Rooney handed a Kenyan kick-starter

Wayne Rooney will make his first appearance back in an Everton shirt in the club's friendly against Kenyan side Gor Mahia in Tanzania on Thursday.

Toffees manager Ronald Koeman has confirmed all players making the trip to East Africa will feature for at least 45 minutes in the match.

"I'm looking forward to it - it should be a good trip," the former England captain Rooney told evertontv. His return to his boyhood club was confirmed last weekend when he signed a two-year contract to end his 13-year stay at Manchester United.

Everton has shelled out around $128 million in a summer spending spree, but captain Phil Jagielka singled out Rooney's capture as a "bit special".

Armband honor for United's Carrick

Michael Carrick has succeeded Wayne Rooney as captain of Manchester United after the club's all-time top scorer's move back to Everton.

"It feels great and it is such a huge honor to captain such a great club," Carrick told MUTV on Tuesday.

The 35-year-old former Tottenham midfielder added: "It is my 12th year now and I came as a 25-year-old. I never thought I could be here for so long and achieve so much.

"Now, to lead the boys and look after the young boys, to guide them in some ways, it is a nice thing and a real pleasure."

Milan hangs on to keeper prodigy

AC Milan's Gianluigi Donnarumma, regarded as one of the finest young goalkeepers in the world, has agreed an extension to his contract keeping him at San Siro until 2021, the Italians said on Tuesday.

His previous deal had been due to expire in 2018. Last month, Donnarumma announced he would not sign an extension, much to the fury of fans, who threw fake money at the 18-year-old during an Italy Under-21 match at June's European championships.

At the time, it was suggested that Milan offered the player a new deal with an annual salary of $5.7 million.

Sex-abuse figures soar in Britain

The number of victims of historical sex-abuse crimes in all sports, but primarily soccer, has risen by nearly 200 in the past three months, according to UK police figures released on Tuesday.

The number of victims stands at 741 - up from 560 in April - while the list of potential suspects has also grown from 252 to 276 in the figures published by Britain's National Police Chiefs' Council.

The ages of the victims at the time of the abuse - 96 per cent of whom are male - range from four to 20, according to the information garnered in the inquiry of child sexual abuse in Britain, code-named Operation Hydrant.

Blues teenager Solanke turns Red

Teenage striker Dominic Solanke signed for Liverpool from Premier League champion Chelsea on Tuesday.

The 19-year-old forward scored four goals in England's Under-20 campaign, which culminated in victory over Venezuela in June's final to earn the country its first global trophy since its senior team won the 1966 World Cup.

Solanke could cost the Reds around $3.8 million, according to the BBC. However, the fee will be decided by a tribunal because Solanke is under 24 and, although his contract with the Blues has expired, the London club is due a fee for nurturing his talent.

Agencies