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Raheem Sterling has admitted that England rode their luck with their late victory in their Nations League opener over Iceland on Saturday - but the forward added that the team has "a bright future" ahead of them.

The Manchester City man was the hero in a frantic final five minutes in Reykjavik after a game marked by a relative pre-season rustiness sparked to life with penalties at either end of the pitch.

With captain Harry Kane substituted off, it was Sterling who stepped up to calmly bury his side's spot-kick down the middle after he saw a shot handled in the box by Sverrir Ingi Ingason.

Yet England almost had to settle for a draw a moment later when Joe Gomez was cited for a foul at the opposite end on Holmbert Fridjonsson from the restart.

The Three Lions' blushes were spared however - in a game where they amassed 78 per cent of possession and restricted their opponents just two shots - when Birkir Bjarnason's subsequent effort was sent wildly over the top-right corner, to hand Gareth Southgate's side three vital points in Group A2.

Sterling - one of three City players alongside debutant Phil Foden and returning defender Kyle Walker, who was sent off in the 70th minute for a second yellow card, in the starting XI - admitted that there was "sloppy" play late on, but that England mostly rose to the challenge they faced at Laugardalsvollur.

“It was tough but we got through it," the 25-year-old told City's website. "It was definitely strange but I'd rather play matches than training.

"We knew it would be difficult. We knew we had to challenge ourselves deep within. We kept playing our football, kept compact.

"We got the penalty, we shouldn't have conceded that sloppy penalty, but we got lucky in the end. We have a bright future ahead and we need to keep growing as a team."

Foden - who was one of two faces to win their first senior cap, alongside substitute Mason Greenwood - acquitted himself well in a game that frustrated England's attack for long periods, and added that he hopes to push on to become a regular fixture at this level for Southgate.

"It feels amazing, a dream come true," he said. "[It's] a big moment for me and my family.

"It was a very difficult game, we defended well and showed great character. To get that win is massive. We all try to play our football. It was frustrating at times but we came through in the end.

"I want to keep playing for my country, not just [to be] a one off and, hopefully, I can keep the shirt."

England next face Denmark in Copenhagen on Tuesday as they look to make it back-to-back wins after 10 months away from the international game.

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) had started the Golden Baby League project back in 2018 with the help of FIFA’s development programme in order to encourage young players between the age group of 6-10 to take up the sport.

The AIFF Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of leagues, Sunando Dhar, revealed the reason why AIFF took the project of Baby League two years back.

“If we look at the developed football countries by the time the players are 13, you will know whether they will be able to make it professionally or not. Out here, the likes of Bhaichung Bhutias and Sunil Chhetris start playing football seriously from 15,” said Dhar during an online chat on grassroots development.

The CEO also suggested that the Indian FA went through case studies in countries similar to India economically but were doing better in football before creating the Baby Leagues.

“We intentionally tried to lower the age. Catch them young and help them grow. We started at the U13 level and we realised that we have to start much earlier. That’s what when we did research, we looked at developed countries that had economic issues similar to India or infrastructure problems but were doing better in terms of football.

"We started with Golden Baby Leagues and one such country is Uruguay. They don’t have proper fields, you can play on the streets or anywhere else. It is about letting them play and enjoy the game. That is when the Golden Baby League was introduced.”

Dhar explained the progress the Golden Baby League made in the past two years and how it captured the imagination of budding footballers in the country.

“Over the two years, we have seen a huge jump. In the first year there were 21,000 players both boys and girls and last year the number went up to more than 32,000.

“The 2019-20 season, of course, couldn’t be completed because of the pandemic but despite that, the total number of matches that were organised were nearly 33,000. When you look at it, it is phenomenal. But considering our population, much more can be done,” Dhar said.

Belgium boss Roberto Martinez hailed his side's "incredible" ability to rack up wins even without key men after seeing off Denmark 2-0 in Saturday's Nations League clash.

The world's top-ranked side were without Kevin De Bruyne and Thibaut Courtois for their trip to Copenhagen, while Eden Hazard remained on the bench for the whole game.

Despite the notable absentees, Belgium picked up an 11th win in a row in their first game back after a 10-month hiatus thanks to goals from Jason Denayer and Dries Mertens.

Martinez was pleased to see some of his fringe players step up as the Red Devils made a winning start to their Group A2 campaign.

"After 10 months without playing together, we needed to find some rhythm," he told RTL Sport. 

"Despite everything, we managed to remain threatening, scored a good goal and maintained a good attitude throughout. I am delighted with this performance.

"We miss players like De Bruyne, Hazard and Courtois, and yet the team has shown that they always know how to win. It's incredible!

"There will probably be three changes in the next game because some players can't play longer than 90 minutes. 

"Thomas Meunier will probably play. But we won't make too many changes because we have to create some rhythm."

Denayer, who scored his first international goal on his 14th appearance, echoed the views of his head coach after a hard-fought victory at the Parken Stadium.

"It was difficult at first, but we regained our rhythm as the match progressed," he said. "We had players missing, and yet we have still won. It shows that the squad is very strong."

Denmark struggled to create many opportunities across the 90 minutes, with stand-in Belgium goalkeeper Simon Mignolet making just one save of note to keep out Christian Eriksen.

New head coach Kasper Hjulmand was happy with the overall display of his side but admitted the visitors' quality told in the end.

"I think we played a really good first half," he told Kanal 5. "When Belgium go in front, they are hard to deal with. They stood well and were good at defending.

"Otherwise, I think our first half was perfectly okay. We played with a great deal of intensity and got in good positions. We stopped them creating the same number of chances as usual.

"We handled the first half really well, and there were also 10-12 minutes of the second half, where I think we did what we were supposed to. 

"Then we ran out of intensity and energy. And then you could see the quality of the Belgian team."

Jurgen Klopp is hopeful Takumi Minamino can carry his pre-season form into the new campaign after starring for Liverpool in their 7-2 friendly win over Blackpool.

The January signing from Salzburg netted in last week's Community Shield defeat to Arsenal and was on target again at Bloomfield Road on Saturday.

Minamino started just behind Roberto Firmino in a 4-2-3-1 formation and set up the Brazilian for Liverpool's third goal as they recovered from two goals down.

And Klopp is glad to see the Japan forward find his feet at Liverpool ahead of next week's Premier League opener at home to Leeds United.

"I hope [he takes confidence from this]," Klopp told the club's official website. "It's clear that's what you always hope for. 

"It's important for Taki and important for us, but it's about all together, so I think about the overall performance. Individuals then can always shine when everything else works, that's how it is. 

"If you only have these individual glimpses here and there, it doesn't really work out. So, we have to work to win football games. 

"Who scores then is not too important. But for Taki, of course it was a rather nice seven or eight days - of course."

Liverpool found themselves two goals down against the League One club with 33 minutes played and Klopp admitted he was not pleased with his side's first-half display.

"It was because of a lack of aggression from our side, a lack of desire a little bit for this game - that's how it is, playing around," he said.

"The goals we conceded, yeah, that's mistakes - it's typical for pre-season games. But so far I think we conceded pretty much all the goals in similar situations; losing the ball in the build-up, then it's a counter-attack, it's a free chance pretty much. 

"We know that and it's clear we cannot do it like this. We have to improve that. But we have another week to get the legs fresher, again an intense week. We have to use the weeks, we cannot change that. 

"I would love to have always fresh boys with super fresh legs in the games, but that only can work over the year when you do the hard work in the pre-season. 

"That's what we are doing. We scored a good goal after a nice set-piece in the first half, then all the rest was pretty much like it should be [in the second half] - much more aggressive and we could bring in other fresh legs. That helped obviously."

Six of Liverpool's goals came in the second half, with teenage winger Harvey Elliott among the goalscorers.

Fulham academy player Elliott started eight games in all competitions last season and Klopp, like many others, is expecting big things from the versatile youngster.

"It's in his hands. I liked much more the offers he made today - he was really sharp, quick, he offered different runs to what he is usually doing," Klopp said.

"Inside this little boy is a playmaker, he can be a playmaker, but he has to be a finisher as well. You have to be a striker, you have to be a defender and all that stuff. 

"That's what we are all trying to figure out to bring it on the pitch - and that's good, of course. It was very nice for him to score this goal today."

Orlando Pirates coach Josef Zinnbauer has expressed his delight after leading the Soweto giants to a Caf Confederation Cup spot, saying he is happy they finished third.

The Buccaneers completed their 2019/20 Premier Soccer League (PSL) season with a 1-0 win over Stellenbosch on Saturday afternoon at Ellis Park Stadium.

 A solitary strike for the former African champions means they managed to join the new champions Mamelodi Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs who finished in the continental competitions for the upcoming term.

“Compliments to the team, we have now 17 games and 35 points – that's more than two points per game, that's a top result," said Zinnbauer.

"Yeah, I'm happy now for the club that we stayed in third place, we can now go to Africa, which was a target we did not have before [the game] but we have it now.

"Now the focus for me is on next season, we come back to the performance we saw before and not what we have now [during the bubble]."

Ahead of the clash against Stellies, Pirates secured a victory over SuperSport United and Maritzburg United, and to secure a third-place finish will be appreciated by the Ghost family.

Even though they have ended the campaign empty-handed, the 2018/19 PSL runners-up managed to secure 52 points from 30 league matches.

Under the German manager, Pirates are tipped to challenge for the lucrative title come next season as they have managed to finish better than Bidvest Wits and Matsatsantsa.

Since taking over from Rhulani Mokwena back in December, Zinnbauer managed to steer the ship to calmer waters and ultimately feels their tally of 35 points from 17 games under his watch is a worthy achievement.

Despite having a number of changes in their technical team where coach Milutin Sredojevic left the club in August, Pirates roped in Mokwena but the astute tactician left the club after Zinnbauer’s appointment and joined Chippa United.

In addition, the Soweto-born coach left the Chilli Boys to reunite with Pitso Mosimane at Chloorkop and they have managed to retain their league title to become the first club to hold 10 titles.

Uchenna Kanu scored a brace to help Linkopings secure a 3-0 victory over Umea in Saturday's Swedish Damallsvenskan game.

The 23-year-old has continued to show what she is capable of since teaming up with Olof Unogard's side this July.

Kanu, who has made 13 league appearances for the Swedish outfit so far, again shone against Umea, inspiring them to victory.

The Nigeria international fired the hosts ahead of the top-flight newcomers with a brilliant finish after 21 minutes into the encounter.

Jasmin Nejati added salt to the injury of the visitors as she mistakenly turned the ball into her own net to gift Linkopings the second goal of the match in the 30th minute.

Despite a two-goal lead, Unogard's side continued to search for more goals after the restart and they were rewarded with the third when Kanu bagged her brace seven minutes from time.

Kanu was in action for 88 minutes for Linkopings before being replaced by compatriot Ebere Orji and has now scored seven goals in 14 outings.

The victory takes Linkopings to third on the log with 26 points from 14 matches and they will hope to continue their form at home against fifth-placed Vittsjo on September 13.

Cristiano Ronaldo's absence proved no hindrance for Portugal as the Nations League holders began their title defence with a dominant 4-1 win over Croatia in Porto on Saturday.

Ronaldo, remarkably just one goal away from 100 for Portugal, was unavailable due to an infection in his toe believed to be caused by a bee sting, but the Selecao were flying at the Dragao despite the Juventus forward sitting in the stands.

Croatia's defensive third was a hive of activity throughout the first half as Portugal peppered the visitors' goal, hitting the woodwork three times before Joao Cancelo finally found a way through in spectacular fashion in the 41st minute.

Diogo Jota, one of those to hit the post in the first half, got a deserved goal - his first for Portugal - to double the hosts' advantage before the hour and Joao Felix added a third 20 minutes from time.

Bruno Petkovic's late consolation did little to take away from a routine win, which was wrapped up by Andre Silva in the final minute of injury time.

It did not take Portugal long to establish themselves as the dominant force, but their quest to find the breakthrough was initially a frustrating one.

Cancelo, Bruno Fernandes and Joao Felix, who hit the post, had early opportunities, while Dominik Livakovic produced an unlikely double save to thwart Pepe.

Jota twice went close before the half-hour mark – first heading a Fernandes cross onto the upright and then lashing into the side-netting after a promising run.

Croatia's luckiest escape came in the 33rd minute as Raphael Guerreiro's long-range strike hit the left-hand post, struck Livakovic's foot and bounced just wide.

But Portugal's persistence paid off just before half-time, Cancelo picking out the top-left corner from distance.

Jota made it 2-0 with 59 minutes on the clock, racing on to Guerreiro's lofted throughball and finishing neatly into the bottom-right corner after holding off Tin Jedvaj.

Joao Felix put Portugal out of sight 11 minutes later, his powerful low drive too hot for Livakovic to handle.

Croatia finally offered a modest attacking threat in the latter stages, pulling one back through a smart finish courtesy of substitute Bruno Petkovic.

But a Portugal victory was never in doubt and Silva restored the three-goal cushion with a close-range finish at the death.

What does it mean? No Ronaldo, no problem

There will come a day when Portugal can no longer rely on their talismanic striker Ronaldo. While that may seem a way off even though he is 35, it must be reassuring for Fernando Santos and supporters to know this is a squad blessed with immense talent even without him.

Although an out-and-out striker was not selected in the starting XI, each of the front three – and Fernandes – were lively, linking well and producing some smart football against a strong Croatia. The breakthrough may have taken a little longer than it should have, but the overall performance had been full of positives already.

Fernandes makes Portugal tick

The Manchester United star was once again a fine performer here. An assist – albeit a simple pass that was followed by a long-range shot – and six key passes highlights the influence Fernandes. He was key in pushing Portugal up the pitch and was a real leader in Ronaldo's absence.

Jedvaj given the runaround

It was a difficult day at right-back for Jedvaj. One of Portugal's most fruitful avenues in attack was down their left, with Jota causing the full-back no end of issues.

What's next?

Portugal go to Sweden on Tuesday, while Croatia will hope to bounce back away to France the same day.

Kylian Mbappe was on target but Antoine Griezmann missed a penalty as France edged past Sweden 1-0 in Solna to get their Nations League campaign started with a win.

Paris Saint-Germain attacker Mbappe converted France's only shot on target in the 41st minute of the Group A3 match, threading the ball through the narrowest of gaps between Sweden goalkeeper Robin Olsen and the near post.

The 21-year-old's goal was a bitter blow for the hosts, who earned promotion from League B in 2018-19, given they had the better of the chances up until that point.

Sweden made a late push for an equaliser before Victor Lindelof was caught out by the pace of substitute Anthony Martial, but Griezmann blazed the resulting penalty over with the final kick of the game.

France lacked cohesion in their 3-4-3 formation and nearly fell behind in the 15th minute when Mikael Lustig's venomous 30-yard effort flashed past the post.

Hugo Lloris produced a brilliant save to keep Marcus Berg at bay after a great pass from Albin Ekdal, while Raphael Varane – who was caught out by the Sampdoria midfielder's ball over the top – ensured Emil Forsberg's cross on the follow-up did not find a team-mate.

France took the lead three minutes later, with Mbappe making the most of a fortuitous bounce by tucking home from a tight angle.

Olivier Giroud nodded a cross from Lucas Digne narrowly wide in the 54th minute but Les Bleus struggled to continue to apply pressure.

Martial replaced Mbappe for his first France cap since March 2018 and, after Leo Dubois inadvertently hit the crossbar, Forsberg and Berg were unable to take chances to equalise.

Sweden's attempts to restore parity left them short at the back and although Lindelof pushed Martial - his club team-mate at Manchester United - over in the box, Griezmann was unable to convert from the spot.

What does it mean? France have food for thought

On paper the front three of Mbappe, Giroud and Griezmann looked like it would cause Sweden no end of problems, but they did not quite click on Saturday.

Griezmann and Mbappe regularly dropped deep to get involved in the play and Giroud was consequently left isolated, leading to a lack of link-up play between the trio.

Despite only being on the pitch for 13 minutes, Martial was able to stake a claim for a greater role in their next fixture.

Mbappe maintains form

There were not many chances for France, but Mbappe made sure their first opening counted. He has now been involved in seven goals in his past seven internationals (four goals, three assists).

Griezmann comes up short

In contrast to Mbappe, Griezmann proved wasteful when opportunities came his way. He missed the target at the end of a quick break in the 76th minute and produced an utterly woeful penalty in the last action of the game – something that will no doubt stick in his memory.

What's next?

France entertain Croatia in Paris on Tuesday, when Sweden will welcome European champions Portugal to Solna.

Mamelodi Sundowns captain Hlompho Kekana says his side were less deserving to be crowned the 2019/20 Premier Soccer League (PSL) champions after the Brazilians emerged triumphant in one of the most riveting league title races.

Having at one point opened a 13-point gap at the summit of the log, Chiefs enjoyed top spot until they capitulated on the final day of the season after being held 1-1 by Baroka FC.

Downs, meanwhile, beat Black Leopards to be crowned champions for three successive seasons and a 10th time in the PSL era.

Their skipper Kekana has won seven PSL titles, five of those at Sundowns and three as their captain. He bagged two others while at SuperSport United.

“I call myself a lucky guy because I have so may trophies under my belt,” Kekana told SuperSport TV.

“In my career I have so many beautiful memories. This is one of the trophies I will cherish for the rest of my life because it hasn’t been easy. At some point we were 13 points behind. To be honest Kaizer Chiefs played very well. They really deserved more than we did because at some point they were scoring non-stop and we were behind and trying to fight back and to win our trophy back.

“Look it is something we should be proud of as players for a job well done. It hasn’t been easy season for us considering the [coronavirus-induced] break. It has been difficult for footballers during this pandemic to come back from five months break and come back straight into it.

“More than anything we are just happy we managed to win this trophy for the 10th time for Mamelodi Sundowns and for me I couldn’t ask for more for the seventh time. It’s a moment I should be proud of my journey. I still remember I first won it while at SuperSport. Look at me now it’s the seventh.”

Joining Kenana in bagging a seventh PSL title are his teammates Anthony Laffor, goalkeeper Denis Onyango and defender Tebogo Langerman.

It was coach Pitso Mosimane’s fifth league title at the club he joined in December 2012 to establish it into a continental powerhouse, winning the 2016 Caf Champions League as well as the Caf Super Cup.

“The technical team, always challenge us to do well under difficult conditions,” said Kekana.

“We always travel to North Africa, West Africa but we come and give good performances. I has been a task to play for Mamelodi Sundowns. We have a huge responsibility as players. We will continue to serve the people who love Mamelodi Sundowns.

“We are the generation that should be remembered for the hard work that we have been putting day in, day out. We have sacrificed a lot."

Downs now shift focus to the Nedbank Cup final where they play Bloemfontein Celtic on Tuesday as they seek to seal a treble after also winning the Telkom Knockout earlier in the season.

AC Milan technical director Paolo Maldini has kept the door open to a move for Chelsea midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko, refusing to deny claims his side have moved for the Frenchman.

Bakayoko appears to be on his way out at Stamford Bridge, having spent the past two seasons on loan – first with Milan in 2018-19 and then with former club Monaco last season.

The 26-year-old originally joined Chelsea in 2017 in a £40 million ($52m) move from Monaco, but failed to live up to expectations in his debut season in the Premier League. 

Milan have been rumoured to be keen on a permanent move for Bakayoko, a link that Maldini would not deny existed. 

“We have many options,” Maldini told Sport Mediaset when asked about a bid for Bakayoko.

“We set out a list of priorities before the transfer market opened, so now we can proceed calmly. If we can improve the current squad, then we will.”

Last month Bakayoko, who has a contract at Chelsea through 2022, admitted he was open to a permanent return to San Siro.

"Everyone knows that Milan is in my heart and I have good memories," the French midfielder told Tuttomercatoweb.

"At the moment I'm a Chelsea player, then we'll see in football."

After his difficult opening season with Chelsea, Bakayoko regained his form at Milan in 2018-19, making 42 appearances in all competitions. 

Bakayoko could be a part of a rebuilt Milan midfield in 2020-21, as Brescia star Sandro Tonali is closing in on a move after turning down interest from several other clubs. 

The 20-year-old could have joined Manchester United or Barcelona, but Brescia president Massimo Cellino said the midfielder's head was turned by interest from the Rossoneri.

“As soon as Milan showed real interest, he did not want to listen to any other options. I also have a historically good rapport with Milan and we reached an agreement with Paolo Maldini quite quickly," Cellino told Top Calcio 24.

“We also had interest from Barcelona and Manchester United, but the lad is in love with Milan and went crazy once he heard of their offer, because he supports them.”

Former Ghana U17 coach Samuel Paa Kwasi Fabin has revealed he was at one point forced to seek help from agents of players during his time at the helm of affairs.

The former Inter Allies coach guided the Black Starlets to the 2017 Africa U17 Cup of Nations (Afcon) in Gabon where his side finished as losing finalists.

Despite the disappointment in the climax, Ghana's last four berth was enough to secure a qualification ticket for the World Cup in India later that year where the team reached the quarter-final.

"I was told to break the lads at a certain point in our preparation due to the lack of funds. But that would have been a big blow to the team so I couldn't let that happen," Fabin told Pure FM.

"So I had to use my money just to get food for the team. I asked the kitchen staff what they needed and made calls to the managers of the players.

"They were also very supportive and I added my quota just so we stay in camp."

Fabin could not remain in charge of the U17 side after the World Cup as rumours speculated the team's disappointing World Cup performance as the reason behind his departure.

He, however, discloses the true reason for his exit was far from the media reports.

"I was told to continue as head coach of the Ghana U17 national team after the World Cup but I gave them a condition. It was simple," he said.

"I had stayed with the level for six years and I preferred a contract before I accept the job. They didn't agree and that is why I was not appointed."

Early 2018, Fabin got a new job as head coach of Ghana Premier League (GPL) giants Asante Kotoko but the union surprisingly only lasted seven months.

Despite his unceremonious departure, he is not closing the door on a possible return to the Porcupine Warriors.

“I am ready to serve Asante Kotoko SC again. Not only Kotoko but any other club. I have enjoyed every club I have coached. I have never regretted coaching any team in Ghana," the coach stated.

"I enjoyed coaching when coach Middendorp took me to Herbert Mensah to help develop players for Asante Kotoko."

Fabin also had a brief spell as coach of the Uganda U17 and U20 national teams in 2019.

Arsenal fell to a 3-2 defeat against Aston Villa in a pre-season friendly on Saturday.

The game, which took place at Emirates Stadium, saw both teams use the contest to give a mixture of first-team and youth players a chance to get some minutes.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was on target twice for the Gunners, with one of the goals coming from the penalty spot.

But the Gabon international’s double was not enough to give Mikel Arteta’s side the win, as the visitors struck three times to come out on top.

The defeat will be no major concern to Arteta, who was missing several key men due to international duty. The Spaniard used the game to try out a few things, as he did on Tuesday when Arsenal beat Queens Park Rangers 4-3 in a behind-closed-doors friendly at the club’s London Colney training ground.

Mesut Ozil, who did not play a single minute for Arsenal during the final weeks of last season following the restart, was back involved against Villa, as was summer signing Willian.

Arsenal are planning to have one last friendly in midweek ahead of next Saturday’s Premier League opener against Fulham at Craven Cottage.

Against Villa they fell behind in the first half when Douglas Luiz opened the scoring for the visitors, only for Aubameyang to level things up before half-time.

Arsenal fell behind again when Jacob Ramsey restored Villa’s lead, but they made it 2-2 when Aubameyang scored his second of the afternoon from the penalty spot.

Villa sealed the win soon after, however, with Ramsey again the man on target for Dean Smith’s side.

Donny van de Beek has joined Manchester United at the “perfect time”, says Pierre van Hooijdonk, with the former Netherlands international admitting that his fellow countryman had become “too good” for Ajax.

Van de Beek, 23, left Ajax this week after 12 years on the Dutch club's books, having joined their academy in 2008 and worked his way up to the first team.

It appeared at one stage as though Van de Beek was destined to link up with La Liga giants Real Madrid, but an agreement there broke down.

The Blancos’ loss has been United’s gain, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer moving to snap up a talented playmaker in a £35 million ($46m) transfer.

Van Hooijdonk expects plenty of value to be found in that deal, with Van de Beek taking on a Premier League challenge at a stage in his career where he is best placed to make the desired impact.

The former frontman, who spent time in England with Nottingham Forest during his playing days, told United’s Group Chat: “I think Man United signed an excellent player.

“He’s still a young man but he is an example to a professional of how you should develop as young boy - coming through the ranks at Ajax and step by step getting to a level where you are too good to play in this league.

“He came to this point. It is then the perfect time to join a big club. When you join a big club after following that path you are going to be a regular for sure.

“There are many examples of young players who were signed up by the likes of United, Arsenal, Chelsea, City but they are signed at a younger age and are not mature yet and they have to try and develop in the youth system and they are sent out on loan to get experience. In my opinion, this is the best way to develop as a young boy and this is the step at the right time.”

Van Hooijdonk added on the qualities that Van de Beek will offer to United, with his time at Ajax seeing him deliver an impressive haul of 41 goals and 34 assists: “Physically, his body is strong enough to be a professional player – not many injuries during his career so far.

“His main strength is as a box to box player – great football brain and always there where the ball can come, and a great finisher.”

United have shown that they are prepared to put faith in youth, as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s sticks to a philosophy that has served the Red Devils well down the years, and Van Hooijdonk expects that approach to benefit Van de Beek.

He said: “Under Solskjaer we have seen a lot of youngsters getting their chance in the team.

“I think this is another step and I’m sure United will do more business in the transfer market this season. This is another step towards taking United back to where they should be.”

Simba SC coach Sven Vandenbroeck has revealed he is expecting a tough game when they battle Ihefu FC on Sunday.

The Wekundu wa Msimbazi will open their title defence in the Mainland Premier League against the promoted side in a match set for Sokoine Stadium.

The Belgian, who was in charge last season when Simba won the league title and the FA Cup to seal a treble, has now admitted it will not be an easy game and has warned his players not to underrate the promoted side.

“I know very well how opening matches are tough, so there will be no difference against our opponents, who are new in the league,” Vandenbroeck told reporters after their final training session on Saturday.

“The first league match is always tough because every team is keen to get off to a good start, and you know all teams in the league will also want to play well and win against Simba because they are the champions so it will be a difficult game.

“We have prepared well for the last few days since our win in the Community Shield and all the players are fit to take the battle, apart from those who remained in Dar es Salaam because of various reasons, we are ready to play.”

On playing against a promoted side in the opening fixture, Vandenbroeck said: “It is no big difference because they are also coming to show why they got promoted so they will try to prove to us they deserve to be in the league and that is why I have asked my players against underrating them.”

Simba SC will, however, have to do without three key players - defender Pascal Wawa, winger Luis Miquissone, and striker Chris Mugalu – who have been ruled out owing to various reasons.

According to Vandenbroeck, new signing Mugalu had travelled back home to Zambia to sort out family issues and though he has returned to Dar es Salaam, he will not be ready for the match while Wawa and Miquissone have fitness issues.

“[Mugalu] requested to visit his native home and sort out some family issues and we gave him permission, he has already returned to Dar es Salaam but I will not have him in the squad for the league opener, I want him to have enough rest for the next match,” Vandenbroeck told Goal on Friday.

“Pascal [Wawa] and Miquissone were left in Dar es Salaam with our fitness coach, they are not fit and ready and so they are all working hard to come back into the squad, we will check them again when we return to Dar es Salaam.”

Mugalu is among the new players who were signed by Simba in the just-concluded transfer window with the others being Joash Onyango from Kenya’s Gor Mahia, Bernard Morrison from Yanga, Charles Ilamfia from KMC, David Kameta from Lipuli FC, and Ibrahim Ame from Coastal Union.

Opening fixtures; Namungo vs Coastal - Majaliwa, Lindi, Biashara vs Gwambina - Karume, Mara, Ihefu vs Simba - Sokoine, Mbeya, Mtibwa vs Ruvu Shooting - Gairo, Morogoro, Yanga vs Prisons - Mkapa, Dar, KMC vs Mbeya City - Uhuru, Dar and Azam vs Polisi Tanzania - Azam Complex.

The Czech Republic will use an entirely different team for their Nations League meeting with Scotland on Monday after positive coronavirus tests in their delegation.

The clash in Olomouc was called off on Friday by the Football Association of the Czech Republic (FACR) following the team's 3-1 victory over Slovakia.

The Slovakia match went ahead despite two positive Covid-19 results in the Czech camp, though every player was negative, and after the final whistle the FACR decided to end its preparations for Scotland with immediate effect.

However, in order to avoid potential sanctions for failing to fulfil the fixture against Scotland, the FACR reversed its decision on Saturday.

No one present in Bratislava, including players and coach Jaroslav Silhavy, will form part of the set-up for the meeting with Steve Clarke's team.

"After a debate with UEFA, it was decided that Monday's match with Scotland will take place at the original date and time," an FACR statement read.

"The FACR is now in close communication with the clubs with which it is deciding who will play for the Czech national team."

On Twitter, the FACR indicated the team that would face Scotland could include "staff members."

"Monday's Nations League match between the Czech Republic and Scotland will go ahead as planned after negotiations between the Czech FA and UEFA representatives," the tweet said.

"Czech team will consist from new players and staff members."

In a statement, Scottish FA chief executive Ian Maxwell said that he was surprised to learn of the match being cancelled initially, and confirmed the game would go ahead with strict protocols in place.

“Following extensive conversations late last night and this morning we have received categorical assurance that the match goes ahead," Maxwell said.

“Furthermore, Czech Republic have confirmed they will be able to fulfil their obligations to the match and, more importantly, to the stringent Covid-19 testing regime that is sacrosanct to ensure the safety of our players and staff.

“While we empathise with all national associations during this period of global uncertainty, none the less we required and received absolute assurance that we will be entering a safe and secure environment having worked diligently in Scotland to maintain safety and adherence to UEFA’s necessary Covid-19 protocols.”

Polokwane City’s seven-year flirtation with top-flight league football came to an end following a 3-1 defeat to 10-man Bidvest Wits at FNB Stadium on Saturday.

Bienvenu Eva Nga, Cole Alexander and Phathutshedzo Nange were on target for Wits to seal the fate of the Limpopo outfit who grabbed a consolation goal through Mpho Mvelase

It was an emotional farewell to the Premier Soccer League (PSL) for Wits - who sold their top-flight league status - but for Polokwane City, it was a sad ending to their Premiership life which began in the 2013/14 season.

Starting the afternoon already at the bottom of the log and with an uninspiring goal difference of minus 17, it was always going to be an uphill task for Polokwane City to survive the chop.

Even if they had beaten Wits, they were still going to sink into the GladAfrica Championship.

Another Limpopo side Black Leopards could join Polokwane City in the GladAfrica Championship next year if they falter in the play-offs after falling 3-0 to Mamelodi Sundowns.

Leopards dropped back into the relegation zone to settle at second from bottom after succumbing to a Lebohang Maboe hat-trick.

After avoiding straight relegation, Black Leopards will have another chance at staying in the PSL in the play-offs where they meet Ajax Cape Town and Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila.

Elsewhere at Bidvest Stadium, Baroka avoided the play-offs after drawing 1-1 with Kaizer Chiefs to move out of the relegation zone where they were placed in position 15 going into the final day.

It was the biggest upset of the afternoon as Baroka denied Chiefs the PSL title with some spirited resistance especially the heroics of goalkeeper Elvis Chipezeze.

Chiefs thought they had their hands on the title when they took a first-half lead through Khama Billiat but Baroka hit back via Mozambican midfielder Manuel Kambala just before the hour mark to frustrate Amakhosi.

Meanwhile, AmaZulu also secured their PSL future following a 1-1 draw with Highlands Park at Lucas Moripe Stadium.

Siphelele Magubane thrust AmaZulu ahead before Peter Shalulile scored his 15th goal of the season just before the final whistle to seal a point for Highlands Park.

With the draw, Usuthu did themselves a huge favour by avoiding defeat in their last four games and crucially secured themselves life in the PSL by finishing in position 13.

Chippa United confirmed their PSL status following a 1-0 victory over Golden Arrows to wrap-up the campaign at a very safe 11th spot.

Nigerian forward Augustine Chidi-Kwem scored to ensure maximum points for the Chilli Boys to successfully complete coach Lehlohonolo Seema’s mission to save them from PSL demotion.

Christian Pulisic has shown that he is more than good enough to fend off added competition for places at Chelsea, says Craig Burley, with the American urged to continue delivering the “end product” that will allow him to star in a “top heavy” squad.

Frank Lampard has invested heavily in the current transfer window, with the Blues boss overseeing an elaborate freshening up of his ranks.

Big money has been spent on more attacking talent, with Timo Werner, Hakim Ziyech and Kai Havertz joining the fold at Stamford Bridge.

The new boys in west London will be eager to nail down regular roles, but established stars will not be giving up minutes without a fight.

United States international Pulisic falls into that category, with the 21-year-old having shown across a productive debut campaign in England that he can become a talismanic presence for Premier League heavyweights.

Burley expects the promising forward to rise to any challenge put to him, with the former Chelsea midfielder telling ESPN FC: “I think he’s good enough and has shown that. Towards the end of the season he was arguably the first name on the team sheet.

“He is just going to have to play well. That’s what you want when you’re at a big club. You have to play well because when you look over your shoulder, you have competition for places. That’s great.

“You look at Liverpool at the moment, we are seeing some criticism of Liverpool – albeit how successful they have been – that so far [Jurgen] Klopp has not gone out and spent big to bring people in to challenge Sadio Mane, challenge Mo Salah, to challenge Roberto Firmino, to challenge all these players to be better than they were last season.

“I think that’s what Chelsea have at the moment, they have players that are going to challenge the likes of Christian Pulisic, who if you have three or four average games then you are out of the team.

“But he has easily shown in his time at Chelsea that when he is fully fit, he is good enough to hold down a place in this team. He has been excellent but Frank Lampard will be saying to him ‘I want more of the same, I want to see the change of pace, I want to see the taking people on and I want to see what you showed at the end of last season as well – that better end product’.

“We saw the goals from Christian Pulisic, which were excellent – the one at Liverpool, the one at Wembley – so if he reproduces that, not an issue.”

Pulisic’s 2019-20 campaign ended on an injury low in the FA Cup final, but he will be among those offering Lampard a selection headache when the new Premier League season gets underway.

On the posers the Blues boss now faces, Burley added: “Welcome to management!

“He has got a good demeanour about him, Frank Lampard, he got good experience at Derby, he got good experience last year. But revolving and rotating these players is not going to be easy.

“Part of the job now is convincing a player that the word is ‘rotation’. It used to be in the old days it was ‘dropped’, ‘binned’. It’s hard but I think players get used to it, not playing all the time. It used to be 1-11 every week if fit, get back out there and play.

“But it is going to be something of interest for everybody because they have been top-heavy in terms of the positions they have been signing in.

“They have got a lot of talented guys, particularly in the forward, midfield and wide positions and it’s going to be interesting to see who he selects. He has got no shortage of choice and he can’t complain that he doesn’t have options because he has got plenty.”

Wolves have completed the signing of highly-rated teenage striker Fabio Silva in a club-record £35 million ($47m) agreement with Porto.

The 18-year-old becomes the latest Portuguese star to join the ranks at Molineux.

The deal to take him to England sees the ambitious Premier League outfit set a new benchmark with the most expensive signing in the club's history.

Mexico international Raul Jimenez was previously the club’s biggest buy, having been acquired for £30m ($40m) from Benfica, but another talented frontman has now raised that bar.

Big things are expected of Silva, who broke the record for youngest player and goalscorer at Porto that new Wolves team-mate Ruben Neves once held.

He made his senior bow at the age of 17 and netted his maiden goal in a meeting with SC Coimbroes in October 2019.

Wolves have now invested heavily in his obvious potential and are delighted to have secured the services of a player with his best days ahead of him.

Executive chairman Jeff Shi told the club’s official website: “We’ve been following Fabio’s development for a long time. He’s a player that you only need several minutes to see his natural football talent. In recent years, Fabio has been developing very fast and now has proven himself in Porto’s first team, which is a top squad.

“Our head coach’s requirement for quality is very high, but he thinks Fabio is an important signing who will help the team immediately this season.

“The timing of this deal is similar to the timing of when we bought Ruben Neves; we’ve waited for the right time to get a high-quality player at the right price.

“Our recruitment team have been watching Fabio since he played for Portugal Under-16s and they feel he has always been the best number nine coming through his age group anywhere in Europe.

“Fabio is a young player who shows not only incredible technical ability, but also his game intelligence for a player of his age is top class.

“He has the ability to drop in to link play and hold the ball up to bring others into play. He always then looks to get in the box and his movement and intelligence in the penalty area is as good as anyone's.

“Fabio has the potential to be a generational talent and for us to see him develop under Nuno is very exciting. He is the type of player our fans will love.

“Like all of our signings, this one is down to a lot of hard work, from a lot of important people, that support Nuno and I to make these things happen and help us to keep things moving.

“Even after an unprecedented pandemic, which has deeply impacted all football clubs in the world, our ambition and determination to improve and evolve the team continually never changes.

“The signing of Fabio demonstrates that we will make considerable investment when we feel it is right for the club.

“Welcome Fabio to this special pack!”

Yaya Toure has apologised for making "an inappropriate joke" following claims by The Sun newspaper that he shared an explicit video in a WhatsApp group that contained players taking part in the Soccer Aid charity match.

The report alleges that Toure, who made 316 appearances for Manchester City, winning three Premier League titles during an eight-year spell with the club, posted a pornographic video showing a naked woman in a bath.

The Sun also claims that Toure 'offered to hire sex workers' for his Soccer Aid team-mates in a message posted in the WhatsApp group that was reportedly made up of players - both male and female - due to feature in the charity event.

The former Ivory Coast international, who had been training with League Two side Leyton Orient earlier in the summer after leaving Chinese club Qingdao Huanghai, issued an apology via social media on Saturday.

He posted on his Twitter page: "I made an inappropriate joke that I regret deeply and want to apologise. Please read my apology in full:

"I would like to apologise to everyone involved in Soccer Aid for an inappropriate joke I deeply regret. 

"It was meant as a joke, however I lacked thorough consideration for the feelings of all the other participants. That being said I deleted the jokes within minutes and I immediately apologised to all inside the group.

"We gather for a good cause and this deviates the focus of the game, which is to bring everyone together to help children around the world. It's sad to see an inappropriate joke I made attract the attention which should be fully devoted to the beauty of the charity game.

"Regardless of the circumstances, I want to take full responsibility. I am a grown man who should not be engaged in such jokes.

"I am very sorry for my mistake and wish everyone all the best with Soccer Aid on Sunday in raising awareness and funds for important causes."

The Soccer Aid fixture, that was first introduced in 2006, had been taking place every two years although has been a yearly event since 2018.

The charity match, that sees various ex-professional players and celebrities participate in a game between an England XI and a World XI, aims to raise money for vulnerable children.

The game has been staged at Stamford Bridge, Wembley and Old Trafford over the years, with the 2020 version, which takes place on September 6, held at Manchester United's stadium for the seventh time.

The Sun claims that Yaya Toure has now been axed from the event, with the likes of Patrice Evra, Ashley Cole, Michael Owen, Joe Cole and Michael Essien all set to feature.