Paul Pogba s agent says the France international chose to return to Manchester United rather than take the easier route at Real Madrid because of the challenge on offer at Old Trafford.
Pogba left United in 2012 after not renewing his contract, joining Juventus and going on to win four consecutive Serie A titles and reach the final of the Champions League with the Turin club.
The midfielder was linked with a host of clubs during the transfer window but chose to return to United, doing so in a world-record transfer worth £89million.
Pogba was the headline arrival in a busy window for United, with striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic and midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan also joining the club, despite them missing out on Champions League qualification last season.
Ag…
Valencia have replaced central defender Nicolas Otamendi with Aymen Abdennour, securing the former Monaco man s signature ahead of Chelsea.
With Chelsea struggling to complete a deal for Everton centre-back John Stones, reports had emerged in the British media that manager Jose Mourinho was keen on Tunisia international Abdennour.
But the 26-year-old was announced as a Valencia player on Saturday, with Abdennour signing a five-year contract with the La Liga club.
Abdennour will step into the shoes of Otamendi, who departed the Mestalla for Manchester City on August 20.
I chose Valencia CF out of all the offers I received, because it is a big club in Spain and Europe, Abdennour said in a statement on Valencia s website.
I had no doubts. I am ha…
Ivan Rakitic is adamant the Copa del Rey final between Barcelona and Sevilla should be played at a neutral ground in April.
Barca booked their place in the showpiece thanks to a 3-0 aggregate win over Valencia, their progression secured with a 2-0 win in the Mestalla on Thursday.
Sevilla had already secured their passage after getting beyond Leganes, and president Jose Castro subsequently called for the final to be held at their Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium.
Castro s rationale was based on Barca playing the 2015 Copa final against Athletic Bilbao at Camp Nou, but former Sevilla midfielder Rakitic says it should be held on neutral territory.
I m very happy to be able to play in another final, Rakitic told reporters.
I am aware of what the Sevill…
Jose Mourinho s substitutions worked like a charm as Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic came off the bench to combine for the winning goal and secure Manchester United s place in the FA Cup quarter-finals with a 2-1 victory at Blackburn Rovers.
United looked devoid of craft and decisiveness for much of the match at Ewood Park on Sunday and such a situation forced Mourinho s hand in the second half. Pogba and Ibrahimovic duly showed why the Portuguese entrusted the visitors fate to them, as the Frenchman set up the in-form striker for a 75th-minute winner.
Blackburn gave a fine account of themselves in the first half and broke the deadlock with an exceptional goal inspired by Marvin Emnes and finished by Danny Graham.
United ensured the score was level at the bre…
Erling Haaland is almost obsessed with success but comparing him with Robert Lewandowski is pointless, according to Michael Zorc.
Two of Europe s most feared strikers go head to head on Saturday when Borussia Dortmund host Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga.
Lewandowski was the top scorer in Europe s top-five leagues last season, hitting 51 goals to propel Bayern to a treble triumph, and he set a Bundesliga record by scoring 10 goals in the first five matchdays of 2020-21.
Haaland, meanwhile, has managed five goals in as many Bundesliga appearances this term from a total of 15 shots. That puts the Dortmund striker s shot conversion rate at 29.4, a little way behind Lewandowski s 34.5, but he has scored 66.7 per cent of his certified big chances this term, a better …
Verdict: Turkey draw no bet
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With the chance to extend their buffer at the top of Group H, a revitalized Turkey will travel to Iceland on Tuesday night.
Iceland
Starting with the hosts, while Iceland may have lost all four of their inaugural UEFA Nations League appearances and suffered relegation to League B when the tournament comes back around in 2021, few would have expected their eye-catching start to qualification. Coming off the back of picking up a hard-fought 1-0 win over Albania on Saturday, Head Coach Erik Hamrén has seen his side win two of their opening three Group H outings and only their goal difference sees them sat behind France in the race to land a spot at next summers European championships. While a 4-0 hamme…
Manchester United s 2-1 defeat at home to rock-bottom Sheffield United provided a stark warning to any Red Devils players who were potentially starting to believe the hype, but Saturday offers the chance to bounce back against an old rival and make club history.
In years gone by, United against Arsenal was arguably the most anticipated fixture in the Premier League calendar – two teams stacked with talent and fierce competitors, and led by two managerial greats.
While the outlook is perhaps a little different now to what it was at the height of the Arsene Wenger-Alex Ferguson rivalry, United head to Emirates Stadium aiming to break a record set by Fergie s greatest team.
Earlier this month, United s 2-1 win at Fulham extended their unbeaten Premier League awa…
Nicolas Pepe is playing his best football since arriving at Arsenal for a club-record fee in 2019 and has been challenged to maintain his form by Mikel Arteta.
Ivory Coast international Pepe struggled to a regular place in the starting line-up after returning from a three-match Premier League ban for headbutting Ezgjan Alioski in a 0-0 draw at Leeds United in November.
He was restored to the first XI for the FA Cup fourth-round meeting with Southampton after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was ruled out for personal reasons and has started delivering the sort of performances that were expected following his £72million arrival from Lille 18 months ago.
Although Arsenal were beaten 1-0 by Southampton, Pepe had five chances created – two more than the rest of his te…
AFC Ajax attacking midfielder Christian Eriksen has refused to sign a new deal at the club, fueling speculation that he could be set to leave the Amsterdam Arena in the summer, .
Eriksen, 20, has been linked with a number of English Premier League clubs in recent months, including the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.
The Denmark international joined Ajax on a two-and-a-half-year deal from Superligaen side Odense BK in a deal worth a €1 million in October 2008.
Eriksen, whose current contract expires in June 2014, has bagged nine goals and 13 assists in all competitions for Ajax this season.
The Danish Footballer of the Year has just turned down a proposed contract extension from Ajax, according…
World players’ union FIFPRO has called for FIFA to investigate Spanish football president Luis Rubiales after he kissed Jenni Hermoso in the aftermath of Sunday’s World Cup final.
Rubiales, the president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), kissed the forward on the lips during the medal ceremony following the team’s 1-0 win against England in Sydney.
FIFPRO’s call for action followed a statement from the Spanish players’ union on Tuesday that condemned such behaviour as “never appropriate or acceptable”, while United States winger Megan Rapinoe described the event as a “physical assault”.
statement on Spanish football federation president Luis Rubiales:
— FIFPRO (@FIFPRO)
Rubiales, who has faced calls to resign,…