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Stefano Pioli hopes to work with Zlatan Ibrahimovic at Milan again next season now his own future has been resolved - and he has tipped Rafael Leao to "explode" in 2020-21.

Veteran striker Ibrahimovic returned to the Rossoneri on a short-term deal in January and has scored seven goals in 16 Serie A appearances.

Ibrahimovic had been linked to an exit at the end of the campaign with Bologna having been tentatively linked, while a return to his native Sweden was said to be on the cards.

The 38-year-old himself said this week he remains unsure as to what will happen, but Pioli – who signed a new contract to 2022 on Wednesday after Milan opted not to pursue a deal to bring in Ralf Rangnick – feels that his own situation being sorted could sway Ibrahimovic to stay in Milan.

"The contribution he has given to our growth is evident. I hope to work with him again, but there are still many things that must be put on the table," Pioli told Sky Sport Italia after Milan's 1-1 draw with Atalanta on Friday.

"There's no doubt about the fact that he is still well and can carry on, but it depends on many different aspects.

"I believe he and the club haven't spoken yet. There was still no certainty as to who the coach would have been, and I believe the talks have not been arranged due to this reason."

One player Pioli will definitely have the chance to work with is Leao, who was signed from Lille for a reported €35 million (£32m/$39m) last July and has shown flashes of his undoubted potential, scoring five goals in 29 top-flight games.

Pioli stated the 21-year-old attacker is performing better in training than in matches but expects more to come next term.

"[Leao] has enormous potential, it's right to have great expectations for him. He's growing – this year will really help him for next season," he added.

"He does much better in training than in the matches, but he will get there. [Against Atalanta], he was positive, but he can do more.

"He has the quality to open up games, from the beginning or coming off the bench. Next year, he could explode, or at least be more consistent."

Mikel Arteta is ready to make the addition of another playmaker a top priority for Arsenal, with the Gunners boss looking to bring a new Santi Cazorla or Tomas Rosicky into Emirates Stadium.

The north London giants have always been loaded with creative talent.

Arsene Wenger stockpiled ball-playing options throughout his iconic 22-year reign, with Arsenal favouring a playing style that was pleasing on the eye.

Too much emphasis has been placed on attacking recruits at times, with defensive leaks allowed to spring up.

Arteta is, however, another of those who recognises the importance of having match winners within his ranks and is set to scour the market for a No.10 capable of following in illustrious footsteps.

The Arsenal boss told Sky Sports: “Look at the players that we had in the past at this club in those positions.

“You go back to Cazorla, to Rosicky, to (Andrey) Arshavin when he played there, to (Aaron) Ramsey when he played there, to (Henrikh) Mkhitaryan when he came in. Even Jack Wilshere used to play in those pockets all the time.

“That is a lot of players who are now not here. We have to renew that cycle, because if not, those kind of players won't be there for us anymore. They are a big part of what any squad needs.”

Arsenal already have a World Cup-winning No.10 on their books in the form of Mesut Ozil, but the former Germany international has fallen out of favour amid further questions of his attitude.

“I know what Mesut brings,” said Arteta.

“You only have to check his stats and look at what he's able to do in those tight areas without any space… That's all I can say.”

Ozil appears to be very much out of the picture at present, but Arsenal are eager to tie up a permanent deal with Real Madrid for Dani Ceballos and he could be another option to fill a playmaking post.

Arteta said of his fellow Spaniard: “Dani is someone who has the ability to play further up, for sure.

“But with the needs that we have at the moment and the way that he helps us join the lines together, to make us more stable with the ball, we have to use him there.”

The organisers of the Indian Super League (ISL), Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), in a meeting with club representatives on Friday afternoon indicated that they are not looking to add any more teams for the upcoming edition of the league, Goal has learnt. 

This might be an indication that they are not willing to float a tender for a new franchise. 

This comes as a blow for Kolkata giants East Bengal who have been making noise about their intention to play the ISL in the coming season. East Bengal, who parted ways with their former investors Quess Corp, are looking out for new sponsors in their bid to enter the ISL. However, it seems like the Red and Golds might have to play in the I-League for yet another season.

With their arch-rivals Mohun Bagan set to debut in the ISL after a merger with ATK, it is a real possibility now that both the giants will ply their trades in different leagues. Despite the political pressure and clout that the Red and Golds tried to exert on ISL to include them, it seems they will have to wait.

Though they are hard at work, trying to get sponsors, it seems ISL are in no mood to add a new team currently.

It was also announced that they are already working on the fixtures for next season and is expected to  made public on August 31. 

Additionally, the venue for the 2020-21 season will be declared on August 7. Goa and Kerala are believed to be the frontrunners and the former is likely to get the nod.

In any case, the matches will be played behind closed doors irrespective of location. In October, a virtual ISL workshop will be conducted and the clubs will be “presented with all the details, rules and regulations” regarding the event.

Selangor secretary-general, Johan Kamal Hamidon has urged that a salary cap for players be implemented in the Malaysian league.

In an interview with radio station Kool FM that was aired on Saturday morning, he responded to an inquiry on the annual budgets of Malaysian clubs.

"If a club wants to stay in the Super League, by finishing in the top ten position, the minimum is RM8 million (around USD1.9 million), while RM10 million is enough.

"But the gap between this range of budget and those of JDT, Pahang, Selangor and Perak's (major teams) is huge. These teams run on a budget of between RM15 million to RM25 million.

This then led him to make his suggestion on salary restrictions:

"I'm one of the proponents of a salary cap. A ceiling on Malaysian players' salaries is needed in order to 'reset' the league, because they're a little overvalued.

"In terms of investment, if we invest RM10 million in players, do we necessarily get RM 10 million back in revenue? That's the economic question that we need to answer. The market is overvalued.

"The salaries are a big chunk of the operational costs, around 80 to 90 per cent of the costs. If you want to make a big financial change, you start with the salaries. A 10 per cent change can already make a huge dent. There will be repercussions on the performance and results, but what is also important is protecting the other employees of the club,"

On a different note, Johan also voiced out the need for time for the current association management, led by the Selangor Crown Prince Tengku Amir Shah Sultan Sharafuddin as its president, to lead the team to success, and also to achieve synergy with its fans.

Tengku Amir Shah with Selangor fans. Photo by Zulhilmi Zainal

"I've been in discussions with the fans on how to inculcate a stronger supporting culture, but it takes a long time to put in practice. Selangor fans and Malaysian fans in general...crave success on the pitch.

"But at the same time, they've noticed the changes and transformations we've introduced off the pitch. God willing, within the next two or three years, when we bring in the results and changes, the fans will be proud to associate themselves with the club. By that time, there will be avenues for them to get involved in the club's sustainability.

"I hope they hang in there and keep believing in the Crown Prince's leadership. It's not an overnight work, so please give us two, three years to fully realise the Red Giants' potential at the highest level,"

Jose Mourinho insists he does not need to prove his worth but highlighted Tottenham's strong run of form as "the champion of the last five matches".

Former Chelsea and Manchester United manager Mourinho replaced Mauricio Pochettino as Spurs head coach in November.

Tottenham have subsequently improved under the Portuguese, yet he has not been able to rescue a top-four spot and Europa League football is far from assured.

Mourinho has been the subject of some criticism at times, with his side enduring a seven-match winless run either side of the season's suspension and later suffering a costly 3-1 defeat at Sheffield United.

But the coach is looking towards next season with optimism and suggests recent results show his credentials.

Spurs have taken 13 points from their past five matches, the best haul in the league over this spell as they have beaten Everton, Arsenal, Newcastle United and Leicester City.

"If you think I need to show [my worth], okay, im going to try," Mourinho told reporters. "If this is about individuals and an individual approach, lets go for an easy one.

"I'm fourth in the league [since arriving]. I arrived 14th, eight points from Arsenal, 12 from a Champions League position. But if the league starts only for me, if you want to go in that direction, I'm fourth in the league.

"If you think that's bad, that's your opinion. If you want to laugh with me, I'm the champion of the last five matches!

"I try to do my best all the time, I'm not worried about proving [anything]. My most important match is the next one, the most important season is the next one.

"It's not what you think, anything that can come from outside, that can motivate me more or less. It's just my nature; I don't need that. I look forward to next season."

Mourinho added injuries were to blame for Tottenham's earlier issues, with talismanic striker Harry Kane among those out for an extended period.

The two-time Champions League winner claims any rival manager would similarly struggle in such a situation.

"I think in this last period it was very clear that Tottenham with all the best players available can be a very good team," he said.

"You look to the season: they lost [Hugo] Lloris for a long time, then Kane. Now with everybody together, you a see a difference in performances and results.

"In case we have a similar situation, we are trying to protect the squad against unpredictable things. Let's try to have a better squad to be ready to face a dramatic situation.

"I was telling Brendan [Rodgers, Leicester manager] to lose Ricardo [Pereira], [Caglar] Soyuncu, [Ben] Chilwell, [Christian] Fuchs... Can he do a miracle?

"It's very difficult. It's difficult for everybody. It was very difficult for Tottenham.

"Do we think next season we are going to be less unlucky? Yes, we do think that. But at the same time, we have to protect ourselves and build a better squad, with more balance."

What makes a global brand such as Manchester United successful despite the tests of time, pandemic and recessions? How has the historic English club managed to set a benchmark for businesses across sports?

Manchester United’s Group Managing Director Richard Arnold provided insight into running of one of the biggest sporting brands in a conversation with Shikhar Malhotra, Vice Chairman and CEO, HCL Healthcare; Director, HCL Technologies and Trustee, Shiv Nadar Foundation.

Arnold spoke about the club’s intention to visit India and how the coronavirus pandemic pulled the plug.

“We don’t tend to think in terms of market. The fans are all part of a big family. India is an important part of our family. We have been organising live screenings. For the first team (Premier League) to play in India, it has been on our minds for some time now. We planned to make a trip this summer, but we could not because of the CoVID situation. But we will try to make a trip to India in the future,” he said.

Arnold has worked with several larger than life personalities at the club. He was of the opinion that these great leaders have little egos and treat everyone with respect. Showing respect regardless of reputation is an integral part of United’s culture and is something that everyone associated with the club display.

He said - “One of the fascinating parts about working with big names such as Sir Alex Ferguson, great former and present players is that people with great success in life tend to not have huge egos. They have big characters and huge personalities but one on one they are wonderful people. United chooses and develops such players.

“The academy focuses on how great character makes great players. Whether they are the most revered player of all time or a lady who makes tea, they are all people just the same. I think that is one of the most important cultures at Manchester United.

"The respect shown to those performing well and to those who are less recognised externally is the same. That is the message I want to give people. When you are meeting business people, presidents, great leaders, it is worth remembering that they might have tremendous power and responsibilities, but they are just people."

A club with a huge following as United are bound to be subject to high standards. The diversity among the target audience is yet another challenge that the massive brand faces. However, United have managed to pull through recessions and pandemic thanks to a widespread fanbase.

United is also one of the few football clubs to be publicly listed on the New York Stock Exchange and the discipline and rigour with which the club manages financial sustainability has been key to their growth.

“The most exciting and challenging part of the job is the concept of how important we are to the billion people who follow us. 91 percent of the fans don’t change the team they support. We got 1.1 billion people. 85 percent of our fans say that the football club is a part of their personality and identity. That is how a billion people feel about us. time spent on us on club apps was 40 percent of total clubs last year, which is huge.

“We are connecting with 300 million fans digitally every month. That is a tremendous opportunity as well as a responsibility and a challenge just in terms of the scale, the languages, the cultural and time differences. There is a lot of detail that goes into ensuring we are appropriate all the time and are respectful of the relationship.

“Resilience is one of the core components of the club’s DNA. It prides itself on hiring and developing talent accordingly. Like Sir Alex Ferguson said, United is never beaten, they just run out of time sometimes. That’s the philosophy that inspired the 1999 Champions League. As the fans called it, the Fergie time. Just like that, we refuse to be beaten down. That’s the culture we have off the pitch as well.

“This is the second or third global crisis we have seen while I’ve been part of the club but the club came through everything and grew stronger. We invested in technology, young players. This resilience is what you hear from everyone associated with Manchester United."

It’s incredible how a 142-year-old club has managed to stay relevant across different generations and continues to cater to the interests of the current generation. Richard explained that innovation, which has always been an integral part of the club’s history, has been translated off the pitch to ensure growth.

“United’s history includes the history of innovation. Sir Bobby Charlton said that he always wants Manchester United to be the first to do the most important thing. In the 1950s, Sir Matt Busby was one of the first to take the team abroad in the summer to prepare. They took a steam ship to America and stayed there for three months.

“United have always had an incredible broadcast footprint across the world. Now we can engage with the fans directly. You can see what the fans are saying on the social media, apps and so on. And this is not just during the game but throughout the week. This is only going to be more important in the future when you can choose what content you want to engage,” he concluded.

Midfielder Austin Odhiambo has revealed he is 90% sure of leaving AFC Leopards in the next transfer window.

The midfielder has had a good season at the 13-time Kenyan Premier League (KPL) champions and many felt he is the right player to build a team on. However, this might not be the case if his recent utterances are anything to go by.

"I am 90% certain to make a move owing to financial issues to help my family," Odhiambo told Ebru TV.

"I read somewhere that I have three years remaining with Leopards which is a blatant lie. 

"Currently, I have not managed to pay rent for my parents and I. The pressure is too much and I imagine all will be solved after signing the contract offered."

"If Leopards want me to stay, they should step forward, clear my bills and pay me all my money. That is the only way to convince me to stay and play for them next season."  

The youngster has been heavily linked with a move to Gor Mahia who are keen on replacing captain Kenneth Muguna who is reportedly on his way to Tanzania Mainland League champions Simba SC.

"I have received offers from seven teams, but I am sure with five," Odhiambo continued.

I talked with the [AFC Leopards] office last week and they promised to call back. To date, they have not done so. What does it show? That they don't care.  

"Honestly, I have gotten good offers with good money, and they have also decided to buy my contract. 

"I am looking forward to playing in the Caf Champions League next season to be exposed. It is a big stage for me and an avenue to market myself. 

"Champions League football will also increase my chances of playing in the national team."

In an earlier interview with Goal, Leopards chairman Dan Shikanda said the player is not available for direct competition. 

"No team has approached us for the player, not even Gor Mahia, not even the player coming to say he wants to leave, the player knows what clause he signed when he joined us from the youth team, so I don’t want to understand when people say he has left AFC," the former striker said.

"I want to assure our fans Odhiambo doesn’t have an exit clause for local teams so they should not be worried, we always talk to our players every day and they know, even Gor Mahia have not approached him, even Gor Mahia know the rules and they cannot move to bend them."

Cameroon's Ajara Nchout's late winner sealed Valerenga's 2-1 comeback against Avaldsnes in Friday’s Norwegian Toppserien game despite Nigeria's Rasheedat Ajibade's effort at Intility Arena.

The African duo Nchout and Ajibade went into the encounter at the top scorers of their respective teams, with two goals, having started in all their sides' three matches so far this season.

Valerenga, who finished as the Toppserien runners-up last season aimed to extend their winning run to three, while Avaldsnes hoped to maintain their unbeaten start in four games on the bounce.

The FC Robo Queens product opened the scoring for the visitors, with a header after just five minutes into the match and almost doubled the lead six minutes later but her effort went wide.

After the restart, Monica Knudsen was forced to switch her formation, putting Nchout in front of Synne Jensen after the Cameroonian failed to flourish behind Marie Markussen.

The changes saw the hosts gained an equaliser when  Inigibjorg Sigurðardóttir found herself in a good position to net from a rebound after Victoria Esson denied Celin Ildhusoy in the 69th minute.

Ajibade attempted to recover the visitors' lead after getting behind the hosts' defense but her strike was denied in the 82nd minute.

A minute from time, Valerenga benefited from a defensive mistake when Clare Polkinghorne failed to clear Maruschka Waldus' cross, leaving Nchout with Esson to beat for the late winner.

Nchout, who played for 90 minutes before being replaced by Celine Karstensen, has now scored three goals in four games for Valerenga.

For Ajibade, she was in action from the start to finish in the contest and has now netted three times in four matches for Avaldsnes.

The result means Avaldsnes have now suffered their first defeat of the season and dropped to fourth with seven points, while Velerenga goes top of the log with nine points from four matches.

In their next matches, Velerenga will visit Nigeria's Ngozi Ebere and seventh-placed Arna Bjornar on August 1, while Avaldsnes will welcome Sandviken, who sit in fifth position the next day. 

Punjab FC has signed Nikolaos Topoliatis as the new technical director, Goal can confirm. 

The 37-year-old has worked as a youth coach with Greek side Olympiacos for more than 12 years. He served as a technical director of the academy from 2017 to 2019. He also trained various youth teams like U12, U13, U14, U15, U16, U17 and U19. 

He won the championship with K15 in the 2015-2016 season as a coach. He also bagged the 2016-2017 championship with K17.  Whereas, as a technical director, he won the championship with K17 in the 2017-2018 season. 

He will replace Michael Browne who was released earlier this month, as revealed by Goal. 

In July 2019, I-League club Minerva Punjab had agreed to a deal with Round Glass. The 2019-20 I-League season also saw Minerva Punjab getting rebranded as Punjab FC, after Round Glass' investment. RoundGlass had taken 50 per cent of the club's shares and in March 2020, they bought the remaining shares to complete the takeover.

Punjab in the upcoming season will participate in the I-League but are eventually keen to make a jump to the Indian Super League (ISL) in the near future. 

Manchester United are fully aware that anything less than a draw will mean they miss out on Champions League football next session.

Leicester City on their part must make use of home advantage to ensure they are among Europe’s elite next term having been in third position for much of this season.

Leicester City vs Manchester United Latest Odds

Leicester have won just one of their 13 Premier League home games against Manchester United and are slight underdogs for this tie at odds of (3.15) with BetKing.

The Red Devils meanwhile are unbeaten in their last 10 Premier League matches against the Foxes with odds of (2.30) favouring them to take all three points away from the King Power Stadium.

A draw is priced at (3.45).

Leicester City vs Manchester United Team News

Daniel Amartey (ankle injury), Ben Chilwell (foot injury), Christian Fuchs (Groin injury), James Maddison (hip injury), Ricardo Pereira (knee injury) and Caglar Soyuncu (red card suspension) are all unavailable for Foxes boss Brendan Rodgers.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer does not have many players on the treatment table with only Eric Bailly (head injury), Phil Jones (ankle injury) and Axel Tuanzebe (leg injury), the absentees from this highly important fixture.

Leicester City vs Manchester United Preview

Leicester are averaging just 1.1 points-per-game in the Premier League since the restart (9 points from 8 games), compared to 1.8 points-per-game this season before the enforced break (53 points from 29 games).

Manchester United have opened the scoring within the opening 10 minutes in each of their last three Premier League matches against Leicester.

Leicester City vs Manchester United Tips and Predictions

Manchester United have avoided defeat in their last 13 Premier League games (W8, D5), keeping eight clean sheets.

Knowing this is the minimum requirement in East Midlands, Solskjaer’s charges are tipped to either win or draw at (1.35).

Manchester United win or draw at (1.35) with BetKing.

Odds correct at the time of writing. Please gamble responsibly.

Carlo Ancelotti has challenged Richarlison to improve his goals output next season, insisting 30 should be the "minimum target" for the Everton striker.

Richarlison completed a £50 million ($64m) move to Everton from Watford in July 2018, and has since established himself as a firm favourite among the Goodison Park faithful.

The 23-year-old has scored 29 goals in his first 73 appearances for the Toffees, 13 of which have come during the 2019-20 campaign.

Ancelotti won the Premier League title with Chelsea during his only previous spell in England, with Didier Drogba scoring 29 goals to fire the Blues to a third top-flight crown while also picking up the Golden Boot.

The Italian head coach says Richarlison should be aiming to beat Drogba's 2009-10 tally rather than trying to join the 20-goals-per-season club, as he looks to guide Everton back into Europe.

"I think Richarlison is wrong to say that the target will be 20," Ancelotti told Sky Sports. "The target doesn't have to be 20 for him. It should as a minimum be 30.

"I've had strikers that were able to score 60 goals in a season - it doesn't matter the name [Cristiano Ronaldo scored 61 goals in all competitions for Real Madrid in 2014/15].

"But even in England, Didier Drogba scored 29 goals in one Premier League season alone. So the target for Richarlison will be 30 - not 20."

Everton are now destined to finish outside of the top 10 for only the third time in the last 14 seasons, despite a 1-0 victory at Sheffield United last time out.

Ancelotti has overseen gradual improvement at Goodison since replacing Marco Silva in the hotseat back in December, but is well aware that the Toffees' away form remains a real cause for concern.

Speaking ahead of Everton's final day clash against Bournemouth this weekend, the former Chelsea boss added: "At home, we've done well since I've been here.

"Where we need to improve, and the players know, is away from Goodison.

"We were not good enough and this is the step we need to take next season. We need to show better knowledge and have a better identity.

"The key factor will be the continuity in the sense that we cannot be allowed to play one good game and then two that aren't good enough. It shouldn't matter if it's a home or an away game."

Young Africans (Yanga SC) coach Luc Eymael has revealed one of his defenders, whom he wishes not to name, was moved to tears after his mistake denied the team a chance to beat Mtibwa Sugar.

The Jangwani Street-giants are fighting to finish the season in second position and are now battling for the spot with Azam FC as they are tied on 69 points with only one match remaining to the end of the season.

Yanga had the best chance to go a point ahead of Azam against the Sugar Millers on Thursday but they squandered the chance after drawing 1-1, going down in the 28th minute when Haruna Charongo scored for Mtibwa before Adeyum Ahmed equalised for them in the 83rd minute.

Eymael has now revealed to Goal it will be their fault if they don’t end the season in position two and also confirmed one of his defenders was pained for the goal they conceded in Morogoro.

“I know about yesterday [Thursday]…you know when God gives you the opportunity to finish second three times and you don't stay at that place ...it is your mistake,” Eymael told Goal on Friday.

“Look again the stupid goal we conceded on Wednesday...a big gift from my defender...he was crying after the game...but it was too late.

“In life you don t have to live with regrets when you have the chance you have to take it. Okay there were certainly two clear penalties for us [big handball of their defenders in their box] but we know how officiating is here..so....it is very sad for the fans, but okay at least Yanga will be in the Caf Confederation Cup next year.”

Eymael further admitted he was not satisfied with the team’s position insisting though he joined them when Simba SC had opened a huge gap, they deserve to finish second on the log.

“With or without me ...no problem, it is sure I m a not satisfied because I m a competitor and that I should have preferred to finish second and got a spot in Champions League...and win one more trophy but when I arrived the gap was very big between Simba and Yanga. [We were] in number six.”

Yanga will end the season with an away clash against Lipuli FC on Sunday.

Fred has insisted that Manchester United will "look to win the Champions League next season" ahead of their final day showdown against Leicester.

United are currently sitting third in the Premier League standings on goal difference ahead of Chelsea, with Leicester a point further back in fifth.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men will be guaranteed a place in the Champions League if they can secure at least a draw at the King Power Stadium on Sunday.

However, if Leicester win and Chelsea beat Wolves at Stamford Bridge, the Red Devils could drop out of the top-four completely - a scenario which Fred is refusing to contemplate.

The Brazil international says United "deserve" a place among Europe's elite next season, and he even believes they are capable of mounting a realistic challenge for the famous trophy.

“As a club, we should be in the Champions League every year as we’re a massive club,“ Fred told the United's official website.

“So to be back in the Champions League is really important for us players, it's also important for the club.

“It’s what the players and the club deserve. It will be great to be back in the Champions League next season and we will look to win.”

One man likely to start against Leicester is Harry Maguire, who completed a switch to Old Trafford from the King Power for a record fee of £80 million (£102m) last summer.

The England international helped United beat his old club 1-0 in this season's reverse fixture, and Fred expects his team-mate to put in another solid showing at the heart of the defence.

“It must be a great feeling for him [Maguire] because he’ll be going back to see his old team-mates,” said the 27-year-old. “He was there for a long time, so he must have some strong friendships there and so it must be good feeling.

”But today he’s representing Manchester United and, as we’ve said, he will be doing his everything to avoid us conceding and come away with the win."

Fred went onto to discuss the potential "threat" of Leicester striker Jamie Vardy, who is currently leading the race for this season's Golden Boot on 23 goals.

“He’s not the top scorer just by chance,“ the Brazilian added. ”So we need to nullify his threat. He’s a top player and he’s having a great season.

“We need to take a lot of care with him. He’s a very good player, we need to think about his goal threat, but we have very good players in defence who are capable of nullifying him.”

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane says it has been difficult to conduct training in small groups and also practice social distancing amidst the coronavirus outbreak.

The 2019/20 season has been suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic since March 2020, but the campaign is expected to resume soon and PSL teams are busy with their preparations.

Mosimane explained he still manages to find ways around the strict Covid-19 measures put in place as they have no option but to adjust to the situation.

“We were never trained to do social distancing when we trained and qualified to be coaches, many of us have never had that, it is a new life and we have to adjust and be innovative. It is a totally different thing, frustrating," Mosimane said on The Citizen.

“Training has been good, it has got its own challenges and positives. Our challenge is the new training programs. We are in a situation where training is in small groups and with social distancing."

The defending PSL champions have left their base in Chloorkop, Gauteng and they are currently camping at the Royal Marang Hotel in Rustenburg, North West.

“These are the challenges, but we make a plan because when you are training within Covid-19, it is about being clever and finding alternatives and thinking about what you can do," he added.

"But we are not complaining, we have got the conditioning up, but the tactical awareness is not very good because instead of doing 11 versus 11 to get the shape and movements … we don’t train the whole team."

Mosimane revealed they conducted their first video match analysis this week as they look to clinch their third successive league title when the season resumes.

“We did the first video match analysis and we could not all go into the conference room and all sit there, we do them outside on the balcony with good social distancing with the projector and the open spaces," explained.

“We are struggling to hear what the players are saying, because they have got the mask on and you cannot hear the guy at the back because we use a big space.

"We can only do it at a certain time and that is between 5 pm to 6 pm because if we do it earlier there is the reflection of the sun and you cannot go indoors because the doctors said they do not want anyone in the conference room where there is little ventilation, it is too dangerous."

Sundowns recently confirmed that they had five positive cases of coronavirus, but the quintet has since recovered and returned to the team’s training camp.

Young Africans (Yanga SC) coach Luc Eymael has hit out at club management for booking the team in “a substandard hotel” ahead of their final Mainland Premier League match on Sunday.

The Jangwani Street-based giants will take on Lipuli FC in a must-win match hoping their closest challengers Azam FC will lose to stand a chance of finishing second behind Simba SC in the 20-team league table.

However, the Belgian coach has blasted the club for booking the team in a hotel he referred to “as built in the 1980s”, saying even their rivals Simba will not accept to stay in such an environment.

“We travelled from Morogoro via road to Iringa covering 300km, a six-hour drive and then we find ourselves booked in a substandard hotel,” Eymael told Goal on Saturday ahead of Sunday's match against Lipuli FC."

Eymael went further to share the video of the hotel, rooms, and beds, and said: “that is shot number one, can you imagine, there were other hotels but they decided to put us here, where there are supporters.

“I don’t know why they have decided to do that, I wonder whether we have moved to rewind the years and now we are living in the 1980s or what? I don’t know but that is the situation.”

Asked whether the players were coping in the new environment, Eymael said: “No…not at all, we were in a good hotel back in Morogoro but here [in Iringa] this is the 16th century.

“Players were complaining yesterday [Friday] but the guy who is with us said one of the hotels is owned by a guy of Lipuli and the other one...they did not have more rooms to accommodate us but I replied to him, you knew about the fixture so things could have been booked a long time ago…look in Morogoro the hotel was good...and here completely opposite.

“I have to go out of my room...walk outside to go in the physio room because mine does not have a geyser nor hot water while some players have hot water while others don’t have, it is tough for the players but we will be at the match venue today [Saturday] at 4 pm.”

Both Yanga and Azam are tied on 69 points with one match remaining to end the season.

Leicester City boss Brendan Rodgers says there will be more pressure on Manchester United in Sunday's crunch clash at the King Power Stadium as they "need" rather than want to be in the Champions League.

The Foxes looked certain to be heading for a top-four finish, but have won just two of eight Premier League matches since the season resumed following a three-month break due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Leicester will start the final game of the season against Manchester United a point behind their opponents and Chelsea, who are at home to Wolves for their own season-deciding clash.

Rodgers insists it will be a good season for his side regardless of the outcome this weekend, as the Foxes have already improved upon their ninth-place finish from last season.

Meanwhile, competing in the Champions League is a must for the Red Devils, who are looking to return to Europe's top competition after finishing sixth last season.

Ahead of Sunday's match, the former Liverpool and Celtic manager said: "There is a difference where we want to be in the Champions League, but when you're a club like Manchester United, there’s a need to be in the Champions League.

"We want to be in it, but if we fall short, it's still been a really good season."

Rodgers is relishing the opportunity to contest a game of such magnitude as Sunday will certainly be the biggest match since he took charge of the club.

"I've been involved in finals and two-legged games where games mean everything so I'm not new to the situation. It's just very exciting," he said.

"Sometimes things peter out in a season, but for us this is what you're looking for. Our season doesn't finish until the very end, we can finish on a high."

Rodgers added "We are playing one of the superpowers of world football with a chance to go above them and get into the Champions League. We have one last shot, and that tells you how well the players have done."

Injury-hit Leicester are set to have winger Marc Albrighton back in contention for the final match of the campaign.

Selangor captain Taylor Regan has revealed what the team wants to achieve when the 2020 Malaysia Super League action resumes at the end of August.

On Friday evening, Twitter user @anakmember0ntak, a prominent Red Giants fan and a known member of their ultras group of supporters, wrote in Bahasa Melayu asking about the team's target in the seven remaining matches, although the Tweet was not addressed to any particular person:

"21 maximum points from seven matches, how many points are Selangor aiming for?

"How many goals are they planning to score in the seven matches?

"How many goals do they plan to concede in these matches?"

The Australian chose to respond around five hours later:

"Kita nak menang. Kita nak Asia. (We want to win and reach Asian club competition.) 

"We don’t care if it is 1-0 or 5-4. Winning is what we want most. And we want to make our families and our kids proud. If we make you proud it’s a bonus. We always give our best, love us or hate us. That is our family and we stick together.

"To win the league we would need to win 7 games. To qualify for Asia we would need 16-17 points. We will try and win every game."

But the answer wasn't enough for the supporter, who pushed the former Adelaide United player to provide a more specific answer to his initial questions.

The 31-year old defender then came back with an ambitious reply, his last in the exchange:

"21 points is what we want.

"I never wake up in the morning wanting anything but the best. That’s why I train the way I do. That’s why we (our family) train every day to be better and better. We aren’t hiding. We know what we need to do. And we will give our best...... answered?"

Red Giants boss B. Satiananthan has earlier been quoted to say that the team will be pushing for a top two finish in order to qualify for the 2021 AFC Cup or AFC Champions League, one of his targets for this season.

When the Malaysian league resumes on August 26, Selangor will be facing Felda United, Petaling Jaya City, Melaka United, Sabah, UiTM FC, PDRM FA and Johor Darul Ta'zim.

Kylian Mbappe limped out of the Coupe de France final and was later on crutches as Paris Saint-Germain beat Saint-Etienne 1-0 thanks to Neymar's goal.

PSG, awarded the Ligue 1 title on a points-per-game basis after the season was called off in April, made it a double through Neymar's 14th-minute effort but it proved a pyrrhic victory.

Loic Perrin was sent off in the 31st minute following a cynical tackle on Mbappe, who was withdrawn with an apparent ankle injury and later returned to the bench on crutches with his leg in a brace, making him a serious doubt for PSG's return to Champions League action next month.

That challenge sparked a huge melee in the first competitive match in France since March, watched by a small crowd at the Stade de France, with PSG - who also lost Thilo Kehrer to injury - seeing out the win despite a spirited effort from 10-man Saint-Etienne.

Denis Bouanga almost gave Claude Puel's side an early lead when he rattled the post, but it was Neymar who broke the deadlock, turning in from close range after Jessy Moulin palmed away Mbappe's strike.

Moulin produced a brilliant save to deny Angel Di Maria before Perrin scythed down Mbappe as he was about to burst away, sparking unsavoury scenes as the two sets of players squared up.

Referee Amaury Delerue gave the defender his marching orders following a look at the pitch-side monitor after initially showing him a yellow card and another four players were booked - including PSG substitute Marco Verratti for coming off the bench to show dissent - due to the reaction to a tackle that left Mbappe limping down the tunnel following treatment.

Bouanga volleyed over as Les Verts on the hour-mark as Les Verts went in search of an equaliser and heavy tackles continued to define a frantic encounter.

Moulin denied Mbappe's replacement Pablo Sarabia as a second goal eluded PSG, but Neymar's early effort proved to be enough for Tuchel's men to regain the trophy.

What does it mean? Another trophy but concerns for Mbappe

While it was mission accomplished for PSG, winning a trophy they missed out on with a defeat to Rennes in the final last year for the 13th time in their history, the dominant force in French football's latest triumph came may have come at a huge cost.

The sight of Mbappe on crutches will give Tuchel a huge headache ahead of Champions League quarter-final against Atalanta on August 12.

PSG face Lyon in the Coupe de la Ligue final next Friday, but European glory is the priority and a potential Mbappe absence could derail their hopes.

Neymar continues scoring streak

Brazil forward Neymar scored four goals in three friendly matches before the long-awaited return to competitive action.

The former Barcelona man was quiet by his standards, but he showed his predatory instincts to pounce from close range for the winner.

Rash Perrin fails to lead by example

Defender Perrin's lunge cost his side, who had looked dangerous going forward but were always going to be up against it after he was given his marching orders.

Les Verts lacked discipline in a match they had waited so long for and Perrin could have no complaints about his dismissal.

What's next?

PSG will be looking to put another trophy in the cabinet when they come up against Lyon next week, while the beaten finalists return to friendly action against Troyes on Monday.