Joe Gomez’s season-ending anterior cruciate ligament injury, sustained while playing for England U-21s last month, has left the Liverpool defender “absolutely devastated” after the teenager made a promising start to the campaign.
The 18-year-old, who joined from Charlton Athletic, made an instant impact at the club and began the season as their first-choice left-back, putting in some assured displays despite the club’s mixed results.
“I was absolutely devastated. I was hoping I’d be back available before too long,” Gomez said.
“When I got the results of the scan, I could tell by the doctor’s face that it wasn’t good news. To be told it was my cruciate was tough to take,” he added.
Schneiderlin happy to take back seat
Man. United midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin is not bothered by a lack of media recognition and only concerns himself with helping the club achieve success.
The holding midfielder described himself as someone willing to make sacrifices and let his more attack-minded team-mates take centre stage.
“I’m a team player. I don’t play to chase praise from anyone. Of course, you have to play as well as you can but I don’t play to have good ratings in the paper or anything like that,” he said.
“I just play to win games and give my team the best possibilities.'
I’ve put France on world map – Ibra
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has never been afraid to speak his mind and the Sweden striker said yesterday that he had put France on the map of world football.
On the eve of his country’s meeting with Denmark in the Euro 2016 play-off first leg at the Friends Arena, Ibrahimovic also hinted that the two games against Sweden’s Scandinavian rivals could be his last for the national team.
“I would love to play at Euro 2016 in France,” he said.
“I have played there for four years. I have put Sweden on the world map and now I have put France on the world map too.
“If it’s over (for me) after the play-offs? We’ll see. If you’re asking me now? No. If you ask me after the play-offs? I don’t know.”
Ribery closing in on return from injury
Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery has described his eight-month injury absence as the “most difficult time” of his career.
The 32-year-old has been sidelined since March due to an ankle problem but is closing in on a return for the Bundesliga leaders.
“It’s been the most difficult time of my career,” said Ribery.
“It’s tough when you don’t know when and how things are going to move on, but no worries – I’ll be my old self again soon.
“I do still feel my ankle a little, but when I am warm, I don’t feel anything anymore.”
Goalkeeper Fulop dies, aged 32
Goalkeeper Marton Fulop has died at the age of 32, his former club MTK Budapest have announced.
Hungarian international Fulop played in England between 2004 and 2010. He is best remembered for his time with Sunderland but he was also on the books of Tottenham, Ipswich and West Brom and also had loan spells with Manchester City, Stoke, Leicester, Chesterfield and Coventry City.
A statement on MTK’s official website read: “We are deeply sorrowful and grieved to announce that after a long illness, Marton Fulop has died.”
FIFA chief Blatter out of hospital
Suspended FIFA president Sepp Blatter, whose world football federation is mired in a corruption crisis, has been discharged from hospital, his confidant Klaus Stoehlker said yesterday.
“He had to stay a few days in hospital but now he is out, he is at home in (the canton of) Valais. He is very happy and he is relaxing a few days until the beginning of next week and then he will be back,” Stoehlker told Reuters TV in an interview.
“He’s recovering very fast.”
Blatter had been in hospital since Friday, when his US-based lawyer, Richard Cullen, said the Swiss national had been admitted for a check-up.
Mourinho reveals Clough admiration
Jose Mourinho has spoken of his profound admiration for former Nottingham Forest manager Brian Clough.
In the foreword for a new book on Clough called I Believe in Miracles, the Chelsea boss talks about the similarities between himself and the two-time European Cup-winning manager.
The Portuguese revealed he went on a day trip to Nottingham during Euro 96 while he was working at Barcelona to see the place where Clough enjoyed his success.
“I walked all the way (around the city) and when I saw the stadium I thought: ‘Are you kidding me – this club won the European Cup? Twice?’” Mourinho says.
“It was a nice stadium and a nice city, but it was a small place.
“It was the size of the stadium that really took me aback.”