Liverpool managing director Ian Ayre has hit back at Dave Whelan after the Wigan chairman criticised the Reds’ handling of their search for a new manager. Ayre is angry that Whelan went public with details of Liverpool’s interest in Wigan boss Roberto Martinez before the Anfield club eventually hired Brendan Rodgers from Swansea. Whelan claimed Liverpool had offered Martinez the job as long as he was willing to accept a director of football working above him. But Ayre insisted Rodgers was always their first choice and responded by taking a swipe at Whelan’s constant appearances in the English media. “Our aim from the outset was to conduct a proper, thorough, search, and do it in the proper manner,” Ayre told the Liverpool Echo. “From our point of view, we did all the right things. We approached the clubs we needed to approach, and conducted ourselves properly at all times. “It is disappointing, then, that Dave Whelan felt the need to run the kind of sideshow he conducted via Sky Sports News and various other media outlets. “To be honest, I always thought (stand-up comic) John Bishop was the biggest comedian in the north west, but Dave Whelan seems to have taken that mantle over the last couple of weeks!” “We can say with absolute certainty that the only person who was made any offer by Liverpool Football Club is Brendan Rodgers.” Ibra, Silva ‘99.9 percent at Milan’—Galliani Milan: AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani declared yesterday that Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva have a “99.9 percent” chance of remaining at the club, despite interest in the pair from Paris Saint-Germain. “Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva are staying at Milan 99.9 percent,” Galliani told reporters, although he did not deny that PSG had made offers for the pair over the weekend. According to sources at PSG, the French club have made an offer of 34 million euros ($42.3m), rising to 40 million euros with bonuses, for Ibrahimovic. The Swedish striker said on May 25 that he would remain at Milan for a third season, even though “the club’s financial situation” posed “problems”. He admitted he had been reprimanded by the club for his comments, which were made at the Sweden national team’s training base, where Ibrahimovic and his international colleagues are preparing for Euro 2012. Manchester United agree Kagawa deal London: Japan international Shinji Kagawa is set to become Manchester United’s first summer signing after the Premier League club confirmed yesterday they have “reached agreement” with his club Borussia Dortmund. “Manchester United is delighted to announce that it has agreed terms with both Borussia Dortmund and Shinji Kagawa for his transfer to the club,” said a United statement. “The deal is subject only to the player medical and obtaining a UK work permit. These conditions are anticipated to be completed by the end of June. “Further details will be announced in due course.” The deal is expected to cost around £12million (18.4million dollars). Manager Sir Alex Ferguson and assistant Mike Phelan made a personal check on Kagawa the day before the Premier League runners-up’s final match at Sunderland, when they saw the Japanese star grab one goal and create another in Dortmund’s 5-2 German Cup triumph over Bayern Munich. Kagawa cost Dortmund just 350,000 euros when he joined from J-League side Cerezo Osaka in 2010. He has scored 21 goals in 49 Bundesliga appearances for Borussia, helping them win back-to-back league titles. Germany have mixed feelings over expanded Euros Gdansk, Poland: Germany have “mixed feelings” over the expansion of the European Championship to 24 teams in 2016, saying it was smaller nations that pushed the increased number through to have a bigger chance to qualify. Euro 2012, which gets underway on Friday and will be co-hosted by Poland and Ukraine, will be the last to feature 16 teams. The 2016 tournament, to be hosted by France, will be contested by 24 teams. “I personally find the format with 16 teams ideal,” said German football association (DFB) president Wolfgang Niersbach on Tuesday. “We at the DFB view the (expansion) with mixed feelings.” “It was smaller nations like Finland and Scotland, and I think Norway was in there as well, who had never qualified and who pushed it through with their votes,” he told reporters. The competition started as a four-team tournament in 1960, expanding to eight in 1980 and 16 in 1996. S.Africa fire coach after slow campaign start Johannesburg: South Africa fired national soccer coach Pitso Mosimane yesterday in reaction to their disappointing start to the World Cup qualifiers at the weekend. Mosimane is the first victim of Africa’s qualifying campaign for the 2014 finals in Brazil after his side were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Ethiopia, 71 places below them in the FIFA rankings, in their opening Group A qualifier on Sunday. The announcement by South Africa’s soccer governing body in a statement on Tuesday came after a meeting with officials that went on late into Monday night. Uzbekistan replace coach after World Cup defeat Tashkent: Uzbekistan have replaced coach Vadim Abramov with former boss Mirjalol Kasimov after losing their opening World Cup fourth round group match at home to Iran on Sunday. A statement from the Uzbekistan Football Federation announced the surprise move after the 1-0 loss in Tashkent, where the hosts were denied a goal despite a 75th minute shot from Odil Akhmedov appearing to cross the Iranian line.from gulf times.