Rangers boss Ally McCoist has revealed he has already spoken to two players as he eyes up signings for next season. But the Ibrox manager refused to confirm if he was looking to lure Motherwell defender Shaun Hutchinson or midfielder Kenny McLean from St Mirren to the new League One champions after both were linked with moves this week. He said: “I wouldn’t comment at all on players at other clubs because it’s not fair to do that. “I have spoken to two players. I can’t give you names but that’s where we are. The unfortunate position we are in is that we can’t offer anyone anything.”
Schmelzer out for four weeks
Defender Marcel Schmelzer has joined the growing injury list at Borussia Dortmund and will be sidelined for about four weeks. The Germany international strained adductor muscles late in the 2-1 defeat by Zenit St Petersburg on Wednesday that saw Dortmund advance to the Champions League quarter-finals with a 5-4 aggregate win. Schmelzer is set to miss both last-eight ties in April and could also be out for the first leg of the semi-finals if his team progress.
Moyes confident over Van Persie
David Moyes is confident that the knee injury suffered by Robin van Persie in Wednesday's epic comeback against Olympiakos is not serious. Van Persie scored a hat-trick to give Manchester United the 3-0 win they needed to progress to the Champions League quarter-finals. Some of the gloss was taken off the dramatic night, though, when Van Persie was carried off on a stretcher in the dying minutes of the match after a tackle by Giannis Maniatis. “I don’t think he is too bad,” the United manager said of his striker. “He has got a knock just behind his knee. We will assess it and we will know more after that.”
England absence frustrates Johnson
Sunderland winger Adam Johnson believes he has missed out on an England call-up because he does not play for one of the top clubs in the Premier League. The 26-year-old has 12 England caps but was a notable absentee from a 30-man squad named by manager Roy Hodgson for a recent friendly against Denmark and has not played for his country since an August 2012 friendly against Italy. “I think a lot of people saw me as almost a certainty (for England) but if you look at the last squad it was almost all top eight bar (Cardiff’s Steven) Caulker, who wasn’t meant to be in it but for (Phil) Jagielka’s injury,” Johnson told the Guardian newspaper yesterday. “I think that says a lot about the selection. I don’t think it really matters how well you’re playing, it’s who you play for.”
I can still make WCup squad –Torres
Chelsea striker Fernando Torres has not given up on making Spain’s World Cup squad and will work hard to convince coach Vicente del Bosque he deserves a place with the defending champions in Brazil. Torres faces stiff competition from the likes of Diego Costa, Alvaro Negredo, Fernando Llo-rente and David Villa, but believes if Chelsea have a successful end to the season and he plays an important role, he can secure a place in Del Bosque’s final 23-man group. “We are up there in the (domestic) league, through to the next round of the Champions League and it could be a great end to the season,” he said. “The more important matches you play and the more things you are fighting for the greater the demands and that is when I have performed best. “The World Cup is just around the corner and those who are in the best form will be the ones to go.”
No Inter return for former chief Moratti
Massimo Moratti has no plans of returning as Inter president but hinted that his son Angelomario might one day fill that role. Moratti has led Inter for 18 years before deciding to sell the majority of his shares to Erick Thohir last November. “To return now as president would be crazy, but perhaps one day my son might do it, I do not rule that out,” the 68-year-old said. Moratti is the club’s honorary president and remains a minority shareholder in the Nerazzurri whilst his son Angelomario is listed as vice-president.
Djordjevic to join Lazio in summer
Serbian striker Filip Djordjevic will join Lazio when his Nantes contract expires at the end of the season. The 26-year-old, who has scored 10 goals for Nantes in 26 Ligue 1 appearances this term, announced he would move to the Serie A club on a free transfer in a video posted on Lazio’s official YouTube channel. He said: “Hello, I am Filip Djordjevic. I am a new Lazio player for next season. “I am very excited about playing for such a prestigious club. “I hope we can experience great emotions together.”