Ferguson: Rafael has enormous potential

America will host Monterrey in a blockbuster fixture, with the visitors desperate to end their winless streak against the Liga MX leaders.

Monterrey head to the Estadio Azteca on Saturday three points adrift of America in third position after 12 rounds in Apertura, though Carlos Barra s men have a game in hand.

The four-time Mexican champions have won two of their past three league matches, drawing 1-1 with Tijuana before the international break.

America, on the other hand, were crushed 4-0 by Mexico City rivals Cruz Azul almost a fortnight ago.

Antonio Mohamed s America, however, have the edge over Monterrey, who have failed to beat their high-flying opponents in six previous attempts.

Monterrey have lost four matches to America since 2012 includ…

Germany defender Philipp Lahm will stay with Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich for at least one more season, Bayern president Franz Beckenbauer said on Thursday.

Contract negotiations between Lahm, 24, and Bayern broke down on Tuesday, raising the possibility the defender could move to another club.

Although contracted until 2009, Lahm has refused to sign an extension, but German tabloid Bild report new Bayern coach Jurgen Klinsmann, who takes over in July, does not want to see Lahm leave Munich in the summer.

I think he will play for us for another year and then leave to join a club like Barcelona or Manchester United, Beckenbauer told Bild on Thursday.

Both Spanish giants Barcelona and Premier League side United have expressed an interest in signing…

Chelsea captain John Terry warned they must not rely on Eden Hazard too heavily this season after Monday s 2-1 win over West Ham.

The Belgium star claimed the man-of-the-match award as his penalty and a late Diego Costa strike guided the hosts to maximum points in Antonio Conte s opening Premier League game in charge.

Hazard, the inspiration behind Chelsea s league and League Cup double in 2014-15, scored just six goals in 43 appearances in a difficult campaign last season as they finished 10th and failed to win a trophy.

Terry feels Chelsea are lucky to have a player of Hazard s calibre, but said they cannot expect the 25-year-old to carry the team.

He s up there with the very best in the world for me, the defender told Sky Sports.  We relied on …

Porto have tied Andre Silva down to a new five-year contract with a release clause of €60million.

Striker Silva made his Porto debut in last December s 3-1 Taca da Liga defeat to Maritimo, finishing last season with a goal in their final Primeira Liga fixture and a double in the following Taca da Portugal final against Sporting Braga.

The 20-year-old has picked up where he left off, scoring three goals in as many games in all competitions this season, and has been rewarded with a new deal running until 2021.

After an 84th-minute winner from Silva secured a 1-0 victory over Estoril on Saturday, Porto coach Nuno Espirito Santo said: Andre Silva is another player in the team, he s young, he s growing, and he is important to us, as is everyone else.

Silv…

MLS top scorer Gustavo Bou netted a late penalty to help New England stretch their lead at the top of the Eastern Conference with a 2-1 win at Toronto on Saturday.

The Argentine stepped up to convert the 83rd minute spot-kick, extending New England s lead to 12 points from second-placed New York City in the east.

Canada international Tajon Buchanan had put Revolution ahead in the 19th minute with an excellent header and they looked good value for the win until Toronto s 79th-minute equaliser.

Jonathan Osorio levelled the game with a close-range tap-in from Pozuelo s shot across goal.

But New England found a winner, with Bou sending his penalty high to the goalkeeper s right for his 12th goal of the season. The win extends Revolution s unbeaten run to seve…

Kylian Mbappe hinted a future move to Real Madrid is very much a possibility, saying the club feels like his house .

Mbappe was widely expected to join Madrid upon the expiry of his contract in June, but instead he committed his future to Paris Saint-Germain until 2025 in a shock decision that sparked fury in Spain.

His new deal with PSG, which was reported to feature a €100million signing bonus, expires at the end of the 2024-25 season.

Mbappe will still only be 26 at that point, illustrating a point apparently made by Emmanuel Macron when the French president made his pitch for the World Cup winner to remain in his home country.

I never imagined I m gonna talk with the president about my future, about my future in my career, so it s something craz…

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson has given England coach Fabio Capello the green light to use Wayne Rooney in next week s friendly in Spain.

Rooney has not played since limping out of United s 1-0 win over Wigan soon after scoring on January 14 because of a hamstring injury.

The striker will not start United s game with West Ham United on Sunday, but Ferguson said that the player is close to a return to action.

He plans to talk to Capello late on Friday to outline the situation but said he would not have any objections if Rooney played a bit-part role in England s first friendly of 2009.

But Ferguson does not expect the 23-year-old, who has scored 14 times for club and country this season, to start for England next Wednesday.

I hope to sp…

Palermo president Maurizio Zamparini has confirmed that he has not been contacted by any Premier League club over the availability of Simon Kjaer.

The 20-year-old defender has gained a string of admirers as a result of some stand-out displays in Serie A following his €4million move from Danish side FC Midtjylland in July 2008.

But Zamparini insists that Palermo will be looking to do all they can to keep hold of the Dane with the likes of Inter Milan, Juventus, Fiorentina, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Manchester City and, more recently Manchester United, being linked with Kjaer.

A €12m release clause is unlikely to be a stumbling block but Zamparini admits that he is looking to have the clause removed.

Neither Manchester United or other teams hav…

Ilkay Gundogan has echoed his manager s call for Manchester City fans to end their feud with UEFA and back the club in the Champions League.

Only 32,000 City supporters attended Gundogan s debut for the club – a 4-0 thumping of Borussia Monchengladbach on Wednesday – and Pep Guardiola told fans to forget their gripes with UEFA and get behind his team.

UEFA punished the club under Financial Fair Play rules in 2014, and City fans were angered further when CSKA Moscow supporters were allowed to attend a match that was supposed to be played behind closed doors as a sanction for racist behaviour at the Russian club s previous matches.

Plans to alter the way coefficient points are distributed could lead to the dispute deepening, but City s £21million midfielder…

A goalless draw was no good for Cape Verde and Zambia, who are both out of the Africa Cup of Nations.

Cape Verde and Zambia crashed out of the Africa Cup of Nations following a goalless draw in their final Group B game at Nuevo Estadio de Ebebiyín on Monday.

A victory would have been enough for either nation to progress to the quarter-finals, but they lacked the quality to reach the last eight and Democratic Republic of Congo and Tunisia progressed following their 1-1 draw.

Cape Verde went into the game in second place, but bow out after drawing all three games, with Democratic Republic of Congo leapfrogging them on goals scored.

Zambia, the 2012 AFCON winners, entered the game knowing they had to win to have any chance of going through.

Eva…