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Henry Onyekuru has not been included in Monaco’s 26-man team for their five-day pre-season trip to Poland.

The Nigeria international recently ended his loan Galatasaray spell during the Turkish Super Lig campaign to return to the Ligue 1 club.

The Red and Whites did not give any reason for Onyekuru's snub while Stevan Jovetic and Cesc Fabregas, who missed the trip, are said to be at La Turbie as they continue their recovery to action.

Senegal's Keita Balde is another notable omission from the selection while Malian descent Youssouf Fofana, Ivory Coast's Jean-Eudes Aholou and Senegalese descent Sofiane Diop made the cut.

Monaco will spend the entire week in Opalenica before heading to Germany to play Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt at Commerzbank Arena on Saturday.

Onyekuru joined Monaco on a five-year deal in August 2019 after an unsuccessful spell Everton but his debut campaign in the French top-flight did not go as planned.

He will be aiming to fight his way to into Niko Kovac's team after he struggled to establish himself in Robert Moreno's system before the Spanish manager was fired this month.

The 23-year-old played just four Ligue 1 matches for Monaco last season before he was loaned to Galatasaray in January for his second loan spell with the Lions.

He revealed his ambition to rediscover his form at Monaco when the 2020-21 Ligue 1 season begins on August 22.

"I have been with players like Keita Balde from my days at the Aspire Academy, Cesc Fabregas is a top guy, who welcomed me when I arrived at the club, it's like going back home,” Onyekuru said.

"Monaco are a big club they know how to work with their players when it comes to transfers, just look at Anthony Martial.

"I hope to make a good season or two and hopefully the future will be bright."

Equatorial Guinea defender Oluwatobiloba Olanrewaju has signed a new one-year deal with Spanish side Racing Santander.

Olanrewaju joined Racing in January 2020 from top-flight side Sporting de Huelva, where she spent three months, making five appearances since arriving from Nigerian club Rivers Angels. 

She impressed, for the most part, playing in several positions and scoring once at Racing before the Spanish Reto Iberdrola cancellation due to the coronavirus pandemic in May. 

Her fine input in a brief campaign with Racing in their top-flight promotion bid saw the club reward her with a contract extension.

The Santander outfit confirmed the news of the centre-back extending her stay for one more season in a statement on Monday night.

She becomes the sixth player to earn a contract extension at the second division club after Carmen Gutierrez, Carlona Diaz, Irene Dela Puente, Ali Ruiz and Lincija Vaitukaitite.

"Today is the renewal of our team lung in the midfield Tobi another year defending the green colours," the club wrote on Twitter.

Before her move to Spain, Olanrewaju starred for Confluence Queens and Sunshine Queens before helping Rivers Angels to a 2018 Champions Shield title and 2019 Federation Cup runners-up.

She shone brightly in the colours of Equatorial Guinea, featuring at U17 and U20 level before later turning out for the senior team.

Having extended her stay in Santander, Olanrewaju will be hoping to lead her side to achieve their promotion in the coming season.

Adam Lallana has explained his decision to leave Liverpool for Brighton, describing the Seagulls as “the perfect fit”.

Lallana brought to an end his six-year spell at Anfield last week, capping his time on Merseyside with the Premier League title.

The 32-year-old joined Brighton on a three-year deal, and will be hoping to help them improve on this season’s 15th-place finish under Graham Potter.

Lallana says he wanted to go somewhere outside of his comfort zone, and Brighton fit the bill.

“For me in my life now, if you know me as a person, I don’t think I’m ever in my comfort zone,” Lallana told talkSPORT. “I’m always looking to push myself and improve myself.

“One thing I have learnt over the last year is that there is no limit to whatever you want to achieve. You can always better yourself every day. I’ve seen the best players in the world living with that attitude.

“People might see it as a brave move but I see it as a very calculated but perfect move. The perfect fit. It will probably go down as a big signing for Brighton but I don’t see it as that. I see it as a big move for myself coming to a fantastic club with huge ambition. I’m looking forward to being part of a great journey that lies ahead.

“I see the qualities of Brighton. I’ve seen the infrastructure. I’ve spoken to the manager. Spoken with the chairman and Dan Ashworth, the technical director. There’s a plan there and a vision and a project.

“I’m so excited to be part of that. Add to what they’ve already got and hopefully improve every aspect. Willingness to learn and keep improving as a player and person and I think we can achieve good things moving forward.”

Lallana was also asked about his emotional tribute to Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson. He welled up when talking about Henderson after Liverpool lifted the league title, saying nobody deserved success more than his skipper.

“It’s obviously very apparent that we are best mates and our wives are best mates, our kids are best friends and go to the same schools,” he said.

“I didn’t want to hold anything in or block anything in. I felt like I got all my emotion out. As soon as Saturday arrived and Sunday came and I knew I was heading down for my medical on Monday, I was so ready for my next challenge.

“Everything was Brighton this and Brighton that. I know it sounds pretty blunt to put a line under Liverpool but it is. I felt like I dealt with leaving Liverpool and want to make that transition over to Brighton. I felt like I’ve done that as well as possible.

“Me and Jordan will be in contact forever. Best mates. I’ll have to introduce him to the south coast so when we are both retired maybe he’ll have a little place down there, who knows.”

Caf Medical Committee member Prince Pambo wants Ghana to ensure all national team players are tested for coronavirus ahead of the commencement of camp for upcoming international assignments.

Ghana's U20 female team and both men and women's U17 sides have been given special clearance by the national government to regroup despite a current ban on all contact sports, including football, as part of measures to curb the spread of the disease.

“All the players must be tested before they begin camping. An isolation centre must be created in camp so that when a player is infected, they can be quarantined and possibly treated," Pambo told Happy FM.

“An ambulance must also be made available at the camp while all players must have a room to themselves. Two buses must be provided for the team so that proper social distancing can be done."

Ghana's U17 women's team are set to take on Nigeria in the 2021 World Cup qualifiers in October and November while the U20 women's outfit have a World Cup qualifier against Guinea-Bissau in September.

The U17 male team are preparing for a Wafu tournament.

“The minister of sports had earlier on presented proposal on the national teams who had international assignments so we had to advice the president to allow the teams train beginning 1st August 2020,” Ghana's special advisor on health at the presidency Nsiah Asare told Kumasi FM on the special dispensation for the three teams.

“The return matches of these national teams will be played behind close doors. The GFA will choose the venues for these games.

“The teams will be camped with tight security where no one will be allowed to come out - as is done in our second cycle institutions - until they complete the return encounters.

“We will be doing the mandatory testing for these national teams as Fifa has recommended and the European clubs are following.”

In a separate interview with Asempa FM, Nsiah revealed: "The Government will take care of the testing and all the health protocols of the players while in camp".

The Covid-19 situation resulted in the premature termination of Ghana's 2019-20 football season.

Allegations that Manchester City artificially inflated commercial agreements with their main sponsor Etihad were "not established to the comfortable satisfaction" of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which also concluded the Premier League club showed a "blatant disregard" for UEFA's Financial Fair Play (FFP) investigation principles.

City had a two-season ban from UEFA competitions quashed earlier this month after CAS found they were not guilty of "disguising equity funds as sponsorship contributions", although they were fined €10 million (£9m/$11m) for not co-operating with the investigation launched by European football's governing body.

UEFA, which previously punished City for FFP violations in May 2014, opened a fresh probe on the back of a series of articles published by German publication Der Spiegel in November 2018, which drew upon information obtained by the whistleblower Football Leaks.

On Tuesday, CAS released its full findings on the case, which explained those emails were admissible evidence.

Tthe allegation that sponsorship money from Etihad - the Abu Dhabi airline that adorns City's playing shirts and lends its name to the club's stadium and training facility - was funnelled in via the Abu Dhabi United Group and Sheikh Mansour's personal fortune could not be proven.

"There is no doubt that Etihad fully complied with its payment towards MCFC [Man City] and that MCFC rendered the contractually agreed services to Etihad in return," the CAS verdict read.

"The majority of the panel finds that Etihad Sponsorship Agreements are presumed to be negotiated at fair value and that MCFC, HHSM [Mansour], ADUG and Etihad are considered not to be 'related parties'. The Etihad Sponsorship Agreement were legally binding contracts.

"There is no evidence that agreements were backdated or that MCFC otherwise retrospectively tried to cover up any alleged violations following the publication of the leaked emails."

During the period addressed by the investigation, City were entitled to sponsorship fees and bonuses of just over £220m ($285m).

Similar claims concerning City's arrangements with Abu Dhabi telecommunications company Etisalat were found to be time-barred under UEFA's rules, because the alleged offences took place more than five years before the case was referred to the adjudicatory chamber of UEFA's Club Financial Control Board (CFCB) on May 15, 2019.

Despite the relief felt by Pep Guardiola and his club upon learning they would be able to compete in next season's Champions League, CAS said City should be "strongly condemned" for failing to assist UEFA's investigation.

"The majority of the panel finds that MCFC's failure to cooperate with the CFCB's investigation is a severe breach and that MCFC is to be seriously reproached for obstructing the CFCB's investigations," it concluded, adding it hoped the fine would be a "sufficiently strong deterrent" to any other clubs that might contravene the FFP process.

UEFA has come in for criticism in the weeks since the verdict, but the Swiss-based court said it had a "legitimate basis to prosecute" City and did not instigate "frivolous charges".

Indeed, CAS felt the responsibility for the case going so far lay at the door of City and their standoffish approach.

"The new evidence presented by MCFC in the present proceedings before CAS had an impact on the panel's findings," it said.

"The panel cannot put itself in the shoes of the adjudicatory chamber at the time of issuance of the appealed decision, but it finds that the possibility cannot be excluded that the adjudicatory chamber may have reached the same conclusions as the panel in the present proceedings, had such evidence been made available to it.

"The relevance of this is that MCFC may have avoided the appealed decision by already filing such evidence before the CFCB. The appealed decision is therefore not per se wrong, but, at least to a certain extent, is a consequence of MCFC's decision to produce the most relevant evidence at its disposal, only in the present appeal arbitration proceedings before CAS."

Mamelodi Sundowns have officially parted ways with midfielder Oupa Manyisa. 

The Tshwane giants confirmed the news in a statement released on Tuesday night, adding that the relationship between them and the former Orlando Pirates captain ended on June 30.  

Sundowns then decided against exercising an option they had on Manyisa's contract, the club confirmed.

"The relationship between Mamelodi Sundowns and Oupa Manyisa has come to an end after the club elected not to exercise its option for an extension," read part of the statement on the Sundowns website. 

"The 31-year-old Manyisa has spent 3 seasons at Mamelodi Sundowns having joined the team in August 2017 from Orlando Pirates and played nearly 50 games for Mamelodi Sundowns.

"During his stay, the midfielder contributed to the club’s success and is one of the most decorated players in the Premier Soccer League having won two of his league titles with Mamelodi Sundowns.

"Manyisa’s contract with the club officially ended on the 30th of June 2020."

Coach Pitso Mosimane said Manyisa was a pleasure to work with and lauded the midfielder for managing his social life well. 

"Oupa has been a pleasure to work with. Despite his near iconic status, he gave 100 per cent in training and managed his social life well," said Mosimane. 

Manyisa's final season with the Brazilians was marred by a nasty Achilles tendon injury suffered against Kaizer Chiefs in the Shell Helix Cup in October 2019. 

And Mosimane admits Manyisa's only fully recovered in February - a month before the lockdown.   

"It's a pity that he didn’t play much this year and his Achilles only healed just a month before the lockdown break and he had played in a few friendlies. He is an exceptional player that can play in any position and will be an asset to any team," concluded Mosimane. 

He leaves Sundowns having made just nine appearances across all the competitions in the past two seasons, including two so far this term. 

Overall, Manyisa managed just 47 matches in his three-year stay with Sundowns. He found the back of the net just once and registered two assists since his arrival from the Buccaneers. 

Manyisa was expected to regain his form when his former teammate at both Pirates and Bafana Bafana Andile Jali joined the club in 2018, but he failed dismally to dislodge Hlompho Kekana and Tiyani Mabunda for a place in Mosimane's midfield.

Kakamega Homeboyz have finally complied by remitting their bank account and will thus receive their first payment from the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) as part of the sponsorship from BetKing Kenya.

After Gor Mahia complied on Tuesday, Homeboyz were left on their own as the other teams in the top-flight, including promoted sides Nairobi City Stars and Bidco United, had already submitted the forms and received first grants from Friday.

Homeboyz chairman Cleophas Shimanyula confirmed to Goal they have submitted their bank account to the federation and were expecting to receive the payments anytime soon.

“We wanted to read the deal which was signed between FKF and BetKing Kenya and on Monday, my club officials were at the federation to go through the same, we are not 100% satisfied but have decided to submit what they [FKF] had asked for,” Shimanyula told Goal.

Goal now understands the FKF had threatened to kick out Homeboyz from the top-flight had they not responded to the letter in the next seven days.

“We will give them seven days to confirm their participation or otherwise they get relegated to the lower tier league and we will not promote any team thereafter. In that way we will end up having 16 teams in the top tier,” an insider from FKF, and who did not want to be named, told Goal.

“We will remove them and let them go to court and we will handle it from there. They have clearly shown that they are not willing to work with us.”

In a previous interview, Homeboyz chairman Cleophas Shimanyula told Goal they will only fill the form after getting a clearance from their legal team.

“We are not in a hurry to get the money, first of all, we want to know whether the deal signed by FKF is genuine or not,” Shimanyula told Goal on Friday.

“We are not starving, and furthermore Ksh500, 000 is very little to even pay player salaries so we are not in a hurry to go for the money, we will sign the form and remit our bank account when we are very sure that the deal signed between FKF and BetKing is binding.

“I know some other club chairmen have been lured to sign and submit their bank accounts but I can assure you Homeboyz, will be the last, we have to be very sure what we are doing is legal and binding.”

A week ago, the FKF signed a lucrative sponsorship deal worth Ksh1.2billion with the betting firm, who is replacing SportPesa, and will see each club in the top-flight receive Ksh8million annually.

AFC Leopards legend Charles Okwemba feels youngster Austin Odhiambo was misled by going to the media and publicly expressing his frustrations.

The Ingwe youngster has been under pressure from the fans for revealing he is 90% sure about leaving the team. He went on to reveal he has not been able to pay his rent and the 13-time champions are doing nothing about it.

The midfielder categorically stated he wants to play in the Caf Champions League next season, but might consider staying at the Den if Ingwe clear what they owe him.

"I understand his frustrations, but he could have taken them to the office and not in the media," Okwemba told Goal on Tuesday.

"The best thing he could have done is send his agent or if he does not have one, get a representative who can go and negotiate with the team on his behalf. 

"It is a very concerning situation, yes, but it needed sober and wise handling. It is the only way to go because we also understand the situation of most teams in the country."

The 40-year-old believes the move was misinformed and might bring him dire consequences once the season resumes. To avoid that, the former Kenya international has advised the young creative midfielder to be humble and own up to his mistakes.

"The outbursts put the boy at loggerheads with the fans and it might put him under pressure when the league resumes," Okwemba continued.

"The fans will not make it easy for him during his bad days in the office, they will hit him with all kinds of insults. The best thing for him to do is use the same channel or maybe find a way of apologising to the fans.

"He has to mend the otherwise spoiled relationship with the Ingwe faithful."

So to avoid all these, should Leopards let him leave?

"No, he is a good player and can be influential for the team," Okwemba stated. 

"We all know he is talented. All that the team need to do is talk to him and advise him. Being a young boy, he needs to be guided.

"Furthermore, he still belongs to the team and has a running contract."

Timo Werner says Frank Lampard was the main reason he decided to join Chelsea this summer.

The 23-year-old Germany forward joined from RB Leipzig for £47.5 million ($59m), signing a five-year contract at Stamford Bridge, and he has now begun training with his new side.

For some time previously it had seemed certain that Werner would end up at Liverpool with the likes of Bayern Munich and Real Madrid also linked, but Chelsea got their man.

Explaining why he chose the Blues, Werner told the club’s official website: “He [Lampard] was the main point.

“We talked a lot about things like the system, how he wants to play and sees me playing, and how the system fits me.

“He is a really nice guy who not only told me what he wants from me as a player because he wants to help me as a guy.

“He knows me now a little bit better and it fits very well between us and now I am happy to be here.”

After four successful years with Leipzig, Werner was keen to ensure he made the right move once he decided to leave.

He left Leipzig as the club's record goalscorer, including 34 goals in 45 games in 2019-20, and he will be looking to continue that form in his new, more storied surroundings.

“When you have a decision to go from your old club and you come to a big club like this, it was for me a dream which came true because Chelsea is a very big club,” he added.

“I know of the players before when they won the Champions League with [Didier] Drogba, with my new manager Frank Lampard, Petr Cech as the technical advisor, it is like a little dream for me but I want to become, not the same player as them, but I want to be part of a new era here so I will try to give my best.

“The style of the Premier League is very fast and my speciality is that I am really fast so I think it is perfect for me to play here.

“It is another league in another country so I can improve myself and go to another level, so those are the reasons I came to the Premier League and to Chelsea.”

Demba Ba has recalled how former manager Jose Mourinho blocked a move to join Arsenal during his time with Chelsea.

The 35-year-old, now at Istanbul Basaksehir, joined Chelsea in January 2013 from Newcastle after impressing during his two-year stay with the Magpies, where he scored 29 Premier League goals in 54 games.

The Senegal international, however, wanted to leave the Blues in the summer as the arrival of Cameroon and Barcelona legend Samuel Eto’o was expected to limit his playing time.  

Ba remembered how he was close to teaming up with Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal on transfer deadline day before the deal was scuttled by the Portuguese tactician.

“I was really close [to joining Arsenal]. I was at my house in Paris, having a day off, when I got a phone call from Arsene Wenger – he asked if I’d come back to London for a medical,” Ba told FourFourTwo. “I woke up at 9am on transfer deadline day, jumped on a train, got to London, but then it never happened.

“Arsenal made a couple of signings on the same day [Mesut Ozil and Emiliano Viviano] and Mourinho chose to block the deal, as he didn’t want to help make one of Chelsea’s competitors stronger.”

Ba only started five Premier League games in the 2013-14 season but made key impacts for the Blues coming off the bench.

The striker recalled one of his most eye-catching performances for Chelsea against Paris Saint-Germain when he scored the match winner in their Champions League quarter-final.

“Being a young kid from the hood in Paris, growing up in poverty and then scoring the goal that took Chelsea to the Champions League semi-finals, that felt like a great achievement,” he continued.

“I had to find a way of dealing with not starting matches, but when you don’t play and you’re surrounded by players who do, the negativity comes.

"Near the end of that season, I decided to stop moaning, work hard until the season was done, then move on. When I stopped complaining, I started to score and play more.

“I remember having a chat with Mourinho once the season was finished when he asked me to stay for another year, but I had already decided to go.”

Ba left Chelsea in 2014 to join Turkish side Besiktas before moving to China to team up with Shanghai Shenhua.

The forward, who has also previously featured for Goztepe, recently helped Istanbul Basaksehir to win the 2019-20 Super Lig title.

The centre-forward has made 22 appearances for Senegal, scoring four goals but was not part of the side that finished as runner-up in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.

Police FC have announced the signing of goalkeeper Tom Ikara from Mbarara City FC.

Ikara was one of the players being targeted by the newly crowned Ugandan Premier League (UPL) champions Vipers SC but has instead, opted to sign for the ‘Cops’ on a two-year deal.

Police have confirmed the arrival of Ikara on their social media pages by stating: “Tom [Ikara] has put pen to paper to a two-year deal with ‘The Cops’.”

On signing the deal, Ikara, who has also featured Busoga United and KCCA FC before he signed for Mbarara on a loan deal, said: “I'm going to do my best and put in a better performance than before.

“Police is a big team with history and I am happy to associate with it.”

On his part, Police head coach Abdallah Mubiru stated: “We thank God who has enabled us to acquire his services because he brings a lot of experience and commitment.”

The signing of Ikara was done on Tuesday at the club’s offices based at CID Police headquarters, Kibuli. Before signing for Mbarara, Ikara had been approached by Vipers, a move he turned down the same as Uganda Revenue Authority (URA FC) who had sought his services.

Ikara becomes the third signing for Police, who have already captured the services of experienced midfielder Tony Mawejje from Al-Arabi SC in Kuwait, and Hassan Muhamood from Onduparaka FC.

Meanwhile, midfielders Yusuf Ssozi and Johnson Odong have all renewed their contracts with the club, who have set their sight in winning major titles in the coming season.

On unveiling Mawejje a week ago, Police chairman Asan Kasingye stated they will make sure they leave a mark in the league come the new season.

“We no longer just want to compete; we need to win trophies. We are former champions and its time to think big,” Kasingye told reporters.

“Football is a big enterprise in the world that doesn’t entertain mediocrity. We need to do the right thing like other clubs.”

Kasingye added it was the right time for the team to secure sponsors because Police are a big organisation and many people want to be part of it.

Pele has paid tribute to the efforts of “modern athlete” Cristiano Ronaldo, with the Juventus superstar having added a second Serie A title to his enviable collection of honours.

The Bianconeri have wrapped up a ninth successive domestic crown in the Italian top flight.

Ronaldo’s presence in Turin has helped to cement that dominance, with the five-time Ballon d’Or winner showing no sign of slowing down at 35 years of age.

He continues to set the standard for those around him, with a place among the all-time greats safely secured.

Pele also occupies that talent bracket, and the Brazilian legend remains a big fan of a modern-day superstar.

He is pleased to see Ronaldo’s remarkable professionalism and dedication to his craft being richly rewarded, with major honours collected on a regular basis.

An iconic figure of the past is also happy for fellow countrymen Douglas Costa, Danilo and Alex Sandro, who have picked up another medal alongside their illustrious Portuguese team-mate.

Pele said in a post on his official Instagram account: “@Cristiano is the modern athlete, who shows everyone that success always comes to those who are dedicated and love what they do.

“Also, I would like to congratulate my fellow Brazilians @douglascosta, @alxsndro12 and @daniluiz2. Great work winning the @seriea title, @juventus.”

Pele has aired his admiration for Ronaldo on a regular basis down the years, with the three-time World Cup winner going as far as to place the Juve forward at the top of the global game.

For him, Portuguese power wins out over Argentine flair, with Barcelona icon Lionel Messi forced to operate in the shadow of an eternal rival.

Pele has said: "Today the best player in the world is Cristiano Ronaldo.

"I think he's the best, because he's more consistent, but you can't forget about Messi, of course, but he's not a striker."

After helping Juve to another Serie A title, Ronaldo is about to turn his attention towards the pursuit of a sixth Champions League crown.

Maurizio Sarri’s side still have two domestic fixtures to take in this season, but focus is already drifting towards the second leg of a Champions League last-16 encounter with Lyon on August 7 that the Bianconeri currently trail 1-0.

Harry Maguire says the future at Manchester United is all about “winning trophies and Premier Leagues”, with top-four finishes considered to be the “minimum requirement”.

The Red Devils have booked themselves a return ticket to Champions League competition for 2020-21.

Having found a spark at the turn of the year, an impressive run of form has carried Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s through lockdown and to third spot in the table.

Another transfer window has now opened, presenting them with a chance to further bolster their ranks, and the intention of everybody at Old Trafford is to build from this point.

Maguire believes lofty targets should be set, with a side accustomed to challenging for major honours determined to put themselves in a position where tangible success can be savoured.

“That’s why I joined this club. I joined this club to play Champions League football,” club captain Maguire told MUTV.

“At the start of the season not many people fancied us. Now we are third in the league everyone is going to go ‘well, it’s expected for Manchester United’. But at the start of the season no-one fancied us to reach the top four but we’ve worked hard, we’ve improved and I think that’s the main thing this season.

“What you see is a proper Manchester United team where we’re not happy to just fight for the top four, that’s not us.

“We’re realists and we knew we’re not going to jump the points total that we finished on last season to win the Premier League. It’s not impossible, you’ve seen Leicester do it, but it’s hard.

“We set a target of the top four as a minimum requirement, we had great belief that we would get there. We have left it late but we’ve got there in the end.

“It’s not what we want in the future. The future is all about winning trophies and winning Premier Leagues. The main thing this season is to see the improvement from last season, and it’s been enormous.”

United wrapped up third spot when downing Leicester 2-0 on the final day of the season, with Maguire happy to have established momentum that also has the Red Devils chasing down Europa League glory.

He added: “We knew we had to put some run together to reach the top four.

“We gave ourselves a lot to catch up and do. We were a bit inconsistent over the start of the season, as I’ve been saying over the last few weeks, and it was nice to put a run together at the right time.

“I don’t think we sat third in the Premier League since the opening day. To go into the last day knowing we could draw as well, the onus was on them [Leicester].

“We wanted to win the game, that was the priority, finish third in the league. We’ve managed to do that and now it’s full focus on the Europa League because we want to win trophies.”

United will be back in action on August 5 when taking in the second leg of a Europa League last-16 clash with LASK that they currently lead 5-0 on aggregate.

Los Angeles FC manager Bob Bradley has showered encomium on Latif Blessing after helping the club reach the quarter-finals of the MLS Is Back Tournament on Monday.

The 23-year-old featured prominently as LAFC secured a 4-1 victory over Seattle Sounders FC in the Round of 16 of the tournament at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.

After Diego Rossi opened the scoring from the penalty spot, Ghanaian midfielder Blessing then doubled the lead with a fine effort.

The 23-year-old struck a sublime shot from the edge of the box after he was set up by Bradley Wright-Phillips which was diverted into the net.

Rossi then completed his brace with eight minutes left to play before Brian Rodriguez sealed the victory to render Will Bruin’s effort a mere consolation.

Bradley is delighted with the contribution of the Ghanaian midfielder and Liberty Professionals academy graduate in the encounter.

“We started in a strong way. Latif [Blessing] in the middle brought a lot of energy tonight to go with the strong play of Mark [Anthony Kaye] and Eduard [Atuesta]. The third goal was hard to get,” Bradley told the club website.  

LAFC lost 3-1 to Seattle Sounders FC last time out and Blessing is thrilled with his side's response at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.

“We needed to win this game. This time around, it was like payback time,” Blessing said.

The midfielder started his career in his home country in 2013 when he joined Liberty Professionals youth setup and was promoted to the senior side a year later.

In the 2016 Ghana Premier League season, the midfielder scored 17 goals to emerge as the top-scorer of the division and was named the player of the year by the GFA.

Following the performances, he joined MLS side Sporting Kansas City in January 2017 and featured 25 times, scoring three goals, before teaming up with LAFC.

The midfielder will hope to continue his impressive showings to boost his chances of playing for the Ghana national team.

Barcelona returned to training on Tuesday ahead of the resumption of the Champions League, with Ousmane Dembele and Antoine Griezmann both reporting for duty after injury layoffs.

The French duo have both been sidelined with injuries but underwent individual recovery work as they continued their rehabilitation.

Griezmann suffered a thigh problem in the 1-0 win over Real Valladolid on July 11, forcing him to miss the final two La Liga games of the campaign as Barca were dethroned by Real Madrid during the run-in.

As for Dembele, his season was seemingly over when he underwent surgery to repair his damaged hamstring back in February.

However, the extension of the 2019-20 campaign due to the coronavirus pandemic has raised the possibility of the winger featuring in Europe.

Meanwhile, defender Clement Lenglet also worked away from the rest of the group, with the centre-back attempting to overcome a groin injury suffered on the last day of the league campaign.

Barca are beginning preparations for the delayed second leg of their last-16 tie against Napoli, which is to be played on August 8 at Camp Nou. The teams drew 1-1 in the first meeting, which took place on Italian soil at Stadio San Paolo in February.

The subsequent knockout rounds will take place in Portugal, all as one-off games following changes to the schedule caused by the COVID-19 crisis.

Lionel Messi questioned Barca's chances of beating Napoli after their failure to retain the La Liga title, telling reporters after a shock defeat to Osasuna: "We are Barca and we have to win everything.

"We can't look at Madrid…Madrid have done their job, but we have helped them a lot.

"If we want to win the Champions League, we have to change a lot. If we continue like this, we will lose the game against Napoli."

Should Quique Setien's men progress to the quarter-finals, they will be rewarded with a clash against either Bayern Munich or Chelsea.

The German outfit already have one foot in the last eight after thrashing the Blues 3-0 at Stamford Bridge in the first leg of their round of 16 encounter back in February.

Kepa Arrizabalaga will be "on his way" out of Chelsea this summer, according to Mark Bosnich, who has suggested that the under-fire goalkeeper has fallen out with Frank Lampard.

Chelsea forked out a club-record fee of £72 million ($93m) to bring Kepa to Stamford Bridge from Athletic Club in the summer of 2018.

The 25-year-old was drafted in to replace Thibaut Courtois following the Belgian's move to Real Madrid, and he was quickly thrust into the deep end by Maurizio Sarri.

Kepa's first year in west London was underwhelming, with his most notable moment coming when he refused to come off as a substitute during the Blues' Carabao Cup final loss to Manchester City.

Frank Lampard kept faith with the Spain international after taking over from Sarri last year, but he has continued to fall below the required standard between the sticks.

Chelsea conceded 54 Premier League goals in 2019-20, more than any other side in the top 10, and Kepa was dropped from Lampard's line-up following his latest questionable performance in a 5-3 defeat at Liverpool on July 22.

Willy Cabellero filled in for the Spaniard for a final day victory over Wolves, with Lampard admitting post-match that the most expensive 'keeper in history has had a "difficult time" of late.

Bosnich thinks Kepa's time at Chelsea is already up, and that his old club cannot afford to let a top-earner sit on the sidelines and run his contract down.

"When a big club that has been challenging for honours purchase a goalkeeper it’s for right there and right now," The former Blues shot-stopper told Sky Sports.

"He hasn't had a particularly good season and the bottom line is you have a fall-out with the manager in any kind of way, it's a slippery slope.

"So I can fully understand Frank wanting to basically take that level up and to say 'look, listen, he's just not for me, I want somebody else'.

"If that's the case then there's going to be an issue as the club shelled out so much money for him. I don't think they'll be able to recoup that money, they may be able to recoup some.

"And of course the goalkeeper can make it very difficult for Chelsea by saying that if you are going to sit me out of the team then I'll stay here on these massive wages and run down my contract for nothing.

"They've got a big decision to make. I think it's quite evident from what we've seen, and the fact that he didn't play in that last game of the season, that he will be on his way."

Fernandinho has discussed Brazil’s national team post with Pep Guardiola, but the Manchester City star considers it to be “impossible” for the Catalan to take charge of the Selecao.

There have been suggestions in the past that the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss would be open to the idea of working with the five-time world champions.

Back in 2015, Dani Alves claimed that Guardiola had expressed a desire to oversee events at a home World Cup in the previous summer.

He told ESPN: “Pep said he wanted to make Brazil a World Cup champion and had an entire strategy to make us a world champion.

“But they didn’t want it, because they said that they didn’t know if Brazil would accept a foreign coach.”

Fernandinho believes that remains the case in his homeland, while Guardiola is also of the opinion that high-profile positions in South America should be filled by native coaches.

City’s versatile Brazil international told Globo Esporte when asked about the talk of his club boss taking charge of a prestigious national side: “Once we talked about it, but in a very informal way, more in review. Mainly because of the news that came out in Brazil that claimed he had said that he would like to train Brazil. 

“But I believe it is a bit impossible. He said he thinks Brazil and Argentina should always have Brazilian and Argentine coaches. We produce so many players, we have the capacity to produce great coaches. 

“Within the more informal conversation I believe it is difficult, but in football there is no certainty about anything.”

Fernandinho has spent the last four years working with Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium.

The 35-year-old had already spent three seasons in Manchester before Guardiola arrived, winning a Premier League title along the way, but admits collective standards have been raised under the guidance of a demanding coach.

“He is quite intense, in the sense of the amount of information we receive,” Fernandinho added.

“It's really big. It makes us learn and grow a lot. All the players who had the privilege to work with him noticed this difference. 

“The moment you start working with him and then stop, the difference from what you learn is a very cool thing, it makes you think and fall in love with football again, of wanting to learn more and more.”

Cristiano Ronaldo is “the Michael Jordan of football”, says Jesse Lingard, with the former Manchester United star and current Juventus talisman held up as a “real icon” in the sporting world.

Comparisons across sporting fields are difficult to make, with different skill sets required in order to reach the very top of contrasting games.

In NBA circles, Jordan reached the summit over the course of two iconic spells with the Chicago Bulls.

He is rightly considered to be one of the finest sportsmen of all time, not just one of the greatest basketball players.

Few can claim to have scaled such heights in their chosen field, but five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo does form part of that elite group.

Lingard, who once worked alongside the Portuguese at Old Trafford, admits as much, with a big basketball fan placing a Portuguese legend alongside Jordan on any roll of honour.

"I have to say Cristiano Ronaldo," the United and England midfielder told Sky Sports when asked if there are any footballers that can be likened to Jordan.

"Everything he has achieved in his career. He has been at plenty of clubs and won many trophies. I believe he is a real icon of football, the Michael Jordan of football.

"When [Ronaldo] first came to Manchester United, I was 11 or 12. We did a skills DVD and it was him teaching us skills which was good. That was the first time I had seen him. He was young and skinny when he came [to the club].

"I have played against him a few times. Did he give me trouble? No, he wasn't too bad, to be fair! There was one game in pre-season where he came on and you could see the skills and the qualities that he brought."

Basketball is preparing to return after a coronavirus-enforced break, with football having already led the way there.

Lingard will be an interested spectator when the likes of LeBron James and Zion Williamson return to the court, with the 27-year-old one of several avid NBA followers in the world of football.

"Basketball has different tactics and ways of playing and they set up a lot different [to football teams] but [as a player] you can relate. Certain players are small and agile and can bring their teams into games. That's similar to football," added the Red Devils academy graduate.

"When Romelu Lukaku was at Manchester United, he was very keen on basketball. He was in Miami with Paul Pogba playing basketball. I think those two would be up there, for me."

Belgian First Division A club Oostende have announced the signing of Makhtar Gueye from Ligue 1 side Saint-Etienne and the forward has quickly set out his target.

Goal earlier reported the centre-forward was close to sealing a deal with the Versluys Arena outfit and completed the move on Tuesday morning.

The Senegalese signed a four-year deal with an option of an additional one-year extension on the condition of impressive performances for the side.  

 Gueye believes the club would serve as a springboard for him to play in bigger leagues in future and revealed how Oostende‘s President Gauthier Ganaye influenced his decision.

"I'm good with my back to goal and I can keep up with the ball to let my teammates join in," Gueye told the club website.

"In addition, I can also take my goals. I signed at KVO because Executive President Gauthier Ganaye gave me a lot of confidence and because young players get opportunities here.

“The Belgian league is also the ideal stepping stone to the even higher ranking competitions.”

Club’s President Ganaye revealed his delight to sign the centre-forward, whom he has been monitoring for a few months.

"I have been trying to get him here for several months so this is an important asset to us,” Ganaye said.

“Now we are looking to strengthen ourselves in defence and in midfield and then our homework is done. There is some work in the pipeline, but we will be a young, attractive team to watch.”

Gueye will link up with Cameroon goalkeeper Fabrice Ondoa and Zambia international Fashion Sakala at Versluys Arena.

The striker has been with the Saints since the summer of 2018 when he joined the club’s youth setup and has only featured in five league games since his promotion to the first team.

Gueye spent the 2019-20 season on loan with Ligue 2 side Nancy and gave a good account of himself, helping them to finish second on the table.

The 22-year-old scored seven goals in 23 appearances across all competitions, amid other dazzling displays for the club.

Oostende finished 15th on the Belgian top-flight table last season and the addition of the forward could help them compete for titles in the 2020-21 campaign.

The forward will be expected to make his debut for the Versluys Arena outfit during their pre-season games.

The South African Football Association (Safa) has confirmed that three of their 110 match officials have tested positive for Covid-19. 

Last week, the association ran a series of tests for all the match officials that will take part in the completion of the 2019-20 season. 

And the results came back earlier this week with Safa chief medical doctor and compliance officer Dr Thulani Ngwenya confirming that only three of the tests conducted came back positive for the coronavirus. 

According to Ngwenya, the said referees are all asymptomatic.    

"Only three referees tested positive for Covid-19 but are all asymptomatic," Ngwenya told the Safa website.  

Ngwenya revealed that the three referees are being monitored daily and have been isolated on the other wing of the hotel where the rest of the match officials are.  

"We are monitoring them on a daily basis and they are quarantining on the other wing of the hotel," he said.

Safa would hope for the speedy recovery of the trio more so after the PSL announced on Monday that the season will resume on August 8. 

The country's FA had proposed August 1 as their preferred return date but the league's decision to start a week later would give the trio enough time to recover. 

Safa will need as many referees as possible to handle the remaining matches of the season.

There are 54 PSL matches, 44 NFD and three Nedbank Cup games still to play in the next few weeks. 

As PSL chairman Dr Irvin Khoza said on Monday, chances are that there will be competitive matches almost every day in order for the season to completed as soon as possible. 

While Khoza didn't disclose the date for the conclusion of the current campaign, he confirmed the season will go beyond August 31 and into the first or second week of September.    

The Nedbank Cup semi-finals will kick start the suspended season on the weekend of August 8 with the rest of the league matches expected to start by no later than August 12. 

The current season has been suspended since mid-March and the PSL together with Safa worked around the clock to ensure football returns in the country.