Sky Sport Match Highlight
Archive for Aprile, 2011
Newcastle manager Alan Pardew has denied there is a deal in place to sell in-demand Spanish full-back Jose Enrique to Liverpool.
Liverpool old boy Phil Thompson said in a television interview over the weekend he understood a deal had been done, a claim on which the Magpies were not prepared to comment on. The former Villarreal full-back has also put talks over a new contract on hold.
Pardew is adamant that a player who has been a star performer this season does have a future on Tyneside.
“There’s definitely no deal between the clubs – 100%,” told the Evening Chronicle. “He’s under contract here until next summer and we hope to open talks on a new deal as soon as possible. That’s where we are.
“We want to keep our best players, and Jose’s one of them. As far as anything being a done deal, that’s not true. We want Jose to stay. Nothing’s changed.”
Striker Andy Carroll was ultimately prised out of the manager’s grasp by the Reds’ £35million January bid after repeated assurances he was going nowhere and the England international had signed a new long-term contract just months earlier.
Newcastle had hoped both Enrique and midfielder Joey Barton would sign new contracts at the turn of the year, but the defender, having been linked with the likes of Bayern Munich and AC Milan, decided to wait until after the club’s Premier League status was assured.
Barton also decided not to commit himself in the wake of Carroll’s departure, preferring instead to wait for the club to persuade him of their ambition by tying up the likes of Enrique and skipper Kevin Nolan as well as targeting new signings during the summer. Enrique, however, after some prime performances this season is a player likely to far more in demand.
Meanwhile, the Magpies have been handed a boost by the news a scan on striker Shola Ameobi’s knee injury has revealed no lasting damage.
The 29-year-old missed Sunday’s 1-0 defeat at Aston Villa because of the problem, but he is expected to return to full training by the weekend and could be in contention for Tuesday night’s clash with leaders Manchester United.
Credit: http://soccernet.espn.go.com
Wayne Rooney has described Ryan Giggs as a “genius” after his starring role in the Champions League quarter-final clash with Chelsea and believes his Manchester United team-mate will soon receive a knighthood.
Giggs, 37, was instrumental in all three goals in United’s 3-1 aggregate victory over Chelsea and has received plenty of praise for his recent performances from central midfield.
“It is incredible what he has done for Manchester United, for the younger players at the club,” Rooney told talkSPORT. “It is absolutely fantastic to play with him. I don’t know what he is doing.
“Honestly, for me he is a genius and I don’t think it will be long before we are calling him ‘Sir Ryan Giggs’ in my opinion.”
Rooney has also found himself operating in a new position of late, playing in a more withdrawn role with Javier Hernandez as the advanced striker.
It has been a difficult year for Rooney, having struggled for form since suffering an injury against Bayern Munich last March and taking heavy criticism for his World Cup performances, but he now appears to be recovering his best form.
“I’m delighted [with my own form],” he said. “I think everyone knows it has been a tough season for me, but from the turn of the year I think I have been really pleased with my form – I’ve started to score goals again.
“I’m delighted with that and obviously the results we are getting, but I think I am playing in a different position now and I’m really enjoying it. I’m getting on the ball, getting involved and I feel that I can dictate the game from the position I’m playing, so I’m really pleased with my form.”
Even as the criticism of Rooney’s form fades, though, he has still made negative headlines in the British press. He was front-page news after his well-documented on-camera rant against West Ham, which brought a two-game ban from the Football Association.
It means he will miss the FA Cup semi-final clash with Manchester City at Wembley this weekend and, asked if he was frustrated, he said: “Yeah, of course. Don’t get me wrong – with the swearing, I didn’t realise what I had done and it was just emotions, a release if you like, of scoring the three goals to get us back in the lead.
“As soon as I realised after the game, I apologised as soon as I could. Of course it was wrong of me to do, but I accept my punishment and we just have to move on.”
Newspapers have also used the end of Rooney’s working relationship with Coca-Cola to attack the player but, as that decision was taken last year, he says he finds the coverage amusing.
“To be honest, it makes me laugh,” he said. “I have seen that story last week in the newspapers. I spoke to Coke towards the end of last season about signing a new deal and obviously with the Olympics coming up, they wanted more of my time to do more commercial appearances and I just didn’t have the time, so we both went our separate ways.
“This all happened at the end of last season so I haven’t been with Coca-Cola since 2010, but obviously the story has just come out in the newspapers now. It makes me laugh to see it come out now saying I have been dropped by them, but that is how the media works.”
Credit: http://soccernet.espn.go.com
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