Ex-Arsenal keeper Jens Lehmann does not believe German football is the dominant force in the game.

Wayne Rooney made an inauspicious start as a racehorse owner when Pippy, his first runner, finished last in the Manor House Stables Lily Agnes Stakes at Chester.

MANCHESTER UNITED, the record 19-times English soccer champions, agreed a four-year contract worth about £40 million (€45.7m) for delivery company DHL to sponsor its training apparel, according to two people familiar with the deal.

ARSENAL centre-back Thomas Vermaelen has said he is fit after recovering from the Achilles tendon injury that sidelined him for seven months.

Villarreal striker Giuseppe Rossi will miss Italy’s Euro 2012 campaign after suffering another serious knee injury.

LIVERPOOL forward Ryan Babel has admitted a charge of improper conduct in relation to him posting remarks about, and a picture of, referee Howard Webb on Twitter.

STEVE BRUCE has revealed he attempted to persuade David Beckham to join Sunderland on loan last season.

MARIO BALOTELLI will miss tomorrow night’s Manchester derby after accepting his red card against West Brom but Manchester City have lodged an appeal against the automatic three-match ban.

CHELSEA passed up the chance to sign Manchester United-bound Chris Smalling, right, for free, according to the player’s former manager at Maidstone.

LIVERPOOL boss Rafael Benitez and captain Steven Gerrard have been named the Barclays Premier League manager and player of the month for March.

MANCHESTER UNITED have dismissed claims they will sell Wayne Rooney during the January transfer window as “nonsense”.

MANCHESTER UNITED and Northern Ireland legend George Best opened his eyes yesterday and started to breathe without the help of a ventilator.

RYAN GIGGS maintains he is still hungry for success - and refuses to accept Chelsea have left Manchester United behind in English football’s power battle.

KEVIN KEEGAN fears the dominance of English football’s ‘big three’ clubs threatens to kill the popularity of the sport.

FORMER Manchester United midfielder Karel Poborsky has been named general manager of Dynamo Ceske Budejovice in his native Czech Republic.

ROY KEANE has been offered some dates at the end of the season to play the testimonial which was agreed as part of his severance package with Manchester United.

DAVID MOYES believes his Everton side is good enough to rub shoulders with the high and mighty of the Premiership.

MARK HALSEY has been handed the task of refereeing the potentially explosive Carling Cup tie between Manchester United and Arsenal on December 1.

Celtic earned a small measure of revenge over Manchester United for the poaching of Liam Miller by snatching young Canada star Jacob Lensky from under the nose of Alex Ferguson.

OLE Gunnar Solskjaer is hoping to extend his Manchester United career beyond the end of his current contract in 2006.