Football news

Wigan manager Roberto Martinez threw his weight behind striker Victor Moses’s decision to play for Nigeria despite representing England at junior level.

England U-21 international Moses has signalled his intention to play senior football for Nigeria after receiving clearance to play in friendlies against Botswana and Zambia.

Although the prospect of Moses having to make regular long-haul trips to play international football could impact Wigan, Martinez said he was fully behind the player’s choice.

“I just want the player to be happy. If it is in Victor’s head to play for Nigeria, I will support him 100 per cent,” he said.

Cassano undergoes heart surgery

Milan striker Antonio Cassano underwent successful heart surgery yesterday. The Italy international had a procedure done at Milan’s Policlinico hospital to repair a defect in his heart.

“The procedure on Antonio Cassano’s patent foramen ovale finished at 8:35 a.m. and all has gone well. The cardiac procedure to close the patent foramen ovale in Antonio’s heart was done under local anesthetic,” Milan said in a state-ment.

Milan have yet to announce how long Cassano will be sidelined for but it is expected the former Real Madrid striker will be out until the new year.

Quagliarella not leaving Juventus

Out-of-favour Fabio Quagliarella will not change clubs in the January transfer window, according to his agent.

The Juve striker has only made a brief substitute showing so far this season and was subsequently linked with a move elsewhere with Genoa this week claiming that they could make an offer before Christmas.

However, agent Beppe Bozzo quashed all speculation.

“All of these stories are unfounded. Fabio is very happy to be at Juventus and he wants to stay.

“I can categorically rule out a January transfer. He is going now-here,” he said.

McClaren and Puel linked with Brugge

Steve McClaren and Claude Puel are both in the running to take over as manager of Belgium side Club Brugge.

Former England boss McClaren resigned last month as Nottingham Forest manager after just 10 games in charge of the struggling Cham-pionship side.

Brugge’s general manager Vincent Mannaert confirmed Steve McClaren was on the list after he attended the side’s 2-2 draw at Birmingham in the Europa League on Thursday night.

According to La Derniere Heure, both McClaren and former Lyon boss Puel have met with club management with a view to taking over from Adrie Koster who was sacked last weekend.

Redknapp ­confident of speedy recovery

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp  said he expects to make a swift return after undergoing surgery for a heart problem.

Redknapp, 64, underwent a procedure on Wednesday to unblock coronary arteries after suffering chest pains and shortness of breath while working out on a running machine at his home.

“I haven’t had a heart attack. It was just that the specialist told me the arteries needed doing now,” Redknapp revealed.

“I feel fine and everyone tells me I will soon be feeling better than ever. I’m lucky that I work in an industry where there are specialists on hand to look after you properly.”

Beckham helps Galaxy into semis

David Beckham’s bid for a fairytale finish to his five-year Major League Soccer stint with Los Angeles stayed on track as the Galaxy advanced to the semi-finals.

Los Angeles defeated New York 2-1 in the second leg of their series, giving the Galaxy a 3-1 aggregate win that advances Beckham’s club into a Western Conference final at home on Sunday against Real Salt Lake.

Beckham set up a goal from a corner and was fouled to produce a penalty that provided the other as the 36-year-old English midfielder hopes to cap his contract with a victory in the MLS Cup final on November 20.

‘It’ll be tough without Schweini’

Bayern Munich striker Mario Gomez admits he will miss injured Bastian Schweinsteiger’s silky passes.

The Germany star underwent surgery on Thursday to insert a plate in his shoulder after breaking his collarbone in the 3-2 win over Napoli on Wednesday.

Schweinsteiger’s absence is bound to have an impact on the team, especially for Gomez, who scored a superb header against Nuremberg last week from a pin-point pass from the Bayern vice-captain.

“We were shocked by the loss of Bastian Schweinsteiger,” admitted Gomez.

“Schweini is our engine in midfield, he increases the pace or calms things down. It’ll hit us hard, but we’re a top team and we have to compensate for losing him, even if it’ll be difficult.”