Ralf Rangnick confirmed Cristiano Ronaldo will return against Everton on Saturday, while insisting Manchester United cannot afford to drop any more points in the top-four race.
United are languishing in seventh in the Premier League after limping to a 1-1 draw at home to Leicester City last Saturday, sitting three points behind fourth-placed Tottenham, who have played a game fewer.
Arsenal are level on points with their London rivals, having played two games fewer than United, whose 2021-22 hopes rely on Champions League qualification after failure in the cup competitions.
That has led to questions over the capabilities of Rangnick, the identity of his next permanent successor, and the future of numerous United stars, with Paul Pogba and Ronaldo both scrutinise…
Only a few years ago, Karim Benzema was considered one of the best strikers in the world.
The French international has been forced to live under the shadows of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo during his entire career, but he still managed to stand out. He was scoring goals at will for Real Madrid, and had the privilege to be considered the starting forward in one of the best teams in the world.
Fast forward to 2017, and Benzema looks like a whole different player. That star forward who had unlimited resources to finish plays appears to be a shell of his former self, and he has been struggling badly in recent months. He began to have problems last season, but this year things have been even worst. Benzema left the pitch against FC Barcelona this Saturday under lots of…
Thierry Henry would welcome that former team-mate Carles Puyol to the MLS after the Spaniard revealed his intention to leave Barcelona.
Veteran Spain international Puyol announced on Tuesday that his contract at Camp Nou, where he has spent his entire career, will be rescinded at the end of the season.
The 35-year-old has yet to decide where he will play next season, but is unlikely to be short of honours having won six La Liga titles, three UEFA Champions Leagues, the FIFA World Cup and UEFA European Championship during his glittering career.
Henry played with Puyol at Barca between 2007 and 2010, helping the Catalan club to success in the 2009 Champions League before leaving to join the New York Red Bulls.
And the Frenchman feels Puyol s presence would be a boo…
Maribor make their first outing in the UEFA Champions League group stage for 15 years at home to Sporting Lisbon on Wednesday.
While it may seem premature to label a fixture as must-win at this early stage in the competition, it would be difficult to argue against that being the case for the Slovenian champions if they have designs on making the knockout stages.
As the team with the lowest UEFA coefficient in Group G, a home tie against the third-ranked outfit represents perhaps Maribor s best chance of picking up valuable points in a pool that also contains Chelsea and Schalke.
But Portugal-born striker Luka Zahovic, who has scored five goals in as many league matches this season, claims that he feels part of Maribor s golden generation.
Last season, I …
Napoli head coach Maurizio Sarri is targeting 100 Serie A points for his side after a 5-0 demolition of Cagliari stretched their lead at the top of the table.
With Juventus seeing their home game against Atalanta postponed on Sunday, Napoli moved four points clear of the Italian champions by thumping Cagliari.
Marek Hamsik scored his 99th Serie A goal for Napoli, with Jose Callejon, Dries Mertens, Lorenzo Insigne and Mario Rui also on target on Monday.
Napoli have not won the Scudetto since 1990 but Sarri believes his team – who have won 10 straight Serie A games – will need to maintain their superb form to dethrone Juve.
5 have found the net with 5 different players in a single Serie A match for the first time since March 2012, also against Cagliar…
Crystal Palace have dispensed with the services of boss Alan Pardew after a poor run of form in 2016
Some sackings of managers are hard to work out, like Gary Rowett being sacked by Birmingham recently.
However, Crystal Palace dispensing with the services of boss Alan Pardew on Thursday was pretty easy to understand.
Palace have simply not been good enough in 2016, never mind this season.
The Palace hierarchy deserve credit for sticking with the former Newcastle boss for the length of time they have, although the new investors in the club may have had a big say Pardew’ departure.
The numbers don’t lie
Pardew actually enjoyed a good start to his Palace career. He took over the Eagles in January 2015 when they were 18th in the table and…
Manchester United have announced that winger Antonio Valencia has signed a new three-year deal.
The Ecuador captain, who is currently representing his country in the FIFA World Cup, joined United from Wigan Athletic five years ago and has gone on to make 191 appearances for the Old Trafford outfit.
Valencia had just one year remaining on his previous deal, but will play his part in a new era under Louis van Gaal after putting pen to paper on a contract that includes an option to extend until June 2018.
The 28-year-old told the club s official website: My time at Manchester United has been like a dream come true. To be the first Ecuadorian player to win the English Premier League was a very proud moment for me and for my country.
I am so happy to have sig…
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer believes Paul Pogba is happy again after hailing the star midfielder following his match-winning display against Fulham.
Pogba scored the winning goal as United returned to the top of the Premier League table with a 2-1 victory at Fulham on Wednesday.
Edinson Cavani cancelled out Ademola Lookman s fifth-minute opener with a poacher s finish 16 minutes later in London, where Pogba stepped up for United.
Pogba fired a stunning left-foot effort past Fulham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola in the 65th minute as United extended their unbeaten streak away from home to 17 games in the Premier League – matching the club s longest ever run set back in 1999.
The future of Pogba has dominated headlines since his outspoken a…
Giggs, Scholes and Beckham met Ferguson´s standards because of Harrison – ´Class of ´92´ graduate Ca
Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, David Beckham and others were able to meet Alex Ferguson s standards at Manchester United because of iconic youth coach Eric Harrison, according to their fellow Class of 92 graduate Chris Casper.
Harrison passed away on Wednesday at the age of 81 and the world of football was swift to pay tribute to the man who helped forge one of the greatest dynasties the sport has seen in Britain.
As well as Giggs, Scholes and Beckham, Gary Neville, Phil Neville and Nicky Butt all came through United s academy in the early 1990s, going on to play a huge role in one of the most fruitful periods in the club s history.
Giggs – the most decorated British player ever – went on to overtake Bobby Charlton as United s record appearance maker, while Schole…
England enjoyed a morale-boosting Wembley triumph with a 2-1 win over Nigeria in their penultimate match before heading to the World Cup in Russia.
Gareth Southgate s side, who have one more friendly to come against Costa Rica on Thursday, begin their Group G campaign against Tunisia on June 18 and looked primed and ready on the evidence of Saturday s energetic outing.
Gary Cahill headed the hosts into a seventh-minute lead from Kieran Trippier s corner, the Chelsea defender eluding all of those bedecked in Nigeria s eye-catching colours.
After a week of being subjected to media scrutiny for his choice of tattoo and subsequent late arrival at the team s training camp, Raheem Sterling – who was booked for diving in the second half – had a sight of glory…