Football news

Wayne Rooney, Jack Wilshere and Phil Jones can abandon any hopes they might have had of appearing for Team Great Britain at the 2012 London Olympics.

The talented trio are expected to feature at Euro 2012 for England and the FA have confirmed they will not select players for the Olympics who go to Poland and Ukraine.

Rooney could have been eligible for the Olympics as an over-age player.

Stuart Pearce, the coach of the Great Britain men’s team, had initially been keen not to rule out that option but has now accepted it is “a sensible football decision”.

Hooper keen to stay

Gary Hooper is keen to extend his stay at Celtic. The prolific striker has 18 months remaining on his current contract, holding a further year’s option.

However, Hooper, who turns 24 next month, has given a clear message to Hoops chief executive Peter Lawwell and manager Neil Lennon that he wants to discuss a longer deal.

“I would be keen to talk. I’m just here to score goals and to win games. But I would be happy to stay and sign a contract. I couldn’t be happier in Glasgow,” he said.

Hooper, a £2.4m buy from Scunthorpe in the summer of 2010, scored 22 goals last season.

Bayern in best shape ever – chief

Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness says his side are in their “best shape ever” after clinching top spot at the midway stage of the season Friday night.

A 3-0 win over Cologne en-sured the Bavarians cannot be caught at the top of the table going into the winter break and Hoeness, who has been involved at the club for more than three decades, says he has never seen a better Bayern.

“Jupp Heynckes was the right man for the injured soul of this club last summer,” he said.

“Since he has been here, calm has totally returned to Bayern. We are currently in the best shape ever.”

Villa returns home

Barcelona striker David Villa has returned to Spain ahead of his operation to repair the broken shinbone he suffered against Al-Sadd in Yokohama, on Thursday.

Spain’s all-time record scorer is expected to be sidelined for five months after being carried off on a stretcher in the first half of the match with a fracture to his left tibia.

A Barca statement read: “David Villa arrived in Barcelona in good condition and the transfer has been developed without any incident.

“In the next few hours a decision will be made over pre-operative tests and the date and time of surgery.”

The 30-year-old is likely to miss the majority of the season but could be available to Spain for Euro 2012 in June.

Ayew tops poll

Ghana midfielder Andre Ayew has been voted BBC African Footballer of the Year.

The success completes a family double as father Abedi ‘Pele’ Ayew won the award 20 years ago when it was called the BBC African Sports Star of the Year.

‘Pele’ presented the trophy to his son – the fifth Ghanaian winner after his father, Samuel Kuffour, Michael Essien and Asamoah Gyan.

BBC world service listeners voted Ayew tops ahead of Ivorians Yaya Toure and Gervinho, Cameroonian Samuel Eto’o and Malian Seydou Keita.

All bar Gervinho are also contenders for the 2011 CAF African Footballer of the Year award to be announced on December 22 in Accra.

Trezeguet set for River Plate move

David Trezeguet has undergone a medical with River Plate ahead of a proposed move, the popular Argentinian club have con-firmed.

The 34-year-old was in Buenos Aires yesterday for medicals tests and is expected to sign a two-and-a-half-year con-tract tomorrow.

Trezeguet has already set his sights on getting River back in the Argentinian top flight following their shock relegation last season.

The Frenchman said: “The goal is to put River back in the first division. I had a similar experience at Juventus.”

O’Neill may recall Gyan from UAE

Sunderland manager Martin O’Neill is considering the possibility of bringing striker Asamoah Gyan, who at £13.8 million represents the club’s biggest signing, back from a loan spell in the United Arab Emirates.

“Really, it’s a matter of me introducing myself to him more than anything else and finding out how the land lies,” said O’Neill, who recently took over from Steve Bruce.

Ghana international Gyan signed for Al Ain in September having only moved to the Stadium of Light in August 2010.

Gyan had fallen out of favour with Bruce after a series of disappointing performances and a return of 11 goals in 37 appearances in his 13 months in the Premier League.