Mexico boss Gerardo Martino has said that he wanted to give opportunities to other players and this was partly the reason behind Carlos Vela’s exclusion for the forthcoming internationals against Chile and Paraguay. Speaking to reporters, he said: “Seeing a bit of the chat and seeing a bit of the necessities we have right now, my decision was not to select Carlos Vela.”

Meanwhile, when asked whether Vela could feature at the Gold Cup at the end of the season, Martino refused to give the assurances over the samesaying: “I can’t give you that answer right now. We’ll have to see what happens on the way and probably chat again with the players in the local market and also those playing in Europe because I’d like to share opinions about what they went through in this camp.”

Mexico head coach Gerardo Martino has said that he has no plans of using naturalised players at El Tri and he would rather focus on the talent available from the national pool. The veteran was recently handed the managerial duties with the North American nation following his MLS Cup success with Atlanta United.

Speaking to reporters, Martino highlighted that he has no intention of looking into naturalised players for the moment, given that would provide a wrong outlook on his selection process for the team, he said: "I have to consider the players I have available. If one of my starting points 30 days after becoming coach is naturalizing players, I'd be starting my job off on the wrong foot."

Mexico international Carlos Vela has said that he is content plying his trade for Los Angeles FC amid the recent speculation linking him with Spanish giants Barcelona. The experienced forward was recently associated with the Catalan giants, who were searching for a back-up option to Luis Suarez but ultimately they signed Kevin-Prince Boateng from Sassuolo instead.

When asked on the speculation, Vela highlighted that a deal never materialised between Barcelona and Los Angeles or else he could have found it hard to turn down advances from the reigning Spanish champions. The former Real Sociedad man added that he is content with his association with Los Angeles and he is hoping to guide the team to league glory in the forthcoming 2019 campaign.

Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde has refused to rule out a potential move for Carlos Vela during the ongoing transfer window. The Mexico international has been linked with a surprise switch to the Blaugrana over the past weeks amid suggestions that Valverde is looking into a potential back-up option for Luis Suarez upfront.

Speaking in a news conference, Valverde praised the qualities of the former Arsenal graduate but refused to confirm whether the club are interested in acquiring the player’s signature, he said: "He's a great player. He's played in our league but we don't normally talk about players from other clubs. A lot is said about every name that comes up. I can understand, being Mexican, why you are interested but he plays for another club."

West Ham United attacker Felipe Anderson has said that Javier Hernandez has played a key role in him settling to the new surroundings. The Brazilian became the club’s record signing after joining from Lazio during the summer and of late, he has picked up form with Hernandez leading the line for the east London outfit.

Speaking to the club’s official website, Anderson said that he has a good relationship with Hernandez on and off the pitch and this has translated into the recent upturn in form for both players, who were struggling to deliver during the opening stages of the campaign, he said: “Since I arrived, Chicharito always treated me well. He gave me his trust on the pitch, he always let me know that I could count on him to finish my moves and like that we developed a good feeling and that has been important. And also we have a very good relationship off the pitch.”

Los Angeles FC have been able to agree a three-year contract with Canadian midfielder Mark-Anthony Kaye. Crucially, the club have the option of an additional year in the contract. Mark-Anthony Kaye was able to start 20 regular-season matches for LAFC in the inaugural MLS campaign. The 24-year-old finished the season with five assists and two goals. His salary was a relatively mediocre $75,000 in the 2018 campaign. After the conclusion of the campaign, it appears that manager Bob Bradley was extremely pleased with the contribution of the midfielder.

After announcing his new contract, Bradley said that the role played by Kaye in the 2018 campaign was extremely crucial along with players like Carlos Vela, who had come up with plenty of important goals. The manner in whichKaye was open to the ideas put forth by the manager and was ready to implement the same with every training session appears to have endured to the manager. Aside from his stellar presence with the LAFC outfit,Kaye has also been key for the national team after making six appearances. Prior to his switch to LAFC,Kaye was part of the Louisville City FC, York University and Toronto FC 2.

The Ballon d’Or is the most prestigious award in football, given to the greatest player in the world every year. There has never been a Mexican winner of the coveted trophy, and for the last ten years, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have dominated.

With the Argentine and Portuguese a step above the rest, it has been hard for any other player to break through. But now the careers of the two superstars are winding down, the contest could be more open in the future. Hirving Lozano is a player with great potential - could he be the first ever Mexican to lift the Ballon d’Or?

PSV Eindhoven attacker Hirving Lozano has revealed his ambition of playing in the Premier League at a particular stage on his professional career. The Mexico international has been a revelation for PSV since joining them from Pachuca nearly 18 months ago but he is still said to harbour the ambition of featuring for a Premier League outfit.

Speaking after the Champions League defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, he said: “I hope that God, some day, gives me a shot at playing in the Premier League. I like it very much. I think the Premier League is great. I think that it would be fabulous to play with any of the clubs, but I would love to play for one of the big clubs. I hope that God gives me the chance.”

Los Angeles FC were able to secure a play-off place after managing a 3-0 victory over Colorado Rapids during the weekend. Bob Bradley’s team came into the game as one of the top teams in the 2018 campaign. Not many expected LAFC to make a major impact in their debut campaign in the MLS, but players like Carlos Vela have helped them achieve some incredible results. The club came into the weekend’s match against Colorado Rapids with a need to recover quickly from the recent defeat against Chicago Fire – the first defeat for the club in eight games.

The match began well for Bob Bradley’s men as they scored in the 15th minute through Walker Zimmermann. Adama scored either side of the break to put LAFC in a commanding position and they never relinquished this spot until the end of the match. As a result of the victory, LAFC are now level on points with Sporting Kansas City going into the last three matches of the campaign. There is a significant possibility of LAFC finishing in the top two places of the Western Conference. Bradley claims that the team are excited to reach the play-offs in their debut campaign and expect them to push forward.

Los Angeles FC were able to secure a play-off place after managing a 3-0 victory over Colorado Rapids during the weekend. Bob Bradley’s team came into the game as one of the top teams in the 2018 campaign. Not many expected LAFC to make a major impact in their debut campaign in the MLS, but players like Carlos Vela have helped them achieve some incredible results. The club came into the weekend’s match against Colorado Rapids with a need to recover quickly from the recent defeat against Chicago Fire – the first defeat for the club in eight games.

The match began well for Bob Bradley’s men as they scored in the 15th minute through Walker Zimmermann. Adama scored either side of the break to put LAFC in a commanding position and they never relinquished this spot until the end of the match. As a result of the victory, LAFC are now level on points with Sporting Kansas City going into the last three matches of the campaign. There is a significant possibility of LAFC finishing in the top two places of the Western Conference. Bradley claims that the team are excited to reach the play-offs in their debut campaign and expect them to push forward.