Looking for Soccer News?

Manchester United have made their worst start to a Premier League season in seven years.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to Arsenal on Sunday, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang settling the affair with a penalty in the second half.

The defeat is the Red Devils' third in the English top flight in the 2020-21 season and leaves them in 15th place with just seven points from their first six games. 

It is their lowest points tally at this point in the campaign since David Moyes was in the dugout in 2013-14. The club ended the campaign in seventh place that year, with Moyes sacked in April and replaced by caretaker manager Ryan Giggs.

The Red Devils have earned just one point at home in the league this season and this is the first time since 1972-73 - when they finished 18th - that the club have failed to win any of their opening four top-flight games at Old Trafford.

Solskjaer told Sky Sports:  "Home and away form is out the window with no fans in the stadium. You can’t look at that. It doesn’t really mean too much.

"We played fantastic on Wednesday and now we lose. But we need to get points on the board. Now we need to focus on next week and Everton.

"I’ll just keep on working. It is a good group that wants to win, go forward and work hard. Today they will go home disappointed but I know these boys and they will get back at it."

Sunday's encounter was the first time United have been beaten by Arsenal at home since in 14 years. They had gone 13 games without being bested by the north London side, having won eight and drawn five.

Meanwhile, Aubameyang's penalty was the fifth they have conceded in the last seven home matches in the league - the previous five spot kicks had been spread out over 101 games.

Paul Pogba's foul on Hector Bellerin in the home side's box saw the French midfielder concede a penalty for the third time under current boss Solskjaer. He is the only player to give away more than one since the Norwegian took over.

United's next game is a Champions League match against Basaksehir in Istanbul on Wednesday, with a trip to Everton in the league to follow three days later.

Princella Adubea scored her first Spanish Reto Iberdrola goal for Racing Santander as they claimed a 2-0 win over Madrid CFF on Sunday.

The 21-year old striker had joined Pablo Bolado's team from Spanish Primera Iberdrola side Sporting Huelva in August and made her debut in a stalemate against Friol a week ago.

The Ghana international was handed her second starting role by coach Bolado and she delivered the opening goal in their maiden triumph of the season, at home against Madrid.

Having failed to inspire her side at Friol, Adubea opened the scoring for the hosts with a stunning finish after just 14th minute of the tie.

Ten minutes later at Santa Ana, Spanish striker Irantzu Ibarrola netted the second goal of the match to seal the victory for the hosts.

Adubea, who has now scored once in two matches for Racing, was in action for 57 minutes before she was replaced by Elexa Bahr.

The former Ampem Darkoa star will be hoping to continue with her goalscoring form with the Cantabrians following her first goal of the season.

With the result, Racing now has four points from their two opening matches of the season and will next tackle Pozuelo Alarcon on November 8.

Nigeria international Maduka Okoye conceded four goals on his Sparta Rotterdam debut as the Castle Lords bowed 4-1 at home to SC Heerenveen in Sunday’s Dutch top-flight game.

Fuelled by a brace from Henk Veerman, the hosts were humbled in their backyard.

Henk Fraser’s men came into the game with the ambition of recording their first win after 13 matches across all competitions, but the visitors had other ideas.

Heerenveen took the lead after seven minutes through Benjamin Nygren, who rolled the ball into the net after the hosts’ defenders failed to clear a cross from Mitchel van Bergen properly.

Another piece of poor defending saw the visitors double their advantage courtesy of Jan Paul van Hecke, who headed a corner kick from Joey Veerman past Okoye.

Three minutes before the half-time break, Henk Veerman gave Hohnny Jansen's team a three-goal lead by firing home from close range.

Having conceded three goals in the first 45 minutes, the Castle Lords looked dead and buried. They conceded their fourth of the evening in the 57th minute as Veerman completed his brace with a fine finish.

Even this scoreline, credit must be given to Okoye for keeping the tally respectable thanks to a series of fine saves made.

Lennart Thy scored their consolatory strike in the 90th minute from the penalty mark after Ibrahim Dresevic had fouled one of Heerenveen’s strikers.

Thy scored the ensuing kick after sending goalkeeper Erwin Mulder the wrong way.

While Okoye was in action for 90 minutes, Cape Verde’s duo of Jeffry Fortes and Lorenzo Fonseca were not listed for the encounter.

The 17-year-old Netherlands youth international of Nigerian descent, Emanuel Emegha, was introduced for Danzell Gravenberch in the 30th minute.

With this result, Heereneen climbed to fourth on the Eredivisie log having accrued 16 points from seven games, while Sparta Rotterdam occupy the 17th spot with just three points.

Okoye would be hoping to get his second cap for the Dutch team when they travel to 12th placed RKC Waalwijk on November 7.

He has been called up for Nigeria’s double-header Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers versus Sierra Leone.

Arsenal have finally ended their long wait for a win at one of the other Premier League ‘big six’ sides, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s goal against Manchester United enough to break a duck that stretches back five years and 29 games.

Aubameyang sent David de Gea the wrong way from the penalty spot on 69 minutes to decide a game of few chances at Old Trafford after Paul Pogba had tripped Hector Bellerin in the area.

Not only did it earn the Gunners a vital three points, but it also ended their unwanted record in away games against United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham.

You have to go all the way back to 2015 for their last win on the road at one of those sides, with goals from Santi Cazorla and Olivier Giroud sealing a 2-0 win against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.

They have drawn 10 and lost 19 of their encounters with those sides since.

It was also their first victory at Old Trafford for 14 years, since Emmanuel Adebayor scored the winner in a 1-0 success in September 2006.

The victory moves Arsenal up to eighth in the Premier League, four points behind leaders Liverpool in what is becoming an increasingly congested top half of the table. It also ended a run of successive league defeats after 1-0 losses at home to Leicester and away at Manchester City in recent weeks.

There was also a little piece of history for Aubameyang, who became the first Gunners player to score a penalty for the club at Old Trafford in the Premier League. Previous spot kicks from Robin van Persie in 2011 and Gilberto Silva in 2006 were both missed.

It was another miserable afternoon for Manchester United, though, with the Red Devils languishing down in 15th after a third defeat from their opening six league matches of the season.

Next up for Mikel Arteta’s side is a home clash with Norwegian side Molde in the Europa League on Thursday. They then return to Premier League action with a clash against Aston Villa at the Emirates Stadium next Sunday.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has become the first Arsenal player to score a penalty at Old Trafford in a Premier League game with his match-winning effort on Sunday.

The 31-year-old stepped up to score only the goal that handed Mikel Arteta's side a 1-0 win over Manchester United after Hector Bellerin was brought down by Paul Pogba in the 18-yard-box.

It was the third penalty attempt the Gunners have had at Old Trafford in the English top-flight with Robin Van Persie and Gilberto Silva not the hitting the target in the previous two, in 2011 and 2006, respectively.

The 69th-minute strike was Aubameyang's second goal of the season and it ended his five-game goal drought in the league, his first was against Fulham on an opening day.

The Gabon captain was in action for 87 minutes before he was replaced by Shkodran Mustafi, however, he was shown a yellow card by referee Mike Dean for time wastage.

Former Nigeria international Odion Ighalo did not make Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's squad for the encounter while Ghana's Thomas Partey alongside Egypt's Mohamed Elneny played the duration for the Gunners. Ivory Coast's Nicolas Pepe watched on from the bench.

Sunday's victory was also Arsenal's first Premier League win at Manchester United since September 2006 and their maiden league triumph over a "big six" club since January 2015.

The Red Devils dropped to 15th on the league standings with seven points after six matches while Mikel Arteta's side climbed to eighth with 12 points after seven outings.

Aubameyang will shift his attention to Arsenal's Uefa Europa League outing against Norwegian club Molde on Thursday, before they host Aston Villa at the Emirates Stadium on November 8.

The 2015 African Footballer of the Year has scored four goals in nine matches across all competitions so far this campaign.

Paul Pogba admits he made a "stupid mistake" when he tripped Hector Bellerin to concede a penalty in Manchester United's 1-0 defeat to Arsenal.

The midfielder clipped the Gunners full-back's ankle in the United box, prompting the referee to point to the spot.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang converted the spot kick to seal the victory for the away side, consigning the Red Devils to their third Premier League defeat of the season.

Pogba admits his side were not at their best in the clash at Old Trafford and suggested he gave away the penalty because he was "out of breath".  

"We know it's a poor performance. Myself, I cannot give a foul away like this," he told BBC Sport .

"I thought I would touch the ball but I didn't. I cost us the goal today with the penalty.

"Like I say, details. We have to do better, the team, myself, it starts with me.

"I felt like I touched him a bit, I knew I was in the box, I shouldn't have given a penalty away like that. Maybe I was a bit out of breath, it made me do this stupid mistake

"I will learn from that, I'm not the best defensively in the box, I can work on that.

"We also need to do more with the ball creating chances. We didn't expect to be man for man, but after this we can adapt, we have to find a solution but we didn't. That's why we weren't dangerous with the ball.

"But like I say, the team performance needs to be a lot better."

United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was disappointed in the France international for making such a mistake.

He told Sky Sports : "He needs to stay on his feet. Paul [Pogba] knows it’s a soft penalty to give away, similar to Nemanja [Matic] who almost got a penalty."

United will look to recover from their latest defeat on Wednesday when they travel to Istanbul to face Basaksehir in the Champions League.

They will then return to Premier League duty with a trip to Goodison Park to face Everton on November 7.

Harry Maguire admitted that Manchester United "needed to do more" during Sunday's loss to Arsenal while adding that the club will have to "look within" and not make excuses.

United were undone at Old Trafford on Sunday, falling 1-0 to the Gunners thanks to a Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang penalty in the second half.

With the loss, United now sit 15th in the Premier League with seven points through six games, marking the club's worst start since David Moyes was in charge.

The Red Devils have struggled at Old Trafford so far this season, with Sunday's defeat meaning that United have failed to win any of their opening four top-flight games at home for the first time since 1972-73.

And, following the most recent defeat, Maguire says that United must find a way to sort out their issues at home as they look to make Old Trafford a fortress once again.

"It's hard to put your finger on it. It was disappointing from us. It was a cagey game, a game of few chances," Maguire told Sky Sports.

"We needed to do more, we needed to create more.

"We were confident going into the game. It was important to start the game well. We just gave the ball away too much.

"It's not good enough, we've got to go work hard tomorrow at training.

"We can't find excuses, we've got to look within.

"We haven't won in the league at Old Trafford this season. It's disappointing, we want teams to have a tough time coming here."

Maguire has featured in eight games for United this season, his second with the club, but the Red Devils have struggled mightily in Premier League play.

This season, United have lost to Crystal Palace, Tottenham and, now, Arsenal, having only earned wins against Newcastle and Brighton in the Premier League.

United have been strong in the Champions League, meanwhile, kickstarting their European run with a win over Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes as well as a 5-0 battering of RB Leipzig at Old Trafford.

Next up for United will be a visit to Istanbul Basaksehir as they look to make it three wins in three games in the Champions League.

After that, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side will look to climb up the Premier League table as United face off with Everton next weekend. 

Calvary FC midfielder Jamil Asega has revealed he dedicated his goal to his late father owing to the influence he had in his life.

The youngster was on target as his team defeated Northern Gateway 2-0 in the final playoff on Saturday to gain promotion to the Fufa Big League.

He went on to explain why he dedicated his strike to his late father.

"I dedicate the goal scored for Calvary against Northern Gateway to my father, the late Hashim Babu," Asega revealed after the game.

"He was such an influential figure in my life. He encouraged me to train and play with one heart. Today, I celebrate him even if he is long gone."

The midfielder has also lauded all involved to ensure the campaign was a success. 

"Football is teamwork," Asega, who also played for Buwekula in the Masaza Cup, noted.

"I thank the technical team led by coach Ahmed Borine Olima, his assistants, management, my teammates, and the fans. The reward of teamwork has paid off."

Other teams promoted to the Fufa Big League are Luwero United who hail from Buganda region, Terrazzo and Tiles from the Western region, and Gaddafi who are from the Eastern region.

Luwero qualified after overcoming CATDA from Kampala region by a solitary goal scored by Joseph Justus Nkabirwa. The Buganda representatives, however, finished the game with 10 men after the sending off of Sadat Mukembo.

Luwero had qualified for the final after defeating Buwambo 7-6 in post-match penalties while CATDA qualified after emerging 2-0 victors.

Gaddafi FC also eliminated Jinja City after claiming a 3-0 win. Patrick Asiku, who has since retired from active football, Mark Bamukyaaye, and Roland Bithum Nsumbiano scored the goals.

Prior to the final, Gaddafi had defeated Admin 4-0 while Jinja had defeated Team Church 5-4 in post-match penalties after settling to a goalless draw in regulation time.

The final spot was secured by the Western region's Terrazzo and Tiles who defeated Booma of Kitara region 4-3 in a penalty shootout. Regular time had ended in a goalless draw and the match had to be settled through penalties.

The team had settled to a 0-0 draw again in their initial game against Kigezi and went on to win 4-3 on post-match penalties. Booma had beaten Kasese's Asingya FC 3-1 to set a date with Terrazzo and Tiles.

Aldrine Kambale managed to get a brace in that game, with Clinton Asiimwe scoring the other.

The consolation goal for Asingya was scored by Shami Muhammed. 

Ajara Nchout scored her ninth goal of the season in a Norwegian Toppserien fixture to seal Valerenga's 4-2 victory against Lillestrom on Sunday.

Before the encounter, the Cameroon international had netted a quadruple in Valerenga's 7-0 win over Klepp on September 27.

On returning from the international break, Nchout was brought on as a substitute for the second time this term and she gave a good account of herself to ensure her side's 10th win of the season.

Synne Jensen broke the deadlock thanks to an assist from Marie Dolvik Markussen to put the hosts ahead in the 28th minute.

On the brink of half-time, Rikke Marie Madsen set up Sigrid Heien Hansen to fire the ball past the goalkeeper to double the lead.

After the restart, Dejana Stefanovic slotted in the third goal of the match from close range through Rikke Marie Madsen's fine pass four minutes into the second half of the encounter.

Lillestrom, however, Sophie Roman Haug pulled one back for the champions off a pass from Emilie Woldvik in the 74th minute.

Nchout stepped forward to score the fourth goal of the match at Intility Arena, with her 75th-minute strike, courtesy of an assist from Netherlands midfielder Sherida Spitse.

Five minutes from full-time, Thea Kyvag reduced the deficit but it was not enough to ruin the victory for Valerenga in the six-goal thriller.
 
Nchout, who played the final 23 minutes after replacing Jensen, has now scored nine goals in 16 appearances this season for Valerenga.

The result means Valerenga have opened a one-point lead at the top of the log with 35 points from 16 matches. 

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be sacked as Manchester United manager sooner rather than later unless the players dramatically improve their performances, says former Red Devils captain Roy Keane.

A Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang penalty was enough to earn all three points for Arsenal on Sunday and inflict on United a third defeat from six Premier League games so far this season.

It is their worst start to a campaign for seven years and leaves them languishing down in 15th place in the table.

Keane was scathing of United’s performance after the game, though he directed his ire at the players rather than manager Solskjaer.

"I am really, really worried about Manchester United now," Keane told Sky Sports.

"Where do you want me to start? A lack of energy, of enthusiasm, and a real lack of quality. That really concerned me. No quality, no composure.

"Some of the performances were really poor. Have they turned a corner? It's the longest corner ever. I am just not convinced by these players.

"I don't see any leaders out there. There's a real lack of quality. There's a long way back for this club.

"I looked at [Marcus] Rashford closely today. His body language was shocking. Shrugging his shoulders when things didn't go his way? You roll your sleeves up when you play for Manchester United.”

Though he says the players need to shoulder the blame, Keane believes Solskjaer will ultimately pay the price if performances and results don’t change in the coming weeks.

"We were almost building up this season as make-or-break for Ole, but at this moment in time it's not looking good for him,” he added.

“I scratch my head at players who don't have enthusiasm for a game of football.

“Sometimes you say 'there's no reason to panic'. But the results and performances suggest you should be panicking.

"I judge the players by their actions and I just don’t see it. I never looked at a manager expecting to motivate me, that comes from within.

"Ole will lose his job working with these players as night follows day - that's what is going to happen.”

Gary Neville says that Manchester United have "more problems than solutions" in midfield as the Red Devils continue to struggle in the Premier League while adding that it may have been an "error" to not bring in Jadon Sancho.

United's Premier League frustrations continued on Sunday as they fell to Arsenal in a 1-0 defeat. 

The Gunners sealed all three points thanks to a goal from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who fired from the penalty spot to continue United's misery at Old Trafford this season.

With the loss to Arsenal, United have won just two of their first six Premier League games as the club sit 15th in the table, with just seven points thus far.

And Neville says that the midfield is a particular area of concern, as is the right wing due to the club's inability to sign Borussia Dortmund star Jadon Sancho this summer.

"There are more problems than solutions," Neville told Sky Sports. "You have six midfield players at the club: Nemanja Matic, Fred, Scott McTominay, Bruno Fernandes, Donny van de Beek and Paul Pogba, and you've somehow got to get them into a system, which is forcing Ole to play a diamond.

"I think there was an element today of him thinking he could just put four players in that diamond and it would work after what happened in midweek but McTominay on the right-hand side wasn't working after five minutes.

"You have to be comfortable moving out into that wide area; [Aaron] Wan-Bissaka's already a bit awkward on the ball at right-back so you need someone to balance it and the balance on the right is a real problem for United.

"When [Mason] Greenwood went off it was even worse. They wanted Jadon Sancho obviously to play on that side and it looks like a real bad error in not getting that position recruited."

United are off to a perfect start in the Champions League, having beaten Paris Saint-Germain in France before crushing RB Leipzig 5-0 at home to seal six points from two games.

Next up, United will face Istanbul Basaksehir in Turkey before then taking on Everton next weekend at Goodison Park.

Manchester City head coach Gareth Taylor has challenged his team to make a unique piece of history by winning two FA Cup titles in one season.

The Citizens defended their crown on Sunday with a 3-1 win over Everton in extra time, winning the competition that carried over from the 2019-20 season into the new campaign, having been initially suspended because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

It was the club's third FA Cup win and Taylor's first trophy since taking charge of the team back in May. Now, he is hungry for more, especially with a special achievement possible this year.

"It means everything," Taylor said after the game. "I'm fresh to this. I was just talking before saying that, I've not even hit double figures yet for games under my belt. I think it's amazing.

"I've been blown away by the support. I've been blown away by the girls and the level of attitude and application, and this [win] just reinforces the message.

"We want to achieve big things. We want to make history. [We'll] challenge the players to probably do what no other club is likely to ever do again and win the FA Cup twice in one season. It'll be tough. I know it will be because everyone wants to win.

"I just [have a] mixture of emotions at the minute. I don't think it's quite sunk in because of the game and how it evolved. But I'm really, really proud at this moment."

The scores were level at 1-1 after 90 minutes, with a header by City midfielder Sam Mewis cancelled out by Everton striker Valerie Gauvin.

Then, in extra time, substitutes Jess Park - who only turned 19 a few weeks ago - and Georgia Stanway linked up to give Taylor's side the lead, before Janine Beckie made sure with the last kick of the game.

It was another huge moment for Park, who was handed her first Women's Super League start last month in a huge clash with reigning champions Chelsea. It was also another sign of the trust Taylor - who was City's Under-18s head coach before this job - is willing to put in young players.

"She's an exciting player. I mean, how can you not get excited about Jess when she's on the ball?" the Man City head coach added.

"She's learning. The good thing is she's having to really fight for minutes, which is great, alongside other players, other really, really good players that we have in the squad.

"When we go into these periods [with a] high volume of games, we're going to need everyone, so everyone will get their opportunity. But I think having some real experience around those young players is only going to help them grow. For her to put in a performance like that was beyond her years.

"To show that maturity for someone who's so young, and that performance, and how she got Everton on the back foot... She's a player that's growing and improving and she'll really improve playing ahead of Lucy Bronze, next to Sam Mewis and, at times, Ellen White, playing off her as a number nine."

Everton manager Willie Kirk believes Sandy MacIver showed her credentials to be England's number one goalkeeper in the Toffees' Women's FA Cup final defeat to Manchester City.

Kirk's side were beaten 3-1 in extra time by City, who won the competition - which was initially suspended by Covid-19 but then resumed and completed when the new 2020-21 season began - for the second year running.

However, it was MacIver who was named player of the match at Wembley Stadium, despite the result. 

The 22-year-old has been called up to recent England camps under Phil Neville, but has yet to make her first senior appearance, with Covid-19 restricting the Lionesses to just three games in 2020. Kirk, though, believes that she should be first choice for her country.

"Outstanding. From start to finish, outstanding," Kirk said when asked about MacIver's performance.

"She took knocks, she did everything she could to keep the ball out of the back of the net. Sometimes It wasn't pretty. Sometimes it was a punch, it was a slap at times. I think there was one cross that she was at full stretch, and she just had to get something on it.

"But I thought she was outstanding today and very much showed that she's, for me, England's number one.

"She went through a lot throughout that 120 minutes. She took knocks, she made great saves, she was on end of the wrath of me, I think, when she played long when we needed to keep the ball. She went through about everything today.

"She showed that she's a top goalkeeper. She showed that she's going to continue to develop her game. She deserves the player of the match [award] and she'll learn a lot from that. That will be a great memory for her, a great experience for her to go on and achieve big things in the game."

MacIver made one particularly important save when the score was just 1-0 to City - minutes before Valerie Gauvin's equaliser in normal time - by throwing herself instinctively in the path of Chloe Kelly's goalbound shot from close range.

Then, as the 90 minutes came to a close and City were pushing for a late winner, MacIver again pulled out a world-class save when she tipped Steph Houghton's header onto the post.

Unfortunately, in the end, it wasn't enough to help Everton win their first major trophy for 10 years, though, as City scored twice in extra time to retain their title.

"They gave absolutely everything they had in the tank. [I'm] very, very proud of them," Kirk said.

"Obviously there has to be a loser. You never want to be that loser. But, in terms of what we did on the pitch, and what we asked of them, I'm immensely proud of the players and staff and the club, in terms of support we've had.

"I don't think we could have done much more today, but that will inspire us to come back."

Moses Simon will miss Nigeria’s double-header Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Sierra Leone through injury.

In Saturday’s 3-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in a French elite division clash, the 25-year-old was replaced by Kader Bamba after 25 minutes having suffered what looked like a groin injury.

Nine minutes earlier, the winger fluffed a golden opportunity to put the Yellow House ahead, missing an open net after Thomas Basila’s cross had reached him.

After a goalless first half inside La Beaujoire-Louis Fonteneau, Christian Gourcuff’s men ended on the losing side thanks to goals from Ander Herrera, Kylian Mbappe and Pablo Sarabia.

Simon will now remain in France during the international window for further treatments as he is expected to be out of action for at least three weeks.

Speaking to Goal, a reliable source very close to the player in France, who pleaded anonymity, confirmed Simon would miss the games against the West Africans coached by John Keister.

“Moses [Simon] was unable to go for a test today [on Sunday] to know the severity of his groin injury, but I can confirm to you that he won’t be available for Nigeria’s games against Sierra Leone,” the source told Goal.

“He will commence treatment as soon as possible and he will return stronger and better in the coming weeks.”

With this development, coach Gernot Rohr could call-up Genk’s Paul Onuachu to replace the former Gent, Trencin and Levante man.

He is expected to miss his club's next Ligue 1 outing against Lorient on November 8. Nantes are eighth on the French top-flight log with eight points for eight outings.

It would be recalled that Simon did not make the country’s cut for the 2014 Fifa World Cup Russia owing to injury worries.

The three-time Africa champions take on the Leone Stars at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City on November 13 before heading to Freetown for the return leg four days later.

With six points from two games, Nigeria lead Group L with six points and victory in both games will assure the three-time Africa champions a place at the 2022 Afcon in Cameroon.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has suggested that Ruben Dias and Aymeric Laporte will be his go-to centre-back pairing for the foreseeable future.

Long criticised because of their defensive weaknesses, particularly at centre-back following the departure of Vincent Kompany, City added Dias to their ranks from Benfica this summer in order to increase both their quality and depth after a campaign in which they had to make do with only two natural central defenders.

Guardiola seems to believe the Portugal star is the answer to his problems in that sector, where his partnership with Laporte has shown cause for optimism in recent weeks.

“They both played really well as well,” Guardiola told BT Sport following City's victory against Sheffield United. “These guys give us consistency. We struggled a lot last season without two central defenders.

"Of course, we will need everyone because of the amount of games. It's impossible to play both every game."

Dias has played six games arriving at the Etihad Stadium, in which the Citizens have conceded just three goals.

Meanwhile, Guardiola praised the contribution of Kyle Walker in Saturday’s 1-0 win over the Blades.

“Not just for the goal. The goal helped us a lot but his concentration, he understands what to do defensively. His physicality.

“He's played almost all the minutes. I'm so happy he scored against a team he loves a lot.

“I remember when Sheffield United played in the play-offs and he was in the dressing room saying: 'Come on Sheffield, come on Sheffield.'

"He loves this club but the goal was so important for us."

Saturday’s victory means that City have moved to 11 points in the opening six Premier League matches of the season, rendering them five points back of defending champions Liverpool, who lead the way before Sunday’s fixtures.

Guardiola’s side, who have the joint second strongest defence in the league so far this term, having conceded eight goals, have a game in hand over the Reds, however.

Champions League duty is next on the cards for Dias and his colleagues, with a home match against Olympiacos on Tuesday before they host Liverpool in league action next Sunday.