Zinedine Zidane vowed to respect Paris Saint-Germain s relationship with Kylian Mbappe amid rumours of disharmony at Parc des Princes.

Mbappe, 20, was publicly told by Thomas Tuchel to respect coaching decisions after seemingly ignoring the PSG boss when substituted late in last weekend s Ligue 1 win at Montpellier.

French newspaper L Equipe then claimed the World Cup winner has at times questioned his importance and treatment in comparison to team-mate Neymar.

The report fuelled speculation Mbappe could seek a move to Real Madrid in future but Zidane, who recently admitted to being in love with the talented France forward, tried to avoid driving a wedge between player and coach.

Mbappe plays for PSG. I can t comment on what goes on there behind the sce…

Jesus made his first start for City since New Year s Eve on Wednesday following another enforced spell on the sidelines, this time with medial knee ligament damage.

He opened the scoring and completed 90 minutes as Pep Guardiola s side went down to a 2-1 Champions League defeat at home to Basel – a last-16 result rendered academic by a 4-0 first-leg romp.

Competitive action is likely to be at a premium for Neymar before Russia 2018 and, although he was pleased to get minutes and a goal under his belt, Jesus conceded there are mental scars to address when it comes to finding out whether a freshly healed injury will stand up to the rigours of top-level competition.

When you are in the game, without wanting to, you end up thinking about the previous game where yo…

Incoming Manchester United manager David Moyes has labelled the sacking of Roberto Mancini at Manchester City as harsh .

Mancini was removed from his post at City on Monday, just two days after the club lost the FA Cup Final to Wigan, and exactly one year since he led the club to their maiden Premier League title.
The Italian was also at the helm when the Etihad Stadium outfit broke their 35-year trophy drought, beating Stoke City 1-0 in the 2011 FA Cup Final.
City have failed to keep the pace with United this season, and although they sit second in the table, the club s mega-rich owners from the Middle East decided to dispense with Mancini s services.
Moyes – who will take over at Old Trafford from Alex Ferguson at season s end – believes that the 48-year-old has been unfai…

QPR have completed the season-long loan signing of Juventus wing-back Mauricio Isla.

The Chilean had been with Italian champions Juve for the last two seasons after moving from Serie A rivals Udinese in June 2012.

And, after the 26-year-old s contribution at the World Cup in Brazil, QPR manager Harry Redknapp believes Isla has plenty to offer at Loftus Road.

He s a top player and we re delighted to have him here, he said. He showed his quality in the World Cup for Chile and it s a great loan signing for us.

He s a versatile player, he s full of energy. I’m confident he ll be a really big asset for us this season.

Isla, who has made 51 appearances for his country, added: I am very happy to be here – this is the start of an exciting new adven…

Panama came from behind three times to draw with Qatar, while Honduras swept aside Grenada 4-0 in their opening CONCACAF Gold Cup matches on Tuesday.

In a tight game in Houston, six goals were scored in the second half as 2022 World Cup hosts Qatar hit the lead three times but failed to capitalise.

Panama s Rolando Blackburn levelled the game twice in a flurry of goals in the first 20 minutes after half-time, as Hassan Al Heidos put Qatar up 3-2 from the spot in the 63rd minute. Eric Davis equalised with a 79th-minute penalty.

Honduras dominated Grenada in the later game, with goals from Jerry Bengtson, Edwin Solano, Johnny Leveron and Romell Quioto.

Panama and Honduras will meet on Saturday in Houston after Grenada and Qatar face off at the same venue.

Sunderland defender Niall Huggins has won his first Wales senior call-up for Euro 2024 qualifiers against Armenia and Turkey.

York-born Huggins qualifies for Wales through his Bangor-born father and has won four caps at Under-21 level.

The 22-year-old former Leeds full-back has been rewarded after some excellent performances for Sunderland which included his first senior goal, a stunning solo effort against Watford at the Stadium of Light.

CARFAN CYMRU

Barod

— Wales

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Ajax coach Erik ten Hag has extended his contract at the club until 2022, the Eredivisie champions have confirmed.

Ten Hag enjoyed a marvellous season in 2018-19, leading Ajax to the Champions League semi-finals, Eredivisie title and a KNVB Beker triumph.

Ajax drew plaudits for their exhilarating style of play, with youngsters such as Frenkie de Jong who will move to Barcelona next month Matthijs de Ligt and Donny van de Beek all thriving under Ten Hag s tutelage.

And while the futures of some of their star performers remain in doubt, Ajax have at least secured their coach on a long-term deal, with Ten Hag agreeing to a contract extension that will keep him at the club until June 30, 2022.

Op naar meer mooie successen samen met jullie

— AF…

Arsene Wenger says former Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira could be a future manager of the Premier League club.

Vieira started his coaching career on the staff of Manchester City and has been in charge at their sister club New York City FC in MLS since January 2016.

The former France midfielder won three Premier League titles and a trio of FA Cups during his nine-year stay at Arsenal and has regularly been touted as a potential Wenger successor.

And the veteran Arsenal manager, rumoured to be departing at the end of the season despite having a further year remaining on his contract, agrees Vieira could be among the names in the frame when the job is next vacant.

He works in the moment in New York and he works for Manchester City, Wenger said of Vieira, wh…

Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren has been impressed by the club s new signings during pre-season.

Sadio Mane, Joel Matip and Loris Karius have joined the club, who have also been linked to Georginio Wijnaldum and Ragnar Klavan.

Lovren, who headed to Anfield from Southampton in July 2014, said the new boys had settled in well.

You don t need to talk about that [what it means to play for Liverpool], they know which club they came to and they know what people expect from them, he told the club s website.

They also saw our games on television. So they know everything about the club, but we are here to help them adapt quicker. For now, they are doing really quite well.

Every change is difficult in the beginning. I will help them make it easier, like …

Malcom is hopeful of sealing a transfer to Bayern Munich at the end of the season, with Bordeaux president Stephane Martin encouraging the winger to dream.

The Brazilian has established himself as one of the up-and-coming stars of European football this term, netting 10 goals in 33 Ligue 1 games and reportedly earning a five-year contract with Bundesliga champions Bayern.

And while Malcom insists he has no knowledge of such a deal, he would welcome the move.

I do not know, my advisors and I did not talk about [the contract], he told Bild. But if it s true, it makes me very happy. Bayern are one of the biggest clubs in the world.

Bordeaux chief Martin is not playing down the possibility of the transfer either, despite a recent denial from Bayern s Karl-H…