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Mikel Arteta is adamant Mesut Ozil’s wages will never come into his mind when it comes to selecting his squad for a matchday.

Arsenal’s head coach left the playmaker, who pockets £350,000 a week and is Arsenal’s highest earner, out of the squad for the trip to Brighton on June 20.

Ozil did return for the 2-0 victory at Southampton but was an unused substitute, and was then missing completely at Sheffield United on Sunday due to a back injury.

The German remains a doubt for Wednesday night’s home game against Norwich but even if fit he would be unlikely to start, with Arteta having publicly called on the 31-year-old to do more in training.

Arsenal’s head coach admitted ahead of the match with the Canaries that Ozil is not happy with the situation he finds himself in, but was adamant that his sky high wages will not change his mind when it comes to how he selects his team each week.

“Never,” said Arteta. “That is an agreement that the player and club were happy to do, to move ahead and it is never [one] that I question.

"I think players are paid whatever they deserve because there are two parties here and that should never be something I have to judge.

“I want all my players at their best and to have the ability to be able to pick them to help the squad as much as possible and that's the only intention I have.

“I believe that he's not very happy because he's not playing but as well he picked up an injury the other day and we have to wait and see how he evolves.”

Arteta was a team-mate of Ozil’s during his playing days at Arsenal and when he returned to the club in December he appeared to have handed the German a lifeline in north London.

Having often found himself marginalised by Unai Emery, Ozil was brought straight back into the side by Arteta and started all 10 of the Spaniard’s league games in charge before football’s coronavirus enforced suspension in March.

He has yet to play a single minute since the restart, however, but Arteta insists he is well aware of the qualities he can still bring when at top form.

“I know him really well because I played with him,” he said. “Mesut has unique qualities. He is a very special player for the position he plays, how specific he is in the qualities that he has and what he can bring to the team. I don’t think much has changed.

“Obviously he adapted to the league and he needed some time but he started to perform pretty quickly and he established himself in this league for a long time, something that is not easy to do.”

After being hauled off at half-time against Leicester City, Frank Lampard is hoping Mason Mount picks himself up to do battle against his best friend Declan Rice and West Ham United.

Having completed 3,091 minutes this season and after playing the full match in each of the previous games, the 21-year-old wasn't his usual spritely self as Lampard looked to his subs to finish the job in the FA Cup against Leicester City.

The only outfield player to have completed more minutes than Mount for Chelsea this season is captain Cesar Azpilicueta, and the Blues manager admits that he is leaning upon him as much at Stamford Bridge as he did at Derby County, despite hauling him off at the weekend.

"I rely on Mason a lot. I did at Derby, I do at Chelsea," Lampard told reporters ahead of his side's trip to the London Stadium. "He brings so much to the team in his work ethic and the way he can start the press in midfield and obviously his quality on the ball which is only going to get better and it’s already at a high level.

"Mason wouldn’t have been happy to come off at half time. I know that from myself and if there’s one comparison I can make is that I know if he’s not playing, then he won’t be happy.

"He should not be happy that evening, but then straight back to it afterwards because he knows how much I trust in him and he works brilliantly every day.

"When I say Mason, I mean Billy [Gilmour] and Reece [James] in the same breath because they show a similar attitude. There will be no problem with Mason because it was a one-off game, I had to make a decision and it doesn’t affect my thinking for West Ham or going forwards.

“I think the first two games after the restart, which Mason played 90 minutes in both, at Aston Villa he was incredibly lively with the ball, gave them a lot of problems going forward, probably unfortunate not to score or have an assist.

"The work ethic and quality that he showed against Manchester City was also incredible and the performance we showed as a team was also really good.

"So, he had two big performances in a week and then in the Leicester game; Mason didn’t really have a bad performance, it was a performance in line with the team and my choices to change were about the players that I could bring into that performance rather than the players who were on the pitch, because I could have made a lot of changes in that game.

"It was more about whether I could bring some energy into the team."

On Wednesday night, Lampard's side will look to avoid a second defeat of the season to West Ham, who are desperately battling against relegation.

The match will see London rivals face off but also best friends as Mount and Rice compete. The pair broke the UK lockdown rules in the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic to play five-a-side football together.

Ever the professionals, the news seemed uncharacteristic and Lampard moved to remind Mount of his responsibilities and offered his view on the pair's friendship.

“I had the shortest word possible," he added about Mount's misconduct. "Mason was very innocently, and, as you say, naively wrong at the time and he very quickly held his hands up to that.

"But he was kicking a ball about and that’s so typical of Mason and how he lives his life. So I had the shortest ever conversation with Mason. He was pretty apologetic and said he got it wrong straight away and we moved on.

"In that sort of circumstance [of Rice and Mount's friendship ahead of kick-off] but you can also become overly focused on that relationship and have a not so good game. They are two very good players.

"But there is only one thing I will ask of Mason – and from my point of view that is obviously all I care about going into this one. He texts him tonight, he smiles at him in the tunnel or whatever it is, but if and when they go up against each other he has try to beat him in every individual battle that he possibly can.

"Sensing Rice's character, I am sensing they will both be like-minded on that one. We will see."

Indeed, Chelsea have been credited with an interest in Rice on and off for the last year, but Lampard has brushed off the speculation.

West Ham boss David Moyes is keen to see his ex-Chelsea academy star stick around for a while longer. However, having managed at Manchester United in the recent past, he is aware that the young England international has some improving to do to get to the top level.

"If you think of the great players that have been at West Ham over the last 125 years, some stunning players," Moyes said ahead of the match. "Declan Rice is not anywhere close to that level yet, he has got a lot of improvement to do to meet that level but he is a very, very good player.

"I have had the chance to see a lot of players at the top level, their qualities, Declan has many, many of them. My idea is to build West Ham around Declan Rice. I see Declan Rice as a future captain of West Ham for many reasons.

"I am looking forward to working with Declan and unless I am told different or things change he is a very big part of the club to me."

Chelsea's form since the return to action following the relaxing of Covid-19 restrictions from the UK Government has seen them continue a spell of good form. Three wins from three sees them in the FA Cup semi-final and firmly in the top four places in the Premier League.

Lampard has managed his squad well, using the five substitutions available and heavy rotation leaving Moyes under no illusions about the level of challenge for his Hammers side during the midweek clash.

"They have so many different attacking options," he added. "First of all you wouldn’t know what players are going to play, but I think the style is they get a lot of players forward. They’re good at it.

"They also have one or two world-class holding midfielders who give them the balance to allow them to attack from that position. They’re a good side. They’re an energetic side, which everybody has seen this season."

Josh Sargent says that he had "goosebumps" after scoring for Werder Bremen over the weekend, with the U.S. men's national team forward's long-awaited goal helping keep his side's Bundesliga hopes alive.

Sargent scored Werder Bremen's sixth and final goal against Koln over the weekend, helping seal a 6-1 win on the final day of the season.

The victory gives Werder Bremen the chance to remain in the Bundesliga, with the club qualifying for the relegation playoff.

Saturday's win saw Werder Bremen leapfrog fellow USMNT stars Zack Steffen, Alfredo Morales and Fortuna Dusseldorf, who will be relegated to the 2. Bundesliga.

Werder Bremen, meanwhile, will face Heidenheim in a two-leg playoff with the winner earning a spot in the Bundesliga.

On a personal level, the goal was Sargent's fourth of the season, but only his second goal since October.

"I have worked hard for this," Sargent told Werder.TV. "Finally I’ve scored the goal. It was just like: what’s happening here? It was crazy.”

He added: “I had goosebumps. I think everyone felt the same: I can’t believe what just happened. We always said that we will fight until the end. That was a very proud moment for the team."

When Sargent came onto the pitch as a substitute in the second half of Saturday's victory, he was the only player on the field that knew Werder Bremen's situation.

The club needed a win and a Dusseldorf loss to leapfrog their relegation rivals, with Sargent aware that Union Berlin were dominating in the other key match.

“I spoke to Niklas Moisander after the game and he said he had no idea what the score was in Berlin until they announced in the stadium that it was 3-0 to Union,” he said.

Sargent, who joined Bremen in 2017, has made 32 appearances for the club in all competitions this season.

That comes on the heels of a 2018-19 campaign that saw him make his first-team debut, scoring two goals across 10 matches for the German side.

Sargent and Werder Bremen will host Heidenheim in the first leg of their playoff on Thursday before visiting the 2. Bundesliga side on Monday for the second leg.

"We now have two more games left," Sargent said. "And we will continue fighting.”

Lionel Messi received a late birthday gift on Tuesday as he netted against Atletico Madrid to mark the 700th goal of his professional career. 

Messi, who turned 33 on June 24, converted after 50 minutes to put his team 2-1 ahead against Diego Simeone's side. 

He reached the milestone with consummate style as well, dinking a panenka penalty over Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak.The Slovenia international dived early and was powerless to prevent the strike from crossing the line. 

The Argentine forward also demonstrated his showmanship in his celebration, clicking his fingers and winking for the cameras.

The penalty was awarded when full back Nelson Semedo latched on to a pas down the right inside channel; Atletico defender Felipe went to meet him but could only bring down the right back with an outstretched boot, and the referee pointed to the spot.

Messi appropriately reached the mark at Camp Nou, his home stadium for the entirity of his club playing career. The only downside was that he could not score in front of the Barcelona fans, with all La Liga matches being played behind closed doors due to the ongoing threat of the coronavirus pandemic.

He has now scored 630 for the Catalans, making him the club's all-time top scorer by some distance, with another 70 strikes coming in international colours for Argentina.

In doing so he joins a select group of football legends who have earned a place in the 700 club. 

Juventus and Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo is the only current player other than Messi to have reached the landmark, boasting 725 strikes in 1002 professional appearances for Sporting, Manchester United, Real Madrid, the Bianconeri and his national team. 

Leo, however, has broken 700 in just 860 matches between Barcelona and Argentina, more than 100 fewer than his former Clasico rival at Madrid needed to reach the same figure. 

Czech-Austrian idol Josef Bican holds the all-time record for goals scored in competitive football, having hit 805 in a career that spanned almost three decades and included spells at Rapid Vienna, Slavia Prague and both the Austria and Czechoslovak national teams. 

Behind Bican lie another Barca favourite, Romario (772/994), Pele (767/831), Hungary legend Ferenc Puskas (746/754), Germany's Gerd Muller (735/793) and Ronaldo (725/1002).

Manchester United's push for a top-four spot continued on Tuesday as they cruised to a 3-0 win over Brighton and Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium.

United wasted little time stamping their authority on the game as strikes from Mason Greenwood and Bruno Fernandes put them two up before the half-hour mark.

Greenwood was the provider for Fernandes' second after 50 minutes as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side made it eight games unbeaten in the Premier League.

The result moved United up to fifth, two points behind Chelsea, although they have played a game more. Brighton, meanwhile, remained in 15th, six points above the relegation zone.

United started on the front foot, with Fernandes crashing a long-range effort against the post after 12 minutes.

They did not have to wait long to open the scoring, though, Greenwood surging into the penalty area, bamboozling Lewis Dunk with a series of stepovers and clipping a smart finish past Mat Ryan at his near post in the 16th minute. 

That advantage was doubled in the 29th minute when Fernandes' strike from 20 yards took a wicked deflection off Alexis Mac Allister to wrongfoot Ryan.

A devastating counter attack led to United's third five minutes after the restart, Greenwood picking out Fernandes at the back post with a sumptuous cross, with the Portuguese volleying past a helpless Ryan from eight yards.

Substitute Leandro Trossard twice flashed efforts wide after the hour mark, while David de Gea tipped over Aaron Connolly's strike as Brighton belatedly woke from their slumber.

Graham Potter's men failed to score a consolation, though, as United strolled to the most comfortable of away wins. 

What does it mean? New-look United taking shape

Big things were expected from Fernandes when he joined from Sporting CP in January and he has not disappointed. Not only has he proven to be a potent goal threat – his brace took his tally to five goals in eight Premier League games – but he has elevated those around him.

United have been insipid in attack for so long but with Fernandes conducting an exciting forward line, fans might dare to dream of a title push in the coming seasons.  

Greenwood continues to sparkle

The 18-year-old has enjoyed a superb breakout season for United and once again showed why he is such an exciting talent. It is testament to his prodigious ability that he slots in so seamlessly alongside seasoned internationals like Paul Pogba, Marcus Rashford and Fernandes.

Lewis slam Dunk-ed by Reds

The Seagulls captain endured a game to forget. He offered little resistance to Greenwood for United's first and failed to effectively marshal his defence throughout.

Key Opta Facts

- United extended their unbeaten run to 15 matches across all competitions (W11 D4); only Bayern Munich (25 games) are currently on a longer such streak without defeat among all sides in Europe’s big-five leagues.
- Brighton have won fewer Premier League games in 2020 than any other side (P13 W1 D7 L5).
- United have kept more clean sheets in their last 13 league games (eight) than they managed in their first 40 under manager Solskjær (seven).
- Greenwood's six goals for Man Utd in 2019-20 is the most by a player aged 18 or younger in a single Premier League season since Wayne Rooney scored nine for Everton in 2003-04.
- Since his debut in February, Fernandes has been directly involved in more goals in all competitions than any other Premier League player (10 - six goals, four assists).
- Fernandes has been directly involved in eight goals in his first eight league games for Man Utd (five goals, three assists) - only Robin van Persie has had more goal involvements (nine) after as many games at the start of his Premier League career with the club.

What's next?

United will be confident of securing a third consecutive Premier League win when a struggling Bournemouth visit Old Trafford on Saturday, while Brighton travel to Norwich City on the same day.

Former France international of Ghanaian descent Marcel Desailly explained his decision to leave the Black Stars out of his title favourites for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt was partly to help take pressure off the team.

The West Africans went into the continental gathering in search of a fifth trophy, having endured a series of misses since last winning the cup in 1982.

The quest, however, ended in yet another disappointment as the Black Stars suffered a Round of 16 exit, their first time of failing to make the quarter-final since 2006.

“I said that to reduce a little bit of pressure and expectation around the team," Desailly told Footballmadeinghana.

"I did also in purpose to help but at the same time it was true deep down what I was thinking.

“I knew that individually we were not strong enough to make the difference and perform but I was hoping that collectively, we were going to be clever enough to play all together at the same time at our best level to be able to pull off a surprise.

"Just a surprise [because] it could have not been something obvious from the beginning.

“I was having doubts, I was not fully convinced about the tactical set up that was put in place.

"He [coach Kwasi Appiah] could have done better.

"He should’ve tried to protect less of the talented players he had and killed some of the egos to be able to have a group of players who might be less talented but ready for the battle.

"This is why I identified that Ghana was going to have some difficulties.”

Ghana opened their Afcon 2019 campaign with a 2-2 draw with Benin.

After a 0-0 stalemate with Cameroon on matchday two, the Black Stars got their first win of the championship through a 2-0 triumph over Guinea-Bissau.

Appiah's side finished top of Group F, setting up a Round of 16 date with Tunisia which ended in a 5-4 penalty shout-out defeat, the match having ended 1-1 after extra-time.

The Black Stars, now under new coach CK Akonnor, are seeking to make amends for the 2019 disappointment with victory at the next championship in Cameroon in 2022.

Ghana are on course to compete at the next continental gathering, now postponed, as they currently lead qualifying Group C after two rounds of matches.

Lille boss Christophe Galtier has praised Super Eagles star Victor Osimhen as a similar player to Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and PSG star Edinson Cavani.

Osimhen shone in his maiden season in Ligue 1 before the 2019-20 campaign was cancelled, with his contribution of 13 goals and four assists which helped Lille finish fourth on the league table.

In rewarding his dazzling form, the Nigeria international was crowned as the best African player in the Ligue 1 for this season on Monday.

Galtier, in his reaction to the honour, was full of praise for Osimhen and lauded his ability to score goals, by comparing him with Cavani who won the Ligue 1 top scorer in 2016–17 and 2017–18.

“He has a great determination to want to score. He is obsessed with the goal as Cavani can be,” Galtier told RFI.

“He is a player who has great athletic potential, who is able to repeat efforts. He gives a lot of depth and speed to his game.

“He is a very important asset for a team. He improved in associations when we went to 4-4-2 to be able to combine with his partners.

"He is an axis player, powerful, who goes fast and who is quite skilful in front of the goal. Obviously, he will have to continue working to improve all these qualities, and also his offensive head game."

Galtier has helped three African stars, including Osimhen, win the Marc Vivien Foe prize in his coaching career.

The Frenchman was Saint-Etienne manager in 2013 when Aubameyang won the coveted award, and he also guided Nicolas Pepe to clinch it before his move to Arsenal last summer.

In his assessment, he rates Osimhen as a similar player to the Gabonese star because of their hard work to achieve success while Pepe was a natural talent.

“You mentioned Pierre-Emerick Aubmeyang who also received the Marc-Vivien Foé Prize when he played with me in Saint-Etienne,” he said.

"But if I have to compare Victor Osimhen with Nicolas Pepe and Pierre Emerick Aubameyang whom I directed, I would say that Nicolas has an innate, intrinsic technical quality. It's a gift.

“Aubameyang is a little bit like Victor. Aubameyang has worked a lot to reach a very very high level. He had the intelligence to go through an intermediate club with Dortmund and it was there that he integrated what was the very highest level.

“In Saint-Etienne, we managed to make it grow, to hatch it. I think Victor has this same profile in the character, in the human relationship, but also in the intrinsic qualities. In the choice he will have to make for his future club - because we will not hide our faces.”

Thanks to his fine form in front of goal, Osimhen has been attracting interest from a number of European clubs and is reportedly nearing a Lille exit.

Galtier confirmed the transfer situation around the 21-year-old and he is confident he will adapt to any league he finds himself.

“He is a player who is in great demand by many European clubs,” he continued.

“In the club project, there is the economic aspect but also in the player's mind, it is important. If the club is happy, the president is happy, and the player too, it is that we will have worked well.

“We are all in the same state of mind. Victor wants to see what is happening at the highest level, it also fits into the club's economic model.

“Victor will adapt to all championships. He's a very good player. I am convinced that he can play in all championships.”

Zaragoza have confirmed the signing of Morocco international Hanane Ait El Haj from Moroccan side ASFAR.

The defender will arrive at Estadio Pedro Sancho in the summer after seeing out the 2019-20 campaign with ASFAR, whom she helped win the Moroccan top-flight titles in the last four years. 

Her switch will see the Raja d'Agadir-born former Najah de Souss and Nadi Baladi de Laayoune defender move to pursue her professional career with the Reto Iberdrola club in Spain.

Having agreed on personal terms, Ait El Haj's signing represents the ambition of Nacho Bracero's side as the Moroccan becomes his sixth new arrival this summer ahead of the new season.

She also will become the third African to join the Spanish club after the signing of Zambia duo Racheal Nachula and Hellen Mubanga, from Green Buffaloes and Red Arrows, last week.

Besides the signed African trio, Zaragoza has also secured the services of Austria's Annelie Leitner, America's Mady Brown and Venezuela's Lisbeth Castro.

Her move will also swell the list of Moroccan female footballers to ply their trade in Spain after Meryem Hajri with Sporting Huelva.

After a routine medical at the club, Ait El Haj will hope to boost the ranks of Zaragoza and inspire the team to the top-flight next term.

Benik Afobe claimed he adapted well to playing a new role in Bristol City’s attack during their 2-1 loss to Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday.

The 27-year-old, who normally plays as a centre-forward, was drafted to the left side of the Robins attack where he also made some defensive contributions.

The DR Congo international was in action for 64 minutes but he could not add to his tally of three goals this season before he was replaced by Senegal’s Famara Diedhiou.

Despite the switch in position, the Stoke City loanee said he was out to repay manager Lee Johnson’s faith in him after he handed him his first league start since August.

"The gaffer has been talking to me all week about playing that inside left [position]," Afobe was quoted as saying by Bristol Live.

"He told me that when I play upfront I tend to go towards the left anyway - it wasn't much different to be honest.

"When the manager has a lot of faith in you, and I've been out 10 months and straight away he's sticking me in, I've got to repay him with work rate and trying to create something.

"I think in the first half I did my defensive duties as well - I tried to work hard and I played for him as well, because when you're out for 10 months and he chucks you in he obviously has a lot of faith in you.

"I tried my best to give it my all in that position.”

Saturday’s loss left Bristol City without a win in their last seven league matches, a result he described as "very disappointing" for the Robins after their efforts in training.

However, Afobe is positive they would make things right when they visit Nottingham Forest for their next Championship outing on Wednesday.

"We're obviously devastated,” he added.

“We worked all week on our pressing triggers, on how we're going to get chances and exploit their defence - and to concede like that in the first half and then when we were chasing the game to concede by another set-piece is just shocking and disappointing for all of us.

"We've worked on our set-pieces all week and we thought we'd got it right.

"Very disappointing and we're going to analyse the game tonight and tomorrow - but after that we've got to move on to Wednesday because it's another massive game for us against Forest.”

Bristol City have dropped to 12th in the Championship table with 55 points from 39 matches, and are six points away from the play-offs spot.

Former Nigeria coach Sunday Oliseh has advised Lille striker Victor Osimhen to stay humble and ambitious after winning the Marc Vivien Foe award.

Osimhen succeeded Arsenal’s Nicolas Pepe to win this year’s prize after his incredible debut season in Ligue 1, where he provided 13 goals and four assists in 27 appearances.

The 21-year-old is the second Nigerian player, after goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama who also played at Lille, to clinch the award which crowns the best African player in the French top-flight every season.

He defeated compatriot Moses Simon, Algeria’s Islam Slimani, Saint-Etienne’s Denis Bouanga, Montpellier’s Andy Delort and Rennes’ trio of Mbaye Niang, Hamari Traore and Edouard Mendy to the gong.

In his congratulatory message, Oliseh acknowledged Osimhen’s hard work in Christophe Galtier’s team but cautioned him to remain professional as he aspires for more success.

“First of all, I would like to congratulate Victor Osimhen for being elected winner of the Marc-Vivien Foe Prize. This trophy is important since it rewards the best African player in the French Championship. It is important for us Africans,” Oliseh told RFI .

“I find his victory even more surprising when we see the competitors that Victor had to surpass to win this title. Many people will wonder if he deserves it, if he is stronger than these players.

“But what Victor has done this season is truly exceptional. Thanks to him, his team managed to make a magnificent season.

“I think Victor frankly deserves it because he brought a lot to his club. We really saw the difference when Victor was on the field and when he was not. We see the possibilities he offers his teammates to go forward. We also see the weight it places on the enemy's defences.

“Frankly, congratulations Victor! You deserve it. But I advise you my little brother to always remain humble and ambitious at the same time.

“Stay professional and good luck. Congratulations again, little brother!”

The former Borussia Dortmund midfielder played alongside Rashidi Yekini in the Super Eagles during his active days, and he disclosed that Osimhen is the closest to thing Yekini, who is Nigeria's all-time top scorer with 37 goals in 58 international games.

“When I was coach, I was trying to assemble a new team. In fact, the bases of the current national team are made up of players that I put together. For me, it was important to have young people of the future who were hungry for national team matches,” he continued.

“Victor Osimhen was playing at the U17 World Cup at the time. I had watched the meetings with my assistants, including the final won by Nigeria. He had done it with such ease, the way he eliminated his opponents.

“We had planned to invite him to the national team but I left the selection. Otherwise, I would have invited him.

“Because, since Rashidi Yekini left the selection, we have not had a player of the calibre of Victor Osimhen. My plan was to integrate him very slowly into the Super Eagles, to give him a few minutes, before launching him 100% as we did with Wilfred Ndidi or Alex Iwobi at the time.”

Gary Neville says Jurgen Klopp's "great coaching" and Liverpool's recruitment strategy were pivotal in the club's Premier League success.

The Reds sealed the top-flight title for the first time in 30 years this season, having taken a 23-point lead over Manchester City with seven games left to play.

Liverpool finished sixth in the league the season before Klopp took over at the helm and transformed the team into Champions League and Club World Cup winners before their latest triumph.

Ex-Manchester United and England full-back Neville credited Klopp with fine-tuning the squad says he has done an incredible job to overtake their rivals and dominate the league.

"It's a brilliant achievement from Klopp, to work within the net spend budget he has to amass that team has been a combination of great coaching and brilliant recruitment," he said on Sky Sports.

"The club's recruitment has been absolutely spot on, precise, laser-focused, every single player they have brought in they have made count. Every single player fits a mould, the principles of Klopp, there has been no veering away from that.

"From day one, when Christian Benteke and a few others were deemed not to fit the profile they were moved aside.

"Klopp has now got quick, energetic strikers who make the runs, a formidable defence, the best goalkeeper in the world at the moment in time, and in midfield he's got reliable players with really good personalities in Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, James Milner and Gini Wijnaldum.

"None of them are individually outstanding or the best in the world in their position, but together as a collective with that goalkeeper, that defence, those full-backs, that strike force, they become the rock in the middle of it all."

Neville says it is Klopp who has "set the tone" for everyone at the club and turned the Anfield side into a "fantastic" team.

"They have absolutely been the best team this season," he added. "What Jurgen Klopp has done has been fantastic. He came in four years ago and at the time I never thought Liverpool were capable of mounting a Premier League title challenge. It just felt like all of the other clubs had bigger budgets.

"Liverpool were in a deep rut over many, many years. They have great history and a great fanbase so you can never write clubs like that off, but to go and win a league title ahead of the investment of Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United is something I didn't think was possible.

"What Klopp has done over a three or four-year period has been absolutely outstanding. Everything at a football club comes from the manager, he sets the tone for everybody; the players, the owners, the fanbase. Klopp has galvanised Liverpool over a three-year period, brought everybody with him and put a brilliant team together.

"They're a fantastic team, they've been brilliant to watch for three years but painful for me. It's been coming.

"When you get to a Champions League final and lose you have a little smirk, but when they won the Champions League the following year and chased Manchester City like they did to a point where they would have been worthy champions last season, you can only congratulate them.

"It's obviously something that is horrible for every Manchester United fan, it's something the modern Manchester United fan has never seen but as one who watched them in the '70s and '80s it's a moment we didn't want to see again but one we saw a lot of in our early years."

Young Africans (Yanga SC) secured their place in the semi-finals of the FA Cup after coming from a goal down to beat Kagera Sugar 2-1 in a match played at National Stadium in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday.

The Jangwani Street-based giants are keen to win the domestic cup to earn a Caf Confederation Cup ticket after rivals Simba SC were declared Mainland Premier League champions and will compete in the Champions League.

Yanga coach Luc Eymael had also requested his players to return the favour for him after Kagera beat him 3-0 in his first match in charge of the club after he arrived from Black Leopards of South Africa to sign a short-term deal.

Eymael named a squad with one change, goalkeeper Metacha Mnata coming in for Kenyan Farouk Shikalo while upfront, he gave strikers David Molinga and Ditram Nchimbi the task to go for the goals.

Kagera were the better side as they raided Yanga in the opening stages and it took them only 20 minutes to take a deserved lead when Aweku Ibrahim scored from close range.

Kagera went into the break enjoying a 1-0 lead and they should have scored more than the single goal as they dominated the proceedings in the first period.

After the resumption, Yanga levelled matters when Molinga met a cross from a corner-kick to head home to score his third goal for the club in just three days. The Congolese import had scored two goals as Yanga came from a goal down to beat Ndanda FC 3-2 on Saturday.

Dues Kaseke then won the game for Timu ya Mwananchi after he slotted home from the penalty spot in the 76th minute after a Kagera defender was punished for bringing down Molinga.

Eymael was happy to have earned revenge against Kagera and also said his main ambition now is to go all the way and lift the Cup.

“I really wanted to beat Kagera, they beat me in my first match when I arrived in to coach Yanga and I was keen to revenge and I want to thank my boys for doing the job for me,” Eymael told Goal after the match.

In another match, Namungo FC made it to the last four after a goal in each half helped them to beat Alliance FC 2-0.

On Wednesday, newly crowned league champions Simba will take on Azam FC at the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam while Sahare All-Stars will come up against Ndanda FC.

Joao Felix is perhaps feeling the pressure of the "economic impact" from his move to Atletico Madrid but he can emulate Antoine Griezmann in becoming a star for Diego Simeone's side, says Abel Xavier.

The Portugal sensation was one of the most sought-after players of the previous close season prior to joining Atleti, who paid €126 million (£113m/$142m) to Benfica for his signature.

There have been flashes of the brilliance that saw Atleti stump up that huge sum, though six goals and a solitary assist from 24 LaLiga appearances - prior to Tuesday's clash with Barcelona - is hardly the most fruitful return.

Former Portugal international Xavier is convinced Joao Felix will adapt to life at the Wanda Metropolitano, though, and is sure it remains the right environment for the 20-year-old to flourish.

"There is a great hope on Felix because of his move to Atletico [but] the economic impact of his value is giving him too much pressure," Xavier told Stats Perform News.

"He needs to find the correct surrounding to be able to realise the potential of his own game. 

"That is going to be the next step with him, especially at Atletico Madrid with their philosophy and style of play.

"I admire Simeone a lot. There are a lot of people who do not like the identity of his game because he's very effective. At the end of the day he's fighting for the big trophies.

"But when you are integrating a big player, a fantasy player, a player who likes to have the ball… it's a process also for Felix to work on different aspects of the game.

"Maybe he was not used to defending so much without the ball. He needs to have the ball.

"For that reason I think it's a good process that will build him in different aspects to become stronger.  

"He's going to be one of the greatest in the future, for sure, with the correct set-up and style of play collectively."

Some pundits have questioned whether Joao Felix was right to move to Atleti and his name was linked tentatively with Manchester United during the coronavirus-enforced shutdown.

Xavier doubts anyone would pay more for his services than Atleti did, though, and said Joao Felix can become key for Simeone, just as Griezmann did for five seasons before joining Barcelona last year.

"It's very difficult at this present moment that someone can come and pay more than what Atletico paid for him," Xavier said. 

"He needs right now to be focused on his game. He's had a few injuries also, which is not a good sign. He needs to find stability and consistency. 

"Atletico right now is the best place for him. Stay two or three years and be the main figure in the same way that Antoine Griezmann was."

Tottenham's decision to sell Mousa Demebele cost them the Champions League title, Kieran Trippier says.

The Belgian midfielder spent seven years with the London outfit and made almost 250 appearances before he moved to China to join Guangzhou R&F in a deal worth £11 million ($14m) in January 2019.

Spurs went on to reach the Champions League final that season, only to lose 2-0 to Liverpool.

Trippier believes the decider in Madrid could have gone in the London side's favour had they opted to keep Dembele for the remainder of the campaign, as a player of his quality could have made the difference against Jurgen Klopp's team.

"They've got quality players, but, for me, the little fine margins of winning something is obviously when Mousa left. That's my opinion," the full-back, who left Spurs last summer to join Atletico Madrid, said on the Beautiful Game podcast.

"As a player, you don't want to see a player like Mousa leave, especially in January. Unless there was something that he needed to leave or whatever, I honestly don't know.

"It didn't make sense because he's the fine margins of winning you the Champions League final. That's how good he was.

"He could have three players around him, and you could give him the ball.

"The amount of respect the players had for him, and to see a player like that leave in January when you are going through a difficult season, for me, it didn't make sense.

"That's just my opinion. I don't want to speak on any of the players' thoughts on that.

"As soon as he goes it just saps it out of you because you've lost Mousa Dembele."

Trippier also had a lot of praise for former Spurs team-mate Harry Kane, who he believes would score for any team. 

"He can play at 50 percent and still score goals. He's the best finisher I've seen - him and Jermaine Defoe in training," he added. 

"He's unbelievable and the best professional I've ever come across. He doesn't drink, top professional on and off the field, does everything right. He'll score goals no matter where he is, so I have no concern about what people say about him."

Gambia Football Federation (GFF) head of women's football Sainey M’boge believes the creation of the Caf Women's Champions League will offer the stage to unearth new female stars in Africa.

On Tuesday, the Caf Executive Committee approved the creation of the women's club competition, which will start in 2021, in its plans to grow the women's game. 

The development means Caf has begun the implementation of its a four-year women's football strategic plan for Africa, in collaboration with Fifa, decided upon in Egypt last November. 

Women's football has struggled for support on the continent, largely due to the paucity of funds but Fifa has offered a Covid-19 Relief Plan of $500,000 to member associations.

"The Caf Women’s Champions League will be launched in 2021. The format and other details will be communicated in due course," Caf confirmed via a statement. 

Goal understands at least 35 countries on the continent have a running National Women's Football League.

And the former Gambia international, who oversees the Gambian Women’s Football League, feels the event will arouse interest to support domestic leagues and expose new talent.

”We will see the emergence of new stars instead of the usual dominant clubs that you find in the men’s game,” M’boge told Goal.

“It will also give more exposure and experience to coaches, players, and administrators.

"In the Gambia, we are fully supported by our Executive Committee that put Women’s football as a top priority with the president been passionate about its progress.

”I must congratulate Caf for the great step because you will have thousands of girls and women across Africa who will now be dreaming of playing in the Champion League.

"We also have to give credit to the Gambia Football Federation  executive for this opportunity without which it would have been difficult for us to integrate into the beautiful game."

Manchester City winger Leroy Sane is set to complete a move to Bayern Munich after the two clubs agreed to a deal worth up to €60 million (£54.8m/$67m).

The Bundesliga champions will pay an initial €49m (£44.7m/$55m) for the German international with another €11m in add-ons. City have also secured a 10 per cent sell-on clause.

Sane, who was in the final year of his contract, is set to fly to Munich in the next 24 hours to complete the move and is not expected to play for City again this season.

The 24-year-old will sign a five-year deal believed to be worth €22m (£20.1m/$24.7m) a year, more than City were prepared to pay.

City had offered the former Schalke player a new deal that was turned down. The club is believed to happy with the money recuperated with uncertainty surrounding the transfer market amid the Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on football finances.

Sane has missed most of the current season with injury but was one of the key players as City won the domestic treble last year.

City boss Pep Guardiola recently admitted that he was disappointed that Sane had turned down a new deal with the club.

“I’m so disappointed,” he said. “When we make an offer it’s because we want him; he’s got a special quality that is difficult to find.

“We tried before the injury [and] the surgery and after that and he rejected this offer. He has other wishes and I understand [but] we want players who want to commit and achieve our targets.

"I love him so much, he’s incredible, I’ve nothing against him – he wants another adventure.”

Sane was at the centre of a transfer saga between the clubs last summer that was expected to rumble on until deadline day, only for the winger to suffer a serious knee injury in the Community Shield in August.

Bayern decided against a move in January, with Sane still recovering from the setback that has seen him miss the whole season so far, though he was edging closer to an on-field return when the Premier League was shut down by the Covid-19 outbreak.

His only appearance since August was a 10-minute cameo in the 5-0 victory over Burnley in June.

Sane joined City in August 2016 from Schalke in a deal worth €52 million (£37m/$46m).

Fatoumata Kanteh has signed a new two-year contract with Spanish Primera Iberdrola side Sporting Huelva.
 
The Primera Iberdrola club took to social media to reveal the news, saying Kanteh will remain at the club until at least June 2022.

The striker arrived at Huelva in July 2019 from rivals Logrono where she featured in 17 matches, scoring once during her one-year stint with Gerardo Leon's team.

The 22-year-old, who was born and raised in Banyoles, is still eligible to represent the Gambia by her biological parents and is likely to play in the 2020 Africa Women's Cup of Nations qualifiers.

Despite her minor injury in February, Kanteh played 19 leagues matches in all competitions for Antonio Toledo's team, scoring once as her Huelva-based side ended in 14th spot after 21 matches.

Her immense contribution to Sporting Huelva's relegation escape saw the club extend her stay beyond the 2019-20 season before the suspension and subsequent cancellation due to coronavirus.

The Spanish-Gambian born has expressed joy over her new contract with the club ahead of the new 2020-21 season.
 
 "I will spend two more seasons here giving you my best. I am very happy to renew," Kanteh told the club website.

"I thank the coaching staff, the management, for trusting me, for giving me an opportunity and for continuing to fulfil my dream here, which is to continue playing in the First Division. 

 "We started roughly, we were almost all new but, well, after that we understood each other well, we worked very well and until the virus thing appeared, that, nothing, we had to stay at home, confinement, and the season could not be finished, but I keep the work of all the colleagues who have been and who will be this season."

Having signed a contract extension with the Iberdrola outfit, she further commented on her health status, her message to the fans, and ambition with the team.

"I hope to help the team to move higher on the table so as not to struggle, possibly be in the middle of the table and not suffer as we have suffered this season," she said.

"I'm already much better. I hardly notice it. I remember the moment and I see it on videos and it gives me goosebumps. 

"I fell very badly and just at that moment I still remember, that I didn't want anyone to touch me and it hurt a lot, and then even less in the doctor, but I'm better now and this shoulder is going to be a lot of war this season.

"We will not make our people suffer. We expect a lot of work, a lot of sacrifices, a commitment from the new ones who are going to come and from those who are already here and stay for half the table."