Livermore fails drugs test

Hull - Hull manager Steve Bruce said he was "shocked, saddened, disappointed and angry" after his midfielder Jake Livermore failed a drugs test.

The 25-year-old Livermore, who played once for England in 2012, was suspended by the English Football Association and Hull on Friday. He faces a ban of up to two years.

Bruce broke the news to Livermore of the failed test on Wednesday, and said his player "is obviously in a dark place."

"I can't come to terms with it, if I'm being honest," Bruce said on Saturday after his team's 2-0 loss to Tottenham in the English Premier League.

"The conversation I had with him is the hardest conversation I've ever had with any footballer."

Livermore has been a regular starter for Hull since joining from Tottenham, initially on loan, at the start of last season.

Later Saturday, two other English clubs announced their players had failed drugs tests.

Third-tier club Sheffield United said Jose Baxter was found to have traces of a banned substance in his sample after an out-of-competition drugs test.

United said it temporarily suspended Baxter, and the 23-year-old midfielder "has informed the club that he engaged in no wrongdoing involving any banned substance."

Baxter began his career at Everton.

Later, Wolverhampton Wanderers said goalkeeper Aaron McCarey had failed an out-of-competition test for a non-performance-enhancing substance.

The club said McCarey "strenuously denies deliberately taking any banned substance" and that he is subject to an immediate ban from the sport while the Football Association investigates his case.