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Edinson Cavani is capable of making a Bruno Fernandes-esque impact at Manchester United, says Ryan Giggs, with the Red Devils “crying out” for a proven centre-forward.

An experienced Uruguayan will tick that box for those at Old Trafford.

He has been snapped up as a free agent and handed a two-year contract, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer taking a calculated gamble on a 33-year-old with no prior experience of life in English football.

Questions have been asked of whether Cavani can make the desired impact for a Premier League heavyweight, but Anthony Martial has not convinced everyone in a No.9 role and Giggs believes a prolific South American will prove his worth when up to full speed.

The United legend told Webby & O’Neill’s YouTube channel of a player he has faced in his current role as manager of the Wales national team: “I faced Cavani in my second game for Wales and he was better than Luis Suarez in the game. I didn't think he was that good.

“He was a real handful. He hasn't played for a long time so he might be a little bit rusty.

“But what you're getting; you're getting a centre forward which I think a lot of fans have been crying out for.

“A proper centre forward who can led the line. We have Marcus [Rashford], Martial who is half a winger, half a centre-forward. Cavani is a forward, a target man.

“He's got the experience. I'm hoping, just like Bruno has, he will make the players around him even better.”

Cavani was denied the chance to make his United bow in a Champions League clash with his former club Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday as he is eased into the fold, but Solskjaer’s side claimed an impressive 2-1 win in that contest.

The Red Devils were forced into a number of changes for their European opener in 2020-21, but tactical tweaks paid off as last season’s beaten finalists were downed at Parc des Princes.

Axel Tuanzebe, making his first start of the calendar year, was among those to shine, with Giggs suggesting that the 22-year-old could be a useful option for Solskjaer in a number of positions.

He added on an academy graduate that broke through when he was working alongside Louis van Gaal in 2015: “First of all, he’s a really good lad with a good mentality. All Axel’s got to do now is stay fit and play games because he’s got all of the attributes. He can handle the ball, he can even play in midfield.

“We thought about playing him in midfield when he was fit, under Louis. He can read the game well, he’s quick - I think he showed that (against PSG).

“He’s got to play games, and when he plays games, his confidence will grow because he’s got all of the attributes to be a Manchester United centre-half.

“Now, like I say, he’s got to bang out those games and once he does that, it’s up to him to say to Ole, ‘I’m doing so well, you can’t leave me out of the team.

“That consistency, he’s got to produce performances like that over and over again. I’m sure if he stays fit, then he will be a regular in the first-team.”

Experienced coach Bobby Williamson has stated he was disappointed learning about Francis Kimanzi's exit from Harambee Stars.

On Tuesday, Football Kenya Federation (FKF) announced they had parted ways with the tactician on mutual consent. The announcement came as a shock to many considering Kimanzi's good record since his appointment in August 2019.

Kimanzi had helped Kenya get a point away to Egypt after a 1-1 draw in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifiers before playing to the same scoreline at home against Togo.

On October 9, he also led Kenya to a 2-1 win over Zambia's Chipolopolo in a friendly match played at Nyayo Stadium in Nairobi.

"I was disappointed to learn that Francis [Kimanzi] left his position as Kenya coach," Williamson told Goal on Thursday.

"To be successful, you need continuity and I am confident [Kimanzi] could have brought more success to the team."

The Scot has also opined on rumours the tactician was let go because he was vocal.

"I don't know the reason [why he was fired] but if it is because he is outspoken, that is his strength."

The 59-year-old, who coached Kenya from 2014 to 2016, has this piece of advice to FKF president Nick Mwendwa.

"If Nick is going to be successful, he needs to choose wisely and stand by the coach for the same length of time as his tenure.

"For Kimanzi, he has so much to offer and I am confident he will be successful in his next employment."

On Wednesday, Jacob 'Ghost' Mulee was confirmed as the man to succeed Kimanzi at the helm of Harambee Stars for the next three years. Mwendwa went on to exude confidence the 52-year-old has what it takes to be successful. 

"‘Ghost’ is Kenyan, he knows Kenyan football, he had been there, he has done it before, he has won the league, he has won different cups, he has won Cecafa, he had been to the Afcon before, and now he has the chance once again to take us there,” Mwendwa told Goal.

"I am 100 percent sure that he will use that knowledge we got in the last Afcon and when he was there to try and do better in the Afcon, we want to be there all the time and he now has the chance to do that with us, and I strongly believe he will succeed."   

Bayern Munich star Thomas Muller gave German-speaking audiences something to laugh about in Wednesday's 4-0 victory over Atletico Madrid as the forward was heard referring to the Spanish side as “the biggest bullies in world football” after receiving a yellow card.

The Champions League holders got their group-stage campaign off to a superb start at the Allianz Arena, with goals from Leon Goretzka and Corentin Tolisso bookended by a pair of strikes from Kingsley Coman as the hosts ran riot in Bavaria.

And while Muller failed to make it onto the scoresheet, the World Cup winner still managed to make headlines after the match due to his reaction to being cautioned by referee Michael Oliver after a perceived heavy challenge on Kieran Trippier in the first half.

With no fans present to drown out the shouts of the players on the pitch, Muller could be heard saying: “What's going on here? Hey! You can't be serious – we're playing against Atletico Madrid, the biggest bullies in world football! And I get a yellow for something like that?”

Despite not finding the net on the night, Bayern boss Hansi Flick was still quick to praise Muller after the game, insisting that the 31-year-old continues to be an integral part of what makes the German champions tick.

“He always knows where to be – and he coaches the team,” Flick told Sky following the victory. “He played on the right side today but he's still very, very important at the centre of our game. You could say that he's our coach on the pitch.

“Sometimes he could play a safer ball, sometimes there is a little too much risk involved. But that's what makes him who he is.”

Being such an influential character on the field, there have been calls for Joachim Low to recall Muller to the Germany set-up, with Die Mannschaft having claimed only one win in their previous five matches.

And Muller, ever the optimist, has left the door open for a return to international action when Germany take to the field in the European Championship in 2021.

“Hopefully the competition will take place next year,” Muller said to ZDF. “Everyone can see that I am in good shape – we don't need to say anything else about it. Let everybody just take it easy and then we'll see what happens.”

Romelu Lukaku has extended his own record for scoring in consecutive European matches for Inter. 

The 27-year-old scored twice on Wednesday as he helped his Serie A outfit claim a 2-2 draw with Borussia Monchengladbach in the Champions League. 

That brace means Lukaku has now scored in nine straight European matches for Inter having found form in the Europa League last season as Antonio Conte's side reached the final where they lost to Sevilla. 

Lukaku's first season with Inter after sealing a move from Manchester United saw him strike 34 times across all competitions and he already has six goals to his name this campaign. 

Against Gladbach, Inter had taken the lead through Lukaku in the 49th minute but needed the Belgium international to strike again in the 90th minute to salvage a point. 

Conte's side have now failed to win their past three matches and most recently lost 2-1 against fierce rivals AC Milan in Serie A. 

Those results have clearly frustrated Lukaku, who has called on Inter to improve their mental strength to ensure they live up to their full potential. 

“This is not a good result in my view, because we can do better. We must keep working and be stronger mentally, because it’s not an easy moment for us and we have to keep believing in our quality,” Lukaku told Sky Sport Italia post-match.

“Now we need to be stronger, above all mentally, and do better in defence, as we conceded two goals due to our errors. We made so many mistakes and wasted chances upfront too, so if we don’t take those, we are made to pay at this level.”

Conte was slightly more upbeat about the result and noted the difficulty of seeing Achraf Hakimi ruled out of the game after testing positive for Covid-19. 

"We have to concentrate on doing our best on the pitch," Conte told  Sky Sport Italia . "That's all we have to do. It wasn't easy today to receive the news at 5pm that Hakimi was positive. Up until this morning, he was training with us. He was meant to start, so we'd prepared all the tactical situations.

"I told the lads to face every situation with heads held high. It wasn't easy on a psychological level, but the lads showed they are good men as well as good players. Tonight we did well against a team with a great deal of potential, one that has technical quality as well as physicality."

Diego Simeone said Atletico Madrid's 4-0 thrashing to Bayern Munich left a "bad taste" but refused to criticise his players for the manner of the loss.

Atleti were comprehensively outclassed by the Champions League holders in their Group A opening game in Munich on Wednesday with Bayern winger Kingsley Coman instrumental in the result.

France international Coman scored two goals – the second a superb individual effort – with Leon Goretzka and Corentin Tolisso also on target for the defending champions.

The defeat was Atletico's joint-worst in the competition, as they managed just one shot on target, but head coach Simeone felt there were still some positives to take.

"I am left with the bad taste of defeat," Simeone said in his post-match media conference.

"But I am left with things that for the future will do us very good. I do not know if we made too many mistakes or if it was the quality of the opponent. 

"So I am left with the attitude of the team, and until the end we looked for the goal. The forcefulness of the opposition has made an important difference.

"Bayern are in a great moment, they are a great team. But you have to see the good performance of Hector Herrera, Yannick Carrasco, Marcos Llorente because they will surely add up from now on."

Mexican midfielder Herrera hailed Bayern as the number one team on the planet, and felt Atleti showed their battling qualities even if their usual defensive solidity was less evident.

He added: "We played the champions face to face, the best team in the world. With the score against us, we did not stop fighting and looking for the game.

"We had our opportunities and we did not take advantage of them in key moments. If we had done it would have been another story."

Bayern coach Hansi Flick felt his side's ability to overcome the physical threat posed by Simeone's side was key in securing the victory.

Bayern won 51.9 per cent of duels, with defender Lucas Hernandez their most combative player, winning possession eight times in the match.

"Our efficiency was good and I am very satisfied. It is very important to win that first game," Flick said.

“We were physically present. That was important, to be there, to win those one-on-one situations. We had a match plan and we applied it, scoring four beautiful goals.

"We faced a tricky team but we dealt with them fantastically. We were so clinical in front of goal. We can be satisfied with it and that is what matters."

Coman, who scored Bayern's winning goal in their Champions League final victory over Paris Saint-Germain in August, was thrilled to start their defence of the European Cup in such emphatic fashion.

"Of course I thought back to the goal in the final. But it's a new Champions League campaign, we want to keep winning," the France winger told Bayern's website.

"We turned in a very good display, I scored two goals, which makes me very happy."

Tottenham centre-back Davinson Sanchez has responded to Jose Mourinho's comments about the 2017 Europa League final that saw the two face off against each other. 

At the time, Sanchez was lining up for Ajax, while Mourinho was in charge of Manchester United, who ultimately won the match 2-0. 

Upon arriving at Spurs, Mourinho was filmed on Amazon's 'All or Nothing' documentary series having an early conversation with Sanchez in which the Portuguese tactician claimed he had won the game in "minute one". 

Though a humorous exchange, Sanchez saw the truth in Mourinho's observation and believes the odds were always stacked against Ajax.

"In that moment as a team in Ajax we played very well, very, very well as they have done for the last season, two seasons ago. At that moment we were playing very well but we lacked that experience," Sanchez said in a press conference on Wednesday. 

"The talent was there but experience was missing. That conversation was funny, but if my manager is saying that to me, at the moment I admit to the problem in that area like I am doing now.

"I am thinking to keep growing up and improving. We played very, very good football, but we missed [a player like] Paul Pogba. In that moment [Mourinho's jibe] was fine, I took it in a good way." 

Sanchez and Mourinho will team up for Tottenham in the Europa League this season with Spurs kicking off their group campaign against LASK on Thursday. 

Mourinho's side enter the match after a 3-3 draw with West Ham that saw them concede three goals in the final 15 minutes and Sanchez is determined to ensure the club react the right way. 

"We want to be in that position that gives us that chance to keep fighting until the end. It is a 10 minutes we cannot repeat, we can’t concede to any opponent," Sanchez said.

"It is not just about someone thinking they have the quality or not, every opponent we cannot concede that. Even starting or in the last moment of the game, like happened. We are experienced enough players that have been playing at the high level a long time.

"It was tough to take because in the way it happened it can hurt very badly. We have enough experience to move on. We have not forgotten what happened but we have moved on because the next game is tomorrow." 

Umar Sadiq earned Almeria a 1-1 draw against FC Cartagena with his first goal in the Segunda Division on Wednesday.

The result ended the Rojiblancos' run of three straight defeats in the league and it was their first point since their 2-0 win over Lugo on the opening day.

The 23-year-old found the back of the net in the 65th minute, courtesy of an assist from Joao Carvalho, to draw Almeria level after Ruben Castro's 17th-minute opener for FC Cartagena.

Sadiq played from start to finish for the hosts at the Estadio de los Juegos Mediterraneos as he registered his third league appearance since his arrival from Serbian club Partizan Belgrade on October 5.

The former AS Roma and Rangers striker led Almeria’s attack and was a constant threat in the opposition’s area throughout the game.

Almeria will aim to build on Wednesday's result when they host high-flying Fuenlabrada, who are yet to lose a match this season, for their next Segunda Division outing on Saturday.

Jose Gomes' side are 19th in the league table and they are battling in the relegation zone with four points after five matches.

Erik ten Hag felt Liverpool were "vulnerable" against Ajax as he rued bad luck in the 1-0 Champions League loss on Wednesday.

Ajax had their chances but Nicolas Tagliafico's first-half own goal was enough for Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool in the Group D clash in Amsterdam.

Liverpool were winless in three games heading into the encounter, and in action for the first time since Virgil van Dijk suffered a serious knee injury on Saturday.

Ten Hag said he felt the Eredivisie giants could have taken advantage of the Premier League champions.

"It would have been a big bonus if we had taken one or more points," the Ajax head coach said. "I think Liverpool were vulnerable. Unfortunately, we didn't make the most of that."

Ten Hag added: "We were unlucky. We performed well collectively. We were convincing, but that last one per cent was missing – we didn't score even though we created many chances. That's the story of this game, I think."

Tagliafico turned in a miscued Sadio Mane effort 10 minutes before half-time for the game's only goal.

Ten Hag said there were elements of Ajax's performance he was pleased with.

"We knew Liverpool's strength, we wanted to prevent their full-backs, who are their playmakers, from going forward. That was one," he said.

"The second thing is that we wanted to control the midfield. Daley [Blind] is very good at that, he's so calm on the ball. And in that way, we wanted to attack their defence with deep runs. I think we did that quite well a couple of times."

While Trent Alexander-Arnold had a quieter performance for Liverpool, left-back Andy Robertson impressed. Robertson had the most key passes (five), passes (78), passes in the opposition half (56) and touches (104) of any player on the ground.

Reds boss Jurgen Klopp admitted his side were far from their best on Wednesday and revealed Mane started the match despite a lingering injury. 

Liverpool next face Sheffield United in the Premier League on Saturday and are currently sitting third in the league. Ajax, meanwhile, travel to VVV-Venlo over the weekend and are just one point shy of early Eredivisie leaders PSV. 

Idrissa Gueye will be out for several weeks having suffered a hamstring injury in Paris Saint-Germain’s 2-1 Champions League home defeat to Manchester United on Tuesday.

The 31-year-old, who was handed a starter’s role by manager Thomas Tuchel, could only last for 45 minutes after being replaced at half-time by Italian striker Moise Kean, who is on loan from Everton.

At the end of 90 minutes, the Red Devils left Parc des Princes with all three points thanks to goals from Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford.

The French team’s only goal was scored by Anthony Martial as he headed the ball into his own net while trying to clear Neymar’s corner kick.

The nature of the injury was announced by RMC and confirmed by Goal, albeit, PSG would be hoping the injury doesn't keep the Senegal international out of action for a substantial period.

With this development, Gueye joins the likes of Juan Bernat, Thilo Kehrer (adductors), Marco Verratti (thigh), Leandro Paredes (thigh) and Mauro Icardi (knee) on the injury list. For German defender Thilo Kehrer, he is due to return to the squad soon.

This is the fifth time the former Diambars, Lille, and Aston Villa man will be suffering from a hamstring injury his professional career that has spanned over 13 years.

Having joined the French team from Goodison Park last summer in a deal reported to be around £30 million, he expressed his wish to remain with the Parisians for a long time to come.

 “I am very happy with my adventure, everything is going well and my family is happy to live in Paris," Gueye told Canal+ Afrique as reported by TuttoMercato.

"I have no reason to leave, here I am happy and I hope to stay at PSG for a long time.”

He will miss Saturday’s French elite division encounter against Dijon as well as Group H’s Champions League fixture against Istanbul Basaksehir four days later.

Liverpool got their Champions League campaign off to a successful start as they earned a hard-fought 1-0 win over Ajax in Amsterdam.

Nicolas Tagliafico's first-half own goal was the difference between the sides in an end-to-end Group D game short on midfield control at Johan Cruyff Arena.

Starting life without injured talismanic centre-back Virgil van Dijk in the Dutch capital, the visitors could have done without the early mix-up between Adrian and Joe Gomez that suggested their defensive organisation is set to suffer.

Davy Klaassen struck the post but that was as close as Ajax came to salvaging a point.

Hearts had been in Liverpool mouths again when Adrian's attempt to launch the ball forward was closed down, leading to a headed chance for Lisandro Martinez that needed saving.

Another well-worked Ajax move then ended in Quincy Promes being picked out at close range, but he somehow failed to beat Adrian when a goal looked certain.

But, as is so often the case, the visitors capitalised on that let-off ruthlessly, going straight up the other end to force a Tagliafico own goal from a horribly miscued Sadio Mane shot that followed a sublime turn in the box.

The hosts responded well to that setback, and would have been level at the break had Fabinho not acrobatically cleared Dusan Tadic's lobbed attempt off the line with Adrian stranded.

That late scare and a general lack of control in the middle throughout prompted Jurgen Klopp to make a half-time change, with youngster Curtis Jones making way for captain Jordan Henderson.

But the substitution looked to have made little difference when Ajax danced their way through the Liverpool midfield before teeing up Klaassen to strike the post with a thunderous effort just over a minute after the restart.

With attempts to shore things up failing, Klopp instead opted to switch things up in attack, calling Diogo Jota, Takumi Minamino and Xherdan Shaqiri from the bench to replace his starting front three.

However, those changes only served to largely disrupt the flow of the game rather than add any thrust for the visitors, not that they would have minded.

Consequently, both sides struggled to create much during a scrappy finish to the game that ensured Liverpool took all three points.

What does it mean? Promising start for Reds

On paper, trips to Ajax and Atalanta looked like the toughest tests Liverpool would face as they plotted a route out of Group D.

To have got one of those fixtures out of the way with three points on the board represents an excellent start for Klopp's men, despite their failure to hit the heights in terms of performance.

Gomez shines in Van Dijk's absence

With Van Dijk likely out for the season following knee surgery, Liverpool desperately need his younger partner to step up and take on responsibility.

Gomez certainly looked ready to do that here as he won five aerial duels, made 10 clearances and regained possession on 11 separate occasions.

Jones struggles on European debut

Making his first appearance in the Champions League, Jones would have hoped to show more before being brought off at half-time.

The talented teenager had an 89 per cent passing accuracy, but struggled on the other side of the ball, making no tackles or interceptions and winning just 50 per cent of his duels.

Key Opta facts

- Liverpool are unbeaten in their last seven away trips against Dutch opponents, keeping a clean sheet in five of those encounters (winning four, drawing three).

- Ajax have won only one of their previous seven games against English opponents in European competition (D2 L4). That victory came in a Champions League semi-final first leg win over Tottenham in 2018-19.

- Tagliafico is the first Ajax player to score an own goal in the Champions League since Vurnon Anita against Real Madrid in September 2010.

- At 34 years and 291 days, James Milner became the third-oldest player to appear for Liverpool in the European Cup or Champions League, after Gary McAllister (37y 84d) and Ian Callaghan (35y 353d). In contrast, Jones was fifth-youngest Champions League outfield player to start for Liverpool (19y 265d).

What's next?

Liverpool turn their attentions back to the Premier League with an Anfield clash against Sheffield United on Saturday, while Ajax travel to VVV Venlo.

Substitute Ferran Torres was among the scorers as Manchester City earned a 3-1 comeback win against Porto in Wednesday's Champions League opener after Luis Diaz's impressive solo strike.

City were eliminated at the quarter-final stage for the third year running last season and their latest attempt at winning the competition got off to a somewhat shaky start at the Etihad Stadium.

Diaz profited from some poor defending to race through and open the scoring but the Portuguese champions were pegged back after Pepe gave away a penalty from which Sergio Aguero converted, ending his longest goalscoring drought of 231 days.

Ilkay Gundogan scored a set-piece of his own with a dipping free-kick and close-season signing Torres netted five minutes after being brought off the bench as City turned the game on its head to make a winning start to their Group C campaign.

Porto had failed to score in their previous seven away encounters with English clubs in Europe but had to wait just 14 minutes for that drought to end.

Diaz embarked on an impressive solo run that saw him carry the ball from 45 yards out, evade a number of half-hearted challenges and drill a precise shot past Ederson.

City were given a chance to hit back six minutes later, however, as Pepe clattered into Raheem Sterling moments after Gundogan struck the outside of the post.

The penalty was awarded after a lengthy VAR check for a possible Gundogan foul on Agustin Marchesin, who got a hand to Aguero's spot-kick but could not keep it out.

Mateus Uribe fired over following a poor pass from Ederson and Kyle Walker hooked the ball off the line to spare Ruben Dias' blushes as Porto ended the first half on top.

The visitors dropped off slightly after the break and were undone in the 65th minute by Gundogan's set-piece brilliance, the Germany midfielder lifting the ball up and over the wall after being fouled by Fabio Vieira.

The game was put out of Porto's reach when Torres played a one-two with fellow substitute Phil Foden and crashed past Marchesin.

Following a scuffle between Sterling and Pepe, who had a running battle throughout, Rodri went close to adding a fourth late on as Marchesin pushed his 30-yarder onto the post.

What does it mean? Tenth time lucky for City?

City are competing in UEFA's flagship competition for a 10th successive season and are the favourites of some, despite only making it as far as the semi-finals on one occasion.

Questions remain of their defence on this first-half showing against Porto, but Guardiola will take pride from the way his players dug in and got the job done, even if it came at the cost of one of his most combative and experienced players, Fernandinho, being added to a considerable injury list during stoppage time.

Guardiola's men, who had 69 per cent of the ball and managed six shots on target, sit level on three points with Olympiakos - late 1-0 winners over Marseille - after the first set of Group C games.

Diaz dazzles

City were all over the place at the back throughout the first half, not least for Diaz's impressive opening goal as the winger got away from Dias, Eric Garcia and Joao Cancelo.

Diaz lasted 55 minutes on his first appearance in the competition, managing more key passes (two) and winning more duels (12) than any player on the field in that time.

Pepe punished

Pepe barged straight into Sterling inside the box - the fifth penalty he has conceded in the competition, which is more than any other player since data was first collected in 2003.

After a lengthy wait, Aguero stepped up and squeezed in the spot-kick for his 35th Champions League goal - only Didier Droba (36 for Chelsea) has managed more for an English side.

What's next?

City return to Premier League action on Saturday with a trip to West Ham, while Porto host Gil Vicente in the Primeira Liga on the same day.

Players of Nigeria's women's national team have expressed their disappointment after the deaths of several unarmed protesters after violent incidents with the country's soldiers on Tuesday.

Africa’s most populous nation has been plagued by protests for the last two weeks as citizens took to the streets to call for an end to police brutality, especially by the Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS).

However, a 24-hour curfew was effected in the country’s commercial capital Lagos in an attempt to keep their residents indoors, but events turned tragic when soldiers attacked protesters at Lekki.

Following horrific images of unarmed protesters' deaths, the players, including Ngozi Okobi, have taken to social media to appeal against the Nigerian government.

"Nigeria government why? What have we done to deserve all this?," Okobi wrote on her Instagram page.

"God please intervein, these people are killing the leaders of tomorrow and the future of Nigeria."

Nigeria and Avaldsnes striker Rasheedat Ajibade also weighed in as she prayed for God's intervention.

"My heart bleeds right now, Oh Lord arise and fight for your children, Lord pls heal our land," she wrote.

Elsewhere on the same issue, Nigeria and Eskilstuna United midfielder Halimatu Ayinde also let out her displeasure.

"End this wickedness now, we asked for nothing but for good governance, why killing the leaders of tomorrow?" she asked.

On her own part, Nigeria and AS Roma defender Osinachi Ohale also shared her unreserved disgust over the incidents in Lagos.

"Nigerian government stop killing your people, stop killing my brothers and sisters, stop killing our youths," she voiced out.

"Nigerian government you have done us more harm than good we deserve better."

Ainsley Maitland-Niles says Mikel Arteta convinced him to stay at Arsenal after making him realise he was not yet showing his full potential.

The 23-year-old was the subject of intense transfer speculation throughout the summer, with Wolves submitting an offer in excess of £20 million ($26m) for the Arsenal academy product.

Arteta was always adamant he wanted Maitland-Niles to stay, however, and pointed to the fact that he started him in both the FA Cup semi-final and final as an example of his faith in the youngster - but that did not stop the speculation and for a time it looked like a move to Wolves was a real possibility.

Ultimately Maitland-Niles opted to resist the advances of the Midlands outfit, however, and says it was a chat with his manager that convinced him to stay put.

“There was a lot of speculation going around, but I chose to stay at the club I love,” he said. “I am happy with my decision and I am sure the manager is happy that I stayed as well.

“It was about the manager having faith in me and him letting me know what’s going on and the situation. He did that and everything was fine in the end.

“He just installed a lot of confidence in me that I had in myself, but maybe I didn’t know how to bring out. He has helped me do that. We work well as a team together and he knows how to get the best out of me, and now I am learning to get the best out of myself more regularly now. I can only thank him along the way and carry on the run of form we have had.”

Soon after Arteta arrived at Arsenal in December, he publicly challenged Maitland-Niles to show him he was worth a place in the team.

Having started the first few games under the Spaniard, he soon found game time hard to come by and was told by Arteta he needed to "put his head down and work hard" to force his way back into the picture.

That led to suggestions the pair had fallen out, something Maitland-Niles insists was not the case.

“There was never a rocky relationship between us,” he said ahead of Arsenal’s Europa League meeting with Rapid Vienna on Thursday night. “It was just he demanded more from me than I was demanding from myself. He told me that and I had to work to do to get back into the team. That’s as simple as it was.

“The manager can always see different things than a player can see because he is looking at it from a different angle. He has got different feelings, different emotions to what I feel at the time. It is a good job that I did listen. It is all paying off now.”

Maitland-Niles’ form in recent months has seen him rewarded with a place in the England squad, with Gareth Southgate handing the Arsenal star his first start against Denmark earlier this month.

“The game time I get I really enjoy it,” he said. “Obviously it is coming with more pressure right now because I am on a bigger stage.

“I am still happy to play my way in and keep working hard, try to show the manager I am the best man for the job. That is what I am going to keep trying to do.”

Mesut Ozil still has the full backing of Arsenal's players despite the playmaker missing out on the Gunners' 25-man Premier League squad, according to Ainsley Maitland-Niles.

Ozil, who was not included in Arsenal's Europa League squad, has also failed to secure a place in Mikel Arteta's squad for the top-flight campaign.

The 32-year-old has not featured for Arsenal at all since March 7, despite having played in every game between Arteta's appointment in December and then.

Ex-Real Madrid man Ozil, who did not agree to take a salary cut amid the coronavirus pandemic, believed his performances had been improving, an opinion which is supported by the fact that he created more chances per 90 minutes than any other Arsenal player last term.

Arteta said on Wednesday that Ozil did not do enough to force his way in, despite being given every opportunity to impress.

England international Maitland-Niles, meanwhile, insisted Ozil still has the full support of his team-mates despite the ongoing situation, with the playmaker's contract up at the end of the season.

"The club's behind Mesut, we're a team, that's always going to be the case until Mesut decides to make his decision and what he wants to do," Maitland-Niles told a news conference ahead of Thursday's clash with Rapid Vienna.

"Ultimately, we're focused on the game for now. Then when we get back to the training ground we can talk about if he wants to go by as a team.

"We're focused on the game as of now. And when we do finish the game and the three points are secured, then we can focus on going back to the training ground and solving the situation as a team."

On the decision to omit Ozil, Maitland-Niles added: "That's something you're gonna have to ask the club. Us as players, we haven't really thought about it much. We've literally been on the go the whole day. We've had our training session and took our flight here, so we haven't had much time to sit down and process anything as a team."

Maitland-Niles was the subject of intense transfer speculation throughout the summer, with Wolves submitting an offer in excess of £20 million ($26m) for the Arsenal academy product, but he says Arteta was the key figure in him deciding to stay.

“There was a lot of speculation going around, but I chose to stay at the club I love,” he said. “I am happy with my decision and I am sure the manager is happy that I stayed as well.

“It was about the manager having faith in me and him letting me know what’s going on and the situation. He did that and everything was fine in the end."

Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan has said his side are currently "struggling" despite their 3-1 win over Porto in the Champions League on Wednesday. 

Luis Diaz gave Porto an early lead at the Etihad Stadium before Sergio Aguero levelled from the spot in both teams' Group C opener. 

Gundogan would prove to be the match-winner on the night, as the German's expertly taken free-kick gave City the lead in the 65th minute before Ferran Torres wrapped up the match eight minutes later.

Though the victory over the Portuguese side was City's second in a row after they defeated Arsenal 1-0 on Saturday, Gundogan admitted that he believes City are currently in rough shape.

Key figures Kevin De Bruyne and Aymeric Laporte are out injured, while Fernandinho appears set to miss some time after going off late in the match against Porto.

Gundogan, meanwhile is only just returning to the City team after missing the beginning of the season due to testing positive for Covid-19. 

"If I'm being honest we are struggling at the moment," Gundogan said on BT Sport after Wednesday's game.

"Fernandinho went off at the end, we have players playing in different positions. I am not 100 per cent there because I had Covid, we are not all at the same moment.

"That is the challenge for this season, it's not going to end for a while. It's not going to be difficult for Pep to pick an XI because players are going to be tired."

With the season starting a month later than usual due to the coronavirus pandemic, teams will have to cope with a more condensed schedule than usual. 

Speaking this weekend, Bernardo Silva predicted that this season’s Premier League champions will need fewer points than in recent campaigns, with more teams than usual in the hunt for top spot.

“In the last few seasons, we saw that to become champions you needed to reach close to 100 points, I think the situation this season is going to be different,” Silva said.

“Because a lot of players didn't have any rest during the summer, I think the competition is going to be more balanced."

Antoine Griezmann has slammed racist remarks made about Ansu Fati in the Spanish press following their 5-1 win in the Champions League against Ferencvaros on Tuesday. 

The 17-year-old attacker enjoyed a fine performance at Camp Nou as he scored the club's second before teeing up Philippe Coutinho for Barca's third goal just after half-time. 

Despite Fati's great showing, the Spain international was subjected to racist reporting from ABC, a Spanish newspaper outlet. 

"Ansu was close to scoring with a kick of a pure striker, perfectly turning his body. Ansu when running has something similar to a gazelle, he looks like a young and black street seller, the one you could see running in the Paseo de Gracia shouting "water, water" when the policemen arrive," the report read.

"Postcards of a jungle in the heart of the city. Now it doesn't happen anymore because of Ada Colau [Mayor of Barcelona], the delinquents are the policemen and not the street sellers, who don't need to run away quickly anymore. It is true that without tourists, their business goes down." 

The shocking remarks were seen by Griezmann, who was quick to shame the outlet on social media and leap to the defence of his young team-mate. 

"Ansu is an exceptional boy who deserves respect just like all other human beings," Griezmann posted on Twitter. "No to racism and no to bad manners." 

After breaking though at Camp Nou last season, Fati has enjoyed a stellar start to the 2020-21 campaign and is currently Barcelona's leading goalscorer in all competitions. 

Despite his fine form and quick rise to stardom, the teenager has kept his feet firmly on the ground and was quick to praise his team-mates after another strong showing on Tuesday. 

"Thanks to all my team-mates, they make things easy for me," he told Movistar post-match. "Messi is still Messi. He can score in any action. We are very happy to have him here with us and I continue to learn from him."

Barcelona next face rivals Real Madrid in La Liga action on Saturday with both clubs going into the season's first El Clasico on the back of shock league losses at the hands of Getafe and Cadiz respectively.

Pep Guardiola fears the worst for Fernandinho after the Brazilian star suffered an injury in Wednesday's Champions League opener.

Manchester City beat Porto 3-1 on Wednesday at the Etihad, kickstarting their group stage on a positive note.

It wasn't all positive, though, as Fernandinho, who entered the game as a substitute in the 84th minute, went off with a leg injury before the end.

City are already without Kevin de Bruyne, Gabriel Jesus, Nathan Ake, Benjamin Mendy and Aymeric Laporte, with Fernandinho now joining the club's growing injury list

The midfielder was replaced by John Stones for the final moments of Wednesday's win and, speaking after the game, Guardiola says it appears Fernandinho may be out of action for quite a while.

"Bad news, in the place he was injured [before]," he told the BBC. "He will be out a long time. It's happened."

He added in his post-match press conference: "Bad news, his leg will be, I think four to six weeks out, yes it is a big blow for us with these amount of games and no people there, but it is what it is."

Goals from Sergio Aguero, Ilkay Gundogan and new boy Ferran Torres led the way for City, who also sealed a 1-0 win over Arsenal in the Premier League last weekend.

Aside from the Fernandinho injury, Guardiola was largely pleased with how things went on Wednesday as City took care of business against Porto ahead of next week's clash with Marseille in their second group stage game.

 "The last 10-15 minutes of the first half and the start of the second we played well," he told BT Sport. "This is a good start for us and the next step we go to France to get the second one.

"At set pieces they were strong. By the second half we didn't concede anything set pieces or counter attacks so we controlled the game.

"Here, the Champions League is an opportunity to play five substitutions and the ones that came on made an incredible contribution. We had decided before the goal [to substitute Gundogan] but he scored an incredible goal.

"Teams that set up with lots back you have to wait for your moment. We adjusted a little something at the end of the first half. We spoke about being patient, we had to be patient and at the right moment attack them, so we let them run."