Rooney right to stay – Ronaldo

Manchester City moved back to five points behind leaders Arsenal as Erling Haaland s double helped them to a 4-1 Premier League victory against rock-bottom Southampton at St Mary s.

Pep Guardiola s team were shocked 2-0 by Saints when they met in the EFL Cup quarter-finals in January, but there was never a sign of a repeat on Saturday as the visitors dominated.

Haaland gave them the lead with a powerful header as Kevin De Bruyne reached 100 Premier League assists for his career, before Grealish doubled the lead with an alert finish not long into the second half.

Haaland scored his 30th Premier League goal of the season before Julian Alvarez converted a penalty as City cruised to a fifth successive league win. Sekou Mara scored a Saints consolation with a fine fin…

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has identified Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain as one of four new players he will be able to choose from next season.

The 25-year-old missed an entire year of action with a knee ligament injury sustained in April 2018.

He featured twice in the closing stages of the 2018-19 campaign and was an unused substitute in the Champions League final victory against Tottenham.

Last season also proved to be a frustrating one for Rhian Brewster, who like Oxlade-Chamberlain spent the campaign recovering from a long-term injury, while Adam Lallana and Joe Gomez struggled with problems of their own.

Great to see the Reds back at Melwood

— Liverpool FC (@LFC)

But with a full pre-season programme scheduled for all four players, Klop…

Kai Havertz was dubbed the Crown Prince of German football  while at Bayer Leverkusen but the Bundesliga club have a new star now: Florian Wirtz.  

While his former club colleague has struggled so far to make an impact at Chelsea, Wirtz  the latest young gem to come through at Leverkusen  is dazzling for Peter Bosz s team, who remain ensconced in the top four despite defeats either side of the mid-season break in Germany s top flight. 

The 17-year-old did not wait long to suggest he could be the heir apparent, either. Having made his debut in May 2020, he became the youngest goalscorer in Bundesliga history the following month, finding the net in a 4-2 defeat to Bayern Munich after coming on as a substitute. Youssoufa Moukoko has since…

New York Red Bulls forward Dante Vanzeir has been banned for six MLS games after using racist language during last Saturday s clash with the San Jose Earthquakes.

The encounter was stopped for 15 minutes at Red Bull Arena after Belgium international Vanzeir was involved in a confrontation.

He has since apologised, saying he made a mistake and will take all the necessary steps to grow , but that did not spare him from firm punishment from league chiefs.

Announcing the suspension in a statement, MLS said it had also imposed a fine of an unspecified sum on Vanzeir, adding he must take part in league-mandated training and education sessions, as well as a restorative practices programme .

The league added: MLS is working with both clubs and the MLS Players Ass…

Full-back Aziz Behich has left Melbourne Heart to join 2010 Turkish Super Lig champions Bursaspor for an undisclosed transfer fee.

Heart announced on Tuesday that they had agreed to the transfer of the Socceroos defender and he will available for Bursaspor s clash against Turkish giants Galatasaray this weekend, pending an international clearance.

Behich, 22, made his A-League debut for Melbourne Victory in 2010, making five appearances, before being signed by Heart later in 2010 on an seven-week contract – which was then updated to a full-time contract.

To make a move to a club that plays Champions League football is a dream come true and I really can t thank Melbourne Heart enough for giving me this opportunity, Behich said.

I have loved my time at…

Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola refused to criticise his players after their 1-1 draw with Freiburg in the Bundesliga on Tuesday.

Guardiola rested several players for the match, ahead of Friday s UEFA Super Cup clash with Chelsea, and the Bavarians saw their 100 per cent record in the league end with the result, which came about when Nicolas Hoefler equaliser after Xherdan Shaqiri opened the scoring.

Guardiola, however, said he was proud of his players performance during the match.

I think it was a good game, for the audience, for the Bayern manager, and for the players, he said.

And I congratulate Freiburg for their good performance. And I m proud of my team, I think they ve played very, very well.

I know how difficult it is and how dangerous Freiburg we…

LA Galaxy have confirmed that former England captain Steven Gerrard will not return for the 2017 MLS season after his contract expires.

Gerrard has scored five goals and provided 14 assists in 34 appearances for the Galaxy during the MLS regular season after a high-profile, drawn-out departure from boyhood club Liverpool in 2015.

The Anfield legend is now expected to return to British shores, with Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp saying Gerrard would always be welcome at the club, amid speculation he could return in a coaching capacity.

Celtic have also been credited with an interest, with ex-Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers thought to be keen on a reunion with his former captain.

In a statement, Gerrard hinted he is yet to make a decision on whether he wi…

Romelu Lukaku claims he opted against a move to Juventus in order to stay at Everton.

Belgium international Lukaku joined Everton from Chelsea in 2014 for a reported club record fee of £28million after an impressive loan spell at Goodison Park.

The 23-year-old has made 130 appearances in all competitions for the Merseyside club and scored 61 goals, but was linked with an exit during the previous transfer window.

Chelsea were reportedly interested in re-signing the Belgian, while Juve were also touted as a potential destination.

Despite missing out on continental football by staying at Everton, Lukaku felt it was the right decision to stay, though he admitted the club did not give him much choice.

It stings a little [not being in Europe], but I m…

Friday s games in the English Football League have been postponed following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

Her Majesty passed away at her home in Balmoral on Thursday at the age of 96.

Norwich City were scheduled to visit Burnley in the Championship on Friday, while Tranmere Rovers and Stockport Country were set to meet in League Two.

Both games have now been called off, with the EFL confirming a decision will be made on the rest of the weekend s games on Friday.

A statement on the EFL website read: As a mark of respect, following the passing of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II earlier today, the EFL has confirmed that its fixtures scheduled for tomorrow evening (Friday 9 September) – Burnley v Norwich City and Tranmere Rovers v Stockport County have …

Casper Ruud is looking to follow in the footsteps of compatriot Erling Haaland by putting Norway on the map ahead of his US Open final appearance.

Ruud is the first Norwegian male player to appear in the championship match at Flushing Meadows, where he will play Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday, with the winner also set to become the new world number one.

Runner-up to Rafael Nadal at the French Open in June, the fifth seed would become only the fourth player from Scandinavia to top the ATP rankings should he prevail at Arthur Ashe Stadium  after Bjorn Borg, Mats Wilander and Stefan Edberg.

Ruud is not the only Norwegian sportsman to be enjoying an impressive spell of form. Indeed, compatriot Haaland has made a blistering start to life at Manchester City.

The for…