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Throughout the season, EA Sports releases new events and promotions in FIFA 21, built around a particular theme or competition.

The promotions see special upgraded cards released into packs and made available through Squad Building Challenges (SBCs) and Objectives.

Events such as Team of the Season, Team of the Year and FUTmas have been really popular in previous editions of the game and fans are always looking forward to see what the next promotion might bring.

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One of the biggest events in the FIFA Ultimate Team calendar has yet to be launched, with Team of the Year due in January.

This is usually followed by Winter Transfers and Ratings Refresh, which sees players upgraded after good performances during the year as well as being assigned to their new clubs after moving in the January transfer window.

Future Stars and Headliners have been popular promotions in recent years, but it is not 100 per cent certain they will return in their usual form in FIFA 21, especially after Ultimate Scream was replaced by Rulebreakers and FUTmas changed to FUT Freeze for the 2020-21 season.

Team of the Year is one of the biggest events of the FIFA calendar with Team of the Season coming close behind with regards to both hype and high-rated players. 

The Team of the Year used to be connected to the official FIFA World XI selection, but in recent years has become a user-generated selection so as to keep the in-game promotion in January.

It is expected that the FIFA 21 Team of the Year will be released around the first or second week of January, so it is likely to be launched on January 8 or January 15.

Read more about Team of the Year.

In the past two seasons of FIFA, the Future Stars promotion began after Team of the Year.

Where Team of the Year celebrates the best players in the world, Future Stars attempts to identify the players who could be the biggest names on the planet in a few years.

Jadon Sancho and Vinicius Jr were among the Future Stars in FIFA 19 while Joao Felix and Mason Greenwood were chosen for FIFA 20.

These Future Stars receive huge ratings upgrades and can be among the best players in the game when they are released.

If EA Sports brings back Future Stars in FIFA 21, it will likely be released around January 20 or 22, once Team of the Year is over.

Although some of the previously popular events were replaced in FIFA 21, it is expected that Ratings Refresh will return again once the transfer window closes.

Football fans will be eager to use their club's new signings as soon as possible, especially in FIFA Ultimate Team as players with new clubs and new leagues help squad building and provide for more variety of options.

The Ratings Refresh has been accompanied by a Winter Ones to Watch team in recent years, which features the biggest names who move in January.

This year's Ratings Refresh is expected to begin once the transfer window closes, so is due to launch in FIFA 21 on February 14.

Team of the Season is one of the most popular promotions in FIFA as it contains hundreds of upgraded players from all the top leagues in the game.

Each of the major five leagues gets a Team of the Season squad, while leagues around the rest of the world also see special players released with big upgrades.

Often, these are the best players in the game, so Team of the Season is always hugely anticipated every season.

In 2020, Team of the Season was released around the usual time but renamed Team of the Season So Far due to leagues being postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Team of the Season is set to launch in FIFA 21 around the end of April or the beginning of May.

EA Sports had usually released each FIFA promotion around the same time each year, so it became easy to predict which promotions might arrive each month during the season.

However, for FIFA 21, they mixed things up somewhat, replacing both Ultimate Scream and FUTmas with new events, so the same process could be followed in the second half of the season.

The calendar below shows when each event occurred in the last four editions of FIFA and what may be expected in FIFA 21.

Chelsea boss Frank Lampard admits that he has “ideas” when it comes to the January transfer window, although did hint that the club would have to trim their squad size through sales and loans before they will be in a position to spend.

Blues fans have become accustomed to big-money purchases since the arrival of Roman Abramovic as the club's owner, with the most recent spree seeing Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, Hakim Ziyech and Thiago Silva added to the ranks.

Speaking to the press on Friday, Lampard conceded that there could be more action with regards to transfers this month, but claims that the size of his squad is such that there is no rush to get any deals over the line.

“I'm not sure at the moment,” the English trainer replied when asked how he saw the January window panning out. “I have ideas. We have a big squad and we have to see if that changes, if there are opportunities for players that aren't playing so much.

“That'll be a conversation between the player and myself and then we'll see if we can strengthen in the right way. But we're not jumping up and down to do so at the moment, my focus this year is purely on work. It's a long month.”

A long month indeed, especially when having to contend with a packed fixture schedule as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic – and things aren't easing up any time soon for Lampard and his side as they next welcome Pep Guardiola's Manchester City machine to Stamford Bridge.

Asked which of City's deficiencies Chelsea will be targeting on Sunday, Lampard said: “In terms of their weaknesses? I don't see [any]. They are just a very strong outfit, very well managed, they have lots of threats so we will have to focus on ourselves and do our best.

“I'm confident in us as a team. I know that when we play at Stamford Bridge, as well as we can, then we have an opportunity to beat anybody. 

“Saying that, City are right at the top, so when we beat them 2-1 after the restart for instance, that was a difficult game that we had to suffer at times because they are such a good possession-based team.

“I'm confident in us, I know we have to be at our best to win because of the level of opposition. But if we're at our best then we can win against any team.”

Mark Lawrenson is offering “dry” responses to anyone daring to doubt Liverpool in 2020-21, with the Reds legend eager to point out that Jurgen Klopp’s side are “top of the league with half their team missing”.

Injuries have depleted the ranks at Anfield, with Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Alisson, James Milner, Thiago Alcantara and Diogo Jota all enduring spells on the sidelines.

Despite having to get creative at times, Klopp has guided his defending champions back to the Premier League summit.

The Merseyside outfit have not been as dominant as they were in 2019-20, but they remain the team to catch in the title race.

With that in mind, Lawrenson remains baffled by those who are quick to ask questions of the Reds, with remarkable standards being maintained by a squad that has conquered domestic, continental and global competitions.

“If they were not creating chances then it would be a serious worry, but they are still making loads of them,” Lawrenson told BBC Sport after seeing Liverpool drop points against West Brom and Newcastle over the festive period.

“If they had nicked a goal at Newcastle on Wednesday, which obviously they could and should have done, then they would have won, gone five points clear and everyone would be saying 'who is going to stop Liverpool now?'

“Instead, it is a case of 'well, they are only three points clear'. It's a fine line, that changes people's perceptions of how a team is doing when it really shouldn't do. I've spoken to Liverpool fans who tell me 'oh, we're not doing well at the moment, and we can't put away our chances'.

“My response is usually quite dry and along the lines of 'no, they are only top of the league and with half their team missing - and that front three have been terrible for the past three years, haven't they?'

“Being serious though, teams don't win the league by 15 points every year. This is what usually happens with the ebb and flow over the course of a season when you are challenging for the title - and you have to remember Liverpool are not being beaten either. The reaction when they do drop points just shows you the standards they have set.”

Liverpool’s first outing of 2021 takes them to St Mary’s to face Southampton on Monday.

Chelsea have been boosted by the news that Hakim Ziyech is back in full training and could feature against Manchester City on Sunday.

The Morocco winger has missed the club’s last six matches with a hamstring injury he suffered during the win against Leeds on December 5, although it is yet to be decided whether he is fit enough to start.

“He’s fit to train. He’s trained for the last two or three days,” Lampard said of Ziyech.  “I will make the decision as to whether he is ready to start.”

It is not all good news on the injury front for Chelsea however, with defender Reece James ruled out with a hamstring injury although Lampard says it is not too serious.

“Reece James is out,” added the Blues boss. “Reece has got a small hamstring problem.”

Sunday’s game was placed in some doubt when Manchester City were forced to postpone their clash at Everton on Monday following an outbreak of Covid-19 among the squad.

Their training ground was briefly shut and the whole squad tested in an attempt to control the spread of the virus. However, there were no more positive cases and the players were able to return to training.

Lampard expects the game to go ahead but admits the rapid rise of cases is only creating uncertainty.

“I haven’t been given the chances of the game being postponed. I’m just aware of the situation and at the moment the game is on,” he said. “We know that Manchester City had some positives within their training ground. We’ve had a couple ourselves, but not on the playing staff. That’s the current situation.

“Generally [we are] probably as safe as the public because of the new surge in numbers that we are seeing.

“What we are in is probably a more protected environment, certainly in the workplace. We are now being tested twice a week. I think that’s really important. I don’t understand why we went down to one so two is important.

“The situation at the minute is we go game-by-game in terms of the game being called off it’s because of positive tests around that game itself. I understand that. Let’s see how it goes because these are uncertain times.”

Tottenham’s game against Fulham on Wednesday was also postponed because of an outbreak among the Cottagers squad, with positive cases surging across the country.

This has led to suggestions that football could take a short 'circuit break' to try and bring cases back under control, although the Premier League says it has no plans to pause the season.

Lampard has confidence in the safety measures currently in place but would go along with whatever decision the authorities take.

“I have to say the Premier League and clubs themselves have done everything to make the environment as safe as possible,” he said. “As we are finding, that's not always easy to do when people are going home and leaving the building with the numbers going up. Particularly in London, where we are.

“I think the football authorities, Premier League, government and everybody has to be clear that it would be beneficial to stop and do a 'circuit breaker' or something. That's something I don't know about. If you are told to stop, you stop.”

Napoli striker Victor Osimhen has returned positive for coronavirus, his Italian club confirmed on Friday evening.

The Nigeria international returned to Naples on Thursday having been away to Lagos for the yuletide break.

On arrival, the former Lille and Royal Charleroi star was subjected to the compulsory Covid-19 PCR test and his Serie A outfit disclosed that Osimhen posted a positive result.

Fortunately, he had not met with any member of Gennaro Gattuso’s squad, and the goal machine is now set to remain in quarantine for some days.

“Napoli report that footballer Victor Osimhen tested positive for the molecular naso-pharyngeum swab on his return from abroad yesterday afternoon. The player is asymptomatic and has not met the team group,” the club posted on Twitter.

Since dislocating his shoulder in November 2020 while in action for Nigeria in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifying fixture against Sierra Leone, the most expensive African footballer ever has been on the sidelines.

In the process, he has missed action against AC Milan, Rijeka, AS Roma, AZ Alkmaar, Crotone, Real Sociedad, Sampdoria, Inter Milan, Lazio and Torino.

Since his big money from the French elite division to Italy in August, the Super Eagle has made eight appearances for Gattuso's side and he has two goals to his name in Serie A.

In his absence, the Blues have won just four of their ten matches in all competitions, and they are ranked fifth on the Serie A table with 25 points from 13 matches.

Osimhen will be unavailable when the Stadio San Paolo giants travel to Stadio Is Arenas for Sunday’s fixture versus Cagliari and looks set to miss the entire fixtures in January as he bids to clear himself of the virus before getting back to his rehabilitation programme.

The fleet-footed striker rose to fame while featuring for Nigeria at the 2015 Fifa U17 World Cup staged in Chile.

There, he propelled Emmanuel Amuneke’s side to a record fifth world title, while his dazzling performances earned him the Silver Ball award behind compatriot Kelechi Nwakali. He also walked home with the Golden Boot prize after finding the net on ten occasions.

Tottenham head coach Jose Mourinho has claimed that the 2020-21 Premier League season has been “wrong” since before a ball had been kicked, citing unfairness in the fact that both Manchester teams began their campaigns with a game in hand.

The worldwide coronavirus crisis has forced governing bodies to squeeze in a full term's worth of matches into a shortened time span, with a covid-enforced break midway through 2020 seeing last season spill over as the Premier League endeavoured to play out the remaining matches.

Coupled with that, European duties saw Manchester United and Manchester City return late for the already delayed 2020-21 campaign and Mourinho believes that having an additional game to play meant the season was already in disarray before it had even started.

“It's a special season with special circumstances,” the Spurs boss told a press conference on Friday. “We have to say it's going to be fair because if not it's better not to be involved. I believe that even from before the season started, it started immediately in the wrong way. Because to start the season with two clubs having a match in hand, it's immediately a wrong start.

“The season started in September and only in the last week of December we were informed about when these two matches were going to be played. Now it's about many other matches, or a few more. There are lots of things that are not right, but it is what it is, it's what it's possible to have. When you say it's fair or not fair, we have to say it's fair.”

Another of Mourinho's gripes was the fact that his team's recent match against covid-hit Fulham was postponed less than three hours before kick-off, a decision that the Portuguese has labelled “unprofessional” due to the tardy manner in which it was handled having an affect on his players.

“ I don't want to speak too much about it,” he said. “Just to say I felt unprofessional, but that is the way it was. We were preparing ourselves for that match and of course we didn't play and that is disruptive of what is a week of work.

“The training sessions before that would be different if we weren't going to play that game. People can think it was good for me that there was no game, but only good for me if I knew there was no game because then I could have had a different cycle in the training sessions.

“Not to play and not to train like we would have liked in the days before does not help.”

Turning his attention to the January transfer window, Mourinho admitted that he does not expect any business to be done as teams across the world struggle to make ends meet following the financial instability caused by the pandemic.

“Time are not easy,” Mourinho said. “The club made a big effort in the summer to try and build a good squad. Honestly if something good happened to us it would be a big surprise for me. I don't feel the right to ask for something.”

Ghanaian players have not been left out as the world celebrates New Year's Day.

With technology connecting the world now more than ever, many have taken to social media to share their well-wishes and hopes for 2021.

While Ghana and Chelsea legend Michael Essien kept it simple with his message which reads: "Happy New Year to You All", Black Stars and Vitoria Guimaraes left-back Gideon Mensah offered something more elaborate.

"Let the old year end and the New Year begin with the warmest of Aspirations, Hope and more of God's unending Favour and Grace. HAPPY NEW YEAR to us all!!!," the full-back Tweeted.

Besiktas midfielder Bernard Mensah wrote: "I want to use this opportunity to thank everyone who have supported me till now. I wish you all a happy New Year... May God bless you all."

Below are messages from some more players including former Inter Milan and Juventus man Kwadwo Asamoah and Columbus Crew captain Jonathan Mensah:

Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane wants contract renewals sorted quickly for Luka Modric, Sergio Ramos and Lucas Vazquez, which he views as a higher priority than any move for David Alaba.

While Zidane is keeping his focus on La Liga, where Madrid trail Atletico Madrid by two points, the need to bring in a player of Alaba's calibre would become urgent if a new contract for Ramos was not agreed.

The PSG-linked skipper, Luka Modric and Lucas Vazquez are all free agents, like Alaba, in June 2021.

"Yes, we all want [contracts to be signed]," Zidane said. "We want the situation to be sorted as quickly as possible. It's in everyone's interests, it would be good for everyone, so hopefully it can be sorted out quickly."

However, Zidane is not entertaining speculation about transfer talks with Alaba as Real Madrid battle to defend their title.

Bayern Munich defender Alaba is out of contract in Germany at the end of the season and negotiations over an extension have so far proved fruitless for the European champions.

The Austria international has been mooted as a target for Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain as well as Madrid.

Alaba was a key part of the Bayern team that won the Champions League last season.

However, since the start of 2019-20, he has committed four errors leading to shots in the competition, a joint-high among defenders. None of these have resulted in goals, while Madrid's Raphael Varane has made the same number of mistakes but been punished on all four occasions.

Alaba's statistics over this period are very similar to Varane's, playing 13 games to his 14 and having 29 fewer touches and seven fewer successful passes. Varane is also just four tackles, two blocks, five clearances and seven interceptions ahead of his counterpart.

Rather than being signed as a competitor to Varane, though, Alaba could partner the World Cup winner as talismanic Madrid captain Sergio Ramos approaches his 35th birthday.

Either way, the speculation does not interest head coach Zidane, who said ahead of facing Celta Vigo: "We've got all our players here. I'm just thinking about the game tomorrow with the players that I have here.

"Then maybe you're going to ask me about the players that are playing a lot or not playing a lot. We have 22 players, 25 with the goalkeepers, a very big squad.

"We have enough to think about with the games that we have not to be thinking about players that aren't even ours. Please, we're thinking just about the game tomorrow."

Luka Jovic has been offered a route out of Real Madrid by his former club Eintracht Frankfurt, with Adi Hutter leaving a door open for the Serbian striker in Germany.

A stunning 2018-19 campaign for the 23-year-old frontman saw him attract interest from across Europe.

Jovic hit 27 goals for Eintracht that season, with his stock soaring as leading sides jostled for position at the front of a transfer queue.

Moves to Italy and England were mooted, but Real won the race for a much sought-after signature and added what they considered to be huge potential to their ranks at Santiago Bernabeu.

A dream switch to Spain has become a nightmare for Jovic, however, with regular game time in short supply.

That is because he has struggled to deliver on expectation, with just two goals recorded through 32 appearances.

In addition, unfortunate headlines have been made on and off the field, leading to further transfer talk being sparked in each passing window.

Another has now swung open, with Real weighing up their options, and it could be that Jovic is presented with an opportunity to retrace his steps back to the Bundesliga.

Eintracht coach Hutter would be open to putting an agreement in place, telling reporters when quizzed on the possibility of snapping up a familiar face: “It is something that has not escaped anyone.

“He is getting very few minutes at Real Madrid and, surely, he would have nothing against returning to Frankfurt.”

Jovic has taken in just two La Liga starts for the Blancos this season, while seeing only 149 minutes of top-flight action in total, and looks to be in desperate need of taking on a new challenge.

Interest from the Premier League in his services is said to have been retained, with several sides in the market for another goalscorer, but Eintracht hope emotional ties will work in their favour.

Hutter is, however, prepared to admit that discussions regarding a return for Jovic will not be easy given the size of his salary in the Spanish capital.

He added: “It is correct what has been written about what Luka earns per year.”

A loan deal that sees Real subsidise Jovic’s earnings could be one solution for Eintracht, with talks able to be held now that the winter window of 2021 has opened for business.

Mumbai City have had a 12-day break since their 2-0 win over Hyderabad FC. Now they gear up to face Kerala Blasters in the ongoing Indian Super League (ISL) on Saturday.

The Islanders head coach, Sergio Lobera, feels that the break has came when the team was in good momentum with a six-game unbeaten run. However, the break has allowed Lobera to work on implementing his ideas.

"We have got some time to analyse the situation at the club after a long time. When you are in a good momentum, it's not easy to stop playing, but on the other hand, it's good to have more time to work on our philosophy and style of play. This is because we had a very short time in pre-season and time between games," he said.

"Now we had time to work but if I can choose, [I would prefer] not a long break and after that play three games [in 10 days], but this is the situation and we need to adapt in this scenario."

After Kerala, Mumbai face Bengaluru and ATK Mohun Bagan to conclude the first half of the season but Lobera is fixated only on the next fixture.

"I'm only thinking about Kerala Blasters. We need to put our focus on the next game and thinking about the next three games is not good for us because our next game is going to be difficult against a very good team with a good coach (Kibu Vicuna). They have very good players and try to play in a similar style like us.

"It's not easy, especially living inside the [bio] bubble with Christmas and New Year. 12 days is a long time without competitive games but I have a very good squad with very good professionals. For me, it's easy because they (players) want to work everyday to improve their level. I think it's difficult but at the same time, it is easy because I have very good players."

Mumbai City can reclaim the top spot with a positive result on Saturday. They currently have one of the best attacking and defensive numbers in the league. 

"As a coach, you need to work on the offensive and defensive balance. We play attacking football but it's very important for us to work across the pitch. The team understands the situation in transition very well and I'm very happy with the team because they are working very well in this aspect," Lobera mentioned.

Goalkeeper Amrinder Singh, having started in all games so far, has conceded the joint least number of goals (3) with ATK Mohun Bagan's Arindam Bhattacharya. He feels that the break helped the team regroup and expressed his confidence in the coach's plan.

"I think we got this 12-day break at the perfect time to recover all our players from minor injuries. Our last few sessions have been very good with the entire squad and we are feeling confident about ourselves.

"I've always wanted to play with my feet and have always waited for such an opportunity that I got this year under our coach (Sergio Lobera). I'm very comfortable playing in this style of football. We start our attacks from the goalkeeper," he stated.

Working alongside experienced forwards such as Adam le Fondre and Bartholomew Ogbeche has also helped him up his game, claimed the 27-year-old.

"When you train against good strikers everyday, it helps a lot. Both of them (Le Fondre and Ogbeche) are very good strikers and talking to them helps me understand what goes on in a striker's mind. 

"We want to do well in every game. The players' mindset is only to win and this has helped the team a lot. I think we have also understood the plan of the coach and it has made it easier for us to do things on the pitch."

Uganda head coach Johnathan McKinstry has explained how they plan to tackle Morocco in the African Nations Championship tournament in Cameroon.

The Cranes are in Group C with the reigning champions as well as Rwanda and Togo but the coach has specifically explained how he hopes to deal with the North African opponents.

“We just have to be in the best conditions because we know North African teams have not done well in Chan,” McKinstry told the Fufa website.

“We expect them to be difficult opponents because their clubs go deeper and feature in the Caf Champions League and Morocco are one of Uganda’s three opponents in Group C of the Chan finals in Cameroon.

“The nature of winning or doing well in Chan is that the number of players get opportunities to go and play outside of their domestic leagues.”

Uganda will engage in a mini-tournament against Cameroon, Zambia and Niger and their first opponents will be against the Indomitable Lions on Friday.

“It is two contrasting preparations [between Uganda and Cameroon],” the North Irish coach stated on their mode of preparations.

“Obviously for us, we got the players a week ago but connectivity needs to be worked on. We also had five Premier League rounds of action while our opponents have not had league action since March but have played four or five build-ups matches in the last three weeks.”

On his part, goalkeeper Nafian Alionzi said his teammates have had enough training.

“As a team, we are ready for the task coming ahead,” Alionzi said.

“We shall take it game per game to get out of the group stage. The energy is good as we have prepared enough and the team is up to the task. With the chances and forces we have as a team, we shall make it through the group stages.”

Uganda will play Cameroon at Ahamdaou Ahidjo Stadium in Yaounde at 8:00 EAT on January 1 while the Zambian game will be staged on January 4 at 6:00 EAT.

The final game against Niger will be played on January 7 also at 6:00 EAT. McKinstry picked 25 players for the pre-Chan tournament.

Liverpool losing 7-2 at Aston Villa was “not a big deal”, says Ronny Rosenthal, with the former Reds winger of the opinion that heavy defeats are no different to narrow ones and that Jurgen Klopp’s side remain favourites to defend their Premier League crown this season.

The 2020-21 campaign has thrown up a number of surprise results, with the continued absence of supporters from most stadiums helping to level a top-flight playing field.

Supposed heavyweights have been caught by the odd crushing blow from plucky rivals and an intriguing title race has been thrown wide open.

Liverpool still lead the way in that, having brought their 30-year wait for top-flight glory to a close last term, but an air of invincibility has deserted the Reds.

Villa made the most of that during a memorable outing on home soil in early October, as they inflicted a stunning defeat on the defending champions.

Klopp’s men have responded positively to that, and a number of unfortunate injuries, with a gruelling schedule being ticked off one game at a time.

Rosenthal can appreciate why Liverpool’s charismatic German coach has complained about hectic fixture lists at times, but he sees a well-oiled machine ticking over nicely at Anfield.

The former Reds midfielder told Forbes: “I can understand him (Klopp), but it is the same for all the clubs.

“Liverpool still have the quality without Virgil van Dijk. They have one or two young players coming in.

“Here and there they will drop points, but they still have sufficient quality to dominate. A 7-2 can happen.

“Today in the Premier League, anyone can beat anyone, even 7-2! It was a kind of game where everything was collapsing. It was a one-off, a single game in 200 games, so be it.

“To lose 7-2 or 1-0, it is zero points, you know. It is not a big deal.”

While looking to shrug off a historic reversal in the West Midlands, Rosenthal accepts that Liverpool will not have things all their own way in 2021.

He expects the chasing pack to get much closer to Klopp’s side this season, but still sees the Reds coming out on top.

The Israeli added: “It was never expected that Liverpool was going to repeat the last season, finishing with a difference of 20 points.

“It’s clear that they can’t do it again, but they can still win the league because on paper they have the strongest team. 

“The squad, the quality of the players, they are complete. They have quality in every department, that is why they will continue to be the main contender. They are the favourites.”

Liverpool will be back in action on Monday when they take in a trip to Southampton.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says everyone at Manchester United is aware that they have not “cracked it” yet despite moving into second place in the Premier League table.

The Red Devils are currently the closest challengers to defending champions Liverpool in the battle for domestic supremacy in England.

Impressive form on the road has aided United’s cause this season, while results are also being dug out at Old Trafford.

Those efforts have Solskjaer’s side sat three points off the pace and still boasting a game in hand up their sleeve.

Many are suggesting that a serious challenge for a first title triumph since 2013 can now be staged in Manchester, but those in the Red Devils’ ranks are aware that there is a lot of hard work to come.

On the benefits of coming back into contention, Solskjaer told the club’s official website: “You know, when you are getting closer, that gives you a boost and it gives you extra focus.

“The good thing about this group is that some of them have won before so they are not going to get too far ahead of themselves. We know that the only way to do it is to take one game at a time.

“I know that is quite a boring statement, but that is the good thing about this group - they are not going to think we have cracked it because in any game in this league, you have got to be at it and that's why we have a big, strong squad.”

United did stumble out of the blocks in 2020-21, leading to more questions being asked of Solskjaer’s ongoing presence, but patience is being rewarded and an ambitious coach believes there is more to come.

“Well we had a difficult start to the season with the late arrival of some players and we missed the pre-season,” Solskjaer added.

“And I think we have shown after the second international break, the one in October, that we have regrouped, come together, we are getting fitter, stronger, the squad is getting better and we just have to take one game at a time, move up the table and improve as a team.

“But we have finished the year strong. I think we have done well since the beginning of February, or end of January, and we have proven to ourselves that we can be consistent over a longer period.”

United will figure in the first round of Premier League fixtures for 2021, with the Red Devils set to play host to Aston Villa on Friday.

Barcelona's new era without Lionel Messi does not need to begin immediately but a clear plan must be laid out for life after the Argentine great, says presidential candidate Victor Font.

Messi will forever be a legend at Camp Nou given his sensational career that has seen him become both Barca and La Liga's all-time leading goalscorer.

But the 33-year-old was part of a well-documented transfer saga in the close season, in part due to a fractious relationship with departing president Josep Maria Bartomeu. And although a move away eventually did not materialise, speculation continues to link Messi with an exit when his contract expires in June.

Asked by AS the objectives for life after Messi, Font replied: "Maintain the ownership model and keep winning titles. "That is, to be competitive by having the club owned by the members when this winning generation no longer exists."

But Font did not agree with the suggestion that now is already the time to usher in a new dawn without Messi.

"Not at all. In fact, our goal is for Leo to continue to be and continue to lead the team on the field as long as he wants to continue playing," Font added. 

"When we were talking about Barca post-Messi, surely the best way to define it is Barca post-unique generation of footballers. And that does not happen from one day to the next. 

"There were Xavi, [Andres] Iniesta, [Carles] Puyol, [Gerard] Pique, [Sergio] Busquets... and this transition is not from one day to the next, it happens in time. 

"That is why it is essential to have a project and be clear about how to do it. This is what Messi told us in August, there is no project here, they are lurching, patches are put on. That was his frustration."

Messi caused quite the stir when, in the aftermath of Barca's humiliating 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich in last season's Champions League, he revealed his desire to move on.

Another recent interview conducted with Messi saw him air his frustrations from that time and did not categorically affirm his commitment beyond this season.

But Font was encouraged by what he heard, adding: "[I took it] positively, because it is consistent with what we have explained. 

"In the short term, it confirms that if there is a high-level sports project, it can continue. And another, that he openly expresses the desire to make what is so strategic for us a reality. And that the Messi-Barca alliance becomes long in time."

Barca's financial situation has been under scrutiny given the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Font did not specifically say Messi would have to take a pay cut if he stays at Barca, but said some high earners will have to be sold on and other contracts renegotiated to help their money issues.

"We know that the economic situation is very critical and that is why a shock plan has been prepared as part of the government plan that includes both refinancing the short-term debt, because there is no money to pay, and restructuring expenses and the wage bill," he said. 

"In other words, next year we will not have enough income to pay the current staff. You have to change, renew templates. We will have to sell players with high salaries, bring in players who charge less, renegotiate contracts. It is part of this 100-day government plan." 

As part of his plan, Font outlined his desire to bring in club great Xavi as general manager and Jordi Cruyff as director of sport. With Xavi, Font said the aim must be to avoid a situation like with Pep Guardiola, who eventually sought challenges away from Camp Nou.

"We believe that, in the case of Xavi, Barca has a unique asset. A person who has a talent, unique abilities," he said. 

"We have to create the conditions to prevent us from having another Pep Guardiola case with Xavi, who trains, empties, and leaves because he wants to continue being a coach elsewhere. 

"We have to ensure that in the next ten or fifteen years, to say the least, Xavi is part of the club's sporting project. And in this role as general manager, he may have that responsibility."