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A king is always a king,no current crop of Manchester City players will ever be honoured like Aguero after their retirement

Zlatan Ibrahimovic will return from injury for AC Milan’s Europa League last 16, second-leg clash against former club Manchester United in the San Siro on Thursday.

This was revealed by Milan coach Stefano Pioli during Wednesday’s press conference.

Pioli said that Ibrahimovic and midfielder Ismael Bennacer are both fit to play a role on Thursday as Milan target the quarter-finals with the tie 1-1 after the first-leg in Old Trafford.

Ibrahimovic, 39, has been out for over two weeks, missing the away leg with an adductor muscle injury.

For Algerian star Bennacer, he has been sidelined since mid-February with a muscular problem.

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Manchester United midfielder, Nemanja Matic has advised his teammate not to be defensive in their approach against AC Milan in the second of the Europa League on Thursday night.

Both Man United and AC Milan played out a 1-1 draw last week and will be desperate for the result in order to qualify to the semi-final of the competition.

In an interview with MUTV, Matic stated that United is not a team that loves to defend and will be poise to throw everything against Milan.

“Now we know more about them. We know the way they play. We have to be wary that they are a top team.

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Sergio Aguero has accused his Manchester City teammates of deliberately not passing to him during Tuesday’s Champions League tie against Monchengladbach.

Aguero has played little part in the quest for a historic quadruple, however, owing to a run of injuries and contracting Covid-19.

Last weekend he was handed a rare start against Fulham and marked it with his first Premier League goal in 14 months, but was made to settle for a place on the bench last night.

The 32-year-old was brought on in place of Bernardo Silva, but his 15-minute cameo only led to frustration.

According to ESPN, he passed comment to a City coach, which was translated from Spanish as: “They don’t pass me the ball.”

Read Full Story Here: https://winninggoals.com.ng/aguero-accuses-man-city-teammates-of-not-passing-ball-to-him/

The Champions League quarter-final draw will take place in Switzerland at 11:00 GMT on Friday - and be immediately followed by the semi-final draw.

Liverpool and Manchester City are in the draw, with Chelsea hoping to join them after playing Atletico Madrid.

There are no restrictions on who could be drawn against who.

The Europa League quarters and semis draws will take place at 12:00 GMT with Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester United and Rangers hoping to be involved.

In the Champions League, Paris St-Germain, Borussia Dortmund, Porto and Real Madrid are the other sides already through.

Chelsea lead Atletico Madrid 1-0 from the first leg with Bayern Munich 4-1 up on Lazio. The second legs are on Wednesday at 20:00 GMT.

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Borussia Monchengladbach would need something “more than extraordinary” to beat Manchester City in the Champions League last 16, boss Marco Rose said.

Gladbach have lost their last six games, including a 2-0 defeat in the first leg against Pep Guardiola’s City.

Both legs are at the Puskas Arena in Budapest because of Covid restrictions.

“It would be more than extraordinary, it would be a sensation,” said Rose, who is taking over at Borussia Dortmund at the end of the season.

“Pep has them playing almost Total Football.”

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Manchester City will not pursue a deal for Paris St-Germain striker Kylian Mbappe, 22, this summer because of the France international’s wage demands, with Borussia Dortmund’s Norway striker Erling Braut Haaland, 20, or Inter Milan’s 27-year-old Belgium international Romelu Lukaku seen as alternatives.

Haaland will have the pick of Europe’s elite sides to choose from this summer, with Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Juventus also interested in signing him.

Real Madrid hope Gareth Bale’s upturn in form at Tottenham will make it easier to offload the 31-year-old Wales forward on a permanent deal in the summer.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp retains the full support of the club’s owner, Fenway Sports Group, despite their recent poor form.

Manchester United have made Leeds‘ Brazilian forward Raphinha, 24, their top summer transfer target.

Read More Gossips Here: https://winninggoals.com.ng/tuesday-transfer-gossips-haaland-lacazette-klopp-cavani-noble-raphinha-costa/

West Ham boss David Moyes says he would not sell midfielder Declan Rice for £100m.

Chelsea and Manchester United have been linked with the 22-year-old England international.

West Ham co-owner David Sullivan has reportedly valued Rice at £100m.

Moyes said Rice is worth “far, far more”, adding: “I certainly wouldn’t put a price on it. I wouldn’t be sanctioning anything like that, that’s for sure.”

Rice has played every minute of West Ham’s 26 Premier League games this season, helping them to seventh in the table.

Moyes, whose side host Leeds at London Stadium on Monday, said: “I have watched the prices of some players who have gone to clubs recently and they could not lace Declan Rice’s boots.”

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Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp does not believe a failure to finish in the Champions League places this season would lead to the exit of leading players from Anfield in the summer.

The Premier League champions suffered a fifth home defeat in a row on Thursday when they were beaten 1-0 by Chelsea.

Mohamed Salah looked frustrated when he was substituted in the loss, as the Reds fell four points off the top four.

“I know we have loyalty from the players,” said Klopp.

“It isn’t a situation where a player in the squad says, ‘we are not in the Champions League so I have to leave’. That will not happen. I know them well enough to know that.”

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West Ham boss David Moyes has said finishing in the top four of the Premier League “is a possibility” for his side this season.

The Hammers, who are currently sixth, have not finished in the top four since 1985-86.

“A top-10 position would be excellent for West Ham considering where we were – but we’re much higher up now, so I’m looking up,” Moyes told Football Focus.

“I don’t see why we can’t be around those [top four] positions.”

West Ham, who are set to face Leeds at London Stadium on Monday, have won 13 league games this season – three more than they managed in the 2019-20 campaign.

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Dortmund Norwegian striker Erling Haaland is reportedly set to reject the chance to join Chelsea as he doesn’t consider the Blues a big enough club.

The 20-year-old could be on the move this summer, and every top side in Europe has been linked with his signature.

Haaland agent, Mino Raiola, recently revealed only ten clubs will be able to afford him, with Chelsea, Liverpool and both Manchester clubs thought to be among them.

Meanwhile, talkSPORT’s European football expert Mark Langdon recently revealed the Premier League is Haaland’s most likely destination due to financial problems at Barcelona and Real Madrid.

However, according to respected German publication BILD, the Norwegian is only considering six clubs as opposed to ten – and Chelsea are not one of them.

Read Full Story Here: https://winninggoals.com.ng/haaland-set-to-reject-chelsea-transfer-eyes-bigger-club/

Real Madrid are willing to sell France centre-back Raphael Varane to Manchester United after conceding the 27-year-old will not sign a new deal at the Bernabeu.

Tottenham’s on-loan forward Gareth Bale, 31, will insist Real Madrid honour the final year of his £600,000-a-week contract, even if the Wales international leaves the Spanish champions in the summer.

Chelsea are still monitoring Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma’s situation at AC Milan, and may potentially make a move if the 22-year-old does not sign a new contract with the Serie A club.

Borussia Monchengladbach and Germany midfielder Jonas Hofmann, 28, has hinted Chelsea – managed by his former Borussia Dortmund boss Thomas Tuchel – are interested in signing him.

Barcelona presidential candidate Joan Laporta says Argentine forward Lionel Messi, 33, will leave the club if he does not win the 7 March election. Messi’s current deal expires in the summer.

Read More Gossips Here: https://winninggoals.com.ng/wednesday-transfer-gossips-varane-donnarumma-bale-mbappe-haaland-hofmann/

Manchester United legend Paul Scholes says Thiago Alcantara is not a ‘Jurgen Klopp type player’ and is better suited to the Red Devils.

Scholes has been watching Alcantara with interest since he joined Liverpool from Bayern Munich last year.

Alcantara come in for some criticism after failing to light up the Premier League in the manner many thought he would, and Scholes thinks he is being used incorrectly.

He 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.

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West Ham hope to sign striker Tammy Abraham, 23, from Chelsea in the summer, with two other English players, Arsenal’s Eddie Nketiah, 21, and Brentford’s Ivan Toney, 24, also on their list of goalscoring options.

Spurs look likely to be given the opportunity to sign Wales forward Gareth Bale, 31, permanently from Real Madrid in the summer transfer window.

Eintracht Frankfurt’s Portuguese striker Andre Silva, 25, says he is flattered to be linked with a possible move to Manchester United.

Reading’s English left-back Omar Richards, 23, will join Bayern Munich on a four-year deal this summer

French striker Alexandre Lacazette, 29, looks set to leave Arsenal this summer.

Premier League clubs have discussed changes to the transfer window that would permit players under the age of 21 to leave on loan after the deadline day

Read More Gossips Here: https://winninggoals.com.ng/tuesday-transfer-gossips-abraham-bale-richards-silva-lacazette-haaland-meslier/

Manchester United legend Gary Neville claimed the Red Devils have a ‘far better’ chance of winning the Premier League title under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer than they did with Jose Mourinho.

United are second in the Premier League table after drawing 0-0 with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

Their rivals City extended their gap at the top to 12 points, but Neville sees improvement from their last manager.

Mourinho, who joined United in 2016, guided to club to a runners up finish in the 17-18 season, but was sacked six months later.

And according to Neville Solskjaer has brought the squad together and closer to the title.

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Rangers manager Steven Gerrard is being lined up to replace Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool boss with increasing doubts over the German’s long-term Anfield future.

There is a growing belief that Klopp will say yes to the chance of succeeding Joachim Low as Germany’s head coach.

Klopp is the outstanding candidate as far as the German Football Association (DFB) is concerned and they will make their approach once Low’s own future is sealed.

Low has been in sole charge since 2006, leading his country to success in the 2014 World Cup but enduring a nightmare 2018 World Cup and UEFA Nations League.

Despite calls for his sacking he has remained in charge with his contract encompassing this summer’s European Championship finals and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

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Roman Abramovich has reportedly sanctioned Chelsea’s pursuit of Dortmund’s Norwegian striker Erling Haaland as the Blues look to steal a march on their Premier League rivals.

Speculation over Haaland’s future was reignited earlier this month following another exceptional Champions League display for Dortmund, followed up by some stunning Bundesliga goals.

His agent Mino Raiola recently revealed four clubs in England would be able to sign the 20-year-old – with Chelsea expected to be one of them.

German newspaper Bild Abramovich, who spent more than £200million last summer, has given the green light for a big-money bid.

Manchester United and Man City have also been linked with Haaland, along with every big club across Europe.

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Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho says he lives and breathes for pressure.

The Portuguese’s future at Spurs has come under scrutiny, with a run of five defeats in six Premier League games leaving them ninth in the table.

Mourinho said the last time he “felt in trouble” was when he was out of work for almost a year before taking the Spurs job in November 2019.

“The problem is if you don’t have pressure,” he said. “It comes like oxygen, it is our life.”

Talking before Sunday’s home game against Burnley (kick-off 14:00 GMT), the former Chelsea and Manchester United boss added: “I don’t think there is any coach in the world without objectives or any kind of pressure.

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Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata is reportedly being tracked by Serie A trio Juventus, Inter Milan and Roma.

The Spaniard has fallen down the pecking order under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, having featured only seven times in the Premier League this campaign.

According to The Sun, Juve, Inter and Roma have all shown an interest in the 32-year-old, who will see his current contract expire in the summer.

The Red Devils have the option to trigger a 12-month extension in Mata’s deal, but the club’s hierarchy are considering letting the midfielder go as they are not sure whether he fits in with their long-term plans.

Mata remains happy at Old Trafford despite struggling for minutes and Solskjaer values him as a key man around the club, having served more than seven years in a United shirt.

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Sadio Mane has conceded Liverpool would not retain the Premier League title after a horrific run of form.

Liverpool have dropped outside the top four and are behind league leaders Manchester City by 19 points with 13 games remaining in the 2020/21 season.

A run of four consecutive defeats – three of which came at Anfield – has put the Premier League champions in a state of disarray after a host of defensive injuries affected their usual consistency shown over the past three seasons under Jurgen Klopp.

Mane has now admitted the Reds need to focus elsewhere for silverware now.

“First of all, before the end of the season I think, not only me, but every single player in the squad has targets. It’s the same for the club,” he told ESPN.

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Legendary French manager Arsene Wenger admits there was a time when he looked at the option of signing David Beckham at Arsenal.

In 2008, Wenger allowed Beckham to keep fit after his first season in the States, before welcoming him back to London Colney in January 2013.

And speaking after Beckham retired from professional football at Paris Saint-Germaine, Wenger admitted he was interested in signing him.

“Yes I was [interested in signing him], but it was at the period where we could not afford to pay him,” he said.

“After that it was a question mark as well before he went to Milan, but he was in a position where we did not really need players.

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Chelsea will be without defender Thiago Silva for the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie against Atletico Madrid on Tuesday.

However, midfielders Kai Havertz and Christian Pulisic are fit again and could feature in Romania.

Atletico’s injured absentees include Jose Gimenez, Sime Vrsaljko and Yannick Carrasco, while Hector Herrera recently tested positive for Covid-19.

But Luis Suarez and Joao Felix should both start for the La Liga leaders.

Kieran Trippier also misses out for the Spanish club, with the England full-back still serving a suspension for breaking betting rules.

Chelsea go into the tie unbeaten in seven matches in all competitions since Thomas Tuchel replaced Frank Lampard as manager in January.

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Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho says his side “have problems I cannot resolve myself” but does not believe Spurs are in crisis after losing at West Ham – their fifth defeat in six league games.

The 2-1 reverse leaves Tottenham in ninth place, nine points behind the fourth-placed Hammers.

Michail Antonio and Jesse Lingard scored for the hosts before Lucas Moura pulled one back.

“I wouldn’t say crisis,” said Mourinho when questioned about Spurs’ form.

“I would say a bad, a really bad, run of results. That is obvious. We’re losing too many matches.”

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Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy wants to wait until the end of the season before determining Jose Mourinho's fate as head coach.

Argentina forward Sergio Aguero, 32, has admitted he has no idea whether this season will be his last at Manchester City.

Barcelona and Argentina playmaker Lionel Messi, 33, has not decided where he will be playing next season and his representatives have yet to hold talks with other clubs.

Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has confirmed he will hold talks with Uruguay striker Edinson Cavani, 34, overextending his contract at Manchester United.

Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel wants USA winger Christian Pulisic, 22, to remain at Stamford Bridge, but says no decisions have been made for the summer.

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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta believes Premier League leaders Manchester City are the best team in Europe.

City took their lead to 10 points with a midweek win over Everton, face Spurs in the Carabao Cup final and remain in FA Cup and Champions League contention.

Arteta's team host City on Sunday and the Spaniard described the task as a "big but very exciting challenge".

"The football they are playing and consistency of results, take all that in and it makes them the best team."

City have lost only twice in their opening 24 matches during the current campaign - to Leicester in September and Tottenham in November.

Pep Guardiola's team have conceded only 15 goals and Arteta said: "They have weaknesses like every team but at the moment teams have struggled a lot to find any of that because I think first of all defensively they have been really, really strong.

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Real Sociedad winger, Adnan Januzaj says he has nothing to prove to Manchester United ahead of Thursday’s Europa League clash.

Januzaj shot to wonderkid status after breaking into David Moyes’ side during the 2013-14 season aged 18, but Louis van Gaal’s appointment a year later saw the Belgian’s momentum stall, before he finally jetted to Spain in 2017.

The Belgian international, who will be aiming to haunt Man United’s progress in the competition, said that there will be no friends on the pitch when both teams clash.

“I don’t have to prove to anyone, I know my qualities,” Januzaj told ESPN.

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Steven Gerrard has admitted that he was “really gutted” when Fernando Torres left Liverpool for Chelsea in 2011.

Gerrard and Torres enjoyed a memorable three-and-a-half-year spell with the Reds.

Torres scored 81 goals from 142 appearances during his time at the club and finished in third place in the race for the Ballon d’Or in 2008.

The Spaniard however dumped Liverpool in 2011, handing in a transfer request prior to his £50m switch to Premier League rivals Chelsea.

Speaking on The Robbie Fowler Podcast, as cited by the Daily Mail, Gerrard claimed that Torres was his favourite strike partner at Liverpool:

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Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane has acknowledged that he is struggling to accept a growing amount of injuries to his first-team players.

Los Blancos have improved in recent weeks, winning their last three matches to keep the pressure on La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid.

However, Dani Carvajal became the latest player to join the club’s injury list on Sunday after pulling up with an issue during the first half of the game against Valencia.

With Eden Hazard, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo, Rodrygo, Federico Valverde and Eder Militao also among his absentees, Zidane has admitted that he has been left frustrated by the situation.

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If someone had said at the start of the season that a Manchester City player would win the PFA’s Players’ Player of the Year award, Ilkay Gundogan’s name would probably not have been at the top of many people’s list.

But after inspiring his side to a comfortable win over Tottenham to open up a seven-point lead at the top of the table, Gundogan is one of the form players in the top flight.

The 30-year-old Germany midfielder took his tally to 11 in the Premier League with two of his side’s goals in the 3-0 win over Spurs.

In addition, he won the penalty that allowed Rodri to give City a first-half lead.

“It looks like Gundogan is going to be the man to take Manchester City to the title,” ex-Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher told Sky Sports. “What a season he is having. I think he is going to be PFA player of the year. He has been a revelation, a joy to watch.”

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Arsenal exciting young forward Bukayo Saka has been voted the ninth best U-20 player in the world.

The 10-man list was compiled by French sport publication L’Équipe.

Saka has been a revelation since breaking into the Arsenal first team under former manager Unai Emery.

He was named Arsenal’s third best player last season with four goals and 12 assists in all competitions.

This season he has scored five goals in the Premier League and four assists in all the competions he has featured in this campaign.

Recently he was voted the club’s Player of the Month for January, retaining the award he won in December.

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Jose Mourinho’s position as Tottenham Hotspur manager is safe despite a poor run of results and rumoured doubts from senior players.

Chelsea are exploring the possibility of bringing Danish playmaker Christian Eriksen, 28, back to the Premier League and sending Italy midfielder Jorginho, 29, to Inter Milan as a part of a deal.

AC Milan and Juventus are monitoring Chelsea’s 27-year-old Morocco winger Hakim Ziyech.

Leeds United, Southampton and West Ham could rival Tottenham for the signature of Sampdoria’s Denmark midfielder Mikkel Damsgaard, 20.)

Wales forward Gareth Bale, 31, believes he needs a run of matches at Tottenham, where he is on loan from Real Madrid, if he is to prove his worth.

Arsenal failed with a loan move for Barcelona’s Spanish midfielder Riqui Puig, 21, before they secured Real Madrid and Norway midfielder Martin Odegaard, 22, until the end of the season.

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Real Madrid have reportedly accepted that Sergio Ramos will leave the club when his deal expires in the summer.

The 34-year-old’s future has been the subject of much speculation as he runs down the final few months of his contract, with a number of Premier League sides being linked with a swoop for the 100-goal centre-back.

Zinedine Zidane’s side have reportedly been attempting to negotiate a new deal – including a 10% salary cut amid the coronavirus pandemic – with the veteran defender, but he has reportedly rebuffed Real’s attempts twice now.

Read Full Story Here: https://winninggoals.com.ng/real-madrid-give-up-on-new-deal-for-ramos/