Jose Mourinho wishes Harry Maguire had been in a Manchester United shirt during his time in charge at Old Trafford.
Maguire was named man of the match on his United debut, as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer s side rode out a sometimes-tricky opening 45 minutes to run out 4-0 winners over Chelsea.
Mourinho watched his former clubs go to work in his new role as a Sky Sports pundit and was full of praise for England international Maguire, who he reportedly courted a year ago.
I think he fully deserved [to be] man of the match, he was as solid as a rock, he said.
The tactical knowledge, the personality, that sense of reading the game, being alert all the time and having the confidence to play.
He was fantastic. I think he did [give United confidence]. A te…
Panama endured a difficult campaign at the World Cup in Russia but something good could nevertheless come out of it. At least for the New York Red Bulls defender Michael Murillo.
The 22-years-old centre-back who can be deployed on the right side of the backline as well played 180 minutes of competitive football at the World Cup but did well to earn respect from quite a number of Europe’s top sides.
claims Eredivisie powerhouse PSV are keen on Murillo and have already opened negotiations with the MLS side over a possible summer transfer.
Murillos joined New York Red Bulls for less than half a million dollars in 2016 and is now worth $3 million. The prospect of making a profit is tantalising enough for the MLS club and PSV hope they could wrap up a deal for …
Kylian Mbappe drew a blank for the first time in seven games as Paris St Germain squandered a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 with Brest.
Goals from Marco Asensio and Randal Kolo Muani had given the home side a 2-0 half-time lead and put them seemingly on course to restore their eight-point cushion at the top of Ligue 1 following Nice’s victory over Metz on Saturday.
However, Luis Enrique’s side started the second half sluggishly and were deservedly punished when Mahdi Camara pulled one back on 55 minutes before substitute Mathias Pereira Lage equalised with a sublime flick.
Who saw this coming?
Brest have come from 2-0 down to level against PSG at the Parc des Princes!
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt)
PSG’s miserable evening…
Uruguay have secured a spot in the round of sixteen of the 2009 World Youth Championship thanks to Tuesday s 3-0 victory over Uzbekistan.
Nicolas Lodeiro put Uruguay ahead after 28 minutes at Ismaïlia Stadium, and Uzbekistan received another blow a minute later when a Gulom Urunov foul had a red card as result.
Jonathan Urretaviscaya then made it 2-0 two minutes after the hour, and Santiago Garcia found the target for 3-0 in minute 83.
With six points from two games, Uruguay are certain of a spot in the next round. Uzbekistan are practically out of contention after two defeats.
…
Roy Keane may have been critical of Darren Fletcher during his Manchester United days but the West Brom midfielder insists his former captain played a huge role in his development.
Fletcher broke into the United first team during the 2003-04 season and became an important part of their midfield before leaving for The Hawthorns in 2015.
During his time at Old Trafford he was praised for his work ethic and battling qualities, but in his early years he had to deal with a fair amount of criticism.
Some of that came from Keane, either on the pitch, in the dressing room or at training, with the Irishman also publicly criticising Fletcher following his United exit.
After two seasons playing alongside Fletcher, Keane departed for Celtic in 2005 and, during an …
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has voiced his frustration with the ongoing uncertainty about Joel Matip s availability, claiming the defender could miss up to eight games without having done anything wrong.
Matip was called up by Cameroon for the Africa Cup of Nations, despite having signalled his desire to stop representing his country.
The centre-back was withdrawn from the squad for the 1-1 draw with Manchester United at the weekend and will also miss the upcoming FA Cup replay with Plymouth Argyle as Liverpool seek clarification over his availability.
FIFA has reportedly failed to provide any further guidance to the Reds, pointing them to regulations that state: A player who has been called up by his association for one of its representative teams is, unless ot…
What the papers say
Portugal striker Goncalo Ramos, 21, has emerged as a major target for Manchester United. The Daily Mirror reports the Old Trafford club have held talks with Benfica over a deal worth up to £100million, including add-ons.
The Red Devils are also poised to join the race for England midfielder Declan Rice, 24, according to The Sun. United are ready to join Arsenal and Chelsea in the hunt for Rice, who impressed in their narrow 1-0 defeat to West Ham on Sunday.
The Hammers are eyeing a move for Fulham boss Marco Silva if they part ways with David Moyes, according to the Daily Mail. The 45-year-old has a £6million release clause in his contract.
Chelsea are keen to make Portugal forward Joao Felix’s loan from Atletico Madrid permanent. Accordi…
Mikel Arteta has told his Arsenal players to put talks of their future on the back-burner and focus on their Premier League title charge.
The Gunners head into the weekend a point behind leaders Manchester City having played a game more and with Europe-chasing Brighton travelling to the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
While Arteta’s side have been in fine form this season, there are a number of issues outstanding heading into the summer.
England pair Aaron Ramsdale and Bukayo Saka are believed to be close to signing new deals while Reiss Nelson is out of contract and Granit Xhaka has this week been linked with a move back to Germany.
But Arteta batted away questions on the future of some of his key players on Friday and is keen for focus to remain solely on…
Cardiff City have confirmed the appointment of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as their new manager.
Solskjaer takes over at the Welsh club from Malky Mackay, who was sacked by controversial owner Vincent Tan last month following weeks of speculation.
David Kerslake has taken charge of Cardiff s two Premier League games since Mackay s dismissal, guiding them to a 2-2 draw with Sunderland and a 2-0 defeat at Arsenal.
However, former Manchester United striker Solskjaer will now take the reins for Cardiff s FA Cup tie at Newcastle United on Saturday.
The 40-year-old made his first steps into management at Norwegian side Molde, taking over in 2011 and leading them to two Norwegian Tippeligaen titles and a Norwegian Cup crown.
And he will now attempt to continue that succe…
Aston Villa have completed the loan signing of Grant Holt from Wigan Athletic until the end of the season.
The 32-year-old forward previously impressed in the Premier League for Norwich City under the guidance of current Villa boss Paul Lambert.
Holt joined Wigan from Norwich in the close season, but has found games and goals hard to come by for the Championship outfit, scoring just twice in nine league starts and seven substitute appearances.
Lambert is delighted to have boosted his forward line, with Libor Kozak having been ruled out for the remainder of the season earlier this month after breaking his leg in training.
Losing Libor was a blow to us, obviously, Lambert told Villa s official website.
When I knew Grant had become available it was somet…