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Zinedine Zidane does not believe he will have a problem motivating Luka Jovic despite Borja Mayoral claiming the Real Madrid boss wanted to get rid of him.

Mayoral left the La Liga champions to join Roma on loan this month after returning to Santiago Bernabeu following two seasons with Levante.

The forward this week said Zidane wanted him to remain in Madrid and offload Serbia striker Jovic instead.

Jovic responded to those comments by telling El Chiringuito TV that "maybe" Mayoral was right and adding: "You have to ask the club."

Zidane on Friday brushed away suggestions Jovic may be surplus to requirements and said he can play a part for Madrid this season.

"The conversations I have with my footballers are behind closed doors," the Madrid head coach said during a media conference on the eve of the La Liga clash with Cadiz.

"They are private and what goes on in the dressing room, stays in the dressing room. I'm not going to talk about what's going on beyond this club, on this group of footballers and that's my sole interest.

"The conversations with my footballers are private and will stay that way."

Asked if it might be tough to motivate Jovic, Zidane replied: "Jovic is a Real Madrid player. I want Jovic here.

"Lots of people can have their opinion, they are entitled to their opinion, we have to live with that. But Jovic is a Real Madrid player."

Jovic endured a difficult debut campaign at Madrid last season, scoring just two goals in 27 total appearances.

Zidane added that he plans to rotate his squad with a hectic schedule to come.

He added: "We have spoken about this many times. To win things in a very long season we need to make rotations, and we have very good players who allow us to make changes.

"People need to remember what this team has lived through, the players never rest. We have a run of seven games and then they all go off with their national teams again.

"But I'm not complaining, I'm only explaining that it is necessary to rotate and I think we can still win while doing that."

Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has backed striker Tammy Abraham and left-back Ben Chilwell after both broke coronavirus rules to attend a party.

Along with Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho, the pair were among a group of more than six people who gathered to celebrate the Chelsea forward’s 23rd birthday prior to England’s international fixture with Wales, which both subsequently missed.

Of the trio, only Sancho featured in the Nations League victory against Belgium or the 1-0 defeat to Denmark.

Lampard has attempted to shield the pair from criticism, accepting that they made “mistakes” amid escalating fears that the Covid-19 crisis is again starting to spiral out of control in the UK.

“We've lived in this bubble for quite a long time now, and we have to make sure we stay on point with that at the training ground,” the manager told the media.

“The players also have a responsibility, as do the public, to follow the rules that we are being told, albeit there isn't always massive clarity in them, but that's not an excuse for the lads. 

“They've made mistakes, I've reminded them of their responsibilities. From the conversation I've had with them, they were innocent mistakes, but they understood their mistakes. We move on and I hope and I expect that it won't happen again.”

England boss Gareth Southgate, although willing to recall all three to the bubble after they tested negative for coronavirus, did not have such a soft touch with his message.

“At the beginning of the week we had a good meeting with the and spoke about the responsibility of being an England player and how the spotlight is different,” he said last week.

“I have also talked about the connection of the fans and we have 10 with us who were in Russia, they have done good work with their clubs, communities but some of the young ones have not done that and they need to prove themselves.

“They need to remember it is an honour to play for England. We have all made errors, I had nights out as player but we are living in unique times with Covid.”

Chelsea face Southampton on Sunday as they return to Premier League action.

Gareth Bale will "probably" make his first appearance since returning to Tottenham when they face West Ham on Sunday, according to Jose Mourinho.

Bale rejoined Spurs on a season-long loan in September, having left in 2013 for Real Madrid in a then world-record transfer.

A knee injury has so far kept Bale out of action and, though he gave a positive update on the forward's condition, manager Mourinho would not definitively say if the Wales international will feature in the London derby.

"Of course he wants to play. He wanted to play since the day he arrived but wasn't possible," Mourinho told a media conference. "I'm not going to tell you if he's going to play or not. What I will tell you is that he's working very well. He's working the way he probably hasn't been able to do for some time.

"The planning of the recent sessions had a big focus on him. His condition is good. Does he play Sunday or Thursday, we haven't made a decision yet.

"Every player is a very important player but the Gareth situation is very special because of his history. We care about him as much as he does for Tottenham.

"It's a physical thing. He didn't have any pre-season and even in the period after the lockdown, he didn't participate in much with Real Madrid, then he plays a couple of matches with Wales, had an injury there.

"It's not just about coming and needing a week of work to be at a level. It's more global than that and we don't want him to be rushed, we want him to be comfortable, we want him to make the decision of 'yes, I'm ready to go'. It's more about that.

"He's working so well, just evolution in every data, in every aspect of his condition. He's there. Probably he plays Sunday, if he doesn't he will on Thursday [in the Europa League v LASK]. He's there. He's very, very close."

A key feature of Tottenham's start to the new Premier League season, which included a 6-1 win at Manchester United prior to the international break, has been the form of Harry Kane and Son Heung-min.

Kane and Son have combined in six goal involvements, the highest tally in the league for any duo, in four games. That makes the prospect of adding Bale to the forward line an enticing one, though not one Mourinho appeared willing to commit to as his first choice.

"We have a squad where every player has to fight a lot for a place in the team," Mourinho added. "I believe you can see Son and Bale playing together, and also both together on the bench and also both enjoying a hot tea in the box. We have so many good options so I refuse to say that anyone is a first choice."

Liverpool starlet Harvey Elliott will spend the season on loan with Blackburn Rovers with the teenage star looking for first-team football experience with the Championship side.

Elliott joined Liverpool from Fulham in July 2019 and made a total of eight appearances for the Reds in all competitions throughout last season's Premier League title-winning campaign.

He was set to play a similar role this season, with the club fully expecting to hold on to Elliott this season.

However, after Liverpool's Carabao Cup elimination at the hands of Arsenal and with Xherdan Shaqiri remaining at Anfield past the transfer deadline, Liverpool are now willing to let Elliott go to Blackburn to secure first-team appearances.

He will move to a team that currently sits sixth in the Championship, having earned seven points from the first four league games of their season.

Manager Tony Mowbray was a key factor in getting the deal done, with the Blackburn boss previously working with former Liverpool youngster and current Rangers star Ryan Kent as well as Leicester City midfielder James Maddison during his spell at Coventry.

Liverpool will also be able to keep a close eye on Elliott's development with Blackburn being a local club.

Elliott is one of several Liverpool youngsters set to join lower-division clubs on loan, with Ben Woodburn and Liam Millar also candidates for moves.

Woodburn has agreed to join Blackpool until January, having scored one goal in 16 appearances for Oxford last season.

Millar, meanwhile, is wanted by Sunderland, Charlton and Millwall after the Canadian forward spent parts of the last two seasons with Kilmarnock in Scotland.

Winger Harry Wilson, meanwhile, has already left on loan to join Cardiff while Herbie Kane is set to join Barnsley in a permanent deal worth £1.25m ($1.5m).

One player that will not be leaving is Nat Phillips, though, with the defender being kept at the club to provide cover at centre-back.

Liverpool currently sit fifth in the Premier League after losing 7-2 to Aston Villa just before the international break. The Reds will return on Saturday as they take on rivals Everton at Goodison Park.

Football is full of mysteries and stories of intrigue, some of them midly strange, others just downright ludicrous.

One such glorious mystery is that of Mikel Arteta and his seemingly immaculate dark hair, which never seems to change even as the Spaniard gets older.

In a world of ostentatiousness, the haircut, in its consistent simplicity, has drawn admiration from Arsenal supporters and rival fans alike, spawning confused threads on Reddit as well as Facebook fan pages.

Arteta is all too aware of his hair's celebrity status and in 2014, he revealed that "one in every three tweets" he received on Twitter is about that very topic.

However, in typical fashion, the elusive Basque Country native refused to elaborate on what his hair-care secret was.

"It will cost me a lot of money if I answer that," he told RWD Football at the time.

"There’s nothing special about it," the former midfielder added, coyly. "It’s just my hair, it doesn't move much and I am lucky."

However, Arteta recently let slip what it is that he does with his hair to achieve his now iconic zero-fuss look, unusually letting his guard down during a coronavirus lockdown video Q&A with the Arsenal website.

The Gunners boss was asked, for the nth time: "What's your secret for thick, black hair? Do you use any special products?"

An amused and exasperated Arteta replied: “I keep getting this question all the time! Nature gave me this hair!

"Some people love it, some don’t. I’m ok with it - at least I have hair! I just use a normal gel to keep it fixed. I don’t look after it so much.”

After all that, after years of disbelief and intrigue, Arteta's big hair secret was "normal gel". Not only basic product, but minimal care too. 

An incredulous Arteta hair devotee might wonder does he at least dye it, but the evidence suggests that colour manipulation is not something that happens either.

In fact, in early 2020, the Daily Star actually reported of Arsenal fans' 'devastation' after grey hairs were spotted on the back of Arteta's head, leading to fears that the stresses of the job were taking their toll.

So it appears that Arteta is human after all and, if he doesn't suddenly reach for the shoe polish, we can expect his luscious black locks to eventually transform into silver.

It should be noted that, while the Barcelona academy product has mostly kept the same short, neat haircut throughout his life, he did have an experimental period in his early 20s.

Having had a short look at Paris Saint-Germain, Arteta actually began to fashion longer hair when he played for Rangers in the early 2000s, but he reverted to type when he joined Everton in 2005.

Since then, Arteta's flawless follicles have been one of the few constants in modern football.

Diego Simeone wishes Thomas Partey success at Arsenal despite the frustrating manner in which he left Atletico Madrid on deadline day.

The Gunners signed the Ghana international after activating his £45million (€50m/$58m) release clause during the final hours of the transfer window.

Atletico, who then brought in Arsenal's Lucas Torreira on loan, were reportedly upset with the way the fee for Thomas was deposited at close to midnight Spanish time and that the player was prepared to quit the club in such prompt fashion after eight years.

Simeone has seen stars including Rodri, Lucas Hernandez and Antoine Griezmann depart in recent years after their buy-out clauses were met and he insists he holds no grudges against the players themselves, even if the manner of the exits is something the club can do little to prevent.

"I keep thinking Lucas' exit was very important," Simeone told reporters on Friday. "He was a boy from the academy, with a lot of strength and a future, as we see with his national team, but we can't give many opinions against situations involving these clauses.

"Everything that happens to the boys who gave me a lot of things at the club makes me happy. Thomas is a boy I remember from when he played in the B team with Saul [Niguez].

"We started to bring him up, it took a lot out of him, he went to Almeria and it was difficult for him to find stability in the club. He's an incredible player and we wish him the best."

Simeone hopes to see Torreira make a significant impact, saying:  "I'm not going to talk about what we win or lose with Thomas because he's not here. What Lucas will be able to bring to the team is vitality, dynamism in the middle. He comes from a time when he was not playing and he does so with great excitement."

Atleti started the La Liga season with a 6-1 victory over Granada but have followed that result with back-to-back goalless draws with Huesca and Villarreal.

Simeone has hinted he could start Luis Suarez, Diego Costa and Joao Felix together in a bid to get his side's attack firing again and says Portuguese forward Felix must endeavour to bring his international form to club level.

"Of course they can play together. Many of the players we have can play together. We'll see at what moment, what situation and in what state each one is," Simeone said. "He [Felix] is a very important player for us. I saw the games he played with the national team and I liked his work.

"He has talent and he can appear at any moment, but what I saw with Portugal, where he showed commitment, intention, enthusiasm for what the team needed - that speaks highly of him and it's what we also need from him."

Barcelona head coach Ronald Koeman has told Antoine Griezmann that he will continue to be played on the right side of the pitch and it is up to the World Cup winner to prove that he justifies his selection.

During the international break, France boss Didier Deschamps revealed that Griezmann was unhappy with the role he was being asked to play at Camp Nou, which sees him deployed in a wider area than he favours.

Griezmann then spoke after playing a pivotal role in France's 2-1 win over Croatia, praising Deschamps for knowing "exactly where to put" him.

Koeman, though, has doubled down on his choice and has told the former Atletico Madrid star that he must find his best level.

"Everyone has the right to say whatever he wants,” Koeman said. “I spoke to Antoine yesterday because I wanted to, not because of what he said.

"I told him I want the best for the team and I know he can play on the right side and other positions. It's up to each player to find his own best performance.

"He is already doing all he can do: he works hard, has an excellent discipline and now he must be luckier with his final touch. Against Sevilla there were a couple of times in which he could have done better.

“Regarding his positioning, I remember when I was Netherlands coach, we played against France and he was playing on the right side. It's the coach who makes the orders.”

Koeman added that he has not taken the situation personally.

“I don't have any problems with Antoine, I only look for the best for the team and the club,” he said. “My job is to bring out the best performance of each player but I can only pick 11. 

“I won’t ask a player to play a role far from what he is used to, and I’m not doing it with Griezmann because he can play on the right. I understand that maybe there are positions he prefers, but we can't play with two players in the role of the 10.”

Meanwhile, the Dutchman says that goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen is unlikely to be fit to play in El Clasico, which is slated for October 24.

“He has been working on the pitch since Monday and he is going well but I don't think he will be ready for the Clasico,” he said. “I think it’s going to be too early for him. We shouldn’t rush him back because we’re happy with Neto.

“I hope Marc can be with us soon, but it probably won’t be next week.”

Before then, Barcelona travel to Getafe on Saturday before hosting Ferencvaros in the Champions League on Tuesday.

The Football Kenya Federation (FKF) National Elections set for Saturday, October 17 will go on as scheduled.

Stakeholders, led by former Federation president Sam Nyamweya, former Council for East and Central Africa Football Associations (Cecafa) Secretary-General Nicholas Musonye among others, had filed a petition to stop the elections stating there were no guarantees the exercise would be credible.

Sports Registrar Rose Wasike followed up with a letter to FKF Secretary-General who is doubling up as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Barry Otieno advising the Federation to put their house in order before proceeding with the exercise. The Registrar had argued the register used was faulty and it was not verified.

However, Sports Disputes Tribunal (SDT) chairman John Ohaga dismissed the case stating the reasons presented were not weighty.

He argued that one of the petitioners, Omondi Aduda, had even presented his papers to the Electoral Board and is among those who will be in the ballot box for the elections set for this weekend.

As a result, incumbent Nick Mwendwa will be hoping to retain his seat by the end of the day on Saturday.

"Let us do this team Blue!" Mwendwa tweeted after the Tribunal cleared the runway for the exercise to continue as scheduled. 

"It is a new day, a new beginning, [on Saturday we close]."

Former AFC Leopards chairman Dan Mule, who is also a presidential candidate, welcomed the ruling saying it was long overdue.

"I am happy we can now get the elections done and we focus on developing the game," Mule told Goal on Friday.

"This is an opportunity for the delegates to give me a chance to help continue building football in the country. Football should be played on the pitch and not in courts.

"I am very optimistic about winning the elections on Saturday; it is another chapter in the Kenyan football," Mule concluded.

Others who will be in the ballot box include former deputy CEO Herbert Mwachiro, journalist Boniface Osano and Aduda who is the immediate former Gor Mahia CEO.

The SDT had twice cancelled the elections owing to failure by the Federation to align itself with set guidelines. 

Frank Lampard has confirmed that Edouard Mendy will miss Chelsea's clash with Southampton on Saturday, but Hakim Ziyech is ready to make his debut for the club.

Goalkeeper Mendy suffered a thigh injury while away with Senegal in the match against Ziyech's Morocco, which was the winger's first competitive game since injuring his knee in a pre-season friendly with Brighton.

Ziyech has still yet to make his debut since his £37 million (€40m/$47m) move from Ajax, but Lampard confirmed that he would be on the bench at the weekend.

There was mixed news elsewhere as the demands of international football mean that Thiago Silva will miss out, but Ben Chilwell is fine after withdrawing from the England squad.

"Mendy won't be fit for the match tomorrow, we hope the injury's not too long," Lampard at his pre-match press conference.

"Thiago Silva after his trip and back, he's not unfit but he's not ready to play the game because of the travelling and the game that he played. So he won't be in the squad.

"Ben Chilwell is in the squad, so he's got over some of the feeling he had that took him out of the England squad around the injury. He's had it for a while now. Christian Pulisic is in the squad and fit to play, Hakim Ziyech in the squad, he's not fit to start but fit to participate for some minutes we hope."

Pulisic has yet to start a game this season but appeared from the bench in Chelsea's emphatic 4-0 win over Crystal Palace just before the international break.

With Mendy out, Lampard refused to be drawn on whether Kep Arrizabalaga or Willy Caballero would replace him.

Still, he is excited to see Ziyech make his debut for the club having signed him back in February after the Blues activated his release clause from the Eredivisie champions.

"We brought Hakim here and it feels like a long time ago now, but he also hasn't played since the Dutch league finished due to the lockdown," Lampard said. "It's a long time and he's worked so hard, he's been fantastic in terms of his professionalism to get fit, and he looks really good in training.

"I've got a really open relationship with him to know where he's at, and how I feel about it. So it's just game minutes that we need now.

"Of course, I'm excited to get him in and around it, to bring what we brought him to the club for which is the opportunity to create chances for us, to be the talented player that he is and we saw at Ajax and I look forward to seeing him play."

Ziyech now comes in to compete with a forward line that boasts a huge number of options including Mason Mount, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Kai Havertz and Timo Werner. That might lead to players being left out on a regular basis but Lampard thinks it is the depth level needed for his side to compete on all fronts this season.

He said: "Any team that wants to compete towards the top of the league and in the Champions League needs more than one player per position. It needs to be competitive across the front area. We had it last year.

"We lost Willian, we lost Pedro, we lost Batshuayi. We've brought players in for the same level of competition in terms of numbers and I feel like the quality levels of the players we brought in, of course, you want to improve.

"It's up to the players of course in terms of their performance and at the same time, it gives me a nice problem in terms of selecting players we can hopefully use through the season and options to come off the bench. I'm happy with what some people might call a problem in that area."

When pushed about the status of Toni Rudiger, who almost left Chelsea in the transfer window, Lampard said the door remains open for him to earn minutes on the pitch and save his career at the club.

"Every player can play their way into the starting XI, the squad, that’s in every players’ hands and how I try to work here," he said. "Toni is the same as every other player on that one."

Chelsea ace Timo Werner has said that Ralph Hasenhuttl helped develop him into the world-class forward he is today and is looking forward to a reunion with the Southampton boss.

Both forward and coach arrived at RB Leipzig in the summer of 2016, and while Werner remained for four years, Hasenhuttl departed after just a couple of seasons.

The 53-year-old, however, had a defining influence on Werner’s career, having talked the young forward into switching to Leipzig from Stuttgart.

“I talked a lot to Hasenhuttl before moving to Leipzig,” he told Chelsea’s official website . “He’s a very nice guy, very jokey, and from the first time we spoke to each other it was a good relationship.

“Leipzig was the next step for me, a different team with different possibilities. It was important for me when I left my hometown to be with a manager with a good idea of football and a good personality.

“He taught me a lot about pressing, and switching from defence to offence very fast when we win the ball back. That was really interesting and helped me a lot in my game. It gave me space for my movements and my strengths.”

He was also impressed with the man-management of the coach.

“Hasenhuttl was always a manager who stood behind his players,” he said. “He was not a guy who looked after himself. He was always there for me when I needed help, or when he was asked about me in front of the media, he always stood by me and gave me support.

“That was really good for me to have a manager like this, and the sporting director Ralf Rangnick. Both gave me the feeling I was not alone in this situation. It allowed me to concentrate on my game and not worry about other things.”

For Werner, playing with that Leipzig side was a special time in his career due to the atmosphere around the team.

“The first season, everything clicked,” he reflected upon a campaign in which Leipzig finished second to Bayern Munich in the club’s first top-flight season. 

“When we went out, every team member and I never had a feeling we could lose a game. We would go on to the pitch, and it didn’t matter if it was 2-0 to the others, we believed we could win at the end. It was the mentality we had and it was unbelievable.”

Chelsea have won seven points from their opening four Premier League matches of the season, with their sole defeat coming against Liverpool.

Thomas Partey boasts the potential at Arsenal that will allow him to get “close to being as good as Patrick Vieira”, says Ray Parlour.

With the Gunners crying out for another combative presence in the middle of the park, Mikel Arteta hopes a solution to that problem has been found.

On deadline day of the summer transfer window, those at Emirates Stadium agreed to trigger the £45 million ($58m) release clause in Partey’s contract at Atletico Madrid.

Parlour is among those expecting big things from the 27-year-old midfielder, saying it is possible that he could become the natural heir to an Arsenal icon of the past.

“I’m really looking forward to seeing Partey. They haven’t got the energy in that midfield and Partey will bring that,” former Gunners star Parlour told talkSPORT. “I’ve seen him play quite a few times for Atletico and he’s very effective.

“I’m really looking forward to see how he copes in the Premier League as well. Hopefully he’s going to play a major part if there is any success moving forward for Arsenal, trying to get in that top four.

“I think Arteta highlighted him early and said he’s the sort of player we need in that midfield area, because they are a bit lightweight at times in central midfield. I know it’s very difficult to get a replacement of Patrick Vieira, but they’ve not really got someone like him and I think Partey could be close to being as good as Patrick.”

Parlour is not the first to suggest that Partey can become a key figure for the Gunners, with Kevin Campbell another to have talked up his obvious qualities.

“Thomas Partey was the signing of the transfer window,” ex-Gunners frontman Campbell told GentingBet. “For Arsenal to get him for £45m is tremendous business – Arsenal almost went in with balaclavas on and stole him!

“Atletico Madrid dropped the ball by only having a £45m release clause, he is a player that is a lot better than £45m in this current market, but that was the release cause and Arsenal met it and they have their man.

“It is a key position for the club, he is moving into his prime and he will spend those years at the football club, so he is someone that the club can build around in midfield.”

Liverpool will visit Goodison Park on Saturday with an aim of securing a win in order to get their campaign back on track after a 7-2 humiliation by Aston Villa.

Everton vs Liverpool Latest Odds

Everton are winless in 19 Premier League meetings with Liverpool (D11 L8) and tipping them to record a victory has been priced at (3.75) with BetKing.

On the other hand, Liverpool are unbeaten in their last 22 meetings with Everton in all competitions and getting another win has been priced at (1.90).

Seven of the last eight Premier League meetings between Everton and Liverpool at Goodison Park have finished level and another draw to be registered has been valued at (4.00)

Everton vs Liverpool Team News

Liverpool will be boosted by the return of Sadio Mane and Thiago Alcantara after self-isolating because of positive coronavirus tests, while Joel Matip is back in training.

However, the main absentee for the league champions is Allison Becker who is sidelined by a shoulder injury which has kept him out of the last two ties. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will be out altogether as he is still recovering from a knee injury.

For Everton, Andre Gomes, Allan and Seamus Coleman are all expected to be back after missing the win over Brighton & Hove Albion. Yerry Mina will, however, wait to see if he can feature after he picked up a thigh injury during the international break with Colombia.

Mason Holgate, Jarrad Branthwaite and Jonjoe Kenny are expected to miss the match, adding to the defensive woes for Carlo Ancelotti.

Everton vs Liverpool Preview

The last three Premier League meetings between Everton and Liverpool at Goodison Park have finished 0-0 – no specific fixture in English top-flight history has ever finished goalless in four consecutive matches before.

This is the first top-flight Merseyside derby with Everton starting the day top of the table since September 1989, when Liverpool won 3-1 at Goodison Park thanks to goals from Ian Rush (2) and John Barnes.

Everton vs Liverpool Tips and Predictions

Everton have scored 11 goals in their last three league matches while Liverpool have conceded 11 goals in their four Premier League games this season. Therefore, punters can take an offer of under 2.5 goals priced at (2.55) with BetKing.

Under 2.5 goals at (2.55) with BetKing.

Odds correct at the time of writing. Please gamble responsibly.

Liverpool made “excellent signings” in snapping up Thiago Alcantara and Diogo Jota, says John Barnes, with the latter considered a more reliable option than Divock Origi and Xherdan Shaqiri.

Jurgen Klopp moved to add more creativity and firepower to his ranks during the summer transfer window.

Greek left-back Kostas Tsimikas was also acquired, but he will be filling back-up duties behind Andy Robertson.

Thiago and Jota will, when fully fit and firing, expect to see more minutes given the obvious qualities that they bring to the table.

Barnes expects both to make a telling contribution to the cause of the defending Premier League champions, with “something completely different” snapped up by Klopp in a congested marketplace.

“They are two excellent signings,” the Reds legend told the Liverpool Echo. “They are both players who can come into the first team for an extended period of time.

“Thiago in particular, as he gives the midfield something completely different.

“When Chelsea went down to 10 men, it became immediately obvious Thiago would be the most important player as Liverpool would need creativity from a deeper midfield position.

“Thiago gives Klopp a quality option that can help maintain a level of performance in midfield. There perhaps hasn’t been that previously.

“Jota isn’t necessarily going to come in and take over from any of the front three. But I think Klopp can already rely on him more than Divock Origi or Xherdan Shaqiri for a longer period of time.”

While important boxes have been ticked going forward, Liverpool are once again having to contend with an injury-enforced absence for first-choice goalkeeper Alisson.

Adrian is having to provide cover between the sticks, but Barnes believes the Reds – who have looked uncharacteristically fragile ay the back this season – need to avoid wasting important energy on worrying about who is not available.

He added: “The fact he’s [Alisson] not there, it doesn’t mean Adrian is a bad goalkeeper. It just means the defence aren’t as secure playing in front of Adrian compared to Alisson.

“Look at when Joe Gomez or Joel Matip have played alongside Virgil van Dijk. They are often much better than when they were alongside Dejan Lovren. Gomez or Matip are still the same player, but they feel more comfortable around a better player.

“That is something Jurgen Klopp will be telling his players – to forget about the fact Alisson isn’t there because they just have to get on with it.”

Rangers manager Steven Gerrard has confirmed Joe Aribo and Bongani Zungu will miss the Old Firm derby against Celtic on Saturday.

Aribo is nearing match fitness as he continues his recovery from an ankle sprain that has kept him out of action since August 12 when he scored in their 3-0 win over St. Johnstone, while Zungu will have to wait for his Rangers debut as he continues his isolation at home - part of the coronavirus guidelines after travelling from France last week.

“We are still assessing the internationals so we won't be able to give you an update on them until later,” Gerrard said ahead of his team’s trip to Celtic Park. "Aribo and Roofe are close but this game will be too soon for them. I think everyone else is pretty much fine."

The Nigeria international has spent close to nine weeks on the sidelines and he has played three Premiership games this season with a goal to his name so far. Injury also denied him the chance to represent the Super Eagles during the international window, as they were defeated by Algeria and held by Tunisia.

"Nothing's popped out or came up which is extreme where they could miss tomorrow's game," Gerrard added. "So we've near enough got a clean bill of health, besides Nikola Katic, which is fantastic."

South Africa star Zungu joined Gerrard’s men on a season-long loan from French club Amiens, and has been supplied with training equipment to keep him fit.

"Bongani Zungu is currently in quarantine so we sadly won't see him for another 10 days or so," Gerrard added. "We have sorted him with gym equipment so he can train from home."

Rangers and Celtic are yet to taste defeat in the Scottish top flight this season but the Gers sit at the top of the table with 26 points after 10 points while the Bhoys are a point behind the leaders with a game at hand.

Bruno Fernandes “isn’t firing as much” at Manchester United and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer now has the option to rotate, says Luke Chadwick, with the former Red Devils midfielder pointing out that Donny van de Beek was not acquired to “sit on the bench all season”.

The Red Devils have seen standards slip in 2020-21 on an individual and collective basis as those who found form so easy to come by towards the end of last season suddenly scratching around for it, with consistency proving to be elusive as a result.

Fernandes is among those to have wobbled slightly, with the Portuguese having set the bar so high on the back of his January arrival from Sporting.

He remains an important figure for the Red Devils, with two goals and as many assists to his name this term, but more is now expected of a man who set Old Trafford alight following a big-money transfer.

There has been no suggestion that he will be dropped out of the side, as Solskjaer shrugs off reports of rifts inside the United camp, and the 26-year-old will likely line up against Newcastle on Saturday.

The Red Devils do, however, have the option of freshening things up if they so wish, with £35 million ($45m) summer signing Van de Beek straining at the leash as he waits on a first Premier League start.

Former midfielder Chadwick told CaughtOffside of the decisions Solskjaer faces: “Signing Van de Beek does allow a little bit of rotation.

“Bruno Fernandes isn’t firing as much and it was always going to be tough for him to stay at the same standard as last season.

“I can’t imagine they’ve signed a top young player just to sit on the bench all season.

“I think there will be changes made from the last game. 

“Van de Beek is the one you would expect to start this game. You need to find a way of winning games and I’d be very surprised if he doesn’t start.”

United suffered a humbling 6-1 defeat to Tottenham in their last outing and Solskjaer may decide to mix things up after having the international break in which to mull over big selection calls.

Lyon attacker Memphis Depay says he is ready to give his all for the club, despite a failed transfer to Barcelona in the summer – and he is heartened to see Houssem Aouar remain too.

Both men had been expected to depart before the October 5 transfer deadline, but the moves to Barca and Arsenal respectively did not make it over the line.

The Netherlands star is now looking forward to firing Lyon back to where they belong after a sluggish start to the season which has seen them win only one of six league fixtures.

“I’m proud of playing for Lyon and proud of being captain,” he told the media on Friday. “I think a lot of things have been misunderstood. Clubs were interested by I’m here. Now I must think of the present and speak of the team.

“I don’t know what will happen in the future. It’s my fourth season with Lyon and I want to make the most of it. I love this club, even if some people have their doubts. My aim is that the club goes back into the Champions League.”

Meanwhile, Memphis was content to see the core of the squad retained when reports suggested they could be decimated by sales at the deadline.

“We’ve got a number of talented players in the team,” he said. “I’m happy that Houssem Aouar will stay with us. I know that Moussa Dembele has a great capacity to score goals and he will score them. It’s up to the team to do what it takes.”

Lyon are next in action on Sunday when they travel to face Strasbourg in an early kick off.

Head coach Rudi Garcia has confirmed that left-back Melvin Bard is out after an injury sustained with France’s Under-21 side, while there are doubts over Maxence Caqueret and Leo Dubois, as well as goalkeepers Anthony Lopes and Julian Pollersbeck, who have all tested positive for Covid-19 lately.

Meanwhile, fellow Ligue 1 side Montpellier face the prospect of their match against Monaco on Sunday without eight players, including seven starters, after Covid-19 swept through their club.

Marcelo Bielsa is one of the most recognisable football coaches in the world and his philosophy on the game has influenced a long line of household names.

The Argentina native's playing career was shortlived, but his coaching odyssey has brought him to the helm of Newell's Old Boys, Argentina, Athletic Club, Marseille and Leeds United among others.

He is famed for his low-key lifestyle, eschewing grandiosity and he enjoys living among the community in which the club he works for is based.

However, his reputation and ability ensures that he is well remunerated for his services. Goal takes a look at Bielsa's net worth and how much he earns.

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What is Marcelo Bielsa's net worth?

Bielsa's net worth is not widely known but we can be sure that he has earned millions during the course of his career, having agreed reportedly lucrative contracts at a number of high-profile clubs. 

The Argentine did not enjoy a long and successful playing career, so the bulk of his earning has come through his work as a coach, which has taken him from South America to North America and Europe.

Bielsa was a professional footballer in the 1970s, plying his trade solely in Argentina, and has coached since the early 1980s, meaning he has over four decades of work in that realm under his belt.

He does not appear to lead a flashy lifestyle, seemingly preferring a more austere way of living, but he has certainly shown generosity in the form of sizeable charitable donations over the years.

What is Marcelo Bielsa's salary?

Bielsa agreed an extension to his contract with Leeds in 2020, which secured his future at Elland Road for another season.

While the details of Bielsa's salary are not publicised, the Daily Star reports that he was earning £6 million ($8m) a year, which works out at £3m ($4m) after tax.

Such a salary would put the Argentine at a higher level of earning than England boss Gareth Southgate and slightly lower level than Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, who is on a reported £10m ($12m) a year.

It is significantly less than that earned by Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho, though, with the Catalan and Portuguese each being paid a reported £15m ($19m) a year.

While we do not know what Bielsa's net worth is, such a salary suggests that it is certainly in the millions.

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What charity work does Marcelo Bielsa do?

Bielsa is known for his generosity and in 2018, it was reported that he donated around £2m ($2.5m) to his former club Newell's in order to fund the development of a players' centre.

According to Ole, the architect of the centre, which comprises a hotel, a games room, offices and an auditorium, was Bielsa's sister Maria Eugenia.

In 2020, Bielsa was supportive of the donation of a bronze statue depicting him sitting on his famous bucket to a raffle among Leeds fans. The proceeds of the raffle would go to a mental health charity.

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What is Marcelo Bielsa's nickname?

Bielsa's nickname is 'El Loco', which is Spanish for 'The Madman' or 'The Crazy One'. In some translations, it also means 'The Fool'.

The moniker was bestowed on him because of his eccentric personality, which has led to a number of unusual or 'crazy' scenarios during the course of his career.

One such example is when he visited the home of the teenage Mauricio Pochettino at 1am in order to inspect his legs and persuade his parents to let him come to Rosario - 150km away - to play for Newell's.

Another legend tells of Bielsa allegedly threatening to pull the pin on a grenade as a way to disperse a group of disgruntled fans, who had reportedly descended on his home after a bad result.

His unpredictability is a big part of the perception of him as El Loco, as Lazio can attest, having seen the Argentine walk out of the job after just two days.

Indeed, there have been plenty of examples of his unusual personality during his time in England too.

The infamous 'Spygate' controversy in 2019, when Bielsa took heat for sending a 'spy' to observe the training of rivals Derby County, prompted him to stage a 70-minute presentation in order to illustrate how he already knew everything about the Rams, so the 'spy' made no material difference. He took full responsibility nonetheless and paid the £200,000 fine out of his own pocket.

Prior to that, the Argentine made headlines across the world when he ordered his team to allow Aston Villa to walk the ball into the net after complaints from the opposition bench that his team had scored a goal with undue advantage after a Villa player was down injured. FIFA awarded Bielsa and Leeds its Fair Play award in 2019 in response.

Minor perceived eccentricities include showing up to 'black tie' dinners wearing a tracksuit and insisting on a no-fuss lifestyle, which sees him walk through the community to his work, while also working in local coffee shops.

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Why does Marcelo Bielsa sit on a bucket?

The reasons for Bielsa's preference for sitting on a bucket instead of his seat in the dugout are not clear and he has dismissed inquiries about it, suggesting it is merely a comfort thing.

"You want me to tell you more than what it is? It's just a bucket," he told reporters when asked about the bucket. “I have nothing to add. It's a comfortable bucket.”

Read more about Bielsa's bucket in Goal's explainer

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Eni Aluko, Wilfried Zaha, Tyrone Mings and have all reached the pinnacle of their respective footballing careers, but all three are also showing that there is much more to them than just their chosen profession. 

The trio are just a few of a host of the game’s top players to have branched out, with their entrepreneurial spirit seeing them express their drive and creativity felt off the field, too. 

So, we partnered with Budweiser, the Official Beer of the Premier League, to find out more via a new video series – introducing, Side Hustles. 

These are their stories. 

Eni Aluko: Hyphenated

“I’ve had amazing opportunities to travel throughout my football career. Travel has become a passion of mine,” says Nigerian-born Aluko, who earned over 100 caps for England. 

A decorated international for her country, former Chelsea and Juventus star Aluko says she would often be asked, ‘But where are you really from?’ 

“I realised that so many of my friends and people I’m close to have hyphenated backgrounds, and I came up with the idea for a travel-lifestyle brand called Hyphenated People.” 

And so she launched her Side Hustle to embrace the hyphen in her British-Nigerian identity, and to represent the community of England’s hyphenated people. 

“I was lucky enough to reach the pinnacle of my sport but now I’m doing this Side Hustle with a new brand,” she says. “I’m really excited to start the journey and get to the top of the mountain with this, too.” 

Watch the video above to find out more.

Wilfried Zaha: Long Live Studios

“I feel like footballers are seen to just be footballers… that’s not me at all,” says Zaha, who in 2015 teamed up with designer Kenny Annan-Jonathan to launch Long Live Studios, a clothing brand that combines ‘simplicity and effortless style with street wear sensibilities.’

“I used to go around getting different designers to make me different things,” says Zaha. “And I just thought one day, ‘Why don’t I just make my own clothes?’”

In Annan-Jonathan, Zaha found the perfect partner to bring his idea to life. “Working with Wilfried is amazing,” says Annan-Jonathan. “He really has a passion for this.”

That passion fuels the brand’s ethos and long-term aspiration, which is to inspire. “The meaning behind it is that anyone can come from nothing, have a dream, and fulfil it,” insists Zaha.

Watch the video above to find out more.

Tyrone Mings: KTM Design – Released October 23rd

“After being released I had to step away from the professional game and go back to school for a couple of years, which was probably quite a humbling experience,” says Mings. “It was tough, I never thought I’d back into it.”

England international and Aston Villa defender Mings did get back into it thanks to his talent, drive and determination. But football is a tough business and those at the top need some relief from the unrelenting pressure to succeed at the very top of the game.

“I think having interests away from football is what keeps me mentally stable,” he insists.

Mings found that when he linked up with former school chum Katie Thomas and founded KTM Design, an interior design company ‘that creates spaces that enrich and inspire’. 

Former Juventus midfielder Claudio Marchisio has said that there is no taboo about talking about gay footballers at the top level of the game.

The 34-year-old, who spent 13 years at Juve before finishing his career with a single season at Zenit St Petersburg, has been known for his strong stance on social issues.

Indeed, the former Italy international spoke about homosexuality in an interview with Corriere della Sera and claimed that while there are no high-profile gay players at the top level, the topic is an active one for discussion in dressing rooms.

Asked about the social issues in such a setting, he said: “The problems are the same as in the world, racism, gender differences, discrimination. 

“Is homosexuality taboo? No team-mate of mine ever told me he was gay, but it's not true that you don't talk about it in the locker room. There is silence, no doubt. Both due to the reaction of public opinion and inside the locker room. If someone came out, they know those stupid jokes about the bar of soap. Well, it’s better to avoid them. Coming out is difficult.”

Meanwhile, he was left impressed by Juventus new boy Weston McKennie, who spoke about the issue of racism in the USA.

“I was very impressed by the words written by the American McKennie. He is very young, has just arrived, but he immediately made his voice heard,” Marchisio said.

The former Schalke man was speaking in an Adidas #ReadyforChange video when he said: “I want to be known as a great human being, as a great person. At the beginning of the season we played and the fans after the game were making monkey noises at me. It's devastating. I went back home to Dallas and I’m afraid to drive at night just because I don’t know what is going to happen if I get pulled over.

“I am representing a country that possibly doesn’t even accept me just for the colour of my skin. It is definitely a bit heartbreaking. When I wore the armband, I felt it was a duty and a responsibility. I just felt the need to bring awareness overseas.

“I don’t want to be known as just a great soccer player. I want to be known as a great human being, as a great person and that is what I’m starting to try to do, to create my legacy.”