Van der Vaart linked with La Liga return

Wales caretaker boss Rob Page insists Gareth Bale still has the hunger and desire to play for his country after including the player in his squad for the upcoming international break.

Page s side face Finland in a friendly on September 1, before resuming their 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign with a double-header against Belarus and Estonia.

Speculation surrounded Bale s international future following the Dragons exit from Euro 2020 at the hands of Denmark.

However, the Real Madrid forward, who has 96 caps to his name, could edge closer to becoming Wales second centurion after being selected by Page.

Bale, who spent last season on loan at Tottenham, has started twice this season under new Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti, scoring in Sunday s 3-3 draw…

Theo Walcott marked his first Southampton appearance for almost 15 years by setting up the late equaliser that secured a dramatic 3-3 draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

German stars Timo Werner and Kai Havertz scored their first Premier League goals for Chelsea, but there were familiar failings in the home team s ranks and Frank Lampard s men were punished.

Chelsea were thrilling going forward at times, with Werner, who also had a goal disallowed, netting twice before setting up Havertz for what looked set to be the winner.

But between Werner s double and Havertz s strike it had been the same story for the Blues defence, with Danny Ings and Che Adams taking advantage, and Walcott s shot from the edge of the penalty area in stoppage time was nodded in by�…

Sandro Tonali paid off the first instalment of his £52million transfer fee as he marked a fine debut with his first goal and inspired Newcastle to a 5-1 drubbing of Aston Villa.

The 23-year-old Italy international opened the scoring just six minutes into his first competitive appearance for the Magpies and had a hand in two more of their goals as Alexander Isak helped himself to a double and substitutes Callum Wilson and Harvey Barnes struck late on after Moussa Diaby, also making his bow in England’s top flight, had levelled.

However, a hugely entertaining game win was overshadowed by a potentially serious injury to Villa’s England defender Tyrone Mings, who was carried from the pitch on a stretcher to warm applause from a crowd of 52,207 at St James Park after goi…

Australia and Tunisia are hungry to snatch a rare World Cup victory when they meet at Al Janoub Stadium on Saturday, knowing they could take a huge step towards the knockout stage.

After Australia were torched 4-1 by France, Graham Arnold will look to rouse his side for a clash with a Tunisia side who revelled in having huge support against Denmark, earning a 0-0 draw against the European Championship semi-finalists.

That result for Tunisia – just a second clean sheet for the team in 16 matches at the World Cup – has raised hopes of advancing beyond the group stage for the first time, at what is their sixth World Cup.

We want to get past this round, this is our main objective, and we re quite optimistic about achieving this goal, said coach Jalel Kadri.

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Former Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon believes the club should sell Cristiano Ronaldo if he is unhappy.

The current administration took over from Calderon in 2009, with his successor Florentino Perez bringing in Portuguese star Ronaldo for a world record transfer fee of 80 million pounds.

Calderon has been critical of the new regime since his departure and when asked about the Ronaldo situation he insisted the right course of action would be to let 27-year-old leave the club.

If a player is unhappy, they must go, he told Eurosport magazine.

It happened to me with Robinho; it was a dramatic saga, but he was bought for 28 million euros and sold for 48 million euros, so it was a good deal.

Calderon also voiced concerns about those closest t…

England striker Wayne Rooney will captain his nation for the visit of San Marino to Wembley for their World Cup qualifier on Friday.

The Manchester United star will lead out the Three Lions in the absence of regular skipper Steven Gerrard who is suspended following his dismissal against Ukraine and Frank Lampard, who was forced to withdraw from the squad with a thigh injury sustained in Chelsea s victory over Norwich on Saturday.

It is almost three years since Rooney captained his country, with the number 10 wearing the armband most recently in a friendly against Brazil in Doha in November 2009 a match they lost 1-0.

He is yet to score for United this Premier League season but has been widely praised for his performances since returning from a gashed leg sustain…

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson says the UEFA Champions League is much harder to win now than when he first became manager.

Ferguson will celebrate his 26th year in charge of the club when United face Braga on Wednesday.

United have won Europe s elite club competition twice during the Scot s long tenure, in 1999 and 2008.

They were beaten finalists in 2009 and 2011, leaving Ferguson better placed than most to judge how tough it is to win.

I think the Champions League is a fantastic tournament now and the transition from it just being the champions of each country to a league format has made it more appealing, he said.

You are getting the best clubs, two or three in some cases, from the best countries. It is an opportunity to regularly p…

Former Chelsea defender Tal Ben Haim has been handed a trial spell at Queens Park Rangers by manager Harry Redknapp in an attempt to strengthen one of the worst defences in the English Premier League, .

Ben Haim, 30, has been looking for a new club since being shown the door by Portsmouth in August, and QPR seems to be a good fit.

The Israel international can play several defensive positions, including centre-back, right-back and sweeper, and has over 60 international caps to his name.

I am having a look at him, he s a good defender, he s a good lad and has a great attitude, said Redknapp.

He looks very fit and I have let him come in and train, we will just see where we go in the next couple of weeks.

Ben Haim has played for seven cl…

Sino-Europe is set to take control of Milan on March 3rd. Image: Calciomercato.com

The day is finally here! The Chinese consortium of Sino-Europe Sports is set to close on the purchase of on March 3rd, ending a two-year long saga of speculation and rumors over the club s sale. Silvio Berlusconi will finally relinquish his hold on AC Milan, opening up a variety of different possibilities. Here s what the Chinese can bring to the table.

Money, Money, Money

Money is something Milan has been lacking in recent years, and it may finally change with the Chinese. They have been rumored to be willing to invest over €120 million in the summer s transfer market, sums that can attract world superstars, something that Milan hasn t had since the departure of Zlatan Ibrahimovic an…

Monaco defender Andrea Raggi is hoping to face Leicester City in the quarter-finals of the Champions League as he looks to avenge their sacking of Claudio Ranieri.

Despite guiding Leicester to a remarkable Premier League title triumph last season, ex-Monaco boss Ranieri lost his job in late February with the Foxes looking in real danger of relegation.

Craig Shakespeare has since taken over and guided them to three successive wins in all competitions, including the 2-0 last-16 second-leg triumph over Sevilla to take Leicester into the last eight.

Monaco also progressed against Manchester City thanks to their three away goals in a thrilling tie that finished 6-6 on aggregate and now Raggi – who was brought to the principality club by Ranieri in 2012 – hopes to…