Gattuso needs to get Napoli fans onside to succeed – Crippa

Angel Di Maria looks set to miss out on the Copa America Centenario final against Chile after the Argentina star suffered a recurrence of his adductor injury.

Di Maria went off injured in Argentina s 5-0 win over Panama in their second group-stage match, consequently missing their next three fixtures wins against Bolivia, Venezuela and hosts the United States on their way to back-to-back finals.

The Paris Saint-Germain attacker had been on course to face defending champions Chile in a rematch of the 2015 final on Sunday, but suffered an evolution of his initial injury.

Di Maria began training on Thursday before taking part in an informal kick-around with local youngsters, but was unable to complete the session. 

The injury is a big blow for Argentina, …

Valladolid have returned to La Liga after a two-year absence after a 2-1 aggregate win over Alcorcon in the promotion playoff final.

Miroslav Dukic s men recorded a 1-0 win in the first leg, and on Saturday achieved a 1-1 draw in the return fixture to book a place in the Spanish top-flight for next season.

Valladolid finished third after the final round of fixtures in the Segunda, meaning they had to join three other teams in a playoff tournament to determine the third side to be promoted to La Liga.

Dukic s men will now look forward to top football for the first time since they were relegated to the second division in 2010.

Celta Vigo and Deportivo La Coruna were also promoted from the Segunda this season.

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New France captain Thierry Henry is relishing the challenge of facing Austria in Saturday s World Cup qualifier, not least as it will give him the chance to prove he s worthy of the armband.

It will be a difficult game, I saw (Austria) at the Euros. They lost two matches and drew one, like us, the Barcelona player told AFP on Friday.

They are difficult to beat. It s a team that hangs on. They are valiant.

In the absence of injured Patrick Vieira, Henry will wear the all-important captain s armband, a job the World Cup winner is keenly looking forward to.

I will impose myself a little more, I will speak a little more, especially on the field. Before I didn t do that as much, said Henry, who captained the side in the 3-2 friendly win over Sweden last …

Sergio Ramos will remain at Real Madrid for the foreseeable future after agreeing to spurn an offer from China stating his dream is to retire at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The star centre-back fronted a news conference at the LaLiga club s training complex on Thursday to dispel all doubts about his commitment, just days after seemingly angling for a move away.

Madrid president Florentino Perez earlier this week admitted to rebuffing captain Ramos request to take up a lucrative opportunity in the Chinese Super League.

Perez refused to sanction a proposed a free transfer, claiming it would set a bad precedent for a player under contract until 2021, and the four-time Champions League winner is content to focus on a 15th season with the club.

Indeed, the 33-ye…

Radovan Curcic will not have Neven Subotic available for Serbia s Euro 2016 qualifier with Portugal after the defender rejected a call-up.

Neven Subotic will not make his international return with Serbia this month, coach Radovan Curcic has revealed.

The Borussia Dortmund central defender has not featured for his country since 2013, when he expressed his frustration at their failure to qualify for the 2014 World Cup.

Subotic has since suffered a serious knee injury, but has nevertheless made 15 Bundesliga starts for Dortmund this season.

Discussions with Curcic – and Serbian Football Association vice-president Savo Milosevic – took place after Dortmund s 3-0 win over Schalke on Saturday, yet the 26-year-old will not feature in Serbia s squad to fa…

Brendan Rodgers has moved to keep expectation levels surrounding Jordan Henderson in check ahead of Liverpool s FA Cup quarter-final against Blackburn Rovers. 

Henderson has captained the Merseyside club in the absence of the injured Steven Gerrard and is arguably in the form of his career. 

Comparisons have been made between Henderson and his team-mate Gerrard, who is closing in on a return from a hamstring injury, but Liverpool boss Rodgers is wary of linking the two midfielders. 

Addressing the media on Friday, Rodgers said: You should stop trying to put pressure on Jordan Henderson. 

Just because he shoots from outside the box doesn t mean he s Steven Gerrard. He s making his own headlines.

Henderson has hit the headlines by netting fin…

Market: Barrow win

Odds: 6/5 @

Hoping to make an immediate return to winning ways on Saturday afternoon, Barrow will welcome AFC Wimbledon to Holker Street.

Starting with the hosts, after eventually getting hit with a 1-0 loss away at Harrogate last weekend, Barrow will be seeking an immediate response here. Although Pete Wild’s side might know that they face a huge uphill struggle if they are to claim a shock play-off spot this season, the Bluebirds should find the mood in their camp at a real high. In fact, on a run that is highlighted by an impressive 1-0 victory against Bradford on February 18th, the Cumbria-based outfit should be smelling a golden opportunity here. Shipping just a pair of strikes in their last six appearances, Wild’s men should also be …

Manchester United fans might have got their hopes up over a new billionaire owner, but it would seem the chances of Elon Musk investing in the club are slim.

South African-born American businessman Musk, who among his many ventures is the founder of SpaceX and chief executive of Tesla, caused a stir on Tuesday by claiming he was going to buy United.

The club s fanbase have long wanted its current owners, the Glazer family, who also own the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, to sell up, with many supporters and pundits blaming the team s failures in the post Alex Ferguson era on sub-par investment.

Just three days after United suffered a humbling 4-0 defeat at Brentford, Musk wrote on Twitter: I m buying Manchester United ur [you re] welcome.

In the wake of Musk s fir…

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has completed his much-anticipated move from Manchester United to Major League Soccer side LA Galaxy.

Ibrahimovic s contract was terminated by United on Thursday and he confirmed his MLS arrival in an interview with the LA Times on Friday, Galaxy s announcement coming a few hours later on Twitter.

The 36-year-old Sweden great has won top-division titles in Netherlands, Italy, Spain and France, representing Ajax, Inter, Barcelona, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain in the process.

He left PSG as the club s all-time record goalscorer – a mark recently surpassed by Edinson Cavani – to join United on a free transfer in 2016.

Ibrahimovic s debut campaign at Old Trafford yielded 28 goals in 46 games and added the EFL Cup and Europa League …

Manchester City are ready to offer Raheem Sterling a new contract, according to ESPN.

The winger has been in stunning form for the Premier League leaders this season, netting twenty goals in all competitions twice as many as he managed last term while he is almost certain to be part of England’s World Cup squad after turning in a man of the match performance in Tuesday evening’s 1-1 draw with Italy.

He still has two years remaining on his current deal but the Citizens are keen to tie him down long term after already securing new deals for Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva, Fernandinho and Nicolas Otamendi in recent months.

Since signing from Liverpool, Sterling has played one hundred and forty-one times in all competitions, scoring forty-one times while he hel…