Chelsea complete Oscar signing

England coach Roy Hodgson has moved to downplay the impact the Manaus heat will have on his side against Italy on Saturday.

England open their FIFA World Cup campaign against the Italians deep in the world s largest tropical rain forest.

Steamy and humid conditions are expected and how both sides fare in the Group D clash could be crucial in their hopes of reaching the last 16.

I don t think at this World Cup you will see a big difference in the way teams play due to conservation of energy, Hodgson said on Tuesday.

I m not really expecting enormous changes.

What we have to do is play our football and with the 14 players at our disposition, play the football we want to play.

Hodgson also rejected suggestions from England midfielder Jack Wilshere that …

Pep Guardiola insists Sergio Aguero will not start Saturday s derby at Old Trafford despite making a goalscoring return to action for Manchester City in the Champions League.

Aguero played 25 minutes as a second-half substitute and poached the second goal in a 3-0 win over Marseille from close range.

Complications in his recovery from meniscus surgery have limited the 32-year-old to four appearances this season and Guardiola said after the match that he would take a long-term view of his star striker s fitness.

He played well, he scored a goal – for his instincts, for his quality in [the penalty area], he said after Ferran Torres netted his fourth Champions League goal of the season and Raheem Sterling completed the scoring in the final minute.

We …

Massimiliano Allegri remained philosophical after Juventus comprehensive 4-0 friendly loss to Atletico Madrid on Sunday, adamant the rout could benefit his side in the long term.

Juventus clash with Atletico had originally been set for Tel Aviv but was moved to the Turin giants training ground on Saturday owing to security concerns following a heightening of conflict in Gaza.

Despite enjoying familiar surroundings, the Serie A club endured a chastening end to their pre-season campaign as Alvaro Morata s treble – as well as a late strike from Matheus Cunha – condemned them to a resounding defeat.

Atletico s win could have been even more comfortable had Joao Felix not seen a first-half penalty saved by Wojciech Szczesny, but Allegri believes Juve will draw va…

Bayern Munich winger Kingsley Coman is looking forward to teaming up with coach Carlo Ancelotti again and is confident the Italian is the right man to lead them to further success.

Coman previously worked with Ancelotti at Paris Saint-Germain, with the 57-year-old handing the France international his professional debut at the tender age of 16.

I was really pleased when I heard Ancelotti would replace [Pep] Guardiola. I know him from my time with PSG and have nothing but fond memories of him, Coman told the official Bundesliga website.

He is a great coach and a wonderful human being. Communication is really important to him. His door is always open to anyone. He never raises his voice, he is a natural leader. He can deal with every kind of person.

He is…

Kidnapped Mexico international Alan Pulido has been rescued, authorities confirmed on Monday. 

The Olympiacos forward was reportedly taken by a group of attackers after leaving a party in Ciudad Victoria in the early hours of Sunday morning. 

Mexican federal and state forces joined together to locate Pulido s whereabouts, with the 25-year-old found less than 24 hours after he was reported missing. 

The Tamaulipas Coordination Group who organised the rescue released a statement which read:   A joint operation of federal and state forces shortly before midnight on Sunday May 29 managed to rescue professional footballer Alan Pulido safe and sound.

He was deprived of his freedom on Saturday night May 28 in the capital city. Pulido is presently under a me…

Eintracht Frankfurt forward Karim Matmour is keeping his summer options open after revealing he has three concrete offers on the table, .

Matmour, whose current contract at the Waldstadion expires at the end of the season, joined Frankfurt from Borussia Mönchengladbach on a one-year deal, with a club option for a two-year extension, in July 2011.

The Algeria international bagged 7 goals in 35 competitive appearances for the 2. Fußball-Bundesliga side last term.

In 2012-13, Matmour has found the back of the net just once and been sent off twice in 21 league matches in Germany s top flight.

According to reports, English Premier League side Fulham and French Ligue 1 duo Olympique de Marseille and Olympique Lyonnais are interested in the …

Wayne Rooney has urged Manchester United to resist the temptation to target world superstars such as Cristiano Ronaldo or Gareth Bale because he fears it could prove a huge waste of money.

The Red Devils are in the early stages of a new era under the leadership of manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and have been linked with a host of established top-tier players.

They are eager to rival neighbours Manchester City, who have pulled away to become the leading side in the Premier League, while United failed even to qualify for next season s Champions League.

And with arch-rivals Liverpool becoming European champions only last week, United are longing to bring back their own glory days and improve substantially on their sixth-place finish in the top flight in 2018-19.

…

Rhian Brewster is an injury doubt for a youthful Liverpool s clash with Aston Villa in the EFL Cup quarter-finals.

Under-23s boss Neil Critchley will take charge of the Reds at Villa Park on Tuesday while Jurgen Klopp and his senior stars prepare for a Club World Cup semi-final against Monterrey in Qatar.

Liverpool have been forced to field two teams in two competitions on two continents this week due to a fixture pile-up in a manic December for the Premier League leaders.

But already without Virgil van Dijk, Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and the rest of their established names, Liverpool might also be shorn of England youth international Brewster.

The 19-year-old, who has appeared twice in the EFL Cup this season, is dealing with an ankle issue.

H…

Nani set for Old Trafford return

Portuguese media outlet that Sporting Lisbon have no plans to keep hold of winger Nani beyond the current season.

The Manchester United midfielder has largely impressed since joining his former club on a season-long loan, but even though the Lions would be delighted to keep him at Estadio Jose Alvalade, they are aware that is not going to be possible.

Seeing as the club are going through financial difficulty, they have no funds needed to either turn Nani s loan deal into permanent move or extend his loan for another year.

This basically means that Nani will be returning to Old Trafford in the summer before Manchester United make a decision on his future.

After struggling for playing time in England, the 28-year-o…

Carlos Tevez is revelling in the lead-up to Juventus UEFA Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid, claiming he moved to Italy to be involved in such matches.

Juventus will host Real in the first leg of their semi-final on Tuesday, with the Turin-based Serie A club in their Champions League s final-four for the first time since 2002-03, when they lost the final to Milan.

Tevez moved to Turin from Manchester City in June 2013 and has won two league titles in Italy, but it is European success that both he and Juventus truly crave.

I didn t expect to reach the Champions League final, but I did expect to win the Scudetto [Italian league title], Tevez said on Monday.

What I did expect in the Champions League was fighting to go as far as possible.

…