Former Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez insists he has nothing to prove ahead of Bayer Leverkusen s Champions League showdown with Tottenham in London.
On Wednesday, Hernandez returns to England, where he won two Premier League titles, making a name for himself as an impact substitute.
Hernandez, having spent a loan spell at Real Madrid, departed Old Trafford permanently in 2015, boasting a record of 59 goals in 157 games.
The 28-year-old Mexico international has not looked back in Germany, scoring 26 goals in all competitions for the Bundesliga club in his maiden campaign, while he already has seven this term.
Asked he felt pressure to perform in the Group E matchday four fixture, Hernandez said: No, definitely not.
Any minutes I had o…
Rayo Vallecano coach Paco Jemez said he had serious doubts about his tenure in Madrid after extending his deal on Friday.
Jemez put an end to speculation surrounding his future by signing a one-year contract, keeping him at the club until the end of the 2015-16 La Liga season.
The 45-year-old, who took the reins in 2012, said the arduous process made him consider his future at Camp de Futbol de Vallecas.
It has taken a little longer than we expected, but in the end the interest and understanding allowed us to unlock a difficult situation, very difficult, said via quotes published on Rayo s official website.
The club has made an effort in many aspects and finally has come to an understanding. When an entity wants to reach an agreement it is reached at th…
Mikel Arteta declared thank God for VAR after Premier League leaders Arsenal held on for a 1-0 win at Leeds United.
Sunday s game at Elland Road was suspended just a couple of minutes after it started, as a power cut was affecting Hawk-Eye and communications between referee Chris Kavanagh and the VAR.
The match resumed following a delay of around 40 minutes and Bukayo Saka s fourth goal in three matches gave the Gunners a half-time advantage, the England international becoming the first player to register 50 goal involvements during Arteta s reign.
Leeds dominated the second half, Patrick Bamford having a goal disallowed for a push on Gabriel Magalhaes within a minute of coming on before missing a penalty.
Bamford wasted further clear-cut chances as Aaron…
Bruno Fernandes hopes to harness his creative genius to help Portugal team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo become the record international goalscorer.
Ronaldo scored twice against Sweden earlier this month to move on to 101 goals for his country, putting him eight behind Ali Daei.
Naturally, the Juventus star has his sights set on overtaking the Iran legend and Fernandes, who on Friday was named Manchester United s player of the year, is on hand to help.
For me, and I think for most of the people now, it s normal, he told United Review of Ronaldo surpassing a century of goals in Portugal colours.
You see when someone watches the games, if he doesn t score, for everyone, it is a bad game because, normally, he always scores.
You wait for a goal from him o…
Monza and Bologna will observe a minute s silence before Monday s Serie A game to remember the man killed in a stabbing attack that left Pablo Mari injured.
Home side Monza will also wear special shirts bearing the message Come back soon, Pablo , ahead of their clash with the Rossoblu.
Mari, on loan to Monza from Arsenal, was one of five people injured in the incident near Milan on Thursday, in which a suspect was disarmed by onlookers and subsequently arrested.
A shop cashier named Luis Fernando Ruggieri died in the attack, and Monza have since sent condolences to his family.
Mari was visited in hospital by Monza chief executive Adriano Galliani and head coach Raffaele Palladino before undergoing back surgery on Friday.
The centre-back, who said …
Pep Guardiola revealed he took Raheem Sterling back to basics to rediscover his form and says the Manchester City forward knows he is not at the peak of his powers.
England international Sterling had gone 13 games without goal for club and country before he was on target in a 4-1 Champions League win over Club Brugge this month.
The former Liverpool man followed that up with a sublime finish in the 3-0 victory over Everton last weekend and was also on target in a 2-1 defeat of Paris Saint-Germain in midweek.
Sterling has only started eight games for the Premier League champions this season on the back of an impressive Euro 2020.
Guardiola stated it is only normal that players go through frustrating spells and the City boss says there has been no speci…
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Looking to punch their Europa League quarter-final ticket on Thursday night, Arsenal will welcome Sporting Lisbon to the Emirates.
Arsenal
Starting with the hosts, while Arsenal might have been disappointed after settling for a 2-2 draw when they made the trip out to Portugal last week, Mikel Arteta s young squad certainly laid down another domestic marker a few days ago. Eventually cruising their way to a routine 3-0 romp away at Fulham, the Gunners are on course to make real Premier League history this season. Holding a five-point buffer over defending champions Manchester City, Arsenal are inching towards a first domestic crown since 2004. With the mood around the Emirates at a red-hot high, Arteta s side are also tipped as a major …
Roberto De Zerbi believes Moises Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister “deserve to play in another level” but hopes European football can convince the in-demand duo to stick with Brighton.
Ecuador international Caicedo and Argentina World Cup winner Mac Allister continue to be heavily linked with summer transfers following standout seasons in Sussex.
Albion potentially strengthened their hopes of retaining two of their star performers by securing continental qualification with Sunday’s 3-1 Premier League win over relegated Southampton.
While De Zerbi feels that may prove persuasive, he does not wish to hamper the careers of the pair and concedes Wednesday evening’s match with Manchester City could be their final appearances in a Seagulls shirt at the Amex Stadi…
Emil Forsberg has praised the New York Red Bulls confident attacking threat ahead of their game against Orlando City on Saturday.
The Red Bulls currently sit fourth in the Eastern Conference, only behind city rivals New York City FC due to having one less win than them this season.
They bounced back in style from their derby defeat to NYCFC in midweek, beating Charlotte FC 3-1 with an impressive second-half performance.
Forsberg was full of praise for the way his team play, particularly in the final third.
When we play with tempo, it s hard to get us, he said. And I think that s the most important thing to play with confidence.
When we are straightforward, that s key for us. When we win the ball, we put those hard passes forward and go with ever…
March is already upon us, meaning the football season is getting towards the business end for many players – especially those in Europe.
With the World Cup edging ever closer, form is going to become more crucial as players hope to nail down a place in their respective national team squads.
Of course, there are still plenty of teams yet to confirm their participation in Qatar, so some cannot take qualification for granted.
But that won t stop certain individuals from dreaming about getting themselves into contention and ultimately playing a starring role on the big stage.
Back in November, Stats Perform began their one-year countdown to the biggest show in football by identifying 11 uncapped players who could potentially break into their respective nati…