Carvalho, Gago near Real exit

is suggesting that Barcelona right-back Dani Alves has urged the club to sign Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere in the future.

Alves went up against Wilshere for Brazil when they took on England earlier in the month and many said that the Arsenal midfielder was the best player on the pitch at Wembley that evening.

When you consider the talent that was on the pitch in that encounter, it shows you just how good Wilshere was and a move to Barcelona could be on the cards.

Alves has often come out and said he would like the La Liga club to sign a certain type of player and it seems as though he is a big admirer of Wilshere.

He said: “He has a lot of quality and a great personality. If I was given the chance to choose, he is a player that I would sign for Barcelona…

Everton s reported plans to hire Vitor Pereira as the successor to Marco Silva have been scuppered after the Shanghai SIPG coach confirmed his intention to remain in China.

The Toffees sacked Silva following their 5-2 Merseyside derby defeat to Liverpool at the start of the month.

Club favourite Duncan Ferguson took charge at the weekend as Everton beat Chelsea 3-1 and the Scot was well received by supporters, though he distanced himself from suggestions he should lead the team full-time.

Pereira, Marcelino, Unai Emery and David Moyes had been linked with succeeding Silva, with the former reportedly their first choice.

But Pereira appears to have ended Everton s chances of bringing him to England.

 | This is class.

The great Howard Kendal…

Frank Lampard backed Carlo Ancelotti to bounce back at the top level after Napoli sacked the experienced Italian on Tuesday.

Ancelotti was dismissed three hours after leading the club to a 4-0 victory over Genk, which confirmed their place in the Champions League knockout rounds.

Poor results in Serie A and rumours of discontent at Stadio San Paolo had placed pressure on the ex-Milan head coach for a number of weeks.

Links to the vacant posts at Everton and Arsenal have already emerged and Blues boss Lampard, who played under Ancelotti at Stamford Bridge, suggested the 60-year-old would have no trouble finding another high-profile position.

I have huge respect for him, I am very sorry for him, Lampard said after Chelsea s win over Lille.

I know …

Liverpool are ready to make a move for Southampton forward Sadio Mane, .

Reds manager Jurgen Klopp is ready to make the Senegal international his top target after admitting defeat in his pursuit of Bayern Munich star Mario Gotze.

Manchester United have long been linked with a move for the twenty-four year old and failed with a bid last summer while Tottenham Hotspur have also been monitoring the situation.

Mane moved to St Mary’s in the summer of 2014 and has since racked up seventy-five appearances in all competitions, scoring twenty-five goals.

Three of those goals came in under three minutes in a win over Aston Villa last May the fastest hat-trick in Premier League history.

Prior to his move to the south coast of England, he spent two…

Barca eyeing Team USA star

Barcelona are keeping close tabs on Borussia M gladbach full-back Fabian Johnson, .

It is no secret the Catalans are in the market for a long-term successor to Daniel Alves, and the technical department plans to compile a list of four or five possible reinforcements before making their decision.

And while FC Porto s Danilo remains the number one name on the hit-list, recent reports suggest Barcelona are also looking at USA hotshot Fabian Johnson.

El Mundo Deportivo has learned that the Catalans scout Juan Carlos Rojo watched the player in action in midweek as Sevilla hosted Borussia M gladbach in Europa League.

Johnson, who can play on either side of defence and even in midfield, has been on Barcelona s radar for some t…

How did I do last week? I got four right again. Not brilliant, but not too bad. I reckon I might be getting better at this!

Saturday 22nd November 2008

Aston Villa v Manchester United

Aston Villa looked as though their season might be blowing up after defeats against Newcastle and Middlesbrough but they bounced back with a real ‘bang’ last week by winning comfortably at Arsenal.

Manchester United put five past a hapless Stoke team last Saturday and they seem to be in the mood. Will Ferdinand and Rooney make miraculous recoveries from the injury and illness that kept them out of the England game?

Villa have failed to beat Manchester United in a remarkable twenty-two league and cup matches, since a 3-0 triumph in the third …

Antonio Conte s men are in the final four of the FA Cup after edging past Leicester City in extra time. The clash between the last two Premier League champions was always going to be a fascinating encounter, with both sides clearly putting a lot of emphasis on the importance of progressing in the competition. They put out strong starting XIs, and as the game went on, you could feel that there was a certain sense of urgency regardless of the scoreline.

Moving forward the Blues will have a date at Wembley to look forward to in late April, where they ll take on Southampton who defeated League One side Wigan Athletic earlier in the day. In the other semi-final Manchester United will face Tottenham Hotspur, but aside from that contest, Conte will feel confident that his team can pro…

Northern Ireland left it late to maintain their 100 per cent start to Euro 2020 qualifying with a narrow 1-0 win over Belarus on Tuesday.

Michael O Neill s side won their first three Group C games – including a 2-1 win in the reverse fixture in March – but looked like they would be leaving the Borisov Arena with just a point after a disjointed display.

But, having secured a late turnaround to overcome Estonia at the weekend, they did the same again in Barysaw, Paddy McNair sparking wild celebrations among the travelling support with a fine finish four minutes from time.

The win means O Neill s men remain at the summit of their group, three points ahead of Germany, who have a game in hand.

FT: Four games. 12 points. Get in there!!!!!!

— Nor…

Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino has refused to be drawn on speculation that he wants to sign former player Morgan Schneiderlin.

Southampton midfielder Schneiderlin has been vocal about his desire to depart St Mary s Stadium throughout the close-season following the exits of the likes of Adam Lallana, Luke Shaw and Dejan Lovren.

Pochettino left Southampton for Tottenham in May, and has consistently been linked with a bid to bring France international Schneiderlin with him to White Hart Lane.

However, the Spurs boss would not reveal whether he wants to be reunited with the 24-year-old when speaking ahead of Tottenham s Premier League curtain-raiser at West Ham on Saturday.

It s not my style to speak about another player, said Pochettino.

It s…

Hull City boss Steve Bruce has promised to rotate his squad in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League play-off at Lokeren on Thursday.

Hull left it late to book their place in the play-offs of Europe s second-tier competition in their first ever continental campaign.

An 80th-minute Sone Aluko goal was required to give Hull a 2-1 aggregate win over Trencin of Slovakia in the third qualifying round, and they now meet a Lokeren side who have won three of their last four matches.

The Yorkshire outfit opened their Premier League season with a 1-0 win at QPR on Saturday but Bruce had to leave out several of his seasoned campaigners.

And the former Birmingham City and Wigan Athletic manager is keen to use his depth against the Belgian outfit.

Bruce to…