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Edinson Cavani is “off the charts”, says Phil Bardsley, with the former Manchester United defender admitting that the striker’s output is “outstanding” given that he is now 33 years of age.

The experienced Uruguayan has been a prolific presence throughout a distinguished career at the very highest level.

Cavani hit over 100 goals during his time at Napoli, before going on to become Paris Saint-Germain’s all-time leading scorer across seven productive years in France.

He dropped into the free agent pool in 2020 and was duly snapped up by United as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer sought to bring added firepower into his ranks.

The Red Devils have eased Cavani into their fold, while also seeing him spend time out injured and suspended, but the target has been found on four occasions through 14 appearances.

His value is not lost on those around him, while Premier League rivals are also aware of the considerable threat he continues to pose.

Bardsley could line up against Cavani for Burnley on Tuesday, with the United academy graduate pleased to see his former club thriving again as title talk builds in Manchester.

He told MUTV: “I think Ole is doing an incredible job with the players, especially with the recruitment, which has been outstanding.

“Bruno [Fernandes] has been a great signing, as well as Cavani. I think his stats are off the charts when he plays. His physical output for his age is outstanding and, as a whole, everybody’s nose is pointing in the right direction.”

The Scotland international added: “Competing for the title again is good to see. I think the mentality is there and they’ve got the right players to challenge.

“If they keep the focus – I know Ole’s been there before and he’s got the experience and now he’s got the right people around him.”

While Cavani has settled quickly in English football, Portuguese playmaker Fernandes remains the go-to man for United when it comes to flashes of inspiration.

Burnley are yet to face the talented 26-year-old who completed a big-money move from Sporting 12 months ago, but Bardsley is well aware of the headache he will give the Clarets at Turf Moor.

He said of Sean Dyche’s plans to try and contain the talismanic presence: “We’re quite disciplined in our setup. We’re a well-organised side and he’s certainly somebody we’ll have to keep an eye on playing in that 10 slot.

“The midfielders are going to have a busy night unfortunately! As long as he doesn’t drift out left, I’ll be alright! He’s an outstanding player, but the way we set up, we probably wouldn’t set up to specifically man-mark somebody.

“With our system and our approach, as I said before, we’re well-organised so hopefully we can fill those gaps he likes to take up, and hopefully try and stop him at source if we can.”

Jose Mourinho has shrugged off Mesut Ozil’s claim that he would rather retire than join Tottenham, with the Spurs boss pointing out that nobody has presented the German with that dilemma.

A World Cup-winning midfielder finds himself firmly frozen out at Arsenal, with Mikel Arteta taking to leaving the 32-year-playmaker out of his Premier League and Europa League squads in 2020-21.

Ozil is being edged towards the exits at Emirates Stadium as a result, with his lucrative contract running down towards free agency.

He has admitted that moves to Turkey or MLS would appeal, amid talk of interest from teams in both of those areas, but no deal has been struck as yet to get him off the Gunners’ books.

Ozil is a proven Premier League performer, with questions asked of whether Arsenal have taken the best course of action this season, but he cannot see himself representing another club in England – particularly one on the opposite side of a fierce north London divide.

Mourinho is not overly concerned about that, with the Portuguese telling reporters when asked about comments in which an experienced performer said he would hang up his boots before heading to Spurs: “Who told him that Tottenham would be interested in signing him?”

While brushing aside that jibe from Ozil, Mourinho does have transfer matters to contend with in the January window.

Harry Winks has seen a move away from Spurs mooted, with La Liga giants Valencia said to be keen on taking him on loan, but the England international’s boss insists he is going nowhere.

Mourinho said of the speculation surrounding a 24-year-old midfielder: “What do I have to say to stop with this talk? I said already that he's going nowhere.

“When I say he's going nowhere, what more do you want me to say? He played the last matches. He didn't play the last one because it was a chance to let players like Gedson get minutes.

“Tomorrow [against Fulham] he's selected again. If someone's talking to other clubs I'd say don't waste your time.”

Mourinho went on to reveal that Erik Lamela, who has been left out of recent squads following a breach of coronavirus protocols, could come back into contention for a meeting with the Cottagers.

Spurs have been handed a midweek derby date at late notice, having seen Aston Villa forced to postpone their intended home meeting with Mourinho’s men due to a Covid-19 outbreak.

Tottenham saw similar action taken when they were due to host Fulham back in December and they have no sympathy for rivals having to tweak their plans at the last minute.

Mourinho added: “Are you serious? They [Fulham] had 48 hours to prepare for this game. Look, I had the news that I wasn't going to play them two hours before the game started.”

The Football Association (FA) will launch an investigation into Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze after he appeared to breach Covid-19 rules during his visit to Queens Park Rangers on Saturday.

The midfielder attended his former club’s FA Cup third-round tie against Fulham and was pictured without a face mask in the directors’ box at the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium.

The Nigerian midfielder teamed up with Premier League side in the summer after leaving QPR, where he spent four years.

Eze is believed to have complied with the coronavirus protocols before he was allowed to go to the game, including undergoing a test, which came out negative.

Sky Sports have confirmed the FA investigation and QPR boss Mark Warburton admitted the club should have denied the request of the midfielder.

"We know the situation that society is facing in this country, we are all very aware of it," Warburton said.  

"QPR as a club have stringent protocols in place that we apply very strongly to every single player and staff member. On this occasion, we should have declined the request. It's as simple as that. We made the error.

"Eberechi is an outstanding character. I can't speak highly enough of him. He made a request, we should have said no. On this rare occasion, we have made a mistake, it's as plain and simple as that. It will not happen again."

Crystal Palace have also revealed the club will deal with the situation internally and confirmed they were not aware of Eze’s visit to QPR.  

"QPR have acknowledged they made a mistake in hosting Eberechi Eze in the directors' box at Saturday's FA Cup match against Fulham without our knowledge,” read a statement from the club website.

"Whilst we recognize Eberechi's desire to support his former teammates, he accepts it was an error of judgement to attend the match.

"We were also concerned to see pictures of Eberechi not wearing a mask at certain moments and are speaking to him about these apparent lapses, which will be dealt with internally."

Eze has featured 15 times for Crystal Palace since joining the club, scoring two goals and providing two assists.

The midfielder will be expected to continue his impressive performances when Palace take on Arsenal on Thursday.

Tottenham have no need to rush contract talks with Harry Kane or fear interest from afar, says Michael Brown, with the prolific frontman expected to honour terms through to the summer of 2024.

Spurs have moved to ensure that key men remain tied to long-term contracts in north London, and that is the case with talismanic striker Kane, who committed to his last deal in June 2018.

As a product of Tottenham’s academy system, the England captain has remained fiercely loyal to the club that offered him a big break on a Premier League stage.

There has been talk of a big-money move being made elsewhere, with an ambitious performer eager to compete for and ultimately land major silverware.

Spurs have endured a barren run on that front, but Jose Mourinho is considered to be the perfect coach to get a star-studded squad back on the trophy trail.

Success would help to prevent Kane’s head from being turned, but Brown believes Tottenham should have no fears on that front at present as the 27-year-old superstar has offered no indication that he will be pushing for the exits.

The former Spurs midfielder told Football Insider after seeing extension talks for Kane mooted: “There’s no rush for Spurs regarding time on a new contract.

“But, you would say, if there’s interest in the player and you feel a new contract might make that player more settled because he might be thinking he can make more money somewhere else or get a better opportunity, then you should offer him a new contract if you can afford it.

“Tottenham don’t need to sell. They’re financially sound, they’re in a great position.

“Yes, they’ve obviously had a bit of pressure with Covid, the new stadium etc, but they don’t need to sell Harry Kane when he’s on a contract like he is.

“It will just come down to if they feel like it’s the right decision from the club to give him a reward, to extend his contract a little bit longer, to make it more secure, then they could do. But there’s not a massive amount of rush when he’s staying until 2024.”

Kane has passed the 200-goal mark for Tottenham this season, and 150 efforts in the Premier League, with his value to the cause lost on nobody in north London as they look to do all they can to keep him in his current surroundings for the immediate and long-term future.

Kenya international Victor Wanyama has described his coach at club level Thierry Henry as a fatherly figure to many players.

The Kenyan captain moved to Major League Soccer (MLS) from Tottenham Hostpur, after Henry, who played for his rival club Arsenal, went for his services on March 4, 2020.

Wanyama ended penning a three-year deal with Montreal Impact and was instrumental as the team had a good run in the 2019-20 season, but failed to make it to the Concacaf Champions League when they fell at the final hurdle after losing to Club Olimpia of Paraguay on the away goals rule.

Speaking in Nairobi after being unveiled as the UN-Habitat Goodwill Ambassador, Wanyama showered praise on the former Arsenal star, saying he is a great coach.

“I have got a good relationship with the manager [Thierry Henry] and I’m enjoying working with him,” Wanyama said as quoted by Standard Sports. “He is a good coach and person both on and off the pitch. He is always willing to help you and that is why I feel he is a great coach.”

On his new ambassadorial role, Wanyama said: “My new role is more important because it is something that I have been before. I’m glad to have gotten this opportunity.

“I thank the UN for supporting me and the people in the ghetto. This is a great initiative that we are going to do together and hopefully make a big impact.”

Wanyama has previously held other ambassadorial roles including Safaricom Limited’s brand ambassador in 2017 and Dstv 2018 Fifa World Cup.

Wanyama also confirmed he was pleased with the current work being done on his multi-million dollar Academy situated in Busia County.

“I don’t believe in retirement because in football there is no retirement. Even if you finish playing, there are a lot of things to do and you can stay on the same field for long,” Wanyama continued.

“I know what my plans are and I have a lot of things to think about right now, but when the time comes, I will let you know. Work in my academy in Busia is still ongoing and the people working there are doing a great job.

“I can’t tell when it will be finished but very soon we will have a world-class academy with good facilities. My dream since childhood has been to one-day give back to society and try to improve on what I didn’t have during my childhood.

"The biggest thing we lacked then was facilities, but I’m glad through this foundation we are doing it as we try to have the same system we see in Europe here.”

Wanyama is currently on holiday after the MLS season ended last December.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is “laying the foundations” for “a really exciting future” at Manchester United, says Luke Chadwick, with the plan at Old Trafford being to make title challenges the norm once again.

The Red Devils have 13 Premier League crowns to their name, but the last of those was secured in Sir Alex Ferguson’s final season before he headed off into retirement back in 2013.

Some testing times have been endured in the eight years since that success, with United regressing alarmingly under David Moyes, Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho.

Solskjaer has faced questions of his own, with the former United striker lacking top-level coaching experience when handed the reins on a permanent basis.

Patience is being rewarded, though, and a positive result at Burnley on Tuesday will lift the Red Devils back to the summit of the English top flight.

Chadwick hopes United can kick on from this point, with a sleeping giant being awoken from its slumber.

A man who represented the Red Devils and Clarets in his playing days told the Burnley Express of progress in Manchester under Solskjaer: “It's nice to see him now reaping the rewards after having a tough start at United. He's laying the foundations for what will hopefully be a really exciting future for him and the club.

“The game has changed slightly over the past 20-odd years, it's about managing individuals and your relationships with those individuals.

“I think Ole is fantastic at that and he's the sort of person that can get the best out of people.

“Hopefully he can keep going and build a team that can mount a serious challenge for the next few seasons.”

Few expected United to challenge for the Premier League title this season, but the inconsistency of others – in another campaign impacted by the coronavirus pandemic – has helped to level the playing field and bring numerous sides into the mix.

Chadwick added on the Red Devils’ claims to a much sought-after piece of silverware: “It was always going to be a strange season and there were always going to be strange results throughout the season.

“United got battered off Spurs and then hours later Liverpool were conceding seven against Aston Villa.

“If there was ever a time for United to win the title then this is the season to do it because their rivals are so inconsistent.

“They're right in the mix now without really playing their best football, which is always a good sign.”

Young Africans (Yanga SC) winger Balama Mapinduzi has undergone successful knee surgery and is set to be out of action for the better part of the season.

The 24-year-old has confirmed everything took place anticipated and took the opportunity to appreciate the respective authorities for playing their role well and ensuring he gets the much-needed treatment.

"My operation has been successful here in South Africa and I thank God for that," Balama said on Tuesday.

"Everything is going on well; I take this opportunity to thank the Yanga management as well as that of GSM who ensured the surgery was a success."

Balama was injured in June 2020 after the Tanzania Mainland Premier League had resumed, following the break which was occasioned by the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic, and since then he has been sidelined.

When the 2020/21 kicked off, Yanga had hoped the player would return to action but it was not the case as he failed to recover from the injury.

This season, Mapinduzi became the second player from the Tanzania league to head to South Africa for further treatment. Azam FC striker Prince Dube was the first one to seek treatment in the country. 

The Zimbabwean star injured his ulnar of the left hand during their league defeat to Yanga after just a quarter of an hour of the derby played at Chamazi Stadium seven days ago, and the club decided he underwent further treatment in Cape Town.  

The 23-year-old, who has been in fine form this season, had managed to score six goals and is among the top scorers in the top-flight. 

Meanwhile, Yanga will play their sworn rivals Simba SC in the Mapinduzi Cup final at Amani Stadium, Zanzibar on Wednesday.

Wananchi eliminated Azam FC 5-4 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in regular time.

Yanga opened the scoring in the 55th minute when Tuisila Kisinda found his way past the Azam backline and fired past Wilbol Kaseke.

In the 66th minute, Azam equalised through Obrey Chirwa who headed home from a cross that was delivered by Bruce Kangwa from the left-wing.

Farouk Shikhalo saved two penalties that were taken by Awesu Awesu and Daniel Amoah before Kisinda, Mukoko Tonombe, Paul Godfrey, Abdalla Shaibu and Peter Mauya scored the penalties that pushed Yanga to their first-ever Mapinduzi Cup.

Benedict Haule, who was brought on specifically for the shoot-out purposes, stopped the first Yanga kick that was taken by Michael Sarpong. Bruce Kangwa, Ally Niyonzima, Mudathir Yahya, and Nicholas Wadada scored for the Ice-cream Makers but their efforts were to no avail.

They will now play Wekundu wa Msimbazi who defeated Namungo 2-1 in the semi-final.

Thiago Alcantara has to be handed a regular starting role at Liverpool as he remains the most likely source of a “killer pass” in Jurgen Klopp’s squad, says John Aldridge.

The Reds are still waiting on the high-profile summer signing from Bayern Munich to burst into life.

Thiago has, amid unfortunate injury setbacks, spent far longer on the sidelines this season than he or anyone else at Anfield would have liked.

Just five appearances have been taken in as a result, with just two Premier League starts included in that haul.

The Spain international has shown glimpses of what he is capable of when given much-needed game time, with the classy playmaker still considered to have been quite a coup for Klopp.

Aldridge believes the 29-year-old can be a game-changer, with the former Reds striker eager to see Thiago included from the off on a more regular basis – with a home date against old adversaries Manchester United next on the agenda.

Aldridge told the Liverpool Echo amid uncharacteristic struggles for end product from the reigning champions: “The final ball has not been up to our standard in the last few games and that’s what has been letting us down a little bit after we’ve got in behind the defence and are looking to pick someone out.

“I must underline, though, it’s really hard when a team has 10 men behind the ball to do that but you’ve got to see where the ball needs to go and there are ways like putting the ball into areas at the back post.

“Of course, team selection is up to the manager but when you’re thinking about the final ball and picking people out in the 18-yard box - Andy Robertson and Alexander-Arnold have been magnificent for the last few years.

“And from midfield, there is no better player to see that pass than Thiago. That’s his forte.

“Whoever the manager plays in there - we don’t know as he’s got a lot of options - but at the moment he is the one that’ll see that killer pass more than anyone.”

Liverpool could have been knocked from top spot by the time they play host to United, with the chasing pack having closed in on the title holders this season.

Aldridge is expecting a keenly-fought battle for domestic supremacy, with Manchester City also coming back into the mix after taking in a slow start to their 2020-21 campaign.

“City mean business, you can see them putting a serious set of results together,” added Aldridge.

“We expected they would but we’ve dropped our form and we can’t afford to drop many more points.

“We’ve got to get our act together away from home and let the home results look after themselves, which hopefully they will. The lads will realise that.

“This is what Liverpool teams used to do, this group of players have made their own history by winning the Premier League but it’s so hard to replicate it and go on to win it the following year.

"Teams in the past at this club did that, but it’s up to these lads now to raise the bar again. They’re up there with the great Liverpool teams but they’ll be desperate to prove it.

“And if they do it without the likes of Virgil van Dijk at centre-half too, that’ll put them right up the pecking order.”

Romelu Lukaku boasts the “physical power” of NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal, says Inter midfielder Nicolo Barella, with the Belgian striker considered to be “a force of nature”.

The 27-year-old has been a revelation since moving to San Siro in the summer of 2019.

Lukaku hit 34 goals through his debut campaign in Milan and has added a further 16 efforts to his tally this term.

He has become a talismanic presence for Antonio Conte’s Serie A title hopefuls, with few opponents able to contain the very obvious threat he poses.

Barella is not surprised to see rivals struggling on that score, with Lukaku’s team-mates finding out in training how difficult he can be to stop.

Drawing comparisons between the former Manchester United forward and an ex-LA Lakers and Miami Heat star, Barella told DAZN: “Lukaku and Shaquille O’Neal make physical power their greatest strength.

“But Romelu is also so much more. Even in training, we need two or three players to stop him. He’s a force of nature.”

Lukaku has helped to fire Inter to within three points of arch-rivals AC Milan this season in an ongoing battle for domestic supremacy in Italy, with former Rossoneri boss Fabio Capello of the opinion that Conte’s men are favourites to claim the crown.

He has told Radio Anch’io Lo Sport: “Juventus are coming back, they are finding an identity and there are fewer problems with their game than in the first part of the season.

“It seems to me that the team has understood what Andrea Pirlo wants.

“He achieved a result practically without Cristiano Ronaldo because he was peripheral against Sassuolo.

“Juventus have never been in the running for the title this season but they could decide things with their game in hand with Napoli and the direct clash with Inter, who I chose as my favourite for the title.

“For me the Nerazzurri are the team with the deepest squad and number of players to be competitive in all matches.

“Plus, Inter do not have to play in the European competitions, therefore they can be fresh at all times.”

AC Milan have registered their interest in signing Chelsea centre-back Fikayo Tomori although they face competition from a number of clubs in England and abroad.

Newcastle and Leeds are among those thought to be interested in signing the 23-year-old although they would prefer an initial loan , with the Italian giants considering a permanent deal.

Indeed, for Milan, Strasbourg defender Mohamed Simakan has been the main target but the Ligue 1 side are holding out for a club-record fee, with RB Leipzig also showing an interest.

Tomori is open to a move overseas having considered a switch to Rennes over the summer , with the versatile defender wanting to leave Chelsea having not started a match since September.

Frank Lampard, meanwhile, is keen to trim his squad and is willing to allow Tomori to leave Stamford Bridge.

Speaking after a 4-0 win over League Two side Morecambe in the FA Cup - a game that saw Tomori make his first appearance in over three months as he came off the bench - Lampard said: "The situation with Fikayo is open at the moment, in that he could be going on loan to get games.

"But that will have to be the right decision for him and the club. So while I was looking at starting him today, I was also looking at that (the potential for a loan move), and we've got to make the right decisions for us, for the club and for him.

"His attitude has been fantastic in terms of working, training every day and how he is."

Tomori's first-team breakthrough at Chelsea last season saw him rewarded with his England debut  but since then he has fallen down the pecking order for club and country.

He had previously been on loan with Lampard at Derby County after spells with Hull City and Brighton.

Tomori's increasingly likely departure means that Antonio Rudiger will remain in west London during the January transfer window despite his own concerns over a lack of game time.

However, Chelsea are open to letting Kepa Arrizabalaga and Marcos Alonso leave but their high wages could prove a stumbling block.

It has been a slow January transfer window for most of Europe's top clubs who continue to wrestle with the economic effects of the Covid-19 crisis, with the Blues having struggled to offload some of their high-earning fringe players up to now.

Timo Werner has been hailed for bringing his 12-game goal drought at Chelsea to a close, with Pat Nevin saying “real strikers never hide” during struggles for form.

The Germany international frontman has been finding the going tough of late, with end product drying up in the final third of the field.

Frank Lampard has, however, kept faith with the big-money summer signing and continued to put him in the firing line.

Questions have been asked of the 24-year-old’s value to the cause, with it suggested that he may start to slip down the pecking order, but a welcome return to the scoresheet was made on Sunday.

Along with fellow countryman Kai Havertz, who has also faced his fair share of criticism this season, Werner hit the back of the net during a convincing 4-0 FA Cup third-round win over Morecambe.

Nevin is pleased to see a proven performer back in the groove, with his head never dropping during the most testing of runs.

The former Blues star told Chelsea’s official website: “Clearly four goals and a clean sheet is just what Frank Lampard wanted, and he would also have been delighted by the identities of the scorers.

“Timo Werner has been getting into the right positions all the way through his recent barren run in front of goal and that would have given his boss some relief and belief.

“Real strikers never hide, they are always hungry and they invariably believe that the next chance will be taken and that it will also be the first in the next good scoring run.

“Timo’s goal was particularly heartening as it was a move we have already seen before, but we will also expect to see much more often as the months and years go by. K

“Kai Havertz’s nodded knockdown looked very simple, but that is because it has been his stock in trade throughout his short career. Back in the Bundesliga he had an incredible knack of getting into the penalty area just at the right moment and being cool when he got there.

“It helps when you have a great Hakim Ziyech ball to get on the end of. If that positioning was quintessential Havertz then Hakim’s left-foot cross, after cutting inside, was classic Hakim.

“I honestly think that those types of crosses, with that level of accuracy and whip, are pretty close to impossible to defend when you have a willing runner on the end of it.

“When Kai got his goal late on it underlined once more just how good he is in these situations. I definitely expect this to be a common occurrence going forward.

“So the ‘newbies’ got a much needed lift after coming under a good deal of pressure. You just have to look at Kai’s reaction when he scored to see that it was relief as much as anything that was written across his face.”

Having returned to winning ways in knockout competition, Chelsea will be hoping that momentum can be re-established in the Premier League when they take in a derby date with west London neighbours Fulham on Saturday.

Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper Daniel Akpeyi is adamant that the Glamour Boys will not get sucked into a relegation battle this season.

It's almost unthinkable that a team of Chiefs' stature, the most popular club in South Africa, could ever be relegated.

But with the team currently sitting just one point above the drop zone with a third of the season played, such talk will likely persist if they don't start putting some positive results together.

"It's only normal for supporters and every loving person of Kaizer Chiefs to be panicking about our situation because things are not coming right," Akpeyi told the Chiefs media team.

"But its a big team and a big brand and we don't want to disgrace ourselves and embarrass the team as well.

"The confidence that I have is that this team cannot be relegated. I know from the response of the players, from their mentality right now, we are ready to take a different step into the next game. Relegation is not something we are panicking about at the moment."

Akpeyi was beaten twice last weekend as Amakhosi suffered a 2-0 home defeat to Maritzburg United, who had started the game bottom of the table.

Now the Soweto side are bracing for the challenge of another KwaZulu-Natal side; they take on ambitious AmaZulu at the Kings Park Stadium on Wednesday afternoon at 15:00.

Akpeyi believes that it's largely a change of mindset which can see Chiefs coming out of their slump.

"We have not been coming right with our decisions in games," the goalkeeper stated.

"Mentally right now we should be strong in going to the next game. Because we have quality players who we can rely upon. But for some time we have been disappointing ourselves.

"We are taking the pain to AmaZulu. It's high time we start making ourselves happy, and its high time we started making the fans happy.

"Every team wants to look into our situation and think ‘we can actually get three points or at least a point from Kaizer Chiefs.’

"I assure you that the players are working physically and mentally to make sure we do better. The AmaZulu game hopefully it will be a turn-around for us.

"We've spoken to ourselves and the only one strength we have for now is to keep on encouraging ourselves, that we are going to come right in the next game.

"We've talked to ourselves to try identify the problem, each and every game, and I think from the response of every single player, everything is coming right and we hope for a turn-around in the next game," the former Chippa United shot-stopper concluded.

Vicky Jepson has left her role as manager of Liverpool Women, it has been confirmed.

The 32-year-old was appointed Reds boss in October 2018, having previously worked as assistant to Neil Redfearn before taking over the first team, initially as caretaker manager.

But Jepson was unable to prevent their relegation from the Women's Super League last season.

"Liverpool FC can confirm that women's manager Vicky Jepson has left the club by mutual consent," a statement read.

"It brings an end to a partnership which has lasted more than a decade and included various roles at the club."

The 2019-20 campaign was cut short due to the Covid-19 pandemic with the Prenton Park side having collected six points from 14 matches, leaving them a point behind Birmingham.

They are currently third in the second tier and eight points behind leaders Leicester with a game in hand, but the club have decided to part ways with Jepson, who also spent five years as the women's development squad manager and a further two as first-team analyst.

"It’s with a heavy heart that my time has come to an end with Liverpool Football Club; the place I love and have been lucky enough to call home for over a decade," she said.

"Over the years I have been fortunate to work across the entire pathway at this club. During this time, I’ve seen so many youth players go on to wear the first-team red shirt, which fills me with immense pride. It’s been a privilege to have contributed to their careers.

"I’m also grateful to have had the opportunity to work alongside the talented people at the LFC Foundation. Seeing the increase of girls’ participation in football has been truly inspiring.

"To the many senior players, both past and present, that I’ve worked with, I thank you. Thank you for empowering me with your relentless efforts, professional attitudes and sacrifices that you make daily as a professional footballer. I will be forever grateful for our time together and will be supporting you all from afar this season."

She added: "For now, I’ll be taking some time out with family, but I’m excited and looking forward to my next challenge in the world of football."

Asante Kotoko midfielder Fabio Gama Dos Santos is delighted by his output on his full debut as the club handed Liberty Professionals a 2-0 defeat in the Ghana Premier League (GPL) on Monday.

Having joined the Porcupine Warriors in October, the 28-year-old made his first start for the Porcupine Warriors in the matchday eight fixture at the Accra Sports Stadium.

He capped his outing with a pair of assists.

“I am used to the weather because I played in Brazil all my life and it’s the same weather," Gama said after the game, as reported by 442 Ghana.

"I have not started a game for a year, so it is hard to keep the physique for the match. But I'm happy to play for 80 minutes.”

Without a doubt, the biggest beneficiary of Gama's presence on the pitch was striker Kwame Opoku, who was at hand to score twice from the Brazilian's set-ups.

"I am very excited to play with Fabio Gama because he is a very fine player and would love to see him feature in every match with me on the field," Opoku said, as reported by Kickgh.

"He's my best friend and we have good talking conditions on the training grounds and this is just the beginning with a matter of time and fitness people see more than what they saw."

Monday's win has taken Kotoko to sixth on the league table.

"You don’t need intensive training to bring the best out of the players but sometimes you have to psyche the players because they’re very good individually, so you have to build their confidence and not pressure them too much. So you can attribute our recent display to confidence and determination," coach Johnson Smith said, as reported by GNA.

“Since our loss to Sudanese side Al-Hilal, we have learnt the transitional play tactics that is playing from defence to midfield and to attack and we have also worked on our finishing at training.

“So the players are gradually getting used to the system we have adopted because at first we did little running but now things have changed with the players making more incisive runs and it has changed our play."

Former Brazil U17 and U20 attacker Gama could make his second Kotoko start when they face Wafa in their next game.

Liverpool remain “a better team” than Manchester United heading towards their crunch clash at Anfield, says John Aldridge, with the Red Devils considered to be “pretty ordinary” when Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford are taken out of the equation.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side have been leaning heavily on the brilliance of individuals during the 2020-21 campaign.

That approach has served them well, with there a chance that United could head to Merseyside on Sunday perched at the top of the Premier League table.

Liverpool are aware that, having dominated the domestic scene in 2019-20, the chasing pack has closed in on them this season amid struggles for consistency and keeping key men clear of injury.

Aldridge is, however, of the opinion that Jurgen Klopp’s side remain considerably stronger than rivals from Old Trafford and will prove as much when given a chance to put down a title marker.

The former Reds striker told the Liverpool Echo: “You can give the strikers as much finishing as they want or work through drills with the defence but Jurgen Klopp will be making his players aware of what United are good at this week.

“What they are good at is getting the likes of Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford on the ball - they’re the danger.

“The rest of their team is pretty ordinary, they’d be coming in fifth or sixth place but those two make them into a team.

“Klopp won’t be going overboard on United this week because we are a better team and we’ve proved that. They’ve simply come closer and it’s about getting the lads to show we mean business.

“We’re in the business part of the season and we need to start now, with the likes of United in particular. It’s time to get back on track.”

Aldridge added on what Liverpool need to do in order to avoid coming unstuck against the Red Devils: “United can only play one way and they can’t defend.

“They’ll back themselves on the break with the pace they’ve got up front but I don’t think the fans would be allowing that!

“I think it’ll be a pretty open game and they’ll sense our weaknesses in trying to hit long balls between young Rhys Williams or Nat Phillips and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

“That’s what teams do, they pinpoint that area because our full-backs get forward and take up advanced positions, so then we struggle.

“The left channel is not too bad, because Fabinho looks up and sees it but for the young lads - as well as they’re doing and they are doing superbly - it’s really hard.

“Teams have a lot of quality and players who can put the ball in difficult areas with people chasing them - the likes of which Rashford will do.

“United will be working to capitalise on that area but it’s up to us to do what we’re good at. And that is scoring goals at Anfield.”

Tanzania giants Simba SC have confirmed they will take time to appoint a new coach after the exit of Sven Vandenbroeck.

The Belgian tactician parted ways with the club on mutual agreement a day after guiding the team to the group stage of the Caf Champions following a 4-1 aggregate win against FC Platinum of Zimbabwe.

Simba CEO Barbara Gonzalez has now come out to explain why it will take them time to hire a new coach from 55 applicants, despite the team playing in the group stage of the Champions League and also fighting to retain the Mainland Premier League.

“When it comes to getting a new coach, the process is usually lengthy since it requires much attention by going through all the available documents,” Gonzalez said as quoted by Daily News.

“If you make decisions in a hurry to find him, it may affect you throughout the whole season,” she noted. She named some of the nationalities of people whose CVs have reached at the club as from Serbia, France, Portugal, and many others from different parts of the world.

“We have put in place key requirements of the incoming coach we need like club coaching experience. If you remember, when Vandenbroeck came in, he had vast experience at the national team level only and it took more time for him to catch up.

“He should also have experience in Caf club tournaments as among other essential requirements for the job’s qualification.”

Gonzalez has further explained the club did not fire Vandenbroeck, who has already signed for Moroccan club ASFAR Rabat, but insisted they parted ways on mutual agreement.

“I already wished him all the best during his new coaching responsibilities in Morocco," Gonzalez added.

Goal understands Rene Weiler is among the favourites to take up the job after a source within the club confirmed the 47-year-old tactician from Switzerland is likely to replace Vandenbroeck.

“Weiler has become the clear favourite to take over the reins at Simba,” the source, who did not want to be named, told Goal.

“He is currently a free agent after leaving Al Ahly of Egypt and that puts him ahead of the rest of the coaches who have applied for the job.”

Vandenbroeck left Simba in second position to Yanga with 35 points, nine behind the leaders, but with three matches in hand.

The champions, after dispatching FC Platinum, booked a group stage spot in the Champions League.

Currently they are in Zanzibar where they are set to participate in the Mapinduzi Cup final.

More than a year has gone by for Tan Cheng Hoe without being able to get his senior Malaysia national team together for a match or even a training session, and now the wait continues for the man in charge of Harimau Malaya after the Malaysian government announced on Monday the return of the Movement Control Order (MCO).

The latest restriction is understandable as it comes after a continuous rise in the Covid-19 cases in the country but nevertheless forced Cheng Hoe to scap his plan to call-up his players for a training camp that was supposed to be held from Jan 16-25 in preparations for the resumption of the World Cup qualification matches in March.

Speaking during the press conference after the 12th Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) executive committee meeting for the term 2017-2021, FAM's general-secretary Stuart Ramalingam divulged that following the announcement that the national team's plans to get together later this week has now been cancelled.

While the squad that was being prepared consist only of players that were supposedly not first picks for Cheng Hoe, it was an exercise which the former Kedah head coach was very much looking forward to after not being able to work with his players for a sustained period of time.

The fear right now will be that Malaysia could be at risk of being booted out of the qualifiers should the pandemic situation not improve in the coming months and ultimately leading to the team being unable to either fly out to face United Arab Emirates in March or welcome Vietnam in the same month.

However FAM president Dato Hamidin Mohd Amin allayed those fears and explained that his organisation are in constant talks with Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS) as well as Asian Football Confederation (AFC) on how best to approach those matches and the alternatives that are in place.

"We've discussed with Dato'' Windsor on what will happen if we can't play in March. FIFA and AFC will look into the matter and it could go into June, in a carnival style where it is the last date where it must be played. Any country that can't go, will be forfeited of their participation," said Hamidin in the press conference.

"Still for now we need to prepare for March but we are ready with the options. We've already sent letters to Security Concil via our sports minister that when we travel in March, we can adopt a special quarantine special which will allow us to play two matches home and away within a short time frame. We have a verbal agreement but situation can always change."