Everton manager Roberto Martinez has hailed centre-back Antolin Alcaraz, ahead of their Premier League date with Southampton.
Alcaraz, 31, has made just three starts for the Merseyside club this league season, and will be paired with John Stones at the back for the first time since January when they visit St Mary s.
The Paraguay international will step up in the absence of Sylvain Distin and Phil Jagielka, and Martinez had no doubt he would help Everton in their race for a UEFA Champions League spot.
I think Antolin s biggest strength is his mentality, Martinez told the Liverpool Echo.
I ve seen him many times playing for Paraguay in the worst possible circumstances against the best strikers in world football and he s been able to cope with that with ease.
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A Luiz Adriano-inspired Shakhtar Donetsk thrashed 10-man BATE 5-0 to move onto the cusp of a place in the UEFA Champions League s last 16.
The result left Mircea Lucescu s side five points clear of their visitors, who are now the only team who can deny them Group H s final ticket to the knockout phase after Porto qualified with a 2-0 win over Athletic Bilbao.
Luiz Adriano, whose record-equalling five-goal haul inspired Shakhtar to a 7-0 victory in Borisov in the sides meeting two weeks ago, celebrated his maiden Brazil call-up with a hand in all five goals.
Darijo Srna s deflected strike gave the Ukrainians the lead and, after BATE defender Anri Khagush was sent off en route to the dressing room at half-time, Alex Teixera s dink made it 2-0.
Having played…
Patrice Evra has joined West Ham as a free agent, three months after being sacked by Marseille following an altercation with a supporter.
The former France international has signed a deal until the end of the campaign as he reunites with David Moyes following the Scot s short-lived tenure at Manchester United in 2013-14.
Evra was sent off before Marseille s Europa League game at Vitoria Guimaraes in November, for aiming a kick at a man s head following an argument with a group of travelling fans during the warm-up.
UEFA suspended Evra from its competitions for the remainder of the season, while Marseille terminated his contract, and on Wednesday it was confirmed the 36-year-old had secured a return to the Premier League, where he won five titles with United.
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Everton have bought themselves time while they pursue a successor to Rafael Benitez by appointing club legend Duncan Ferguson as caretaker manager.
A run of three defeats in four top-flight games resulted in former Liverpool boss Benitez being sacked at the weekend, with Everton plummeting worryingly close to the Premier League drop zone.
Reports have indicated 16th-placed Everton, who have never been relegated from the Premier League, could interview Wayne Rooney and Frank Lampard as they hunt their next boss.
Lampard did well in his first management job at Derby County before experiencing mixed fortunes as Chelsea boss, while Rooney is catching the eye in difficult circumstances at Derby this season.
Former Everton manager Roberto Martinez has also been…
Paris Saint-Germain are getting close to a decision over a new deal for Kylian Mbappe, the club s sporting director Leonardo has revealed.
The Frenchman, who has scored 90 goals in just 100 appearances for PSG since arriving from Monaco in 2017, will be one year out from the expiry of his contract when the current season comes to a close.
As such, in the event that new terms cannot be agreed, PSG would need to sanction a transfer this close-season if they are to avoid losing Mbappe for free.
However, Leonardo remains relaxed about ongoing discussions, even if he admitted that a conclusion will need to be reached soon.
On Kylian Mbappe s contract, we ve been talking for a long time, the Brazilian told France Bleu.
Before, it was mainly to be cle…
Antonio Conte can understand what Tanguy Ndombele is going through after being jeered by Tottenham supporters, but suggested it is down to the midfielder to win them over.
Ndombele incurred the wrath of his own fans after slowly walking off the pitch as Conte made a triple substitution with his side 1-0 down to Morecambe in Sunday s FA Cup third-round tie.
The 25-year-old trudged straight down the tunnel and fresh questions will now be asked of his Spurs career, which has yet to take off since joining from Lyon in July 2019.
Asked at his post-match news conference what he made of the reaction Ndombele received, Conte said: I was just focused on the pitch.
In football you have to be good to try to change your opinion if someone is disappointed with you.
Inter vice-president Javier Zanetti said the Serie A champions have serious financial problems amid ongoing uncertainty over their ownership.
Atalanta s 1-1 draw with Sassuolo last week meant Inter were crowned champions of Italy for the first time since Jose Mourinho s treble-winning side in 2009-10, ending Juventus run of nine consecutive Scudetti.
Despite leading Inter to glory, head coach Antonio Conte s future remains uncertain due to the Nerazzurri s financial situation caused by the coronavirus pandemic as owners Suning Holdings Group reportedly consider selling the team.
Reports of a possible sale first emerged in the middle of the season and rumours regarding the Chinese owners – who acquired a majority stake in 2016 – persist amid the COVID-19 crisi…
Barcelona returned to the top of La Liga on Sunday as a 4-0 victory over Elche at Camp Nou saw them leapfrog back over Atletico Madrid.
Chile international Alexis Sanchez was the star of the show for Gerardo Martino s side as the defending champions began a third consecutive calendar year with a 4-0 win.
Pedro got his name on the scoresheet to complete the rout and give Barca a 16th league win of the campaign to draw level on points Atletico, with the two teams set to face each other next Saturday.
Sevilla moved into the top six with a 3-0 win over Getafe as Unai Emery s team extended their unbeaten league run to six games.
Vitolo put the hosts ahead in the 34th minute after good work by Carlos Bacca and the Colombian striker then netted his ninth goal of the se…