Who are best three La Liga players this season - outside of Barcelona and Real Madrid?

Everybody knows how good Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and Luis Suarez are. But who are the players making a name for themselves away from Barcelona and Real Madrid?

Koke (Atletico Madrid)

An obvious choice to begin with. The industrious midfielder has been the outstanding player outside of Real and Barca for the past three years and is known in Spain as 'the new Xavi'. There isn't much higher praise than that.

Still only 23 years old, Koke is the poster boy for Spain's post-World Cup national team - and they are in good hands. It is easy to see why he is compared to Xavi: he is an excellent passer of the ball, plays the short game very well and, quite simply, is the best midfielder in Spain at the moment.

Yet the two are different players. Koke is more direct than Xavi and one of his defining qualities is his work ethic, which makes him ideal for a team coached by Diego Simeone. Koke was instrumental in Atleti's title-winning season and played a huge role as they came within minutes of winning the Champions League. Only Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have more assists in the last three seasons.

All of this has the biggest clubs in the world - most notably Chelsea - willing to activate his £44million release clause. But what makes him even more endearing is his desire to stay with Atletico Madrid, in the city where he was raised. Just this week he admitted he would like to be "Atleti's Gerrard". But Koke is already one ahead of the Liverpool stalwart - he's won a league title.

Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid)

France have been missing an exciting winger-come-forward ever since Thierry Henry retired and they finally have one in Antoine Griezmann. Real Madrid's Karim Benzema is the out-and-out striker but Griezmann, even at 24, is the new kid on the block and he is incredibly exciting to watch.

Admittedly, Griezman failed to set the World Cup alight in 2014 but in terms of raw ability, nobody can argue he has talent. He was a fans' favourite at Real Sociedad and that hasn't changed since moving to Los Rojiblancos, for whom he scored 22 La Liga goals in his debut season - beaten only by Ronaldo, Messi and Neymar in 2014-15.

Primarly a left-sided forward, Griezmann is at his best when he drifts inside along the front line and becomes hard for defenders to pick up. As many had hoped, he has grown under Simeone's guidance and has learned to use his pace not only to pull defenders out of position, but to combine it with excellent close control and an eye for goal.

Atleti are desperate to tie Griezmann down on a new contract to ensure they don't lose him for the £43.5 million release clause. Chelsea are very interested and that is testament to the Frenchman's rise through the ranks in Spain. But despite his clear ability, he needs to prove it on a bigger stage.

Jose Luis Gaya (Valencia)

In terms of players breaking through, no-one has been more prominent than Jose Luis Gaya. The Valencia defender, who turns 20 later this month, is the latest left-back to emerge from the Mestalla production line which has also produced Jordi Alba and Juan Bernat.

The 19-year-old has yet to be capped by Spain but is already eyed as a natural successor to Alba after a consistently excellent season for Valencia. He has made 34 appearances in all competitions this season, with two goals and six assists to his name.

Gaya's reputation as a solid yet attacking full-back has drawn interest from Real Madrid, Chelsea and Arsenal and it looks like his future lies away from Valencia. But he won't come cheap, with Los Che tying the defender down on a new five-year deal earlier in May, increasing his release clause to around £35 million.

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Bears Release Ex-49er Ray McDonald After Arrest in California

The Chicago Bears released defensive lineman Ray McDonald after he was arrested Monday in California on a domestic violence charge, the latest in a string of run-ins that have tested the boundaries of the N.F.L.’s tougher personal conduct policy.

McDonald’s release came nine months after he was arrested in a separate domestic violence case and just two months after the Bears signed him to an incentive-laden free-agent contract.

McDonald was not charged in the first case, and the San Francisco 49ers, his team last season, did not penalize him. But in December, three months later, the 49ers released him soon after learning that he was being investigated over an accusation of sexual assault.

Despite the cloud that hung over McDonald, who was drafted in 2007 after playing at the University of Florida, the Bears signed him to a one-year deal worth up to $1.5 million, though none of it was guaranteed. The Bears’ chairman, George McCaskey, told reporters in March that he had initially vetoed efforts to sign McDonald, 30, but had changed his mind after meeting him. He said McDonald had promised to change his behavior.

On Monday morning, though, the police in Santa Clara, Calif., arrested McDonald. According to a police report, officers, responding to a call, arrived at McDonald’s home at 3:48 a.m. They were told that McDonald had assaulted a woman while she was holding a baby. McDonald had left the scene and was arrested in San Jose.

After he was charged with misdemeanor domestic violence and child endangerment, the Bears decided to cut ties with him.

“We believe in second chances, but when we signed Ray, we were very clear what our expectations were if he was to remain a Bear,” Ryan Pace, the Bears’ general manager, said in a statement. “He was not able to meet the standard, and the decision was made to release him.”

Kyle Long, an offensive guard on the Bears, supported the team’s decision. After McDonald was released, Long wrote on his Twitter account, “good riddance.”

McDonald’s behavior and the 49ers’ handling of his case have been scrutinized because they have highlighted the trouble teams have had in determining whether and when to penalize players, particularly those who may be contesting charges against them.

McDonald’s latest legal problem occurred in the aftermath of the arrests of Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson, Greg Hardy and other players, which prompted widespread accusations that the league was lax in its handling of domestic violence cases. After being castigated by women’s groups, advocates for victims of domestic violence and even members of Congress, the N.F.L. vowed to crack down on players involved in domestic violence cases.

The league expanded penalties for those found to have committed domestic violence, increased education programs and hired executives to investigate allegations of player misconduct rather than wait for law enforcement agencies.

But much gray area remains. Teams have been left to decide whether to sign players who are still fighting allegations against them or who could be disciplined by the league.

Even as other teams shied away, the Cowboys signed Hardy, a star defensive lineman who had a conviction for domestic violence overturned when the woman involved in the case refused to testify against him during an appeal. Though the Cowboys said that they had done due diligence on Hardy, a former All-Pro defensive end, theN.F.L. suspended him for the first 10 games of this season after its own investigation found that he had used physical force against his former girlfriend.

No team has signed Rice even though his indefinite suspension was overturned on appeal. Peterson, who was suspended after he was charged in the beating of his 4-year-old son, returned to the Minnesota Vikings after a federal court judge said that the N.F.L. had penalized him unfairly.

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Apple design guru Jony Ive promoted

Sir Jonathan previously held the role of senior vice president of design and helped design of some of the tech giant's most popular gadgets.

He was knighted in 2012 for his services to design.

The move was first revealed in an interview with Sir Jonathan in the Telegraphnewspaper.

In an internal memo to employees, published later by tech blog 9to5Mac, chief executive Tim Cook said Sir Jonathan's newly created role would now expand beyond its devices and into designing the company's retail stores, new California campus and even office furniture.

Apple is in the middle of building a new campus, also known as "spaceship" for its circular shape that will house about 12,000 workers.

"In this new role, he will focus entirely on current design projects, new ideas and future initiatives," Mr Cook said in the memo.

"Jony is one of the most talented and accomplished designers of his generation, with an astonishing 5,000 design and utility patents to his name."

Sir Jonathan has helped design products like the iPod, iPhone, iPad and smartwatch over the last couple of decades.

There were reports earlier this year that Apple was working on a car and he could be behind its design.

He will start the new role in July and team member Richard Howarth will take over as the new head of industrial design at Apple.

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Stephen Curry suffers head contusion after scary fall in Game 4

HOUSTON — After a scary fall, Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry suffered a head contusion in the first half of Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals.

Curry, this year's NBA MVP, was attempting to block a shot from Rockets forward Trevor Ariza. When Ariza stopped short, Curry went over Ariza's head and fell to the ground.

After a short time on the floor, Curry walked to the lockerroom. He had a quick X-ray, before going into the visitors locker room with general manager Bob Myers and his father Dell walking in with him.

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Steph Curry's dad couldn't bear to watch him score 63 points in an 8th grade game

In a profile written about Steph Curry by Sports Illustrated‘s Lee Jenkins, his father, Dell Curry, told a story about a time when his son was whooping up on another team so badly in the eighth grade that he couldn’t watch the game to the finish.

Steph had scored 63 points in that game, but Dell couldn’t bear to stay for the last 20:

“All these people were coming in to see what was going on, and there was so much commotion, it seemed like he was never going to stop. I had to get out of there. I felt bad for the other team. Icouldn’t watch what he was doing to those kids.”

It’s not surprising that Curry had the juice like this in the eighth grade considering all that we now know him to be capable of.

But the fact that he was beating a team so bad that he ran his own father out of the gym is hilarious just about any way you slice it.

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NFL can’t spell out praise for Tom Brady’s rival without ‘PSI’

Tom Brady has seemingly taken it from every angle since investigator Ted Wells concluded he was probably aware of the ball tampering operation known as Deflategate. Is the NFL taking its turn?

On Thursday, the league’s official Twitter account sent out a link to a Q&A featuring NFL coaches discussing what makes a franchise quarterback. The tweet, accompanied by an image of Colts quarterback Andrew Luck, seems innocuous — until you read the first letter of each word , a la an acrostic poem.

Coincidence? Maybe, but given it was the Colts allegations that sparked the investigation, some in the sports world were skeptical.

“I’m really actually shocked that anyone would even be asking about this,” NFL Network spokesman Alex Riethmiller told the Indy Star. “Really? Just three words.”

Want more NFL shade? A day earlier, NFL.com analyst Bucky Brooks dropped a ranking of the league’s top quarterbacks entering the upcoming season, with an asterisk next to Brady’s name.

“The controversy adds to the notion that the Patriots’ long-term success has been fueled by various misdeeds,” Brooks writes. “While there isn’t a proven correlation between deflated footballs and Brady’s on-field performance, the fact that another scandal is hovering over the Patriots certainly clouds the evaluation.”

Brady may yet get his four-game suspension reduced, but right now, he sure can’t win.

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The 26-year-old initially joined on loan from Manchester City

Aston Villa have completed the signing of Scott Sinclair on a permanent deal from Manchester City.

The 26-year-old joined Villa on loan in January but has now signed a four-year contract after the club secured Premier League survival this season.

Sinclair failed to secure a regular role at City after moving from Swansea City in August 2012 but the winger has scored three goals in 11 appearances since joining this year’s FA Cup finalists.

"I am so happy. We've had a fantastic end to the current season and now I am already looking forward to the new season starting,” Sinclair told Villa’s official website.

"It's also great for me and the family to be settled now. For every footballer, it's important to have that stability. I believe that will help me perform better and push on for this great club in the coming years.

"It's so much different than when you're on loan and going here, there and everywhere. It was important for the family to have that stability and I'm thrilled it's with a club like Villa.

"This is the happiest I have been in a long time. Now it's about kicking on with my career in claret and blue.

"I have already loved

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HOME»SPORT»GOLF Luke Donald desperate for Wentworth revival

It will not just be Luke Donald and his many admirers here at the BMW PGA Championship who will be hoping for a timely return to form. The European Tour will also be praying for the Englishman to rise high up the leaderboard to ensure he does not emulate countryman Paul Casey and quit his home circuit.

The former world No 1 has endured such a torrid spell that he is now 60th in the rankings and in grave danger of missing the next two majors.

The rankings cut-off point for both the US Open and Open are on Monday – the top 60 earning a ticket for Chambers Bay and the top 50 for

St Andrews – and, if he falls short, Donald would have to take his chances with the journeymen in qualifying via the back door. At the minimum, the 37-year-old needs to finish 56th on the West Course to stay inside the top 60 and requires a top-five position to move back into the 50. Otherwise, he faces the ignominy of not qualifying for a major for the first time in more than a decade.

Fortunately, he is at a tournament he loves. With two wins, a second and a third in the past five years, Donald has become a West Course specialist.

“There’s some things on the line that I haven’t had to worry about in the past. Staying in the top 60 for the US Open, getting in the top 50 for the Open, I’m aware of those,” Donald said. “But this has been a very successful event for me and it would be great to feed on those memories and be inspired to kick off my season. It’s been a very stuttering campaign so far, and one that has not been enjoyable. I hope Wentworth will get the magic going again.”

Donald’s disappearing act from the elite has certainly caused gasps. When he retained this title here three years ago he snatched the No 1 tag back off Rory McIlroy and held it until August that year. So began the descent but at first it was not too rapid and when finishing on the podium behind McIlroy last year he was still in the top 20. Since then there has been one top-10 in a full-field event in the last 12 months and five missed cuts in his last nine appearances.

At least Donald understands why. In August 2013, he undertook a radical swing overhaul under new coach Chuck Cook. Donald claims not to have “any regrets” but admits “with hindsight, I probably wouldn’t have done it now”. He added: “But now I’ve gone back to Pat [Goss], my coach of 15 years, I feel I am on a good path again and will turn it around.”

How quickly, is the question. When a player falls outside the top 50, it casts him out of the majors as well as the World Golf Championships and makes a two-Tour schedule almost impossible. Casey, the former world No 2, discovered this and last December chose to turn his back on the European Tour to dedicate himself to the PGA Tour. Back up to world No 34, Casey’s switch paid dividends.

“I’d seriously have to consider that next year if it had not gotten better,” Donald said. “If you’re not in the majors and WGCs, you’re just thinning yourself out too much to play both tours and have to play 30 to 35 events a year. It’s a requirement to play 13 events on the European Tour. It would be nice to see a reduction.”

Patrick Reed was one American who joined the European Tour this year. But he has pulled out this week in mysterious circumstances. The 24-year-old informed the European Tour only on Monday that he was withdrawing, citing “family illness”. Reed has also scratched from next week’s Irish Open. However, the fact that Reed has entered this week’s Crown Plaza Invitational on the PGA Tour – which he would had to have done by last Friday – has raised eyebrows.

Meanwhile, McIlroy earned further recognition for his stunning achievements last season when he was named th

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England vs New Zealand: Alastair Cook enters captaincy's last-summer saloon

One of the less edifying traditions of Ashes series in England is for their captain, if England are beaten, to take his bat as if it were a Samurai sword and fall upon it. Either that or he is stabbed in the back by the selectors.

As England have won the past three Ashes series at home since 2005, this tradition may have been forgotten, but it was the fate of David Gower in 1989, and Graham Gooch in 1993, and Mike Atherton wished he had resigned after the 1997 Ashes rather than stay on for another series. With Australia’s fast bowling overwhelmingly superior, come August the custom might be revived.

• Geoffrey Boycott: England are poor on the field and a shambles off it

To survive any longer as captain, Cook’s summer has to resemble the first half of his reign, not the second. He was 7-1 up in Tests after his first four series. In his past four he is 8-4 down, and England enter the first Test against New Zealand at Lord’s tomorrow in fifth place in the Test rankings, which is commendable only by comparison with their One-Day International ranking of sixth and their Twenty20 ranking of eighth.

Going into this international summer, Cook had the right to expect stability and continuity on the part of the England and Wales Cricket Board, but it is impossible to imagine how Kevin Pietersen could have been mishandled more. It is safe to say that a month ago the majority of cricket followers were against him. But after doing what was apparently asked of him on the field, Pietersen has been made a martyr and the majority probably sympathises.

Until England win the Ashes, and the World Cup of 2019, and the World T20 finals in Bangladesh next March, people will be able to argue that England teams would be stronger with Pietersen. It is a cloud that will never go away, and will turn to rain every time England lose, until he retires.

If Pietersen had argued his case in front of an ECB executive board composed of seven “great and good”, all reasonable people could have accepted their decision, even if they did not agree with it. Instead, the ban has been imposed by one or two people – whether last year or under the new regime – so Pietersen’s supporters can argue it was based on personal prejudice. Justice has not been seen to be done.

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Houston Astros Pitcher Lance McCullers Wears Sick 'Batman' Cleats in MLB Debut

It's your first major league start. Your entire family is watching. All eyes are on you. Houston Astros pitcher Lance McCullers knew this would be a moment to remember for the rest of his life.

So, he came prepared.

During Monday night's game against the Oakland Athletics, McCullers donned some sweet Batman cleats on the mound. They were all black with the Bat-Signal on the back and the Under Armour symbol on the front.

McCullers finished with five strikeouts and allowed one run on three hits in 4.2 innings. The Batman cleats weren't enough to get the win, as the Athletics 

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Kyrie Irving 'going to go' for Cavs and play in Game 1 against Hawks

"I'm going to go," Irving said of Wednesday's Game 1 in Atlanta.

It's been four days since Irving aggravated his left leg in the Cavs' closeout win over Chicago, limiting him to just 12 minutes overall, including keeping him sidelined for the entire second half. The All-Star point guard consulted with team doctors Friday and sat out Cleveland's practice on Saturday to rest, but reported marked improvement since the Bulls series.

"I would say just my spirits and mental confidence, just being able to actually feel both my feet underneath me, especially when I'm shooting, it feels amazing," Irving said. "You know, just a confidence of getting extra work in and just preparing with my teammates. I think that's the biggest thing I get out of it. I don't want to be on the sideline at all, especially preparing for a big stage like this. I want to be as close to 100 percent before Wednesday as I can be, so just doing the necessary things in order to do that."

Cavs coach David Blatt said he was "encouraged" by Irving's improvement after he held him out in Cleveland's 94-73 Game 6 win once Irving stepped awkwardly on  Tristan Thompson's foot in the second quarter and had to be helped to the locker room.

"It's just good to see that he's making some progress," Blatt said. "He's not there 100 percent yet, but he's making progress and that's a very good sign. I'm hopeful."

There was a light mood after Cavs practice and Irving, who is often subdued when he speaks to the media, was visibly excited about his playing status being cleared heading into the next round.

"This is the biggest stage that you want to be part of," Irving said. "Obviously people strive in the regular season to get to the playoffs and now I see absolutely why. There's nothing like the playoffs. Nothing at all. Whatever seeding you are, it's a big-time game. Everyone is watching and you want to be a part of it."

Said LeBron James of Irving's demeanor: "The good thing is he's positive, he's feeling better, and that's positive for our team."

With Irving's health no longer an uncertainty, the Cavs can game plan for the Atlanta series having his services to go up against the Hawks' point guard tandem of  Jeff Teague and Dennis Schroder. Like Irving, Teague was an All-Star this season and is averaging 15.3 points, 7.4 assists and 1.6 steals per game in the playoffs. Schroder, in his second year, finished ninth in voting for the league's Most Improved Player award this season and is averaging 10.1 points and 4.3 assists in the postseason.

"Both can break you down on the dribble. Both can push the ball. Both can get to the rim and create for not only themselves, but for others," Blatt said. "They are a handful. Two excellent guards who can play together. That presents another whole set of problems."

The Cavs' defense presents its own problems for opponents, of course. Cleveland ranks first among the remaining teams in the playoffs in both points per game allowed (92.6) and opponent's field goal percentage (40.8).

"In order for us to win we have to defend," James said. "No matter how we shoot the ball offensively, we have to be able trust that one another is going to be there to protect each other, trust that each individual takes the individual matchup, who they're matched up against, so, to know that we have that type of balance defensively, is key to our success. ... If you don't defend, you don't win."

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NHL playoffs: 3 stories from Lightning-Rangers Game 2

The Tampa Bay Lightning found the offensive spark they were missing en route to a 6-2 victory over the New York Rangers on Monday night that squared the Eastern Conference final at one game apiece.

Here are three stories from Game 2:

Bolts buck 1 trend, continue another

For the first time in this year's playoffs, the Rangers were not involved in a one-goal game.

Unfortunately for the Rangers, Tampa's margin of victory was obviously the largest against New York in 14 post-season contests, and the six-spot was also the most allowed by the Blueshirts over that same span.

But the Lightning's offensive outburst wasn't overly surprising in this case, especially when considering their recent success against the Rangers and, in particular, goaltender Henrik Lundqvist.

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Restricted Clippers hope to add some pieces in off-season

After he heard his boss deliver a moving speech about persevering through repeated disappointment, a thought struck Clippers assistant coach Lawrence Frank.

Who was there to support Coach Doc Rivers through his distress?

So Frank called Rivers early Monday morning, only hours after the Clippers' season ended with back-to-back-to-back defeats in the Western Conference semifinals, to see whether he could offer a few comforting words.

"I said, 'Well, that's what my wife is for,'" Rivers recalled later in the day at the team's practice facility.

Ultimately, the greatest healing could come from what Rivers does in the coming months in his role as his team's president of basketball operations.

The Clippers are clearly in need of help after becoming only the ninth team in NBA history to squander a 3-1 lead in a playoff series, their overworked stars fatigued to the point that they couldn't execute a few inbounds passes in the season's final game.

Their thin bench not only failed to produce, being outscored for a third consecutive game in the series, but continued to lag in the trust department. Houston Coach Kevin McHale played his top three reserves a combined 65 minutes in Game 7 compared with a combined 46 minutes for the Clippers trio of Jamal Crawford, Austin Rivers and Glen Davis.

"We're talking about the bench," Rivers told a throng of reporters who continually made it a talking point, "so I have to do a better job."

The Clippers will have limited resources to bolster their reserve corps regardless of whether they re-sign center DeAndre Jordan to a maximum five-year contract for an estimated $108.3 million, something that Rivers reiterated was his top priority.

"We don't need to go and get a max player, except for the one we have," Rivers said, referring to Jordan, who becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1. "We need to add pieces, and it's going to be hard, because we are restricted."

Assuming Jordan re-signed with the Clippers, they would have only the so-called mini-midlevel exception of $3.37 million per year for up to three years to offer free agents plus a bevy of veteran's minimum contracts. Should Jordan depart, the Clippers could dangle the full midlevel exception of $5.4 million per year for up to four years.

Rivers said Jordan "loves it here" after blossoming under his guidance but acknowledged that was no guarantee Jordan would stay with the only team he has known in his seven NBA seasons.

"There's going to be a lot of teams coming after him that have money," Rivers said. "There's a lot of them that don't, thank God. That helps us."

Another free agent Rivers said he would target is his son Austin, the backup point guard who arrived via midseason trade from New Orleans. Because of arcane NBA rules the Clippers can offer him only $3.1 million next season, less than other suitors.

Of course, the Clippers also have a recruiting edge no other team can match.

"I'll call his mom," Doc Rivers quipped.

A trade is always a possibility, but the Clippers do not have any widely coveted players besides their star trio of Jordan, Chris Paul and Blake Griffin. They also don't have any tradable first-round picks before a conditional selection in 2019.

One avenue for improvement would be internal growth among the team's young players such as Austin Rivers, who is still only 22 despite having completed his third professional season.

Rivers said Jordan "loves it here" after blossoming under his guidance but acknowledged that was no guarantee Jordan would stay with the only team he has known in his seven NBA seasons.

"There's going to be a lot of teams coming after him that have money," Rivers said. "There's a lot of them that don't, thank God. That helps us."

Another free agent Rivers said he would target is his son Austin, the backup point guard who arrived via midseason trade from New Orleans. Because of arcane NBA rules the Clippers can offer him only $3.1 million next season, less than other suitors.

Of course, the Clippers also have a recruiting edge no other team can match.

"I'll call his mom," Doc Rivers quipped.

A trade is always a possibility, but the Clippers do not have any widely coveted players besides their star trio of Jordan, Chris Paul and Blake Griffin. They also don't have any tradable first-round picks before a conditional selection in 2019.

One avenue for improvement would be internal growth among the team's young players such as Austin Rivers, who is still only 22 despite having completed his third professional season.

The elder Rivers said rookie shooting guard C.J. Wilcox had a promising future despite barely playing this season. The coach also praised Jordan Hamilton's offense but said he was unsure whether the small forward could play the defense that would earn him a spot in the rotation.

Rivers said he would meet with each of his players individually and provide suggestions for off-season development. He called it "a big summer" for reserve forward-center Spencer Hawes, who is eager for a do-over after enduring the worst season of his career.

The Clippers do not have a draft pick this season because their first-round selection is going to Boston as part of Rivers' agreement to leave the Celtics and their second-round pick is headed to Denver to complete a 2009 trade for center Cheikh Samb.

But the Clippers could buy their way in should they feel compelled to chase what Rivers described as a pool of players deeper than expected. Lakers point guard Jordan Clarkson, named Monday to the NBA all-rookie team, showed the potential value of even a mid-second-round pick.

One intangible that could help the Clippers in their pitch to free agents is their status as a contender, albeit one that has never made it past the second round of the playoffs in its 45-year existence.

"You may be able to get players that wouldn't come here if you weren't close," Rivers said. "I found that when we were in Boston too. When we were bad, we couldn't get a guy. We couldn't get anyone. When we were good, all of a sudden you can get [players] at veteran minimums and you can get the best of that group. That's what we'll try to do."

It may be all they can do during a summer spent shopping largely on the margins.

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Jake Livermore tests positive for cocaine with Hull midfielder facing two-year ban

Hull City midfielder Jake Livermore could face a two-year ban after testing positive for cocaine.

The future of the one-time England international is in serious doubt after he was suspended by the relegation-threatened Tigers.

Livermore failed a random drugs test following Hull’s 2-0 win at Crystal Palace on April 25, and FA guidelines state an ‘in competition’ violation carries a two-year suspension.

The 25-year-old only signed for Hull last summer in a then club record £8million move from Spurs, but they could look to terminate his contract — which has two years to run — if it is proved he took cocaine in the days prior to a match.

According to experts, the drug is undetectable in a doping test three to five days after use. Hull had not played in the two weeks prior to the match against Crystal Palace.

The FA will now carry out further investigations before the possibility of a charge. Neither they nor Hull had planned on releasing the information about the failed test — it is not protocol to do so — but it was leaked. 

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Alonso gets his points prediction in early

LONDON (Reuters) - Undeterred by his last points prediction coming back to bite him, Fernando Alonsohas said he expects his misfiring McLaren Formula One team to open their account for the season in Monaco this weekend.

The Spaniard had told reporters before his home race in Barcelona two weeks ago that he was confident McLaren would finish in the points.

Instead, he retired with a brake problem -- which the team blamed on a trapped visor tear-off -- while 2009 champion team mate Jenson Button finished 16th and lapped after wrestling with the 'scary' handling of his car.

"I think we will get points in Monaco," Alonso told Sky Sports ahead of Sunday's showcase race.

"Our simulations (in Barcelona) until the retirement put us in ninth place, so (that) was already the first opportunity to get the points. In Monaco it will be the second.

"From now on we will always be on the limit of the 10th place for the next two or three races. Hopefully after Austria we will be more secure -- seventh, eighth place I hope. That’s the target."

Former champions McLaren have not won a race since 2012 and are enduring their worst start to a season as the new partnership with Honda beds in, but Monaco has rewarded them more than any team over the years.

Alonso won in the principality with Renault in 2006 and McLaren in 2007 while Button did so in 2009 with Brawn. Germany's Nico Rosberg has won the past two editions with Mercedes.

The tight and twisty circuit means McLaren's power disadvantage will be less apparent, with driveability and a driver's skills more important.

"I’m hopeful we can sort out the balance issues we had on my car in the last race, so Monaco should see an improvement," Button said in a team preview of the race.

"After a disappointing race in Barcelona, naturally it’s easy to be frustrated when you step out of the car, especially when you feel you deserved more.

"I firmly believe that we’re making solid progress, which is why having a difficult race is hard to take."

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The centre-back was delighted with his side's title win, which came a year after they ended the 2013-14 season without a major trophy

Gerad Pique feels that the Liga title is a just reward for Barcelona after a sublime 2014-15 campaign.

Luis Enrique's men beat Atletico Madrid 1-0 at the Vicente Calderon on Sunday courtesy of a sublime second-half strike from Lionel Messi to dethrone Diego Simeone's side as the champions of Spain.

Pique was enthused by Barca's triumph, particularly has it had come after a season in which the Catalans had failed to win a major trophy.

"It’s been a fantastic year," the centre-half told his club's official website. "We’ve stood tall and the reward has been this title.

"It was a difficult year last season, but the team showed we could pick ourselves up. I am very proud to be a part of this great generation of players at Barcelona."

Barcelona are now one step closer to a treble, with the Blaugrana set to face Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey final on May 30 before meeting Juventus in the Champions League decider on June 6.

However, Pique has warned his team-mates not to get carried away or make the mistake of looking ahead to next month's European showdown with the Bianconeri in Berlin.

"We have to take each game at a time and now we need to focus on the cup final, which will be very tough," the Spain international added.

"We are on the way, but there’s still work to be done."

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