Borussia Dortmund have confirmed Shinji Kagawa will return to the club following an underwhelming stint at Manchester United.
Kagawa left Dortmund in 2012 to move to Old Trafford, but was unable to nail down a regular starting place under Alex Ferguson or David Moyes.
First-team action proved no easier to come by for the Japan midfielder in the early stages of Louis van Gaal s reign at United.
And Kagawa will now be reunited with Jurgen Klopp at Dortmund, who have tied the 25-year-old to a four-year deal after agreeing to pay an undisclosed fee.
Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke said: Shinji Kagawa is a technically highly gifted creative player who can determine the pace of an encounter.
He wanted [a move] back to Borussia Dortmund and we are sure…
Ralf Rangnick s expected arrival at Manchester United is not good news for other teams in the Premier League, according to Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.
Veteran German coach Rangnick appears set to become interim boss at Old Trafford for the rest of the season.
United lost five of their last seven Premier League games under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who was sacked last Sunday, and Klopp is convinced Rangnick can fix their problems.
Unfortunately a good coach is coming to England, so that s how it is, to Manchester United, Klopp said in a news conference on Friday.
He s obviously a really experienced manager who built two clubs from nowhere to proper threats and proper forces in Germany with Hoffenheim and Leipzig.
He did a lot of different jobs i…
Brisbane coach Rado Vidosic believes his side s strong record in Wellington may come down to the Phoenix respecting them too much.
Since Wellington joined the Hyundai A-League for the 2007/08 season the Roar have typically not left the New Zealand capital empty-handed and that form continued on Sunday when they claimed a point with a 1-1 draw at Westpac Stadium.
Brisbane s 2-0 defeat in New Zealand last season was played in Dunedin and the only other time the Roar have failed to earn at least a point from the away fixture was back in the 2009/10 campaign.
I think maybe they respect us too much, said Roar coach Rado Vidosic of his side s record in Wellington – a venue most other Australian sides struggle in.
You saw the way they played against Sydney.…
Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas believes Pep Guardiola has left a lasting legacy for football.
Guardiola led Barcelona to unprecedented levels of success after taking charge in 2008, steering the Catalan side to 14 trophies in four years.
And the Portuguese manager was quick to acknowledge the lasting impression left by the former Spain international, praising his work as revolutionary.
Guardiola set the standard. People respect the style of play, football philosophy and values he created, Villas-Boas told Portuguese magazine Expresso.
Barcelona play fast football that can be slow at the same time. The players always make the right decisions when on the ball.
Villas-Boas was part of Jose Mourinho s backroom staff during their stint togethe…
Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr faces a spell on the sidelines after damaging a hamstring.
Vinicius came off injured after 18 minutes of Real’s 1-0 LaLiga win at Celta Vigo on Friday.
“After the tests carried out on our player Vini. Jr, by the Real Madrid medical services, (he) has been diagnosed with an injury to the right biceps femoris muscle,” read a club statement.
Vini Jr. medical report.
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden)
“His progress will be monitored.”
The 23-year-old Brazilian is set to miss Real’s final game before the international break at home to Getafe.
There also fears Vinicius could now be absent for Real’s league games against Real Sociedad and city rivals Atletico after the international break,…
Ex-Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel has labelled incredible Real Madrid winger Eden Hazard the laziest of all his former team-mates.
Hazard and Mikel, now of Trabzonspor, shared the Stamford Bridge dressing room for over four seasons.
The Belgium international arrived in 2012 and went on to make 352 appearances for the club, scoring 110 goals.
In June, he completed a coveted €100million move to LaLiga giants Madrid.
Mikel raved about the 28-year-old s undoubted ability but gave a less positive assessment of his work ethic when asked to name the laziest player he trained alongside.
Hazard has incredible talent, the Nigerian told beIN SPORTS in Turkey.
Maybe not as good as [Lionel] Messi, but he can do whatever he wants with the ball a…
Ange Postecoglou has confirmed Yves Bissouma has been suspended for Tottenham s opening game of the Premier League campaign against Leicester.
Bissouma, who made 28 appearances last season, posted a video of himself inhaling nitrous oxide on social media last weekend.
The incident occurred hours after Spurs final pre-season clash, where they lost 3-2 to Bayern Munich in the Visit Malta Cup.
The 27-year-old later issued an apology, saying: I want to apologise for these videos. This was a severe lack of judgement.
I understand how serious this is and the health risks involved, and I also take my responsibility as a footballer and role model very seriously.”
Action from our final pre-season friendly
Highlights: Spurs 2-3 FC Bayern
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Gabriel Martinelli has signed a new long-term contract with Arsenal, the Premier League leaders have confirmed.
The 21-year-old is into his fourth season at Emirates Stadium after joining from Ituano in July 2019.
Brazil international Martinelli has made 111 appearances for Arsenal and has started all 19 of their league matches this campaign, making him one of seven ever-presents.
He was due to be out of contract at the end of next season, but terms have now been agreed on a deal that will reportedly run through until the end of the 2026-27 campaign.
Arsenal announced the news on their official website on Friday, with manager Mikel Arteta confident there is still more to come from the youngster.
We re delighted Gabi has signed a new long-term con…
Kieran Trippier is set to join Newcastle United after a fee, reportedly an initial £12m with add-ons, was agreed with Atlético Madrid.
The England right-back has also agreed personal terms after further discussions between the club and the player’s representatives. The Premier League club are now organising Trippier’s medical before he is officially unveiled as a Newcastle player.
Trippier will become Newcastle’s first signing since the club were taken over by a Saudi-backed consortium in October. Negotiations for the 31-year-old have been taking place since December, with Atlético agreeing to sell when it became clear that Trippier wanted to leave and return to England.
Men’s transfer window January 2…