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Midday Ticker: Anderson leaves Man United; England WNT legend Smith retires; and more

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By CAITLIN MURRAY

After failing to make an appearance for Manchester United since August, Brazil’s Anderson is on the move.

The 26-year-old midfielder has signed a four-year deal with Internacional in Brazil, the club announced Tuesday, reportedly on a free transfer.

Anderson was in a need of a move as he had apparently fallen out of favor with new Manchester United coach Louis Van Gaal and Internacional had hinted they were looking at picking up the Brazilian.

Anderson has joined Manchester United in 2007 from Porto, making an immediate impact and starting in key matches early on, including in the 2009 UEFA Champions League final. But through injuries and coaching changes, his standing with the club diminished and he only appeared once this season as a substitute back in August.

Here are some more of Tuesday afternoon’s news and notes:

RECORD-HOLDER SMITH RETIRES AHEAD OF WORLD CUP

English soccer legend Kelly Smith will not be playing in this summer’s Women’s World Cup.

The record-holder for goals for the English women’s national team, 36-year-old Smith is retiring from international duty but will continue her club career with Arsenal, the FA announced Tuesday.

“I’m at a different stage in my life now,” Smith said. “I am focusing on coaching and working my way up to get my licenses and stay involved in football that way, along with playing for Arsenal.

“Women’s football has changed so much since I started playing and I am proud to have been a part of that.”

Smith has 117 appearances for England and 46 goals.

ZAHA COMPLETES TRANSFER TO CRYSTAL PALACE

Sir Alex Ferguson’s final signing is on his way out at Manchester United.

English international Wilfried Zaha has completed permanent transfer to return to Crystal Palace for a fee reported to be as much as $4.6 million on a five-and-a-half year deal.

The 22-year-old winger had cost Man United a whopping $28 million two years ago but only made four appearances for them and never started a league game. He’s spent the past couple years away on loan, including with Crystal Palace.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE MATCH IN UKRAINE WILL GO ON AS PLANNED 

Despite an ongoing war in Ukraine, an upcoming Champions League match will continue as planned, UEFA said Tuesday.

The Feb. 17 match between Shakhtar Donetsk and Bayern Munich in the Ukrainian city of Lviv will be safe, UEFA said. The city is located about 600 miles from the conflict in Donetsk.

According to the Associated Press, UEFA said they had “no such reservations” about the first knockout round fixture.

“We are confident the match will be played in Lviv without any problem,” the statement said.

What do you expect from Anderson going forward? How will England fare without Smith? How will Crystal Palace perform from here on out?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. having seen Kelly Smith play while she was at Seton Hall, she was amazingly talented. Look forward to seeing what the next stage of her career holds.

    Reply

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