Real Madrid handed Africa trip in Copa del Rey

Phil Jones wants to establish himself as a centre-back for Manchester United this season.

The England international has proved a versatile asset for the Old Trafford club since joining from Blackburn Rovers in 2011, playing at full-back and in midfield.

But the 21-year-old believes that he is best suited to playing in central defence and is keen to nail down a regular berth in the position.

I have said from day one I see myself as a centre-back, he said.

But if I am asked to play in midfield or at right-back I am happy to do so. As long as I am in the team, it doesn t matter whether I am in goal.

Of course, towards the middle and end of my career I will want to start cementing a place in a certain position but at the moment I am happy.

Jones featured…

Anderlecht player Axel Witsel became public enemy number one here Monday a day after putting Standard Liege s Marcin Wasilewski in hospital with a broken ankle and facing a year out of football.

Wasilewski, 29, underwent an operation after the 1-1 league draw on Sunday to reduce the fracture but, with an injury similar to the horrific one suffered by Arsenal s Eduardo in February 2008, he is expected to go under the knife again next week.

His club Standard, the defending league champions from the French-speaking city of Liege, said the defender could be out for a year meaning he will miss the World Cup finals if Poland manage to qualify.

Witsel meanwhile was put through the wringer by the country s press, which is believed to be partly because he is considered a…

Aston Villa have completed the signing of Nice full-back Jordan Amavi for an undisclosed fee.

The defender, who has represented France at Under-21 level, has penned a five-year deal at Villa Park.

Amavi joins the likes of Idrissa Gueye, Mark Bunn and Micah Richards in moving to the Premier League club during the close-season.

I m delighted to have secured the services of someone we consider to be a terrific young player, manager Tim Sherwood told Villa s official website.

Jordan has been one of the outstanding players in Ligue 1 and is still very young and can become even better.

There were a lot of clubs after him this summer so we are really pleased to welcome him to the club.

Amavi broke into the first-team at Nice in the 2013-14 …

Manchester City have joined Chelsea in the race to sign John Stones from Everton, .

Manuel Pellegrini’s men, who finished in second place eight points behind the Blues last season, have been steadily adding more home grown players to their squad this summer with Patrick Roberts, Fabian Delph and Raheem Sterling all securing moves to the Etihad Stadium.

However, they are now ready to move for England international defender Stones, who has recently been the subject two big money bids from Chelsea, both of which have been rejected by the Toffees.

Stones moved to Goodison Park from Barnsley in the summer of 2013, and has since racked up fifty-four appearances for the club, scoring his one and only goal for the club so far in a 3-0 win over Manchester United bac…

Nabil Fekir has left Lyon and joined Real Betis, potentially paving the way for Giovani Lo Celso s departure.

France international Fekir, 26, entered the final 12 months of his deal at the start of July and LaLiga club Betis swooped to complete a transfer that could cost them €29.75million, with the deal also including a potential 20 per cent sell-on bonus for Lyon.

His younger brother, Yassin Fekir, has also moved to the Benito Villamarin, and Lyon will receive 50 per cent of any future transfer fee for the 22-year-old.

The versatile attacker, who has hit 36 Ligue 1 goals in the last three years, almost moved to Liverpool in 2018 and was linked to Arsenal after declining to discuss new terms with Lyon, the club he captained for two seasons.

Fekir prog…

Carlo Ancelotti described Pep Guardiola as a genius despite admitting Manchester City s levels have dropped since last season as he prepares to take his Everton side to the Etihad Stadium.

Former Chelsea and Real Madrid boss Ancelotti has overseen victories in both of his matches in charge of the Toffees since taking over from caretaker manager Duncan Ferguson, but he said facing the champions on New Year s Day would be a stern test.

Third-placed City are 14 points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool after suffering two defeats in their last five league outings, but Ancelotti said he still regards Guardiola as a master of the game.

Pep is a fantastic manager, Ancelotti told reporters. I have a good relationship with him. 

We met some times, not a …

If ever proof was needed of the renaissance enjoyed by Tottenham Hotspur under the guidance of Harry Redknapp, it could be writ large in the English Premier League table on Saturday.

The north Londoners could move joint top with a home win over Stoke City, almost a year to the day since Redknapp assumed control of a club in freefall.

Their stay at the summit might be brief Chelsea could overtake them with a victory over Blackburn later Saturday, while Manchester United do not play against Liverpool until Sunday and given Stoke s dogged reputation, it might not even happen at all.

But, either way, there can be no doubting the extraordinary effect Redknapp has had on Tottenham in the space of 12 short months.

The extent of Spurs woes in October 2008 can ha…

Gambling has evolved tremendously in the last decade with more options available for punters to place less ordinary bets. One such bet is backing your favourite striker to score which has become very popular among bettors.

This football goalscorer betting guide will showcase different ways to bet on your favourite goalscorer.

What is football goalscorer betting?

Goalscorer betting is just another betting market categorized as a special , which you will find in the sportsbook section. Betting on your favourite striker to score a goal is as simple as backing your team to win!

Wagering money on a player to score is considered high-risk betting since many variables come into play. Here are some of the reasons:

the player may not feature in the line-up and can …

Democratic Republic of Congo coach Florent Ibenge hopes a strong end to AFCON qualifying translates into the tournament as they face Zambia.

Florent Ibenge aims to harness the momentum that propelled his Democratic Republic of Congo team into the Africa Cup of Nations in their opening Group B game against 2012 champions Zambia in Ebebiyin on Sunday.

DR Congo reached consecutive Africa Cup of Nations tournaments for since 2006 thanks to a famous 4-3 victory against Ivory Coast, which helped them qualify for the tournament as the best third-placed team.

That followed Ibenge s appointment last August as he retained his role of coach of Congolese club AS Vita, who he lead to the final of the CAF Champions League.

Three Vita players will join him in se…

Ivorian striker Lacina Traore is likely to leave Anzhi Makhachakala in the January transfer window, according to his official representative.

One of just a handful of high-profile players to have remained at the club following drastic budget cuts, the 23-year-old is expected to leave the Russian side at the earliest opportunity.

He has already been linked with a number of high-profile clubs, including Juventus and Galatasaray, and his agent admits a January exit is on the cards.

“In case of a decent proposal that satisfies all the parties, Lacina can change clubs next winter,” agent Dmitry Selyuk .

“The demand for Traore both in Russia and in Europe is quite good.”

Lacina Traore made a name for himself at CFR Cluj, where he bagged 14 goal…