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Former Barcelona star Andrea Orlandi has advised Spanish club Villarreal on the best position of Samuel Chukwueze.

The Super Eagles forward made a substitute appearance in the Yellow Submarine’s 2-1 defeat to Real Sociedad in Monday’s La Liga game at the Estadio de la Ceramica.

Chukwueze was brought on for Fernando Nino in the 46th minute and was initially deployed as centre-forward, where his side was short of men due to suspension and injury problems.

The winger struggled in the position, failing to get sufficient space to help his playing style before switching to his familiar wide role where he shone.

Willian Jose opened the scoring moments before the hour mark for Real Sociedad before Diego Llorente doubled the visitors’ lead.

Chukwueze then set up Santi Cazorla to reduce the deficit with five minutes left to play, which proved too late as the Whites and Blues held their nerve to claim maximum points.

Orlandi feels the Nigeria international should not have played as centre-forward, stating the wing role is his best position.

"Cazorla is a very intelligent footballer, he knows he doesn't have the legs he used to have so he uses his brain, even more, it is as useful as it was, fantastic player," Orlandi said on La Liga TV.

"It all comes from Samuel Chukwueze playing on the right, he came on for Fernando Nino, disappointing performance from the youngster.

"Chukwueze was playing as a striker in the first 35 minutes of the second half, he couldn't find the spaces, he needs spaces to run, he needs to play on the wing.

"He played there in the last fifteen minutes and he caused problems for Real Sociedad but it was a little bit too late for Villarreal."

The defeat to Real Sociedad ended the chance of the Yellow Submarine to qualify for next season’s Champions League, since they are left with two games and are nine points behind fourth-placed Sevilla.

Chukwueze has been a consistent performer for the Yellow Submarine this season, featuring in 39 games across all competitions, scoring four goals and providing five assists.

The Super Eagles forward joined Villarreal’s youth setup in 2017 following his eye-catching display for the Golden Eaglets at the 2015 U17 World in Chile.

The forward was promoted to the Yellow Submarine’s senior side in 2018 and has been impressing for the Spanish side.

Chukwueze will hope to help Villarreal secure a positive result when they take on league leaders Real Madrid on Thursday.

Pep Guardiola believes now is not the time to discuss a new contract at Manchester City – although he insists he would have remained at the club had they been demoted to League Two.

That was a fairly outlandish consequence the City manager alluded to, in the event of UEFA's two-season ban for Financial Fair Play breaches being upheld.

However Monday's verdict by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to quash that punishment prompted talk of Guardiola being offered fresh terms to run beyond June 2021.

City still have an FA Cup semi-final against Arsenal and a Champions League showdown with Real Madrid on the horizon, while 2020-21 will represent the first time Guardiola has taken charge of a fifth season with one club.

Speaking ahead of Wednesday's Premier League match against Bournemouth, he would rather focus upon matters on the pitch, free of the burden of looming UEFA sanctions.

"Nothing has changed my opinion, maybe I will be able to stay here longer," Guardiola said when asked whether he would commit to a contract extension.

"As a club, as an organisation, the people cannot understand how difficult a time it was for all the club, being under suspicion for something we have not done. Hopefully people can stop talking about this – or they can go to court and prove it like we have done.

"Now is not the time [to talk about contracts] we have one incredible month ahead of us. I have one more year, for a manager it is a long, long time.

"The decisions we thought to do before the sentence were quite similar. I was happy before and now. We have time to talk about this.

"Now is the normal situation like every season, if the situation was uncertain I don't know what would have happened.

"My personal situation was clear. I said a month ago I would stay and it didn't matter if we were in the Champions League, or like a lot of people here in England suggested, League Two. I would have stayed here. About the future, we have an incredible four or five weeks ahead of us with the games against Arsenal and Madrid."

Star midfielder Kevin De Bruyne did not express a similar enthusiasm for English football's fourth tier and suggested a two-year European ban would have forced him to consider his City career.

The 29-year-old's agent, Patrick De Koster, said he welcomed the CAS verdict, although talk of a new deal at the Etihad Stadium for De Bruyne – who is contracted until 2023 in any case – might be premature at this stage

"After the CAS verdict, we Facetimed for a moment and Kevin was very happy, very satisfied," De Koster told HBVL. “If you are banned from the Champions League at that age, you should think again.

"We'll see. He now has a three-year contract in Manchester, is settled with his family and is feeling good. They have also always been very good with him. Moreover, the number of clubs that can pay him [his salary] is not that big.

"He sees participation in the Champions League next season mainly as a bonus, but that decision doesn't mean more to him. It is not the case that we will now sign a new contract in Manchester tomorrow."

Gor Mahia coach Steven Polack has claimed he is not aware of whether captain Kenneth Muguna has asked to leave the club or not.

The former Western Stima midfielder is among the players who have been linked with a move away from the Kenyan champions ahead of the new season.

Muguna, who won the 2017 Kenyan Premier League (KPL) Player of the Year Award before joining K’Ogalo, took to his social media pages on Monday with a strong message indicating he may not be at the club for next season.

“A new challenge, maybe,” Muguna, who has 18 months left on his contract, wrote on his Twitter handle.

Goal has now established Muguna has handed in a transfer request to leave the club and that he has been granted permission to seek employment elsewhere.

However, the British coach has denied having knowledge of the future of the player, insisting he is not aware of the latest developments about the player's future.

“You are asking about Muguna, what about him?” Polack posed a question to Goal on Tuesday.

“I have not been told that the player wants to leave, I have not heard anything, I don’t think he wants to leave, he has not talked to me…and no club official has told me that [Muguna] wants to leave.

“I only heard about this several months ago and it cooled down, maybe they have again started the same rumours, anyway I don’t know anything about Muguna, we are just relaxing at home now that we cannot play football and waiting for the way forward on when football will return.”

In an earlier interview, Polack told Goal he had already identified players he will sign for the club ahead of the new season.

K’Ogalo will be taking part in the Caf Champions League after being declared champions for the 2019-20 campaign after the league was ended owing to the coronavirus pandemic, and will also chase the league and domestic Cup titles.

“We are talking to players, we are talking to a few players and let us see what will happen, but I am not going to give out their names because our rivals will jump for their services,” Polack told Goal also on Tuesday.

“We talking to players in the Kenyan league, we are talking to a lot of Kenyan players and I will not give you the names or positions, just know we are in talks with several players and the talks are very positive for now.

“Let people know, and we have to do it a little more professional, about the transfers because if you start saying the names then everything might fail before they even sign, so we are not going to give names.

"We will let people know when the deals are done and I want to set the bar, we want to get them all signed first and then we unveil them in one press conference.”

Wycombe Wanderers striker Adebayo Akinfenwa's televised plea for talks with Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp have proved successful to a certain extent – he has bagged himself an invite to the club's Premier League trophy parade.

Akinfenwa, a long-time Liverpool fan, was part of the Wycombe side that achieved promotion to the Championship for the first time in their 133-year history thanks to Monday's 2-1 League One play-off final victory over Oxford United.

A Wycombe cult hero, Akinfenwa's contract is due to expire at the end of the season, but in a memorable post-match interview he on reflected a difficult journey from being "technically unemployed" four years ago to winning promotion to England's second tier.

In his speech, he said the only person who could "hit me up on WhatsApp this time is Klopp" so they could celebrate their successes together, and the German duly obliged with a congratulatory video message.

Klopp then went one better on Tuesday, extending Akinfenwa an invitation to the club's Premier League trophy parade, when such an event can go ahead.

"When it's possible, in the future one day," Klopp said when asked if the two will meet. "I don't know when exactly, but he is invited for the parade, 100 per cent.

"I saw, before the video, when he was sitting in the team meeting in a Liverpool kit, which I thought was really funny. I watched the game [and] yes, he responded – he sent a video back. It's private [what he said], at least a few things in life should stay private. It was nice, he was obviously really happy."

Klopp said stories in football such as that of Akinfenwa - who could play in England's second tier for the first time at 38 years old - were part of why he loves the sport so much.

He said: “I just enjoy these kind of stories. I like it because, how you know, as a player I was in similar situations, that’s how it is. 

“Football meant everything to me before somebody thought, ‘It’s worth giving him some money for it’ and that never changed. That’s why I always will love this game because you can fulfil your own dreams, it just depends on the dreams. 

“For some teams it’s a bit earlier, for other teams they have to wait a little bit longer but if you work hard then there is still a chance for you and still a possibility for you. I hope this game stays like it is - and I'm not worried about that, this game will always have these kinds of chances. 

“It’s just exactly how it should be: if you work really hard, you can make it.”

Akinfenwa responded to Klopp's invite with a delighted post on Twitter: "This is getting silly now, I’m smiling like a grown kid."

Crystal Palace midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate has revealed Tottenham Hotspur made effort to sign him while at West Ham United but rejected the move.

The 30-year-old versatile player joined the Hammers in the summer of 2014 from Belgian side Anderlecht and went on to make 129 league appearances for the side, scoring 12 goals.

Kouyate’s performances generated interest from Tottenham and were keen to secure his signature by making a formal bid to sign him.

The Senegal international, however, preferred to stay with West Ham after he was rewarded with an improved five-year contract following his fine showings for the side.

The defensive midfielder later moved to Palace in the summer of 2018 and felt it was a decision taken too late and could have seized Tottenham opportunity.

“Tottenham wanted to sign me," Kouyate told Belgian outlet DH, as per Standard.

"I was being pushed to go there, but I hesitated. Slaven Bilic was my manager and wanted to keep me at West Ham, who were offering me a great contract.

“We’d come out of a good season after often being in the relegation zone. I preferred to stay.

"I changed clubs a bit later, maybe too late. I could tell that to a young player: a big club doesn’t always come twice.”

Kouyate has made 64 league appearances since his arrival at Selhurst Park and this season he has featured in 34 games across all competitions for Roy Hodgson’s men.

The midfielder, who started his career in his home country with Yego Dakar, has two years left on his current contract with the Eagles.

The versatile player will hope to play a part for Crystal Palace when they face Manchester United in their next league game on Thursday.  

Kouyate is currently Senegal national team captain and featured prominently as the Terenga Lions finished as runner-up at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.

Luka Jovic has returned to Real Madrid after the latest set of Covid-19 tests saw the striker given a clean bill of health.

The Blancos have had to make do without Jovic since the resumption of the 2019-20 campaign on June 10.

A man who arrived at Santiago Bernabeu for €60 million (£55m/$68m) from Eintracht Frankfurt last summer broke quarantine rules during the coronavirus-enforced break in the season.

The 22-year-old was forced to apologise for flying home to Serbia in March, and he angered club officials once again after reporting for training in May with a fractured foot.

During his time in recovery, Jovic posted an image of himself enjoying a barbeque with friends in Madrid while wearing an orthopaedic cast over his injury.

The striker was forced to go back into quarantine for two weeks after one of his friends later tested positive for coronavirus, leading to more questions over his future at Santiago Bernabeu.

Jovic has endured a miserable first season in the Spanish capital, scoring just twice in 25 outings across all competitions.

He has been strongly linked with a move away from Madrid this summer, but could yet have the chance to turn his fortunes around after testing negative for Covid-19 for a third successive round of testing.

Zinedine Zidane welcomed Jovic back into full training on Tuesday, and he will now be available for selection when the Blancos take on Villarreal at the Bernabeu on Thursday.

The Serbian frontman could now be in line for his first appearance since February, having faced plenty of criticism for both his attitude and performance levels throughout the season.

Club legend Predrag Mijatovic questioned his commitment to the club's cause last month, telling Cadena Ser: "It looks like he hasn’t understood the principal idea - the idea of succeeding at Real Madrid."

Madrid will be crowned La Liga champions if they beat Villarreal later in the week, having already established a four-point lead over second-placed Barcelona with two fixtures remaining.

A number of leading players at Manchester City would have pushed for a move elsewhere had the club’s two-year ban from European competition been upheld, claims Sylvain Distin.

The Blues were left sweating on their involvement in continental action after being stung by UEFA-imposed sanctions.

Amid the uncertainty regarding future direction at the Etihad Stadium, a number of high-profile figures on and off the field saw fresh starts mooted elsewhere.

Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling and Pep Guardiola were all linked with switches away from Manchester, with personal ambition expected to see their heads to be turned.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport has, however, lifted a ban and a dark cloud which had been hanging over City.

Exit rumours have been brought to a halt, with there no reason for anybody to be looking for a way out of the Etihad while the trophies continue to flow and a standing among Europe’s elite is secured.

Former City defender Distin believes some key men would have been mulling over their options prior to the CAS ruling, with the Frenchman telling BBC Radio 5 Live: “In terms of players, they have got some of the best players in the country, and in the world, and possibly not playing Champions League football for those players would have been very difficult.

“You would have expected a few of them to try and change clubs, and that’s not the way City work or the direction the club want to take. That would have been a big hit for them.

“I am sure some players would think about it.

“When you are at a club like City, you expect to compete for the four or five trophies that you can win every season – and the Champions League is one of them.

“It’s always been a big objective for the club and they have never been able to win it so far.

“I am sure some of the players are here to win that for the first time with Manchester City. Not being able to qualify for the Champions League for two seasons would have been a big blow.

“City pay some of their best players a lot of money and not many clubs would have been able to afford them, so that would have restricted their choice if they wanted to leave. But I think some players would have looked for a chance somewhere else.”

Pep Guardiola has slammed La Liga president Javier Tebas for his comments on Manchester City's Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) appeal verdict, insisting he "must be so jealous".

City were hit with a two-season Champions League ban and hefty €30 million (£27m/$34m) fine by UEFA back in February for breaching Financial Fair Play rules.

The Blues swiftly announced their intention to contest the ruling, and have faced an anxious wait for a reprieve over the last five months with the case hanging over their 2019-20 campaign.

CAS finally announced that City's suspension was lifted on Monday, and reduced the club's financial penalty down to €10m, sparking a fierce debate over the current state of FFP regulations.

Tebas has been among those to criticise the decision , as he told reporters at the start of the week: “We have to reassess whether the CAS is the appropriate body to which to appeal institutional decisions in football.”

Guardiola responded directly to the Liga chief in a press conference ahead of his side's home clash with Bournemouth on Wednesday, insisting those in charge at Etihad Stadium are judged unfairly in comparison with officials at other top clubs.

The City boss said: "This guy must be so jealous, he’s an incredible legal expert, next time we’ll ask them which court should judge us.

"There has to be worry and concern about La Liga on focus on them. These kinds of people, when it’s good for them, it's perfect, but if it's against them, it’s a problem for the others.

"We’ll be in the Champions League next season, Mr Tebas. What we did, we did properly."

Guardiola went on to dismiss the notion that City's recent success all boils down to their financial power, while arguing they deserve more respect for their achievements after doing everything in "the right way".

"We deserve to be here, we deserve to be stronger, we have incredible people working in this club to make our fans proud and we don’t have to ask permission to be there," said the Catalan.

"When we lose, I shake their hands and congratulate them, all the time we have done it. Guys, accept it, we wanted to be here and we tried on the pitch.

"If you do not agree, knock on the door and speak to our chairman and chief executive, don’t go whispering. We invested a lot of money but we did it in the right things.

"We are not banned, we followed the rules for FFP as they decide. If not, we’d be banned. We’ve done it properly in the right way, UEFA say we do it and we do it.

"People have to understand right now that we are here to try to compete on the pitch at the same level as the elite clubs in the Premier League and Europe."

When asked if City will do their talking on the pitch amid the ongoing controversy surrounding the CAS verdict, Guardiola answered: "Of course, we’ve done it for the last four years, we respect our opponents and try to beat them. We were damaged and we have shown [the allegations] were not true, now people have to be happy.

"People should accept it because we should complain, the other ones shouldn’t say much more.”

Andy Robertson is doing his bit to help Neco Williams unlock the potential that Liverpool believe will one day make him a senior star.

Another highly-rated product of the club’s academy system has enjoyed a breakthrough campaign in 2019-20.

The 19-year-old Welshman has taken in 10 appearances across all competitions, including the first Premier League starts of his fledgling career.

Jurgen Klopp has used Williams on the right and left of his back four, with a versatile operator able to tick a number of boxes.

It is, however, at right-back that he is expected to settle down, placing him into direct competition with England international Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Robertson is looking to help Williams in that battle for minutes, with important nuggets of advice being passed on to a teenager being tipped to reach the very top of the game.

Liverpool’s Scottish left-back told the club’s official website: “I’ve spoken to Neco quite a lot.

“It’s great to see a young full-back coming through. It’s great to see him and that’s the last two games he’s started now, which will do his confidence and experience, everything, a world of good.

“I’ve spoken to him, I’ve given him small pointers but I’m not sure he needs them, because he’s got so much ability and so much energy, so much confidence in his own ability that he’ll have a fantastic career in the game.

“I hope he keeps on gaining that experience and keeps getting the game time because that’s so important for him. He’s been amazing in training all season so I’m glad he’s starting to get his reward with making his debut, getting his first start and then getting a couple of consecutive starts under his belt.

“So, he’s been great the games he’s played, it’s a great learning curve for him. He’s made mistakes and he’s done stuff really well but you can only learn when you are playing at the highest level and he is certainly doing that and every game he’s getting better and better.

“Long may that continue because it’s only good to have that competition for places. Obviously, being a right-back he’s facing probably one of the best there is in the world right now in Trent [Alexander-Arnold].

“But he’s got an abundance of ability and he can play both full-back positions pretty easily, so I’m sure he will push me and Trent all the way next season and that’s what we need to have – healthy competition in the squad.”

Williams, who has now taken in the five Premier League appearances required to get a title winners’ medal, will be hoping to see more competitive action when Liverpool return to action with a trip to Arsenal to Wednesday.

Mikel Arteta is only concerned with becoming “the best” at Arsenal, with the Spaniard looking to use the success enjoyed by Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool as a blueprint for where he intends to be in four years’ time.

Those at Anfield turned to a highly-rated tactician when in need of inspiration back in October 2015.

Patience was shown in pursuit of domestic and European glory, with that faith ultimately rewarded with Champions League and Premier League triumphs.

It took Klopp a while to get to that point, with Liverpool in need of clever recruitment and careful guidance when he took the reins.

Arsenal have taken a similar approach in their appointment of Arteta, with a former Gunners captain returned to familiar surroundings in December 2019.

He is now a matter of months into his tenure, with there clearly much work for him to oversee, but lofty targets are being set as the 38-year-old seeks to emulate the achievements of a coach he will be sharing a touchline with on Wednesday.

Ahead of a meeting with Liverpool and Klopp, Arteta told reporters of his desire to scale similar heights over the course of a long reign in north London: “If you ask me that question in four years and we’re both sitting here and I can tell you ‘yes, we’ve done it’, I will be so happy.

“But I know how many decisions have to be right and how much support you need from the club and the people around, and how much connection you to have to generate from your fans to have the full package, and afterwards it’s football.

“The context right now is different to what it was as well four years ago and the abilities for a club to rebuild something is more limited, but it’s certainly something we have to look at and how they did it because it’s a great example.

“But we have to know that we have to do it our way, with our resources and have it in mind that the content right now is different, but we are heading to be the best and this is my only objective with this club. We have to find a way to do it.”

Arteta has a number of issues to address at Arsenal, with defensive leaks considered to be among the most pressing, but the hope is that he will force the Gunners back into contention at some stage.

Pressed on whether he thinks such ambition is realistic across the next four years, the former midfielder said: “I don't want to talk about four years in football. It's almost impossible.

“You have to see a trend and you have to see movement and you have to see that the direction that you are taking is the right one and that you are making progress all the time.

“At the end of the season we are going to have to assess where we are in all terms of the club, what is the ambition and where we want to head in.

“In order to do that, either the ambition and the level is equal or it's not realistic or it's more than realistic. That's what we have to get a deal on.”

Arsenal have slipped to ninth in the Premier League table this season and have just three games left – and an ongoing FA Cup bid – in which to try and ensure that they have European football on the agenda for 2020-21.

Former Baroka FC manager and Kaizer Chiefs striker Wedson Nyirenda has been unveiled as the new manager for Zambian Super Division giants, Lusaka Dynamos.

‘Wada’ parted ways with Bakgaga Mphahlele in the middle of the 2019/20 Premier Soccer League (PSL) campaign and has expressed delight after taking on his new role.

In an official statement, Dynamos announced the former Amakhosi hitman will be assisted by Ian Bakala, Josphat Nkhoma, and Stephen Mwansa as he joins on a short-term deal until the end of the current term.

"It is great to be associated with Lusaka Dynamos FC. For the next 3 months, we shall work tirelessly to see that we end this current season in the best position,” said Nyirenda in a statement released by the club.

“If everyone works accordingly, and pulls in the same direction we can achieve the unthinkable. God will guide us through.”

The Elite also confirmed that Mwansa will also double as a goalkeeping coach while Manchi Janza is the physical trainer.

Nyirenda tendered his resignation with the Limpopo-based club in December last year and the former Zesco United and Zanaco boss joins Dynamos at the back of winning the Telkom Knockout Cup in the 2018/19 campaign as they overcame Orlando Pirates.

Although Bakgaga endured a poor start to the current season which saw them struggling at the bottom end of the PSL log table, the 53-year-old tactician was reportedly not pleased with the alleged interference by the club's management during his team selection.

At Baroka, he was replaced by former Gor Mahia manager Dylan Kerr who was unveiled just before the end of 2019 and they now sit 13th with 23 points from 24 matches so far.

On the other hand, Nyirenda guided the Team Ya Ziko to their first-ever league championship in his first spell at the club in 2007 and achieved a similar feat after guiding Mozambican side Ferroviario de Beira to their first trophy in the club’s 92-year history in 2015.

Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho has hit out at the “disgraceful decision” to lift a two-year European ban imposed on Manchester City for alleged Financial Fair Play breaches.

The Blues were barred from competing in Champions League or Europa League competition by UEFA in February.

Those at the Etihad Stadium were, however, quick to plead their innocence and lodge an appeal.

Their case was heard by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), with the decision taken at the end of that investigation to lift a continental ban.

City have still been stung with a €10 million (£9m/$11m) fine, but that is a drop in the ocean for a club bankrolled by Sheikh Mansour’s billions.

Mourinho is among those to have been left stunned by the ruling from CAS, with confusion continuing to reign as mixed messages are fed out.

The Portuguese has pointed out that if City were guilty of enough to merit a fine, then the original sanctions should have stood.

The former Chelsea and Manchester United boss fears that FFP is no longer fit for purpose, with it difficult to see how regulations can be pushed out when there are obvious loopholes to exploit.

Mourinho told reporters of the City ruling: “In the case it's a disgraceful decision because if City are not guilty of it then you are not punished with 10m.

“If you're not guilty you shouldn't have a fine. If they are guilty the decision is also a disgrace and you should be banned from the competition.

“I don't know if Manchester City are guilty or not but either way it's a disgraceful decision.”

Mourinho added on the approach Tottenham will now take: “Spurs is Spurs and I don't think Spurs change this mentality and in this aspect it's more than correct. I'm happy with the way we act here.

“I think it's the end of Financial Fair Play.”

Jurgen Klopp is another to have questioned the future of FFP after seeing UEFA’s authority undermined, with the Liverpool boss admitting that the events of Monday were not “a good day for football”.

Those at Anfield can at least console themselves with the fact that they have beaten City to the Premier League title this season, but Mourinho and Spurs now need to force their way into the top six in order to guarantee a place in the Europa League for 2019-20.

Nemanja Matic is optimistic Paul Pogba will remain with Manchester United "for a long time".

The Serbian has formed an impressive midfield trio with Pogba and Bruno Fernandes since the Premier League's resumption, helping United extend their unbeaten run to 18 matches in all competitions.

Pogba's future at United has long been the subject of intense speculation, with comments from his agent Mino Raiola causing controversy earlier in a 2019-20 season where he has struggled with injury.

But the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic and the club's upturn in form since the World Cup winner returned to the pitch to join new signing Fernandes have led to increased hopes he will stay.

Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has expressed confidence that Pogba – who is contracted until 2021 with the option for a further year – would sign a new deal and Matic thinks his team-mate is enjoying life at the club.

"I think at the moment he is happy," Matic, who himself signed fresh terms with United this month,  said to Stats Perform News.

"When you are injured and outside of the pitch people will always talk and rumours will always be around him, but he can do anything. 

"As soon as he came back to training with us and playing I think he has shown that he is happy to play football and he is a great guy. 

"I think for me it is very important that Paul stays because that gives us more quality. Also, with his personality, he brings a lot to the team. 

"Of course, you never know what is going to happen in life but I see him happy at the moment.

"I wish for him to stay, I wish for the team. It is good he is a great guy for the group, there is always fun around him. I will be happy to see him for a long time at Manchester United."

Pogba said this week United felt like "a proper team" again and he does not think they can be stopped if they continue on their current path.

He also praised the balance of the starting XI under Solskjaer and Matic feels the arrival of Fernandes is what has helped get the best out of Pogba.

Matic added: "With him and Bruno, I think that Paul can now, in my opinion, do what is his job.

"He is the player and kind of midfielder that can play box to box, he is not only an attacking midfielder like people were thinking. 

"He is a box-to-box player because he is strong, he can run, he can shoot, he can also defend very well, he can read the headers. 

"So now with Bruno, Juan Mata, Jesse Lingard, when they play in front of him, then in my opinion he can do the best.

"He is a player for everything, so I don't think he is a typical playmaker to be behind the strikers, but that player like a number eight, box to box.

"For me he is one of the best players in the world. So, I expect him next season to be even better, but what we saw in the few games of him [after the restart] he was absolutely fantastic, a proper player."

Gor Mahia coach Steven Polack has revealed he has identified players he will sign for the club ahead of the new season.

K’Ogalo will be taking part in the Caf Champions League after being declared champions for the 2019-20 campaign after the league was ended owing to the effects caused by the coronavirus effect and will also chase the league and domestic Cup titles.

With that in mind, the British coach has confirmed to Goal he has already identified the areas he will work to strengthen and has gone ahead to engage the new signings who will be unveiled in due course.

“We are talking to players, we are talking to a few players and let us see what will happen, but I am not going to give out their names because our rivals will jump for their services,” Polack told Goal on Tuesday.

“We talking to players in the Kenyan league, we are talking to a lot of Kenyan players and I will not give you the names or positions, just know we are in talks with several players and the talks are very positive for now.

“Let people know, and we have to do it a little more professional, about the transfers because if you start saying the names then everything might fail before they even sign, so we are not going to give names, we will let people know when the deals are done and I want to set the bar, we want to get them all signed first and then we unveil them in one press conference.”

Polack, however, took his time once again to hit out at Football Kenya Federation (FKF) and KPL officials for the uncertainty which is still surrounding the fate of last season.

“You know after the president said there is no social gathering, we are doing nothing, we are still in the dark, will the league continue, was the league ended? In fact, everyone is in the dark.

“Imagine after three months, FKF and KPL have refused to come out and tell us what is happening, we are all in the dark, we don’t know what is happening, it is not good at all for Kenyan football, something needs to be done, and it should be made public.”

While Gor Mahia will take part in the Champions League, Kenya will have no representative in the Caf Confederation Cup.

Manchester United are not concerning themselves with what Chelsea or any other Premier League rival does, says Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, with the Red Devils boss confident that his side are not about to buckle under pressure.

The Red Devils saw a top-four door flung open to them ahead of their latest outing against Southampton.

Shock defeats for Chelsea and Leicester presented United with an opportunity to clamber up into third spot.

They fluffed their lines, with a dramatic late equaliser conceded in a 2-2 draw with the Saints at Old Trafford.

Solskjaer’s team continue to sit fifth as a result, but with fate still in their own hands when it comes to securing Champions League qualification through their remaining three fixtures.

Maximum points from those outings will see United book their place among Europe’s elite for 2020-21, with there no need for the Red Devils to be looking to others for favours or slip-ups.

Quizzed on whether handling expectation could be a problem, Solskjaer told United’s official website: “Absolutely not.

“I don’t think any of our players have been thinking about: ‘Oh what have Chelsea done this weekend.’ Not at all. It’s just the way the games go.

“We all play against the same teams and we all have 38 games to go through and it will even itself out during the long season. You’ll deserve the position you get in the end.”

Solskjaer is confident that United will hit their ultimate goal, with a group of players that have gone unbeaten through their last 18 games in all competitions being backed to find a formula that delivers a top-four finish.

The Red Devils boss added: “I have to say the mentality of the boys has been brilliant.

“We’ve had a few setbacks over the season, of course, and this is another challenge for us. I’m very confident in the mentality of them.

“I'm very disappointed of course, but you have to take the disappointments, as well as the positives when you win games. Of course, the disappointment with this [the Southampton draw] is when it’s one of the last kicks of the ball and you concede a goal and you lose two points.

“That’s part of football and we’ve learnt a hard lesson, hopefully. We’ll make it right, we’ll put it right. I trust them in that respect.”

United will be back in action on Thursday when they take in a trip to Crystal Palace.

Lille striker Victor Osimhen has reportedly entered into negotiations with Napoli, having made up his mind to join the Serie A side.

The forward has been linked with a number of European clubs following his eye-catching performances for Christophe Galtier’s men in the 2019-20 season.

The Parthenopeans have, however, been leading the race to secure his signature and the striker was believed to be close to securing a move to the side last month but his agent raised the issue of racism in Italy.

Senegal international Kalidou Koulibaly recently revealed the Super Eagles striker called him to make an enquiry about racial discrimination in the country and advised him on steps to take if he eventually joins the Parthenopeans.

Goal gathered the 21-year-old forward recently changed his agent which led to the delay in wrapping up his transfer to the Stadio San Paolo outfit.

The striker is now close to sealing an €81 million move to the Parthenopeans which is subject to successful medical examinations, having been swayed by manager Gennaro Gattuso’s genuine interest in him.

According to L'Equipe, Osimhen could complete his move to the side on Thursday and it is believed the striker will earn seven times more money than he currently earns at Lille.

Last summer the French outfit sold Ivory Coast international Nicolas Pepe to Arsenal for £72 million but Osimhen’s deal could be the best ever for the Mastiffs.

The forward joined the Stade Pierre-Mauroy outfit last summer from Belgian side Sporting Charleroi and impressed in his debut campaign with the side.

The 21-year-old scored 18 goals and provided six assists in 38 appearances across all competitions, winning the club’s Player of the Season award and the Marc Vivien Foe best Ligue 1 African Player prize in the process.

The forward burst into the limelight at the 2015 U17 World Cup in Chile, where he won the Golden Boot and Silver Ball awards to help Nigeria win the title.

The Ultimate Strikers Academy graduate, who currently has nine caps for the Super Eagles, will link up with Koulibaly if his transfer is successful.

Barcelona have offered Philippe Coutinho to Arsenal and Newcastle in an ongoing bid to free up squad space and funds that will allow them to launch a raid on Inter for Lautaro Martinez, Goal has learned .

It has been clear for some time that Brazil international playmaker Coutinho does not figure in the long-term thinking at Camp Nou.

Barca snapped Coutinho up from Liverpool in the winter window of 2018 , but have seen little return on their investment.

With the South American having struggled to find a spark in Catalunya, he was allowed to head out on loan in the summer of 2019.

A season-long stint at Bayern Munich has only served to raise further questions of the 28-year-old’s form and fitness .

Barcelona are now looking to put another deal in place, with the Liga giants aware that they cannot incorporate another sizeable salary into their plans for 2020-21.

There is acceptance on the part of the Blaugrana that they are going to struggle to find a European suitor willing to take on both Coutinho’s wage and a sizeable transfer fee.

Bayern passed up on their purchase option some time ago, leaving the door open for others to make a move, and Barca believe that a return to the Premier League for Coutinho would now be the best option for all concerned.

With that in mind, they have started to seek out potential landing spots, and Arsenal and Newcastle have been sounded out, with both clubs having been heavily linked with the midfielder in the past.

No answer has been received from either club as yet, with the Gunners and Magpies continuing to mull over the terms of a deal and their respective standings for next season – on both sporting and financial fronts.

It could be that they explore the option of putting another loan agreement in place with Barca, who are not ruling out such an arrangement, with all offers set to be considered.

The Blaugrana concede that they are going to lose money on Coutinho in the long run, having acquired him for a base fee of €120 million (£109m/$136m), but they need to get him off their books.

Efforts to bring in alternative options, such as Argentina international Lautaro , can only be made if money is saved and raised elsewhere.

When the Super League was stopped in March because of the coronavirus outbreak, a couple of days before the Movement Control Order was announced by the Malaysian government, Perak were sitting pretty in second place after four rounds of matches played.

Only two points behind Johor Darul Ta'zim in the standings, there was a real possibility of a title fight between the two teams for the 2020 season. Now fast forward four months later, the situation is less clear as there has been no matches played during this period.

Slowly but surely football has been allowed to return by the highest authority in Malaysia starting with the individual training that began on June 15 and the contact training that will begin on July 15. The Malaysian government has also given the green light for competitive matches to be played as early as August 15.

"Everything depends on MFL on what is the priority before they decide on the actual dates for the resumption of the M-League. Now we have the time to gather our players in the same session and whether we begin next month or in September, all the teams are in the same boat.

"Everyone will experience the same things in terms of period of training, so it's not a problem. If it starts in August maybe there will be some reasoning behind it but I leave it at the hands of MFL because either options are comfortable for me.

"I'm very satisfied with the physical level of my players and there are currently no injury concerns. It's all about working harding in training to regain back the game momentum," said Mehmet Durakovic in an interview with Malaysian Football League (MFL).

After the high of finishing second in the 2018 season, which saw them competing in the 2019 AFC Champions League qualifying round, Perak dropped down to fifth in the 2019 season. Despite the loss of influential figure in Brendan Gan prior to the start of the 2020 season, the Bos Gaurus has shown great fighting spirit in the opening rounds of the new season.

Still unbeaten, Durakovic's side will feel that with the league reduced to just 11 matches and only seven remaining, they will have a real say on where the title will head to in 2020. If Perak can keep their squad injury-free for the rest of the season, a finish like 2018 could be on the cards.