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Liverpool snap up Mainz keeper Karius
LO NDON: Liver pool s i gned Germany U-21 goalkeeper Loris Karius from Mainz on Tuesday for a fee reported to be £4.7 million (6.1 million euros).
LO NDON: Liver pool s i gned Germany U-21 goalkeeper Loris Karius from Mainz on Tuesday for a fee reported to be £4.7 million (6.1 million euros).
Karius agreed a five-year contract with t he Premier League club and is expected to provide strong competition for Liverpool’s current first-choice goalkeeper Simon Mignolet.
The 22-year-old has taken the number one shirt with the approval of Reds boss Jurgen Klopp, while the error-prone Mignolet cur rently wears number 22.
Karius, who was in Manchester City’s youth academy for two years before returning to Germany in 2011, will provide much-needed competition for Belgium international Mignolet, whose position has not been threatened since arriving three years ago despite a number of unconvincing performances.
After making 34 Bundesliga appearances last season, keeping nine clean-sheets to help Mainz to a sixth-place finish, Karius was convinced to join Liverpool after speaking to fellow German Klopp.
FRANCE’S VARANE OUT FOR TWO-THREE WEEKS
MADRID: Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane’s chances of representing France on home soil at Euro 2016 remain in the balance after Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane confirmed he will be out for up to three weeks with a hamstring injury.
Varane will definitely miss Real’s Champions League final against Atletico Madrid on Saturday and faces a race against time to be fit for France’s opening Euro 2016 game against Romania on June 10.
“It is sure that he will be injured for Saturday,” said Zidane on Tuesday.
“I expect he will be out for two or three weeks. I hope for him it isn’t as severe as anticipated. I hope he’ll have the chance to do something at the Euros.”
VARDY MAY PLAY ON WINGS FOR ENGLAND
MANCHESTER: England manager Roy Hodgson defended his decision to deploy Jamie Vardy in a wide role after the Leicester City striker struck the winner in a 2-1 success against Turkey.
Vardy scored 24 goals from a central role to fire Leicester to Premier League glory this season, only to find himself lining up on the left flank in a 4-3-3 formation in Sunday’s Euro 2016 warm-up match at Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium.
“I spoke to Jamie before the game. He was more than happy to play in either system and I think it was a success because he’s come away with a penalty and a goal,” Hodgson said.
