Aston Villa’s Emile Heskey retires from International Football; Roy Hodgson claims Liverpool working hard to retain “big” names Fernando Torres, Javier Mascherano, Steven Gerrard
Aston Villa and England striker Emile Heskey has gone public with his retirement from International football. Heskey played 62 times for his country, scoring seven times. He was criticized for his inability to score as a striker, as a Colombian goalkeeper has scored more times than Heskey. Heskey played the opening two matches of the 2010 World Cup campaign, which England drew against both USA and Algeria. He was replaced by Jermaine Defoe, who scored the winning goal against Slovenia in the final group stage match. England met Germany in the Round of 16, where they were defeated 4-1 by the Germans. Heskey came on as a second half substitute for Defoe, and couldn’t do much as England were humiliated by the Germans.
Heskey stated that he enjoyed every moment that he had worn an England shirt, and was proud to be a part of the English squad. He added that he was fortunate enough to play for the side and thanked all the managers he had the opportunity to play under. He also thanked the F.A. and the fans who supported him throughout his career. He wished the management and the squad the best of luck for the future, and hoped that they’d do well. Heskey, now 32, made his International debut back in 1999, when he replaced Kevin Phillips under manager Kevin Keegan. He then had the opportunity to play in the European Championships of 2000 as well as 2004. He was also a full part of the 2002 World Cup campaign, and scored in the knockout stages against Denmark. However, he didn’t win any more caps for three years, and was called back by Steve McClaren. Under McClaren, he won the 50th Cap for his side when played against Belarus in 2008. He has had vast experience in playing for numerous English clubs, including Leicester City, Liverpool, Birmingham City and Wigan Athletic. He currently plays for Martin O’Neill in Aston Villa.
In other news, new Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson revealed that Liverpool’s board of directors is working hard to keep big names in Liverpool. Liverpool key players, which include Fernando Torres, Javier Mascherano and Captain Steven Gerrard, have all been linked to moves away from Anfield. The club is aware of the importance of each of these players, and is working day and night on retaining each of the star names at Anfield.
The Reds finished a disappointing 7th in the league, which forced former manager Rafa Benitez to leave the club. He took over the rein at Champions League winners Inter Milan, and is attracting most of his former players to Inter. Hodgson has already talked with Captain Steven Gerrard but is yet to converse with Torres or Mascherano, as both of them are currently on a post World Cup vacation.
Torres has been linked with a high price switch to Manchester City or Champions Chelsea, with Chelsea rating the striker for around 50 million pounds. Mascherano is also expected to leave, either to his former boss Benitez at Inter or at Catalan Giants Barcelona, who are known admirers of the midfielder.
Hodgson has, however, admitted that since the time he was signed as the new club manager, he has been working day in and day out to keep Liverpool’s key players. "We are working very hard on making certain the players we have at the club who you would call the 'good players' are going to be with us for next season," said the Englishman.
He added that many of the players were disappointed with last season’s performance, and therefore are looking elsewhere for employment. Liverpool will not play Champions League football, which is the dream of every football player playing in Europe. Players like Torres and Mascherano have not tasted much silverware, and it may be the cause of frustration amongst the players. All the players want to win trophies, and both of them have reached their mid and late twenties, and would want to add medals to their career. That is what Liverpool is not able to provide them, but Liverpool aims to keep the players to challenge for the top four spots next year.
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