United States great Dempsey announces retirement

On Monday, Middlesbrough revealed they have contracted Gordon Strachan as their new manager. The former Coventry City and Southampton manager ended a hugely successful spell at Celtic in the summer. Strachan is Gareth Southgate s successor at the Riverside.

Southgate was surprisingly sacked following last Tuesday s 2-0 Championship victory over Derby County at The Riverside. Although that win meant Boro were just one point off the top of the Championship table chairman Steve Gibson fired Southgate.

52-year-old Strachan was immediately installed as favourite with Southgate revealing at the weekend the Scot was interviewed for the job weeks ago.

Strachan ended a hugely succesful period with Celtic this summer. He helped the Bhoys win three SPL-titles between 2005…

Jordan Henderson hinted at regrets over his move to Saudi Arabia as he was formally unveiled as an Ajax player on Friday.

The former Liverpool captain quit Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Ettifaq this week less than six months into a lucrative three-year deal.

The 33-year-old has faced fierce criticism over his career choices since last summer and, for the first time, he came close to admitting an error as he was presented at a press conference in Amsterdam.

“In life if you want to call them regrets or mistakes, you can call them that,” Henderson said at a press conference in Amsterdam. “But, at the same time, they’re only mistakes if you don’t learn from them.

“Looking back, at the time, obviously it was a big decision. It was a decision I felt wa…

Bundesliga outfit Hannover are showing interest in Valencia full-back Joao Pereira, according to Cadena SER.

The 96ers are vying for European positions in Germany s top flight and they hope to improve their options at right-back in January.

Cadena SER has learned that Valencia defender Joao Pereira has emerged as their primary target, with Hannover officials already establishing the initial contact with the La Liga side.

The former Portugal international has found himself on the fringes at Valencia following the arrival of compatriot Nuno Espirito Santo and he has been told that he has no future at the club.

With his contract at Mestalla due to expire at the end of the season, Pereira should be available for a nominal fee in January.

The 30-year-…

Struggling Fulham will seek to arrest a five-game winless run in the Premier League when they welcome Stoke City on Saturday.

Martin Jol s side slipped into the bottom three with a last-gasp 2-1 defeat to Cardiff City last weekend and they have not won at Craven Cottage in their last seven league matches.

Fulham s home record against Stoke does offer some cause for optimism, however, with the London club having prevailed in seven of their last eight meetings.

Dimitar Berbatov s first-half strike proved the difference last season, but the Bulgarian striker is yet to score a league goal this term.

In fact, no Fulham player has managed more than one goal in the top flight so far in this campaign, although Berbatov and Darren Bent were both on target in the 2-1 Leagu…

Bastian Schweinsteiger is being heavily linked with a move to the MLS

According to MLS commissioner Don Garber, former-Germany international Bastian Schweinsteiger would be a welcome addition to the league he runs.

Talking about Schweinsteiger Garber told Kicker: Of course we follow Bastian s situation,

He s an old acquaintance in the United States, for example through the 2014 World Cup, when he played against the U.S. team. He also played against the MLS All-Stars with Bayern in 2014.

We would welcome Bastian with open arms. He would be a leader for our many young players.

Unlikely to play for United

Schweinsteiger is currently out-of-favour at Manchester United. The 32-year-old has struggled to make any impact at the Red Devils sin…

Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery feels Antoine Griezmann needs to perform at the highest level over a longer period of time before he can be described as a world-class player.

Griezmann has developed into one of the game s brightest talents since joining Atletico Madrid in 2014 and is among the favourites to win the Ballon d Or following an impressive Euro 2016 campaign with France.

Nevertheless, Ribery feels his compatriot still has work to do before he can match the very best.

Griezmann did a great job last season, Ribery told Sport Bild.

But you have to consistently show performances like that if you want to be world class. People are so quick to say someone is a fantastic player and deserves to win the Ballon d Or after just one good year. I disag…

The Vancouver Whitecaps found another gear in the second half of Wednesday s home game against the Los Angeles Galaxy, finding the back of the net three times after the break in the 3-0 win.

It was all Galaxy in the first half, controlling 71 per cent of the possession while not allowing a single shot on target, but that all changed after what must have been an inspired half-time team talk in the Vancouver dressing room.

While Los Angeles still had the bulk of the possession in the second half (64 per cent), it was the Whitecaps generating the chances, with six shots on target to the Galaxy s two.

It took a corner to produce the opening goal, with an initial sharp header from close range being saved by Galaxy goalkeeper Jonathan Bond, before Ryan Gauld was able t…

Serie A s runaway leaders Inter Milan permitted experienced Brazilian striker Mancini to move on loan to bitter city rivals AC Milan on Monday with an option to buy him outright.

The 29-year-old has failed to break into the Inter first team since arriving from AS Roma in the summer of 2008 and has appeared only seven times for the Italian champions this season all as a substitute at the end of the matches.

Mancini, who was also strongly courted by French giants Marseille, came to Inter on the back of several impressive seasons at Roma where they had twice finished runners-up behind Inter in the title race and reached the last eight of the Champions League on two occasions.

Mancini will join several compatriots at AC who are second in the league table eight point…

The Spanish Football Federation has confirmed Barcelona will face Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey final in their own stadium, the Camp Nou, on May 30.

Both sides had hoped for the competition s showpiece to be held at The Santiago Bernabeu, home to Real Madrid, after they booked their places in the final earlier this month.

However, Barca s own ground will host the match that will bring the curtain down on the Spanish domestic season – and could see Luis Enrique s side complete a league and cup double.

Barca won their only previous Copa del Rey final at Camp Nou in 1963, and are looking for a first cup success since 2012 – when they met Bilbao in the final.

For the Basque side, who have won the tournament 23 times, it is a third final in six y…

Barcelona star Luis Suarez insists his contract renewal with the LaLiga giants is on track.

The Uruguayan has a deal until mid-2019, but reports suggest he will extend his stay by two or three seasons.

Suarez, 29, said he was excited to continue his career with Barca, the club he joined in 2014.

I look forward to helping my team with goals, he told a news conference while on international duty with Uruguay on Tuesday.

The contract renewal with Barcelona is on track.

I want to continue at the club, winning titles.

Suarez has already won two LaLiga crowns, two Copa del Reys and a Champions League with Barca.

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