Joe Hart hailed the vibe at new club Burnley after joining Sean Dyche s side to conclude a 12-year spell at Manchester City.

Hart, capped 75 times by England, won two Premier League titles with City but fell out of favour following the 2016 appointment of Pep Guardiola.

The 31-year-old has signed an initial two-year contract at Turf Moor, where he will compete for the gloves with fellow England internationals Tom Heaton and Nick Pope.

With Pope sidelined after undergoing surgery on a dislocated shoulder and Heaton battling to recover from a calf injury, Hart could make his debut in Thursday s Europa League tie at Istanbul Basaksehir.

And Hart is keen to get started at Burnley after spending the past two years out on loan at Serie A and West Ham.

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Conor Gallagher says Chelsea set the standard they have to reach with their FA Cup win at Aston Villa.

The midfielder scored his first goal of the season in Wednesday’s 3-1 fourth-round replay win.

Nicolas Jackson’s header and Enzo Fernandez’s sensational free kick helped the visitors to victory, despite Moussa Diaby’s injury-time consolation.

Chelsea, 11th in the Premier League, came into the game in disarray after 4-1 and 4-2 defeats to Liverpool and Wolves respectively and Gallagher knows they cannot let things drop.

“There was a lot of hunger and that’s what we need every game,” he said, with Chelsea hosting Leeds in the fifth round. “I think before the game you could sense that because the last two games have not been good enough by o…

Real Madrid striker Cristiano Ronaldo broke his own record for the number of goals scored in a Champions League group stage by netting his 10th in the game with Malmo on Tuesday.

The Portugal captain started the evening on seven, but a hat-trick against the Swedes saw him surpass his total from the 2013-14 season in which he scored nine times a figure matched by then Shakhtar Donetsk forward Luiz Adriano last term.

The record-breaking goal came in the 50th minute as Ronaldo collected the ball inside the box and hit home on the turn with a low shot that squeezed under the right arm of Malmo goalkeeper Johan Wiland.

He promptly wasted little time in grabbing an 11th as Rafael Benitez s men ran riot.

Ronaldo s efforts at the Santiago Bernabeu also saw him…

Juventus superstar Cristiano Ronaldo will improve the more he plays after the coronavirus-enforced break, according to head coach Maurizio Sarri.

Ronaldo converted a penalty as Serie A leaders Juve routed 10-man Lecce 4-0 in Turin on Friday – the defending champions opening a seven-point advantage over scudetto challengers Lazio.

The five-time Ballon d Or winner took his tally to 23 goals in Serie A this season, though Ronaldo has been in the headlines for his lack of form since the 2019-20 campaign restarted earlier this month following the COVID-19 crisis.

Asked about Ronaldo post-match, Sarri told reporters: Cristiano now can play with a good fit. He needs to improve after the break and he is doing match after match.

He needs to play a lot. In the f…

Real Madrid spent in excess of 250 million euros on new talent in the summer with the target of dethroning Barcelona in La Liga and re-establishing themselves in Europe by winning the Champions League at their Santiago Bernabeu stadium.

But the Spanish giants failed on both counts with a last 16 exit to Lyon ending their hopes of a dream European final at their Bernabeu stadium as the nine-time champions have failed to get past the first knockout stage for six successive seasons.

Defeats to Barcelona in both Clasicos meaning they have lost the last four were pivotal in the title race as Barcelona notched a record 99 points to retain their crown and Real s own points record of 96 was not enough.

After watching arch rivals Barcelona win an historic League, King s …

Burnley have completed the signing of Joey Barton,.

The midfielder was available on a free transfer after leaving Queens Park Rangers at the end of last season and had been linked with West Ham United and Nottingham Forest.

However, he has penned a one-year deal with Sean Dyche’s side, who are looking to secure an immediate return to the Premier League following their relegation back in May.

Barton made eighty-six appearances for QPR, scoring six goals while he spent the 2012/13 campaign on loan at Marseille in France’s Ligue One.

Prior to his move to Loftus Road, he spent four years with Newcastle United, having begun his career with Manchester City while internationally he has one senior cap for England.

Burnley, who have taken five po…

Could Paulo Dybala swap Italy for Spain?

The Juventus attacker was close to leaving Juventus for either Manchester United or Tottenham prior to the 2019-20 season, while Paris Saint-Germain were also linked.

Now, Real Madrid are reportedly targeting the 26-year-old.

TOP STORY – KROOS OUT, DYBALA IN?

Real Madrid are set to offer Toni Kroos or Isco as part of a deal to bring Juventus star Paulo Dybala to the Santiago Bernabeu, according to SportMediaset.

LaLiga champions Madrid are eyeing a move for Dybala, who has been in negotiations with Serie A titleholders Juve over a new contract amid reported interest from Paris Saint-Germain.

However, Juve are unwilling to part with the Argentina international – who enjoyed a fine S…

Edin Dzeko has scored six goals in his first seven Inter league appearances, matching Ronaldo s haul from the 1997-98 season, and the striker is brimming with confidence after his fine start.

The 35-year-old came off the bench in the second half of the Nerazzurri s 2-1 Serie A away victory over Sassuolo on Saturday.

Inter were trailing, but Dzeko equalised less than a minute after his introduction and then earned the penalty that Lautaro Martinez converted to win the game.

Dzeko joined Inter in August to replace star striker Romelu Lukaku, who left to join Chelsea, but has more than made up for the Belgian s absence so far.

Six goals after seven games, I know Ronaldo was the last to do it, Dzeko said after the game. Inter signed me for this, I know what …

(GSM) Real Madrid skipper Iker Casillas feels that Barcelona s recent dominance is a passing fad , while predicting coach Jose Mourinho will inspire a new period of supremacy at the Santiago Bernabéu.

The Catalan giants have romped to claim the last two Primera Division crowns and the 2009 Champions League in fluid passing style which has won them a new army of admirers.

But Casillas believes otherwise and feels that Mourinho s more pragmatic approach will pay dividends in the long term.

We are able to stand up to them, he told Marca. We compare favourably with them and we are only a couple of months, perhaps a season, away from them.

This is the best Barca in history and they have been in fashion but this is just a passing fad.

Mourinho is a…

Jaap Stam is hoping he can one day fill the role of Manchester United manager.

The Dutchman, 43, played at Old Trafford between 1998 and 2001, winning the Premier League in each of his three full seasons.

The retired centre-back has been involved with the coaching teams of Ajax s first and second sides since 2013.

But Stam will leave Ajax at the end of the season and believes he is ready to become number one at a club, with the United job a future dream as he sets out on his managerial career.

First it would be for me to work as a manager in England, but eventually, if I develop and do well, hopefully I can get back in a role for United, Stam told the Daily Mail.

I finished my coaching badges last season and I want to manage in Holland or Englan…