Aston Villa head coach Steven Gerrard admitted to being extremely worried about Diego Carlos after he sustained an injury in the 2-1 victory over Everton.

The 29-year-old made his Premier League debut for Villa in the defeat to Bournemouth last week and retained his spot for Saturday s triumph against the Toffees.

Signed from Sevilla for a reported £26million, Diego Carlos suffered an injury and had to be replaced by Calum Chambers with just seconds remaining – with Gerrard revealing it did not look good for the defender.

I m extremely worried about it. It does not look good right now. He needs a scan. The medical staff are very worried, said the Villa boss.

It s tarnished how I feel. Let s not say [it s a huge blow]. I m worried about it. It s rou…

Fatih Terim hailed Arda Turan as Turkey s best player on the eve of their Euro 2016 campaign despite the midfielder s struggles at Barcelona.

Turkey kick off their Group D campaign against familiar foes Croatia at Parc des Princes on Sunday and their status as underdogs for the match is bound up with Turan s fall from prominence, following his dazzling spell at Atletico Madrid.

The 29-year-old joined Barca despite the Liga champions being under a player registration ban last year, meaning he was unable to make his debut until January.

Turan then failed to establish himself as a fixture in Luis Enrique s richly gifted first XI, while he found himself cast as a scapegoat for poor performances in some quarters.

Veteran coach Terim was flanked by highly toute…

Argentina captain Lionel Messi expects United States will give his side a very difficult match in the semi-finals of the Copa America.

Messi set two goals up and scored another on his first start in this year s tournament as Argentina beat Venezuela 4-1 to book a last-four spot.

The Barcelona star has now drawn level with Gabriel Batistuta as Argentina s joint-record goalscorer on 54 strikes, but Messi is focusing on the semi-final.

It s important for what it means to be the top scorer because it s Bati, but what makes me happier is the team, the result, because we made it to the semis, Messi said.

I liked the personality of the team and that we always go out to be the protagonists.

The United States try to get close to you, to attack, they …

Former Real Madrid star Guti has slammed Jose Mourinho for selling Esteban Granero and signing Michael Essien on loan.

Guti, who played over 350 La Liga games for Real Madrid between 1995 and 2010, is upset Real coach Mourinho replaced a young Spanish player for a foreigner in Chelsea s Essien, who is in the later stages of his career.

There are some things I can’t understand in football and one of those is that Granero is leaving so that Essien can arrive. Granero is a much better player and he is Spanish, Guti told Marca.

Right now the best players are Spanish, and what happens is that you spend a lot more money if you buy foreigners, which annoys me greatly.

Granero has signed for English Premier League side Queens Park Rangers and made his debut…

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson wants to avoid another embarrassing early Champions League exit starting on Wednesday.

The Red Devils take on Turkish champions Galatasaray at Old Trafford first up in Group H but will be on notice after failing to make it out of a relatively soft group last year that included Benfica, Basel and Otelul Galati.

Ferguson has been handed a similarly weak group in comparison to others with Braga, CFR Cluj-Napoca and Galatasaray their opponents.

United were dealt a considerably better hand than their Manchester City rivals, who are paired with Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and Ajax, and Ferguson knows there will be little margin for error this time round.

If we don t go through, we quite rightly will be criticised…

Shakhtar Donetsk have filed a complaint against FIFA to the European Commission, claiming a ruling allowing their foreign players to suspend their contracts has cost them €40million.

After Russia s invasion of Ukraine last year, FIFA permitted foreign players based in the country to suspend their contracts until June 2023, allowing them to seal short-term moves elsewhere.

Claiming those measures will likely be extended through to June 2024, Shakhtar – who have previously seen an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport dismissed – pledged to continue to fight the ruling.

A statement from the club s chief executive Serhiy Palkin said: Action has been taken to file this complaint to the European Commission, given the importance of Shakhtar undertaking tra…

The Football Association has condemned a section of Manchester City s supporters after chants about the Hillsborough disaster during Saturday s win over Liverpool.

Pep Guardiola s side recovered from an early deficit to run out comfortable 4-1 winners against Jurgen Klopp s Reds at the Etihad Stadium.

But the game was marred by the conduct of some fans.

City issued their own apology after the match over damage to the Liverpool team bus as it left the stadium.

They also referred to inappropriate chants , and now the FA has weighed in on a matter that is becoming a recurring source of anger.

We are very concerned about the rise of abhorrent chants in stadiums that are related to the Hillsborough disaster and other football-related tragedies, read a…

Jurgen Klopp acknowledged Liverpool rarely do it the easy way after a late rally at Anfield kept Roma alive in their Champions League semi-final.

Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino both scored twice, while Sadio Mane was also on target, as Liverpool raced into a 5-0 lead after 68 minutes of the first leg.

Yet Roma who rallied from a 4-1 first-leg defeat to knock Barcelona out on away goals in the previous round of the competition gave themselves a lifeline with two goals of their own before the final whistle.

Diego Perotti made it 5-2 from the spot after James Milner was penalised for handball, though Klopp felt the decision was harsh.

Still, with a healthy lead to take into the return fixture at the Stadio Olimpico, Liverpool s manager praised his players…

Central Coast Mariners climbed off the foot of the A-League table with a deserved 2-1 home win over Adelaide United on Sunday.

Kye Rowles and Milan Duric scored first-half goals to lift Alen Stajcic s side above Brisbane Roar and bitter rivals Newcastle Jets, who will spend Christmas Day in last place.

Centre-back Rowles swept Central Coast into a surprise fourth-minute lead after Adelaide, aiming to avoid a second defeat in three games, failed to clear a free-kick.

Serbian midfielder Duric doubled the margin with a thumping low strike shortly before the break, the goal his fourth in eight appearances.

Ben Halloran curled a delightful left-footed finish inside the far post to halve the deficit just 36 seconds after the restart, but that proved a mere cons…

Chelsea head coach Antonio Conte said his future will be more clear in the next week, with the Italian boss uncertain about the club s post-season plans.

Conte s future is in doubt amid growing speculation Chelsea will sack the 2016-17 Premier League-winning coach, who has been reportedly unhappy over the team s transfer policy.

Countrymen Massimiliano Allegri and Maurizio Sarri have emerged as possible replacements following Chelsea s struggles this season with the Blues in danger of missing out on the final Champions League qualification spot – Liverpool two points clear heading into Sunday s season finale.

Chelsea s campaign ends with a FA Cup final showdown against Manchester United on May 19 and asked about his plans post-season, Conte – whose contract e…