Rodriguez shrugs off Man Utd interest

Burnley were left aggrieved at referee Paul Tierney s failure to award a second-half penalty to Jeff Hendrick as the Clarets winless run stretched to four matches in a goalless draw at Huddersfield Town.

In a game in which the visitors edged the better of the chances at John Smith s Stadium, the big talking point came on the hour when Hendrick went to ground under a trip from Huddersfield goalkeeper Jonas Lossl.

However, Tierney judged that no foul was committed and Sean Dyche s side were unable to find a breakthrough that would have capped a fine end to a brilliant 2017.

Dyche will feel his team produced enough chances to have not relied on the luck of a spot-kick, though, with Johann Gudmundsson, Steven Defour and former Terriers midfielder Scott Arfield guilty…

Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis insisted long-serving manager Arsene Wenger will not be leaving the Emirates Stadium anytime soon.

Wenger came under increased scrutiny as Arsenal s wait for a Premier League tittle extended to a 12th year after finishing second to Cinderella story Leicester City last term.

The 66-year-old Frenchman, who has been in charge since 1996, has already admitted he is unsure of his future beyond the expiry of his contract next year, having come under fire from sections of Arsenal s supporter base.

But while he was disappointed to have finished second in 2015-16, Gazidis has no plans to part with Wenger.

There is not nostalgia on either side, Gazidis told the Telegraph. It s not what motivates us or him. 

The reason…

Real Madrid star Luka Modric has been named Croatian Footballer of the Year for a record-equalling sixth time, pulling level with the great Davor Suker.

Modric will lead his nation at this year s World Cup, having skippered their play-off victory over Greece and scored the opening goal in their 4-1 first-leg win.

The playmaker remains a mainstay of Real Madrid s team, helping them to a LaLiga and Champions League double in 2017.

Modric was also named Player of the Tournament as Zinedine Zidane s side won the Club World Cup in December.

…

German daily newspaper that Hannover striker Mame Biram Diouf has decided to leave the club in the summer transfer window.

With his contract due to expire in June, the Senegalese forward has been linked with a summer exit, but the 96ers were hoping he would change his mind and accept their new contract offer.

However, the Bundesliga side confirmed to Bild that Mame Biram Diouf would be leaving Hannover this summer.

The 26-year-old has a very lucrative offer from Wolfsburg reportedly worth around €4 million per season, but he seems to be awaiting other proposals as clubs from the English Premier League are believed to be keen.

Mame Biram Diouf joined Hannover in a low-profile move from Manchester United in January of 2012, but he has largely impressed …

France international Loic Remy intends to use the FIFA World Cup as a shop window to earn a move away from QPR.

Remy spent last season on loan at Newcastle United and scored 14 goals in 26 Premier League appearances, but is unsure where his future lies.

Parent club QPR returned to the top flight on Saturday by beating Derby County in the Championship play-off final, but manager Harry Redknapp has suggested the striker will not be at Loftus Road next season.

Arsenal and Liverpool have both been linked with a move for the 27-year-old, and he hopes to impress any interested clubs during the finals in Brazil.

The World Cup is a shop window for me, Remy told L Equipe. Newcastle, to whom I was loaned by QPR, want to buy me.

I don t know if I m going to stay there…

Gary Lineker will not present Match Of The Day on Saturday evening after the former England striker became involved in a political row, the BBC announced.

The 62-year-old will not host the hugely popular British football show until an agreement has been reached with the organisation over his social media use, after he criticised the UK government s new asylum policy on Tuesday.

In a statement, the BBC said: The BBC has been in extensive discussions with Gary and his team in recent days. We have said that we consider his recent social media activity to be a breach of our guidelines.

The BBC has decided that he will step back from presenting Match Of The Day until we ve got an agreed and clear position on his use of social media.

When it comes to leading …

Putting in an eye-catching display on Saturday afternoon and extending on their recent resurge, Chelsea picked up a 3-1 victory against Leicester at the King Power.

Booking their Champions League quarter-final ticket in midweek after eventually edging their way past German giants Borussia Dortmund, it was ex-Leicester star Ben Chilwell who opened the scoring after just 11 minutes here.

Riding what has been a recent wave of momentum over the past week, Graham Potter s side didn t let their heads drop despite Patson Daka pegging them back just six minutes before the interval.

Heading into the half-time break with a 2-1 lead as Kai Havertz made it back-to-back strikes just seconds before the interval, Chelsea also piled more pressure onto a Leicester side who are f…

Dieter Hoeness believes Germany head coach Joachim Low made the right decision naming Bastian Schweinsteiger in his provisional squad for Euro 2016.

Eyebrows were raised in some quarters when Germany captain Schweinsteiger was included in Low s initial 27-man party for the tournament on Tuesday, despite the fact he has made just one Premier League appearance for Manchester United since January due to two knee injuries.

Low is eager to give Schweinsteiger the chance to prove his fitness before he trims down his selection, with ex-Bayern Munich and West Germany forward Hoeness backing the World Cup-winning midfielder to help youngsters such as Julian Weigl and Leroy Sane settle in the squad.

Hoeness told Omnisport: Everyone knows it s not about the quantity of indi…

Patrice Evra has confirmed he will sign a new two-year contract with Juventus.

The former Manchester United full-back has played a crucial role under Massimiliano Allegri since arriving on a free transfer in 2014, winning back-to-back Serie A and Coppa Italia titles.

The 35-year-old s consistent form has seen retain his place as first-choice left-back for the majority of the campaign, despite the arrival last year of Alex Sandro from Porto for a reported €26million fee.

And Evra looks set to stay in Turin until at least 2018 after announcing an agreement over a contract extension.

Yes, I gave my consent to the club, I ll stay for another two years, he said after the Coppa Italia final win over AC Milan, as quoted by La Gazzetta dello Sport.

Evr…

Sampdoria have revealed they have begun negotiations to bring Rafael Benitez to the club as head coach as they return to Serie A.

Speaking to Sky Sport Italia on Tuesday, Sampdoria owner Riccardo Garrone admitted that Benitez had been contacted and that there was an on-going discussion about recruiting the Spaniard.

Benitez? We are discussing this matter, Garrone said.

We are currently in a phase where it s still a work in progress.

Garrone also claimed that Benitez was interested in leading Sampdoria, who returned to Italy s top division after just one season in Serie B.

There s an interest from his side, too, Garrone said.

However, there s nothing concrete as of yet.

Garrone s statement comes just days after Sampdoria s …