Partizan: Serbian league leaders Partizan Belgrade named former winger Zoran Milinkovic as their new coach after sacking Marko Nikolic, the club said. Milinkovic, brought in from Partizan’s struggling first division neighbours Vozdovac, played for several Serbian and overseas clubs, making his biggest impact at French side Nice and Cypriots Anorthosis.
Vermaelen: Barcelona de-fender Thomas Vermaelen has trained with his team-mates for the first time since surgery on a hamstring injury, the La Liga leaders said yesterday. The Belgium international, who has been unable to make his Barca debut after picking up the injury at the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil, said last week he was targeting a return to action next month. Vermaelen sustained the injury before he signed for Barca from Arsenal, prompting some to question why the club completed the deal to sign the 29-year-old.
Forster: Southampton and England goalkeeper Fraser Forster has been ruled out for the rest of the season after undergoing surgery on a knee injury. “A scan on Monday showed the goalkeeper had suffered damage to his left patellar tendon with the injury and resultant surgery ruling him out for the remainder of this season,” the Premier League club said yesterday. Forster, in his first season at Southampton after joining from Celtic, suffered the injury in the win over Burnley on Saturday and his absence is a big blow to Ronald Koeman’s side, as well as England manager Roy Hodgson.
Heldt: The contract of Schalke director of sport Horst Heldt is set to be extended beyond 2016, according to Sport Bild magazine. The former Stuttgart director of sport enjoys the full faith of the Gelsenkirchen outfit, whom he joined in 2010, and is expected to remain with the club in the long term – even if they fail to qualify for the Champions League next season. “Horst Heldt has a cast-iron place here – there’s no question about it,” Schalke chairman Clemens Tonnies said.
Moisander: Ajax captain Niklas Moisander will join Sampdoria as a free agent in the summer. The Serie A club announced yesterday the 29-year-old defender has put pen to paper on a three-year contract. Moisander underwent a medical with the Genoa-based outfit last month. The Finland captain returned to Ajax in 2012 from AZ Alkmaar for a second spell at the club, having previous played three campaigns for the Amsterdam outfit.