Croatia midfielder Ognjen Vukojevic has announced his immediate retirement from international football.

The 30-year-old midfielder was an unused substitute in all three of Croatia s matches at the FIFA World Cup, which they exited after the group stages.

Vukojevic played 55 times for his country, which included appearances at both UEFA Euro 2008 and Euro 2012.

In a statement released by the Croatian Football Federation, Vukojevic said: In this very emotional moment for me, I would like to thank the Croatian Football Federation for everything that was done for the national team, to our loyal supporters that have always stood by our side.

(I would also like to thank) former managers Slaven Bilic and Igor Stimac for everything they have done for the nationa…

Mauricio Pochettino says Chelsea’s owners must look past their disappointment and back him to implement the plan he was hired to draw up in order to lift the club out of their slump.

Defeat to Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge on Sunday means the team have taken an average of 0.85 points per game over the last 35 matches, three short of a full league season.

Over a single campaign they would have won 32 points, a tally that would have seen them relegated in every Premier League season since the league became 38 games in 1995, and would have left them bottom of the table in five of them.

Full-time at the Bridge.

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC)

That run goes back to October 19 last year when the team, then managed by Graham Potter, drew 0-0 away at Bre…

Manchester United are interested in signing Alexander Isak from Real Sociedad in the summer transfer window, . The report has claimed that Premier League and European giants United are closely following Sweden international forward Isak with a view to making a move at the end of the season.

Isak has a release clause of €90 million at Sociedad, and it is likely that the La Liga club will not sell him for anything less. The 22-year-old has made 19 starts and four substitute appearances in La Liga so far this season, scoring four goals and providing two assists in the process. During the 2020-21 campaign, Isak scored 17 goals and provided two assists in 30 league starts.

Manchester United are fifth in the Premier League table at the moment with 50 points from 29 matches,…

Goalkeeper Daniel Davari will leave Eintracht Braunschweig when his contract expires at the end of June after rejecting a new deal.

The Iran international joined the Bundesliga strugglers from Mainz in 2009 and has established himself as the club s first-choice keeper.

Braunschweig offered the 26-year-old fresh terms to extend his stay at Braunschweig, but they have confirmed he has opted to move on.

Daniel Davari has not accepted the offer submitted by Eintracht Braunschweig to extend the contract, a brief statement on the club s website said.

Davari has started 24 games in Braunschweig s first season back in the top flight and kept a clean sheet in Saturday s much-needed 3-0 win over Hannover, a victory which extended their unbeaten run to three games.

He…

Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams have a gift from God , so says Spain boss Luis de la Fuente.

Yamal and Williams are among a number of exciting talents that De la Fuente has at his disposal heading into Euro 2024.

Spain, who have won the European Championships on three occasions, face Croatia in their opening Group B game on Saturday.

They head into the tournament in fine form, having thrashed Andorra and Northern Ireland 5-0 and 5-1 respectively in pre-tournament friendlies, and in Lamal and Williams, have two of LaLiga s most promising young attackers.

They are young players, especially Lamine, he s a young boy, with incredible talent that only the chosen ones have, De la Fuente told reporters.

They have a gift from God, very few players have th…

Pep Guardiola has brushed off late changes to Manchester City’s travel plans for Wednesday’s Champions League game at RB Leipzig.

The treble winners were due to fly to Germany for the Group G encounter on Tuesday afternoon but were delayed due to strong winds in the Leipzig area and their flight was rescheduled for the evening.

City manager Guardiola, who had been due to hold a pre-match press conference at the RB Arena on Tuesday, instead spoke to media remotely before travelling.

Media duties!

— Manchester City (@ManCity)

“It’s no problem,” he said. “That it’s safe to fly and land, that’s the important thing.

“It’s not at 7pm, (they said) you have to do it at 9pm and it’s not a problem. The authorities said it w…

Everton and West Ham United are ready to battle to secure the services for Borussia Dortmund midfielder Shinji Kagawa.

The Japan international returned to Dortmund in the summer of 2014 after two seasons with Manchester United.

He has impressed back in the Bundesliga, netting thirty-one times in all competitions since leaving England and helped his side win the DFB-Pokal in the summer of 2017 having also won the tournament months before moving to Old Trafford.

He was part of the last Manchester United squad to win the Premier League, netting six times in their triumphant 2012/13 campaign.

He has been capped eighty-nine times for his country, scoring twenty-nine goals and will hope to add to that tally at this summer’s World Cup finals in Russia.

mancini dragging Balotelli out of the training ground / Image via dailymail.co.uk

Football is a fascinating game of skill and talent which, in some extreme cases are put to an utterly wrong use.

With tempers flaring and high expectations from the fans, club owners and the media alike, putting great pressure on players and managers, every once in a while, there comes a time when even the greatest professionals of them all crack under the heavy burden.

This is exactly what seems to be happening at Serie A giants Juventus at the moment. Known as a calm and composed person, Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri has hit the headlines twice in the last month for his inability to control his players. Paulo Dybala refused to shake hands with his manager after being subbed …

Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers has called on his entire team to chip in with goals as they still hunt for Luis Suarez s replacement.

Rodgers spoke after Sunday s scrappy 2-1 Premier League win over Southampton about his desire to bring a genuine goalscorer to the club in the wake of Suarez s departure to Barcelona.

The Uruguay forward – the Premier League s top scorer last term with 31 in 33 games left Anfield for a reported £75million fee and Rodgers has wasted no time in making several additions to his squad.

Now a poacher is on top of his transfer wishlist and while the search goes on, Rodgers wants Liverpool to improve as a group.

More goals from everyone – that s the objective, Rodgers told the club s official website.

Everyone will wa…

Verdict: West Ham win

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Looking to make it four Premier League wins on the bounce, Manuel Pellegrini s resurgent West Ham side will travel to Craven Cottage on Saturday evening.

Fulham

Starting with the hosts, while much was expected of Fulham after breaking the bank over the summer, last year s Championship playoff winners have been drastically short of form. Coming off the back of a 4-1 hammering away at Old Trafford, the Whites currently find themselves sat bottom of the Premier League table approaching Christmas. Despite bringing in former title winning boss Claudio Ranieri to replace Slavisa Jokanovic last month, the west London side are still struggling to adjust to life under the Italian. If there is one key area that Fu…