Bastian Schweinsteiger says he is fitter than before the World Cup in 2014 but will be unable to play 90 minutes in Germany s Euro 2016 opener.

The national team captain has not started a match since Manchester United s victory over Sheffield United in the FA Cup on January 9, having spent much of 2016 battling a knee ligament injury.

The 31-year-old made a substitute appearance in Germany s 2-0 friendly win over Hungary in Gelsenkirchen on Saturday.

And while the midfielder is encouraged by his progress, he knows the Group C clash with Ukraine in Lille next weekend is likely to arrive too soon for him to force his way into the starting XI. 

[To play] 25 to 30 minutes is quite good, Schweinsteiger was quoted as saying by Suddeutsche Zeitung.

B…

Real Betis midfielder Benat has conceded he is unsure if he will stay at the La Liga club, amid speculation he could join Athletic Bilbao.

Benat was promoted from Betis B team in 2010 and has since become a regular in their senior side, while his performances in La Liga last term saw him earn two Spain caps earlier in the year.

Despite his recent successes with Betis and being content with life in Andalucia, he failed to give assurances about his future.

I m happy here, but your position within the team can never be 100 per cent secure, he told AS.

The player has been linked to Bilbao, whom he spent seven years playing for in the side s youth team, and he believes he would be welcomed back in the Basque Country.

In my town everyone asks me to r…

Tottenham Hotspur manager Andre Villas-Boas has played down speculation linking the club with a move for Hulk.

However, Villas-Boas did admit that he enjoys a good relationship with the in-demand Porto forward.

The Portuguese coach paid his former charge a visit at Brazil s Olympic Games base in St Albans ahead of their friendly with Team GB, immediately sparking speculation that he was sounding out the 25-year-old attacker about a move to White Hart Lane.

Villas-Boas said he was doing nothing of the sort, but he did express his admiration for the Brazil star.

Hulk is a very special player for me, the former Chelsea coach told Terra.

We had a very good year together in Porto and we have a good relationship that I do not deny.

But we h…

Real Madrid captain Raul Gonzalez insists all the club s players are 100 percent behind under-fire manager Bernd Schuster amid media reports that the German coach has lost the respect of the dressing room.

Schuster watched on as double champions Real lost 1-0 at Valladolid on Saturday night to increase the pressure on his job but he still has the backing of the players.

It is a lie to say that we are not behind the coach, said Raul. Of course we are all with him. There is no problem there.

It was only Real s second league defeat of the season hardly reason to press the panic button but they trail foes Barcelona by five points after Pep Guardiola s team beat Recreativo Huelva 2-0 on Sunday.

The Valladolid reverse followed two Champions League losses …

Lorenzo Insigne warned Maurizio Sarri that joining Juventus would represent a betrayal of Napoli, where the Chelsea boss was in charge for three years.

Sarri s future is the subject of speculation amid reports he could take the head coach role at Juventus, vacated at the end of 2018-19 by Massimiliano Allegri.

But Insigne urged his former boss to remember that he guided Napoli to three consecutive top-three finishes in Serie A during his time at the helm and in doing so etched his name into the club s history.

It s speculation that gives me displeasure, Insigne told a news conference ahead of Italy s Euro 2020 qualifier against Greece.

He did so much for us players and all the Neapolitan people. He s also a professional, but him choosing Juve would hurt…

that Watford could be set to sign Arsenal’s Calum Chambers on a season-long loan.

The twenty-one year old, who has also been linked with a return to former club Southampton, moved to the Emirates Stadium in the summer of 2014 and has racked up fifty-eight appearances for the Gunners in all competitions so far.

However, he only started two Premier League games under Arsene Wenger last season and now looks set to be shipped out as he attempts to rebuild his career.

Since moving to Arsenal, Chambers has gained senior international recognition, winning three caps for Roy Hodgson’s side the last of which coming in a 1-0 European Championships qualifying victory over Estonia in October 2014.

Despite being the preseason favourites for relegation, Watfo…

Manchester United have sealed a deal to sign Villarreal centre-back Eric Bailly subject to a work permit, the club have confirmed.

Bailly is the club s first signing under new manager Jose Mourinho and reportedly cost £30million, agreeing a four-year deal with an option to extend for a further two years.

The 22-year-old Ivory Coast international helped his country to win the Africa Cup of Nations in February 2015, just a month after making his national team debut.

The defender joined Villarreal in January 2015 from Espanyol, where he came through the youth system before making his first senior appearance in 2014.

It is a dream come true to be joining Manchester United, Bailly said in a statement.

To play football at the highest level is all I h…

Competition: Premier League
Market: Gus Poyet next manager to exit post
Odds:

Sunderland manager Gus Poyet finds himself on the brink with the Black Cats following a humiliating 4-0 defeat at the hands of fellow relegation-threatened Aston Villa. Supporters were seen leaving the ground at half-time, and some confronted the Uruguayan requesting his immediate exit. His position appears untenable with the club, with so many fans now having turned, as they feel Sunderland could genuinely be relegated from the Premier League.

With Burnley enjoying a resurgence at the business end of the campaign, Sunderland are the team they will replace in the table if the North-East club fail to match or better the former’s results. But Poyet may not be in charge to see the …

Bayern Munich s Germany international Lukas Podolski announced Monday he wanted to find a new club in the January transfer window.

I ve made my decision, I would like to leave the club this winter, the unsettled striker told Bild newspaper.

I ve already told the directors (at Bayern) that I want to go, added the 23-year-old.

Podolski s impact on the national team where he has earned 60 caps and scored 31 goals has not been mirrored at Bayern where he is under contract until 2010.

Coach Jurgen Klinsmann has been made reserve behind first choice attackers Luca Toni and Miroslav Klose.

In October he was publically criticised by Bayern manager Uli Hoeness for his performance in a game against Eintracht Frankfurt in October.

Podolski, wh…

Former Juventus forward David Trezeguet has urged Alvaro Morata to stay in Italy if he wants to continue to grow as a footballer.

Morata, 23, has established himself as a key figure in the Juventus line-up since his switch from Real Madrid in 2014. 

However, reports claim the La Liga club are keen to use their buy-back option on Morata before next season, while Chelsea are also among those apparently interested in the Spaniard.

But Trezeguet believes Morata needs to stay in the Serie A with Juventus if he wants to become a world-class player.

Morata finds himself in a good and important [transfer] market. For him he does not only depend on Juventus, the former France international said. 

He has grown a lot in Turin and he has to stay at Juven…