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Cristiano Ronaldo always motivated Real Madrid to win and Los Blancos miss his goals and character, says Luka Modric.

Portugal great Ronaldo became Madrid's all-time leading goalscorer during nine prolific and trophy-laden seasons at the Santiago Bernabeu between 2009 and 2018.

Madrid sanctioned a big-money sale to Juventus after winning a third Champions League title in as many years, and fourth in five seasons, and Los Blancos stumbled in their first campaign without their talisman in 2018-19.

This season, which was disrupted for three months by the coronavirus pandemic, remains on a knife-edge. Madrid are second in La Liga and two points behind leaders Barcelona, while they trail 2-1 in their Champions League last-16 tie against Manchester City.

Modric, who briefly interrupted the Ronaldo-Lionel Messi monopoly of the Ballon d'Or by winning the prestigious individual prize in 2018, concedes the absence of Ronaldo's qualities have been felt.

"Talking about the player seems trivial to me - he is among the best ever," Modric told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

"We missed his goals and character at Real. Cristiano always wants to win, he motivated us and made us react. 

"As a person then he is 10. He has a big heart and is always ready to help those in need."

Modric, now 34, has seen his future in the Spanish capital become the subject of debate over the past 12 months and he was strongly linked with a move to Inter in the close season.

However, more recent reports suggested he will see out the rest of his Madrid deal that runs until the end of the 2020-21 season.

Modric believes he can continue to compete at the highest level and wants to end his career at Madrid.

"I'm sure I can play at a high level for two more years, then we'll see. I would like to end my career at Real, but it will also depend on the club," he added. 

"Of course, I'll do the coaching course. For us, the national team is a feeling above football, both as a player and as a coach I'd be honoured to be there."

AFC Leopards chairman Dan Shikanda has promised fans of an 'interesting season ahead' as they build a team capable of challenging for the Kenyan Premier League (KPL) title.

Shikanda stated the club will sign only experienced players to boost the current squad that has a majority of young players. In that regard, the chair believes the fans have every reason to be hopeful as they continue to remain supportive.

“We are looking to bring at least three to five experienced players and blend them with the youthful team we have,” Shikanda told the club's Online TV.

“I can tell our fans 'be ready for an interesting season'. A season whereby you will be confident of our team fighting for the championship."

The former striker also stressed the need for Ingwe to own its facilities adding they are old enough and should not be training on a pitch payable every day.

“This is a club without even a training facility and so we are embarking on a journey that will fix the physical infrastructure of the club,” he explained.

“At the end of our elective term, we actually hope to give this club something they can be proud of as their identity as a football club.

“For 56 years, surely we need to have a place where AFC Leopards can train. We pay around seven to eight thousand per day for the team to train and so if we have our own training base, I think it will be a big, positive thing for our club.”

The official went further to explain how they will approach their transfer business.

“As you know, this year we have been competitive. Yes, we were in position six when the league was stopped but we have to move forward and strengthen our team,” said Shikanda.

“We realised the team was a bit youthful and we need to mature it so that we can go and directly challenge for the title.”

The Ingwe chair also mentioned and thanked individuals who came to their rescue when they faced difficulties in a season they ran without a sponsor.

“We are thankful to everyone who stood with us especially when our sponsor left. My thanks go to President [Uhuru] Kenyatta, his deputy and Speaker of the Senate [Ken Lusaka],” he concluded.

“I also thank [Eugene] Wamalwa and [Musalia] Mudavadi as it has been interesting to have all these people come together and ensure this brand, AFC Leopards, stands.

“The Minister of Sports [Amina] Mohammed also helped us when we were unable to have the team travel to Kakamega and she availed the Kasarani Stadium for us during our game against Kariobangi Sharks.”

Ghana forward Yahaya Mohammed has called on veteran Ghanaian coach JE Sarpong to apologise for defamatory comments against the home-based footballer.

Sarpong had alleged the majority of Ghanaian players smoke marijuana, popularly known as weed, and went on to give instances where he helped get weed for a top player of one of his former clubs ahead of a big game.

The claims have unsurprisingly generated controversy and Aduana Stars striker Yahaya is not finding any of it funny.

“Coach JE Sarpong must apologise to Ghanaian players. It is time for people to tell the truth to some people like him," Yahaya told Kumasi-based Oyerepa FM.

"His comments that about 60% of Ghanaian players smoke weed are very bad.

“I don’t smoke but look at the people he has coached - like Asamoah Gyan and others.

"Does he know the 60 per cent of 100 players. It is a false statement and should retract the statement.”

Former Ghana U23 assistant coach Sarpong has had stints with Premier League sides Asante Kotoko, Aduana Stars, Liberty Professionals, Ebusua Dwarfs and Great Olympics.

"I can say that 60% of the Ghanaian players - both in the Premier and the Division One Leagues - smoke marijuana," Sarpong told Angel FM.

“I have coached most of them but of course we have something called coach-player relationship.

"There was a match between Accra Great Olympics and Hearts of Oak. One player came to me and said I should buy him ‘weed’ and we will win the match.

"I later noticed that he was not the only person, he was sent by his colleagues. I told him, I can’t buy for him, so I gave him the money and in that game he was the man of the match. He gave the assist for our winning goal.

"It is a bad practice but if it will win the match [for me], I don’t mind. If my team win the match, I take my winning bonus [as a coach] and I'm gone.

“What I will do for my team to win is what is important."

Yahaya, 32, is the second top scorer in the Premier League this season.

The former Nice player was named in Ghana's 23-man squad for a 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifying double-header against Sudan which was later postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

Mainz manager Achim Beierlorzer has revealed Taiwo Awoniyi has regained consciousness in hospital following a nasty head collision with Felix Uduokhai.

The Nigeria youth international was forced off in the 23rd minute and was replaced by Karim Onisiwo in his side’s 1-0 loss to Augsburg in Sunday’s Bundesliga game at Opel Arena.

Awoniyi was stretchered off with his neck in a brace and was motionless before he was rushed to the hospital for further observation.

Beierlorzer confirmed the 22-year-old forward suffered a severe concussion but has recovered from the problem.

"We have received the all-clear from the doctors. He has regained consciousness and can remember the things that happened,” Beierlorzer was quoted as saying by AFP.

"He has a severe concussion and has to stay in the hospital for observation."

Awoniyi has featured in 11 league games, scoring one goal since his arrival at Opel Arena on loan last summer from Liverpool.

The forward has been with the Reds since 2015 but he is yet to feature for the Premier League club, having spent most of his time on loan, playing for Frankfurt, NEC, Royal Excel Mouscron and Gent.

With the defeat against Augsburg, Mainz are now three places above the relegation zone after gathering 31 points from 31 games.

They have won nine matches, drawn four and lost 18 games in this campaign and have only won one game in their previous seven outings.

It is yet to be seen if Awoniyi will be fit enough to play a part when Mainz take on Borussia Dortmund in their next league game at Signal-Iduna-Park on Wednesday.  

The forward burst into the limelight at the 2013 U17 World Cup, where he scored four goals in the competition to help the Golden Eaglets win the title.

Awoniyi has played for Nigeria’s U20 and U23 teams and will hope to make more impactful showings for Mainz for a chance to feature for the Super Eagles.

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has confirmed that the club have offered talismanic forward Dries Mertens a new deal.

Mertens joined Napoli from PSV for a mere €10 million (£9m/$11m) in the summer of 2013, and has since gone on to write his name in the record books at Stadio San Paolo.

The 33-year-old has racked up 303 appearances for the Gli Azzurri over the last seven years, scoring an impressive 122 goals across all competitions.

His latest strike came during Napoli's 1-1 draw with Inter in the second leg of their Coppa Italia semi-final on Saturday, which saw him move ahead of Marek Hamsik as the club's all-time leading scorer.

Mertens has been a key member of Napoli's squad throughout the 2019-20 campaign, both under previous coach Carlo Ancelotti and current boss Gennaro Gattuso, but his present contract is due to expire at the end of the month.

Chelsea and Inter reportedly expressed an interest in signing the Belgium international in January, and as it stands he will be available on a free transfer from July onwards.

However De Laurentiis insists Napoli have already taken the necessary steps to retain Mertens' services. He told Corriere Dello Sport: “He is a street urchin. We met for breakfast six months ago, it was a revelation, I discovered a special man, intelligent, mentally sharp, a badass. 

"Renewing the contract for a 33-year-old footballer is not part of our habits, but with Mertens it was simple, natural. I will say more when he has stopped playing, I would like to find him a role to continue the collaboration."

Napoli director Cristiano Giuntoli revealed that the finer details of Mertens' new contract are in the process of being finalised after Gattuso's side booked their place in Wednesday's Coppa Italia final against Juventus.

“I know the lawyers are working on it, he wants to stay and we intend to keep him, so there’s only one result that can come from that," Giuntoli told RAI Sport.

After Napoli's clash with the Bianconeri, they will look ahead to a meeting with Hellas Verona on June 23 as Serie A gets back underway following the coronavirus-enforced break in the season.

Gor Mahia coach Steven Polack has confessed several players in the Kenyan Premier League (KPL) are suffering owing to the effects caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The British tactician has told Goal while he is also suffering, the players in the top-flight are suffering more and prayed the mess created by the Covid-19 is sorted out quickly and normalcy returns.

“Everybody knows the financial situation is not the best, nobody is being paid salaries and it has not been easy for my players and even players from other KPL clubs, I don’t think it is been easy for them because of the financial situation, we find ourselves in,” Polack told Goal on Monday.

“Especially when you have a family that you have to take care of and you need to pay your bills, I hope by God’s grace it will be sorted out very soon.

“It is not a nice position to be in, having no money is not nice, we are all suffering but maybe the players are suffering the most because for me, as you know in Africa people live day to day, but for me, I had saved money and people need to learn.

“I remember my family telling me when I was coming to Africa, you need to save some money, even it is Sh100 a week or even Sh10, 000 a week, save money because you never know what will happen, and people don’t do that here, they don’t save because they live day to day here, and to me, it is something they need to learn.

“I am hoping the issue [Covid-19] is sorted and everything returns to normal, it has not been easy even for me, you can imagine if I am in such a situation and I had saved money, what about the other Kenyans, all my players, and even all the other players around the country, it is tough and difficult.”

Gor Mahia are among the teams that are yet to pay players’ salaries accrued for over five months and in a recent interview with Goal, chairman Ambrose Rachier said they are trying their best to solve the situation.

Despite the government chipping in with a stimulus package of Sh10, 000 for KPL players, the money seems not to be enough as they had already accumulated bills that need to be sorted.

Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila (TTM) boss Masala Mulaudzi has revealed he didn't intend to buy Bidvest Wits until the club was offered to him. 

The Limpopo-based businessman said the club was never on sale as the Wits management was always quoted in the media. 

However, this was because there had already been negotiations between him and the Wits hierarchy, who felt he was the right person to take the club forward.    

"Fact of the matter is Bidvest Wits was not being sold. It was never put on sale," said Mulaudzi in an interview with Phalaphala FM as quoted by FarPost.

"It was due to my good relations with Bidvest not on football matters but these are people who teach me to work outside of football business. This was just a gift that was given to me. I also did not want to buy it because it was never on sale, and I was just the one they trusted who can take the club forward. 

"That’s why even when we started the whole process, the news started leaking in the media some people went to Wits and offered to buy the club were told the club was not on sale," revealed Mulaudzi. 

Mulaudzi further confirmed that he bought Wits with all its players, adding that those who will be leaving the club will do so with his permission. 

According to Mulaudzi, there are players who are earning between R200 000 and R400 000 at the club, and because he cannot afford to continue paying them then TTM will definitely allow them to go while they will keep those they can afford. 

Players such as Thulani Hlatshwayo, Buhle Mkhwanazi, Gift Motupa, Haashim Domingo and Deon Hotto have all been linked with possible moves away from the club. 

"I don’t want to talk a lot on the issue of players but the fact is we have bought the Bidvest status with all its players. If you hear of a player being sold, it means the player is being sold with our permission.

"So, it’s us who decide which player is being sold because we can’t afford some of them, there are players who are on R400 000, R300 000 and R200 000 per month something that is unusual in Limpopo to find a club paying those kinds of salaries so that we are allowing them to go and we will remain with those that we can afford," he added

Mulaudzi said all the paperwork will be submitted to the PSL before close of business today [Monday]. 

Neil Lennon says he saw similarities between Virgil van Dijk and ex-Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand when he arrived at Celtic in 2013.

Van Dijk joined the Hoops from Groningen in a £3 million deal seven years ago, and went on to feature in 113 matches in all competitions for the club.

The Netherlands international impressed enough at Celtic to earn a £12m ($15m) move to Southampton in 2015, where he spent two-and-a-half seasons before being snapped up by Liverpool.

The Reds lured the 28-year-old to Anfield for a then world-record fee for a defender of £75m ($94m), and he has since established himself as arguably the finest centre-back in European football.

Van Dijk has already helped Liverpool win the Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup, with a first league title in 30 years set to follow when their 2019-20 season resumes later this month.

Lennon coached the Dutchman during his first season in Scotland, as Celtic stormed to another league title while also competing in Europe's elite competition.

The 48-year-old, who is currently enjoying his second spell in the Celtic Park hot seat, says he recognised Van Dijk's potential instantly, and was surprised that it took so long for Premier League clubs to express an interest in his services.

Lennon told the Daily Mail : "He was Rio Ferdinand in the making. He had all of those attributes - he was quick, composed, brilliant in the air in both boxes.

"Everything you're seeing now, at Premier League and European level, that's what I saw. I couldn't believe there was no English interest.

"I also couldn't believe he was at Celtic for two seasons! I thought he might have gone after the first.

"I like finding players under the radar. Van Dijk is the standout example. He goes for £12m to Southampton, then £75m to Liverpool, and now he's probably the best centre-half in the world.

"We take pride in that. We take pride in Kieran Tierney going to Arsenal for £25m. There is a lot of untapped natural talent here.

"Ideally, you'd love to hold on to these players because then we'd have a strong chance of achieving something in Europe."

Bidvest Wits coach Gavin Hunt was left fuming and speechless over the sale of the club to Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila (TTM). 

As confirmed by TTM this past weekend, the Students will not exist beyond the current season as the club is expected to be renamed and relocated to Limpopo for the new campaign. 

Hunt admitted he was upset about the sale of Wits which was kept a secret for the past two weeks until TTM announced the deal on Saturday night. 

Wits chairman Alan Fainman vehemently denied reports that the club was in the process of being sold just hours before the NFD side confirmed the purchase. 

"I'm not good. I don't want to say too much, let's talk another day," Hunt told Sowetan.

"Right now I don't want to talk too much about it, you know, [I am] very upset about it."

"Anyway, I don't want to get involved," Hunt continued.

Hunt has already been told to look for a job elsewhere, according to TTM CEO Sello Chokoe but that won't disrupt the coach's plans to at least see Wits qualify for next season's Caf Confederation Cup. 

He still had a year left on his current deal with the Braamfontein-based side. 

"We must finish well and we must put this team in Africa, that's the most important thing. Right now I just don't want to talk about anything," Hunt said.

"We need to see that everything happens right. Sorry, my friend, I don't want to talk about it anymore," added Hunt. 

As things stand the Clever Boys still have an outside chance of winning the league as they are 10 points behind log leaders Kaizer Chiefs who are on 48 points. 

This is despite sitting sixth on the PSL standings having played 21 league matches. 

Wits are also in the semi-finals of the Nedbank Cup, and should fail to finish at least third at the end of the season, they would still have a chance to make it to continental football provided they lift the Nedbank Cup trophy. 

Earlier this season, Wits exited the Caf Confederation Cup at the group stage; their first major continental achievement in the history of the club.  

Robert Lewandowski wanted to join Real Madrid to play alongside Cristiano Ronaldo before being persuaded to sign for Bayern Munich, according to the striker’s former adviser Cezary Kucharski.

The Poland international linked up with Bayern on a free transfer from Bundesliga rivals Borussia Dortmund in 2014 and has been a prolific source of goals during his time at the Allianz Arena.

However, the 31-year-old’s career could have turned out very differently if Lewandowski had reneged on his agreement with Bayern and followed through with his desire to be Ronaldo’s team-mate.

“At one point in the negotiations, he no longer wanted to sign a contract with Bayern, and wanted Real Madrid instead because Ronaldo played there,” Kucharski told Polish YouTube channel Futbolownia.

“I convinced him that he had to be the number one striker at a big club. At Real Madrid, he would have prevailed over Karim Benzema at some point, but I couldn’t allow him to move to a club as a number two given the status he already had at that time.

“I emphasised this in all discussions, whether it was with Real Madrid, Arsenal or Manchester City.”

Kucharski did acknowledge that Lewandowski was also apprehensive about joining Bayern amid reports over how he would fit into then-coach Pep Guardiola’s team and suggestions he was no better than Mario Mandzukic.

“It’s funny today, but Lewy really had doubts at the time,” he said.

The promise of taking Mandzukic’s No.9 shirt had a big influence on Lewandowski’s eventual decision, with Kucharski reflecting: “That was crucial for me and showed me that Bayern was the safest move for him after his time at Borussia Dortmund.”

Lewandowski, who is enjoying the most prolific season of his career to date, is under contract at Bayern until 2023 and Kucharski does not feel the forward should end his playing days anywhere else.

“He will end his career at Bayern,” he added. “If I was still his adviser, I would at least advise him to do that.

"I think only Ruud van Nistelrooy went to Madrid when he was over 30 years old. Instead, I would concentrate on Bayern to continue breaking records.”

Yanga SC are worried their star winger Bernard Morrison could be heading to Simba SC.

Morrison missed Yanga's clash against Mwadui FC on Saturday and a top official of the club has revealed they have reports the Ghanaian might be in secret talks with their arch-rivals.

Morrison was signed for six months in the last transfer window and went on to become a fan favourite especially with his March 8 strike against Simba in Dar es Salaam which earned Yanga victory.

“We have been reliably informed that there are still Simba officials who are tracking him and have promised a lot of money should he sign. What is shocking us is maybe he is forgetting that he is serving a two-year contract with Yanga,” the unnamed official told Mwanaspoti.

“We are waiting for him to switch on his phone so that he can tell us what is going on. This is a lack of discipline.

“We are now starting to see his disturbing behaviour but let us not deliberate on the issue so much because his phone might be faulty but again, he knows where the club's offices are and the officials.

“Someone might ask whether he has not been paid but there is no player who has not been paid may be talking of the June salaries and time of payment is not yet here.”

The winger had explained why he missed the Shinyanga match against Mwadui.

“I was unable to link up with the rest of the squad in Shinyanga because I was still suffering from pain in my right knee and thus, I felt it was not fair for me to travel and I will not be able to play,” Morrison said.

Yanga are expected to sit down with the player when the team returns to Dar es Salaam in order to find what the problem could really be.

It is further reported Simba have offered him USD 10,000 (TSh23 million) even though the Ghanaian has already agreed on a contract extension with the Wananchi. It is understood the contract is signed and has already been deposited at Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) offices.

"Simba are going to make a surprising signing but the rumours Simba want to poach [Bernard] Morrison I think that is not true," the club's Spokesperson Haji Manara told Mwanaspoti.

Simba are said to have seen a great player in Morrison especially for their Caf engagements for the 2020/21 season.

Wekundu wa Msimbazi have also been reported to be interested in Yanga's captain Pappy Tshishimbi who they think can bring competition in a midfield controlled by Jonas Mkude, Gerson Fraga and Muzamiru Yassin.

The two traditional arch-rivals are also in a close contest in as far as signing the Coastal Union defender Bakarai Mwamnyeto is concerned.

Marcus Rashford has spoken of how Manchester United allowed him to join their academy programmes early after his mother let them know of tough circumstances at home.

England forward Rashford has helped charity FareShare reach a goal of supplying three million meals to vulnerable children in the United Kingdom by the end of June amid the coronavirus pandemic.

On Sunday, Rashford published an open letter pleading with the UK government not to stop a food voucher scheme, which was set up to guarantee meals to children when schools were shut down in March, next month.

In the letter, Rashford spoke about his own experiences growing up and went into more details during an interview with the BBC .

He revealed his mother, Melanie, had spoken to the Red Devils about their home situation and United allowed him to join up at age 11 rather than 12.

"My mum was a single parent, she had five kids all living in the same house. The programme that I started at 11 years old, you're supposed to start it at 12 years old," he said.

"It basically gives you accommodation closer to the training facilities and a new school and she worked that hard to push it forward because she knew that was a step I needed to take.

"I needed to be eating the right food as I was growing, I needed to be close to my team-mates, my new school and my new school friends. She made that decision when I was 11 years old and United allowed it.

"That was the reason I ended up going at a younger age to the others, it was to help my mum with her situation and also get me out of the situation we were in. So there is always a big element of sacrifice to get to the top level and that's the one we had to make."

Rashford went into further detail about how the household managed a tight budget. 

"My mum, she did the best she could, we used to go to a shop called Pound World and everything was under a pound," he added. "We would schedule out the week, we would get seven yoghurts and you could have one yoghurt a day and so on. She did the best she could within the circumstances.

"There are some families out there, like mine, that have four or five kids and it is literally impossible for her to take control of the situation.

"This is all going on at a time when kids should be concentrating on school work and stuff like that. It is crazy to think this is still going on in 2020 and it's something I don't believe should be happening."

In his letter, Rashford said MPs should "make protecting the lives of some of our most vulnerable a top priority" and "this is not about politics, this is about humanity."

The letter continues: "Looking at ourselves in the mirror and feeling like we did everything we could to protect those who can't, for whatever reason or circumstance, protect themselves. Political affiliations aside, can we not all agree that no child should be going to bed hungry?"

Rashford added: "It's written from the heart and it's about how my life was at the moment - the letter is to open up and let people understand the impact on families and to know I've done the right thing.

"What families are going through now, I've once had to go through that - and it's very difficult to find a way out. It's very important for me to help people who are struggling. Whether the outcome changes or doesn't change - that's why I wrote it."

Napoli are open to selling Kalidou Koulibaly and Fabian Ruiz this summer, according to their club president Aurelio De Laurentiis, who says he would consider offers within the region of €100 million (£90m/$112m) from Manchester United or Manchester City.

Koulibaly has been a rock in the heart of Napoli's defence once again in 2019-20, racking up 22 appearances across all competitions in total.

The 28-year-old's outstanding performances have made him one of the most sought-after defenders in European football in recent years, but he is still tied to a contract at Stadio San Paolo which is due to run until 2023.

Ruiz is also contracted to remain with Napoli for another three years, but speculation over his future at the club is intensifying ahead of the summer transfer window.

The Spanish midfielder has been another standout performer for Gennaro Gattuso's side this season, and is now being tipped to step up to an even bigger stage.

Ruiz and Koulibaly have both been linked with elite outfits such as Real Madrid, Paris-Saint Germain, United and City this year, and De Laurentiis has hinted that a prized pair could be allowed to leave if the club receives suitable bids.

The Napoli president told Corriere Dello Sport: "If City or United or PSG showed up with €100m, I would think about it and it is probable that they would leave, always if their will was to leave. 

"I don't even consider an offer of €60m (£55m/$68m). I am firm on that. If I wanted to win the Scudetto at any cost today I would find myself with three, four hundred million in debt. I look around and see companies at 500, 600 million, less than a billion. I don't owe anyone a sh*t."

De Laurentiis also confirmed they have entered talks with Spanish winger Jose Callejon about a bumper new extension to his contract.

He said: “In September, or maybe it was October, I don't remember well, we talked to each other and I clarified our intentions. I must have changed up the contract for €100,000 or €200,000. That's enough. He knows the conditions."

Louis Saha has expressed his belief that Jadon Sancho would be a good fit for Manchester United, describing the Borussia Dortmund star as a "deadly" performer in the final third.

Sancho is attracting attention from the biggest clubs across Europe ahead of the summer transfer window.

The 20-year-old, who moved to Westfalenstadion from Manchester City in 2017, is enjoying another fine season at Dortmund.

It has been suggested that a man who has recorded 20 goals and 20 assists in 40 appearances for BVB could make his way back to the Premier League when the transfer market reopens.

Manchester United are reportedly leading the race for Sancho's signature, and Saha thinks he could be the final piece in the puzzle Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been trying to piece together over the past year.

Asked if the England international would be a good signing for his old club, the former Red Devils striker told beIN Sports: "Totally, yes. He is a player that is uncatchable, he’s clever, quick, very precise. He’s got the legs, the stamina, the quality.

"He’s very creative for that type of player. When you have all those things, like I said about speed and creativity, but precise as well. So, imagine how deadly these things are. You can’t stop the guy and at the same time, he is very precise because he knows how to stop when passing the ball.

"It’s really hard because players, for example, Anthony [Martial] and [Marcus] Rashford, it can be hard for them because most of the time they’re going so quick so it’s hard to deliver the good pass like Juan Mata would do.

"Sancho has got that ability to address the right passes, the right weight of the pass because of his intelligence."

Gareth Southgate has seen Sancho transfer his club form at Dortmund to the international stage with England, but warned the young winger that Premier League football is far more competitive than the Bundesliga when discussing his future earlier this month.

The Three Lions boss told Sky Sports: "The top teams have certainly been a challenge for English teams in the Champions League but the level I don't think is quite the same in Germany in terms of the depth because the finances aren't quite the same. Any step for Sancho is going to be a challenge but he's developing really well."

Kylian Mbappe needs to leave Paris Saint-Germain to reach the level of dominance his potential suggests, according to Real Madrid star Luka Modric.

The France World Cup winner has been consistently linked with a transfer to Spain's capital with countryman Zinedine Zidane currently in charge of the La Liga giants.

However, PSG's sporting director Leonardo refuted claims of Mbappe's rumoured departure, claiming the club will be looking to secure the 21-year-old's future in Paris.

Modric believes Mbappe has the ability to reach the top of the game as an individual, but feels he can only get there if he moves to a league with more competition.

"Mbappé has everything to dominate the scene," Modric told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

"But I think that to make the leap in quality he needs to go to a championship in which his team does not win so easily."

Modric - the 2018 Ballon d'Or winner - turns 35 in September but has played 35 matches for Real this season, scoring five goals and creating five assists.

When asked about this future, the Croatian international was adamant he had a couple of seasons left at a high level and hinted he would like to coach with his national team one day.

"I'm sure I can play at a high level for two more years, then we'll see," Modric said.

"I would like to end my career at Real, but it will also depend on the club.

"Of course, I'll do the coaching course. For us, the national team is a feeling above football, both as a player and as a coach I'd be honored to be there".

Modric learned plenty off former team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo, with the duo playing six seasons together at the Bernabeu.

He admitted that Real had missed their ex-superstar since his departure to Juventus in 2018 and was full of praise for the Portugal attacker.

"Talking about [Ronaldo's ability] seems trivial to me: he is among the best ever," Modric said. "We missed his goals and character at Real: Cristiano always wants to win, he motivated us and made us react.

"As a person then he is a 10 - he has a big heart and is always ready to help those in need."

Gary Neville believes Alisson and not Virgil van Dijk is the main player to thank for Liverpool's looming Premier League success. 

Both players have been key for Jurgen Klopp this season with the Reds conceding just 21 goals across 29 league games to date - four fewer than Sheffield United who boast the next best defence. 

Van Dijk has been regularly singled out for praise since arriving at Anfield and finished second in Ballon d'Or voting for 2019 behind Lionel Messi. 

But Neville believes Liverpool's recent domestic exploits are down more Alisson, who has brought much-needed stability between the sticks. 

"I think Alisson has made Liverpool win the league," Neville was quoted by UK media. 

"When people talk about Van Dijk being the missing piece, I think that there is an element of that. But when I go back to two years or three years ago, I was very critical of the goalkeepers that were at Liverpool.

"I said I felt that they would never win the League while the current goalkeeper was in position. Jurgen Klopp came for me, I don’t know whether he was angry with me but he certainly had a go at me in the media.

"But soon as Allison came – I saw it at Manchester United with [Peter] Schmeichel then I saw it in that next spell where we had greatness with [Edwin] Van Der Sar.

"Once your goalkeeper is calm, authoritative, saves most shots on his goal, gives confidence to the rest of the team, the impact of that is absolutely incredible."

The Reds face Everton on Sunday needing just two more wins to wrap up a long-awaited domestic title. 

With the Premier League now poised to return on June 17 following the coronavirus pandemic, Neville wants to ensure the competition remains accessible for all fans across England. 

"I would hope football uses this as a chance to reset - reset the pyramid, distribute the wealth more, give grassroots more and give the lower league clubs more," Neville said.

"Make ourselves still the best league in the world but make it more affordable for fans to get into a stadium, make it more accessible, all the things that we know are right.

"There isn’t one single person in football or one single person in this country who wouldn’t believe that they are the right things in my mind, apart from potentially 14-15 Premier League owners. We have got to change."

In July 2019, RoundGlass Sports became a co-owner of Minerva Punjab after a merger deal was signed by both parties. They took charge of the various age-group teams whereas, the erstwhile management headed by Ranjit Bajaj continued to look after the operations of the senior team. After the previous I-League season, Bajaj sold his entire stakes to RoundGlass to cap off one of the most sensational deals in Indian football history.

Unsurprisingly, the change in management has also ushered in a change in policy and vision of the club. The new think-tank believes that participating in the Indian Super League (ISL) is the way forward to compete at the highest level. 

"Our long term mission is to produce the best Indian players. If we are going to do that, then we must aspire to play in ISL. The best Indian players play in ISL.  It's not going to happen this season. However, there is a possibility of that happening in the next season. If any such opportunity arrives, we will duly consider the option.  

"You have to eventually end up playing in ISL. The roadmap is already there in place. We know about future promotion and relegation scenarios. The matter will be considered at a more appropriate time. But currently, we are focusing I-League," stated Michael Browne, the technical director of the senior team. 

Browne has had a distinguished career and has previously served as the head coach of the Aspire Academy in Qatar and was also led the national team scouting department of Qatar. Seven in the starting line-up of the Qatar team that trounced Japan 3-1 in the 2019 Asian Cup final to lift the Asian Cup trophy were graduates of the Aspire Academy. He has also worked as the academy director for Charlton Athletic in England. 

He has been staying in India for over a year and has closely followed both the ISL and the I-League. After watching the leagues, he opines that the ISL has an edge over I-League in terms of quality of football as the better foreigners and Indians play their trade in the former. 

"It is always difficult to compare between leagues. Yet, I feel the ISL has a better standard than I-League. The quality of overseas players is better. The best Indian players also play in ISL. We aim to be a successful club, be it in I-League or ISL. But we are not going to do that by signing expensive players. We are going to develop Indian players and make them good enough so that they can go on to play for the national team."

Browne believes that the players with potential in India are not getting enough game time which is hindering their development. He suggests that it will be more beneficial for those to ply their trade in I-League rather than sitting on the bench in ISL. 

"The best Indian young players do not get minutes. That is definitely not good for football in India. We hope to improve that. They must play consistently. Some Indian players should play in I-league and not in ISL as they are mostly benchwarmers which impedes their process of development. 

"I think India's potential is huge. But there are not many good quality games. The players should get more quality games. All key positions in ISL are occupied by foreigners. The country needs to get (more) games at the right level. If we can have a longer season with higher standard of games, it will greatly help Indian football. There is also talk about the reduction of overseas players. Doing that you create more opportunities for Indian players to shine. But we should also keep in mind that the standard must not go down," concluded the UEFA Pro License holder. 

Diego Simeone challenged his Atletico Madrid players to treat every remaining La Liga match like a final after a 1-1 draw at Athletic Bilbao hindered their top-four hopes.

Throughout his eight-and-a-half-year tenure, Simeone has expanded Spain's big two to a big three – most notably when Atleti pipped Barcelona and Real Madrid to the title in 2013-14.

However, they lie sixth in the standings after Saturday's stalemate at San Mames, with a 13th top-flight draw this season setting an unwanted club record.

In their previous competitive match before the coronavirus shutdown, Atletico sensationally dumped holders Liverpool out of the Champions League to reach the quarter-finals.

However, their participation in next season's competition is far from assured and fourth-placed Real Sociedad could open up a three-point advantage when they host Osasuna later on Sunday.

"The aim for the two teams was to always try to win, we started well in the first 10 minutes, then they positioned themselves better and they won the second ball and they did not let us attack," Simeone told reporters, after watching Diego Costa find a quickfire response to Iker Muniain's opener.

"The goal came, the reaction, after a very well-constructed play.

"In the second half we were closer to that victory. Santiago Arias' chance was the clearest. He could have allow us to take the victory in a stadium where you always have to work to win.

"We have one final left in each match."

Simeone picked two-goal Anfield hero Marcos Llorente in an advanced role behind Costa, leaving striker Alvaro Morata on the bench until the 63rd minute.

Nevertheless, the Atleti boss would not rule out pairing them as a front two in future, with a Wednesday trip to Osasuna in La Liga on the agenda.

"Seeing what I see and knowing the squad, I interpreted this situation to be like this today," he said.

"Over time, they will be able to coexist. We understood that Marcos could give us some incision like he did, with some sprints, some passes and the dirty work."

Elsewhere in La Liga on Sunday, Atletico's rivals Real Madrid claimed a 3-1 win against Eibar to remain second. 

The poor goalscoring record among Indian strikers in the Indian Super League (ISL) and the I-League in the recent seasons has been well documented. Apart from Sunil Chhetri, who scored nine goals, the only other Indian striker who scored more than one goal last season is FC Goa's Manvir Singh (2).

In fact, the lack of consistent Indian goalscorers has been highlighted by many experts including national team head coach Igor Stimac. Jeje Lalpekhlua, one of the most prolific Indian goalscorers in the last decade, feels that the opportunities to shine for Indian strikers is hard to come by.

Jeje, who is the second-highest Indian goalscorer in the ISL with 23 goals, has had to sit out the 2019-20 season with a knee injury and the subsequent rehabilitation following a surgery. He feels that since Indian strikers are directly competing with foreign forwards, it is hard for them to get preference to start matches.

"Especially for an Indian striker, it's difficult to get a chance to play. Every team is having overseas strikers and it is hard for an Indian to get into the team," Jeje told Goal. "It is understandable because if you are a coach, you put the better player in the first XI. More often than not, it is the overseas striker. But coaches need to give confidence to Indian strikers. If the coach believes in you, you can invariably do well.

"Indian strikers have to work harder than other players. It you don't score soon, it might be a problem becuase you will be compared to a foreign striker. The club has to give more opportunities to Indian striker ultimately. Maybe, then you will see their performances improve."

The increased scrutiny on the lack of opportunities for Indian strikers saw the All India Football Federation's (AIFF) Executive Committee deciding to implement the four foreigner rule (3+1), conforming with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) norms, in the I-League immediately and in the ISL from 2021-22 season.

"I support the four foreigner rule. In every Asian competition, we have the 3+1 system (one foreigner compulsory from an Asian nation). FC Goa, ATK and Bengaluru FC have to play with four foreigners in the continental competitions. They have to adapt to this in the league as well. I support the rule," reasoned Jeje.

It has not been easy for the Mizo Sniper to sit on the sidelines this season. Jeje has been a consistent source of goals for Chennaiyin FC in the ISL, with his goals playing a key role in two of their title-winning campaigns. Only the 2018-19 season was an aberration, with Jeje contributing just one goal. However, the entire team underperformed massively in that campaign.

Chennaiyin FC reached the ISL final last season. However, they struggled initially until Owen Coyle took over six games into the season. Jeje reveals how hard it was for him to watch the team struggle without being able to help them on the pitch.

"When they did well, I felt great. In the first half of the season, it was very bad for me. We were not doing well and lost many games. We were bottom of the table. I was watching from TV and it was very difficult. Sometimes, I thought I wanted to shut down the TV and it was a very tough time.

"But this is football. We turned it around and I was really happy with the way the team was playing. It's really nice to see them fight well."

Jeje's rehabilitation has progressed well and the forward cannot wait to get back on the pitch.

"I am getting better now. It is difficult when you get an injury. I did a surgery. But I'm very excited to play now. Of course, I can't help the situation right now (lockdown). I'm doing my own rehab and exercises. I do cycling and self workouts due to the lockdown. I'm really excited to be back. I missed football a lot."

The former Mohun Bagan striker is also looking forward to playing in the national team, for whom he last turned out more than an year ago before his injury.

"I am really excited to play with the national team. It is special for me always to play for the national team. India is always the first priority. I'm really excited because I missed a lot of football. I missed a lot of stuff and I'm looking forward to everything."