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It's been a tough few weeks for Cristiano Ronaldo with the Portuguese attacker forced into quarantine after testing positive for Covid-19. 

While asymptomatic and now in the clear, the positive tests saw Ronaldo denied the chance to face off against Lionel Messi in the Champions League, with the Argentine star ultimately scoring in Barcelona's 2-0 win over Juventus. 

Prior to his enforced lockdown, Ronaldo had been in fine form for club and country, scoring three goals in his first two Serie A appearances of the new season. 

Though a situation that would test even the most patient of individuals, the 35-year-old found a way to stay mentally strong and recently hinted that Kaizen philosophy played its part in keeping him positive on social media. 

What is Kaizen philosophy?

Kaizen is the Sino-Japanese word for "improvement" and is widely referenced as a business approach of continuous improvement that involves all aspects of a company. 

Though beginning as a way to improve manufacturing processes in Japan after World War II, Kaizen has since been adopted as a wider philosophical approach to life in general. 

Masaaki Imai, founder of the Kaizen Institute, stating: "Kaizen means improvement. Moreover, it means continuing improvement in personal life, home life, social life, and working life. When applied to the workplace Kaizen means continuing improvement involving everyone – managers and workers alike."

Japanese company Toyota have been big advocates for a Kaizen approach to business, while Ronaldo has seemingly benefitted from the philosophy on a personal level. 

How does Kaizen philosophy help Ronaldo?

Kaizen philosophy is essentially about shifting one's focus to long-term improvement rather than getting caught up in momentary success or setbacks.

In Ronaldo's case, he's likely leaned on the philosophy recently to remind himself that though he's missed a few big games, he can still have a telling impact on the rest of Juventus' season. Andrea Pirlo's side have struggled in his absence, winning just one of their past four games in all competitions. 

Over the length of his career, Kaizen philosophy has also likely played a part in cementing Ronaldo's strong work ethic as it calls for consistent hard work to ensure future gains. The former Manchester United and Real Madrid star has routinely been applauded for his unrivaled commitment to training.  

Ronaldo is no stranger to the occasional philosophical message on social message either and after seeing Messi claim the Ballon d'Or in 2019, posted a message on Instagram that echoed key principles of Kaizen.  

"Patience and persistence are two characteristics that differentiate the professional from the amateur," he wrote.

"Everything that is big today has started small. You can't do everything, but do everything you can to make your dreams come true. And keep in mind that after night always comes dawn."

It’s another big weekend for Manchester United as they face Arsenal in the English Premier League on Sunday, November 1, 2020.

Still battling with a wobbly start to the new season, the Red Devils will be looking forward to ending their home games woes as they face the Gunners at the Old Trafford in the Super Sunday match.

United head into the match under intense pressure to regain fans’ confidence and get its Premier League campaign on track after an unimpressive home run. They have won their last 10 away games in all competitions but none of their last five at home.

It is United’s worst start to a season at Old Trafford in the last 48 years.

The once dreaded Old Trafford where opponents visit with their hearts in their mouths is fast becoming a common ground after United suffered 3-1 loss to Crystal Palace, 6-1 to Tottenham and refused to score a goal against the Blues last weekend. It is left to be seen whether Arsenal will come close to repeating the 6-1 plummeting of United by its North London rivals.

Despite losing 1-0 to Leicester City on Monday night, the Gunners boss, Mikel Arteta, will be boosted by the fact that his side has a head to head advantage over United in their last three encounters.

The head to head record appears to favour Arsenal having won two and drawn one of the duo's last three league meetings while United’s last win against Arsenal was in the FA Cup in 2019.

Arsenal presently at 10th place on nine points travel to Old Trafford on Sunday without Gabriel Martinelli, Pablo Mari, Rob Holding, Calum Chambers have all been ruled out with injury. David Luiz who picked up a muscular injury against Leicester is also unsure for the game yet.

United with seven points sits at 15th place will also be without Anthony Martial still serving his domestic suspension, while Eric Bailly, Jesse Lingard and Phil Jones are all ruled out with injury.

Here's how to watch the game LIVE from India.
 

Contents

Where to watch or stream Man Utd vs Arsenal

The  Star Sports  network (Star Sports and Star Sports Select) has the rights to show Premier League matches in India.

Matches will also be available on streaming mobile application   Disney+ Hotstar VIP  , allowing supporters to watch multiple games simultaneously and catch the replay of matches.

Premier League fixtures

Matchday 7

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FC Goa have been handed a difficult start on paper in the seventh season of the Indian Super League (ISL).

The Gaurs will start their campaign against Bengaluru FC on November 22 and will then take on Mumbai City FC three days later. 

The list of FC Goa's fixtures released so far can be found below: 

Here are Bengaluru's first 10 fixtures. 

Fixtures for only the first 11 rounds, which consists of 55 matches, have been released right now. The schedule for the remaining 55 league matches will be published in December as the league awaits clarity on calendar dates of Asian Football Confederation (AFC) matches.

The entire tournament will be held behind closed doors in Goa, due to the Covid-19 pandemic which means the teams will have to stay in a bio-bubble for the duration of the tournament. 

FC Goa topped the league table last season and won the league winner's shield and secured a spot in the AFC Champions League. This season, their target will be to go all the way and win the trophy. 

27-year-old Welsh forward Aaron Amadi-Holloway has joined East Bengal this season from Brisbane Roar on a free transfer for the upcoming Indian Super League (ISL) season.

Holloway had last played at Brisbane Roar in the A-League under Robbie Fowler and has followed his coach to India this summer. The forward has represented Wales at the youth level and spent most of his career in various divisions of England. He is the only overseas forward at East Bengal this season so far.

Debut

Aaron Amadi-Holloway joined the youth team of Cardiff City in 2009 and spent three years in their youth system before graduating in 2011. He got his first professional contract from then Championship side Bristol City. But due to lack of game time, he was sent on loan to National League side Bath City in the subsequent season where he finally made his professional debut. At Bath City, Holloway played five matches but did not score any goal.

Experience in England

Amadi-Holloway had spent three seasons at Briston City without playing a single game and had finally left the club in 2013 to join League Two side Newport County.

He has also played for clubs like Wycombe Wanderers, Oldham Athletic, Fleetwood Town and Shrewsbury Town in England. He has played a total of 161 league matches in various divisions in England.

International football

Amadi-Holloway represented Wales at the youth level and was part of the Wales U19 squad which took part in the UEFA U19 Championship qualifiers in 2011 and 2012. He has represented the U19 team in six matches where he has one goal which came during the 2011 qualifying game against Turkey.

Last Stint

The Welsh forward last played for A-League side Brisbane Roar where he played under Robbie Fowler, scoring a goal in 23 appearances. However, 18 of those appearances were off the bench. And the final five of those substitute appearances came under Fowler’s replacement Warren Moon and were fleeting cameos.

“I was only coming on for the final five or six minutes and it was frustrating,” Inman told SBS. “When Robbie was there, he sort of understood the impact I could make off the bench. But I just felt wasted coming on for a handful of minutes when the league resumed.”

Jurgen Klopp said he could use a Javier Mascherano-type solution amid Liverpool's injury crisis in the centre of defence.

With Virgil van Dijk and Joel Matip sidelined, Liverpool were dealt another blow on Tuesday, when Fabinho – playing at centre-back instead of midfield – hurt his hamstring against Midtjylland in the Champions League.

Joe Gomez is the only senior centre-back available for Saturday's clash at home to West Ham, while Nathaniel Phillips, 23, Billy Koumetio, 17, and Rhys Williams, 19, are also options.

Klopp said he had expected Phillips, who was on loan at Stuttgart last season, to leave the club.

The Liverpool manager also said it was possible he could use Jordan Henderson, Georginio Wijnaldum, James Milner or Andy Robertson at centre-back, in a similar way to what Mascherano – initially a defensive midfielder – did during his career.

"I know Nat [Phillips] the longest so I was really happy with this development. Since I know him he made big, big steps and is an exceptional character," Klopp told reporters.

"I said it before that the little problem was that we were all convinced, how it looked all the time… there were a lot of clubs interested in him and in the end, maybe because of the coronavirus crisis, nobody had the money to do it but we expected him to leave the club, to be honest. Thank God he didn't, but that's the reason why he is not in the Champions League squad, the only reason.

"He cannot be on the bench in the Champions League but he is available for the Premier League like all three are and now I have to make a decision.

"And we have still, obviously, other options like Hendo or Gini or James – or Robbo can play centre-half as well. They are all not smaller than Mascherano, for example, and he played pretty well in that position.

"So yes, we have obviously still one or two options and one of them, we will choose. Which one, you have to switch on the television tomorrow night."

Roberston has never played a senior competitive game at centre-back, while Henderson did feature in that position at the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup against Monterrey. 

Liverpool have collected 13 points from their opening six Premier League games of the season to sit second in the table.

Paris Saint-Germain coach Thomas Tuchel hit out at the scheduling of games, warning the fixturing would "kill the players".

The Ligue 1 giants will visit Nantes on Saturday in what will be their fifth game in 16 days.

PSG will then face RB Leipzig and Rennes before the international break, and their players will return for 10 games between November 20 and the end of the year.

Tuchel slammed the scheduling, with PSG having seen star Neymar suffer an adductor injury in a 2-0 Champions League win at Istanbul Basaksehir on Wednesday.

"We're going to kill the players. That's what I've always said. We are going to kill them because there is an important link between preparation, performance and rest," he told a news conference.

"In football it always falls on the greatest players because they will always play for their country. They play during the break, they travel and that's too much in my opinion. They don't have a recovery phase to allow them to come back and a preparation phase. This is not a secret, it happens in sport. Preparation influences injuries and performance.

"Without preparation, players are more fragile and difficult to manage. This is not an excuse, it is the truth. We are going to look for solutions and I hope we will find some."

Tuchel said it was not just his side dealing with injuries, highlighting setbacks at Premier League giants Liverpool and Manchester City and Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich.

"Honestly, we came back [from Turkey on Thursday] and [Friday] is our second day after playing. It's the riskiest day in terms of injuries, which means we're doing almost nothing," he said.

"We are working on recovery and training a little with those who haven't played at Basaksehir and [on Saturday] we are flying out to play another match, this time in Ligue 1.

"We lose a player for every game at the moment and we are not the only ones concerned. Liverpool, Manchester City and Bayern Munich, it's the same thing."

PSG top the Ligue 1 table after earning 18 points from their opening eight games. Tuchel has seen his side win their past six league matches, conceding just once and scoring 20 times over that span. 

Abhash Thapa will return to his former club Real Kashmir FC from Hyderabad FC, Goal can confirm. 

The full-back had a disappointing season with the ISL debutantes as he did not get any competitive minute under his belt and was subsequently offloaded to East Bengal in a loan-deal in the January transfer window. 

After Mario Rivera took over from Alejandro Menendez the young player established himself as one of the regulars of the squad. 

In 2017-18 season he joined Real Kashmir, when the outfit was still participating in I-League second division. He made seven appearances in the campaign and helped the Snow Leopards get promoted to I-League. 

In the next season, he made 15 appearances in I-League and proved his credentials as a left-back after putting in a string of impressive performances. 

At the back of a forgetful year, Thapa would once again look to get his career back on track with Real Kashmir where he bloomed as a player. 

Former Argentina international and the nation's current Under-17's manager Pablo Aimar has stressed that Lionel Messi's dedication is unquestionable.

Aimar, who also acts as an assistant to Lionel Scaloni, briefly played alongside Messi at international level and was once cited as an idol by the superstar as he was coming through the ranks at Barcelona. 

While Messi has won trophies regularly at club level, he is yet to win a major piece of silverware at senior level with Argentina and briefly retired from international duty after seeing his country lose the 2016 Copa America final on penalties against Chile. 

The 33-year-old was lured back fairly quickly however and now wears the captain's armband as he looks to lead his country to silverware before he hangs up the boots. 

Despite recent turbulence at club level with Barcelona, Messi impressed during the recent international break and scored the decisive penalty in a 1-0 win over Ecuador. 

Aimar continues to watch the Argentine star closely and is adamant he remains fully committed to their cause moving forward.  

"He is happy, it is no small thing to be happy, to enjoy the moments, and obviously go to the games to win," Aimar told Goal.

"Do I see him with the same dedication as always? Who can doubt his dedication, I never had doubts. I like to see him play, I would have liked to seen him elsewhere.

"I really like to see him train, I have the enormous privilege of seeing him train. Wherever he is, I will watch him play." 

Aside from keeping tabs on Messi, Aimar is also coming to terms with how to manage Argentina's next big talents, having taken charge of their U-17 side in 2017. 

Aimer saw his side win the South American U-17 Championship in 2019 and admits learning to connect with a different generation of players has posed a unique challenge. 

"I learn to express myself, to understand how they communicate. They acquire culture in a different way. I cannot recommend a book because they are used to watching videos of seven seconds or less," Aimar said.

"But they have culture in their own way, they have TV shows and although I tell them 'Look, the book is better, because you have to imagine', but they are going to prefer the series." 

Paul Onuachu and Cyriel Dessers were on the scoresheet as Genk decimated Eupen 4-0 in Friday’s Belgian First Division A game.

The Super Eagles forwards led the Blue and White’s attack in the encounter and made significant contributions.

Onuachu, who was afforded his eighth start for the Luminus Arena outfit, opened the scoring as early as the fifth minute when he tucked home his effort from the penalty spot.

The lanky centre-forward then set up his compatriot Dessers to double the Blue and White’s lead in the 48th minute.

Theo Bongonda made it three after receiving a timely pass from Dries Wouters in the 74th minute before completing his double with eight minutes left to play.

Onuachu has now scored eight goals in 10 league appearances for the Luminus Arena outfit in the current campaign.

The Super Eagles attacker featured for 75 minutes before he was replaced by Junya Ito and made 45 touches on the ball, two key passes, besides his goal.

Dessers teamed up with Genk in the summer following his outstanding performances for Heracles Almelo during his one-year stay.

The forward bagged 15 goals in 26 appearances amid other dazzling displays to emerge as the 2019–20 Eredivisie joint scorer.

Dessers has been impressive since his arrival at Luminus Arena and has now scored two goals in eight league games for Genk.

The forward featured for 61 minutes against Eupen and besides his goal, he had an 81% successful pass rate in the encounter.

The victory moved Jess Thorup’s men to fourth on the league table after gathering 19 points from 11 matches.

The Nigeria internationals could feature in Genk’s next league game against Sint-Truiden on November 7.

Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola have criticised the Premier League over the decision to reduce substitutes from five to three after it was initially changed following the Covid-19 break from football.

Following football's return after the coronavirus-enforced hiatus last season, Premier League teams - and most other competitions worldwide - were allowed to make five substitutions as a way of dealing with hectic schedules and lack of preparation.

However, the Premier League decided to return to three substitutions this season despite FIFA's approval to keep the initial change in place until August 2021, with clubs arguing that bigger squads would be favoured by the rule.

Liverpool have picked up a lengthy injury list in the early stages of the campaign, with Virgil van Dijk likely to miss the entire season, while Thiago, Fabinho, Naby Keita, Joel Matip and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are also currently on the treatment table.

Klopp feels the Premier League showed a 'lack of leadership' with their decision to cut back on substitutes because of the packed schedules several teams were going to encounter.

"It should be [back on the agenda] but I don’t think it’s possible because of the system," Klopp said. 

"It doesn’t help obviously when Chelsea have injuries, and City and Liverpool and United and Tottenham and Arsenal and Leicester, because that is not enough votes for the rest.

"That is the system. I thought it should have been back in in the first place.

"For me it is a lack of leadership just to put the question on the table and say: ‘So what do you want with that?’ It should have been sold – if that’s the right word – differently with more information, showing more of what could happen, by [Premier League chief executive] Richard Masters. We never asked for any advantage.

"None of the top seven clubs asked for any advantage. We just knew, because we knew our schedule, that it would be incredibly difficult. To have the best games at the weekend in the Premier League, it would have helped that as well. I think we should think about it again."

Speaking on Friday, Manchester City boss Guardiola echoed Klopp's thoughts, saying there has been "47 per cent more muscular injuries" this year compared to the same stage of the campaign in 2019-20.

And the Catalan has added his voice to a growing campaign for the Premier League to rethink the decision to only allow three substitutions per game.

"It is nothing to do with certain teams having an advantage," he said. "It is about why we are here - the players. Forget about the advantage; this is to protect all the players.

"When they play every three days, they start to suffer. Why, in all the leagues is it happening, and here we cannot protect the players? 

"The statistics speak for themselves. The players are not recovering from the previous game, even the previous season. It makes no sense. 

"Who voted for the decisions? Who are they? They have to protect the players. They have to decide. The law is acceptable for FIFA, UEFA."

Manchester City have also been hit by key injuries with Sergio Aguero, Fernandinho, Gabriel Jesus, Benjamin Mendy and Nathan Ake having fitness issues.

Campeonato Brasileirao Serie A is the top level of soccer in Brazil and has been the breeding ground for some of the world's greatest players including Pele and Neymar.

All games are live streamed on Fanatiz and you can sign up to watch free here.

As a result, football fans and scouts from all over the world watch the Brasileirao to see some of tomorrow's stars today, as well as some of the most exciting and entertaining games on television, filled with amazing technical ability and plenty of goals.

The 2020 Serie A season was due to begin on May 3 and end in December but, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the tournament calendar was paused before eventually starting in August. It will now continue until February 24, 2021, barring any further delays.

How to watch Flamengo vs Sao Paulo on US TV

This weekend's biggest game sees Flamengo take on Sao Paulo on Saturday.

Flamengo is heavily involved in the title race and is level on points with league-leaders Internacional after 18 games.

Sao Paulo currently sits in fifth place, eight points behind the leaders, but has three games in hand on Internacional and Flamengo.

A top four finish is important as it guarantees automatic qualification for the 2021 Copa Libertadores Group Stage, while teams in fifth and sixth have to enter at the second qualifying stage.

Flamengo vs Sao Paulo is available to stream in the US on Fanatiz, where you can sign up for a 7-day free trial.

Brasileirao 2020 is exclusive to Fanatiz outside Brazil and the Balkans.

Live Stream: Fanatiz English ( stream now )

Flamengo vs Sao Paulo team news and preview

Last season's champions Flamengo could only draw 2-2 with Internacional last weekend and likely needs to win against Sao Paulo to stay level on points with its title rivals.

Flamego has played nine games in the last four weeks, so could decide to rotate or rest players against Sao Paulo.

Both Willian Arao and Thiago Maia need to be replaced in the starting XI as they each picked up a booking last time out and will miss this weekend through suspension.

On-loan forward Pedro Rocha is back in contention following an injury, while Gabigol has returned to training after missing a month with a sprained ankle.

Sao Paulo had eight players absent for their Copa Sudamericana game with Lanus, but hopes captain Hernanes could be passed fit this weekend.

Hernanes trained properly for the first time since picking up an injury in September, but defender Igor Vinicius is not expected to play despite restarting training.

Watch all this weekend's Brasileirao matches on Fanatiz in the US  with a 7-day free trial.

What other Brasileirao matches are available on Fanatiz?

Watch the Brasileirao live on Fanatiz.

Simba SC are negotiating with Kenyan Abdul Idd Salim with intentions of appointing him as the goalkeeping coach.

The position fell vacant after the release of Muharami Mohamed on October 30 alongside team manager Patrick Rweyemamu. The 21-time champions are now in the market for a replacement and their eyes have settled in Kenya.

"After parting ways with Muharami, the management has opened negotiations with our former goalkeeper's trainer Abdul Salim hoping to bring him back," a source from the club revealed.  

"So far the negotiations are well and we believe we will reach a conclusion soon and [Salim] will come and sign a contract with us."

The tactician, who is in Bangladesh, has however denied reports linking him with Wekundu wa Msimbazi, saying he is still engaged with his current team.

"Ever since I left Simba two years ago to come [in Bangladesh], I have not coached any team in Africa," Salim revealed.

"Actually I have not had anything regarding Simba wanting me, it is something new to me. Yes, I have a five-year contract with my current team but yes, there is a possibility of leaving if I get a better deal elsewhere."

The veteran goalkeeper trainer was first introduced to the Msimbazi-based charges in 2015 when the team was coached by Dylan Kerr. He was released briefly before he was re-hired again in December 2016 when the Cameroonian Joseph Omog took over.

The defending champions are currently under pressure after losing their last two matches.

Wekundu wa Msimbazi registered identical 1-0 losses to Tanzania Prisons and Ruvu Shooting.

According to the club’s media officer Haji Manara, what the team has gone through in recent weeks, losing back-to-back matches against Tanzania Prisons and Ruvu Shooting, is part of football and "which makes the game interesting".

"Simba is still my club, Simba is still my team for life, I don’t have any other team than Simba, my friends and fans, they know what Simba can do, I cannot stop supporting them now because I know, they are going to bounce back like Simba," Manara wrote stated.

"We will bounce back, this is Simba, it happens in football, they are challenges every champion faces in their respective leagues, all teams must pass through what we are going through now.

"I want to ask Simba fans to stay calm and keep the support, we will do it again, we will bounce back, we will retain the title."

The new season of football in Argentina begins this weekend with the Copa de la Liga Profesional filling a gap in the calendar before the proper domestic league kicks off in 2021.

All games are live streamed on Fanatiz and you can sign up to watch free here.

Boca was crowned 2019-20 league champions in March after coming out on top during the 23-game season. 

The Copa Superliga was scheduled to follow on from the regular campaign, but was scrapped after just one game as football came to a halt.

This season’s action begins with a new cup format where six groups of four teams compete for 12 places in the Campeon de Copa phase. That next step will consist of two groups of six teams and the winner of each will play in a final clash on January 17.

The winner of the Campeon phase will then qualify for the 2021 Copa Libertadores.

It is expected that the new season of the next Primera Division season will then follow in March 2021.

Fanatiz has the rights to the Copa de la Liga Profesional wordlwide, excluding  Argentina, Germany, Austria, Portugal, Israel, Russia, Switzerland and the Balkans.

How to watch Lanus vs Boca Juniors on US TV

Boca Juniors is the current Argentine champion and will retain that title regardless of what happens in the Copa de Liga Profesional.

However, winning is in their nature, as Argentina’s most successful club team, and they will look to start the 2020-21 domestic season with a win against Lanus.

Carlos Tevez remains the club captain and scored five goals in the last four games of the league season before the coronavirus pandemic cut the campaign short.

Lanus and Boca Juniors compete in Group D, which looks like the strongest pool as it also contains Newell’s Old Boys and Talleres Cordoba.

Live Stream: Fanatiz English ( stream now )

River Plate vs Banfield team news and preview

River Plate finished as runners-up to Boca Juniors in the shortened 2019-20 Argentine Superliga, missing out on the league title by just one point.

River’s first game of the new Copa competition is against Banfield, who had a mixed season in the Superliga, winning just six of 23 games.

The shorter season meant that the two sides faced off just once in the league in 2019-20, but that ended in a 1-0 win for hosts River Plate, who will be hoping for a repeat of the same this weekend.

River Plate will be expected to win this game, but after the long break without football, expect some unpredictable results on the first weekend.

Watch all this weekend's Copa de la Liga Profesional matches on Fanatiz in the US with a 7-day free trial.

What other Copa de la Liga Profesional matches are available on Fanatiz?

All games are live streamed on Fanatiz and you can sign up to watch free here.

Ghana coach CK Akonnor has described German-born Greuther Furth attacker Jamie Leweling as a "future star" after calling up the teenager for upcoming 2022 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying double-header against Sudan in November.

The winger was undoubtedly the biggest surprise in the Black Stars 23-man squad announced on Friday.

He currently plays for Germany at U20 level but his Ghanaian roots make him eligible to represent the four-time African champions at international level.

“He [Leweling] is a young man who is all over the place with lots of teams interested in him because of what he has done,” Akonnor said, as reported by the Ghana Football Association’s official website.

“He is growing very fast. He just got a chance from the [Greuther Furth] second team and now he is with the first team. He’s been a player I believe is a hope for the future.

“He is one of the guys that we can have because he’s young, 19 years of age and he has had the chance to play for the German national team and so we are looking at how we can also get him on board to also help us in the future. He’s somebody I believe if not today, he’s going to be the hope for our future and that’s why he’s here.

“As we speak now, I have spoken to him but I haven’t assured him [of a permanent Ghana place]. I went to Germany to watch him because he was also recommended by our technical director [Bernhard Lippert].

“Nobody had an idea [of his existence], but he [Lippert] said he is a good talent and so we have to watch him. So, I went to see him play, it was not enough but the two matches that I saw, I think it’s a good opportunity for him to also come here and showcase his talent but I believe he’s one good talent, hope for the future.”

Leweling broke into Gruether Furth’s first team last season where he made 22 league appearances involving seven starts for the club in the German second tier.

This term, he has played five times so far, starting in only one of the games.

His last appearance for Germany came for the U20s in September where he scored in a 2-1 win over Denmark.

Diego Maradona has called upon his old club Napoli to claim another Serie A crown as a present for his 60th birthday, as the Argentina legend celebrated reaching a different kind of milestone.

The Gimnasia de La Plata boss, who remains one of the game's most renowned figures as he enters his seventh decade, spen many of his halcyon playing days with Napoli, who he helped power to two top-flight titles and the UEFA Cup during his stay.

The striker also won the World Cup for his country during his time in the Campania region and remains something of a cult hero in the city where he emerged as a larger-than-life sporting figure.

Now, in an open letter published in Corriere dello Sport, Maradona has called on last season's Coppa Italia victors to go one step better and end Juventus' chokehold on the Scudetto, offering words of support to manager Gennaro Gattuso as he looks to steer the club to a first title since Maradona's own success in 1990.

"I'd like to say a big thank you to everyone for the good wishes today," the former forward wrote. "I hope to be able to celebrate it with titles that can make me happy.

"I wish for my Gimnasia to be able to challenge for the championship this coming season - but it is also true that I wish for another Scudetto to be won by Napoli.

"To Gattuso, I say, go on like this. With your determination and the ability of your side to play, I cheer for you. I want to tell you that while there are people who boast of having played for Barcelona, Real Madrid and Juventus, I am proud to boast that I was part of Napoli. I hope one day that you will be able to too."

Former Milan boss Gattuso, who succeeded Carlo Ancelotti last December, oversaw his first managerial triumph against Juventus in June's Coppa Italia final, with his side running out 4-2 penalty shootout victors following a goalless draw at Stadio Olimpico.

Maradona meanwhile is facing a difficult campaign ahead as he looks to reverse the fortunes of Gimnasia, who flirted with relegation from Argentina's top-flight last term.