Manchester United superstar Wayne Rooney sent shockwaves rippling across English football on Tuesday after manager Sir Alex Ferguson confirmed the striker wanted to leave the club.

After days of raging speculation about the 24-year-old s future, a clearly stunned Ferguson broke his silence on the saga by announcing that the club s most important player wanted out of Old Trafford.

I had a meeting with him. He intimated to me in his own way that he wanted to leave, Ferguson said at an extraordinary press conference ahead of United s Champions League match with Turkish side Bursaspor on Wednesday.

Ferguson, describing himself as shocked and disappointed by Rooney s position, said he was unable to provide an explanation for the player s desire to move after six suc…

Rodrigo Bentancur and Giorgio Chiellini were unlikely goalscorers with Cristiano Ronaldo also on target as Juventus won 3-0 at Fiorentina to move 11 points clear at the top of Serie A.

Juve were far from their brilliant best in Florence on Saturday but Bentancur s first-half strike set up a fifth straight league win for the defending champions that stretches their lead over Napoli.

Federico Chiesa was guilty of wasting Fiorentina s best opportunities, but Chiellini made no mistake when he was presented with a chance, the defender s header looping in despite Alban Lafont s best efforts.

After Ronaldo converted a late penalty, Juventus collected three points from a trip to Florence that saw vice-president Pavel Nedved condemn graffiti referring to the Heysel disast…

Juventus midfielder Sami Khedira will come face-to-face with Real Madrid s fans once more in Saturday s Champions League final – and he does not miss them one bit.

The Germany World Cup winner joined Juve on a free-transfer in June 2015 after five years at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Injury often hindered Khedira s progress in the Spanish capital and, although he has nothing but praise for Madrid s coaching staff, he felt he was under-valued on the terraces.

In Madrid, I was appreciated by my coaches and 100 per cent fair, but I did not have this recognition in public, he told Kicker.

If I did 10 good games, that was self-evident. If the 11th was not so good, it was asked whether or not I was good enough for the club.

Khedira is expected to start…

Argentina captain Lionel Messi hit out at the referee, despite the in-form Copa America champions 1-0 win against Peru in World Cup qualifying.

Lautaro Martinez s header two minutes before half-time settled Thursday s contest in Buenos Aires, where La Albiceleste extended their unbeaten streak to 25 matches across all competitions.

Peru wasted a chance to salvage a point when Yoshimar Yotun s penalty cannoned off the crossbar with 25 minutes remaining.

Messi reacted to Argentina remaining undefeated on the road to Qatar 2022 through 11 CONMEBOL fixtures, though it remains to be seen what he was referring to when mentioning the referee after Martinez had also gone down inside the area in the first half.

Difficult match, difficult to play. A lot of wind, t…

Prediction: Belgium to win 2-1

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Belgium and Russia will lock horns with each other at the Gazprom Arena in Saint Petersburg this weekend. The Euro 2020 Group B fixture is scheduled to kick off at 8pm UK time on Saturday and promises to be an exiting game of football.

Belgium

Belgium will head into the European Championship this month among the favourites. Roberto Martinez’s side have won wonderful players, such as Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and Eden Hazard, and will be confident about going all the way in the Euro 2020 finals.

The Belgians have been drawn against Russia, Denmark and Finland in Group B. Martinez and his players will be confident of picking up maximum points from their three games and going through to…

Mark Hughes spoke of his sympathy for his former club Fulham after Stoke City consigned them to relegation with a resounding 4-1 win.

Hughes was in charge for one of the 13 consecutive seasons Fulham have spent in the top flight, but the Welshman masterminded Stoke s comfortable victory at the Britannia Stadium on Saturday, which means the London club will play in the Championship next season.

Goals from Peter Odemwingie, Marko Arnautovic, Oussama Assaidi and Jonathan Walters gave Stoke a win that equalled their club record of 47 points in the Premier League.

The victory ensured they also remain on course for their first top-10 finish in the Premier League, while Hughes former employers must face up to life in the second tier.

And the former Wales striker, who wa…

Bayern Munich and Inter Milan meet in a Champions League round of 16 tie at the San Siro on Wednesday in a rematch of the 2010 final.

Italian powerhous Inter got the better of their German opponents at the Santiago Bernabeu on May 22, winning 2-0 to secure a treble of European Cup, Serie A title and Coppa Italia.

Bayern were forced to settle for a runners-up medal in Madrid and consoled themselves with a domestic double of Bundesliga championship and DFB Pokal Cup.

But both sides have slipped considerably since their all-conquering form of last season.

Inter lost coach Jose Mourinho to Real Madrid just days after he guided them to their third European crown.

His replacement, Rafael Benitez, lasted just seven months before being shown the door …

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes his team s FA Cup win was the best presentation he could give for a new contract.

Wenger s men claimed the trophy for the third time in four seasons with a 2-1 win over Chelsea at Wembley on Saturday.

The Frenchman s future has been debated for months, with his contract expiring at the end of the campaign.

While that remains unclear, Wenger said the win against Chelsea was the perfect example of what Arsenal were capable of under his guidance.

The best presentation is to watch the game, he said.

I ve played until the end of my contract I think I have shown you that I have exactly the same commitment.

For me, the contract does not have special meaning but, because of the debate, maybe I should have …

Manuel Pellegrini made his strongest suggestion yet that Manchester City s mid-season announcement of Pep Guardiola as his successor was a key factor in derailing the club s Premier League title bid.

City played out a concluding 1-1 draw at Swansea City on Sunday to secure the point they required for a top-four finish at the expense of Manchester United, whose match against AFC Bournemouth must be rescheduled after the discovery of a suspicious package forced an abandonment at Old Trafford.

Pellegrini closes his three seasons in charge as a 2013-14 Premier League champion and two-time League Cup winner, but his side finished 15 points shy of surprise winners Leicester City this time around.

The Chilean saw his team beaten 3-1 by Leicester in February at the end…

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang insists he is 100 per cent committed to Arsenal following reports he wanted to leave the club.

English newspaper The Times claimed this week Aubameyang had informed Arsenal of his desire for a close-season transfer to a team capable of challenging for trophies.

Inter and Barcelona have been credited with an interest in the 30-year-old forward, who has scored 15 goals in 25 appearances in all competitions for the Gunners this season.

Aubameyang was asked about his future following Arsenal s 2-0 victory over Manchester United on Wednesday – their first win since Mikel Arteta took over as head coach.

The English press like to talk a lot. For now, I m here. I m here 100 per cent, he said in quotes reported by RMC Sport.

It…