Di Maria hails Messi captaincy

Former Liverpool star Luis Suarez is confident Jurgen Klopp can lead the Anfield side back into the Champions League in the upcoming Premier League season.

Liverpool last featured in European club football s elite competition in 2014-15, when they failed to qualify for the knockout stages from a group with Real Madrid, Basel and Ludogorets.

They had to settle for eighth place in the table last term as they missed out on European football altogether, but Suarez feels his former team will soon be back at the highest level.

The last few months, everybody saw a really good performance from Liverpool, the Barcelona attacker told the official Liverpool website. 

They had a chance to win the Europa League and in the Premier League they played really well.

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Romelu Lukaku has reiterated his desire to become a Chelsea first-team regular rather listen to offers from rival clubs.

The powerhouse striker was a revelation during his season-long loan at West Brom last term, scoring 17 Premier League goals in 35 appearances, including a hat-trick against champions Manchester United on the final day.

Only five players found the net more times than the 20-year-old in the Premier League, none of which play for Chelsea, fuelling reported interest from several clubs.

That speculation has intensified after Chelsea s interest in Manchester United Wayne Rooney became public last month, but Lukaku is focussing solely on forcing his ways into Jose Mourinho’s plans.

It feels good, said Lukaku of the interest in him during an intervie…

Despite recent controversy relating to one of Raheem Sterling s tattoos, the Manchester City star has revealed that another piece of body art foresaw his wearing of England s number 10 jersey.

Sterling has hogged the headlines for England in the build-up to the World Cup, after a tattoo of a gun on his leg was brought to light.

While some criticised him for the tattoo, he was quick to justify its presence by explaining that it was done as a tribute to his father, who was shot and killed when Sterling was a child.

The debate which followed is likely to result in all eyes being on Sterling in Russia, while fan expectations will be high given his brilliant campaign with Premier League champions City this season.

But Sterling, who was also singled out for j…

Inter Milan s Milan Škriniar has expressed his wish to stay at the club past this summer s transfer window, have reported.

The 23-year-old Slovakian centre-back has been linked with a move to after having a notable first season with the Nerazzurri, but he has dismissed those reports.

He says he s happy at Inter and that s the only important thing in the matter. He s not interested in what s going on in the transfer market at all. His wish is to represent Inter in the Champions League next season after the success of the 2017/18 campaign. His current contract with the club runs until the summer of 2022, but Inter are already working on a new deal that would keep him at the Giuseppe Meazza longer than that.

Škriniar even went as far as making comments on the f…

Barcelona defender Inigo Martinez is facing another spell on the sidelines after suffering a fresh injury setback on his return to action at the weekend.

The Spain international lasted just 11 minutes as he made his comeback from a hamstring problem as a second-half substitute in Sunday’s Copa del Rey victory at Barbastro.

[INJURY NEWS]

Tests carried out on the first team player show that first team player Iñigo Martínez has an injury to the biceps femoris muscle in his left thigh. He is unavailable for selection and his recovery will dictate his return.

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona)

The 32-year-old now has a thigh injury and, having just spent a month out, is now facing a further period on the casualty list.

An update from the clu…

France signed off their World Cup 2010 qualifying campaign with a 3-1 victory at home to Austria at the Stade de France here on Wednesday.

Raymond Domenech s side had already secured a play-off place behind Group 7 winners Serbia and gained revenge for their 3-1 defeat to Austria in September thanks to goals from strikers Karim Benzema, Thierry Henry and Andre-Pierre Gignac.

The result puts Les Bleus in the draw for November s play-offs alongside the seven other best runners-up in the European zone.

Domenech took advantage of the fixture s essentially meaningless nature to field a number of fringe players, with Real Madrid striker Benzema earning his first start since December 2008.

The visitors produced the first serious attempt at goal when striker Ste…

Australian midfielder Steven Lustica looks set to sign for Adelaide United after leaving Croatian club Hajduk Split.

Split confirmed Lustica s departure on their website on Monday, saying he was keen to continue his career in Australia and media reports have indicated Adelaide is his most likely destination.

The 22-year-old midfielder struggled for game time at Split, sent out on loan to Dugopolje and Brisbane Roar after joining in June 2011.

According to Croatian daily newspaper Slobodna Dalmacija, Adelaide are keen to lure the former Young Socceroo to Coopers Stadium.

I m happy to have played for Hajduk and that I have been trained by the likes of (Goran) Vucevic, (Ante) Mise, (Krasimir) Balakov, (Miso) Krsticevic, (Igor) Tudor, Lustica told the newspa…

Moreirense F.C. striker Nabil Ghilas will decide his long-term future at the end of the season amid reports linking him with Everton and Olympique de Marseille, .

Ghilas, 22, joined Moreirense from Stade Olympique Cassis Carnoux in 2010.

Recent reports have also suggested Portuguese giants Sporting CP are interested in Ghilas. However, it is believed that the 22-year-old would favour a move abroad.

The 22-year-old earned his first call-up to the Algeria national team for the for the 2014 World Cup qualifier against Benin on 26 March.

Ghilas remained on the bench throughout the game as the Greens defeated an over-matched Benin side by a score of 3-1 at the Stade Mustapha Tchaker in Blida, Algeria, with Sofiane Feghouli (Valencia CF), S…

ESPN understands that Manchester City could be set to exercise a buy-back clause for Huddersfield Town winger Aaron Mooy.

The twenty-seven-year-old moved to the Premier League giants from sister club Melbourne City in 2016 but was loaned to Huddersfield before playing a single game for the Citizens.

He then signed permanently for the Terriers having helped them win promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs but could now be set to secure a sensational return to the Etihad Stadium

Mooy has racked up eighty-nine appearances in all competitions for David Wagner’s side thus far, scoring eight goals while he was named their Player of the Year in their promotion winning campaign.

Internationally, he has five goals in thirty-seven appearances for…

that Mesut Ozil has agreed a new contract with Arsenal.

The attacking midfielder had two years remaining on his deal at the Emirates Stadium and manager Arsene Wenger is desperate to secure his services.

He had his best season with the Gunners so far last year, notching up an impressive nineteen assists in the Premier League.

In total he twenty-seven year old has racked up one hundred and twenty-one appearances for the North London outfit in all competitions, scoring twenty-one goals the last of which coming

Prior to his switch to England he spent three years with Real Madrid with whom he won the league and the Spanish Cup while he won the German cup with Werder Bremen.

Internationally, he has been capped eighty-one times for Germany and w…