England are likely to field a young, experimental team against world and European champions Spain in their friendly at Wembley on Saturday with squad regulars John Terry, Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard and Rio Ferdinand all missing for different reasons.
The Louis van Gaal era finally got lift off as Manchester United demolished Queens Park Rangers 4-0 on Sunday for their first win since the Dutchman took charge at Old Trafford.
Steven Gerrard scored on his first start for seven months before Javier Hernandez headed a late equaliser as Liverpool and Manchester United battled to a 1-1 draw in the Premier League at Anfield on Saturday.
England manager Fabio Capello reinstated John Terry as his captain on Saturday, saying the defender had been punished enough for newspaper stories about his private life that cost him the armband a year ago.
England manager Fabio Capello seems set to reinstate John Terry as England captain, having stripped the Chelsea central defender of the position last year following newspaper stories about his private life.
Defeat by arch-rivals Liverpool on Sunday has threatened to expose Manchester United's Premier League title challenge at the time in the season when they usually come to life.
Manchester United's 3-2 Champions League defeat at VfL Wolfsburg on Tuesday was difficult to understand, said manager Louis van Gaal after they crashed out in the group stage for the first time since 2011.
Manchester United lead the English Premier League standings on 63 points, five ahead of Arsenal, who have a game in hand.
VW overtook Japan's Toyota in the first half of this year to become the world's biggest carmaker by sales, but is facing a sharp slowdown in its most profitable market, China.
West Brom's goalkeeper Anders Lindegaard took to social media to hit back at his former Manchester United teammate, Wayne Rooney.
Liverpool peeled away the gloom enveloping their season with a 2-0 home win over Premier League champions and fierce rivals Manchester United on Sunday.
John Terry has been stripped of England captaincy after a 12-minute showdown with the coach Fabio Capello
Manchester United's injury crisis deepened on Monday as they prepared for a Champions League match against Germany's Vfl Wolfsburg with only one first-team defender in their 19-man squad.
Liverpool lifted the gloom hanging over their season with a 2-0 victory over Premier League champions and fierce rivals Manchester United on Sunday.
Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola named injury concerns Thierry Henry and Andres Iniesta in his starting team to play Manchester United in the Champions League final on Wednesday. United central defender Rio Ferdinand was also included in the starting lineup after shaking off a calf injury.
Manchester United's Ryan Giggs was voted Player of the Year for the first time by the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) on Sunday. Despite making only 12 Premier League starts and scoring a single goal, the evergreen Welshman finally took the prize after 18 years as a professional with United and just short of 800 appearances for the club.
Cristiano Ronaldo is on course for a hat-trick of PFA Player of the Year awards after being included in the nominations released on Tuesday. Central defensive partnership Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic are in contention for the award voted for by their fellow professionals while Ryan Giggs and goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar are also nominated. Title-chasing Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard, who won the vote in 2006, completes the list of six.
Manchester United's plane had to abort its landing seconds from touchdown as the squad flew to Germany for Wednesday's Champions League match with Bayer Leverkusen, British media reported.
Spain will play an international friendly against England in Seville in February after the visitors refused to play at Real Madrid's Bernabeu stadium, the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) said on Tuesday. In a statement, the RFEF said it had decided to hold the match at Sevilla's Sanchez Pizjuan stadium on February 11, without giving any further explanation.
Sunderland face an anxious final day of the Premier League season after a 3-1 defeat at Portsmouth Monday left them in serious danger of relegation.
England coach Fabio Capello will be without at least six of his first-choice side for Wednesday's friendly against Germany in Berlin after midfielders Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard withdrew from the squad on Monday.
'I arrived at Manchester United a boy, and I left a man'
Manchester United's players had already switched their body clocks back to GMT before beating Ecuador's LDU to capture the Club World Cup in Japan. The Premier League champions became the tournament's first British winners when a Wayne Rooney goal gave them a 1-0 victory over LDU in Sunday's final in Yokohama.
Goalkeeper Tim Howard saved two penalties against his former club to inspire Everton to a 4-2 shootout win over Manchester United on Sunday which sent them into the FA Cup final for the first time since 1995. Howard saved United's first two spot-kicks from Dimitar Berbatov and Rio Ferdinand after a turgid semi-final ended 0-0 after extra time at Wembley Stadium.
Midfielder Steven Gerrard will miss England's friendly against Germany in Berlin on Wednesday after picking up a groin strain in Liverpool's 2-0 victory over Bolton Wanderers on Saturday.
Manchester United's players were given a lift ahead of their Premier League game against Arsenal when Diego Maradona visited them at their training ground today. The new Argentina coach is visiting clubs in England to meet up with some of the key players in his national squad.
Other nominations include Dunkirk, The Post and I, Tonya.
England hope to put behind their gloomy recent experiences against Croatia when they travel to Zagreb on Wednesday for an early key World Cup qualifier. Croatia beat England twice in the Euro 2008 qualifiers, costing them a place in June's finals in Switzerland and Austria and coach Steve McLaren his job.
England coach Fabio Capello named midfielder David Beckham as captain on Saturday for Sunday's friendly international against Trinidad & Tobago.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as Manchester United romped to a 4-2 away win at Dynamo Kiev on Tuesday to make it three wins from three in Champions League Group F.
Chelsea chief executive Ron Gourlay said on Wednesday he was leaving Stamford Bridge after a decade in which Chelsea were crowned kings of Europe but also suffered plenty of off-field dramas too.
Alan Gledson, 45, a former British farmer has landed the job of coach for India's national rugby team.
Fifa President Sepp Blatter says female soccer players should wear tighter shorts to promote "a more female aesthetic".
A stunning hat-trick by Cristiano Ronaldo saw the champions outclass Newcastle United and go top of the Premier League.
Beckham will be looking cool in Police sunglasses for another three years, after renewing his contract with the company.
Until last season, Manchester United had never lost in the Premier League at Upton Park but the Londoners, who also triumphed at Old Trafford in May, made it two in two seasons with late goals by defenders Anton Ferdinand and Matthew Upson.
Wayne Rooney scored twice in a 4-1 victory in the English Premier League.
Portsmouth blasted the title race wide open on Saturday with a 2-1 victory over leaders Manchester United.
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