Published on 12:00 AM, January 16, 2019

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Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi offered a glimpse into his holidays when he posted this photo on Instagram, showing his two sons lying on his back while his dog licks his face. PHOTO: REUTERS

Kane out until March

Tottenham striker Harry Kane will be sidelined until March after suffering ankle ligament damage in Sunday's defeat against Manchester United.

Kane sustained the injury to his left ankle in the closing moments of the 1-0 loss at Wembley and scans have now confirmed the extent of the problem.

It is the third successive season the England captain has missed games due to an ankle injury.

Barca first team to spend half-a-billion on wages

La Liga champions Barcelona became the first soccer team to spend over half a billion euros in wages after their staff costs shot up by 42 percent over the past year, according to a study by KPMG.

KPMG's Football Benchmark study analysed the squads and finances of the respective champions of Europe's top eight leagues.

The Catalans, who signed Brazil playmaker Philippe Coutinho from Liverpool in January 2018 for a club record 160 million euros, have staff costs of 562 million euros a year. Along with the arrival of France forward Ousmane Dembele in August 2017 and the renewal of several players' contracts, including talisman Lionel Messi's, their expenditure in this field has increased hugely.

Paris Saint-Germain have the second highest wage bill on the list at 332 million euros, an increase of 20 percent.              

-- Reuters

Solskjaer brought back my smile: Pogba

French midfielder Paul Pogba says Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's arrival as interim manager at Manchester United has not only sparked his return to form but also put a smile back on his face.

"Before Solskjaer arrived I was in the shadows, on the bench, and I accepted that," he said after the impressive 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday. "It is a pleasure to play again. Now I am always smiling."

Pogba was at United in his first spell at the club in 2010 when he first encountered Solskjaer, who had moved on from playing to become reserve team coach.

"It's a pleasure to be reunited with him," said Pogba. "I knew him from the academy and the reserves, when his nickname was 'Supersub'.

"He is doing a really good job. As a player he knew the mentality of this club. He has come back to help us and it is going very well."

         -- Afp

Constantine quits after Asian Cup exit

Stephen Constantine has resigned as India's head coach after they were knocked out of the AFC Asian Cup following a 1-0 defeat by Bahrain in Sharjah on Monday.

Needing a draw to progress to the knockout stage for the first time, India finished bottom of Group A after conceding an injury-time penalty that allowed Bahrain to leapfrog them into third place.

Constantine said he was stepping down having achieved the target of helping India qualify for the continental showpiece after an eight-year gap.

"My objective from day one was to qualify for the Asian Cup," the 56-year-old Englishman told reporters after the match.                 

-- Afp

Cech to retire at season's end

Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech announced on Tuesday that he will retire at the end of the season.

The 36-year-old, who won four Premier League titles with Chelsea, revealed his decision on Twitter.

He wrote: "This is my 20th season as a professional player and it is 20 years since I signed my first professional contract, so it feels like the right time to announce that I will retire at the end of this season."

The Czech, who arrived in the Premier League with Chelsea in 2004 and moved to Arsenal in 2015, added: "Having played 15 years in the Premier League and won every single trophy possible, I feel like I have achieved everything I set out to achieve.

 -- Afp

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