Stephen Warnock is eager to make up for lost time and produce an FA Cup upset when Derby County take on Manchester United in the fourth round on Friday.
Despite being named in England’s squad for the 2010 World Cup, the 34-year-old left-back’s career came to a stuttering halt six months later when then Aston Villa manager Gerard Houllier deemed him unworthy of a first-team place.
Warnock has been unable to reproduce the form that enabled him to win two international caps but feels he has the opportunity to rebuild his reputation with a shock win in the cup.
I had a difficult time at Villa when Gerard Houllier came in, the former Liverpool defender said.
I thought I was playing well at the time, but all of a sudden I was left out of the squad and …
Rangers have signed Mexico internationals Eduardo Herrera and Carlos Pena to take their tally of signings to eight ahead of the new season.
Forward Herrera, 28 and midfielder Pena, 27, have both signed three-year contracts at Ibrox after joining from Pumas and Guadalajara respectively.
Neither player is in Mexico s squad for the Confederations Cup, but both appeared for the national side as recently as last year.
Herrera previously played under Rangers boss Pedro Caixinha in a loan spell with Santos Laguna, with he and Pena joining Bruno Alves, Ryan Jack, Dalcio, Fabio Cardoso, Daniel Candeias and Alfredo Morelos in making moves to Rangers.
I am very happy to become part of this great club that has such great supporters, Pena told Rangers TV.
I…
Croatia midfielder Ivan Rakitic expects Barcelona team-mate Lionel Messi to be uber-motivated when his side face Argentina at the World Cup on Thursday.
Messi came in for criticism after Argentina were held to a shock 1-1 draw by Iceland in their opening Group D match, in which the forward missed a second-half penalty.
Failure to beat Croatia in Nizhny Novgorod could strike a damaging blow to Jorge Sampaoli s side in their quest to go one better than in 2014, when they lost the final to Germany.
But Rakitic insists there is no player more proud to represent their country or more determined to get them back on track towards success than his club team-mate Messi.
My impression is not just that he s motivated, but that he s uber-motivated, he told a news co…
Pep Guardiola told Manchester City players to show me the money, guys as they prepare to start their Champions League campaign among the tournament s favourites.
City have never progressed further than the semi-finals of the competition, reaching that stage in 2015-16 before losing to eventual champions Real Madrid.
Guardiola s first season in charge saw City eliminated by Monaco in the round of 16 and last term they lost to Premier League rivals Liverpool in the quarter-finals.
The Catalan won the Champions League twice while in charge of Barcelona but could not deliver European success during his time in charge of Bayern Munich before arriving at City in 2016.
And with City hosting Lyon in their first Group F game on Wednesday, ahead of pool fixtures …
Raheem Sterling was England s hero as a turgid Nations League encounter with Iceland exploded into penalty drama in the final minutes, with Gareth Southgate s men emerging as 1-0 victors.
Harry Kane had an early goal incorrectly ruled out but it soon became a tale of frustration for England against the side who famously humiliated them against the odds at Euro 2016.
Kyle Walker s red card teed up the prospect of another ignominious outcome, but Sterling won a spot kick in the final minute when Sverrir Ingason – who, like Walker received a second booking – handled his shot following a right-wing corner.
The Manchester City forward rolled his effort home before a further stoppage-time sting in the tail.
Joe Gomez clumsily fouled substitute Holmbert Fri…
Leicester City have confirmed the club will commission a memorial statue in tribute to their late owner and chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha after his death in a helicopter crash.
Srivaddhanaprabha was one of five people killed when his private helicopter crashed outside the King Power Stadium after a Premier League draw against West Ham last month.
Various tributes are planned for Saturday s visit of Burnley, Leicester s first home game since the death of Srivaddhanaprabha, whose leadership inspired the club to their unlikely Premier League title triumph in 2015-16.
Supporters will march through Leicester to the King Power Stadium, where fans will be given commemorative scarves and pin badges ahead of a video tribute to Srivaddhanaprabha being shown on the big …
What the papers say
Brentford would be willing to let England striker Ivan Toney leave the club if their £60million valuation is met, the Sunday Mirror reports.
The same paper also states that Arsenal, Tottenham and West Ham are monitoring Paris St Germain winger Ousmane Dembele, despite the France international moving from Barcelona to Ligue 1 in the summer.
The Sunday Express reports that Delle Alli is still attracting significant interest, with Everton attempting to renegotiate terms for the 27-year-old former England midfielder’s transfer from Tottenham.
Social media round-up
Lionel Messi has hinted where his next destination lies after Inter Miami
— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT)
…
Fabrizio Romano has claimed on that Arsenal are confident of signing Ben White from Brighton and Hove Albion in the summer transfer window. The well-known and well-respected journalist has reported that the Gunners are working on a deal with Premier League rivals Brighton to complete a move for the 23-year-old defender.
Romano, who works for SkySport and The Guardian, has reported that White, who can also play as a right-back or as a midfielder, has already agreed personal terms with Arsenal. The former Leeds United loanee is part of the England team at the ongoing European Championship.
https://twitter.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1412806124278063107
White did well during his loan spell at Leeds from Brighton in the 2019-20 season. The English youngster helped th…
Mikel Arteta believes Basque food is the secret behind the success of a string of managers from the region.
The Arsenal manager is one of a number of coaches born in the area of northern Spain to make a name for himself on the touchline.
He will come up against another on Saturday in the shape of Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola, a former childhood team-mate of Arteta.
Aston Villa’s Unai Emery was also born in the Basque Country – as were Bayer Leverkusen’s Xabi Alonso and former Wolves, Spain and Real Madrid manager Julen Lopetegui.
Now Arteta has discussed why he feels such a small area is responsible for creating such success.
“The food! We have the best food in the world. The best restaurants by square metre, the most beautiful city,” …
Market: Both teams to score
Odds: 7/10 @
Knowing that they can secure a European finish on Friday night, Roma will make the trip to the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino on Friday night.
Starting with the hosts, while Torino might have only just held onto their Serie A status last season, the Bulls have really shown a host of improvements this time around. Gaining plenty of plaudits from across Italy throughout the 2021/22 campaign, Head Coach Ivan Jurić knows that his side are sat in pole position to clinch a top-half finish. Last seen over the weekend when putting in another gritty display as they picked up a 1-0 win away at Verona, the Granata have lost just one of their last eight matchups, a run that stems all the way back to March 18th. However, despite manag…