Mexico international Carlos Vela has hinted that he may retire from international football after asking to be excluded from the preliminary squad for this summer’s Gold Cup. The 30-year-old was not included by new El Tri boss Gerardo Martino for the friendlies in March and he has now taken the step to omit himself from the Gold Cup citing personal reasons.

Speaking to reporters, Vela said that he has remained commitment to the national team for many years and that has not brought about a transformation in fortunes. The Mexican added that there is the chance for youngsters to make their presence and he would not be disappointed, should he fail to make the squad for the 2022 World Cup.

Mexico international Raul Jimenez is glad to have taken the Premier League chance with Wolverhampton Wanderers after waiting for nearly four years. The marksman has been a huge hit during his debut season with the club with 16 goals across all competitions, and this has recently witnessed the club pursue him on a permanent basis from Benfica ahead of the summer.

Speaking to The Star, Jimenez said that he had been waiting on the Premier League opportunity for an extended period and he is now prepared to fight for everything at the west Midlands outfit, he said: “This was my opportunity. This was the thing I was looking for, since four years ago. Now I have it I’m not going to let it go. I want it all and I think that makes me do the things I’m doing.

United States legend Landon Donovan believes Mexico are the favourites for the CONCACAF title amid USMNT’s recent failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. United States are currently the defending champions of the Gold Cup, but Donovan does not regard them as the kings of the competition with the recent downtrend in results.

Speaking to ESPN FC, Donovan said that the United States are not the best country in the region, considering the failure to reach the World Cup finals last year. He added that Mexico have the edge at the moment and it is up to the USMNT to prove doubters wrong at the forthcoming continent showpiece, he said: "At the moment the United States is not [the best country in the region] because we didn't qualify for the World Cup in Russia. At the moment it could be Mexico but we'll see in a few months who is the king of CONCACAF and hopefully the United States again are the kings of CONCACAF."

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?