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Edinson Cavani will not be available for Manchester United’s next game against Newcastle as the striker has been forced to self-isolate.

United completed the signing of the 33-year-old former Paris Saint-Germain striker on deadline day and it looked like a timely acquisition, given the absence of the suspended Anthony Martial following his red card against Tottenham.

However, Cavani will not be available for the fixture on October 17 as he is forced to self-isolate for 14 days in line with the government’s Covid-19 quarantine rules.

The Uruguayan forward flew in from France on Sunday, a country that is not on the UK's travel corridor list and thus requires those that arrive in England to self-isolate.

There is an exemption in place for elite athletes but that rule only applies if the player enters the UK from a secure bubble where they are regularly tested.

Indeed, any players returning from international duty will be fine to return to training and will not have to quarantine.

It is understood that United sought clarification from the government over the rules and, given Cavani has not been in any type of bubble, he is required to follow the isolation programme.

His 14-day isolation period will end on October 18, the day after United face Newcastle in the Premier League, and he should therefore be available to face former club PSG in the Champions League.

Another deadline-day signing Alex Telles is currently away with the Brazil national team and will not face the same restrictions as Cavani as he is in an elite bubble.

Cavani has been given the famed No.7 shirt following his arrival at Old Trafford and is looking forward to playing in front of the club's fans.

"I have played in front of some of the most passionate supporters in football during my career and I know that it will be the same in Manchester," he said.

"I cannot wait to experience the Old Trafford atmosphere, when it is safe for the fans to return. My conversation with the manager has increased my desire to wear this beautiful shirt."

United will be looking to bounce back from their humiliating 6-1 defeat to Tottenham when they face Steve Bruce's side, with either Marcus Rashford or Odion Ighalo set to lead the line at St James' Park.

Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas has revealed that Memphis Depay is “disappointed” with Barcelona after the Catalan club failed in their attempts to sign him, but that the forward will prepare himself to move to Camp Nou in January.

The Netherlands attacker had gone as far as agreeing personal terms with the Spanish heavyweights, as revealed by OL sporting director Juninho, but the Blaugrana's failure to offload dead wood ahead of the transfer deadline meant they did not have the capital to finalise a deal.

With Luis Suarez being sold to Atletico Madrid, Memphis had been at the top of Ronald Koeman's wishlist as he continues his squad rebuild in Catalunya, but the former Oranje coach will have to wait until the winter at the earliest to be reunited with the 26-year-old.

“Since the beginning I have been clear with Memphis,” Aulas told a press conference on Wednesday. “I spoke with president Bartomeu at Barcelona twice, he told me he couldn’t see how things could happen. 

“I know that Koeman made him continue to hope and that Memphis was ready to make sacrifices. Today, he is disappointed, but not towards Lyon, more towards Barcelona. He is going to do everything he can to find himself in a position where he moves there in January. 

“It is not up to me to make that decision, it is Juninho, in the same way that he has taken full responsibility for transfer situations with Vincent Ponsot and Rudi Garcia. He fought with everything he had for Memphis to stay. 

“I have not abandoned the idea of extending [Depay's] contract, but as he has always said no, it looks difficult to do.”

In Barcelona, meanwhile, a motion of no confidence in club president Josep Maria Bartomeu will go ahead after club members reached the minimum amount of verified votes to push through a presidential referendum.

Bartomeu's dismal handling of the club's transfer affairs over the years are seen as a major factor in the club's inability to finance moves for the likes of Depay, with 30-year-old Miralem Pjanic's swap with a much younger Arthur Melo highlighting how poorly the books have been balanced.

Arsenal left-back Kieran Tierney has been forced to self-isolate for 14 days after coming into contact with Scotland midfielder Stuart Armstrong, who has tested positive for Covid-19.

As a result, Tierney will be forced out of Scotland's three upcoming matches, as well as Arsenal's Premier League encounter against Manchester City on October 17.

The Scottish FA confirmed on Wednesday that Armstrong had returned a positive test after originally testing negative upon arrival on Monday.

The Southampton midfielder will self-isolate for 10 days while Tierney, Ryan Christie and two Scotland staff members will self-isolate for 14 days after being confirmed as close contacts with Armstrong.

“While this is obviously disappointing news the most important thing is the health and safety of the individuals involved and the wider group," Scotland head coach Steve Clarke told the Scottish FA website.

“As soon as we were informed of the positive test, the Chief Medical Consultant immediately contacted the Scottish Government’s clinical adviser, who in turn alerted the local Health Protection Team.

“We have informed the respective clubs from whom we have borrowed the players and backroom staff and we now have to prepare for a huge match ahead tomorrow.”

Scotland will be without Armstrong, Tierney and Christie for Thursday's Euro 2021 qualifier against Israel as well as UEFA Nations League matches against Slovakia on Sunday and the Czech Republic next Wednesday.

Celtic midfielder Christie will be forced to sit out the Old Firm clash with Rangers on October 17, while Armstrong could miss Southampton's match against Chelsea on the same day.

Tierney has started three of Arsenal's four Premier League matches in 2020-21 as the Gunners have started the season with nine points from those four games. 

“We were made aware of the positive test this morning and I reiterate Steve’s view that the health and safety of those involved is paramount," Scottish FA Chief Executive Ian Maxwell added.

"We will maintain constant dialogue with Dr John MacLean to ensure that those who are required to self-isolate are given the full support of the Scottish FA in conjunction with their clubs.

“Equally, the protocols and procedures in place are designed to ensure that the remaining members of the squad – who have all returned two rounds of negative tests – can continue to prepare for the forthcoming matches in a safe and secure environment.”

Burundi coach Jimmy Ndayizeye is confident his side will triumph over Tanzania when they meet in an international friendly in Dar es Salaam on Sunday.

The visitors arrived in the country on Wednesday ahead of the friendly which will be staged at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium.

Speaking to reporters after arriving at the Julius Nyerere International Airport, Ndayizeye claimed they are well equipped to beat their neighbours in what he termed “a must-win battle.”

“We are not tourists, we have not come to visit but we are here to win the match and go home with a win,” Ndayizeye said.

“We have not had enough time to train but I can assure you that my players are ready to battle.

“We know Tanzania will be playing at home but that is not a concern to us, we have a good squad which I want to make sure that they perform to my abilities, they know we want to win and we will go for that.”

All eyes will be on former Stoke City striker Saido Berahino who currently plays for Belgian outfit Zulte Waregem. The 27-year-old has 12 appearances for the national team and managed to score one goal in the process.

Ndayizeye hopes the striker can inspire the East Africa nation to victory over their hosts.

Most probably, he will be paired with Namungo FC striker Blaise Bigirimana, who has managed to score two goals for the Tanzania Mainland League outfit this season.

Of the 20 players who have been selected to do the job on Sunday, nine are locally-based with the rest based abroad.

The Swallows are using the friendly match to prepare for their Africa Cup of Nations qualifier doubleheader against Mauritania. Burundi will be hosting them on November 9 before playing away eight days later.

Burundi started their campaign in Group E away to the Central African Republic but ended up falling 2-0 after strikes from Vivien Mabide and Louis Mafouta.

They followed it up with another 3-0 loss, this time around to North Africa giants Morocco, with Noussair Mazraoui, Youssef En-Nesyri, and Achraf Hakimi getting onto the score sheet. 

Local players: Onesime Rukundo (Messager Ngozi), Eric Ndizeye (Musongati), Issa Hakizimana (Flambeau Du Centre), Emery Nimubona (Musongati), Blanchard Ngabonziza (Aigle Noir), Asman Ndikumana (Aigle Noir), Danny Cedrick Urasenga (Messager Ngozi), Alberto Mugisha (Musongati), Saido Ntibazonkiza.

Foreign players: Saido Berahino (Zulte Waregem, Belgium), Cedric Amissi (Al-Taawoun, Saudi Arabia), Mohamed Amissi (Eredivisie club Heracles Almelo, Belgium), Philip Nzeyimana Oslev (Akademisk Boldklub Gladsaxe, Denmark), Frederic Nsabiyumva (Chippa United, South Africa), Bonfils Caleb Bimenyimana (Pohronie, Slovak), Youssuf Nyange Ndayishimiye (Yeni Malatyaspor, Turkey), Abdoul Razak Fiston (ENPPI, Egypt), Jonathan Nahimana (Goalkeeper – Namungo, Tanzania), Blaise Bigirimana (Namungo, Tanzania), Steve Nzigamasabo (Namungo, Tanzania).

Former South Africa coach Gordon Igesund says there should not be much concern about the calibre of the national team’s opponents for the upcoming international friendly matches, but the focus should be placed on earning some game time ahead of next month’s 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

Bafana Bafana will play Namibia on Thursday and then wrap up their October friendlies against Zambia on Sunday. Both games will be played at Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg.

The matches are in preparation for November’s back-to-back Afcon qualifiers against Sao Tome e Principe as Bafana Bafana seek to dislodge Ghana from the top spot in Group C where they are placed second. 

“I think what is very important here is for Bafana Bafana to have some game time under their belts. With this pandemic it has been very difficult for national team coaches and players to find their form,” Igesund told Goal.

“They are going into this tournament which is very important. I mean the Afcon qualifiers coming up, we do need some good preparations for that. I think to start with Namibia on Thursday, it is a game we have to use to find some players’ form.

“And then on Sunday there will be a lot to pick on, I think Zambia will be a little more difficult. But at this stage I don’t think any team are going to be at their best. They are just trying to get some game time in preparation for Afcon qualifiers.”

Most African teams missed September's Fifa period for international matches but national team activity has resumed this month.

Bafana coach Molefi Ntseki omitted players like Kaizer Chiefs defender Eric Mathoho and SuperSport United forward Bradley Grobler, who was in top form last season.

But Igesund feels for Ntseki, saying it has not been easy for most coaches to select their squad as the coronavirus pandemic interrupted football around the world.

“I think at this stage it was very difficult to pick the team. You can’t pick a team based on form because there was no much games and form going into these matches. Teams were all under lockdown, they were inside the bubble, they couldn’t train properly leading up to the games,” said Igesund.

“There was no real good training for everybody. Everyone was short of match-fitness. So I think at the moment you can’t look at this player or that player.

"If selected players get this opportunity they will all work hard, they all will lift their hands up to say, ‘you know what, by the time we reach the qualifiers, we are going to be at our best, will wish show the coach and everyone else that we are ready to play in Afcon.’

“It’s an opportunity for the players to put their names down to be selected for important games that are coming up.

"At the moment it has been very difficult with this pandemic not only for Bafana Bafana but also for all countries and all of Africa. It has been an absolute nightmare for everybody to train and get some good matches against good opposition. It has been tough all around.

“So I just hope they can hit the road running and get themselves in good shape before Afcon qualifiers start.”

Ntseki’s tenure as Bafana coach has so far yielded two victories and a defeat, but Igesund says there should not worry about results from the upcoming friendlies as the coach can still build a more competitive side despite lockdown interruption.

“Obviously they are playing to get some game time but they should also use it to prepare the team technically, how the coach wants to play,” Igesund said.

“He knows how he wants to play, he knows his opposition coming up in the qualifiers, he knows which formation he needs to employ. So he needs to work on these things and I am sure he will.

“He knows that the players could be a little bit rusty but he can still put up a team that can play the way he wants it to play when he plays his first Afcon qualifying match.

"So the players will be more aware of what’s going on. He will be able to see which player can or cannot do what he expects them to do against much tougher opposition."

Uganda will take on neighbours Rwanda in their first match of the 2020 Africa Nations Championship (Chan) in Cameroon.

According to the fixtures released by the Confederation of Africa Football (Caf), the Cranes have been pooled in Group C alongside Morocco, Rwanda, and Togo.

Group A will have hosts Cameroon, Mali, Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, Group B comprise of Libya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Niger, and Congo while Group D will have Zambia, Guinea, Namibia, and Tanzania.

The Cranes, who will be taking part in their fifth consecutive Chan tournament after featuring in the 2011, 2014, 2016, and 2018 editions, will face Rwanda on January 18 at the Stade de Unification in Douala, before tackling Togo on January 22, 2021, at the same venue. The final group game will be on January 26, 2021, against Morocco.

Tanzania will open their campaign against Zambia on January 18, then face Namibia on January 23 and finish their matches against Guinea on January 27, while Cameroon will face Zimbabwe in the tournament opener on January 16, take on Mali on January 20, and wind up their preliminary matches against Burkina Faso on January 24.

The Cranes have never progressed past the group stage of the competition and it is their ultimate goal this time round. In the last edition that was held in Rwanda, Uganda finished third in a group that comprised of Zambia, Namibia, and Ivory Coast.

The tournament, which exclusively features players from each nation's respective national championships, was supposed to be hosted by Ethiopia but was moved to Cameroon after the Ethiopian football authorities admitted the country was not ready to hold the event.

The tournament was also set to be held in April but was postponed owing to the effects caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The event will be hosted by the cities of Yaounde, Douala, and Limbe and will also serve as a warm-up for Cameroon ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations.

Brahim Diaz has insisted that he doesn't regret moving to Real Madrid and that, despite being offloaded to AC Milan on loan, he still has a lot of affection for Zinedine Zidane.

Diaz pulled the curtain down on a six-year spell at Manchester City when he completed a £15 million ($19m) switch to Madrid in January 2019.

The Spaniard committed his future to the Blancos through to 2025, but has since struggled to earn a regular spot in the first-team squad.

He only featured in 21 matches in all competitions during his first one-and-a-half seasons at Santiago Bernabeu, and did not figure into Zidane's planning for the 2020-21 campaign.

Madrid ultimately decided to send Diaz out on loan to Milan on September 4, with no option to buy included in the final deal.

The 21-year-old is finally getting the regular minutes he craved at San Siro, having already featured in five games for the Rossoneri across Serie A and Europa League competitions.

Despite that fact he has been deemed surplus to requirements at the Bernabeu for the time being, Diaz doesn't lament the choice he made over his future when leaving Manchester last year.

Asked if he regrets signing for Madrid, the ex-City starlet told Diario AS: "Not at all! It's Madrid!"

Diaz also insists that there is no underlying tension between himself and Zidane, who he says has been an important mentor to him in the Spanish capital.

"I have a lot of affection for Zidane. He has been a great player and is a winner as a coach," said the young forward.

"He has always given me good advice. What he has told me is between him and me, but I am very fond of him."

Diaz went on to explain why he chose to continue his development at Milan, with it his desire to help the legendary Italian club return to an elite level.

"I wanted continuity, to feel that I have minutes and that I am there to play. Nothing has changed. I want to be me, show my football," he said. "I find myself as an important character in Milan and I have to grow, learn and improve.

"It is a very big club, with a lot of history and they have a good project. There is a very healthy group, now there is a winning dynamic and we are continuing it. 

"The goal is for them to be that great Milan again and I think that is being achieved. There is a lot of hope, there is a winning team."

Pressed on whether he rejected any other potential suitors to join the Rossoneri, Diaz responded: "It is true that there were many offers. I don't know the exact ones, but Milan is a historic club, with a great project that has been winning every game since after lockdown.

"The love they have shown me and the interest they had in me made me opt for this great club."

The Madrid loanee added on his first impressions of Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic: "You have already seen how great he is as a player and he's the same in the dressing room too. He is a great person who tries to help."

The countdown to FIFA 21 is almost over, with the latest EA Sports football game set to be released worldwide on October 9.

It will be the first FIFA game to feature on the new next-gen consoles, and there are new features, tweaks and improvements for players to enjoy.

EA looks to secure as many official stadiums as possible to add to the authenticity of the game, and there are five new stadiums in FIFA 21 - with a sixth to be added after release.

In total, there are 125 stadiums in FIFA 21 - 95 official and 30 generic - which is an increase on the 119 in FIFA 20, and the 102 in FIFA 19. There are also five new venues in the VOLTA Football game mode.

Goal brings you every stadium to feature in FIFA 20 from the Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, MLS and beyond.

Premier League stadiums in FIFA 21

Nineteen of the 20 Premier League stadiums for the 2020-21 season are included in FIFA 21.

Elland Road, home of newly-promoted Leeds, is not available in FIFA 21 on release. EA Sports said the late end to the 2019-20 season meant there was not enough time to create Elland Road in the off-season, but it should be included in a post-launch update patch.

English Football League stadiums in FIFA 21

There are 12 stadiums from the English Football League available in FIFA 21, most of which are in the Championship.

Portsmouth's Fratton Park and Sunderland's Stadium of Light are the two stadiums available from League One, with none from League Two.

La Liga stadiums in FIFA 21

There are 16 La Liga stadiums in FIFA 21, including Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu, the state-of-the-art Wanda Metropolitano, and Valencia's famous Mestalla.

Barcelona's famous Camp Nou is not in FIFA 21 due to the club's agreement with Konami which means the stadium appears exclusively in eFootball PES 2021.

Granada's Estadio Nuevo Los Carmenes is a new addition for FIFA 21.

Segunda Division stadiums in FIFA 21

Espanyol's 40,500-capacity Estadio Cornella-El Prat, also known as the RCDE Stadium, is available in the second tier following the Barcelona club's relegation from La Liga.

Bundesliga stadiums in FIFA 21

Gamers can enjoy the renowned Bundesliga atmosphere in Borussia Dortmund's famous Yellow Wall at Signal Iduna Park, rivals Schalke's VELTINS-Arena, or the ever-popular BORUSSIA-PARK.

Bayern Munich's Allianz Arena is not in FIFA 21. It will appear in eFootball PES 2021 as a Konami exclusive.

The picturesque Stadion An der Alten Forsterei, home of Union Berlin, appears for the first time in FIFA 21.

2. Bundesliga stadiums in FIFA 21

Hamburg's 57,000-capacity Volksparkstadion is one of the most impressive second-division stadiums in the world, and it is available in FIFA 21.

Paderborn's Benteler-Arena is in the game for the first time.

Ligue 1 stadiums in FIFA 21

There are only three Ligue 1 stadiums available to play at in FIFA 21: PSG's Parc des Princes, Marseille's Orange Velodrome, and Lyon's Groupama Stadium. There are no Ligue 2 stadiums in FIFA 21.

Serie A stadiums in FIFA 21

San Siro, the historic home of AC Milan and Inter, is the only Serie A stadium available in FIFA 21 as Serie A has granted full licensing to Konami for eFootball PES 2021. San Siro is set to be demolished and replaced with a new venue in real life.

The Stadio Olimpico, home of Lazio and Roma, is no longer available after being featured in FIFA 20. 

International stadiums in FIFA 21

EA Sports has exclusive rights to the Champions League as a game mode so Turkey's Ataturk Olympic Stadium - venue for the 2021 Champions League final - is in FIFA 21.

Wembley Stadium is also included, and will host English cup finals.

Rest of World stadiums in FIFA 21

Shakhtar Donetsk's Donbass Arena, a popular choice in Ultimate Team, is in FIFA 21. Spartak Moscow's Okritie Arena is also available.

Eredivisie stadiums in FIFA 21

Ajax's 55,500-capacity Johan Cruyff ArenA is one of the most recognisable venues in European football, and it is available in FIFA 21.

However, it is the only Eredivisie stadium in the game.

MLS stadiums in FIFA 21

There is one new addition to the MLS stadium roster in FIFA 21, with Portland Timbers' Providence Park available for the first time.

More MLS stadiums could be added in future as the league's popularity continues to grow.

Liga MX stadiums in FIFA 21

Estadio Azteca, known as 'The Colossus of Santa Ursula' in Mexico City, is the only Liga MX stadium in FIFA 21.

Saudi Pro League stadiums in FIFA 21

Two Saudi Arabian venues are included in FIFA 21: King Abdullah Sports City near Jeddah and King Fahd Stadium in Riyadh.

J1 League stadiums in FIFA 21

Gamba Osaka's striking geometric Panasonic Stadium Suita is the only official J1 League stadium in FIFA 21.

Argentine Primera Division stadiums in FIFA 21

Generic stadiums in FIFA 21

Alongside the 95 officially licensed stadiums, there are also 30 generic venues in FIFA 21.

Find all of the generic stadiums below.

VOLTA venues in FIFA 21

There are five new venues for the VOLTA Football game mode in FIFA 21: Sydney, Paris, Dubai, Sao Paulo, and Milan.

Vinicius Junior has paid tribute to Karim Benzema for selflessly taking him under his wing when he first made the move to Real Madrid, while describing the striker as his "idol".

Los Blancos paid a reported €45 million (£41m/$53m) for Vinicius in May 2017, with the winger joining from Flamengo the following year when he turned 18.

Vinicius has already played 72 times for the club, but has struggled for consistency despite often catching the eye with his skilful style of play.

He has started the 2020-21 campaign in impressive fashion, however, scoring the winning goal in the 1-0 victory over Real Valladolid, before getting the opener in a 2-0 win at Levante last weekend.

That was the first time he has scored in consecutive La Liga matches, with there now encouraging signs that the 20-year-old is beginning to find some continuity alongside Benzema in attack.

And Benzema is regarded particularly fondly by Vinicius for the role he has played in his Madrid career to date.

"Karim is an idol, it is an honour to play with him," Vinicius told RMTV. "We always talk about what I can improve, also how he can help me.

"When I arrived, he did not know me but he still started to help me. He helped, and now he continues to do so, he tells me to be calm and helps me make the best decisions.

"It is a dream to play with Karim and with all the players who are here. I take advantage of all the moments with everyone and I listen a lot because they help.

"They know that I listen a lot and I learn with them."

When Vinicius first joined Madrid, comparisons with former Blancos star and fellow countryman Robinho were understandable – flashy tricks were a common theme and he often lacked decisiveness in the final third.

But he feels he has matured already and that he is a completely different player.

"I arrived at the age of 18 and having played only in Brazil, so everything was new for me," he added.

"I was learning and I continue to do so to help Madrid. Now I am another player. The people at Madrid help me so that I can help now and in the future.

"I'm very good, very happy with my moment, but also with the team. We have to continue like this, improving the things that we are not doing in this different season because we only had a friendly and it is difficult to start."

Johor Darul Ta'zim is the current holders of the Malaysia Cup having defeated Kedah in the final last year and will now start the defence of their cup a week later than scheduled.

This comes after Malaysian Football League (MFL) announced that the first match will begin on 25 October rather than 16 October it had planned when football was given the go-ahead for resumption.

Because of Covid-19, MFL had already made one big change to the competition, doing away with the group stages and making it a direct knockout between 16 teams who qualified for the Malaysia Cup.

Now with spikes in the number of Covid-19 cases in Malaysia, MFL had to readjust the tournament schedule as a reactionary precaution should matter deteriorate even further.

The extra week is likely to give MFL the option to assess the situation even clearer and make a concise decision should the Malaysian government decide to call into place a second Movement Control Order (MCO).

Based on the latest standings in the Super and Premier League after the 10th round of matches were played at the weekend, 14 out of the 16 spots had already been filled.

From the Super League the qualified teams are Johor Darul Ta'zim, Kedah, Perak, Terengganu FC, Selangor, Pahang, UiTM FC, Melaka, PJ City FC, Sabah and Felda United.

Meanwhile Premier League will be represented by Pulau Pinang, Kuala Lumpur and Kuching FA with Kelantan, Negeri Sembilan, Kelantan United and UKM FC still in contention for the remaining two slots.

With the revised schedule, the new date for the 2020 Malaysia Cup draw will now be held on 19 October.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin is the “perfect number nine”, according to Everton's academy director David Unsworth, who has backed the free-scoring striker to continue improving.

Nine goals in all competitions so far this term for the 23-year-old have helped the Toffees to a perfect start to the 2020-21 campaign, with Carlo Ancelotti's side sitting top of the Premier League and the club enjoying their best start to a campaign for decades.

Calvert-Lewin's own form has seen him handed a maiden England call-up by senior national team boss Gareth Southgate, and Unsworth believes the Under-20 World Cup winner will remain a fixture in the Three Lions set-up for some time.

“It was a very proud moment for everybody at Everton when Dom got his England call-up,” Unsworth told the BBC. “It was long overdue, but he has his chance now and I think he'll be in the squad for a very long time.

“There are loads of things that can make him even better and I would expect Dom to hit 20 goals this season and for every season after that. He's the perfect number nine and his confidence is soaring.”

Born in Sheffield, Calvert-Lewin progressed under the tutelage of Sheffield United's former head of academy Nick Cox, who revealed that his development as a youngster was so quick that the club couldn't offer him the right opportunities.

“We got to a point where his expectations of himself were exceeding the opportunities that came his way,” Cox, who now has the same job at Manchester United, said. “He found U16s and U18s football too easy and, as a local lad, he was desperate to go route one through the system, but we had to find another way.”

And find another way he did, with Unsworth still “amazed” that he was able to snap up Calvert-Lewin for a “cheeky” reported fee of just £1.5 million.

“What first caught my eye was his gym work,” Unsworth went on. “We'd be there in the evenings and his power from a standing jump was the best I've ever seen. He was doing a lot of squats, and jumps at an incredible height onto these wooden boxes.

“He had a few growth issues - his legs were growing at a different rate to his body - but that was the first time I saw him and thought 'wow, there's an incredible athlete there'.”

Calvert-Lewin might get a chance to add to his tally for the season when England take on Wales in a friendly on Thursday before the Three Lions pit their wits against Belgium in the UEFA Nations League.

Real Mallorca midfielder Iddrisu Mohammed Baba believes Ghana’s camp is in high spirits ahead of the upcoming international friendly matches against Mali and Qatar.

The Black Stars are set to face their continental counterparts in the Turkish city of Antalya on Friday before taking on 2022 World Cup hosts Qatar in a second friendly on Monday.

Baba is among the early arrivals in the Ghana camp, where the group trained for the first time on Tuesday with 13 men.

"First of all, it’s been great, collectively it’s been great," the 24-year-old told the Ghana Football Association's official website.

"Everybody is putting in their maximum effort, even though not all the players are here, everything is moving on smoothly.

"I think they [Ghanaians] should keep supporting us and praying for us and just enjoy the game.

"With God everything is possible so they should just keep praying and let’s leave the rest to God."

Baba is on his second-ever camp with the Black Stars following his first in November 2019 when Ghana took on South Africa and Sao Tome and Principe in the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifiers.

In March, he received a second call-up for a double-header against Sudan but the games were later postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"It’s such a great feeling [being with the national team] because outside, although we have friends and colleagues at the club side, when we come to the national team, usually it's different because of the tradition here," said the Accra-born.

"Unlike the European type, it’s amazing being together with the guys in the national team.

"We still have the confidence, personally, I am ready to learn, pick new challenges and opportunities.

"I am just here to enjoy myself, learn as much as possible and help the team. And I think collectively all the guys are having the same thought as I have."

The two upcoming games are part of Ghana's preparations for the resumption of the Afcon 2022 qualifiers in November.

Turkish referee Halil Umut Meler will officiate Friday's game against Mali, with assistance from Cevdet Komurcuoglu, Emre Eyisoy and Melis Ozcgdem.

Tanzania striker Mbwana Samatta has tipped his team to get a win against Burundi in a friendly set for Sunday.

The Taifa Stars captain scored two goals for Fenerbahce as the Turkish giants defeated Fatih Karagumruk 2-1 in his full Super Lig debut on Saturday, and believes the squad in camp is good enough to give the country a win when the two sides clash at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium.

“I have faith with the players’ coach Etienne Ndayiragije has called for the national team mission against Burundi, and I am very confident we as a team, will win the forthcoming game,” Samatta is quoted as saying by Daily News after reporting to camp on Tuesday.

“The challenge has always been the environment; you will meet with new faces, languages, different game tactics, new team, and everything is new when you join a club, but with the national team, you easily get familiar to each other.”

Samatta moved to Fenerbahce on loan from Premier League side Aston Villa and had a memorable outing as he made his first start in the Turkish Super Lig at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium.

On his transfer to Fenerbahce, Samatta said: “There was a lot that had to come prior to my move to Fenerbahce, but I do not think this is the time to speak on it. I guess I will comment on that after the game, where I will be able to speak on my career journey, starting from its beginning.”

He is among the foreign-based players named in the Taifa Stars squad by coach Ndayiragije, others being Thomas Ulimwengu, who plays in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Himid Mao, who plays in Egypt, Simon Msuva and Nickson Kibabage, who are based in Morocco, and Ally Msengi in South Africa.

Tanzania will be taking part in the African Nations Championship and the Burundi tactician will be using the friendly match to gauge the fitness and preparedness of his charges.

Taifa Stars will be playing Tunisia on November 11 away, before hosting them in Dar es Salaam two weeks later. The East African nation started the campaign in Group J with a 2-1 win over Equatorial Guinea before falling 2-1 away to Libya in their second game.

The Tanzania Mainland League has been active since June 13 which will be a boost to their players' fitness ahead of the Burundi assignment.

Federation of Uganda Football Association (Fufa) has revealed new dates for the 2020/21 Premier League season.

The Premier League, which was expected to start on October 17, has now been moved to November 20. The adjustments have been made after the government allowed the resumption of both contact and non-contact sports.

The key decision made by the Fufa Executive Committee has now paved the resumption of soccer activities since they were suspended in March because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“The kick-off of the 2020/2021 season is postponed from Saturday 17th October 2020 to Friday 20th November 2020,” a Fufa statement captured in circular No. 1119 and signed by the Deputy Chief Executive Officer in charge of football Decolas Kiiza Hantali said.

“The club licensing exercise has been extended to 15th October 2020 to enable the process of planning and release of fixtures by Tuesday 20th October 2020 while the player registration period is extended by four weeks to 19th October 2020.”

The Ugandan Cup tournament has been declared null and void although Fufa had declared KCCA FC as the country’s representatives in the Caf Confederation Cup. 

“There will be no further action of the Stanbic Uganda Cup 46th edition and Fufa the sponsor will soon announce the sponsorship details,” it added.

The calendar for the play-offs has also been made public after a recent agreement that will see Fufa and clubs cost-share Covid-19 testing ahead of the matches.

Play-offs for the Second Division (FBL), Third Division (FRL), and the Fufa Women Elite League (FWEL) will be organised at the Fufa Technical Centre Njeru

“Fixtures to be released by the competitions directorate and only players holding licenses for 2019/2020 are eligible for the play-offs,” the statement continued.

“A player who has expressed interest to transfer or has transferred to another club, such a player shall not be eligible to play in matches involving the two clubs.”

The club licensing and player registration process is set to continue after it was extended from 19th October 2020.

A vote of no confidence against Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu is set to go ahead after club members reached the required amount of signatures for the motion to go through.

A total of 20,687 names were submitted against the club president on September 17, with the validation of those signatures having started on September 29.

At least 16,521 confirmed votes (10 per cent of total members) were required for the motion of censure to be put into motion and Goal can confirm that the number of validated signatures has now exceeded that amount after nine days of counting.

It should be added that all of the original 20,687 votes must be checked before moving forward, which is expected to be completed before October 10.

Once that is out of the way, Barcelona will have 10-20 business days to find a date for a presidential referendum. It is unclear at this juncture as to when the referendum will take place, but it is thought that it will not be any earlier than mid-November.

In the referendum itself, 66 per cent of votes will be required to oust Bartomeu from his position.

The motion, which is backed by presidential candidates Victor Font, Jordi Farre and Lluis Fernandez-Ala, as well as eight Blaugrana fan groups, comes in the wake of Bartomeu's perceived poor handling of the club's affairs.

Indeed, several dreadful transfer windows have seen the club's on-field quality drop drastically, with the exit of Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 an early catalyst for the troubles at Camp Nou.

A plethora of different managers have struggled to provide consistent positive results with the players at their disposal, with the big-money signings of Philippe Coutinho, Ousmane Dembele and Antoine Griezmann largely seen as failures.

The club's troubles – on and off the pitch – are bad enough that Barca captain and six-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi had been pushing to leave the club in the summer, only to be denied due to the wording of an exit clause that allows the Argentine to leave at the end of any given season.

New boss Ronald Koeman has largely delivered positive results since taking over in the Camp Nou dugout from Quique Setien in the summer.

Gor Mahia coach Steven Polack failed to return to Kenya after his holiday in Finland should have ended on Sunday.

The British coach was given a 10-day break to attend to family issues back in his native country.

Gor Mahia officials are in the dark on whether Polack will return to see off his contract with club Vice-Chairman Francis Wasuna saying they don’t know his whereabouts.

“Even though we are cognisant of the fact that he may be having some issues, he has not told us why he missed his flight over the weekend. As at now, I can’t say I know his fate but it is an issue we are looking at,” Wasuna is quoted by Nation Sports.

“Coaches come and go and it is a cycle therefore our fans should not be worried because [Gor Mahia] is a big team that can’t fail to get a coach. After our meeting, we will communicate our decision on the fate of Polack. As at now, we can’t tell what is wrong but we will decide after hearing from him.”

On leaving for Finland, Polack told Goal he will come back to see off his contract and stated he never runs away from his work.

“I don’t run away from contracts,” Polack told Goal. “I always make sure that I see through my contracts and if you check my records, that is what I usually do, it is not easy for me to go and never to come back.

“I have a contract with this club and I will make sure that I come back.”

Efforts by Goal to reach out to Polack in Finland have been unsuccessful as the coach is not responding to messages and calls.

Polack joined Gor Mahia at the beginning of last season and managed to win the season opener KPL Super Cup and also won the league title, after Football Kenya Federation (FKF) ended the season to crown K’Ogalo.

Gor Mahia have already resumed training for the 2020-21 campaign and are training under assistant coach Patrick Odhiambo.

Chris Smalling has expressed his delight after securing a "special" return to Roma from Manchester United, admitting the deadline-day move was a "massive relief".

After several weeks of negotiations, Roma finally tied Smalling down to a three-year contract at Stadio Olimpico on Monday after striking a €15 million (£14m/$18m) deal with United.

The Giallorossi worked hard to bring the 30-year-old onto their books after seeing him take up a key role in Paulo Fonseca's starting XI during a successful loan spell last season.

Smalling had spent the previous 10 years of his career at Old Trafford, winning eight major trophies in total, including two Premier League titles.

However, he fell down the squad pecking order following Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's arrival as head coach in December 2018 and ultimately decided to seek a transfer in order to start playing regularly again.

The experienced centre-back said his final goodbyes to United supporters on social media, writing on Twitter: "Utd is a special place, and we achieved special things together, something I am beyond proud about.

"An unrivalled culture, where winning is not a want it is a need. I leave not only a better player, but a better person, with Utd forever in my DNA.

"For that, I have to thank all the staff, everyone connected to the club, and you the fans."

Smalling would have had to stay and fight for a place in the Red Devils squad had he not been given the chance to make his way back to Rome, and he is now looking forward to picking up from where he left off in 2019-20.

"It’s a massive, massive relief. I think that everyone knew I wanted to come back and to finally get it done, albeit so close to the deadline, it’s just pure relief," he told the Italian club's official website.

"Now I can enjoy being back and then get straight back to it with the team tomorrow."

He added on the reception he received from Roma fans after touching down in Italy: "It was truly, truly special. I could feel tingles up my spine.

"To see such a big crowd as soon as I landed… honestly, I felt the love from the fans as soon as I first stepped on the pitch but it has just grown and grown [since] and it’s just such a special feeling."

Asked to open up on his ambitions for the future at Stadio Olimpico, Smalling responded: "I think one of my first goals was to be here long-term, and now it’s about getting a trophy.

"I think that was something that was alluded to me when I first joined and I think now that is an aim that this club needs. Because I think even when I joined, this is obviously a massive club - but it has been without a trophy for a long time now.

"So that’s going to be one of my aims and I’m sure one of the team’s aims this season, to really give something back for the fans to cheer about."

The 2020 I-League qualifiers are set to begin in West Bengal on Thursday as the country gets ready to welcome back sports amid the Coronavirus pandemic. 

Bhawanipore FC will be the first to take the pitch against Bengaluru United at 12:30 pm IST and the opener will be played at the Salt Lake stadium.

The Kolkata-based side's head coach Sankarlal Chakraborty is delighted to welcome back football after a break of over five months.

"We knew from the beginning that there won't be fans. The fact that football is starting is more important for now," said the former Mohun Bagan coach via a virtual press conference on Wednesday.

"Teams don't want to lose but no one can say 'we will be champions'. We have prepared well. Three of our players are missing due to Coronavirus. I think we can qualify. I am happy with our squad and I'm happy with our preparations," he added.

Bhawanipore captain, Shilton Paul - who has joined the team on loan from Churchill Brothers - promised to make the best use of his vast senior team experience to help his side.

"There's nothing to prove for me. Each and every tournament is important to me. We (Bhawanipore) have a very good team with a mix of senior and junior players. I will try my best to use my experience so that we qualify for the I-League," he insisted.

Meanwhile, Bengaluru United head coach Richard Hood's only concern remains the weather conditions in Kolkata. "I think the first game will definitely test us because it's a noon kick-off. We are hoping that the weather is our favour in terms of having some kind of cloud cover or rain as well but we will adapt in case the heat and humidity get out of control. We have had good preparation in Bengaluru but we have to assess how it works out in Kolkata."

The second fixture of the opening day will see Kolkatan giants Mohammedan Sporting face Delhi-based Garhwal FC. The match kicks off at 4.30 pm IST at the Kalyani Stadium.

Ahead of their first qualifier, Garhwal FC head coach Vikas Rawat commented, "I respect all the teams equally. Teams like Mohammedan and Bengaluru have got their own legacy and just because we are a young side, it doesn't make much of a difference for me."

Having made the switch from Minerva Punjab, Mohammedan SC head coach Yan Law feels the onus is on his side to seal qualification for the upcoming I-League season which could kickstart in December. 

"This year, the club management and the players are going all out. The main pressure now is that currently there is no team from Bengal in the I-League. I know that Mohammedan Sporting adds a lot of value to the I-League and that is the pressure that we have. 

"People are banking on us to fill up that spot. Even East Bengal and Mohun Bagan supporters want us in the I-League. So it's a wonderful feeling to have. Hope we qualify and give the fans what they deserve," he stated.