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Full-back Ankit Mukherjee has mutually terminated his contract with ATK Mohun Bagan and is now all set to join rivals East Bengal on a free transfer.

The Mariners, on Tuesday, officially confirmed the separation of the club and the player. Their official statement read, "As per the mutual agreement, Ankit Mukherjee and the club have decided to part ways. We wish all the best in his career going forward."

The 24-year-old Bengali defender is now all set to join the Red and Golds on a free transfer for the remainder of the ongoing Indian Super League (ISL) season.

East Bengal have already parted ways with nine domestic players who have been released from the squad on loan for the rest of the season. While defender Gurtej Singh and goalkeeper Rafique Ali Sardar have already joined Mohammedan Sporting on loan and will ply their trade with the Black Panthers in the upcoming 2020-21 season of the I-League, the future of the other seven players are yet to be decided.

Ankit Mukherjee, a graduate from East Bengal's youth system, started his professional career with Calcutta Football League (CFL) side Aryan FC where he spent two seasons before joining Mohammedan in 2017. 

His impressive performance for the Black Panthers earned him his maiden ISL contract ahead of the 2018-19 season when he joined then ATK. Mukherjee appeared in nine matches in his debut season under coach Steve Coppell and had even scored a goal which came against erstwhile Delhi Dynamos. Last season, Mukherjee, got only three minutes of game time under coach Antonio Lopez Habas.

East Bengal have not had a great maiden ISL season so far as they are currently struggling at the bottom half of the league table with just three points in seven matches and are yet to register a win in the league.

The Red and Golds' defence has been a major concern for Robbie Fowler as they have been leaking goals on a regular basis. In the absence of quality full-backs in his squad, the Liverpool great has been forced to field Bikash Jairu and Surchandra Singh as makeshift backs who are predominantly wingers.

Liverpool have appointed doctor Andreas Schlumberger as the club’s first head of recovery and performance.

The 54-year-old joins the Anfield club from Schalke, where he spent nearly a year as the German side's head of fitness.

The Reds say the newly-created role will see Schlumberger “support and work in close collaboration with the current performance, medical and rehabilitation leadership”.

He previously worked alongside Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp at Borussia Dortmund, having spent four years as the Bundesliga side’s rehabilitation coach between 2011 and 2015. He has also had spells at Nurnberg, Borussia Monchengladbach, Bayern Munich and the German Football Association during his career.

Schlumberger moves to Merseyside with the club suffering from a mounting injury list amid a breathless fixture schedule.

Central defenders Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez expected to be sidelined for much of the campaign with knee injuries.

Thiago Alcantara has not played since October with a knee injury of his own, while fellow summer signings Diogo Jota and Konstantinos Tsimikas are not expected to return until February with similar injuries.

Naby Keita and Joel Matip are sidelined with muscle problems, with Trent Alexander-Arnold, James Milner and Xherdan Shaqiri only just back to fitness following injury lay-offs.

Reds boss Klopp has been vocal with his concerns over player welfare this campaign, with the delayed start to the season because of the coronavirus pandemic meaning more matches are being packed into an already busy schedule.

Wednesday’s trip to Newcastle will be Liverpool’s 25th match in all competitions in a little over four months, with three international breaks also taking place in that time.

The German believes the reintroduction of the five substitutes, used during the summer restart, would give managers greater flexibility to protect players who may be tired or susceptible to injury.

However, the proposal has been voted down three times by Premier League clubs despite it being adopted by most major leagues across Europe, including the Championship, with smaller clubs arguing that it would favour bigger clubs who have deeper squads.

Teams are now allowed to name up to nine substitutes on the bench in each game - an increase from seven - while an agreement "in principle" has been reached to introduce additional permanent concussion substitutions.

Gareth Bale has suffered a new injury setback, with Jose Mourinho confirming the Tottenham loan star will be out of action for "a few weeks".

Bale was forced to come off at half-time after scoring the opener in Tottenham's 3-1 Carabao Cup quarter-final win over Stoke City on December 23.

Mourinho revealed post-match that the winger had sustained a calf injury, and subsequently left him out of his squad for the Premier League meeting with Wolves on Sunday, which ended in a 1-1 draw.

Bale struggles for fitness have been well documented since his return to Spurs from Real Madrid on a season-long loan in September, with the 33-year-old only managing to score three goals during 11 appearances in all competitions, the majority of which have come from the substitutes bench.

Mourinho will not be including the Welshman in his matchday squad against Fulham on Wednesday, and the Portuguese does not expect him to be back on the pitch until well into the new year.

Asked for an update on Bale's recovery, the Tottenham head coach told a pre-match press conference: "No, I don't expect Gareth to be fit. I wouldn't say it's a serious injury, but I would say a few weeks."

Mourinho also confirmed that Lucas Moura and Carlos Vinicius are doubts for the clash with the Cottagers, but Tanguy Ndombele looks set to retain a spot in the 57-year-old's line-up.

Spurs' £54 million ($73m) record signing has established himself as a regular in the team after a slow start to life in north London, and his manager is pleased with the progress he has made over the last few months.

"We are happy, apart from a couple of matches where his performances were not good, overall there was a big evolution," said Mourinho.

"I believe, to play at this intensity - Premier League intensity - and to last for 90 minutes is of course another step in the direction of his fitness, but he's a player of course who is playing very well and is giving some good things to the team."

The Tottenham boss added on the challenge Fulham will pose his team in the midweek London derby: "Fulham now play a different way, they forgot some of the principles that they believed in. They have new principles of play and they are getting very positive results. It's going to be difficult."

Viv Solomon-Otabor will not be available for Wigan Athletic’s League One encounter against Burton Albion on Tuesday evening.

The 24-year-old has been out injured following his setback in a league outing against Plymouth Argyle on October 24.

In the 1-1 draw against Ryan Lowe’s Pilgrims at the DW Stadium, the Nigeria prospect fell awkwardly on his right ankle six minutes after kick-off, before he was replaced by Will Keane.

Since then he has been out of action - missing fixtures against Milton Keynes Dons, Northampton Town, Blackpool, Chorley, Tranmere Rovers, Oxford United, Bristol Roers, Lincoln City, Sunderland, Accrington Stanley, Rochdale, Fleetwood Town and Shrewsbury Town – as Leam Richardson’s men continue their battle against relegation.

The forward is undergoing treatment for the problem which has kept him out for over eight weeks.

With Richardson’s team set to tackle fellow relegation strugglers at the Pirelli Stadium on Tuesday, the club disclosed that Solomon-Otabor alongside Harry McHugh, Gavin Massey, and Lee Evans will play no part against Jake Buxton’s Brewers, while his compatriot Emeka Obi is expected to start from the bench.

“Latics continue to be without midfielder Lee Evans, who has started the rehabilitation on his knee injury, as well as young midfielder Harry McHugh who has been sidelined recently,” a statement from Wigan website read.

“Forward Viv Solomon-Otabor has been progressing with his comeback from a long-term issue, having started gym work over the past couple of weeks, whilst fellow winger Gavin Massey is aiming for a return to action soon.

“Striker Kyle Joseph was a substitute in Latics' 1-1 draw with Shrewsbury Town on Boxing Day, as Latics made one change from the previous game, with Matty Palmer making his successful comeback from injury against Salop.”

Solomon-Otabor’s contract at the English team will end in January 2021 after joining the DW Stadium giants from Bulgarian side CSKA Moscow.

He arrived at a time when Wigan had faced the agony of relegation from the Championship after going into administration and having 12 points deducted.

On the international scene, the player received his first call up for Nigeria in October 2019, as a replacement for the injured Samuel Kalu for a friendly against Brazil in Singapore, where he was an unused substitute.

Jurgen Klopp will not let the frustrating draw with West Brom distort his impression of a Liverpool team he still regards as "a top group".

The champions have not had it all their own way this season, but they are top of the Premier League again as others try to stay in touch.

After dominating the first half at Anfield against West Brom on Sunday, Liverpool's levels dipped and they had to settle for a 1-1 draw with their visitors.

Klopp's side have not lost in the English top-flight since the 7-2 defeat to Aston Villa on October 4, and they head to Newcastle United on Wednesday looking to end the year on a high note.

In their game prior to the West Brom clash, Liverpool had thrashed Crystal Palace 7-0 at Selhurst Park.

Klopp said: "I want to win more than anything else, but I had to learn so early in life it doesn't happen all the time. That's completely fine.

"I like winning football games, especially when you deserve to win. To deserve to win [against West Brom] I thought we should have done more things. We ran a lot, we fought a lot, that's all okay but to do more of the right stuff. That's what I told the boys already, I'm not angry with them, that can happen.

"The boys are a top group. They were a top group after winning 7-0, they're a top group after drawing with West Brom, so that doesn't change.

"Maybe the perspective from outside changed, I can imagine that's immediately like this. I'm not a young manager anymore; I can judge these things in the right way.

"We're not happy about [the West Brom outcome], it's the opposite, but now it's over we cannot change that anymore, we can just make sure in the exact situation the same doesn't happen again."

Klopp spoke admiringly of Newcastle striker Callum Wilson and said Steve Bruce's side "have a couple of really good players", predicting a "tough challenge" on Tyneside.

Should Liverpool stumble again, the likes of Manchester United, Everton, Leicester City and Tottenham will take heart, but the Reds have a strong recent record against Wednesday's opponents, having won their last five Premier League battles.

Liverpool have never won six consecutive games against Newcastle in the top flight, and they may note the Magpies have developed a habit of raising their level for home games against reigning champions.

Newcastle have taken eight points from their last four home games against teams in possession of the Premier League trophy, last losing at St James' Park to such a team when they went down 2-0 to Manchester City in August 2014.

Conversely, Liverpool can point to having won their final league game in each of the last six calendar years.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer should drop Anthony Martial for Edinson Cavani according to ex-Manchester United star Paul Parker, who says you never know which version of the French forward is "going to turn up" in matches.

The 2019-20 campaign was Martial's best yet at Old Trafford, as he managed to break the 20-goal mark for the first time since joining United from Monaco in 2015.

The 25-year-old has been unable to carry that form into their latest campaign, and his position in Solskjaer's starting XI has been called into question.

Martial has only managed four goals in 16 appearances across all competitions so far this term, the same as summer signing Cavani who has played three games less and been mainly used as a substitute.

Parker thinks the ex-Paris Saint-Germain marksman deserves to play ahead of the Red Devils' current No.9, as he believes the 33-year-old is the best natural centre-forward the club have had since Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

“I’m sceptical about some of the players he [Solskjaer] is leaving on the touchline,” the former United full-back told talkSPORT. “It does worry me that you’re leaving good players on the touchline who you need to get in, get playing consistently and get the best from them.

“Edinson Cavani is one of them. The one thing United have been lacking for quite a few years now is a consistent centre-forward, somebody who knows how to play in that position with their runs, holding up the ball, playing little one-twos and movement in behind.

“United haven’t had that; the only one they’ve had of any note since Sir Alex retired was Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

“All Ole is trying to do at the moment is get some consistency in their game, and if players like Cavani – with the levels they have played at – are playing then maybe they will.”

Parker also feels Martial is an unreliable candidate to fill a role on the right-wing in Solskjaer's line up, and he is not sure Mason Greenwood is up to the task either after the teenager's recent scoring dip.

“Marcus Rashford is always going to be in the team on the left-hand side, but the right-hand side is up there for auction at this moment in time," he added.

“People will say young Mason Greenwood, but I still wonder is there going to be enough from him? Everyone will say that he’s young, but you’re only young for a short number of years at Man United before you’re going to have to start showing consistency, and he hasn’t really done that yet.

“You could play Martial there, and he could play anywhere across that forward line, but you never know what Martial is going to turn up for you?

“You’re not getting any show or form and he doesn’t put any consistent runs of performances together.”

Former Egypt defender and Al Ittihad Alexandria assistant coach Ibrahim Hassan feels that coaching Al Ahly is an easy job and says Pitso Mosimane would struggle by lasting just two games if he takes charge of any other Egyptian Premier League side.

Hassan’s remarks, ironically, came minutes after Al Ittihad were hammered 4-0 by Mosimane's Al Ahly in a league match on Monday.

Following the South African's appointment to lead the Cairo giants in September, he has so far enjoyed a good run of 14 unbeaten matches, including two while not on the bench after testing positive for coronavirus. 

“If Hareth [Al Ahly’s kit man] took charge of Al Ahly, he will win trophies,” Hassan said after the game according to Kingfut.

“If we [Ibrahim and his twin brother Hossam] took charge of Al Ahly we will win trophies. If Pitso coached any other team in the league, he will get sacked after two games. Al Ahly wasn’t good against us in the Egypt Cup nor in their last games nor in the Caf Champions League."

Hassan's expressed his views despite that the fact his twin brother Hossam was heading Al Ittihad's technical bench and was upstaged by Mosimane.

A journeyman in his coaching career, Hossam rarely lasts long at clubs he has taken charge of, his three seasons at Al Masry between July 2015 and October 2018 being the longest he has stayed in a job.

Since taking up his first dugout role in 2008 after retiring as a player, Egypt’s all-time top scorer has been announced as coach at various teams 13 times, including two stints at Zamalek and as many spells at Al Masry.

He is currently Al Ittihad tactician for the third time.

Mosimane, on the other hand, has had a longer coaching career dating back from 2001, but has been in charge of just four teams including a largely successful period at Mamelodi Sundowns from where he attracted Al Ahly.

The South African is yet to taste defeat in 14 games during his time in Cairo, where he ended Al Ahly’s seven-year Caf Champions League trophy drought.

He also guided them to the Egypt Cup and Premier League title as well, which he, however, refused to credit himself much for after taking over a team that had already mathematically won it.

After also having a stint at the helm of SuperSport United and Bafana Bafana, the Al Ahly role is Mosimane’s first outside South Africa.

Wilfried Zaha expressed his satisfaction after seeing Crystal Palace battle to a 1-1 draw against Leicester City in Monday’s Premier League game.

In the keenly contested affair at Selhurst Park, the Cote d’Ivoire international put the Eagles ahead on 58 minutes after Kelechi Iheanacho had missed a fine chance to hand the visitors a first-half lead via the penalty spot.

The 28-year-old had sent a pass out wide to Andros Townsend, and the Englishman delivered an accurate cross that found him in space, before he unleashed a right-footed volley past Kasper Schmeichel at the near post.

Having in mind that his team had lost to Liverpool (7-0) and Aston Villa (3-0) before the encounter, the former Manchester United man claimed the result was pleasing, albeit, he said Palace had the chance to claim all points at stake.

"I'm happy," Zaha told Crystal Palace website. "Obviously the last couple of games have been tough for us so getting a point today, I feel like we worked hard and could have got all three points. We'll take a point.

"I'll take it. After the last results we got, the way we worked today, I'm definitely happy and I'll take that going into the New Year."

The forward - who has been constantly been linked with a move from Crystal Palace - has long since surpassed his last season’s tally for Roy Hodgson’s men, where he managed four goals in 38 Premier League appearances.

"I'm not trying to think about scoring too much, I'm just trying to make sure I'm playing well and that the chances keep on coming. I'm happy to score my eighth goal but it's all about the team,” he added.

With their latest result, the Eagles climbed to 13th spot on the Premier League log having accrued 19 points from 16 games so far in the 2020-21 season.

Zaha - who boasts of 18 appearances for the West African nation - will hope to continue to find the net again when Hodgson’s team take on Chris Wilder’s Sheffield United on January 2, as his team aims to put an end to their five-game winless streak.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang would benefit from an extended spell on the sidelines, according to Lee Dixon, who thinks the Arsenal striker "could come back firing" after a good rest.

Aubameyang scored 25 goals for Arsenal last season, including a double in the FA Cup final victory over Chelsea, cementing his status as one of the top strikers in English football in the process.

However, the Gabon international has been unable to live up to the same high standards in 2020-21 with his loss of form coinciding with the Gunners' alarming slip towards the relegation zone.

The 31-year-old, who signed a bumper contract extension through to 2023 in September, has found the net in just three of his 13 Premier League appearances this season and was only named on the bench for the London derby clash with Chelsea at the weekend.

Aubameyang's absence during the 3-1 victory was predominantly down to the fact he has only just recovered from a calf issue, but Dixon thinks he should remain among the substitutes for the next few weeks in order to reflect on his role in the team.

The former Arsenal defender has suggested that Mikel Arteta should stick with the forward-line that delivered a much-needed three points against the Blues, while insisting that Aubameyang is more likely to rediscover his best form if he takes a "step back".

“Nobody is bigger than the club,” Dixon told talkSPORT. “Maybe Mikel Arteta might look at the game at the weekend and say, ‘we did create some chances, we did this’.

“It might just do him [Aubameyang] a bit of good to have a little step out of the team and just look from the sidelines.

“When you watch a game from the sidelines you can sometimes learn more than you do when you’re on the pitch. Your brain is so full of information when you’re playing; you don’t always see everything, you don’t always feel everything.

“He’s obviously a hugely talented footballer and we need his goals, but it might be a time for him just to look and assess the team.

“You can actually see little ways of improving your own game when you’re sitting on the bench, because you’re watching other people and you’re seeing gaps appear from a different angle.

“When I was playing I didn’t analyse Ian Wright’s runs because they just happened, but if you were sitting on the sidelines and watched Thierry Henry or Wrighty or Dennis Bergkamp, you saw an awful lot more and it gives you a bigger and more colourful picture of that player.

“So it might do him a bit of good to step out. If they win their next two games and he doesn’t play then he [could] come back firing. That rest might do him good.”

Arsenal will back in action against Brighton at Amex Stadium on Tuesday night, before their focus shifts to a meeting with West Brom at The Hawthorns on January 2.

Jadon Sancho and Jack Grealish "would be really useful" for Manchester United according to Louis Saha, who hopes the Red Devils will rekindle their interest in the "amazing" England duo in 2021.

United spent most of the last transfer window chasing Sancho's signature, but Borussia Dortmund refused to compromise on a final fee for the winger.

The German giants made it clear that Sancho would not be sold for less than £100 million ($135m) - a price which the Red Devils were reluctant to play amid the financial uncertainty caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The 20-year-old ended up staying, but speculation over his future at Westfalenstadion continues to rage heading into the new year with it suggested that ongoing transfer rumours adversely affected his form in the first half of the season.

Grealish was also mooted as a target for United, having played a key role in keeping Aston Villa in the Premier League last term with a string of outstanding performances.

The playmaker has built on that platform to inspire their recent push for a place in Europe, with his list of potential suitors growing with each passing game.

Saha thinks two men who have recently starred for England at international level are both capable of providing high-quality service for United's forwards, and linking up with creative hub Bruno Fernandes in the middle of the park.

"It’s unfortunate Man United couldn’t get deals in place for Jack Grealish and Jadon Sancho last summer because they are two amazing players," the former Red Devils striker told Ladbrokes.

"I know less about Grealish but I think he would have fitted perfectly into this team - but for me, I’m sorry, Sancho is just such an unbelievable player.

"He’s unpredictable, he’s such a great talent and if he was playing for United with Bruno Fernandes, you just know as a striker you’re going to score goals because of the two of those.

"Man United did miss out on the two of them in the summer, but hopefully they’ll have another chance to sign them soon. My choice of the two would be Sancho over Grealish. Both are amazing players and they’d improve any side. They’re so confident and would be really useful for Man United’s strikers.

"Fernandes has done a great job in helping United since arriving earlier this year, so could you imagine what another player of his level would do to the team?"

Uganda head coach Johnathan McKinstry has assessed their preparedness level for the upcoming African Nations Championship tournament.

The coach further indicated none of the selected players was injured during week-long training sessions and that makes him even more optimistic.

“We have been in camp for a week and the players have pushed really hard,” the former Rwanda tactician told Sports Nation.

“It is very clear that everyone is focused and determined, they want their ticket to go to Cameroon and to represent Uganda; you can see that in terms of enthusiasm, energy, in terms of learning in the classroom and the field.

“We came through the week well without injuries, just one or two knocks and nothing serious.”

The Cranes will be part of a mini-tournament that will involve Cameroon, Zambia and Niger ahead of the continental competition and McKinstry has explained the importance of having that experience of local conditions.

“We think it is very good, players will get time to acclimatise in Cameroon. We are now looking forward, get to Cameroon and start playing,” he added.

The Northern Irish tactician also explained the technical difference between teams at Chan and how Uganda can mount a successful campaign in West Africa.

“We have said ever since I came that we need to have that attitude of why not us, especially in the Chan tourney,” he stated.

“You look at nations like Libya and DR Congo who have won the tournament before, even when I took Rwanda in 2016, it was only an extra-time goal against DR Congo that eliminated us at quarter-finals.

“So, the difference between the teams are not so great at Chan, and really for us if we get confident and we perform at our best, we have the potential to go deep in the tournament.

“This is the challenge for the players; ‘why not us? why can’t we be there the last weekend?’ It is about being confident, it is about being ambitious and it is about putting the work ethic to make sure that that we are still there come February 7th.”

The mini-tournament will be played between January 1 and 7 and McKinstry selected 25 players for the competition.

Chelsea are a "crisis club" according to Chris Sutton, who thinks the Blues' season is in danger of turning "ugly" under Frank Lampard.

The sense of optimism that surrounded Stamford Bridge at the end of the summer transfer window has been replaced by a growing feeling of unease and frustration in recent weeks.

Chelsea had seemingly thrown their hat in the ring for the title after a 17-match unbeaten run in all competitions, but a 1-0 loss to Everton at Goodison Park on December 12 marked the beginning of a downward spiral.

Lampard has seen his side pick up just four points from their next four fixtures, with further losses inflicted by Wolves and Arsenal either side of a win against West Ham.

The Blues could only manage a 1-1 draw with Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge on Monday night, which leaves them trailing league leaders Liverpool by six points having played a game more.

Sutton is worried that Lampard's position will come under serious threat if he fails to address the team's recent slide, and believes the title is now out of reach for his old club.

"At the moment, they are a crisis club because they are underperforming," the former Chelsea striker told BBC Radio Five Live. "They are flat and that's why Frank needs to get a few wins under his belt and extremely quickly because it can, as we know, turn ugly at Chelsea.

"Whether we like it or not, this is a totally different season for Frank. The pressure is on; he has spent the big money. Now the pressure will build.

"I don't want to go too early on Chelsea and Frank because if they win three on the spin, they will be up into second place and we'll be saying 'can they win the title again?' and that's the way it is.

"I don't think Chelsea can win the title. They have to get back to a way of playing where they really find their rhythm."

The Blues invested a combined total of £127.5 million ($172m) in the talents of Timo Werner and Kai Havertz earlier this year, but they have failed to produce the same form they showed on a regular basis during their respective spells at RB Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen.

Sutton says Lampard will continue to be judged harshly if he can't get a tune out of the German duo, as he added: "Timo Werner has been a massive disappointment and Kai Havertz has been too. When you spend big money, then the pressure is really on for Frank this season - and it wasn't last season.

"I don't think Frank has the overall say in the signings policy for Chelsea. I think there would be a transfer committee of sorts. In fairness, Havertz is a young man and a really talented player but we haven't seen that yet at Chelsea.

"I think Werner has been a bigger disappointment. He has missed some really big opportunities. I know he is capable of playing a number of positions and playing them well, but I just wonder if Werner would rather play as a central striker."

Frank Lampard says Chelsea will discover in the next few days whether their upcoming match against Manchester City will be postponed, but insists safety must take priority despite the potential fixture backlog it may cause.

City were forced to postpone their Premier League trip to Everton on Monday after an outbreak of Covid-19 among their squad.

In a statement the club said the security of their bio-secure bubble had been compromised and there was a risk the virus could spread further among the squad and staff.

They are scheduled to face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday but that match is now in serious doubt, with the club’s training ground currently closed as a precaution.

England is currently dealing with a surge in coronavirus cases sparked by a new variant which is spreading more rapidly, particularly in the south east of the country.

That has prompted the UK government to impose harsher ‘Tier 4’ restrictions on large areas of England, including London, which bans household mixing and forces non-essential shops to close.

It also means football matches in the capital must once again be played behind closed doors after a brief easing of restrictions allowed up to 2,000 supporters in at the start of December.

Postponing Sunday’s match would undoubtedly cause a fixture headache for Chelsea as they are already having to deal with a congested schedule, but Lampard says health has to come first as the world continues to grapple with the Covid-19 pandemic.

"We’ll see what the position is," he told reporters. "It’s a key time and a rough time, and we felt that coming, with Tier 4 coming in and the surge in Covid. From our point of view I will find out more over the next day or two to make sure it has to be safe for the two teams. If not the [Man City] game won’t go ahead.”

Chelsea’s next game, against Morecambe in the FA Cup on January 10, is also in doubt after the League Two side were forced to cancel their next two matches following a coronavirus outbreak at the club.

Lampard, again, was philosophical about the situation, accepting it was out of his hands.

"If we don’t play these games, we’ll keep working," he added. “I’m not surprised because the way Covid is in the UK is difficult for everybody and football isn’t very different. So we’ll just have to see what the Premier League come up with but safety will be paramount."

AFC Leopards legend Boniface Ambani has blamed defensive misunderstandings and a failure to learn continental football lessons for Gor Mahia's humiliating 6-0 loss away to CR Belouizdad in the first leg of the second preliminary round of the Caf Champions League game.  

The Great Chabab scored their goals through Amir Sayoud, who scored a hat-trick, Hamza Bellahouel, Larbi Tabti, and Maecky Ngombo during a thoroughly one-sided display.

The former striker has pointed out weaknesses at the back, which he believes contributed to the big loss.

"There was no cohesion in that defense, there were a lot of misunderstandings from what I saw," Ambani told Goal on Tuesday.

"From the goalkeeper to his four defenders. There was a lack of communication and reaction from the department.

"There are two instances the goalkeeper made saves but the defenders were slow to react. When a goalkeeper makes a save, the defenders should be there to clear the danger.

"However, I still fault the whole team because the defense starts from the attack. Strikers have to trackback. So if the strikers and midfielders cannot mark, there is nothing the defense can do."  

The 38-year-old has also stated K'Ogalo have failed to learn their lessons from previous continental competition participation.

"The problem with Gor Mahia, they do not learn," Ambani said.

"For them to make it to the group stage, they have to apply the lessons from the previous campaign. They lack consistency on the continental assignments.

"They lose a lot of players, then they go to the same competition with the new set of players who are learning again. They do not know where their mistakes were.

"But when you retain the players, there is a starting point. You discuss where the problem was and you work on them as a unit."

In the first leg, K'Ogalo came into the match without the services of their influential captain Kenneth Muguna, midfielder Bernard Ondiek and Nicholas Kipkirui. The first two were nursing injuries while the former Zoo FC man had family issues.    

The trio are expected to be fit for the second leg to be played on Wednesday, January 6 at Nyayo Stadium.

Paris Saint-Germain have confirmed the sacking of head coach Thomas Tuchel.

As confirmed by Goal, the 47-year-old was dismissed shortly after PSG's Ligue 1 victory over Strasbourg on Wednesday, but the club have now made the news official with a statement on the club's website.

"I would like to thank Thomas Tuchel and his staff for everything they brought to the club," said PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi. "Thomas has put a lot of energy and passion into his work, and of course we will remember the good times we shared together. I wish him the best for his future."

Tuchel leaves just four months after guiding the club to their first Champions League final, where they were beaten 1-0 by Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich in Lisbon.

He also helped the club lift the Ligue 1, Coupe de France and Coupe de la Ligue titles during the 2019-20 campaign.

In total, he won six domestic trophies in two seasons since succeeding Unai Emery as PSG head coach in the summer of 2018. 

However, he has paid the price for an inconsistent start to the season which sees the club trail Lyon and Lille by a point in the Ligue 1 table going into the Christmas break.

Tuchel was forced to defend himself after the Strasbourg game amid the fallout of an interview published by SPORT 1, during which he was quoted as saying he felt "more like a sports politician or sports minister than a coach" in his first season in France.

Despite their erratic domestic form, PSG still have much to look forward to in the new year, including a huge Champions League round-of-16 tie against Barcelona scheduled to take place in February.

The French giants will now look to appoint a new head coach before their next fixture against Saint-Etienne at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard on January 6.

That man is expected to be former Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino. The Argentine, who made nearly 100 appearances for PSG between 2001 and 2003, has been out of work since he was sacked by Spurs and replaced by Jose Mourinho in November 2019.

As reported by Goal last week, the 48-year-old will sign a contract that will keep him with PSG through to at least 2022 with a one-year option. An announcement is expected in the coming days.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has called for Manchester United to find their best home form ahead of four successive fixtures at Old Trafford.

United's worst start to a top-flight season at home in 48 years was confirmed when they were held to a 0-0 draw by Chelsea on October 24.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side had only picked up one point from a possible nine on home soil at that stage, and results have not improved much since.

Arsenal picked up a 1-0 win in Manchester at the start of November, and it wasn't until the end of the month that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side finally secured their first win in their own stadium.

The Red Devils beat West Brom by the same narrow scoreline before grabbing away wins over Southampton and West Ham, re-emerging as title contenders in the process.

Another stalemate at Old Trafford against arch-rivals Manchester City on December 12 halted their momentum, but a convincing win in their Pennines derby clash with Leeds United eight days later left supporters dreaming of a return to the glory days.

United moved up to third after that 6-2 home victory, and they retained their spot in the top four despite drawing 2-2 with Leicester City on Boxing Day, with a crucial fixture against Wolves up next on Tuesday night.

Solskjaer's men will move to within two points of leaders Liverpool if they see off Wolves, and the Norwegian boss is hoping to see his players build on their encouraging performance against Leeds.

“I think the last game we played at Old Trafford was a very positive one," Solskjaer told MUTV. "We have to build on that performance and the way we attacked and the way we went about the game. We’ve been doing well away from home, but now there’s no travel and more time to recover between the games and it’s fresh this morning [Monday] so we should be ready.”

The Red Devils manager added on the absence of supporters in stadiums being more conducive to strong displays on the road: “We certainly know how much they mean to us at Old Trafford. I think we can see that with the results – it swings more to away wins than home wins and that [no fans] is a massive factor.

"Being at home and having your own fans who know what we’re trying to do and them giving the players support and encouragement, that’s been one of the biggest things.

"All my team-mates and even players coming from abroad would always talk about how loyal all our fans have always been. So we can’t wait to get them back and we’ll do what we can to get points before they’re in.”

Solskjaer went on to update on the availability of Victor Lindelof and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, with both men facing late fitness tests before the meeting with Wolves.

“Victor didn’t train [on Monday] so we’ll give him 24 hours, he’s still getting treatment. Aaron trained with the boys," he said. "We didn’t do a lot because there was snow and it was just about preparation training anyway. If there’s no reaction he should be available.”

Asked if United have adjusted to the hectic fixture schedule for 2020-21, Solskjaer responded: “Definitely. We’ve gotten used to it and I think the players are getting more and more robust and physically ready for games, with only two days rest in between.

"Of course we’ve got about 30 hours more than Wolverhampton to recover so we have a slight advantage in that respect, and hopefully we can make use of those extra calories of energy we’ve got.”

Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl believes he took the right decision in picking Jack Stephens over Ghanaian youngster Mohammed Salisu in Saturday's Premier League fixture against Fulham.

In the absence of injured first-choice centre-back Jannik Vestergaard, the manager had a choice to make between Stephens and Salisu for the game week 15 away tie.

Salisu has been awaiting his debut for The Saints since transferring from Spanish La Liga side Real Valladolid in August.

"For me, it was important [against Fulham] that I brought in a player who knew immediately what he was doing," said Hasenhuttl told Hampshire Live.

"When you have three changes in the team you need to have as much automatism as possible.

"I am sure Salisu could also play well, but it is important not to have too many changes and to keep our shape so that the players know exactly what they're doing and I think we made the right decision.

"It was important too that Jack showed that he could play on the left because I did not want to move Jan back to the left side.

"It was a little bit new for him but he is experienced as had the quality to handle this. He did a good job."

Salisu made Southampton's matchday squad for the first time for a 2-1 win over Brighton and Hove Albion earlier this month and has since made Hasenhuttl's bench on consecutive occasions.

After sealing his transfer in August, he delayed linking up with The Saints squad for pre-season due to an injury. He eventually joined practice in the week the Premier League kicked off and it then took him three more months to make his first match day squad.

"Salisu is the future of this club. It will take time. We know how long it takes for some players to step into the team," Hasenhuttl added.

"He has so much potential and [at Fulham] it was more important for me, as I said, not to unsettle the team. It would have been difficult, I think.

"I am really happy that Sali is here and he shows to me in every session that he can help us."