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Hodgson digs in over duo

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Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson has issued a firm ‘hands-off’ warning over star striker Fernando Torres who has been linked with the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City and Barcelona (Reds 9/1 – 2010 Premier League Outright).

The Spain World Cup winner, who suffered a thigh problem during the final win over Holland which could see him miss the start of the Premier League season, is currently on holiday.

But Hodgson has already met with the 26-year-old former Atletico Madrid star, as he has with England midfielder Steven Gerrard.

And the former Fulham chief insists neither is up for sale as he bids to lead the Reds back into the top four during the forthcoming season.

Hodgson said: “As far as we are concerned he is a Liverpool player and we want him to remain a Liverpool player.

“He is not for sale and we don’t welcome any offers for him. We want to keep him.

“We spoke about football, the World Cup, his injury, and I told him how much I am looking forward to working with him.”

Hodgson also says he has held “positive” talks with Gerrard who has spent his entire career with the Anfield outfit.

“We are in a situation where we hear our players are being courted by other teams but it is all just rumours,” Hodgson added.

“What we haven’t had is a club wanting to buy Steven Gerrard. Steven Gerrard is not for sale – I made that clear to him.”

One player who looks set to move on imminently is left-back Emiliano Insua who is in talks with Italian side Fiorentina over a £5m switch.

Meanwhile, Hodgson admits he has been unable to touch base with Argentina captain Javier Mascherano who is believed to have returned home following the World Cup.

Hodgson revealed at the club?s Swiss training camp: “I have tried to contact Javier. I have left him voice messages and sent him texts but had no reply.

“To be fair to him, that’s not unusual because he’s had a tough World Cup and I believe he’s gone back to Argentina.

“It’s not always easy to get in touch with people. I have tried to reach him to make clear I am happy to talk with him at his convenience.”

Liverpool kick off the Premier League season with a home clash against Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal (8/1 – Opening Day Fixtures – Game With Most Goals).

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Given set for season opener

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Shay Given has been given the green light to step up his rehab work as he looks to be ready for the start of the new Premier League season following a dislocated shoulder (Man City 9/2 – 2010/11 Premier League Outright).

The Manchester City star’s recovery from surgery has gone to plan and he is currently away with his team-mates on their pre-season tour of the USA.

Given’s place in the City XI next term was thought to be under threat following the emergence of Joe Hart, who caught the eye last term on loan at Birmingham City.

But the former Newcastle stalwart insists he has no intention of fading away from the first-team picture as he looks to give Blues boss Roberto Mancini a massive selection headache.

Given told the Daily Mirror: “I saw the specialist last week, he was delighted with it and he told me to kick on with the rehab work.

“If it keeps progressing the way it is then I’m hoping to be playing before we leave America.

“By the second last game or the last game I should be in with a shout of playing and I’m definitely looking to be ready for the start of the new season.”

City kick off the new Premier League season with a trip to Tottenham while Given will also hope to be involved when the Republic of Ireland kick off their Euro 2012 qualification campaign away against Armenia on September 3.

Prior to the new season, Giovanni Trapattoni’s men take on Argentina in a friendly game on August 11 to mark the opening of the new Aviva Stadium which used to be known as Lansdowne Road prior to its redevelopment.

Trapattoni will be determined to make sure his side gives qualifying for Euro 2012 their best shot following their World Cup 2010 play-off heartbreak against France thanks to Thierry Henry’s infamous handball (Ireland 80/1 – Euro 2012 Outright).

But one player who will not be on board is injury-plagued West Brom midfielder Steven Reid who has retired from international football.

Reid said: “I wish the squad every success for the forthcoming European Championship qualifiers and thank the players, the backroom team and the management for their help, support and friendship over the past nine years.

“I would also like to say a massive thank you to all the Irish fans for their support. They always got behind me and it was an honour to represent them.”

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Barca hint at Fabregas defeat

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Arsenal have been given a huge boost following Barcelona president Sandro Rosell’s admission that the club might have to give up on signing Gunners (13/2 Premier League winners) captain Cesc Fabregas.

The Spanish star has been strongly linked with a move back to the Nou Camp having left the Catalan capital as a teenager to join Arsenal.

Since moving to north London as a 16-year-old Fabregas has gone on to make a huge name for himself, staring for the Gunners season after season.

However, in that time the 23-year-old has just one winners medal to show for his efforts, helping Arsenal claim the 2005 FA Cup on penalties.

Having helped Spain win the European Championships, and recently the World Cup, Fabregas’ stock has shot through the roof, leading to Barcelona making a £30million bid for the playmaker.

However, Arsenal were quick to turn down the offer, claiming the midfielder wasn?t for sale no matter the price.

Despite the player’s pleas to be allowed to re-join Barcelona (4/5 Primera Liga winners)  Arsenal have stood firm and now look as though they may have succeeded in warning off the Spanish giants.

Barca president Rosell has admitted they may be unable to sign Fabregas this season and has hinted they may give up on their pursuit.

“Arsenal feels very hurt by Barca,” said Rosell to Catalan TV3.

“They don’t want to listen to offers or sell and they are not putting the player (Fabregas) on the market.

“There was a strong dispute a few months ago and they have not forgotten it.”

Barcelona’s admission could also stem from their current financial plight, the club having to take out a 155m euro loan to help ease their recent money troubles.

However, Rosell went on to say that he was confident that one day Fabregas would come back to the Nou Camp.

“He (Fabregas) will arrive, even if it is not now, it will be next year,” added Rosell. “We will see.”

Arsenal fans will now hope Fabregas (50/1 Premier League topscorer) will focus his attention on the Gunners domestic and European campaigns rather than pine for a move back to Barcelona.

The Gunners begin their pre-season fixtures on Saturday against Barnet (11/1 to beat Arsenal) before they head to Austria for their usual training camp.

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Hodgson stands firm over star man

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World Cup bettingRoy Hodgson has insisted star striker Fernando Torres is not for sale as he aims to rebuild Liverpool after a poor season last time out (Reds 12/1 to win the title).

Speculation has been rampant over the summer that the Spanish star may move on to pastures new after enduring a disappointing campaign at Anfield.

Liverpool failed to qualify for the Champions League after finishing in a lowly seventh place in the Premier League. They now face a third qualifying round clash against Rabotnicki or Mika to qualify for the Europa League.

Torres himself was plagued with injury but the appointment of Hodgson, who succeeded Rafael Benitez in the Liverpool hotseat two weeks ago, is seen by many as the start of a new era at the Merseyside club.

Hodgson was quick to meet his star players, including Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher, but has only just had the opportunity to meet with Torres after the Spaniard returned home following his World Cup exploits.

The Liverpool boss admitted afterwards that he found the striker a “very pleasant man”.

He went on to say “As far as we are concerned he is a Liverpool player and we want him to remain a Liverpool player. He is not for sale and we don’t welcome any offers for him. We want to keep him.

“We spoke about football, the World Cup, his injury, and I told him how much I am looking forward to working with him.”

Hodgson also confirmed that managing director Christian Purslow was at the meeting with Torres and spoke to him for a far greater length of time than he did.

Meanwhile, Liverpool officials flew to Spain to see Torres in order to assess the extent of the injury he sustained in last Sunday?s World Cup final. A slight tear in an adductor muscle has ruled the player out of action for thenext three weeks.

This means that Torres is unlikely to feature in the Europa League clash between Rabotnicki or Mika, whilst it is doubtful whether he will play many pre-season games before Liverpool’s tough opening match against Arsenal on August 15 (Liverpool 5/4, draw 23/10, Arsenal 7/4).

Hodgson has also had talks with Gerrard, which he believes were positive. He made it clear that Liverpool don?t want to sell their captain and also stated that they have had no offers for him, despite rumours to the contrary.

Meanwhile, the situation regarding Javier Mascherano is a little more complicated as Hodgson has yet to receive a response from his texts and voice messages. However, he believes this is not unusual as Mascherano is probably recovering from a gruelling World Cup back in Argentina.

Hodgson also dismissed rumours linking him with a move for Nice striker Loic Remy. He said; “He’s a player who was mentioned to me by the scouting department and a player the club were following before I came.

“He’s a player I know very little about. If I am going to be interested in a player I am going to have to watch him playing, study him and make judgments which I have not been able to.”

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Tigers and totesport continue link

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Hull City looked good in their new adidas kit, sponsored by totesport.com, on Wednesday evening when they comfortably beat North Ferriby 6-0 in a pre-season friendly.

The club are confident the new kit will be worn to success as they look to immediately bounce back and return to the Premier League after relegation last season.

Hull have seen a few changes ahead of the new campaign with Nigel Pearson coming in as new manager, Adidas as a new kit manufacturer and a few different faces in the playing squad, but totesport’s support remains.

The bookmaker has continued its sponsorship of the Tigers as they go into the second year of the two-year deal with the club and is offering fans a tempting 16/1 about them topping the table.

The Tigers have had a strong start to preparations ahead of their new life in the Championship after beating Winterton Rangers 2-1 and romping home to beat North Ferriby.

Goals from Peter Halmosi, Mark Cullen, Daniel Cousin, Will Atkinson, Danny Emerton and new signing Noberto Solano secured the win over the Northern Premier League Division One side.

Solano joined City after playing for Leicester last season under Pearson and will add some experience to a side which is looking to blood some young players in the Championship.

The former Aston Villa and Newcastle United winger will join up with Premier League veteran Nicky Barmby who will be looking to feature in Pearson’s plans this season.

Barmby played alongside his new manager when the pair were at Middlesbrough and the 36-year-old believes the new Tigers boss will do well at the KC Stadium.

He said: “You can tell certain players are going to stay on in the game and become a manager and Nige was one of those characters.

“I still have a lot of desire to be involved in the first team but with the young lads there is a lot of fulfilment there and I’m really enjoying it,” he added.

The Yorkshire side will face a tough challenge as they look to return to the top flight in a Championship division with plenty of strong-looking squads.

Hull will also have some juicing Yorkshire derbies, with Leeds United, Sheffield United, Doncaster Rovers and Barnsley all looking to have successful seasons.

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Blues to step up Torres interest

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Chelsea are reportedly set to step up their chase of Liverpool forward Fernando Torres, despite the injury setback suffered by the hitman as they bid to retain their Premier League crown (6/4 for the Blues to win again) next season.

The Spain international pulled up with a problem towards the end of the World Cup 2010 final, and recent scans indicated that he had torn a thigh muscle that could keep him out for about three weeks.

This is believed to have left new boss Roy Hodgson mulling over a conundrum that often plagued his predecessor Rafael Benitez during his reign on Merseyside.

The former Reds manager often ushered the prolific goalscorer back onto the pitch early owing to a lack in depth of attacking options, which often meant that the forward would be playing in pain either through injury or through recovery.

Now reports are emerging claiming the west London club are plotting to capitalise on this, by making it clear to Torres that they would use him sparingly to give him as much time as possible to make a recovery from any injury that he may face if he should move to Stamford Bridge.

Liverpool, for their part, are believed to be in line to reject any offer that may come their way for the sale of the Spaniard, but it has been speculated that they may change their outlook if Torres should ask to be allowed to leave the club.

It’s understood Hodgson is desperate to meet with the Kop idol to thrash out his future, as he wants a firm answer to be able to plan for the future either with or without him.

Liverpool are believed to want as much as £50 million for the striker, despite his injury-riddled recent past and a relatively underwhelming World Cup campaign on a personal level.

Meanwhile, the Blues step up their pre-season preparations this evening with a friendly at Crystal Palace (Blues 7/2 for the victory).

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Roy aims for magic and new faces

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Roy Hodgson has admitted some of the Liverpool squad are “disenchanted” following last season’s poor form but he has vowed to bring the magic back to Anfield – Liverpool are valued at 12/1 to win the Premier League - and says the club are working hard on signing new players.

Hodgson is currently preparing for his first game in charge of the Reds – a pre-season friendly against Al-Hilal in Switzerland on Saturday evening – and, just a few weeks into his new job, says the search for new players to improve the squad is about to be stepped up.

Liverpool have been linked with a whole host of players so far this summer, including the likes of Paraguay ace Victor Caceres, Fulham defender Brede Hangeland and even former Everton forward James Beattie, but Hodgson has said the club’s fans should not believe everything they read in the papers or on the internet.

Among the former Fulham boss’ most-important tasks, however, before he can add new talent to his squad, is persuading star duo Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres that the future is bright at Anfield. So far Yossi Benayoun (Chelsea) has been the only first-team departure since the end of the season, but Emiliano Insua (Napoli) and David Ngog (West Brom on loan) could be the next players to leave.

Hodgson is prepared to give all of his youthful squad a chance to impress out in Switzerland before he begins to chop and change before the start of the new season, which kicks off with a tough encounter at home to Arsenal on August 15 (Liverpool to win 3-0 – 20/1).

“We are working very hard on making certain the players we have at the club who you would call the ‘good players’ are going to be with us for next season,” Hodgson told the club’s website.

“The board are working very hard in that area. Some players are a bit disenchanted after what happened last season and we want to make sure we get that enchantment back.

“We are looking to add to and improve the squad, but I prefer not to talk or say what we are doing until we have something concrete to announce.”

It is obvious that Hodgson needs to sign several players, most notably in defence and attack, ahead of the new season but he is well aware some of the names doing the rounds in the media are way off his list of targets.

“We are being linked with players left, right and centre and it amuses me that we are sometimes linked with players we haven’t even heard of,” he added.

“I have great faith in the Liverpool public that they will see through the snippets of information they may read in the newspapers, take it with a pinch of salt and wait for an official announcement.”

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Rooney tipped to bounce back

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Sir Alex Ferguson is confident that striker Wayne Rooney will not let his disappointing World Cup performance affect the way he plays for Manchester United when the new Premier League season starts next month (Rooney 5/1 – Premiership Top Scorer).

The Red Devils boss has spoken out to back his 24-year-old star player, who was singled out for criticism at the World Cup finals in South Africa as Fabio Capello’s side crashed out in the last 16 following a 4-1 mauling at the hands of Germany.

Rooney has been left out of United’s pre-season trip to the United States, which starts with a game against Celtic on Friday, to rest following the tournament.

But, while Ferguson acknowledges that the player will be disappointed with his own shortcomings, he does not think he will dwell on it in the new season as United aim to take the Premier League title back from Chelsea (United 5/2 Outright).

Ferguson told sportsnet.ca: “I don’t expect a hangover. I think there’ll still be a bit of disappointment in the lad.

“I think all the players coming back from the World Cup who didn’t do well, who didn’t reach their expectations may I say, will feel that they’ve missed something.

“That’s because the World Cup’s only once every four years. That’s the horrible part of that tournament.

“We have several players who have come back very, very disappointed. We’ve Patrice Evra for instance, Wayne Rooney of course, and Nemanja Vidic.”

Meanwhile, Ferguson is hoping that young Mexican striker Javier Hernandez will arrive at Old Trafford full of confidence after he ’surprised a lot of people’ with some of his performances in the tournament.

He added: “So whereas we’ve got some disappointments from players like Wayne, Nemanja and Patrice, I think we’re going to have a positive effect from Javier.”

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Cesc shrugs off shirt stunt

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Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas has dismissed the incident which saw him wear a Barcelona shirt while celebrating the World Cup victory with the Spanish national squad (Arsenal 13/2 to win the Premier League).

Fabregas seemed to have little choice in the matter as Gerard Pique and Carles Puyol pulled the famous Blaugrana jersey over his head but the incident has only fuelled rumours the 23-year-old is set to quit the Emirates for Camp Nou.

The Spain midfielder has admitted he is keen to make the switch back to the club where he began his career as a youth player, while members of the Spain squad such as Andres Iniesta have stated he is eager to rejoin the Catalan giants.

However, Arsenal remain desperate to keep-hold of the talented playmaker and have already rejected a bid, believed to be around £30m, from Barca for Fabregas.

The Gunners captain is facing a difficult decision regarding his career, Fabregas has always maintained he is happy in London but has never shied away from the fact that he would love to return “home” to Barcelona and with Arsenal reluctant to sell there has been speculation he may have to force a move if he is to return to Camp Nou.

Fabregas himself has downplayed the fact he wore a Barcelona shirt as Spain celebrated and states he had no idea what Pique and Puyol were planning when Liverpool keeper Pepe Reina dragged him onto the stage.

“There are times we do not even know what we do, so everything can be forgiven,” explained Fabregas. “Pepe took me there (to the front of the stage), the truth is that I didn’t know anything like that was going to happen and so I was a bit surprised.

“At first I thought it was a flag or something, but it’s nothing. You had to enjoy it and if it’s a way to have fun, it’s nothing.”

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger remains adamant Fabregas will not be sold in the summer but if the player himself forces a move away the French manager may have little say in the matter.  However, Arsenal have already knocked back one bid and the Spanish side have stated they will not pay a mega-fee for Fabregas so this is a transfer saga which could drag on for some-time, even after the transfer window closes if a deal is not reached.

When asked about his future Fabregas remained non-committal and would not give much away, simply saying: “I think now the less said about the subject much the better, because these things are worse for everyone when they come to light and people talk more about the matter, right now we have to be very calm and what will be will be.”

The Gunners take on Liverpool at Anfield in a mouth-watering opening day fixture in the Premier League but it remains to be seen whether Fabregas will be involved by the time the big kick-off comes around (Liverpool 5/4, draw 23/10, Arsenal 7/4 – 90 minutes).

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England rise from bowels of defeat

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England (9/1 to win Euro 2012 outright) have been given a small boost following their World Cup disappointment as they have risen one place in Fifa’s world rankings.

The newest release of the standings from the governing body of football show that Fabio Capello’s men have climbed from eighth to seventh – despite the fact they managed only one win and two draws at the World Cup.

Germany (5/1 to win Euro 2012 outright), who overcame England 4-1 in the second round in South Africa and finished in third place in the World Cup, are now ranked as the fourth best team, a rise of two places on their previous position.

Following their World Cup win, Spain (7/2 to win) have replaced Brazil at the top of the Fifa world rankings.

England could take some solace following their World Cup showing in that they have risen, whereas two other teams that disappointed in South Africa have plummeted down the Fifa rankings.

The former World Cup winners France and Italy (12/1 and 9/1 to win Euro 2012), who both failed to get out of the group stage, have slipped 12 and six places respectively in the standings to 21st and 11th.

England could class themselves lucky that their performances in South Africa did not result in them dropping down the list, especially as the latest release of the world rankings comes a day after a separate Fifa report showed it was officially the Three Lions’ worst World Cup performance in history.

Capello’s side were ranked 13th out of the 32 teams competing in South Africa, which beat their previous worst of 11th in 1958.

This ranking was also topped by Spain, with the top four positions mirroring the final tournament finishes so Holland, Germany and Uruguay took the next three slots.

England suffered the embarrassment of finishing behind the likes of Japan and Chile in the standings, and Fifa president Sepp Blatter stated he could not understand why the national team failed to perform in South Africa.

He said: “You will have to ask the Football Association.

“England is considered as being the motherland of football, as Brazil is the heartbeat of football, but there are no small national teams any more.

“There are small countries but their national teams are very strong as football has developed.”

One member of the England World Cup squad who thinks the situation is not all bad is Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe.

He scored against Slovenia in South Africa and has told Sky Sports that he thinks the current squad are good enough to still be competing at the 2014 World Cup and Capello remains “definitely the right man” for the England job.

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