battling performance to earn a deserved share of the spoils.

Burkina Faso forward Alain Traore twice hit the post during the first half and the wastefulness in front of goal that was a central factor in their 2-0 loss to Gabon once again afflicted 2013 finalists.

Equatorial Guinea grew in confidence as the match went on, with attackers Emilio Nsue and Iban Edu to the fore.

I am very satisfied, very proud of my team,  said Ar…

After a breakthrough showing in Australia s triumphant Asian Cup campaign, Massimo Luongo is set to be the Socceroos next star.

When did Australia take their first steps on the path to Asian Cup glory?

Was it after leaving the World Cup in Brazil with their heads held high but without a single point to show for their efforts from three matches played?

Perhaps it was when Football Federation Australia fired Holger Osieck and put the call in to Ange Postecoglou, the architect of Brisbane Roar s rise to A-League powerhouse status.

No, those landmarks are too tangible, too obvious a jumping off point.

Finding the start of this story means following the Socceroos newly appointed coach, tasked with the challenge of reinvigorating and restoring pride to …

Bayern Munich have signed striker Mario Mandzukic from Wolfsburg on a four-year deal for an undisclosed fee.

The Bavarians have lost Ivica Olic in the off-season, and although they have re-signed Claudio Pizarro, they were also linked with a move for Manchester City s Edin Dzeko.

However they were priced out of a move for the Bosnian, and turned their attention to Croatian Mandzukic, who scored three goals at Euro 2012.

The club s general manager Christian Nerlinger admitted the 26-year-old s performances in the tournament were a factor behind the move, along with his consistent performances at club level.

We are delighted to bring a top Bundesliga striker like Mario Mandzukic, and we have also seen in Euro 2012 matches that he has special skills, Nerli…

Former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has admitted he considered taking over as England coach after Steve McClaren was sacked.

McClaren was sacked after England failed to qualify for Euro 2008 and was replaced by Fabio Capello.

Mourinho told Ford s FeelFootball.com: “In a certain moment I considered being England national manager, first of all because I was in love with the football country and with England I was also happy there and secondly because if you have one country where the prestige of the national team manager is huge, it is England.

“But at the same time my passion for the day-by-day work, my passion to train every day, my desire to play every week and if possible more than one game a week, this is my life. That s the life I…