Henrikh Mkhitaryan is clear to dedicate himself to Jose Mourinho's Roma project after retiring from international football.
After winning 95 caps for Armenia, who have never qualified for a World Cup or European Championship, the former Manchester United and Arsenal midfielder will end his career in club football.
Mkhitaryan was captain of his country and a record goalscorer for the national team after netting 32 times.
He announced his retirement from the team on social media, writing a message that he titled, "Farewell my beloved national team".
The 33-year-old wrote: "I wanted to win every step of my career, no matter how difficult that would be. It was an honour to play for my nation for the past 15 years and even more so of an honour to captain it for the last six years.
"After 95 international caps, hard work, passion and unprecedented ups and downs along the journey representing my country on the field, I have taken the decision to retire from my international career with the Armenian national team.
"I came to this decision after my last game against Germany in November. I think it is the right time. I've given everything I can possibly give to my national team. For the coming years, I will therefore be fully focused on my club career.
"My soccer nest was woven in Armenia, my homeland, and I will forever be grateful to every single person who supported me, who coached me, who I played with and who contributed to my growth as a footballer and as a person."
Mkhitaryan is approaching the end of a one-year extension to his Roma contract and has performed well for head coach Mourinho.
He has started 24 Serie A games this season, with just two Roma players (Rui Patricio and Tammy Abraham) making Mourinho's starting XI more often. He has contributed five assists and three goals, with only Jordan Veretout and Lorenzo Pellegrini creating more than the 37 chances Mkhitaryan has teed up.
Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport reported on Thursday that a deal to keep Mkhitaryan at the capital club is increasingly likely to be agreed at the end of the season.
It said there had been interest from Russian clubs Krasnodar and Spartak Moscow but that the possibility of either move has diminished amid the conflict involving Russia and Ukraine, with Mkhitaryan said to be happy about the prospect of an extended Serie A stay.
Van de Ven out with hamstring injury until after international break, says Postecoglou
Micky van de Ven suffered a hamstring injury and will be out of action for Tottenham until after the international break, head coach Ange Postecoglou has revealed.
Van de Ven left the pitch in tears while clutching the back of his right leg 14 minutes into Tottenham’s EFL Cup victory over Manchester City on Wednesday.
While Postecoglou confirmed the fears of Spurs fans, he was optimistic about the prognosis with the defender not expected to be out for a long stretch.
"Micky has strained a hamstring. It's not too serious, but it will probably be after the international break for him [to return]," the Spurs boss told reporters ahead of his side's clash with Aston Villa on Sunday.
"He was disappointed. Obviously, he was really looking forward to the game, so he was a bit emotional, but it is definitely not a bad one like last time that kept him out for quite a while.
"He will work hard, and the good thing is we've got the international break, which is an extra two weeks. Hopefully, it means he won't miss too much football."
Van de Ven has featured in eight of Tottenham's nine Premier League games this season and has been a reassuring presence in defence.
Indeed, he has made the second most clearances (23) and blocks (four) in the squad, only second to Cristian Romero and Pedro Porro respectively.
There was, however, positive news about skipper Heung-min Son, who was absent during Spurs' defeat at Crystal Palace last weekend.
"Sonny trained [on Friday], so if he gets through training [on Saturday], he should be OK," Postecoglou added.
Vinicius suffered 'injustice' after missing out on Ballon d'or, says Brazil coach Dorival
Dorival Junior feels Vinicius Junior suffered an "injustice" by not winning the Ballon d'Or, as the Brazil head coach slammed the "unfair situation".
The Real Madrid winger failed to scoop the accolade despite scoring 24 goals and providing 11 assists last season, as Los Blancos won a LaLiga and Champions League double.
The club opted to skip the ceremony after hearing Vinicius Junior would miss out on the top award, which was won by Manchester City and Spain midfielder Rodri.
Madrid's decision not to attend generated mixed reviews. City head coach Pep Guardiola empathised with Carlo Ancelotti's side, but LaLiga president Javier Tebas accused them of "exaggerated victimhood".
Dorival acknowledges Rodri was deserving of the award, having helped City to an unprecedented fourth successive Premier League title before starring Spain's victorious Euro 2024 squad.
However, the Selecao boss believes Vinicius has every right to feel aggrieved at missing out.
"In my opinion, [it's] an unfair situation, especially because it is an individual award," Dorival told reporters during a press conference.
"Nothing against whoever won the award, quite the opposite. It is the recognition of one of the great players of Spanish football, but Vinicius - for the work he did - should have received different attention.
"But the greatest prize that Vinícius won was the recognition and respect of his people. The vast majority of the Brazilian people realised the injustice that was done to the player who could have deservedly received the award."
Man Utd must find a way to keep Van Nistelrooy at Old Trafford, says Meulensteen
Rene Meulensteen believes Manchester United must do everything in their power to keep Ruud van Nistelrooy at the club, amid Ruben Amorim's impending arrival.
United confirmed the appointment of Sporting CP boss Amorim on Friday, four days after announcing they had parted ways with Erik ten Hag following a dismal run of form.
The Red Devils currently sit 14th in the Premier League after their first nine games of the season, and welcome Chelsea to Old Trafford this Sunday.
Van Nistelrooy, who joined Ten Hag's coaching staff in July, oversaw his first game as interim boss in midweek, earning a 5-2 win over Leicester City in the EFL Cup.
Amorim will officially take charge on November 11, meaning the Dutchman will remain at the helm for United's fixtures against Chelsea, PAOK and Leicester.
The Portuguese arrives at Old Trafford with an impressive resume, having guided Sporting to their first league title in 19 years, and winning the Primeira Liga again in 2023-24.
His 120 victories in the league give him a 76.92% win ratio, which is the best of any Sporting coach on record.
But former United coach Meulensteen believes it is crucial Van Nistelrooy remains at the club, with his experience vital in helping Amorim understand the pressures of the job.
"I think the club will have to manufacture something. It's very clear that Amorim wants to bring his own staff, which I think is very understandable," Meulensteen told Stats Perform.
"He can look at it and say: 'OK, Ruud has got some experience with the players, and he might be able to help me to tell me this and that and the other'.
"That's the conversation he needs to have. If he doesn't see a place for him in and around the first team, then he has to be clear about that as well.
"Because at the end of the day, if you see a little bit of what happened with Erik, let's assume if Amorim had said: 'listen I'm staying in Sporting, I'm not doing it, forget it', then obviously we wouldn't have these conversations.
"Then, it would have been a little bit more quiet, and I would have said to Ruud: 'listen Ruud, you take over for now, right, and see how we go and see how you get on with it'.
"And if that, for instance, started to come off, Ruud would have given the board and Ineos and all those people enough confidence to say: 'listen, I'll be more than capable of carrying on with it'.
"Now they haven't gone that way, so I can also understand if the manager says: 'no, I don't want anybody that I don't know in that setup, because I really want to do my own thing'.
"Ruud made it clear he wants to stay and be part of it, so at least that's a positive for the incoming manager. If the incoming manager has other plans, then the club has to find something different."
Amorim will be United's youngest boss since 33-year-old Wilf McGuinness took charge of them on Boxing Day 1970 against Derby County.
Since March 2020, when Amorim took charge, Sporting have the highest win percentage of any team across Europe's top 10 leagues (77% - 120 wins out of 156 games).
His first game at the helm comes against Ipswich Town after the international break, but it remains to be seen whether Van Nistelrooy will remain alongside him.
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