Ryan McGowan claimed he always thought he would return to Scotland after joining Dundee United from Shandong Luneng.
Australia defender Ryan McGowan has returned to Scottish football, joining Dundee United on a free transfer after leaving Shandong Luneng.
McGowan, 25, previously spent five years with Hearts between 2008 and 2013, winning the Scottish Cup in 2012.
Capable of playing at right-back and centre-back, the 12-cap Australia international has agreed a deal at Tannadice Park until the end of 2015-16, his contract with the Chinese Super League s Shandong having expired late last year.
It is great to be back in the Scottish Premiership and I am excited about the challenge of being a Dundee United player, McGowan said in a statement.
When I …
Luciano Spalletti says Italy will be true to their identity but will not make the huge mistake of underestimating Spain in their heavyweight Group B clash.
Italy opened Euro 2024 with a 2-1 win over Albania on Saturday, coming from behind after conceding the fastest goal ever scored in the tournament s history after 23 seconds.
Spain, meanwhile, cruised to a 3-0 victory over Croatia, leaving both sides joint-top of the group going into their meeting in Gelsenkirchen on Thursday.
The winner of the tie will take a big step towards qualifying top of the group, earning the theoretically easier pathway through the knockout stages.
Asked how Italy were planning to deal with the threat Spain posed, Spalletti instead chose to praise their opponents for their styl…
Best Odds: 10/11
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Turning their attention back to EFL Cup duties on Tuesday night, a high-flying Manchester United will welcome Charlton to Old Trafford.
Manchester United
Starting with the hosts, extending on their FA Cup adventure over the weekend as they picked up a 3-1 victory at home against a struggling Everton, the mood in Manchester United s camp should be at a real high. While the former Premier League champions might have opened the 2022/23 campaign in the midst of a wobble, the Red Devils have certainly now found their feet under Erik ten Hag. Finding a route back into the top-four and with a Champions League return at the top of their agenda, the former Ajax boss has seen his high-flying squad gain plenty of plaudits. Opening the New Year …
Zenit have confirmed the appointment of Roberto Mancini as their new head coach on a two-year deal.
Mircea Lucescu departed the club last month after he could only lead them to third place in the Russian Premier League and elimination from the last 32 of the Europa League.
And Zenit have now turned to Mancini, a league winner in Italy with Inter and England with Manchester City.
Since he was sacked by City in 2013, Mancini has led Galatasaray, winning the Turkish Cup, before returning to Inter in 2014.
He left San Siro for a second time on the eve of last season, however, amid tension over pre-season hammerings at the hands of Tottenham and Bayern Munich.
Mancini becomes the second Italian to coach Zenit, after Luciano Spalletti, who won two leagu…
Market: Eibar win
Odds: 4/7 @
Two sides who find themselves battling it out at opposite ends of the Segunda standings, Eibar will welcome Huesca to the Ipurua Municipal Stadium on Sunday evening.
Starting with the hosts, while Eibar might have suffered play-off heartbreak last season, Los Armeros certainly aren’t showing any signs of a hangover. Last seen putting in another eye-catching performance as they secured a 2-1 win away at Amorebieta, Joseba Etxeberria’s men are enjoying a major Segunda purple patch. Opening October with a stellar 3-1 win against Mirandes, it is no secret that the Gipuzkoa-based outfit have their sights firmly set on securing a La Liga return this time around. Opening this weekend’s fixtures sat just a single point adrift of break…
Manchester City s interest in Bournemouth defender Nathan Ake has intensified, according to David Ornstein of The Athletic.
Having won the Premier League title last season and then seen captain Vincent Kompany depart, Pep Guardiola apparently didn t see it necessary to boost his options in the heart of defence last summer. It has proven costly, with the long injury absence of Aymeric Laporte and minor but frequent niggles suffered by John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi, widely perceived as the main reason of City s spectacular failure to defend the title from the onrush of Liverpool.
It seems Guardiola acknowledged the problem ahead of the January transfer window and Ake came into their consideration then, though no move was made. However, City have now started looking at …
Marc Guehi praised the influence of fellow England defender John Stones during his time at Euro 2024, labelling his defensive partner as a big brother .
England secured top spot in Group C following their 0-0 draw with Slovenia in Cologne, setting up a meeting with Slovakia this Sunday for a place in the quarter-finals.
Guehi, who started every group game for Gareth Southgate, seamlessly slotted into England s back four in the absence of recent tournament veteran, Harry Maguire.
The Crystal Palace defender has performed well in Germany, putting his displays down to the influence of Stones in the Three Lions camp in Blankenhain.
I d say credit to him. Not only is he a fantastic player, he s a top person, someone that I think everyone in the squad gets…
Gary Lineker led tributes to Sir Bobby Charlton following his death as he said the former Manchester United and England midfielder achieved “footballing immortality”.
Charlton’s family announced in a statement on Saturday that England’s 1966 World Cup winner had died aged 86.
Tributes poured in for Charlton, with ex-England striker and Match of the Day presenter Lineker hailing his lasting impact on the sport.
It is with a heavy heart that we have learned of the passing of Sir Bobby Charlton.
An integral part of our 1966 FIFA World Cup winning campaign, Sir Bobby won 106 caps and scored 49 times for the .
A true legend of our game. We will never forget you, Sir Bobby
— England (@England)
“Deeply saddened to hear that …
Raheem Sterling insisted there is no panic as he called on England players to respond after a humiliating defeat to Hungary, while he backed Gareth Southgate.
England are in serious danger of relegation from the Nations League top tier after going winless in June s internationals, losing twice to Hungary either side of draws with Germany and Italy.
The Three Lions have scored just once, through a Harry Kane penalty in Germany, but the most recent 4-0 thrashing at home to Hungary caused the greatest concern.
Hungary became the first team to score four goals in an away match against England since the Hungarians themselves won 6-3 at Wembley in November 1953.
It was also the first time England have lost a home match by four or more goals since March 1928…
Hull City manager Steve Bruce has released six players as looks to refresh his squad for next season, .
Long serving duo Paul McShane and Liam Rosenior, who have been with the club since 2009 and 2010 respectively, will both have to find new clubs along with Yannick Sagbo, Maynor Figueroa, Steve Harper and Joe Dudgeon.
The six made a combined total of forty league appearances during the 2014/15 campaign, but were unable to save the Tigers from a return to the second tier after two years back in the top flight.
Defender Alex Bruce and midfielder Steven Quinn have however been offered new deals as Bruce snr aims to guide the Humberside to promotion at the first time of asking.
A draw with Manchester United, coupled with Newcastle United’s win over Ne…