Real Madrid striker Ruud van Nistelrooy will no longer be available for the Dutch national team. This was announced by the Dutch FA on Monday.
The 32 year old forward talked to Dutch coach Bert van Marwijk earlier today, and told the manager that we would not be available any longer.
The player commented on his decision: After studying the scheduled of Real Madrid and the Dutch team, I realized that looking at the required physical effort to perform well at that level, a choice had to be made.
The combination of the league, cup and Champions League matches of Real Madrid on one hand and the schedule of the Dutch team on the other, is too heavy for me.
It leaves me with no other choice. Of course you don t easily make such decisions. I had a really good…
Everton are expected to move on from many players they have signed in the last three or four years and Yannick Bolasie is reportedly one of them. The Sun are reporting that Southampton and Newcastle are both interested in potentially signing the Frenchman this summer, as they need to freshen things up on the wing.
Bolasie, 29, spent the season at two loans. First, he was shipped out to Aston Villa, where he played 21 times in the Championship, but only nine times in starting XI. He scored two goals and assisted four before he moved on to Anderlecht in the second half of the campaign. He played just eight times in the finishing months of the season and now Saints and Magpies want to give him a chance.
Bolasie fell down the pecking order at Goodison Park and the …
Aymeric Laporte said Manchester City are aiming to stay on the top always after completing a historic treble of domestic trophies in his first full season at the club.
The former Athletic Bilbao stopper, who City paid a reported €65million for in January 2018, featured in all but four of Pep Guardiola s starting line-ups in the Premier League in 2018-19 and played again in the 6-0 FA Cup final victory over Watford.
After celebrating the treble at Wembley, Laporte outlined City s vision for next season and underlined his belief in their ability to improve their performance in the Champions League and sustain their success long into the future.
It has been a great season, said Laporte, who played in City s Champions League quarter-final defeat to Tottenham in A…
Lionel Messi has voiced his admiration for Barcelona team-mate Eric Abidal following the latter s ongoing fight against health problems.
The Frenchman was diagnosed with a tumour in his liver in March 2011, yet featured for the full 90 minutes in Barca s 3-1 Champions League final win over Manchester United hardly two months later.
Abidal was dealt another blow in March 2012, though, when it was announced that he needed to undergo a liver transplant, and the defender has since been working on his recovery.
Everything Eric has done and everything he has fought for is admirable. No-one truly knows how hard he has worked to be able to train with the team again, Messi told reporters.
It was very difficult when we found out (he had cancer) but his strength h…
that AC Milan are wrapping up a deal to sign Genoa midfielder Juraj Kucka.
The Slovakian midfielder has been a long-term target for the Rossoneri and he is widely tipped to join the club in the summer transfer window.
Milan and Genoa have done a lot of business of late, and they are currently putting the final touches on the agreement that will see Kucka move to San Siro next summer.
With veteran midfielder Massimo Ambrosini expected to leave at the end of the season, Milan officials believe the Slovakia international would be a perfect addition to the centre of the park.
The 26-year-old joined Genoa from Sparta Praha in January 2011 and quickly developed into an important member of the squad at Stadio Luigi Ferraris.
He has made a total of 69 S…
Reported Manchester United target Cody Gakpo believes he is more likely to stay at PSV than leave if they qualify for the Champions League.
The 23-year-old winger has been linked with several Premier League clubs in this transfer window, with Leeds United and Arsenal initially considered potential destinations.
United then emerged as apparent suitors following their shock 2-1 home defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion on matchday one of the Premier League season.
Although the Red Devils have signed Tyrell Malacia, Lisandro Martinez and Christian Eriksen, it has been a frustrating window for new manager Erik ten Hag, with several other areas of the squad widely deemed to be lacking quality in depth.
Defeat to Brighton only further highlighted some of United s…
´If there was the right player, we would have done it´ – Klopp doubts midfield transfer for Liverpoo
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has expressed doubt that the club will sign a new midfielder before the close of the transfer window, though he hinted it was something he had previously considered.
The Reds push for the Premier League title got off to a slow start on the opening weekend as they had to come from behind twice in a 2-2 draw against newly promoted Fulham.
Thiago Alcantara limped off during that game, joining fellow midfielders Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on the sidelines – though Klopp revealed that Keita will return for Monday s trip to Crystal Palace.
With options limited, recent reports have linked Liverpool with Sporting midfielder Matheus Nunes, while the Reds have been attributed with long-term interest in Borussia Dortmund s Jud…
Manchester City must earn the right to be compared to Barcelona and other heavyweights of European football, insists manager Pep Guardiola.
The runaway Premier League leaders enter the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie against Basel 4-0 to the good and arguably as the continent s form side.
A 3-0 victory over Arsenal at Wembley nine days ago secured the EFL Cup and, bolstered by a 16-point advantage over Manchester United at the summit of England s top flight, there is a sense of intrigue around whether this swashbuckling City side can launch an effective tilt at Europe s biggest prize.
Guardiola lifted the trophy once as a player at Barca and twice more as a manager, before leading Bayern Munich to three consecutive semi-finals without reward.
…
Bacary Sagna has dismissed Eric Cantona and Karim Benzema s allegations of racism surrounding the selection of France s Euro 2016 squad by coach Didier Deschamps.
Benzema, who was not selected by Deschamps, made headlines last month when he said that the coach had bowed to a racist part of France by not choosing him, suggesting his Algerian heritage played a part in his non-selection as opposed to his ongoing involvement in an investigation into the alleged blackmail of fellow exiled international Mathieu Valbuena.
Former France international Cantona had already made such allegations which Deschamps denied and promised to return fire with legal action against the ex-Manchester United star.
Benzema is a great player. [Hatem] Ben Arfa is a great player, Cantona sa…
Spain coach Vicente del Bosque has assured out of favour striker Raul that his international exile could end at any time.
The Real Madrid star has not played for the European champions since 2006 after being controversially overlooked by former coach Luis Aragones.
But in an interview with Marca on Wednesday Aragones successor said: Raul s in the starting line-up for his club, he s playing well and can return, if I reckon that s the right thing to do, at any time.
Del Bosque, who coached Raul when he was manager of Real Madrid between 1999 and 2003, added: I ve said several times that the doors to the national team were never closed for Raul.
What s more he s the footballer who has scored the most goals for the national team.
Raul, with 4…