Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick has effectively retired from international football, unwilling to be a bit-part England player.

England manager Roy Hodgson hinted he had preferred to select Gareth Barry, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Scott Parker and as such could not promise Carrick a prominent role.

I wouldn t dream of putting Michael on a standby list after he has made it clear in the past he doesn t want to be involved like that, Hodgson said.

I d have to be convinced he was better than the four I ve selected and that he d be happy to come out of retirement.

Carrick has won only 22 England caps despite having made his debut for the national team as a 20-year-old while at West Ham in 2001.

He was included in the England squ…

It looks like Real Madrid have got themselves a new striker! According to AS, the Spanish giants have signed Luka Jovic from Eintracht Frankfurt! The Serbia international has signed a six-year deal with Real Madrid in a €60m deal and will be their player until June 2025.

AS also claim Eintracht Frankfurt will get €48m from this transfer, as Benfica are due to earn 20 percent of the transfer which the Portuguese club negotiated when they were selling Jovic to Bundesliga club and that amounts to €12m.

It is noted in the report that Madrid had accelerated talks with the player and the club in order to sign him before other clubs enter the race and drive his price up. Real Madrid were especially eager to ward of interest from teams like Paris Saint-Germain.…

Rudi Voller accepts Bayer Leverkusen will struggle to keep hold of Leon Bailey if he continues progressing and believes only Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga have the power to retain star players as long as they want.

Bailey joined Leverkusen in January 2017 from Genk for a reported €13.5million and initially struggled to make a consistent impact, making just eight substitute appearances in the Bundesliga.

But it has been a different story this season, with the 20-year-old Jamaican scoring six goals and setting up another four in 14 games, establishing himself as a key player in their dynamic frontline.

That form has not gone unnoticed, with Chelsea and Manchester United reportedly keeping tabs on the rapid winger and sporting director Voller is well aware that …

Belgium coach Marc Wilmots is yet to sign an extension to his contract, but believes it is only a matter of time until the deal is done.

Wilmots took the top job in 2012 and leads an exciting generation of Belgian talent into the FIFA World Cup in Brazil, starting later this month.

The 45-year-old has agreed to sign new terms which will take him up to 2018, but revealed in a press conference on Monday that he is yet to make the deal official.

I have not yet signed, he said.

I do not think there will be problems, and my signature will follow, but the deal is not yet quite official.

As you know, there is an agreement for four years, but in football you never know.

Following friendly wins over Luxembourg and Sweden in the past week, Belgium have one mor…

Italy midfielder Claudio Marchisio said he is expecting a tough match against England when the two teams meet in their FIFA World Cup opener.

Cesare Prandelli s Italy will go head-to-head with England in their Group D opener in Manaus on Saturday a repeat of their Euro 2012 quarter-final tie.

Italy prevailed on that occasion, winning 4-2 on penalties en route to the final.

The four-time World Cup winners will be up against a completely different England side to that which took to the field in Kiev two years ago, with Ashley Cole, John Terry, Ashley Young, Scott Parker, Andy Carroll and Theo Walcott amongst the absentees from their squad in Brazil.

It will be a very difficult match, but just as they have changed since the Euros, so have we, Marchisio told reporter…

Zinedine Zidane joked he would never be Real Madrid s Alex Ferguson amid the pressure he has faced at the helm.

Madrid managed to ease the pressure on their coach with a 2-0 win over Borussia Monchengladbach that sent them into the Champions League last 16 on Wednesday.

Zidane is in his second stint at the helm of the Spanish giants, and has already won three Champions League titles and two LaLiga crowns among other trophies as a coach.

The 48-year-old ruled out becoming to Madrid what Ferguson was at Manchester United, where the Scot spent 27 trophy-laden years.

I don t think I ll ever be the Alex Ferguson of Madrid, for sure, Zidane told a news conference.

I want to enjoy what I m doing. I don t know how long I m going to stay here, I don t …

An injury-time goal from substitute Ronald Hernandez earned Venezuela a 2-2 draw with Ecuador in a dramatic finish to the Copa America clash on Sunday.

Jose Peseiro s men looked to be heading for a second defeat in three games after Gonzalo Plata joined Ayrton Preciado on the scoresheet for Ecuador, those goals coming either side of Edson Castillo netting for Venezuela.

However, Hernandez headed in at the death in Rio de Janeiro to boost his side s hopes of progressing to the knockout stages of the tournament.

That allowed Venezuela to add to the point they earned when holding Colombia to a 0-0 draw.

 ¡Empate agónico! Ronald Hernández llegó sin marca y metió un buen cabezazo para que la iguale el encuentro

 Venezuela  Ecuador…

Ajax have completed the signing of Heiko Westermann from Real Betis on a two-year-deal.

The centre-back had a year remaining on his deal at the Liga side, but has made the switch to Amsterdam on a free transfer.

Ajax were keen to add more experience to their backline and 32-year-old Westermann fitted the bill for the Eredivisie side.

I am very happy with my contract at Ajax, the former Germany international told the club s official website.

We had a great chat last week and I immediately knew that I wanted to join Ajax. It s fantastic that it s all gone this quick.

Ajax are a great club with a world-famous philosophy. It s a young team with a lot of big talents. I hope to be able to help them with all my experience, having played in the Bundesl…

Manchester United defender Daley Blind has vowed to fight for his place amid reports new manager Jose Mourinho is ready to offload the Netherlands international.

Blind has developed into a key figure at Old Trafford since joining the club from Ajax after the 2014 World Cup, but the departure of Louis van Gaal has cast doubt over his future at the club.

Nevertheless, the 26-year-old is keen to work with Mourinho and is not thinking about leaving United just yet.

I am looking forward to working with Mourinho. We will have to wait and see whether anything changes for me, Blind told NOS.

I will just give my all and work hard. Mourinho is a manager who has achieved a lot and I am keen to work with him. 

I might not be as big as Pepe, but I think I…

Napoli have revealed Ignacio Fideleff has joined Parma on a season-long loan.

The centre-back, 23, arrived only last off-season from Newell s Old Boys but barely featured for Walter Mazzarri s side, having made just four Serie A appearances in 2011-12.

With the likes of Paolo Cannavaro and Hugo Campagnaro already commanding starting berths in defence and Miguel Britos also returning to fitness, Fideleff has opted to look elsewhere for regular first-team football.

He will initially join Parma on loan for the upcoming campaign, with the club then having the option of purchasing 50 per cent of the player s economic rights if he impresses.

Meanwhile, Parma have confirmed the departure of Francesco Valiani to Siena for an undisclosed fee.

The attackin…