West Ham midfielder Ravel Morrison has been freed after a judge granted him bail following a private court hearing.
The 21-year-old was in custody and not present at Manchester Crown Court to hear the bail application, yesterday.
Former Manchester United midfielder Morrison is accused of two counts of common assault on his ex-girlfriend Reah Mansoor, 19, and her mother Parveen Mansoor, 39, in the early hours of Sunday, July 27.
Hammers wait on Jenkinson fitness
West Ham manager Sam Allar-dyce will be hoping his pre-season woes are not set to continue as the club await an assessment on an injury to defender Carl Jenkinson.
The 22-year-old Arsenal loanee, signed just last week, en-dured a debut to forget as the Hammers lost 2-0 to Malaga in the Schalke 04 Cup on Sunday.
Jenkinson conceded a first-half penalty before a hamstring injury forced him off and now Allardyce will be hoping for a rare dose of good news as he sweats on the results of a scan to see if the issue will rule the full-back out of the start of the new season.
Del Piero shuns retirement talk
Alessandro Del Piero has quashed talk of him retiring. The 39-year-old recently completed a two-year spell in Australia with Sydney, playing his last competitive match in April, but he will return to captain them in the A-League All Stars clash with Juventus on Sunday.
With little to no news on his future many expected Del Piero to make the one-off match his swansong. But the 2006 World Cup winner said that, although Sunday’s fixture may be his last match in Australia, he is open to offers.
“I don’t think so,” he said when reporters asked if this could be his last game.
“It could be my last game in Australia. My plan is to play on.
“Now I have to choose what is the best for me with the opportunities I have but I want to play on.”
Navas will battle for starting spot
Costa Rica goalkeeper Keylor Navas is expecting a battle for a starting place at Real Madrid this season.
Navas, one of the stand-out goalkeepers in this summer’s World Cup, moved from Levante on Sunday for a reported fee of €10 million.
But with Diego Lopez and Iker Casillas already at the Santiago Bernabeu, the 27-year-old is not expecting an easy ride.
“Becoming the starter is complicated, I will work at Real with humility,” he said.
“God does not put things before you that you cannot overcome. A six-year contract gives me peace of mind.
“It’s a great opportunity that I want to make the most of.”
Chelsea’s Romeu moves to Stuttgart
Chelsea midfielder Oriol Romeu has joined German club Stuttgart on a season-long loan, following a similar deal last season with Spain’s Valencia.
The 22-year-old, who moved to Chelsea from Barcelona in 2011, signed a three-year contract recently with the Premier League club but is apparently not part of manager Jose Mourinho’s immediate plans.
His move to the Bundesliga takes the number of players out on loan from Chelsea to 13.
Spaniard Romeu has made 33 appearances for London club Chelsea.
Falcao’s priority is Monaco not Real
Radamel Falcao insists his focus is not on a move to Real Madrid but on regaining full fitness to feature for Monaco.
Compatriot James Rodriguez, whose sparkling displays at this summer’s World Cup earned him a move from Monaco to the Santiago Bernabeu, has urged Falcao to follow him.
But the striker will not allow the speculation to dominate his thoughts.
After returning to scoring ways in Sunday’s friendly win over Arsenal, the 28-year-old hopes he can be available to new Monaco coach Leonardo Jardim this season.
“Real Madrid? I’m not aware of anything right now,” he said.
“All I can do is keep working so the Monaco coach can use me when he sees fit.”
Lodeiro foiled by falling soap dish
Uruguay midfielder Nicolas Lodeiro was forced to postpone his long-awaited Corinthians debut after injuring himself with a soap dish, last weekend.
Lodeiro was ruled out of his side’s goalless draw at Coritiba when a soap dish fell on his foot while he was having a shower the day before.
Corinthians, fourth in the table with 24 points from 13 games, said the incident caused a deep cut and needed several stitches.
Lodeiro had been officially presented by Corinthians on Friday after a two-month long saga over the paperwork relating to his move from fellow Brazilian club Botafogo.