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Raul Jimenez may be generating talk of interest from the likes of Manchester United and Juventus, but Wolves legend Steve Bull sees no reason for the Mexican to push for a move.

The 29-year-old has been enjoying the most productive season of his career to date, with 26 goals recorded across the 2019-20 campaign.

Those efforts have attracted admiring glances from afar, with Jimenez embracing the speculation he has been generating.

He considers the links to United and Juve, along with Liga giants Real Madrid and Barcelona, to be “cool” and has been doing little to douse the transfer flames.

Bull, though, believes that Molineux is the best place for Jimenez at this stage of his career – with Europa League football already being taken in – and hopes a prolific frontman will stay put.

The Wolves icon told the Express and Star: “The Mexican striker continues to be the subject of lots of speculation, linking him with sides such as Manchester United and Juventus.

“It would take something special for him to leave, but why go when Jimenez has everything at Molineux?

“This is a great set-up, a great club, a great manager, and he does not need to go.

“Of course, he wants to win medals, but he can do that at Wolves. Sooner rather than later, too.

“At his age, you could look at it as a chance to earn a big move on big money, but I think we can match his ambitions, and finances are not a problem either.

“Having been involved with Wolves for 34 years, I can safely say the ambition of the club is huge. And it is not just Premier League football. It is Europe as well.

“We have not been in this situation for a long time, and Jimenez has started something, so why not finish it here?

“I think Wolves have the fire-power to keep players like that now. They can pull the stops out to keep him.”

Wolves have Jimenez tied a four-year contract, so are under no pressure to sell, having made the Mexico ace their £30 million ($39m) club record signing in April 2019 after initially seeing him catch the eye in England during a loan spell from Benfica.

Christian Pulisic was forced to hobble out of the FA Cup final on Saturday, with the Chelsea forward suffering a hamstring injury during a meeting with Arsenal.

The United States international, who had been carefully nursed through a slight knock prior to an outing at Wembley Stadium, broke down early in the second half.

He had opened the scoring inside five minutes, becoming the first American to net in the showpiece event.

The 21-year-old looked lively once again for the Blues, with his quick feet allowing him to find the target early on.

Pulisic was looking to edge Chelsea back in front, after seeing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang restore parity from the spot, within minutes of the restart.

He was sent scampering through on goal after finding space down the Blues’ left, but crumpled to the deck moments after forcing a save from Emiliano Martinez.

There were no Arsenal defenders near him at the time, with a muscle problem leaving Pulisic on the turf.

He did get a shot away, which slipped wide of the post, but could be seen screaming in agony before making contact with the ball.

It was clear from the moment he went down that the youngster was in a lot of pain and treatment was given to him by Chelsea’s medical staff, but he was in no position to continue.

Pulisic had to be helped from the field, with anguish etched all over his face, with the biggest occasion in his debut campaign with the Blues brought to a premature conclusion.

Frank Lampard opted to introduce World Cup winner Pedro off the bench as cover for his stricken star.

It was Chelsea's second forced substitution of the encounter, having also lost Cesar Azpilicueta to a suspected muscular issue prior to half time, with Pedro then suffering a dislocated shoulder late on - with the Spaniard due to link up with Roma nursing a knock.

Lampard's side now face a nervous wait to find out the full extent of the injuries as they return to Champions League action against Bayern Munich on August 8.

"I don’t even know, I am afraid," said Lampard when asked how serious the injuries are. "I know that they are hamstring injuries with Christian and Azpi.

"They have to be scanned and assessed over the next few days and they clearly won’t be fit for next week.

"Pedro, I believe, could be a dislocated shoulder but don’t go too soon on that because I am not sure. I have not seen him as he was whisked away so it is really a disappointing end for him because it was probably his last game for Chelsea."

The Blues trail the tie against Bayern 3-0 and may bring the curtain down on their 2019-20 campaign at the Allianz Arena.

That appears to have already happened for Pulisic, with Chelsea hoping that he is not sidelined for long as the 2020-21 Premier League season is scheduled to begin on September 12.

Simba SC defender Erasto Nyoni has bought young fan Jumanne Ulimwengu a bicycle, fulfilling a promise he made to the supporter.

The Tanzania international delivered a jersey printed with his name and number on the back to the young boy for his loyalty, and after getting the jersey, Ulimwengu went on to request the Taifa Stars defender buy him a bicycle to use when going to school.

"Erasto Nyoni has awarded his fan Jumanne Ulimwengu with a jersey," Simba SC confirmed on Friday. "A couple of weeks ago, the youngster was shown by Azam TV with a t-shirt which had the player's name and number on the back.

"After rewarding him with the jersey, Jumanne requested Nyoni to also buy him a bicycle to help him get to school, and the defender promised to buy him that as well."

On Saturday, the 32-year-old delivered on his promise by buying and presenting the bicycle to his new friend.

"Erasto Nyoni has honoured his promise of buying Jumanne Ulimwengu a bicycle to be used for school," Simba confirmed on Saturday through their social media accounts. "Nyoni had made that promise on Friday when awarding the boy a jersey."

The defender is expected to be in the team to play Namungo on Sunday in the final of the FA Cup.

The Wekundu wa Msimbazi will be keen to seal a treble this season, having won the Mainland Premier League title and the Charity Shield Cup, as they come up against a Namungo side who finished fourth on the league table, at the Nelson Mandela Stadium in Sumbawanga, Rukwa.

Coach Sven Vandenbroeck told Goal he will not underrate their opponents and will, instead, pick his best squad for the final.

"It will be our final match of the season and we will, therefore, field our best squad to finish the job,” Vandenbroeck told Goal on Saturday. "I will not underrate [Namungo], they are not a team to look down upon and therefore, I have told my players what to do and what to expect in such a final. 

"It will be difficult because they can also spring a surprise, so we must be ready to deal with them," he concluded. "I am happy we have been training for the last few days since we ended the league and all the players are fit to play.

"I will go for my best squad, to finish the job and give us another trophy."

India’s honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi wished Indian football and Kolkata giants East Bengal on their centenary on Saturday.

Modi took Twitter to convey his best wishes for the Red and Golds who were formed on August 1 1920. The Prime Minister’s Tweet read, “Best wishes to generations of footballers, members and of course supporters on the centenary of East Bengal. This is a milestone for Indian sport, and for the football traditions and sports-loving culture of West Bengal. May the East Bengal Mashal forever illuminate the Maidan!”

Other than the Prime Minister, West Bengal’s honourable Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee too wished the Kolkata giants on completing 100 years.

Banerjee’s Tweet read, “Congratulations to East Bengal & its fans for completing 100 years today. Your glorious legacy is an envy for football clubs around the world.”

August 1 is a milestone day in Indian football as one of the biggest clubs in the country and in West Bengal were born on this day.

The origin story encapsulates what the club stands for – a club with a unique identity born out of resilience against discrimination.

On July 28th Mohun Bagan was to face Jora Bagan in Coochbehar Cup and star halfback Sailesh Bose and Nasha Singh were excluded from the latter’s side. Jora Bagan’s vice-president and chairman Suresh Chandra Chaudhari requested for their inclusion but his request fell on deaf ears and so, he severed all his connections with the club.

Both these players were from the eastern part of Bengal and Suresh was also from the same region. It did not take him much time to connect the dots and he parted ways with the club immediately.

He went on to form a new club alongside Sailesh, Nasha, Shri Tait Bhusan Roy, Manmatha Nath Roy Chaudhari and Aurobindo Ghosh. Thus, on August 1, 1920, East Bengal was born.

Cameroon international Ajara Nchout bagged her first brace of the season as Valerenga claimed a 3-0 win against Arna-Bjornar in Saturday’s Norwegian Toppserien game at Arna Idrettspark.

The Indomitable Lionesses star made her fourth start of the season in five appearances for her side, and starred in the opening matches, scoring crucial goals on her last three successive outings.

Arna, who had Nigeria's Ngozi Ebere on their books were seeking to end their losing streak since opening day's triumph at Roa, while Valerenga targeted their fourth win on the bounce this season.

With three goals in the last three matches, Nchout almost fired Valerenga in front with just two minutes into the match but her brilliant attempt was denied by the woodwork.

The visitors found the breakthrough when Marie Madsen raced down the right side to lay up free-running Nchout, who made no mistake to open the scoring, coolly slotting home in the 11th minute.

After the restart, Arna missed the services of defender Ebere as a defensive blunder saw Andrine Tomter set up Nchout to bag her brace with her 18-metre strike in the 74th minute.

Four minutes from time, Sherida Spitse provided a superb cross for Madsen, who got behind the hosts' backline to seal the fourth win of the season and Valerenga's impressive start to the campaign.

Nchout, who played from the start to the finish, has now scored five goals in five appearances this season for Valerenga.

Ebere was overlooked again as her side suffered their fourth successive defeat of the season.

The result means Valerenga moved to second on the log with 12 points from five matches, while Arna dropped to the eighth position on the 10-team table with just three points from five outings.

In next fixtures, Velerenga welcome ninth-placed Kolbotn on August 7, while Arna will travel to face leaders Lillestrom two days later.

Azam FC have continued with their transfer activities after signing Ally Niyonzima from Rayon Sports.

The ‘Ice Cream Makers’ have confirmed the arrival of the Rwanda international who has signed a two-year contract that will see him stay at the Chamazi-based club until 2023.

The club have confirmed the signing in their social media pages by stating: “Azam is proud to confirm the signing of Ally [Niyonzima] on a two-year contract.

“Niyonzima, who was playing for Rayon Sports of Rwanda, comes in as a recommendation from our head coach Aristica Cioaba and will join the team in pre-season training ahead of the new season.”

Speaking after sealing the latest signing, Azam CEO Abdulkarim ‘Popat’ Amin welcomed Niyonzima, who also features for the national team Amavubi, to the Azam family and wished him well.

Niyonzima becomes the second signing for Azam, who have already brought on board winger Awesu Awesu from Kagera Sugar.

Earlier on Saturday, the team also confirmed they had released three foreign players led by goalkeeper Razak Abalora, winger Emmanuel Mvuyekure, and striker Donald Ngoma, who the club had loaned to KMC FC.

According to Amin, the club reached an agreement to release the trio after they ran down their respective contracts.

"We have decided to release the three players because they have run down their contract and we are not keen to renew them, both parties have agreed that we part ways,” Amin told Goal.

“We released [Ngoma] whom we had taken on loan to KMC, and Razak, whose contract ended last Sunday, same as Mvuyekure, we don’t have them now in our squad, they have all left and we wish them well in their future engagements.”

Azam did not enjoy as good a season as they had anticipated at the beginning of the campaign, as they managed to finish third in the league with 70 points, 18 fewer than winners Simba SC, and two behind second-placed Yanga SC. They managed to get 20 wins, 10 draws and eight defeats.

The team also failed to retain their FA Cup title to stand a chance of representing the country in the Caf Confederation Cup. They were paired with Wekundu wa Msimbazi in the quarter-finals and fell 2-0.

Cyriel Dessers and Ignatius Ganago found the back of the net as Genk held Lens to a 1-1 draw in a pre-season game on Saturday.

Nigerian forward Dessers joined the Blue and White in June from Dutch side Heracles Almelo, where he shone during his one-year stay with the club.

The 25-year-old won the 2019–20 Eredivisie joint-top scorer award along with Steven Berghuis with 15 goals apiece and had 18 strikes in 29 appearances across all competitions for the club before his departure.  

Dessers has been in fine form since his arrival at Luminus Arena, scoring in their victories over AZ Alkmaar and Excelsior.

Cameroon international Ganago is also a summer arrival at Stade Bollaert-Delelis, joining the newly-promoted Ligue 1 side from OGC Nice.

The African stars made key contributions in the encounter, with Dessers opening the scoring in the 44th minute from the penalty spot.

Ganago then levelled for Franck Haise’s men at the hour mark to ensure the Blood and Gold avoided defeat in the match.

The African players will hope to continue their fine performances in front of goal in their next pre-season games.

Dessers was handed his Super Eagles first call-up against Sierra Leone in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifying game in March but the outbreak of the coronavirus forced the match to be postponed indefinitely.

The 25-year-old started his career with OH Leuven’s youth team and was promoted to the senior side in 2013.

The forward made only one league appearance for Leuven before teaming up with Lokeren in April 2014 and featured in 32 league games for the Belgian club.

The striker also played for NAC Breda and Utrecht before moving to Heracles Almelo in the summer of 2019.

Ganago, meanwhile, made his debut for Cameroon in a friendly against Tunisia in October 2019 and will hope to deliver impressive performances for Lens in the 2020-21 season to boost his chances of playing regularly for the West Africans.

Jordan Henderson claims leaving Liverpool never crossed his mind during a testing start to his spell at Anfield, with the Premier League title winner always determined to “prove people wrong”.

The England international was snapped up by the Reds in the summer of 2011, with his potential prised away from Sunderland.

Forming part of a star-studded squad on Merseyside looked to be a step too far for Henderson, as he was quickly linked with another switch to Fulham.

No deal was done and the 30-year-old has gone on to become a worthy successor to Steven Gerrard as Liverpool captain.

Henderson has got his hands on Champions League and Premier League trophies, while also being named FWA Football of the Year for 2020.

He has silenced his critics in style, and the hard-working midfielder says that was always his intention after seeing many write him off.

Henderson told the Liverpool Echo: “There have been ups and downs over the last few years and throughout my career. There are always going to be tough times in your career and your life.

“It’s about how you deal and react to those setbacks. You can use them as motivation to push yourself forward and want to improve. You need those setbacks in your career to become stronger as a player and a person also.

“Obviously, it wasn’t always easy at the start of my Liverpool career and although a lot’s been made of it, it was never really an option for me to leave. I knew that wasn’t what I wanted, and it gave me even more motivation to prove people wrong.

“Brendan Rodgers was very good in that regard – he said he would help me improve and learn the things I needed to learn to get into the team more regularly. Tactically I became more aware and had a better understanding of the game, and going into the finer details really helped.

“When you go through tough periods, it’s about finding a way to deal with it. Your family helps, but sometimes you don’t want to bring that back into your home life.

“I’ve dealt with a lot on my own, but I’ve had great people around me as well such as my team-mates, managers and staff. I’ve been lucky enough to have so many good people at Liverpool Football Club that have helped me on my journey.”

One of those to have helped Henderson reach the very top of the game is current Reds boss Jurgen Klopp, with the German tactician continuing to be showered with praise on the back of his efforts at Anfield.

Henderson said of his charismatic coach: “Jurgen has a good relationship with all the players. But he has a great balance in terms of the respect he has for them, knowing when to put an arm around them and knowing when they need a kick up the backside. You can see the players respond to him.

“The manager deserves a huge amount of credit for what he has done since coming to Liverpool, not only the team but the whole club top to bottom and also the fans as well. He has brought everybody closer together and what he has created is so special.”

Lionel Messi is the finest talent to have ever graced a football field, says Humberto Maschio, with the Argentine ranking the Barcelona superstar above Pele, Diego Maradona, Johan Cruyff and Alfredo Di Stefano.

A Racing Club icon has witnessed all of the aforementioned all-time greats in action, so is in a strong position to offer an opinion on who should sit at the top of the pile.

For Maschio, Messi is the obvious choice as the six-time Ballon d’Or winner has raised his game above the standard set by those who went before him.

Maschio told Clarin: “I've seen Di Stefano, Pele, Maradona, Cruyff - I've seen them all. But Messi is the best.

“I've faced some of those myself but I repeat, again, Messi is the best.”

Maschio acknowledges that the likes of Pele and Maradona were sporting geniuses, but he still considers them to sit in the shadow of a modern-day superstar.

He added: “They were great players in their time but the pace of the modern game is so different. Just look at the goals Messi has scored.

“Leo doesn't run around much on the pitch but when he needs to, it's as if the ball is stuck to his feet.

“I've seen players with unbelievable pace but when they have the ball, they slow down. Yet with Leo it's the opposite and he does it in such a fantastic way.”

Messi has raised the bar of individual excellence over the course of his stunning career.

Along with his enviable collection of Golden Balls, the 33-year-old also has 10 La Liga titles and four Champions League crowns to his name.

He has been able to maintain remarkable standards since bursting onto the scene as a precociously-gifted teenager and now has 633 goals for Barcelona through 729 appearances.

Messi has also registered 70 efforts through 138 outings for Argentina, but is still waiting on a first piece of senior silverware at international level.

That is often used as an argument against him being the best of all-time, with the likes of Pele and Maradona having World Cup wins on their respective CVs, but it could be that Messi ends that debate when going in search of more honours over the coming years.

Zimbabwe midfielder Ovidy Karuru believes South Africa will be the Warriors' 'toughest' opponent in the 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifiers, while dismissing Ghana from providing a stern challenge in the same group.

Group G of the road to Qatar contains Zimbabwe, South Africa, Ghana and Ethiopia with the qualifiers having been initially scheduled to kick off in September 2020 before the coronavirus pandemic struck.

It is the Zimbabwe-South Africa home and away fixtures, dubbed 'The Battle of Limpopo', which are eagerly anticipated by Stellenbosch midfielder Karuru in this group.

“We have been waiting to play Bafana Bafana," Karuru told Cosafa TV. "We always want to play against South Africa, because when we are here [in the Premier Soccer League] at our clubs, we always talk about it.

“We have missed the Battle of Limpopo," he added. "I think that one is going to be out toughest game, because South Africa do not want to lose against Zimbabwe and we do not want to lose to South Africa.

“When it comes to Ghana and the other team [Ethiopia], I think we just have to go there and come out with a result, then we take them on in the reverse fixture at our home ground.”

History favours Zimbabwe, who have won seven matches, while Bafana Bafana have recorded six wins, with two games between the neighbours ending in draws.

It is now seven years since the rivals last met when the Warriors edged South Africa 2-1 in an international friendly match at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in September 2013, with Knowledge Musona and Cuthbert Malajila scoring for the visitors, while Bernard Parker pulled one goal back for Bafana.

In the Battle of Limpopo, Peter Ndlovu and Musona are the highest scorers with three goals each, while Delron Buckley and Lucas Thwala follow with each having struck twice.

In this group, only Ghana and South Africa have featured at the World Cup before, while Zimbabwe and Ethiopia are seeking their maiden qualification.

Karuru, who has previously played for French Ligue 1 side US Boulogne, has vowed that the Warriors won't be on the losing side when they face their near neighbours.

“Against South Africa, there is no home, there is no away for us especially guys playing here in South Africa," he added. "It's going to be a tough one. All I can promise is that I don’t see us losing that game."

The last time the two neighbours met in a World Cup qualifier, South Africa edged Zimbabwe 2-1 at FNB Stadium in May 2001 and Bafana Bafana proceeded to the 2002 tournament in Korea/Japan.

The first leg of that qualifying campaign ended disastrously in July 2000 after 13 fans perished at Harare’s National Sports Stadium in a stampede and the match was abandoned with eight minutes to go as the visitors led 2-0 courtesy of a Buckley brace.

Allowing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s contract to run down is “typical Arsenal”, says Jermaine Pennant, with the Gunners told they should look into selling Mesut Ozil and invest those funds in a new deal for their captain.

Prolific Gabonese frontman Aubameyang has entered the final 12 months of his current terms at Emirates Stadium.

He is yet to commit to an extension, despite offering no indication that he is looking elsewhere and regular claims of confidence from the likes of Mikel Arteta when it comes to an agreement being reached.

Pennant believes Arsenal should now be forcing the issue, with the option there for them to move another big earner off their books as World Cup winner Ozil finds himself frozen out.

The former Gunners winger told talkSPORT, with Arteta’s side set to go in pursuit of major silverware when they take in a meeting with Chelsea on Saturday: “Winning the FA Cup would make it easier to keep hold of him, but the fact he’s not playing Champions League football is going to be a massive factor in him staying.

“A player of that calibre wants to be playing in the Champions League, all the top players in the world want to play on that stage.

“It’s going to be tough for Arsenal to keep him, especially with his contract running down. He’s already rejected an offer to stay, so Arteta is going to have to be doing some right good sweet-talking.

“But if you’ve got Ozil on £300,000 a week and it’s a money issue with Aubameyang, then why not just let Ozil go? Sell Ozil!

“If he’s scoring goals the way he is, just give him the money, it doesn’t matter how old he is!”

Aubameyang is now 31 years of age, but he has scored 68 goals through 108 appearances for Arsenal.

He is not the first high-profile figure that the Gunners have struggled to agree fresh terms with and Pennant admits the north London giants need to shake that unfortunate habit.

“It’s typical Arsenal,” said Pennant. “They do not learn their lesson. You would have thought they would have learned when [Aaron] Ramsey left.

“When you have got a player of that stature and what he can bring to the club – he’s top goalscorer season after season – and you’re letting his contract run down to a year so that potentially he could be going on a free, you’ve got to be snapping your best players up.

“If you want to be competing in the league and you want to be in that top four, you can’t be letting your top goalscorer leave and let his contract run down.

“It is crazy but it does seem that is the Arsenal way and when are they going to learn?”

Harambee Stars captain Victor Wanyama has been named Montreal Impact's best player for the Major League Soccer is Back tournament.

Wanyama started in all of Montreal Impact’s games in Group C until they qualified for the play-offs and went down to Orlando City a week ago in the first round of the knockout phase.

The former Celtic midfielder was named Man of the Match when Montreal Impact fought hard against DC United to secure the only win in the group that helped them sail to the knockout round.

Wanyama, who joined the MLS side early in the year, was part of the squad that engaged in the MLS is Back tournament and lost to New England Revolution and Toronto FC as well.

Although the former Tottenham Hotspur star has had an encouraging start at his first MLS club – winning Man of the Match and Man of the Tournament awards – his manager Thierry Henry cautioned that the team needs balance if they are to assure themselves of good performances.

“Yes, we do have to improve, that’s for sure,” Henry said in a previous interview. “I don’t know if you follow us since the beginning of the season, but we score goals. Have a look.

“We score goals, but we also concede. So, we have to find the right balance.

“It’s like the end of the preseason. Obviously, some things can be improved. I am proud of my players. We came here [to the MLS is Back tournament], we did what we did despite having restarted to train later than other teams.

“I have to look after my players, but we’re only five games into the league [season] and obviously we had games here, but it’s still early for me here. The process is still on.

“We still have to try to find the right balance defensively and offensively. We need to find the right balance, but I just arrived here.”

The Harambee Star left Europe after stints with Beerschot, Celtic and Southampton.

His time at Tottenham Hotspur saw him fall down the pecking order, with injuries taking a toll before he switched for MLS - a league that is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation - in March 2020.

Christian Pulisic will “prove to be better than Eden Hazard” if he sticks around at Chelsea, says Tony Cascarino.

The United States international is approaching the end of a productive debut campaign at Stamford Bridge.

After overcoming a slow start to life in English football and working his way back from an unfortunate injury suffered at the turn of the year, the highly-rated forward has shown that he could be a superstar in the making.

An impressive return of 10 goals and as many assists has been posted across all competitions, with there an FA Cup final date with Arsenal and second leg of the Champions League last-16 encounter with Bayern Munich to come.

Pulisic’s numbers are comparable to those Hazard managed in his first season at Chelsea, with the Belgian going on to become a modern day legend in west London.

Cascarino believes the man filling the same left-sided attacking post is capable of securing a similar standing, with the potential there for Pulisic to raise the bar even further.

“I’ve watched him develop and become a player,” Cascarino told talkSPORT.

“I looked at Hazard’s stats - first season, nine Premier League goals in his very first season, the 2012-13 season for Chelsea.

“I keep thinking: ‘Was Hazard as good as Pulisic has been?’ Pulisic has been out of the team at times through injury, he was brilliant in the Super Cup against Liverpool, but I think he has progressed into a player.

“He has got nine Premier League goals as well this season. I think Pulisic is going to be one hell of a player.

“He has got one advantage over Hazard, because Hazard was at Chelsea for a long time and over those years there were a few dips and sometimes he looked out of shape. Pulisic is a total pro, everything about him is professional.

“His pathway has been planned, from his parents down to him. The clubs, to get him to the Holy Grail of the Premier League, it’s all been programmed in a bit like an android, robot sort of form.

“Boy is he dangerous. If he stays in England for five, six, seven years for Chelsea, I think he’ll prove to be better than Hazard, and that’s a big call.”

Leon Balogun made his debut while Joe Aribo was in action as Glasgow Rangers secured a 1-0 win over Aberdeen in their first game of the 2020-21 season.

The 32-year-old defender joined the Ibrox Stadium outfit from Championship side Wigan Athletic after reaching the end of his short-term contract with the Latics.

Balogun teamed up with Wigan initially on loan from Premier League side Brighton and Hove Albion before the deal was made permanent. He subsequently played 11 games for the side.

The defender was immediately handed a starting role by manager Steven Gerrard after he proved his fitness in training along with his compatriot Aribo.

Balogun formed a four-man defence along with Borna Barisic, Connor Goldson and James Tavernier and delivered a solid performance.

The former Werder Bremen centre-back made three clearances, blocked one shot, had eight touches and recorded a 100-percent pass-success rate to help the Ibrox Stadium outfit keep a clean sheet in the encounter.  

Ryan Kent scored the only goal of the game after benefitting from Alfredo Morelos’ assist in the 21st minute.

Aribo, meanwhile, struck three shots, with two on target, made two key passes and had a 100-percent pass-success rate to ensure his side clinched their first win of the season.

The midfielder was recently named the club’s 2019-20 Young Player of the Season following his impressive showings in the campaign.

Aribo also scooped the Goal of the Season, after his fine effort against Sporting Braga helped the Gers advance into the Round of 16 of the Europa League.

The Super Eagles players featured for the duration of the game, while Belgian-born Nigerian Funso Ojo was on parade for 78 minutes but could not help Aberdeen to avoid a home defeat.

Balogun and Aribo will hope to help Rangers continue in the winning ways when they take on Bayer Leverkusen in their Europa League Round of 16 second leg tie on August 6.

The duo are key components of the Nigeria national team, with Balogun helping the West Africans secure their eighth bronze medal at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.

Manchester United need to “go and get” Jack Grealish and Jadon Sancho, says Ryan Giggs, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer urged to add greater depth to his squad with proven performers.

The Red Devils are being linked with a number of players now that the summer transfer window has swung open.

Grealish and Sancho are said to have registered on their radar for some time, with United still in the market for added creativity and cutting edge in the final third of the field.

Raids on Aston Villa and Borussia Dortmund would make sense within that recruitment project, although big money would be required in order to get either deal done.

Giggs hopes that funding will be made available, with the United legend of the opinion that a talented playmaker and exciting winger would be useful additions at Old Trafford.

He told the Webby and O’Neill YouTube channel: “Two good players. I think the thing with Grealish is he’s obviously used to the Premier League and doesn’t need to adapt to it so that’s good.

“For me from the outside, it looks like he’s got the mentality to come to this place and not bother him. Certain players can get overawed.

“Also, the good thing this year is he’s got 10 goals and got into double figures so that would be one question mark I would have had with him: does he score enough goals? To get to double figures with no penalties for Villa is impressive.

“Sancho is quick, direct but also an intelligent player.

“What I like about him is when he gets into those areas with the final ball, he doesn’t panic. A lot of quick wide players sometimes do but he picks out the right pass.

“He’s someone who can counterattack if we’re going to play that but also if a team are going to sit back, he can beat players and make things happen.

“They are two signings that may be available and if we’re able to get them, I would go and get them.”

Giggs added on the need for United, who will have Champions League football back on their agenda for 2020-21, to bring more options into their ranks: “With the lads getting a bit tired, having that strength in depth where you’re able to change it and you’re not really weakening… I think that’s what City have had. [Leroy] Sane doesn’t play and [Riyad] Mahrez comes in or Bernardo Silva doesn’t play and [Phil] Foden comes in.

“So that sort of thing where it doesn’t weaken them and you’re able to keep them fresh.

“And also, something I experienced at United, every day in training it’s competitive. The quality of training goes up because of the quality of players that are coming in. ‘

“All of a sudden, the players that have done so well at the end of the season are looking over their shoulders.

“You sign Sancho and you sign Grealish, everyone’s looking over their shoulders and thinking: ‘Is he going to be taking my place? No he’s not. I want to take it onto that next level’.

“So you need that strength in depth but also quality and good lads as well.”

Emiliano Martinez can expect to attract interest from Premier League suitors this summer, claims Ray Parlour, with the Argentine goalkeeper needing to decide whether he would be happy slipping back into a No.2 berth at Arsenal.

The South American earned an unexpected opportunity to impress when Bernd Leno suffered an unfortunate injury at Brighton shortly after the Premier League restart.

Martinez, who had previously made only six Premier League appearances across nine years with Arsenal, was asked to step in and provide cover between the sticks.

He has excelled in that role, earning plenty of plaudits along the way, and is now being tipped to receive tempting offers from afar in the current transfer window.

Former Gunners star Parlour told talkSPORT of Martinez, who is set to line up in the FA Cup final against Chelsea on Saturday: “It’s very difficult to be a No.2 because you must get very frustrated by not getting an opportunity.

“But now he’s got his chance and I had no doubt that he would prove to be a very good goalkeeper because I’ve seen him pre-season, I’ve seen the way he trains and the way he conducts himself.

“He’s just had to be patient. He’s 27 years old now. The interesting thing for me now will be does he want to stay being a No.2? Because Leno will be fit very soon, probably for the start of next season. What happens with the selection?

“Now if he’s the match-winner [against Chelsea] and has an unbelievable game and Arsenal go on to win, it’s going to be a big dilemma for Mikel Arteta going forward.

“It’s a good headache to have. You want your No.2 to be ready to go and when he did get in the team at Brighton when Leno got injured, I had no doubt that he wouldn’t let anybody down. He’s been the best player, some of the saves he has made.

“It’s whether he wants to stay No.2. Leno would still be No.1, but I’m sure there’s lots of clubs now hovering over and saying: ‘We wouldn’t mind taking him to be our No.1’. A Premier League club would be straight in saying: ‘We’re struggling in the goalkeeper situation, would you want to come and play for us week in, week out and be our No.1?’”

Legendary former Arsenal goalkeeper David Seaman agrees with that assessment, but he is hoping to see Martinez stick around and compete with Leno for minutes in 2020-21.

He told The Sun “Martinez has been out on loan with a lot of other clubs in his career and he has been playing good football. He is still young, only 27.

“I was 26 when I signed for Arsenal and I had a lot of experience before that in first team football. He is similar to me in that respect.

“Mikel has a real decision on his hands. Martinez has all the capabilities and qualities but he has only done it for a short period of time. Leno has done it for a few seasons now.

“It bodes well for the club to have two good quality keepers at the club but how do you keep them happy?

“Martinez has to realise that if Arteta stays with Leno, then he has to accept that. He is at Arsenal. The club cannot just have one good goalkeeper, and Martinez may not be kept in.”

Lazio striker Ciro Immobile has beaten the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Robert Lewandowski and Lionel Messi to the coveted Golden Shoe for 2019-20.

The Italy international has enjoyed a remarkable season in front of goal, with his best-ever return posted in league competition at 30 years of age.

Veteran frontmen have set the standard in what has been an eventful campaign for all concerned.

While Immobile tops the charts with 35 Serie A efforts to his name, his closest challengers are all seasoned performers who have made a career out of terrorising opposition defences.

Lewandowski, with 34 Bundesliga goals at Bayern Munich, is now 31 years of age, while five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo – who sits third on the Golden Shoe list after netting 31 times for Juventus – has passed his 35th birthday.

Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi, who registered 25 La Liga goals, is 33, and the leading marksmen on a Premier League stage – Jamie Vardy of Leicester (23 goals) and Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (22) have both passed their 30th birthday.

They will all be expected to maintain their stunning standards when competitive football returns after a short break for the 2020-21 campaign.

It is, however, Immobile who can revel in the fact that he currently sits at the top of the European goal charts.

He also has one more opportunity to raise his tally even further, with Serie A the last of the major divisions in Europe to finish the campaign.

Lazio will bring the curtain down on their season with a trip to Napoli on Saturday, with their top scorer needing just one more goal to match the Italian top-flight record haul of 36 set by Gonzalo Higuain when he was in Naples in 2015-16.

Immobile is already guaranteed to finish as the most potent frontman in Serie A, as Juventus have taken the decision to rest Ronaldo for their final outing against Roma – with Maurizio Sarri keeping one eye on a Champions League clash with Lyon on August 8.

The Portuguese superstar is still waiting to get his hands on a first Capocannoniere, but that wait will be extended by at least another 12 months – as will Ronaldo’s pursuit of a fifth Golden Shoe.

The only other member of the top 10 that can add to their tally from this point is Romelu Lukaku of Inter – who is set to face Atalanta on Saturday – but the Belgian has only 23 goals to his name at present and would need to break all kinds of records in order to top Immobile.