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    Official: Real Sociedad sign Illarramendi

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    Asier Illarramendi has completed his return to Real Sociedad, just two years after leaving the club for Real Madrid.

    The 25-year-old has signed a six-year deal with David Moyes' side after passing a medical on Wednesday and will be officially unveiled at 19:00 CET.

    A statement on La Real's website read: "Real Sociedad and Real Madrid have reached an agreement for the transfer of Asier Illarramendi to our club.

    "The Mutriku player has passed his medical review in Gipuzkoa Polyclinic and then formalised its agreement in the office of Anoeta. He has signed for six seasons."

    Illarramendi moved to Madrid in a €32 million deal in July 2013 but was used sparingly during Carlo Ancelotti's two years in charge at the Bernabeu.

    The midfielder has also failed to win over new Madrid boss Rafa Benitez, who has sanctioned his exit despite seeing Sami Khedira also depart this summer.

    The club issued a brief statement of their own thanking him for his efforts: "Real Madrid CF and Real Sociedad have agreed the transfer of the player Asier Illarramendi.

    "The club wants to show its appreciation for the years of dedication and professionalism of Illarramendi, and wishes him good luck in his new career."
     

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    Kurzawa set to join PSG, confirms Blanc

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    Paris Saint-Germain boss Laurent Blanc has confirmed the club are preparing to complete the signing of Monaco defender Layvin Kurzawa and revealed his delight at the move.

    The 22-year-old has flown into the French capital to finalise negotiations with the Ligue 1 champions and is expected to cost in the region of €25 million after what the head coach admitted was a difficult negotiation period.

    "It was a delicate deal," Blanc told France Bleu. "He is a Monaco player, so it was difficult to sign him from a team that will fight us for the title."So the transaction was difficult. Once again, I would like to thank the board, the president and Olivier Letang.

    "He is a very good player, a young player with a great deal of potential for PSG."
    Roma, Manchester City, Chelsea and Atletico Madrid all registered their interest before PSG emerged as frontrunners for his signature.

    Kurzawa will battle it out with experienced Brazilian stopper Maxwell for the left-back spot, with Lucas Digne set to leave the club to join Roma.
     

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    Official: Roma sign Digne from PSG on loan

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    Roma have completed the signing of Lucas Digne from Paris Saint-Germain on a season-long loan.

    The Italian side have agreed to pay an up front fee of €2.5 million and can buy the French full-back outright at the end of the season for an undisclosed fee, reportedly in excess of €15m.

    The move sees Digne reunited with old Lille boss Rudi Garcia, with the manager handing the France international his first-team debut in 2011, while PSG are set to bring in Layvin Kurzawa as his replacement.

    "I chose Rome because it is a historic club," Digne told the club's official website.

    "The club is also in the Champions League and the fans are very welcoming, which is very important to me. I know that this city and club have all the ingredients to be successful."
     

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    Official: Monaco confirm Coentrao deal

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    Monaco have confirmed the signing of Real Madrid defender Fabio Coentrao on a one-year loan deal.

    The 27-year-old will become the club's first choice left-back, with Layvin Kurzawa set to depart for domestic rivals Paris Saint-Germain.

    Monaco president Vadim Vasilyev said: "Coentrao arrives tonight in the form of a loan deal.

    "Kurzawa wanted to go to PSG and we have been paid a very large amount. But we have found an alternative."

    The Portugal international suffered an injury-hit 2014-15 campaign, which saw him make just nine Primera Division appearances for Madrid.

    A statement on the Liga club's official website added: "Real Madrid and Monaco have agreed to the transfer of player Fabio Coentrao until June 2016."

    Coentrao joined Madrid from Benfica in 2011 but has been forced to play second fiddle to Marcelo for much of his time at the Bernabeu.
     

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    Llorente set to join Sevilla

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    Sevilla have confirmed that Fernando Llorente is set to sign for them from Juventus.

    The two clubs are yet to agree upon a fee, but the Bianconeri have reduced their initial asking price of €15 million to €12m and the eventual fee could be even less than that as an agreement draws closer.

    A season-long loan deal remains an option for both clubs, though Llorente has given the green light to a permanent move to the Europa League holders and the Spanish side confirmed his imminent medical late on Wednesday."Llorente travels to Sevilla with the permission of Juventus," the club tweeted.

    Llorente is surplus to requirements after Juve signed Paulo Dybala, Mario Mandzukic and Simone Zaza this summer following the sale of Carlos Tevez to Boca Juniors.Head coach Massimiliano Allegri could also allow Mauricio Isla to leave for Sevilla, though negotiations over that deal are in their early stages.

    The wing-back spent last season on loan at QPR and the arrival of Juan Cuadrado from Chelsea on a season-long loan deal means he is again likely to be on the fringes of the Juve squad.
     

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    Dante will stay at Bayern, insists agent

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    Dante's agent has quashed reports claiming the defender could leave Bayern Munich.

    The Brazil international was absent during a club photo shoot this week, prompting speculation he was set to leave the Allianz Arena.

    However, the player's representative, Marcus Marin, told Goal: "There is no news, he will stay at Bayern.

    "He missed the photo shoot but that was just a coincidence, it has nothing to do with a transfer.

    "Of course he wants to play every week but I'm sure he will this weekend. The team changes a lot with injuries and I'm sure he'll get his minutes. He's comfortable at Bayern."

    Dante's place in the Bayern side came under pressure last season as he battled with Jerome Boateng and Medhi Benatia for a starting berth at centre-back.

    The 31-year-old's current deal runs until June 2017.
     

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    Voller confirms Son's Tottenham medical

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    Bayer Leverkusen sporting director Rudi Voller has confirmed that Heung-Min Son had a medical at Tottenham on Wednesday ahead of a potential move, but maintains that no deal has yet been struck.

    Spurs have long been pursuing a move for West Brom striker Saido Berahino, but saw a second bid for the 22-year-old rejected on Tuesday.

    The club appear to have subsequently turned their attentions to the South Korea international, who scored 17 goals in all competitions last season, but Voller insists that the two clubs are yet to formally agree a transfer.

    "There is a request and there are talks. But nothing is done. Son would not have played today anyway, he was sick at the weekend already. At this moment he is our player,” he told Sky.

    "I saw many medicals in this business where there was no deal afterwards.

    "We will try to reach an agreement, but only under our conditions."
     

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    Manchester City nearing De Bruyne deal

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    Manchester City are finally close to agreeing a deal with Wolfsburg for Kevin De Bruyne, Goal has learned.

    Reports in Germany on Wednesday evening claim the terms of the transfer have already been agreed, but Goal understands that while the saga is close to an end, nothing has yet been finalised.

    Wednesday, however, proved to be a decisive day in the long-running negotiations; De Bruyne's agent, Patrick De Koster, met with Wolfsburg at their training ground and requested that the matter be resolved before Friday, when the Bundesliga side take on Schalke at the Volkswagen Arena.

    Klaus Allofs, the Wolfsburg sporting director, is also understood to have softened his stance in the past 24 hours and will meet his City counterpart, Txiki Begiristain, at the Champions League draw on Thursday to thrash out terms.

    City, for their part, are confident that they are close to a resolution after weeks of talks, and are prepared to shell out around £54 million for last season's Bundesliga player of the year.

    Goal had earlier revealed that De Bruyne had been left exhausted by the situation, enduring sleepless nights as he awaits updates from his agents.

    The deal would take the Premier League leaders' summer spending past the £150m mark, following the arrivals of Raheem Sterling, Nicolas Otamendi, Fabian Delph and Patrick Roberts.
     

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    Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 Lazio (agg 3-1): Bellarabi seals victory to send Germans through

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    Goals from Hakan Calhanoglu, Admir Mehmedi and Karim Bellarabi helped Bayer Leverkusen overturn a first-leg deficit to qualify for the group stage of the Champions League at Lazio's expense.

    Calhanoglu opened the scoring after 40 minutes as Lazio failed to clear their lines, before Mehmedi grabbed the crucial goal shortly after play resumed in the second half.

    Bellarabi then wrapped up the victory after Lazio defender Mauricio had been shown a second yellow card.

    Rodger Schmidt's charges will now be included in Thursday's group stage draw, with Lazio dropping down into the Europa League.

    Leverkusen made one change to the XI that took to the field in the first leg, forward Mehmedi replacing Son Heung-min, who looks to be on the verge of a move to Tottenham Hotspur.

    Lazio made three alterations of their own, Stefan Radu and Keita Balde Diao, the goalscoring hero in Rome last week, coming in for injured duo Lucas Biglia and Miroslav Klose.

    The visitors had an excellent chance to double their aggregate lead early on, Keita failing to get a shot away after defender Jonathan Tah struggled to deal with Ogenyi Onazi's flick-on, before Felipe Anderson's strike from just outside the box was blocked by the Leverkusen centre back.

    Schmidt's side began to settle soon after, though, Bellarabi dragging an effort wide of the post before Calhanoglu had a shot blocked from 30 yards out.

    Calhanoglu again went close with a fierce drive that Lazio keeper Etrit Berisha was forced to palm clear, with Stefan Kiessling hitting the bar with a looping header from the edge of the box just moments later.

    Lazio, however, began to come back into the game soon after and were somewhat unfortunate to have a penalty appeal waved away after Keita was pushed by Tah inside the area.

    The Italians seemed to have done enough to go in at half-time with their first-leg advantage in tact, but Leverkusen struck just five minutes before the interval, Onazi's attempted clearance richocheting off Radu and falling to Calhanoglu, who swept the ball home to level the tie.

    Things got even worse for Lazio after the break, Mehmedi rolling Mauricio and finishing cooly past Berisha in the visitors' goal.

    Leverkusen almost put the tie out of their opponents' reach in the 51st minute, Berisha doing well to deny Calhanoglu his second goal and the Germans' third.

    Lazio threatened by carving out a couple of decent opportunities, but Mauricio's dismissal for a foul on Kiessling made things extremely difficult for them.

    Pioli introduced Ricardo Kishna and Ravel Morrison as his team chased the away goal that would have put them through, but Bellerabi sealed the victory after Julian Brandt ran through on goal and squared the ball to him in a position from which he could not miss.
     

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    :love:Club Brugge 0-4 Manchester United (agg 1-7): Rooney nets hat-trick as Red Devils qualify for Champions League

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    Wayne Rooney ended his goal drought in sublime fashion against Club Brugge on Wednesday, scoring a hat-trick as Manchester United ran out 4-0 winners in the second leg of their Champions League play-off.

    The England captain had gone 10 United games without netting, but showed no signs of any lack of confidence in this comfortable play-off second-leg victory over an injury-plagued Brugge.

    Having triumphed 3-1 at Old Trafford last week, United had little trouble in securing an emphatic aggregate success and a place in Thursday's group stage draw in Monaco.

    Rooney's first arrived after 20 minutes following excellent work from Memphis Depay and he doubled his tally with an easy tap-in shortly after half-time.

    Juan Mata teed him up to net his third just before the hour, as Rooney completed his first European hat-trick since his debut against Fenerbahce back in 2004.

    Ander Herrera, making his first start of the season, added a fourth as United ran riot in the second period - Javier Hernandez also missed a penalty - and Louis van Gaal's men can now look forward to a return to Europe's premier club competition following their absence in 2014-15.

    After a low-key opening saw Rooney's long wait for a goal extended to 878 minutes, the forward got himself on the scoresheet in fine style.

    Depay cut in from the left-hand side and slipped in a delicate pass for the England striker, who lifted a deft finish over debutant goalkeeper Sinan Bolat and into the net.

    Rooney returned the favour nine minutes later with a chipped ball to Depay, but his first touch let him down and Bolat was able to gather.

    Depay continued to threaten and broke clear on goal, only to see his eventual shot blocked by Oscar Duarte.

    In the 41st minute, Brugge's Tom De Sutter stung the palms of Sergio Romero, who did brilliantly to steal the ball from the feet of Abdoulay Diaby soon afterwards.

    Brugge were left to further rue that miss four minutes after the restart as Herrera teed up Rooney for a simple tap-in.

    And Rooney completed his treble in the 57th minute with a calm finish through Bolat's legs following Mata's cute pass.

    Bolat saved well to deny Rooney a fourth a minute later, but the respite was brief as substitute Bastian Schweinsteiger played a sublime ball to Herrera, who coolly slotted home.

    Hans Vanaken then went close for salvaging a measure of pride for Brugge but his thunderous volley crashed into the crossbar.

    It could have been worse for the home side had substitute Hernandez not sent his spot-kick wide when slipping at the point of contact after Duarte had handled Rooney's cross, but it mattered little as United advanced.
     

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    Barnsley 3-5 Everton (aet): Lukaku nets twice as Toffees survive scare

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    Romelu Lukaku scored a superb brace as Everton survived an early scare to beat Barnsley 5-3 in their League Cup tie at Oakwell on Wednesday.

    With John Stones' reported transfer request dominating the headlines and sections of the visiting fans at Oakwell displaying banners calling for chairman Bill Kenwright to sell up, Everton were in need of a strong second-round showing to send the supporters home happy.

    Instead, the Premier League side fell behind in the 22nd minute courtesy of a goal from Barnsley striker Sam Winnall following a mistake from Stones on his return to his former club.

    Six minutes later Marley Watkins capitalised on a Joel Robles error to make it 2-0, but the introduction of Gerard Deulofeu, who set up three of Everton's goals, proved telling.

    Kevin Mirallas and Steven Naismith netted to level matters at 2-2, only for midfielder Daniel Crowley to restore Barnsley's advantage.

    But a 78th-minute Lukaku strike forced extra time and a third-round tie at Reading was finally secured six minutes into extra time when Marc Roberts turned a perfectly placed Deulofeu cross into his own net. Lukaku then rounded off a slick counter attack to add a fifth.

    The hosts were grateful to goalkeeper Adam Davies early on as he produced a double save that saw him keep out a curling Mirallas effort and then deny Aiden McGeady on the rebound.

    Everton were punished for not taking those opportunities by Winnall, who turned inside the area and arrowed a shot into the bottom-left corner.

    Watkins bundled home to double the visitors' misery after Robles had fumbled Winnall's nod back from a Roberts cross.

    Deulofeu and Ross Barkley were thrown on following the interval and Everton quickly got themselves back into the game following the restart thanks to a stunning 51st-minute finish from Mirallas.

    The Belgian powered an acrobatic effort beyond Davies after Barnsley failed to deal with a deep cross from Bryan Oviedo.

    Deulofeu was then thwarted by Davies, but the former Barcelona winger crafted a leveller in the 59th minute as his fine right-wing delivery was met by Naismith, whose powerful near-post header flew past the Barnsley goalkeeper.

    Parity lasted just 62 seconds, though, with Crowley restoring Barnsley's advantage with an excellent finish on the half-volley following superb work down the right from Reece Wabara, who was then called into action at the other end to clear a deflected Deulofeu cross off the line.

    However, Barnsley paid the price for more poor defending 12 minutes from time, with Deulofeu's teasing delivery scuffed home from point-blank range by Lukaku.

    Barkley, Naismith, Mirallas and Deulofeu all went close to wrapping up the win in normal time before Roberts' moment of misfortune. And, after Conor Hourihane hit the crossbar for Barnsley, Lukaku made absolutely sure of progression in the 115th minute by sliding home his second.
     

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    Everton to reject Stones transfer request, says Martinez

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    Everton manager Roberto Martinez has revealed that the club will reject the transfer request handed in by Chelsea target John Stones earlier this week.

    Stones has been the subject of several bids from the Blues so far this summer, and looked to bring the saga to a close on Tuesday when he officially asked the Toffees to end their resistance and let him leave.

    But speaking after the Merseysiders' 5-3 victory against Barnsley - Stones' first club - in the League Cup on Wednesday, the manager insisted once more that the centre-back will not be allowed to leave.

    "We have not rejected the transfer request - yet. We will do it in the morning. Sometimes money can't buy everything," he told the press.

    Speaking to Sky Sports, he added: "I think our fans know that all we're doing is trying to become better and John is a massive part of that. We've got a clear idea that in life and football money cannot sometimes buy everything and John is a massive part of our future."

    When asked whether he is for sale, the former Wigan boss replied: "Absolutely not, no."

    And after hailing the England Under-21 international's performance in the 2-0 defeat by Manchester City on Sunday, Martinez was again effusive in his praise at Oakwell.

    "I thought he was incredible. An enormous celebration about football. He came through the Barnsley ranks and it shows you what a terrific job the academy do here. John was incredible under enormous pressure as you can imagine," he added.

    "Once more I'll say the authorities need to learn the lesson of what's going on. We need to protect players in the transfer window. It's becoming a bit of a circus. He was a real example of how to perform under massive, massive pressure. For me, it was an exceptional display by him."
     

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    Rooney steps up for Manchester United... but bigger tests await

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    This was a side looking short on ideas in attack, led by a man who had failed to score in almost five months. There were a few understandable concerns pre-match that Manchester United might get tripped up at the most inopportune of moments.

    But Wayne Rooney rose to the occasion just when his team needed him. The club captain showed with his hat-trick in the 4-0 win at Club Brugge which sealed a Champions League group spot that he can still score goals when presented with the service he craves.

    “I know I’m a finisher, and if I get chances I’ll score goals,” he insisted afterwards. “That’s what happened tonight. If I’m getting chances and not scoring, then it’s a different thing, but the chances I had I’ve taken.”

    And there is certainly some weight in that, despite question marks remaining over his ability to work in confined spaces in tight games. Neither applied here. Brugge looked like a team wounded by their 3-1 first-leg defeat at Old Trafford last week, and appeared unsure whether to stick or twist early on. Once Rooney had bagged his first with a delicate chip from Memphis Depay’s inch-perfect through-ball the writing was on the wall.

    The further United got in front, the more stretched the game became and the greater Rooney’s influence was always going to be. Brugge kept missing their chances, but the England striker kept taking his.

    In truth Rooney is a level above this. It should be a surprise to nobody that he can take apart Club Brugge given the circumstances of the match and the spaces they were forced to leave. His season will be judged not by nights such as this one but by those to come against tougher opponents – opponents affording him less grass to play in.

    The further United got in front, the more stretched the game became and the greater Rooney’s influence was always going to be. Brugge kept missing their chances, but the England striker kept taking his.

    In truth Rooney is a level above this. It should be a surprise to nobody that he can take apart Club Brugge given the circumstances of the match and the spaces they were forced to leave. His season will be judged not by nights such as this one but by those to come against tougher opponents – opponents affording him less grass to play in.

    But his performance and his goals have shown that he still has the finishing ability in his locker. In 2010-11 he delivered his best ever season thanks to the quality - and quantity - of his supply channels. Given such service again more goals could be on the cards, but Rooney also has room for improvement himself, as his manager told the press afterwards.

    “I have given him always the confidence what a player needs, but I think Wayne has a very strong mentality and with his level he always shall come back as he proved this evening,” said Van Gaal.

    “But also there’s still a long way for him and also for Manchester United. It’s not easy, but I’m very happy for him.”

    The boss’ insistence that his men need to up their game is a reminder that this club needs to measure itself against a higher calibre of opponent before anyone can truly say that United are back at the very top level. And the same goes for Rooney.

    This is still not a Manchester United side threatening to topple the kings of Europe. They have beaten Belgium’s second best side, not Barcelona in their pomp. Even Ander Herrera, who started for the first time this season and struck the fourth goal, struggled in the early moments. Van Gaal even admitted he was ready to substitute him after he lost possession regularly in the opening 20 minutes and made his way into the referee’s notebook for a foul on Victor Vazquez.

    Javier Hernandez’s is a questionable case, too. The Tottenham target was brought on at 4-0 to allow him a moment in the spotlight but squandered his chance spectacularly. First he slipped as he looked to slot home a penalty won when Rooney’s cross was handled, then he blasted over from short range from an Ashley Young cross.

    As one striker’s mood lifts, another's darkens.

    There are plenty of reasons to be concerned about United’s form right now, but a 7-1 aggregate win will rightly be cherished. Defeat would have left them bereft of confidence and belief. Instead, they can look forward to Thursday’s draw with the promise of big European nights returning to Old Trafford.

    And they’ll be thanking their skipper for the entire journey home.
     

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    Bayer Leverkusen 'almost perfect' in Lazio triumph - Schmidt

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    Bayer Leverkusen got "close to perfection" in their 3-0 Champions League playoff win over Lazio, according to coach coach Roger Schmidt.

    Trailing 1-0 from the first leg in Rome, Leverkusen dispatched the Biancocelesti in impressive style on Wednesday, with goals from Hakan Calhanoglu, Admir Mehmedi and Karim Bellarabi sealing the victory and a place in the group stage.

    While he believes they can still make progress in the way they played, Schmidt was delighted at how his side dictated the tempo for the majority of the game.

    "There is room for improvement, of course. But the way we played after 2-0, pressed and kept the ball away from our goal, was close to perfection," he said to Sky.

    "We're validating what we showed last year. We are able to power through our game against international opponents with high quality. And that we managed to do so under this pressure shows we have a certain maturity."

    Leverkusen enter Thursday's draw in Pot 2 alongside Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Valencia and Porto.
     

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    Rooney delighted to be back in the goals after Champions League hat-trick

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    Wayne Rooney expressed his delight at ending his 10-match goal drought after he netted a hat-trick in Manchester United's 4-0 win over Club Brugge on Wednesday.

    The England captain had gone 878 minutes without finding the net for United prior to his 20th-minute opener in Wednesday's Champions League play-off second-leg tie.

    Rooney went on to complete his treble in the second half, before Ander Herrera rounded off the scoring as United secured their place in Thursday's draw for the group stages with a 7-1 aggregate success, and the 29-year-old later insisted that he was never worried by his dry spell.

    "I'm delighted to get the goals, and more importantly it was good to go through to the group stage," Rooney told BT Sport.

    "If I didn't have a strong character, it [talk of the drought] would have affected me, but I know my quality and what I give to the team and if the goals don't go in I still do it for my team-mates.

    "I wasn't worried. If it had gone on three, four, five games more then maybe but it's still early days.

    "As a striker obviously you want to score but everyone goes back to last season and 'so many games you didn't score' and makes a big thing of it.

    "But I've understood because of who I am it gets publicised a lot more but it's part of my job and I have to accept that.

    "It was a big disappointment last year not to challenge in it [the Champions League] and coming here we didn't think it was going to be as comfortable as it was but it was vital we went through and over the two legs we deserved it.

    "We'll enjoy the draw and it's nice to be back in the draw again."
     

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    Llorente thanks Juventus fans ahead of Sevilla switch

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    Fernando Llorente has sent a message of thanks to Juventus fans as he prepares to complete a move to Sevilla.

    The striker is on the verge of sealing a return to La Liga after being deemed surplus to requirements at the Italian champions for the 2015-16 season.

    Despite failing to replicate the impressive form he showed in his prime for Athletic Bilbao during his two-year spell in Turin, Llorente has paid tribute to the supporters for making him feel welcome.

    Llorente, 30, scored 27 goals in 92 appearances for Juventus and won five trophies during his time with the Old Lady, including two Serie A titles.
     

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    Van Gaal: Rooney & Man Utd have a long way to go

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    Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal believes Wayne Rooney proved his ability to bounce back from criticism, but insists the striker and his team-mates have a "long way to go" this season.

    Rooney netted a hat-trick as United beat Club Brugge 4-0 on the night and 7-1 on aggregate to qualify for the Champions League proper.

    Those were the first goals of a difficult campaign to date for the England striker, who has come under fire for some of his early season performances, but Van Gaal says he has the right mindset to recover.

    "I have given him always the confidence that a player needs, but I think Wayne has a very strong mentality and with his level he always shall come back," he told reporters. "He proved that this evening, but also there's still a long way for him and also for Manchester United."

    On the performance, the United boss added: "I'm very happy. It was very important to qualify for the Champions League and we've done it.

    "We need more victories like this, that's four clean sheets. And we created chances, but Brugge had to come and leave us with chances. But I was happy."

    Van Gaal handed Ander Herrera a place in the starting line-up for the first time this season in Belgium, and after a slow start he set up the second of Rooney's treble and found the net himself.

    "He started not so good, he had a lot of ball losses and got a yellow card so I wanted to change him. But I saw he was coming back, and he came into the game. I saw he played well in the double-6 position, but also later in 10 so I'm very happy for him."

    United will be in pot two for the Champions League group stage draw on Thursday evening, but Van Gaal says he will be watching the reserves play an Ajax XI instead.

    Asked how the competition has changed since he was last involved in 2011, he replied: "I don't know all the teams, but I cannot have any influence on the draw. There was also a lady who asked me what am I going to do tomorrow, I said I shall watch the second team against Ajax because that's more important for me because I can't influence the draw."
     
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