Zlatan Ibrahimovic hopes to return for the second leg (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)
AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is set to be denied a return to Old Trafford as injury has ruled the Swede out of his side’s first leg Europa League clash against Manchester United.
The Serie A giants were drawn against Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side in the pick of the last-16 ties and the Italians travel to Old Trafford in ten days’ time for the first leg.
Ibrahimovic spent 18 months at the Theatre of Dreams, scoring 26 goals in an impressive debut season with the Red Devils.
The Swede tore his ACL towards the end of his first campaign and he joined LA Galaxy midway through the following season.
Ibrahimovic was looking forward to a return to the north-west but he’s suffered a thigh injury and is certainly ruled out of the first leg in England.
The veteran will now dedicate his recovery to return in time for the second leg at the San Siro, but he’s also doubtful for that.
Ibrahimovic spent 18 months at Old Trafford (Photo by John Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images)
Ibrahimovic was a popular figure with supporters and though spectators would not be at Old Trafford for the first leg, his return was seen as a way for fans to be given a proper goodbye to the Swede.
He last played for the club in December 2017 in a 2-2 draw against Burnley and he failed to play again before a move to the United States two months later.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer admitted after the draw that he was looking forward to playing against the Swedish legend.
‘We do have the tradition of making it hard for ourselves in draws,’ said Solskjaer.
‘It’s one of the those draws again that you feel could be a Champions League game. It’s good for us to have these games to look forward to. This team needs challenges and we enjoy challenges and we embrace them.
‘The tradition and history of AC Milan, it’s a great club that we welcome and it’s a great stadium that we go to there, and we’re looking forward to it.
‘Zlatan, of course, I’ve been so impressed, I’ve got to say, by how his career has gone. He had a career-threatening injury when he was here but came back from that and went to [the] MLS, then came back to Milan and has really lifted them.
‘They’re on the up and have done really well this season. I’ve been so impressed by him.’
Salah still on Real Madrid’s transfer list, says Calderon (Picture: Getty)
Real Madrid remain eager to sign Mohamed Salah but cannot afford the fee needed to bring the Liverpool forward to the Bernabeu, according to former club president Ramon Calderon.
Salah, 28, fuelled speculation of a switch to La Liga in December when he gave an interview with Spanish publication AS suggesting he was open to the idea of playing for either Barcelona or Real Madrid in the future.
However, the Egypt international, whose contract at Anfield expires in 2023, has since admitted that he is happy to stay at the Merseyside club ‘as long’ as he can.
Calderon believes Real are still keen to bring the forward to the Spanish capital but doubts his former club, who have been hit hard by the financial impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, will not be in any position to meet Liverpool’s demands for the player if they choose to cash in.
Calderon told ON Time Sports: ‘He is a great player and a goalscorer.
Salah remains the league’s top scorer this season. (Picture: Getty)
‘He helped Liverpool by giving his best, but I don’t think they will let him go.
‘It is expected that, if they were to think about it, they would only let him go for a lot of money.
‘Salah is wanted, of course, by Real Madrid, but Liverpool would ask for a lot of money and, if that deal were to be completed, it would be crucial.
‘Salah is a great player with fantastic potential, and any club wishes to acquire such talents, but for Real Madrid I do not think they have the financial means to sign Salah.’
Rene Meulensteen, right, has revealed where Manchester United need to strengthen (Picture: Getty)
Rene Meulensteen has urged Manchester United to hand Edinson Cavani a new contract but says the Red Devils still need to sign another striker for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer this summer.
Solskjaer’s side climbed to the top of the Premier League table in early January, but less than two months later they find themselves 12 points behind a Manchester City side who have won 20 matches in a row.
With the title seemingly beyond United – but a top-four spot on the cards – Meulensteen has looked ahead to next season and says the club he coached between 2007 and 2013 need another striker.
Solskjaer signed Edinson Cavani on a free transfer last summer and the Uruguay legend has done enough to earn a contract extension, according to Meulensteen.
But Sir Alex Ferguson’s former coach says Solskjaer should still attempt to bolster his attacking options in the summer transfer window as Cavani, 34, is unlikely to play more than 40 games next season.
‘For me, Edinson Cavani has done enough to warrant another year,’ Meulensteen told Stadium Astro. ‘He’s a top, top professional and very fit.
Meulensteen believes Edinson Cavani will need some support next season (Picture: Getty)
‘But they need to look beyond Cavani. He’s not going to play 40 games a season so they need to look into that and strengthen that.’
Meulensteen was speaking after Manchester United’s goalless draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, in which Red Devils midfielder Bruno Fernandes again failed to make a significant impact in a match against a fellow top-six club.
‘When he influences games, he’s on the ball and drifts everywhere,’ Meulensteen added. ‘His passing today was a little bit off. That’s unlike him.
‘When you play against those bigger teams, they know if they can stop Fernandes, you basically stop Manchester United from creating anything.
‘You could see he was getting frustrated and that’s because he didn’t get a grip of the game.’
Manchester United face struggling Crystal Palace on Wednesday evening before visiting arch-rivals Man City next weekend.
Luiz scored a superb header off the training ground against Leicester (Picture: Getty)
Ian Wright has hailed Mikel Arteta’s decision to bring in a specialised set piece coach at Arsenal, insisting work on the training pitch is now paying off.
Arsenal fell behind early on against Leicester on Sunday but launched a superb comeback to leave 3-1 winners courtesy of goals from David Luiz, Alexandre Lacazette and Nicolas Pepe.
Luiz’s header six minutes from half-time got the Gunners on their way with Arsenal unlocking the hosts with a superb set play, delivered by Willian and wonderfully headed home by his countryman.
Andreas Georgson was one of a number of coaching appointments made by Arteta during the summer with the Swede brought in following a successful spell a Brentford as Head of Set Pieces and Individual Development.
And Wright believes there has been huge improvement from Arsenal in that department.
Arsenal’s equaliser on Sunday (Picture: Getty)
‘It’s no secret Arsenal have a set piece coach,’ Wright told Premier League Productions on Sunday.
‘When you look at how that [Luiz’s goal] was worked, it was worked brilliantly, you can see that Lacazette was there to clear out the space and pin their best header of the ball which is Jonny Evans.
‘And that is the space where you see David Luiz definitely waiting for the space to be cleared. The ball has to be pinpoint and it’s fantastic.
‘That’s why you get a set piece coach, to get those things working on the training pitch.’
Victory at Leicester moves Arsenal up to 10th, just six points behind sixth place Liverpool. Arteta’s side are next in action away to Burnley next Saturday.
John Higgins claimed the Players Championship in supreme style (Picture: WST)
John Higgins is setting his sights on plenty more big titles after his stunning Players Championship victory over Ronnie O’Sullivan on Sunday evening.
The Wizard of Wishaw dominated the tournament in Milton Keynes, seeing off Jordan Brown, Mark Selby and Kyren Wilson to reach the final, dropping just one frame along the way.
The Rocket looked likely to present a sterner test to him, but it only barely proved to be the case as Higgins strolled to a 10-3 victory over the world champion.
One of the finest players the sport has ever seen, it is no surprise to see the 45-year-old play well, but it was something of a shock to see him turn it on to that extent and absolutely decimate competition of the highest level.
The four-time world champion had not won a ranking event for three years, but after getting his hands on the trophy in such spectacular fashion on Sunday night, the Wizard fancies adding plenty more silverware to his already vast collection in the near future.
‘Amazing, if somebody had said to me that I was going to win it, I’d have thought it would be tough,’ Higgins told a press conference after lifting the title.
‘But the way I felt all week, the way I was in control, I’m thinking I can go on and win more now. It’s a funny feeling. I’ve got that monkey off my back of the last three years so now I can try and push on and add more titles if I’m feeling like this.
‘Throughout my career there’s been peaks and troughs but right now there’s no better feeling than sitting here. It’ just a shame your family and your friends are not here and the crowd’s not in. That’s the only downside.
‘I was coming here trying to get into the Tour Championship so I’ve managed to do that. This opens things up, gets me in the Champion of Champions, gets my ranking up there for the following year. You don’t want to lose touch with the top boys. It gives you a boost knowing that I’m going to be there for a couple of years now.’
Higgins will not play the Gibraltar Open this week but returns for the Tour Championship at Celtic Manor later this month and then attention will turn to Sheffield and the World Championship in April.
If the Wizard can conjure up more form like he did last week then he will be extremely hard to stop in South Yorkshire.
He feels that he has just produced the tournament of his life at the Players Championship, but is aiming to top it at the biggest event of all.
‘This is the best week so far in my career, but to win the Worlds for a fifth time, that would obviously top it,’ he said. ‘It’s going to be really difficult but listen, I’m going there now in a better frame of mind than I’ve done in previous years, so that’s a good thing.
‘I think it must have [sent a message]. I was maybe a player in the last couple of years that the top boys would come against thinking “well if he plays well he’s got a chance but if he doesn’t play well I can knock him over pretty easy.” So this must let everybody know that I’m still a contender.’
Ronnie O’Sullivan will certainly consider Higgins a contender for the World Championship after being on the wrong end of the one-sided scoreline on Sunday night.
The Rocket was not playing his best stuff and took on some fairly reckless shots at times, but was full of admiration for his conqueror at the conclusion of the contest.
‘John was just unbelievable, I’ve been watching his games all week. John was solid, scored well today and was just too good,’ O’Sullivan said on ITV.
O’Sullivan has now lost four ranking event finals this season (Picture: VCG via Getty Images)
‘John was strong, I knew I had to play well today and maybe I put a little bit of pressure on myself thinking that I had to play as well as I could to have a chance.
‘Once you don’t punish John when he’s playing as well as he is, you do a lot of sitting in your chair.
‘There’s not a lot you can do sometimes when someone’s as good as John and he’s tying you up in knots and making hundreds, you just have to sit it out and wait for an early night.
‘John was unbelievable this week fantastic, masterclass tonight and it’s great to see such a good player back winning. It’s good for snooker because that you don’t see very often. So I’m happy for John and his family.’
Man Utd legend Paul Scholes has delivered his verdict on Liverpool midfielder Thiago (Picture: BT Sport)
Paul Scholes believes Thiago would be ‘more suited’ to Manchester United than his current club Liverpool.
The Premier League champions signed Spanish midfielder Thiago from Bayern Munich last summer in a deal costing just £20million.
As one of the most highly-rated midfielders in Europe, Thiago was expected to have a massive impact at Anfield but has endured an underwhelming first season in the Premier League.
The 29-year-old has failed to show the form he demonstrated in Germany, while Liverpool’s title defence crumbled in a period in which the team won just two of their 11 league fixtures.
Thiago helped Liverpool return to winning ways on Sunday with a routine 2-0 victory over bottom-placed Sheffield United, but Scholes still doubts whether the Spaniard will consistently thrive under Jurgen Klopp at Anfield.
The former Manchester United and England midfielder told Premier League productions: ‘The way Liverpool play with the three in midfield, I don’t think he has great legs about him, so that central role would suit him down to the ground.
‘Once you are in a wider position in the three, it’s very difficult to get around the pitch because he’s not that type of player. He’s not someone who is going to be running out to a left-back. It’s just not his game.
Thiago joined Liverpool last summer from Bayern Munich (Picture: Getty)
‘He just needs to be sat in the middle. Controlling things, bringing players into play and that’s what he’s good at – I just wonder if this way of playing that Liverpool play is suited to his style of football.
‘He doesn’t seem a Jurgen Klopp type player, does he? You think of the midfield players he has got and the forward players. Everything is 100 miles per hour.
‘I thought he would have been more suited to a Manchester United team. In a two in midfield with a holding player, really good strong defensive player, where he can sit and control games.
‘Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool, I don’t see them controlling games. I see them going for the throat in teams. He hasn’t got that energy to really overpower midfield players.’
Klopp, meanwhile, praised his Liverpool team after they beat Sheffield United and moved to within two points of the top-four.
‘Plenty of people have written us off. That’s fine,’ said Klopp. ‘With all the problems we have had we’re still around the exciting places.
‘This was about us showing we’re still there. We play Chelsea on Thursday, we have to show it again. We have to win football games, we know that. There’s no way into the Champions League without results.’
Manchester City have won 20 consecutive matches to storm 12 points clear at the top of the table with 12 games remaining.
While the title is almost certainly heading to the Etihad, the top-four battle remains wide open, with 11 points separating eight clubs from second to ninth.
Man United are second following Sunday’s goalless draw with fifth-placed Chelsea, and Murphy believes that will be where the Red Devils remain.
The former England midfielder expects Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea to climb to third, however, with Liverpool and Leicester fighting it out for the final Champions League spot.
Everton, Tottenham and Arsenal all closed the gap on the top-four at the weekend with wins but Murphy believes they have left themselves too much to do ahead of the final stages of the 2020-21 campaign.
‘The run-in is going to be fascinating, and it’s wide open too,’ Murphy wrote in a column for BBC Sport.
Danny Murphy's top-four prediction
Manchester City
Manchester United
Chelsea
Liverpool or Leicester City
‘Manchester United got some criticism for not showing enough courage against Chelsea on Sunday, but the point Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side got at Stamford Bridge maintains their six-point cushion over fifth place and I see them as stand-out favourites to finish second.
‘I also think Chelsea will make it into the top four, because of their strength in depth and the fact they are now so hard to beat under Thomas Tuchel – they are just not losing any games.
‘After that, it is hard to say for sure. For different reasons, Leicester, Liverpool, West Ham and Everton will all fancy their chances, and Tottenham and Arsenal are in touch after good wins this weekend.’
Murphy added: ‘For me, consistency will be the deciding factor. On their day, Tottenham or Arsenal are exciting to watch but I don’t think they will manage to string together the results they need to mount a challenge.
‘Everton are capable of doing that, though, and West Ham have been doing it for a few weeks already. The Hammers are another side that are very difficult to break down, as City found out on their way to beating them.
‘Ultimately, though, I have a feeling David Moyes’ side might fall a bit short, especially if they have to cope without Tomas Soucek or Declan Rice for any length of time.
‘Leicester already seem to be picking up more injuries, which is a worry. Now it looks like they will be without Harvey Barnes for a while, and he will be a big miss. It is going to be tough for them.
‘Even so, I think it will either be the Foxes or Liverpool who make fourth place.
‘Both of them have got far more experience of these kind of situations, when the pressure is really on, than Everton or the Hammers do.’
The club’s offices were also raided as police conduct their investigation (Pictures: Getty Images)
Former Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has been arrested by Spanish police as they probe his involvement in the ‘Barcagate’ scandal which saw the club’s players smeared.
Bartomeu, who resigned from his role in October last year, is one of three people arrested so far, along with the club’s CEO Oscar Grau and head of legal services Roman Gomez Ponti, and more could follow.
Spanish police entered the club’s offices at Camp Nou on Monday morning in a search and seize operation as they conduct an investigation into the ‘Barcagate’ allegations.
Star players like Lionel Messi were allegedly the subject of smear campaigns (Picture: Getty)
Last year, club officials were accused of paying a third party to launch smear campaigns against current and former players who were critical of the club and then president Bartomeu.
SER Catalunya first reported in February last year that Barca had enlisted the services of I3 Ventures to clean up the image of Bartomeu, but that the emphasis shifted to targeting the club’s players.
I3 Ventures is alleged to have attacked people related to the club, with star players Lionel Messi and Gerard Pique chief among them.
Both Messi and his wife, Antonella Roccuzzo, were targeted, while Pique, for example, was criticised for his involvement in organising the Davis Cup.
The likes of Carles Puyol, Xavi and Pep Guardiola, all club legends, were also discredited by campaigns allegedly run by I3 – through a number of Facebook and Twitter accounts – as were presidential candidates Agusti Benedito and Vitor Font.
Bartomeu clashed with the club’s star players towards the end of his reign (Picture: Getty)
In response Barcelona cancelled their contract with I3 and launched an internal investigation which absolved them of wrong-doing, though Bartomeu resigned amid mounting pressure and anger from fans in October along with the entire board of directors.
The latest incident compounds a miserable year for Barcelona on and off the pitch and overshadows the upcoming presidential election, which takes place on March 7.
Manchester United have scored just once against the top six in seven matches this term (Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)
Manchester United legend Roy Keane believes his former side could have a mentality problem in the matches against their top six rivals.
The Red Devils played out a 0-0 draw with top four rivals Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday afternoon, which was fourth 0-0 in a row for the club against one of their top six rivals.
United have failed to win in their seven matches against Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham this season, scoring just once in a 6-1 defeat to Spurs in October.
That goal came from a Bruno Fernandes penalty within two minutes in the defeat to Jose Mourinho’s side and United once again failed to score in their draw against Chelsea on Sunday.
Keane was critical of United’s approach (Picture: Sky Sports)
United had a good record against their rivals last term but Keane thinks the team’s 6-1 defeat to Spurs has had a scarring effect on the team this campaign and says his former side now have a mentality problem.
‘Maybe they are scarred from the Spurs game,’ Keane told Sky Sports.
‘I don’t know this group but maybe their mindset going into these games…sometimes you can have a 0-0 or the goalkeeper is fantastic or a missed penalty or whatever but some of these games that we’ve covered have been boring – considering there’s really good attacking players on the team.
‘We dressed it up before the game saying there’s clean sheets and there’s positives but the lack of goals from United’s point of view given the players on the pitch it might be there mindset or as the game goes on settling from the draw. Not looking to be beaten.
‘I always think the Manchester United’s mindset that generally speaking when you’re playing for a top team the onus is on you to win a football match, you take a risk to lose it.
‘But the mindset of United at the minute is not to be beaten in these big games instead of going: ‘listen, lets go for it’.
United’s title hopes were all but over before the draw against Chelsea but the focus is now fully on finishing second behind Manchester City.
The draw means United maintained a six-point gap on Chelsea in fifth and the Red Devils will look to capitalise on the Blues’ clash against Liverpool in midweek by beating Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Wednesday.
