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The 2020 Club World Cup is set to be held in Qatar from 1-11 February next year. 

The 2022 World Cup hosts are set to host the world’s continental club championship for the second time running, after hosting the 2019 edition which was won by Liverpool. 

The upcoming edition was originally scheduled to take place in December 2020 but has been delayed till February 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic that has impacted sporting calendars throughout the globe. 

"The FIFA Club World Cup Qatar 2020, which was originally scheduled for December, has been subject to the disruptive effect of the pandemic on the confederations’ continental club championships that serve as a pathway for the event," FIFA stated in a release. 

Two clubs have already qualified for the tournament. European champions Bayern Munich will be joined by Qatar Stars League winners Al Duhail who are the host nation's representatives. Champions of continental club championships from CONCACAF (North and Central America), CONMEBOL (South America), AFC (Asia), OFC (Oceania) and CAF (Africa) will also qualify for the tournament. The respective continental competitions are expected to be completed in the next three months. 

It must noted that Qatar have already proved their mettle in organising high-profile tournaments during the pandemic, having hosted 39 West Zone matches in the 2020 AFC Champions League. They are also set to play hosts to 44 East Zone matches in November and December apart from the final. 

A bio-secure bubble and stringent testing protocols were implemented while hosting the tournament. Qatar have also restarted their domestic league and a limited number of fans are being allowed to attend the games after following social distancing measures. 

Chennaiyin FC midfielder Anirudh Thapa feels that the 2022 World Cup in Qatar provides a huge chance for fans in India to watch the sport's greatest spectacle live. 

Given that two of football's all-time legends in Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi might be playing their final World Cup in 2022, Qatar 2022 is a must-visit tournament, according to Thapa. The midfielder himself is keen to travel to Qatar and watch the matches

The Portuguese superstar will be 37 and the Argentine wizard will be 35 when the tournament kicks off on November 21, 2022. Thapa does not want to miss the chance to watch the two legends live on the sport’s grandest stage. 

“If I am able to, if I don’t have any commitments, I will definitely go and watch the World Cup in Qatar. It is a lifelong dream to watch a World Cup and see the big teams play," he told Goal .

“Also, some of the legends are playing their final World Cup in 2022. So, I definitely want to go to Qatar and watch the World Cup if I’m able to.”

The 2022 edition will only be the second time the World Cup is held in Asia. The first time was back in 2002 when South Korea and Japan co-hosted the tournament. This time around, the tournament will be easily accessible for fans from India, given Qatar's accessibility for Indians and the excellent relation between the two countries. 

Qatar is also home to a sizeable Indian community and Thapa feels that this only makes it easier for Indians to travel and enjoy the World Cup, which begins in two years' time. 

“We have good relations with Qatar and there are a lot of Indians in Qatar. It should be very easy for us to travel to Qatar and watch the World Cup. I think it is possible that a lot of Indians will go and watch the games in 2022,” he said. 

Of course, the 2022 World Cup will also be unique with respect to the innovation and technology that will be on display for the first time ever. Qatar have already unveiled three venues for the World Cup that have cutting-edge features like the Advanced Cooling Tech that will ensure the climate inside the stadium is controlled and kept at comfortable levels. 

The facilities at the venues and practice pitches have also been described as ‘world-class’ by many legends of the game. Thapa also attests to the same, having experienced them first hand during India’s World Cup qualifier against Qatar in September 2019. The 23-year-old started and played a key role as India held the Asian champions in Doha.

He also had the chance to experience several training facilities which will be used for the World Cup as well. 

“The infrastructure in Qatar is absolutely amazing. I absolutely loved it. The stadium, the pitches were really nice and the surface is really smooth,” he said. “We haven’t experienced a proper football stadium in India but in Qatar, the stadium atmosphere was top-notch.”

Thapa, who has been to Europe on a training stint to Ligue 1 side FC Metz, feels the facilities in Qatar are better. 

“I’ve not been to Europe much but from whatever I saw in France, Italy and Holland, facilities in Qatar are comparatively world class. The infrastructure is one of the best in the entire world.”

AFC Leopards have reported Zambian Super League side Lusaka Dynamos to Fifa for unlawfully signing Duncan Otieno.

The lanky midfielder was unveiled on November 1 after joining from Nkana FC but even before the league started, the 26-year-old was on his way to Zambia. 

"With a view to reinforcing our team; we procedurally contracted Duncan Otieno to once again play for us upon expiry of his contract with Nkana FC of Zambia that ended on 31st October 2020," the Kenyan outfit said in a statement.

"The player was glad to re-join us and hence signed up to be in the Den for the next two years beginning with the forthcoming 2020-2021 season. Correspondingly, all processes required and documentation was done in the Transfer Matching System (TMS) to firm up this agreement.  

"However, the player was unsettled by the agent who notified him of another offer and opted to pursue it despite having already entered into a contract with the club."

The Kenya international went on to sign a deal with the Zambian outfit, and Ingwe are not happy with it. They are now in touch with the world football governing body to report the team for tapping-up the player

"This step is unprocedural as we have had no contact with the Zambian club concerning their desire to sign the player," Leopards continued.

"If indeed this is the case, then Lusaka Dynamos and the player are in breach of FIFA transfer rules and hence should be ready for the consequences.  

"Accordingly, the National Executive Committee has deliberated to have appropriate lawful action initiated to settle this situation by moving to report the matter to FIFA for player tapping and double signing."  

Otieno was part of AFC Leopards' pre-season squad which faced and lost to the National Super League side Shabana FC during the Mashujaa Day celebrations at Gusii Stadium on October 10.

Thereafter they proceeded to Elgeyo Marakwet County for a 10-day training period where Otieno and his teammates played against Kapenguria Heroes FC on two occasions.  

Apart from Otieno, AFC Leopards signed Peter Thiong'o, Burundian Bienvenue Shaka from Tunisian top division side Etoile Sportif du Sahel, where he had spent two years.

Goalkeeper John Oyemba arrived on a two-year deal after he had left Kariobangi Sharks and his arrival is expected to strengthen the department that performed well under Benjamin Ochan – who kept 15 clean sheets in 21 matches - in the cancelled 2019/20 season.

Harrison Mwendwa was also signed for two years from Kariobangi Sharks as well as midfielder Fabrice Mugheni, who arrived from Rayon Sports.

Inter full-back Aleksandar Kolarov has tested positive for coronavirus, the club have confirmed.

Kolarov returned to San Siro at the start of the week after struggling with unspecified physical problems while away on international duty with Serbia.

He was an unused substitute in a penalty shoot-out defeat to Scotland that denied Serbia a place in the European Championship next year, and was left out of the squad completely as his country drew 1-1 with Hungary in a League B, Group 3 Nations League meeting on Sunday. 

The 35-year-old reported for Inter's latest round of medical checks on Monday, and was subsequently diagnosed with Covid-19, which means he will now be forced to spend at least 10 days in quarantine.

Inter have delivered an update on Kolarov's condition via their official website, which reads: "FC Internazionale Milano announces that Aleksandar Kolarov tested positive for the swab carried out yesterday after returning from the call with his national team.

"The player, completely asymptomatic, will now follow the procedures provided for by the health protocol."

Kolarov is the third Nerazzurri player to have contracted coronavirus this month, with Marcelo Brozovic and Daniele Padelli also currently taking in spells in self-isolation.

The Serbian defender has been a regular in Antonio Conte's squad since completing a €2 million move to Inter from Roma in September, creating eight chances and supplying one assist in six appearances across all competitions.

He will, however, be unavailable to feature when Inter welcome Torino to San Siro for a must-win Serie A clash on Sunday.

Kolarov will also sit out a Champions League group-stage encounter against Real Madrid three days later, and will have to post a negative Covid-19 test before being eligible for selection again when the Nerazzurri take in a trip to Sassuolo on November 28.

Inter are currently sitting seventh in Serie A after seven fixtures, five points adrift of leaders AC Milan, and are also facing an uphill battle to qualify from Group B in Europe's elite competition after failing to win any of their opening three games.

Mohammed Abdel Rahman's late effort handed Sudan a 1-0 home victory over Ghana in the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers on Tuesday.

The injury-time goal secured all three points for the hosts in the Group C matchday three fixture at Al Hilal Stadium in Omdurman.

The defeat has denied the Black Stars an early qualification for the next continental gathering in Cameroon as a win or draw on Tuesday would have been enough.

The West Africans, nonetheless, still top their group and remain in position to secure one of two qualification slots when the series resumes in March next year.

Ghana coach CK Akonnor made five changes to his starting XI, bringing in Fatau Dauda and striker Caleb Ekuban for suspended first-choice goalkeeper Richard Ofori Antwi and injured captain Andre Ayew.

Amiens defender Nicholas Opoku, China-based Mubarak Wakaso and Crystal Palace winger Jeffrey Schlupp also replaced Christopher Nettey, Emmanuel Lomotey and Samuel Owusu respectively.

In the absence of Andre, who scored both goals in Thursday's 2-0 home triumph on matchday three, younger brother Jordan Ayew took over the captain's armband.

In a first half of few chances, Jordan made Ghana's first attempt for the opener, hitting a shot across the face of goal.

Then Ekuban just failed to connect with a Wakaso lofted ball into the box moments later.

In the 26th minute, Abdel Rahman had arguably the best chance of the first stanza but his shot from inside the box failed to beat Ghana goalkeeper Dauda.

Seven minutes after the interval, Jordan produced Ghana's first shot on target, releasing a thunderbolt, from range which called Sudan goalkeeper Ali Abdullah Abu Eshrein into action.

The captain tested Eshrein with a free-kick in the 86th minute, the Al Merreikh goalkeeper proving up to the task one more time.

As things looked headed for a draw, Sudan stung Ghana in the second minute of injury time as Abdel Rahman beat Boye to a cross to head the ball into the net for the match-winner.

With six points to their name, the north Africans are third on the league table, three behind Ghana and South Africa, who are joint-top on nine points. 

Kenya international Anthony Akumu has boldly stated he will still choose to play for Gor Mahia even if he gets a better offer from bitter rivals AFC Leopards.

The lanky Kaizer Chiefs midfielder played for K'Ogalo between 2010 and 2014 before leaving for Sudan's top-tier side Al Khartoum. Later on, the now 28-year-old joined the Zambia Super League side Zesco United before going to South Africa.

Despite being out of K'Ogalo for the last six years, the defensive midfielder, who can also play as a central defender, says there is no love lost between him and the Kenyan outfit who gave him a platform in the top-tier.

"I have massive respect for Leopards, but to be honest, I cannot choose them over K'Ogalo no matter how good their offer is," Akumu told Goal.

"[Ingwe] are a good team, actually one of the biggest in Kenya but I just cannot play for them.

"Gor Mahia is a team that gave me a chance, it is my home, and if I have an opportunity to get back home, for sure I will."

The soft-speaking Akumu also stated he is not yet done and his focus is on improving as a player.

"I want to be involved as much as possible, I want to keep learning and it needs more hard work," Akumu added.

"Yes, I am happy for my achievements, but it is not enough, I want to do more at the club and national team level."

Akumu was part of the Harambee Stars squad for the group Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifying double-header against Comoros where the first one ended 1-1. Then the islanders claimed a 2-1 win in the second game.

In the first game played at Kasarani on Wednesday, November 11, M'changama Youssouf put Comoros ahead from a free-kick which was expertly taken, wrong-footing Arnold Origi in the Kenya goal, but Masoud Juma equalised for Harambee Stars in the second half after going down to the visitors who had to play with 10 men for the better part of the game.

In the second leg played four days later in Moroni, Mohamed Ben El-Fardou and Mattoir Faiz scored the goals for Les Coelacantes and Harambee Stars denied them a clean sheet courtesy of Cliff Nyakeya’s effort.

However, Akumu was not involved in any of the matches.

Manchester United striker Odion Ighalo has urged Genk forward Paul Onuachu to replicate his club performances for the Nigeria national team.

The lanky centre-forward has been delivering scintillating displays for the Luminus Arena outfit in the current campaign.

Onuachu has bagged nine goals in 11 league games to help the Blue and White to the fourth spot on the Belgian First Division A table.

The forward has, however, been struggling to establish himself in the Nigerian national team since he made his debut against Egypt in March 2019.

The 26-year-old will be expected to lead the Super Eagles attack against Sierra Leone in Tuesday’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers following the injury suffered by Napoli attacker Victor Osimhen in Benin City on Saturday.

Ahead of the encounter, Ighalo has urged Onuachu to work harder for the Super Eagles, having only managed one goal in six appearances for Gernot Rohr’s men.

“If you can’t score a goal as a striker then work to provide assists. If you can’t give assists then work hard for the team,” Ighalo told Brila FM.

“Onuachu is a good player; he’s strong in the air and very physical as well. He should be confident and bring that focus he has at club level.

“The pressure that comes with the national team is intense. Playing as the Number 9 in the Super Eagles is a huge weight. I understand that responsibility he (Onuachu) just needs to work hard for the team.”

Nigeria currently lead Group L with seven points from three games and are hoping to secure a win in Freetown against the Leone Stars to guarantee their place in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.

Ighalo bagged 16 goals in 35 appearances for the Super Eagles before his retirement from international duty in 2019.

The Red Devils forward was the top scorer in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers and also emerged as the highest scorer in the tournament to help Nigeria clinch their eighth bronze medal in the competition. 

Cristiano Ronaldo is a “monster” who was “born with natural talent”, says Fabio Coentrao, with a former Real Madrid and Portugal team-mate of a modern-day great not surprised to have seen remarkable standards maintained.

A five-time Ballon d’Or winner is showing no sign of slowing down despite now being 35 years of age.

His stunning skill set continues to be embraced at Serie A champions Juventus, with major silverware having been delivered at the likes of Manchester United, Madrid and now Juve.

Coentrao has experienced that alongside Ronaldo for club and country, with the 32-year-old full-back claiming to be in no doubt that an illustrious compatriot is the best player on the planet.

“I often wish other people could have had the chance to work with him to see up close what he is like,” two-time La Liga title winner Coentrao told O Jogo.

“He is a monster, a great friend and an excellent person. He was born with natural talent and he has worked very hard to become the best in the world.”

Coentrao never hit the heights at Real that Ronaldo managed, but the Portuguese defender remains proud of what he has achieved at the very highest level.

A man with 52 international caps to his name said of his time in Spain:  “I had to go to other clubs to show my work and then I arrived at Real Madrid, the best club in the world.

“But, that's not for everyone. I was there for seven years, with a contract that was renewed in the middle of that time. I won 15 or more titles there. That speaks for itself and it's a matter of pride.”

Coentrao is now running down his career back in Portugal, with an emotional return to his roots made at Rio Ave.

“I'm only thinking about working each day, knowing that it's not easy after such a long break, my family is proud of my career,” Coentrao, who has struggled with injuries throughout his career, said on his future plans.

“When I was 13, my parents had to emigrate and I was alone. Rio Ave helped me a lot at that time because I was only a young boy.”

Sergio Lobera is all set to begin his first season as Mumbai City head coach in the Indian Super League (ISL).

With impressive signings, especially in the foreign players' department, onboard, the former FC Goa tactician is excited to work with his new-look squad. 

The Spaniard has brought in a lot of players from FC Goa but has said that the formation and tactics will not be a replica from his days with the Gaurs. 

"It is possible to (keep changing) the formation because we need to play with the best players (for each match). In our style of play, you can play 4-2-3-1 or 4-4-2, but the most important thing as a coach for me is that the players understand our style of play.

"With very good players in the squad, you need to manage them well, but it's an amazing problem. As a coach, I have the best players and I will try to work well collectively as a team in our style of play," he said.

He added, "You know what my idea is and the last three seasons (at FC Goa) reflect my philosophy as a coach. I believe in this (attacking) style of play. I think it's very important to play attacking football. Obviously, you need a balance because it is not possible to play football by only attacking. 

"Obviously, we want to win but it's not only about winning. We have to keep the ball when we need to keep possession, quickly recover the ball when you lose the ball, try to play (more) in the opponents' half and score a lot of goals."

Satisfied with the summer transfer dealings at the club, the former Las Palmas coach has admitted that working with familiar faces is easier. He also complimented City Football Group (CFG) for their involvement in finding the right players who can adapt to his philosophy.

"When you have some players who have played under you before (Jahouh, Boumous and Fall, Mandar Rao Dessai who followed Lobera from FC Goa), it's easier to implement your idea in a short time but I need to build a team. It's not about individual players. Football is a collective sport and just having very good players doesn't mean you have the best team. We need to work with 28 players and try to get the best for the team.

"You need to sign players thinking about what you want to do and about our style of play. Working with Mumbai City and the City Football Group, every day we had a lot of communication about the profile of players we need and I am very happy with the players I have," he explained.

Lobera also highlighted the importance of man-management while dealing with multiple high profile players. He also pointed out the crucial role of the Indian players in the squad in order to land the ISL title that he couldn't win with FC Goa. 

"As a coach, you want the best players. You don't want problems and you want only to play with the best 11 players but I need the full squad to win the trophy. With very good 11 players you can only win a few games but not the league. My job as a coach obviously is to improve the level of the players tactically, technically, physically and mentally but the most important thing is to manage the group well. 

"Everybody needs to know our collective objective and secondly I need to find a good balance between individual and collective targets because it is my job to manage all players in all kinds of situations in the best way possible.

"We have very exciting talents but the most important thing is to improve the level of Indian players and foreign players to have a big role in improving the Indian players. It's impossible to win the trophy when the level of Indian players is not good or if the foreign players don't understand well what is the situation of football in India," he concluded. 

Antonio Conte has revealed that he wanted to sign Romelu Lukaku and Virgil van Dijk during his time as Chelsea manager, with his reign losing momentum once those transfer pleas came to nothing.

The Italian tactician delivered a Premier League title triumph during his debut campaign at Stamford Bridge and FA Cup success followed in his second, but he was to be ushered through the exits in 2018.

Questions were being asked of his brand of football by that stage, but the current Inter coach believes things would have been different if Roman Abramovich had bankrolled moves for star turns that were on the books of Everton and Southampton at the time.

Conte told The Telegraph: “I asked for two players and we were very, very close after we won the league.

“One player was Romelu Lukaku, the second player was Virgil van Dijk, and these two players were very, very close.

“We were in contact every day and I always said that with these two players we would improve my team by 30 per cent.

“I think maybe we lost the momentum to bring Chelsea at the very top and then to stay for many years.

“It was a pity that it didn’t happen and Romelu is showing with Inter that my idea was right and also Van Dijk has shown with Liverpool that my idea was right for the club.”

While he missed out on managing Lukaku in England, as the Belgian ended up heading to Manchester United, Conte has linked up with the forward in Italy.

The powerful frontman hit 34 goals across all competitions last season, and has seven to his name in the current campaign, with Conte convinced that he would have succeeded in the Premier League where United and Jose Mourinho failed with Lukaku.

He added: “For sure, it would have been a different story if I was the coach of Romelu.

“Romelu is an incredible player and he has a lot of space for improvement.

“In one year at Inter, he had a lot of improvement because he wants to learn and I think I am a teacher. But he can continue to improve to become one of the best strikers in the world.”

Manchester United have been handed a defensive boost after seeing Alex Telles test negative for coronavirus while away on international duty.

Media reports emanating from Brazil in the past few days suggested Telles had once again returned a positive test result for Covid-19, having previously been diagnosed with the illness at the end of October.

That was a frustrating setback for the full-back, who at that point had only recently made his United debut, which had been delayed due to an international window right after he joined from Porto for £14 million ($19m) last month.

When reports began to suggest Telles was one of the rare cases of someone contracting the virus multiple times, it looked set to be a major worry for United having already lost regular left-back Luke Shaw until December with a hamstring injury.

But the Brazilian Football Confederation have confirmed Telles is available to face Uruguay in Tuesday's World Cup qualifier via the following statement on their website: "Thiago Galhardo was listed after Alex Telles' tests were positive for COVID-19.

"The defender already had the disease, was asymptomatic and with a non-transmissible condition of the virus, but he could not travel to Uruguay.

"On the last examination, however, Telles' test came back negative and the defender was released for the game."

Telles will now be available for selection when United welcome West Brom to Old Trafford for a crucial Premier League encounter on Saturday.

The 27-year-old's sole appearance for the Red Devils to date came during a 2-1 Champions League victory over PSG last month, but he could make his top-flight bow against the Baggies in the absence of Shaw.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side will be looking for a second successive victory when they take on West Brom, having picked up a morale-boosting 3-1 win against Everton just before the international break.

United are currently languishing in the bottom half of the Premier League table after a slow start to the campaign, but they do have a game in hand on leaders Leicester, whom they currently trail by eight points.

Jurgen Klopp is the only candidate to succeed Joachim Low as Germany boss, claims Lothar Matthaus.

Low has enjoyed a hugely successful 14-year stint in charge of the Germany national team, with his place in the country's hall of fame cemented following a World Cup triumph in Brazil back in 2014.

The 60-year-old has overseen a staggering 187 matches as Germany head coach to date, and will be back on the touchline for a crunch Nations League clash against Spain on Tuesday night.

However, Germany are no longer considered to be the formidable force they once were, with a group-stage exit at the last World Cup in Russia leading to many calling for a change to be made in the dugout.

Low has ultimately managed to hold onto his position and will likely still be in charge at next summer's rescheduled European Championship, but some believe a passing of the torch is inevitable in the near future.

Matthaus thinks Klopp should be the man to replace the current Germany manager when he eventually moves on, having seen him enjoy unprecedented success at Liverpool over the past five years of his career.

The Reds chief has delivered the Premier League, Champions League and Club World Cup during his time at Anfield, and a Bayern Munich legend believes he will be open to taking up a coveted post at international level when he is finished on Merseyside.

"When you talk about possible candidates, there is only one person that everyone would want in the future, and that is Jurgen Klopp," ex-Germany captain Matthaus told Sky Sport.

"He is extremely successful, personable and equally popular with fans and the media.

"He's far from finished in Liverpool and he'll have time for the national team in a few years."

Matthaus added on the need for Low to steer Germany into the Euro 2020 knockout stages in order to avoid being sacked: "Elimination in the first round is the equivalent to being eliminated as a national coach."

Germany must avoid defeat against Spain in order to qualify for the Nations League finals as Group A4 winners, having moved to the top of the pool by beating Ukraine 3-1 last time out.

Arsenal will not be signing Mitchel Bergkamp following his week-long stay with the north London club last month.

Bergkamp, son of Gunners legend Dennis, was invited to London Colney in October where he spent a week working with Steve Bould’s Under-23s.

The midfielder has been a free agent since the summer having left Dutch second tier side Almere City, where he progressed through the youth ranks.

But he will not be following in the footsteps of his father and making the move to north London, with Arsenal not looking to pursue a transfer following his short spell at the club.

Bergkamp grew up in London and was on the pitch with his father for his testimonial against Ajax in 2006, which was the game that officially opened Emirates Stadium.

And although he left England 14 years ago, he still holds Arsenal close to his heart.

“My father also played for Internazionale and Ajax, two wonderful clubs, but Arsenal feels like home,” he said during an interview with ELF Voetbal last year.

“Whether I choose the Emirates or Highbury? I would have preferred to play at Highbury. There are the memories of everything my father has done for the club.”

Arsenal have brought in several players from overseas to bolster their youth set-up during recent months, with large swathes of the club’s Under-23s players having been sent on loan for the season.

That has left Bould in short supply of experienced U23s players, with only nine of his current squad unable to also play for the U18s.

The addition of 22-year-old Bergkamp could have added to his options, but the Gunners U23s boss will now continue on with the players he has at his disposal.

Mitchel’s father, Dennis, made 423 appearances for Arsenal during his glittering 11-year stay in north London which stretched from 1995 to 2006.

The 51-year-old scored 120 goals for the Gunners and won three league titles alongside four FA Cups. He was named the Premier League Player of the Season in 1998 and his total of 94 Premier League assists remains an Arsenal record.

He retired in 2006 before returning to former club Ajax, where he took his coaching qualifications and began working in the academy. In 2011 he was named as assistant to first-team manager Frank de Boer, but took a step back following the appointment of Peter Bosz.

Bergkamp eventually left Ajax in 2017 and has recently been helping out in a technical capacity at Almere City, where Mitchel had been playing.

He was linked with a possible role on Mikel Arteta’s coaching staff following the departure of Freddie Ljungberg in the summer, but sources at Arsenal insisted at the time that there hadn’t been any contact.

Lucas Hernandez has sparked exit talk at Bayern Munich, but the France international is determined to remain at the Allianz Arena and justify an €80 million (£68m/$90m) price tag.

The 24-year-old defender became a club-record signing for the German giants during the summer of 2019, arriving in Bavaria as a World Cup winner and with plenty of potential still to be unlocked in his game.

Form and fitness issues have prevented Hernandez from making the impact expected of him, despite forming part of a treble-winning squad last season, and there has been talk of another big-money move being made.

He is, however, tied to a long-term contact Bayern and intends to honour that, telling France Football: “I still have a four-year contract.

“I don't just want to stay here, I want to make a name for myself here and be part of the team in the long term.”

Hernandez added on the price tag around his neck: “I know the club went to great lengths financially to sign me.

“Even in the difficult situation last season, I always saw myself at Bayern.”

The Frenchman says leaving Munich has never crossed his mind, “not for a second”, as he has “always felt the club's trust - from the management, the coach and my team-mates”.

Hernandez has been given an unexpected opportunity to impress at left-back in the current campaign, with Alphonso Davies suffering an unfortunate injury.

He has impressed in a role that is markedly different to the centre-half berth that he is accustomed to filling, with one goal and an assist recorded through 10 appearances.

Confidence has returned to Hernandez’s game, but the former Atletico Madrid star is hoping to see Davies back in action sooner rather than later as the 20-year-old Canadian has quickly become a key man for Bayern.

“I need the competition to move forward,” said Hernandez.

“With his speed, his technique and his positional play, he was the best left-back in the world.”

Bayern have already opened up a two-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga table in 2020-21, with just three points dropped through seven games, and they will return to domestic action after the international break with a home date against Werder Bremen on Saturday.

Santi Cazorla believes Xavi will “be Barcelona coach one day”, with a Camp Nou icon being backed to return to Camp Nou when the time is right.

That moment has not arrived as yet, despite several opportunities opening up.

Barca have never shied away from the fact that they want to re-open their doors to a club legend again at some stage.

Approaches have been made to secure his services in a managerial capacity, with questions asked of his availability when Ernesto Valverde and Quique Setien headed through the exits in Catalunya.

Xavi has opted against taking a high-profile post with little experience on the touchline of which to speak of.

After hanging up his boots, he has focused his attention on cutting his teeth at Al Sadd.

He has been joined in Qatar by former Spain team-mate Cazorla, with the ex-Arsenal midfielder seeing out his playing days in the Middle East.

A man who tasted European Championship glory alongside Xavi in 2008 and 2012 believes his current boss will head back to Barca in the near future, with his career path seemingly being mapped out.

Cazorla told FIFA’s official website: “Without a doubt, Xavi is a great coach.

“I deal with him on a daily basis, and the many leadership qualities he had as a player he now has as a coach. He’s making great strides as a coach and brings his own philosophy.

“I think he’ll be Barcelona coach one day, but that’s his decision and he’ll know when it’s the right time to take that step.

“Even though he’s a graduate of La Masia like [Pep] Guardiola, that doesn’t mean he’ll be a copy of him. He has a different coaching style and a lot of tactical ideas, so I’m sure he’ll be a great coach. We all need to wait and see.”

Cazorla added on playing under a man he once partnered in Spain’s midfield: “Xavi is a great player and the whole world saw what he did with Barcelona and the national team.

“He’s one of the best midfielders in history, and he proved this with his great performances and the titles he won.

“It’s great to play under his management at Al Sadd. He's doing a great job with the club and has big ambitions, and I think everyone appreciates what he does.”

Pep Guardiola is still to decide on his Manchester City future with the clock ticking down on his current contract.

The City boss is set to leave the Etihad Stadium at the end of the season, with the club still waiting to find out if he is willing to commit to another year in charge.

Guardiola recently said that there have been no talks over a contract extension , with his focus remaining on the first-team during this season's hectic schedule.

However, the international break has provided respite from the gruelling campaign and an opportunity for the Catalan to give some serious thought to his next move with just seven months remaining on his current deal.

The two-week break is the last until the end of March, with City having at least two games a week scheduled until the start of 2021.

Guardiola is in his fifth season at the Etihad, which is already his longest spell at a single club having spent four years at Barcelona and three at Bayern Munich.

He recently hinted that he could potentially stay longer when he rejected the possibility of a return to Camp Nou after Barca presidential candidate Victor Font suggested he would like to bring him back to Camp Nou.

"I'm incredibly happy here, delighted to be in Manchester and hopefully I can do a good job this season to stay longer,” Guardiola said at the end of October.

That suggested that he was minded to remain at City and a club which is perfectly set up for the way the he likes to operate.

But any new deal would only be a 12-month extension, with Guardiola having no intention of replicating Sir Alex Ferguson or Arsene Wenger, who stayed at Manchester United and Arsenal, respectively, for more than two decades.

The 49-year-old is determined not to overstay his welcome, with the players needing fresh ideas to maintain their motivation.

City finished 18 points behind Premier League title-winners Liverpool last season, and have made a slow start to the current campaign, winning fewer than half of their league games to sit 10th in the table, with Guardiola enduring his worst-ever start to a new season.

He insists that uncertainty around his future is not impacting performances, with injuries, illness and the lack of a pre-season all contributing to a difficult opening few weeks.

"When they are on the pitch they do absolutely everything with one manager or another because they are incredibly professional and they want to do well," he said. "Nothing changes. Absolutely nothing.”

City are desperate to keep the coach they see as the best in the world for as long as possible, and before the season started  chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak insisted that the relationship between the club and the manager meant any talks would be convivial.

“Pep and I have a very clear understanding of what is right for the club and what is not. We have a clear alignment in terms of where we see the future and what we want in terms of success for the club," he said.

"I think again, it will be a comfortable conversation and it will work out in the best way for Pep, for me and for the club."

City have a shortlist of potential successors should Guardiola decide to end his stay at the club, with  Goal  having learned that RB Leipzig's Julian Nagelsman and former Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino are among the potential candidates.

But Guardiola remains their priority after becoming the most successful coach in the club's history, winning two Premier League titles and four domestic cup competitions in his four years so far.

There does, however, remain unfinished business in Europe, with performances in the Champions League during his time agonisingly disappointing.

Guardiola has never taken City beyond the quarter-finals of the competition, and their remains a frustration at the slim margins that saw them lose to Premier League rivals Tottenham and Liverpool in 2019 and 2018, respectively.

Last season's exit was particularly disappointing as City were dumped out in the last-eight by French side Lyon after a poor performance in Lisbon.

City are on the verge of reaching the knockout stages again, needing just a point from next week's game at Olympiacos to secure a place in the last-16.

There are concerns, however, that this season's intense schedule could impact any English clubs' chances of competing in Europe and for the Premier League.

Staying through the 2021-22 campaign would potentially give Guardiola a better chance of trying to challenge in all competitions as he has done throughout his career.

There also remains the enticing prospect that Lionel Messi could potentially join him at the Etihad, with the Argentine still unhappy at Barca and available for free next summer after his fall-out with the Spanish giants at the end of the last campaign.

The club remain hopeful that Guardiola will stay longer, but uncertainty over his future will remain until an announcement of any agreement. 

Manchester United youngster Lauren James has been handed a first call-up to the England women's squad.

Lionesses head coach Phil Neville has announced his latest 29-player squad ahead of his side's November training camp.

England were originally due to take in a friendly clash against Norway on December 1, but two in-house training matches have been scheduled instead following the cancellation of that fixture.

The players will reconvene at St George's Park on Sunday to begin a 10-day training camp, with James set to step up to the international stage for the first time, albeit in a non-competitive capacity.

The 19-year-old has been a bright spark in United's team since joining the club from Arsenal in 2018, and her hard work has caught the eye as England start to look ahead to the UEFA Women’s EURO in 2022 and FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023.

The other notable inclusion in the squad is Manchester City’s Laura Coombs, who has not played for the Lionesses since 2015.

Elsewhere, Liverpool star Rinsola Babajide and Arsenal's Lotte Wubben-Moy have been called up for the second time, but there is no place for Chelsea defender Millie Bright, despite her impressive start to the 2020-21 season at club level.

Manchester City midfielder Jill Scott has made the cut once again, but the cancellation of the clash with Norway means she will have to wait until next year before picking up her 150th cap for England.

Neville explained his selection choices, saying: “This has been a challenging time for everyone, but it will be good to finish the year with an intensive training camp during which the squad will develop further and in which every player has the chance to prove themselves ahead of our upcoming major tournaments.

“I’m delighted to give Lauren James her first senior call-up. She is an exciting young player that we want to help develop further. She joins the squad alongside many other young players who we’ve introduced over the last few months.

“Laura Coombs is a player I have watched a lot this season and I have been very impressed with her progression in the game. She has performed consistently at a high level which merits her call-up to the squad.

“This camp will give us another excellent opportunity to integrate young promising players with our experienced internationals and align everyone on the team’s long-term vision."

England squad:

Goalkeepers: Hannah Hampton (Birmingham City), Sandy MacIver (Everton), Ellie Roebuck (Manchester City), Carly Telford (Chelsea)

Defenders: Lucy Bronze (Manchester City), Grace Fisk (West Ham United), Alex Greenwood (Manchester City), Steph Houghton (Manchester City), Esme Morgan (Manchester City), Demi Stokes (Manchester City), Millie Turner (Manchester United), Leah Williamson (Arsenal), Lotte Wubben-Moy (Arsenal)

Midfielders: Niamh Charles (Chelsea), Laura Coombs (Manchester City), Jordan Nobbs (Arsenal), Jill Scott (Manchester City), Lucy Staniforth (Manchester United), Georgia Stanway (Manchester City), Ella Toone (Manchester United), Keira Walsh (Manchester City)

Forwards: Rinsola Babajide (Liverpool), Rachel Daly (West Ham United, loan from Houston Dash), Bethany England (Chelsea), Lauren James (Manchester United), Chloe Kelly (Manchester City), Beth Mead (Arsenal), Nikita Parris (Olympique Lyonnais), Ellen White (Manchester City)