Cristiano Ronaldo s refusal to come on as a substitute against Tottenham can be put down to him being the kind of player who can t accept being left out , says former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes.
Ronaldo was temporarily exiled from first-team activities by Ten Hag after refusing to enter the fray in United s 2-0 win over Spurs, before making a goalscoring return in Thursday s 3-0 Europa League victory over Sheriff.
The 37-year-old top-scored for United with 24 goals in all competitions last season, but has only made two Premier League starts since Ten Hag took charge.
Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra have defended former team-mate Ronaldo since the incident, and Scholes has now joined them, saying he understands the striker s frustration with his new …
Raffaele Palladino says Monza will play for Pablo Mari when they face Bologna after the defender was injured in a multiple stabbings incident at a supermarket near Milan.
One person died and Monza s on-loan Arsenal centre-back Mari was among five who were injured during a terrifying incident, with a suspect arrested after being disarmed on Thursday.
The Spanish defender is expected to be out of action for at least two months after successful back surgery.
It s not that we didn t want to play. The first news shook the whole group and it s normal that we were shocked, head coach Palladino said when asked about not postponing the upcoming game.
Initially we thought about a postponement, but the team reacted well especially when they learned that Pablo was …
Celtic travel to Madrid to take on Atletico, while Italians Udinese meet Ligue 1 outfit Rennes in Europa League Group I on Thursday.
Celtic, runners-up to fierce rivals Rangers in the Scottish Premier League for the past two seasons, were handed a reprieve by UEFA following their 3-1 aggregate loss to Swiss outfit FC Sion in the final round of qualification for the tournament.
UEFA ruled that Sion had fielded ineligible players for the clash, and Celtic have taken their place in Group I.
But the Glasgow giants will have their work cut out to progress from the group stages, with Atletico the 2009/10 Europa League champions.
Udinese will also present a stern test for Neil Lennon s men, with the Italians finishing fourth in Serie A last season and just miss…
According to Emirates 24/7, Paris Saint-Germain are keen on signing Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder David Beckham when the MLS season ends in November.
The former Manchester United and Real Madrid star played under Leonardo now PSG s sporting director at AC Milan during the 2009-10 Serie A season.
The Brazilian is quite fond of Beckham and has opened the door to potentially signing the English midfielder.
I coached him at AC Milan and we created a good relationship, said Leonardo.
He is more than a football player, but when you see him every day he trains and plays like a kid.
He is someone that I really appreciate and admire so much his values and everything he has done in football.
When asked whether the Li…
Paul Pogba is the best-placed player in world football to establish himself at the top of the game, but Mario Mandzukic insists he must remain with Juventus for the foreseeable future to reach that level.
France midfielder Pogba has been integral to Juve winning a fifth straight Serie A title, four of which have come since his move from Manchester United in 2012.
Pogba has scored eight and assisted a league-high 12 from his 34 Serie A appearances, further fuelling rumours linking him with the likes of Barcelona and Manchester City, who were interested last season when he opted to stay in Turin.
Mandzukic has been hugely impressed by Pogba, although he urged his team-mate not to rush his next move.
I have seen many great midfielders in my career, but nob…
Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney insists he is not finished yet as he heads into his 15th season as a professional.
The England forward, 30, faces former club Everton for his testimonial on Wednesday, but he is targeting a trophy-laden future in the game, rather than considering retirement.
Though last season s FA Cup victory was United s first silverware since Alex Ferguson left the club in 2013, Rooney says the possibility of further glory keeps him going.
When you play as a kid you don t really think about success, you just want to play, he said.
It s when you start playing professionally that you realise what your goals are and what your ambitions are — and that is to win trophies.
I have done that with Manchester United but I want…
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino is not surprised by Jadon Sancho s rise to prominence at Borussia Dortmund.
The England international left Manchester City for Dortmund in 2017, feeling first-team football would be easier to come by away from the Premier League.
He was already highly rated following after helping England win the Under-17 World Cup earlier the same year, but his performances since have outlined him as arguably the most exciting teenager in world football.
Still just 18, Sancho has set up nine Bundesliga goals and scored seven himself in 21 appearances this season, becoming a key part of Dortmund s attack alongside Paco Alcacer and Marco Reus.
London-born, Sancho will enjoy something of a homecoming against Tottenham at Wembley in the …
Manchester City have completed the signing of Pablo Mari from Spanish outfit Gimnastic, it was announced on Monday.
Gimnastic confirmed in a statement the 22-year-old Mari had been signed by Pep Guardiola s side.
However, reports in Spain suggest the defender will be loaned out to second division side Girona for the 2015-16 season.
We thank Pablo Mari for his commitment, discipline and hard work that he has contributed during these three years in the ranks of the first team, a club statement read.
Gimnastic de Tarragona wishes Mari good luck on a personal and professional level in his new team, Manchester City FC.
Mari joined Gimnastic from Mallorca in 2013, going on to make 90 appearances for the Catalan club.
He was an integr…
Aston Villa have confirmed the appointment of Johan Lange as the club s new sporting director, following Jesus Garcia Pitarch s departure.
Pitarch – known as Suso – joined Villa in October 2018, but he came under fire after the club only narrowly avoided relegation despite spending in excess of £140million following their promotion from the Championship last year.
Villa announced Pitarch s departure on Tuesday, and they have moved quickly to bring in his replacement.
Lange joins from Copenhagen, having served as the Danish side s technical director for the past six years.
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Nottingham Forest and Derby County are interested in signing Ivan Toney from Peterborough United in the summer transfer window, according to . Peterborough will play in League One in 2020-21 after failing to make it to the playoffs this past season, and they are likely to sell Toney this summer.
The report has claimed that Forest and Derby, who failed to finish in the Championship top six in 2019-20, are willing to pay £5 million for the 24-year-old former Newcastle United striker. However, it is unlikely that the Posh will sell Toney for that amount and will probably want more.
According to, Toney scored 24 goals and provided six assists in League One this past season, and scored 16 goals and provided seven assists in the league in 2018-19. The striker is unproven at …