Sports

Thiago Alcantara has resumed outside training but is yet to re-join his Bayern Munich team-mates as the midfielder continues to recover from a thigh problem

Thiago sustained the injury during the club s mid-season training camp in Qatar this month.

As a consequence, he was absent when Bayern returned to Bundesliga action with a 2-1 away win over Freiburg on Friday.

Head coach Carlo Ancelotti has previously said he hopes the 25-year-old midfielder, who has scored three goals from 22 appearances in all competitions this season, will be available for the first leg of Bayern s Champions League round-of-16 tie against Arsenal on February 15.

Thiago joined Bayern from Barcelona in 2013.

Good news, fans! was back in training today as preparations g…

Dean Marney has handed relegated Burnley a timely boost by signing a new one-year contract at Turf Moor with the option of an additional 12 months. 

The former Hull City midfielder was due to become a free agent in the close-season, but boss Sean Dyche has persuaded Marney to extend his stay at the Lancashire club, who he joined in 2010. 

In clocking up close to 200 appearances for Burnley, Marney has established himself as a firm fans favourite and played an integral role in the side promoted to the Premier League last May. 

A cruciate knee ligament injury, however, has sidelined Marney since February, prompting fears he had played his last game for the club. 

But Marney will now form part of an evolving Burnley side aiming to bounce back from the di…

Ryan Mason has revealed he had no option but to retire following the head injury he sustained at Chelsea in January 2017.

Hull City midfielder Mason announced his retirement on Tuesday, having been advised that a return to competitive action would be against his best interests.

The 26-year-old fractured his skull in a clash of heads with Gary Cahill at Stamford Bridge, requiring surgery, and previously claimed that he felt  lucky to be alive after the incident.

I can confirm that following specialist medical advice I am having to retire from playing professional football, Mason said in a statement.

I have worked tirelessly in order to be able to return to the pitch. Unfortunately, having taken expert medical advice I now have no option but to retire d…

Juventus cruised to a 2-0 win over struggling Empoli in Serie A on Saturday to go 10 points clear at the summit and pile the pressure on Roma ahead of their trip to Inter.

The result was not as comfortable as it should have been given Juve s complete domination, but they eventually made the most of their superiority in the second half and extended their lead at the top of the table, with closest challengers Roma facing a tough journey to San Siro on Sunday.

Juve unsurprisingly controlled the game from start to finish and could not be accused of failing to create enough chances, but their finishing let them down in what was a wasteful first-half showing.

Mario Mandzukic was particularly culpable, as he spurned a host of opportunities and let Empoli off the hook.

Ligue 1 side Saint-Etienne have announced the appointment of Ghislain Printant as their new head coach.

The 58-year-old has been handed a deal that runs through until 2021 and succeeds Jean-Louis Gasset, who he worked under as an assistant last season.

Gasset had been in charge of Saint-Etienne since December 2017 but he stepped down after guiding his side to a fourth-place finish in Ligue 1.

Saint-Etienne have opted for continuity by promoting Printant, and the former Bastia boss is ready for the challenge ahead as the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard gears up for the return of European football.

I feel a great sense of pride and I thank the leaders for their trust, he told the club s official website. I have the ambition and energy to continue all the work put…

Timo Werner returned to scoring form in style as RB Leipzig came from behind to claim their first ever Bundesliga victory over Bayern Munich, delaying the title-holders seemingly inexorable march to retaining their crown.

Leipzig squandered a four-goal lead in the corresponding fixture last season, but it was the hosts who completed the comeback this time when Werner an early substitute put them ahead with a typically-composed finish on 56 minutes.

It was nothing less than Leipzig deserved, with Bayern goalkeeper Sven Ulreich having pulled off a string of superb saves prior to Naby Keita cancelling out Sandro Wagner s opener.

Bayern should have pulled level just after the hour mark, but Mats Hummels and Arturo Vidal both squandered gilt
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Newcastle United wanted to sign Marvelous Nakamba from Premier League rivals Aston Villa in the January transfer window, according to . It has been reported that Newcastle made an enquiry about the 27-year-old, as manager Steve Bruce wanted to sign a midfielder.

The report has claimed that Newcastle enquired for Olivier Ntcham, Jesse Lingard and Ainsley Maitland-Niles as well. The Magpies eventually secured the services of midfielder Willock on loan from Premier League rivals Arsenal on transfer deadline day.

Nakamba has been on the books of Villa since the summer of 2019 when he joined from Club Brugge. The Zimbabwe international is an important player for Villa, and with the Villans challenging for the European places in the Premier League table this season, it is har…

Karim Benzema has no doubt Kylian Mbappe will play for Real Madrid and says he enjoys being part of a team trying to redevelop under Carlo Ancelotti.

Madrid reportedly saw three bids rejected by Paris Saint-Germain for the France star during the transfer window, the last one said to be worth €200million.

Yet with Mbappe s contract expiring at the end of the season and no sign of an extension, the 22-year-old will be free to speak with foreign clubs over a possible free transfer from January onwards.

France team-mate Benzema says it is just a matter of time until Mbappe becomes a Madrid player, telling L Equipe:  He said it himself. He wants something more. He will play at Real Madrid one day. I don t know when, but he ll come. It s a question of time.