Rooney: Wayne Rooney is being given the best possible guidance for life on and off the pitch by the coaching staff at Manchester United, says manager Alex Ferguson. The England striker, who has been in outstanding form for United this season, was the subject of newspapers stories last week alleging that he owed £700,000 in gambling debts. Ferguson refused to discuss those allegations but said: "With young people you hope they are getting the proper advice, and that applies to all young players. It's always been the same at our club, and I think we've done really well, handling the young ones that have gone through different stages."
Villarreal: Centre-back Gonzalo Rodriguez will miss Villarreal's Champions League semi-final against Arsenal and has waved goodbye to his chances of going to the World Cup after tearing a ligament in his left ankle. Villarreal said the highly rated 21-year-old, who suffered the injury in his side's 1-0 defeat against Barcelona on Friday, would need three weeks complete rest and another month's treatment before he would be able to start training again. Fellow Villarreal centre-back Juan Manuel Pena will also miss the match at Highbury on Wednesday.
Gordon No.1: Hearts goalkeeper Craig Gordon has been voted Player of the Year by the Scottish Football Writers' Association. The 22-year-old is the first Hearts player to win the trophy since Sandy Jardine 20 years ago. Gordon is also the first player outside Rangers and Celtic to collect the award since 1991 when Dundee Utd's Maurice Malpas triumphed. Former Rangers player Andy Goram is the last keeper to win the prize in 1993.
Lyon: Lyon joined a select group of European teams when they clinched their fifth league title in a row. Gerard Houllier's side became only the fourth side from the six major European leagues to win five successive championships, following in the footsteps of Juventus (1931-35), Torino (1943-49) and Real Madrid (1961-65 and 1986-90). No national league was held in Italy in seasons 1943-44 and 1944-45.
Alemannia Aachen: Alemannia Aachen secured a return to the top division of the Bundesliga yesterday, 36 years on from their demotion in 1970. Aachen's promotion was confirmed when fourth placed Greuther Fuerth were beaten 1-0 away to Saarbruecken. The second division leaders are at home to second-placed Bochum today. A draw for Bochum would be enough to make certain of their promotion as well. Energie Cottbus are in the third and final promotion slot with four games left to play.
In Spain: Weekend results - Deportivo vs Sevilla 0-0; Mallorca vs Alaves 0-0; R. Sociedad vs R. Santander 1-0; Osasuna vs Malaga 1-1; Real Betis vs Celta Vigo 0-2; Zaragoza vs Cadiz 1-2; Valencia vs Espanyol 4-0; Getafe vs R. Madrid 1-1; A. Madrid vs A. Bilbao 1-0. Played on Friday - Barcelona vs Villarreal 1-0. Leading standings - Barcelona 73; Valencia 62; Real Madrid 60, Osasuna 59; Celta Vigo 54; Sevilla 53; Deportivo 51; Villarreal 49.
Bundesliga: Played yesterday - Nuremberg vs Kaiserslautern 3-2; Hanover vs Stuttgart 3-3.
Ligue 1 - Nice vs Rennes 2-1; Paris SG vs Lyon 0-1.