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Crystal Palace midfielder Eberechi Eze and Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah strikes have been nominated for Premier League Goal of the Month award for January.

Eze delivered an impressive performance for the Eagles in the month under review, scoring a wondergoal for his side against Sheffield United.

The Nigerian midfielder dribbled his way past several of the Blades defenders before firing home from the edge of the box.

Eze’s effort ensured Palace ended their five-game winless run with a 2-0 victory over Sheffield United which helped them to their current 13th spot on the league table.

Egypt international Salah also shone for Liverpool last month, scoring a breath-taking goal against West Ham United to help the Reds secure all three points in the encounter.

Eze and Salah will slug it out with Arsenal duo of Kieran Tierney and Bukayo Saka, Tottenham Hotspur’s Tanguy Ndombele and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg for a chance to clinch the award.

Chelsea’s Marcos Alonso and Leeds United’s Patrick Bamford were also nominated for the individual accolade.

Eze has been turning heads since teaming up with Crystal Palace in the summer from Queens Park Rangers and scored a stunning free-kick in November.

The strike was shortlisted for the best goal award in the English top-flight but lost to his compatriot and Fulham defender Ola Aina and will hope to clinch the award this time around.

The midfielder has now scored three Premier League goals and provided three assists in 22 appearances across all competitions this season. 

Salah, meanwhile, has been a consistent performer of the Liverpool since his arrival from AS Roma in the summer of 2017.

The forward has won a number of awards since joining the Anfield outfit, including two consecutive Golden Boot prizes.

Salah has bagged 21 goals across all competitions for Liverpool, including 15 in the Premier League and has provided four assists.

The forward will hope to continue his eye-catching performances when the Reds take on Manchester City on Sunday.

David Moyes has admitted that he would be open to signing Jesse Lingard on a full-time basis from Manchester United if he can maintain the trajectory of his impressive rebirth at West Ham.

The former England winger scored twice on a glittering debut performance for the Hammers in their midweek 3-1 win over Aston Villa following his loan arrival from Old Trafford.

The 28-year-old reunited with his former Red Devils boss at London Stadium, starting his first Premier League game for over a year on Wednesday night.

While current United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has claimed that the playmaker still has a future with the club, Lingard has cut an increasingly isolate figure at the Theatre of Dreams under the Norwegian.

But Moyes belives that the ex-Three Lions man could instead find greater purchase in the capital, where he could even push for a recall to Gareth Southgate's plans ahead of Euro 2020.

"He is a more mature boy now and is someone who is getting to the prime of his career," the Irons boss stated ahead of his side's clash with Fulham this weekend.

"He's at the stage where he wants to play well and he wants to be on the pitch. We're not getting carried away but we are obviously really pleased with Jesse.

"He was always a fit young player so getting some match practice for him is important. We don't want to put too much pressure on him but he has set himself a great standard by his performance.

"We've had one game. The situation here is Jesse's going to get a good chance to look at West Ham, see what he thinks of us and whether he likes it, and we'll get a good look at Jesse and decide what we think in five or six months' time."

In a particularly topsy-turvy Premier League season that looks to be finally coalescing into a familiar title race between Manchester City, Liverpool and United, West Ham have exceeded expectations to sit on the edge of a top-four challenge.

But Moyes, who guided Everton to a career-best fourth-place finish in 2005, feels that his side still have more to give, adding: "The position we are in is excellent.

"I still think we can do more. I don't think the players have quite reached where they have got to get to.

"We have shown good form in midweek after a couple of games where we had not been quite so good.

"So I think there is room to improve, and if we can improve in the second half of the season then hopefully that will keep us near the top end of the league."

Leeds United attacking duo Rodrigo and Ian Poveda are expected to be sidelined for several weeks, manager Marcelo Bielsa has confirmed, in the latest injury blow for the Whites.

The pair picked up a muscle strain and an ankle knock in the club's Premier League win over Leicester City and the Under-23 side's win over Sunderland, respectively, in the past few weeks.

Both players were missing in action for Wednesday's defeat against Everton at Elland Road and will be absent for Monday's visit of Crystal Palace too.

But their coach has now revealed that the Spain international and England youth starlet will be set for lengthier layoffs than initially hoped, joining fellow summer signings Robin Koch and Diego Llorente on the sidelines.

What has Bielsa said on the pair's injuries?

The veteran Argentine provided further insight on Rodrigo's problems during his pre-match press conference ahead of the clash with Roy Hodgson's Eagles.

"It's not a question of days, more of weeks," the former Athletico Bilbao boss revealed. "Rodrigo fell and his legs separated and caused an elongation more than usual and this caused the injury.

"I saw a picture of the position both of his feet ended up in and the difference between them was different to what we would expect."

How crucial will the duo's absences be?

While Poveda is less of a regular fixture in Bielsa's matchday plans - the 20-year-old has played just 10 top-flight games this term, all off the bench - Rodrigo has proved to be an integral presence since his arrival in August.

The former Valencia man has featured in all but three of United's Premier League games across the current campaign, netting three times and providing a solitary assist so far.

Alongside fellow attacking option Raphinha, he has proven to be one of the Whites' most dangerous creative playmakers, providing a key link to striker Patrick Bamford up front.

What games will they miss?

Bielsa's comments that the duo may be waiting a number of weeks to make their return to action suggests that they may not kick a ball until March at the earliest.

That would rule them not only out of Monday's clash with Palace but also games with Arsenal, Wolves, Southampton and Aston Villa across the rest of February.

Bielsa has however been handed a boost with the news that Gaetano Berardi is set to return to training after he damaged his knee ligaments at the end of last season.

"He's going to be returning to training on Monday with the team, and as he gains fitness he will start being incorporated with the U23s," the 65-year-old added.

Liverpool have completed the signing of 16-year-old Derby County midfielder Kaide Gordon, the Championship club have confirmed. 

Derby said that the two clubs had reached an "undisclosed compensation agreement" for the England youth international, who made his senior debut for the Rams in December.

Gordon came on as a substitute against Birmingham, becoming the fourth-youngest player ever to turn out for the Derby first team.

Who is Kaide Gordon?

Kaide Gordon is considered one of England's top talents in his age group, having been named Derby County's Academy Player of the Season last term. 

Gordon has turned out for Derby's Under-18 side over the past two seasons, and has scored three goals in five U18 Premier League appearances this season.

The teenager joined Derby at age six and spent 10 years with the club before moving to Anfield.

What has Wayne Rooney said about Gordon?

Derby County head coach Wayne Rooney was asked about Gordon last week and confirmed the teenager would be moving to Anfield.

"Kaide is a fantastic player. I brought him into the squad because he was showing the qualities I want," Rooney said.

“We offered him a deal which he didn’t take. As always when a player doesn’t sign up, if any of the big clubs in the Premier League come in, it is very difficult to deny the player that opportunity.

“There has been an offer for Kaide [from Derby] since before I have been in this role. He hasn’t signed it for whatever reason. Liverpool have become aware of that and stepped in.

“Once a team like Liverpool comes in for one of your players it is hard to turn that down.

“For his development, of course I would have liked him to stay at the club, but I understand once the champions of England come in and want to sign you, it is difficult to turn it down.”

What has Gordon said about his move to Liverpool?

Gordon posted twice on Instagram on Friday, once to thank Derby for his decade at the club and another time to look forward to his future with Liverpool.

"I would like to thank everyone at Derby County for the last 10 years," Gordon said. "Since signing for the club at the age of 6, I’ve worn this shirt with pride and I wouldn’t be where I am today with the support and guidance of everyone at the club, and all the coaches and medical team who have played an important role in my development over the years.

"I would like to wish everyone at the club all the best for the future."

Will Gordon play for Liverpool's senior side right away?

Goal's Liverpool correspondent Neil Jones has confirmed that Gordon will join Liverpool's U23 team and will not be a part of Jurgen Klopp's first-team plans right away.

Further reading

Liverpool set to complete signing of 16-year-old Derby starlet Kaide Gordon, Rooney confirms (Jan 28)

Deloitte have published the 2021 Football Money League, which analyses the finances of the clubs which generate the highest revenue.

The latest findings showed that the top 20 clubs, all based in Europe, manage to accrue a combined €8.2 billion (£7.2b/$9.9m) during the 2019-20 season.

It  was a 12 per cent decrease from the prior season (€9.3 billion) - no doubt owing to the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, which impacted a fall in broadcast and matchday revenue - but also resulted in an increase in commercial venue.

Which club is the richest in the world?

Barcelona were named the world's richest football club in 2021 according to the Deloitte rankings, retaining a slight margin ahead of Spanish rivals Real Madrid despite having a revenue fall of €125 million (£110m/$150m) to €715m (£628m/$861m) in 2019-20.

They both hold a substantial lead ahead of the rest of the table, and dominate the table comfortably.

Bayern are ranked in third and are in front of Manchester United, named the richest English side.

They are followed immediately by the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City, with Paris Saint-Germain slotting into seventh.

The top 10 richest clubs are dominated by five Premier League clubs, including Chelsea and Tottenham, while Arsenal are placed at 11th in the table, with Everton 17th.

The rest of the table is rounded out by Borussia Dortmund, Inter, Atletico Madrid, Zenit Saint-Petersburg and other big European names.

Barcelona's status as the richest club in the world, however, has been overshadowed by their  €1.2 billion (£1.1b/$1.5b) debt alongside the revelation that Lionel Messi's salary is at €555 million (£491m/$674m).

The Catalan side were found to be owing a total of €126 million (£112m/$153m) to other clubs, which is rooted from several transfer deals that the club made over the course of several years - including deals for Phiippe Coutinho, Frenkie de Jong and Arthur.

You can view the full rankings with the total revenue (broadcast, matchday and commercial) below.

Deloitte 2021 Football Money League rankings: The world's top 20 richest football clubs

Fifa has cleared Munir El Haddadi to represent the Morocco national team after a previous stint with Spain.

The decision for the 25-year-old centre-forward to switch his allegiance to the Atlas Lions was confirmed on Friday.

El Haddadi was born in Spain to a Moroccan father and played for the European country’s U19 and U21 teams before he was handed a call-up to the senior side in 2014.

The forward made his debut for Spain against Macedonia in a Uefa Euro 2016 qualifier and featured for only 13 minutes in the encounter.

El Haddadi has, however, indicated his desire to change his allegiance to the Morocco national team and has made frantic efforts to ensure the success of his switch.

The forward filed an appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport after he was considered ineligible to feature for the North Africans by Fifa following his brief appearance for the Spain senior team.

The world football governing body recently changed its rule, permitting players under the age of 21 to switch national teams if they have made three competitive appearances or fewer.

In the case of El Haddadi, the forward played for Spain U21 side after his 21st birthday, which makes him ineligible to swap to the Atlas Lions and CAS upheld Fifa decision on the matter.

The forward has now been given the all-clear after a further amendment to the rule last week and will be available for selection in Morocco’s next outing.

"The Single Judge of the Players' Status Committee has approved the following change of association: Munir El Haddadi, (to) Morocco (from) Spain," a Fifa spokesperson told BBC Sport Africa.

The new amendment regarding the eligibility of players to switch national teams takes effect from September 2020, when the change was made, therefore clearing El Haddadi to make his switch.

"Considering the principle of legal certainty, the age requirement ("he had not turned 21 years old") shall not apply to players who played their last match in an official competition ... prior to 18 September 2020, the date the September 2020 amendments entered into force," Fifa said.

El Haddadi started his senior career at Barcelona and played a number of games for the Spanish giants before teaming up with Sevilla in 2019.

The forward has made 24 appearances for Sevilla across all competitions this season, scoring three goals, amid other dazzling displays.

Federation of Uganda Football Associations (Fufa) president Moses Magogo has explained why he thinks the country performed poorly at the African Nations Championship in Cameroon.

The winless Cranes were eliminated after a 5-2 loss against the defending champions Morocco after they had drawn Rwanda 0-0 and went down 2-1 to Togo.

“We are ranked 16th in Africa, but you cannot reach the top without infrastructures. Uganda have no football pitch approved by Caf but we want to go and compete,” Magogo said as was quoted by Sports Nation.

“We need to do a lot with our home Premier League, set up infrastructures, make reforms in the league, commercially and technically."

Apart from poor infrastructure, Magogo blamed the low budget allocated to the football fraternity by the government for their disappointing performances.

“Parliament has to allocate adequate funds to set up infrastructures [stadiums] and that is my role together with my fellow MPs to bring this on the table,” he added.

“The 10 billion allocated to football is still little. We need more funding from the government. We need a hand from the government.”

The Fufa chief is among the newly-elected Members of Parliament after he clinched the Budiope East seat. He has now outlined what role he will play in the house as he tries to find solutions to football problems.

“I am happy to be in parliament now. Politics is about serving people. Sports has given us a platform that has enabled us to join politics,” Magogo concluded.

“We have worked on football problems, but we still have a long way to go. Football has got a lot of challenges, let’s try to correct the mistakes, rather than blaming anyone for the mistakes.

“I am going to bring football ideas in parliament. We have shown that we have the potential in sports. In the last Parliament, Sports has not been a priority, we as Fufa forced parliament to bring sports on the floor and that is why I am nowhere.

“I am not going to keep quiet while in parliament. We need to solve today’s sports problems and the time is now.”

Uganda – after a fifth attempt to unsuccessfully go past the Chan group stage – have now turned their focus on the upcoming U20 African Cup of Nations in Mauritania.

The technical director of the Nigeria Football Federation, Austin Eguavoen, believes the Super Eagles need time to get back to their best.

The Nigeria national team have been under severe criticism by a section of the fans following their recent not-too impressive performances.

The Super Eagles are yet to secure victory since November 2020, losing against Algeria in a friendly and playing out a draw against Tunisia.

Gernot Rohr’s men also struggled against lowly-rated side Sierra Leone in their 2022 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers in November.

The three-time African champions drew with the Leone Stars at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City, squandering a 4-0 lead in the encounter.

Nigeria then played to a second consecutive draw against Sierra Leone in Freetown, much to the displeasure of many of their fans.

The West Africans qualified for the 2018 World Cup in Russia and the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations seamlessly, finishing third at the continental tournament in Egypt.

Eguavoen believes the Super Eagles will start winning games with ease again when the NFF start implementing their developmental plans.

“It will take a bit of time to get the Super Eagles back to what they used to be,” Eguavoen told the Punch.

“The bedrock lies in the development now and we have to focus on the young ones now because we have established players in the senior team. Young ones will need to come through the ranks.

“I had a chat with Gernot Rohr a few days ago and as soon as he comes he will focus more on the younger players.

“We have a plan and that plan will be unveiled to the world very soon. We argued and agreed on some issues and created a pathway that would make everybody happy, and that will be very soon.”

Eguavoen was a former Nigeria international and coach, and he was recently appointed as the technical director of the Nigeria Football Federation, succeeding Shuaibu Amodu.

The Super Eagles will continue their 2022 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign in March against the Republic of Benin and Lesotho.

The debate about who was better between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi is sure to go on for decades after the pair finally hang up their boots, but when all is said and done, numbers will tell much of the story.

As attacking phenoms, goals are the chief currency and whoever scores the most by the time their career ends will be the determining factor for many.

Other factors in the GOAT debate, such as trophies won, individual awards claimed and the big, inspirational moments will all feature, but the stats will have the final say on who the greatest goalscorer was.

So, Ronaldo or Messi? Which player has scored more goals? Goal takes a look.

Ronaldo has scored more goals than Messi overall in all competitions, but it is close.

Both players have scored over 700 career goals and they are the only currently active players to achieve that feat.

The duo find themselves in an exclusive group, with the only other footballers in history to surpass the 700-goal mark being Ferenc Puskas, Gerd Muller, Pele, Romario and Igor Bican.

As an illustration of how far in front of their peers Ronaldo and Messi are, the closest goalscorer still playing is Zlatan Ibrahimovic and the Swede has just over 560 goals to his name, despite playing for longer than the duo.

Portugal icon Ronaldo is older than Messi by two years and four months, with his professional career kicking off in 2002-03, two seasons before Messi, who first appeared on the scene in 2004-05.

As such, it is fair to say that the former Real Madrid star has had the advantage of time over the Argentine.

Ronaldo is the leading Champions League goalscorer of all time, followed by Messi of course, but it is interesting to note that Messi boasts more European Golden Shoe awards (six to Ronaldo's four).

Internationally, Ronaldo has broken the 100-goal mark and is closing in on Iranian icon Ali Daei, who holds the record of 109 goals. Messi lags significantly behind on this front too, with just over 70 goals for Argentina.

In club competition, a comparison of their respective scoring averages suggests that Messi could overtake Ronaldo provided he does not retire before the Portuguese.

Ronaldo may have more goals overall (across club and country), but Messi is scoring more on average at club level at least.

After the conclusion of the 2019-20 season, the Barcelona captain averaged 40 goals a season, while Ronaldo averaged 35 goals a season. It remains to be seen if that sort of differential can make up the gap.

In the meantime, here is what the numbers were before the 2020-21 season at a glance:

At the end of the 2019-20 campaign, Ronaldo had scored 638 goals at club level across his time at Sporting, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus. He had also scored 102 times for Portugal, making his total number of senior goals at that point 740.

At the same time, Messi's total of Barcelona goals was 634, with 71 scored in the albiceleste of Argentina, bringing his total tally to 705.

Note that the above table takes into account senior goals scored up to and including the 2019-20 season only and will be updated accordingly.

Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila have reportedly dismissed their head coach Joel Masutha. 

This has come as a surprise as the local tactician guided Vhadau Vha Damani to an impressive 1-0 win over a much-fancied SuperSport United side in the Nedbank Cup Last 32 match on Thursday evening.

The Limpopo-based side advanced to the Round of 16 for the first time since 2019 after eliminating five-time Nedbank Cup champions SuperSport. 

It has been reported that Masutha has been fired by new Tshakhuma owner Dr Abram Sello, who is said to have recently purchased the club from Lawrence Mulaudzi. 

"Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila have terminated the contract of head coach Joel Masutha with immediate effect," Far Post reported on Friday. 

"Far Post has it on good authority that Masutha was let go by new club owner Dr Abram Sello on Friday." 

The decision to dismiss Masutha may be based on the fact that the team has been struggling in the PSL under the former Black Leopards coach.

Vhadau Vha Damani are winless in their last 10 matches in the competition having lost five consecutive games, which sees the team placed 15th on the league standings.

Tshakhuma are in their debut season in the top-flight league after purchasing Bidvest Wits' PSL status prior to the start of the current season.

TTM have reportedly already identified a replacement for Masutha as it is said the club is interested in Dylan Kerr, who is currently a free agent.

"It is believed the club has earmarked former Black Leopards coach Dylan Kerr, who was at the Thohoyandou Stadium when they beat SuperSport United on Thursday for the job," the same publication reported. 

Kerr was dismissed by Leopards two weeks ago due to a poor run of results in the league and it was his second stint with the Limpopo-based club.

The English tactician also coached another Limpopo-based side in Baroka FC between January 2020 and November 2020.

Tshakhuma's next match is against Maritzburg United in a league game at Harry Gwala Stadium on February 12.

A victory for TTM will see them climb out of the relegation zone as they are level on points with 14th-placed Maritzburg. 

Tanzania Mainland League reigning champions Simba SC will be donning jerseys branded with the 'Visit Tanzania' slogan during their Caf Champions League group stage matches.

Wekundu wa Msimbazi are in Group A alongside defending champions Al Ahly of Egypt, AS Vita of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Al-Merrikh of Sudan.

The 21-time league champions believe this is a good opportunity to market the East African country.

"Simba SC management and different stakeholders are aware of the goodness of our country," the club's CEO Barbara Gonzalez said during his meeting with the reporters.

"It is for this reason that we have decided to be ambassadors of our country through football.  

"There was a space on our jersey and we decided to put a logo as well as our new slogan 'Visit Tanzania. We will be using these jerseys in the Caf Champions League group stage."  

The CEO has further revealed the agenda will be pushed through other platforms as well as the club's merchandise throughout the continental competition.

"We will play AS Vita in DR Congo, Al-Merrikh in Sudan as well as Al Ahly in Egypt, and we will also have three home games against the aforementioned teams," Gonzalez added.

"We want to use the opportunity to market our country. 

"Apart from jerseys, our masks and bags will also be branded with the slogan. And we will push the agenda through our social platforms as well. Our products and merchandise will also have the Visit Rwanda slogan."

Wekundu wa Msimbazi will open their campaign with an away trip against the Black Dolphins on Friday, February 12, before hosting the Red Devils on Tuesday, February 23. They will then make a trip to Sudan to play the Leader on March 5.

The second round for the Tanzanian heavyweights will start with a home game against the Sudanese outfit on March 16 then host AS Vita on April 2 before finishing their campaign with an away game against the reigning champions on April 9.

Simba are aiming at reaching the semi-finals of the annual competition for the first time in their history. They are also eyeing the domestic league title as well as the FA Cup.

Uganda Revenue Authority (URA FC) head coach Sam Ssimbwa has distanced himself from the sale of ‘irreplaceable’ Saidi Kyeyune to El-Merreikh.

Kyeyune moved to the Sudanese side after a good personal performance in the African Nations Championship but Ssimbwa has stated he was not involved in the transfer of the Uganda midfielder.

“I was not involved at all in Kyeyune’s move to El-Merreikh, they only informed me the following day that he was no longer my player and that is wrong from the club,” Ssimbwa told Football256.

“A player of his quality is irreplaceable but I will have look through the other players left at the club and see if they can help us in that position throughout the rest of the season.”

Brian Nkuubi, Jackson Nunda and Moses Sseruyide are the remaining options for the former Sofapaka head coach after the departure of Kyeyune.

“We have Nkuubi, Sseruyidde and Nunda and we shall therefore have to consider one of them to play with Shafiq Kagimu in the midfield,” Ssimbwa added.

“But unfortunately, Nunda is still out. Initially, he had recovered and ready to play but then tested positive for coronavirus, and of late, he picked up an injury during a friendly game.”

The Ugandan head coach also explained factors that affected their season preparations and how they can assure themselves of good results in future.

“We had prepared well and I think we would be having more points at this stage but we were disrupted by a number of factors most especially coronavirus because we did not start with seven of our first team players,” Ssimbwa added.

“But as it stands, if they do not contract the virus again, we can carry on with the good performance.”

The 54-year-old coach also talked about the strength of their Premier League opponents.

“The teams we are competing with have strengthened themselves and for our case, we have lost our best player,” he concluded.

“Take the example of Express, they are not like the way they were previously, they are a strong team so that is the general picture of how teams have organised themselves this season.

“A title is won when the entire club is involved starting from the administrators, the players and definitely the coaches but if one party is having other motives then it becomes difficult.

“But we shall try and chase it, why not?”

The Premier League will resume on February 12 after a short January-February break.

Former Ghana striker Matthew Amoah has revealed an aggravated injury during the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations significantly contributed to his poor spell at Borussia Dortmund.

After scoring nine times in 18 Eredivisie appearances for Dutch side Vitesse Arnhem during the first half of the 2005-06 season, the forward was snapped up by the Black and Yellows during the winter transfer window, signing a two-year deal to reunite with former coach Bert van Marwijk.

Shortly after signing, Amoah headed for Afcon with Ghana who ultimately suffered a first-round elimination in Egypt.

"My time in Dortmund was very hard at the beginning. I was at the Africa Cup and came back with a knee injury, so I struggled. I had already picked up the injury in my last game for Vitesse," Amoah told Goal.

"After I signed, I wanted to play quickly, so I started training early and injured myself again - on the same knee. So I travelled to Egypt battered, where the problems came back. The directors of course were not pleased, but Bert van Marwijk told me that I should take my time.

"When van Marwijk left, my problems really started. The people in charge had me removed from the squad because it was van Marwijk who had signed me. They didn't want to use a player who was explicitly wanted and brought in by him.

"Michael Zorc was always nice to me. It was the people who were above him. They wanted me to leave. When you hear something like that, everything is crystal clear."

At the end of his two-year spell, Amoah made a paltry 17 league appearances involving five starts for Dortmund, drawing blank over the period.

"Maybe people are right. A striker who plays 17 games and doesn't score a goal is bad," Amoah responded to being tagged a failure at Dortmund.

"Yet they don't know the reasons, but a striker is there to score goals. In the end, it's the statistics that count. If you look at my games, you see that I had good performances. But from the outside you might think that the pressure in Dortmund was just too high.

"I had a really good time and great teammates. Everything you experience in life is a lesson that makes you stronger. I had enough chances to score, but I was just unlucky."

Amoah headed back to the Netherlands after his Dortmund spell, joining NAC Breda where he rediscovered his scoring boots and netted 34 goals in 108 outings. 

Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson has confirmed Wilfried Zaha will miss their Premier League trip to Leeds United on Monday.

The 28-year-old suffered a hamstring injury on Wednesday during the Eagles' 2-1 win over Newcastle United and he was replaced by Andros Townsend in the 58th minute.

Zaha recently returned from a knock but he has made 19 league appearances for Crystal Palace this season and he is the club's top scorer with nine goals and two assists.

After confirming Zaha’s absence for the clash with Marcelo Bielsa’s team, the former England and Liverpool manager does not have a timeframe for the return of the Ivory Coast international.

“We don’t know how long it’s going to keep him out,” Hodgson said in his pre-match press conference. “He certainly won’t be available for this game, and it could be much longer than that.

“At the moment, of course, it’s the early stage of the injury and he’s still being assessed. It’s totally unrealistic to suggest he’d be ready for this game.”

Hodgson, meanwhile, stated that the club’s medical team are working for his immediate recovery and he also applauded Zaha’s zeal to return from the setback as soon as possible.

“You never know with these hamstring injuries, but Wilf is incredible in terms of recovery so I wouldn’t want to put a definite timeline on it," he added.

"But it’s a muscle strain and all muscle strains take time to heal.

“Our people are doing their level best to get him back on the field.”

African stars including Ghana striker Jordan Ayew and Nigerian descent Eberechi Eze will be expected to inspire Crystal Palace's frontline in the absence of the Ivorian star.

Ansu Fati has suffered a setback in his recovery from a serious knee injury, placing his involvement in Barcelona’s heavyweight Champions League last-16 clash with Paris Saint-Germain into serious doubt.

The 18-year-old forward has been out of action since early November, with his last outing coming in a 5-2 victory over Real Betis.

Another exciting product of the famed La Masia academy system had been thriving at that stage, with five goals recorded through 12 appearances.

Having also broken through in the senior Spain squad, big things were expected of the talented youngster, however, impressive progress has been stopped in its tracks.

It has been reported by TV3 that Fati has been forced to go under the knife again, with further surgery required in order to ensure that he makes a full recovery.

Sources have revealed to Goal that this is not the case, with no second operation undergone so far, but it has been confirmed that Fati is suffering discomfort in his knee and that further treatment has been taken in.

With that in mind, it is unlikely that a return to action will be made any time soon, and that represents a blow to Barcelona’s immediate plans, with big games coming thick and fast for Ronald Koeman’s side.

An away date with Real Betis in La Liga is due to be taken in on Sunday, before attention then switches to the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey and a clash with Sevilla.

The Blaugrana will be looking to keep a title bid on track when they play host to Alaves on February 13, with that fixture followed three days later by the first leg of a meeting with PSG, and Fati is not expected to figure in any of those contests.

Barca had initially hoped that a hot prospect would be back on the training field by the end of January, but that has not been the case.

Avoiding surgery would be a welcome bonus, as it would almost certainly bring Fati’s 2020-21 campaign to a close, but it remains to be seen when he will be ready to figure alongside Lionel Messi and co again.

Leicester City coach Brendan Rodgers said Wilfred Ndidi’s chances of playing against Wolverhampton Wanderers are uncertain as he continues working to be available.

The Super Eagles midfielder is recovering from a hamstring injury he suffered against Everton in January and Rodgers said he is under medical supervision.

Even if he misses Sunday’s outing at Molineux, Ndidi has been confirmed ready to participate in the Foxes’ FA Cup fifth-round clash with Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday.

"We’ll see with him over the next 24 hours, just whether it’s worth the risk or not," Rodgers told the club website.

"He’s coming along very, very well. We’ll assess that. If not for the weekend, he’ll definitely be available for midweek [vs. Brighton & Hove Albion in the Emirates FA Cup Fifth Round]."

With Ndidi absent in the midfield, his compatriot Kelechi Iheanacho has impressed in filling Jamie Vardy’s shoes after the English forward underwent minor hernia surgery last month.

The 24-year-old opened the scoring with his first Premier League goal of the season as Leicester City sealed a 2-0 victory over Fulham on Wednesday.

Vardy has been passed fit and available for Sunday’s match and when asked whether the club’s highest goalscorer may start with Iheanacho at Wolves, Rodgers said: "The beauty of it is we don’t have to. That’s the key. Kelechi, the other night, he was terrific in his work.

"He scored a great goal and he will be high in confidence. We all know Jamie is so important to us, but the beauty of it is, coming out of an operation, we don’t need to rush him.

"Just to have him available, whether to start or from the bench, it’s a huge boost for us. It’s not a problem. It’s great Kels has got his goal because he’s worked so hard.

"That's not just in games he's played, but every day in training, so he got his reward for that."

Elite-level footballers plying their trade in the world's top leagues are handsomely remunerated for their services and nowadays so too are the managers they play under.

While players remain the most valuable commodity in the game and the salaries of the top performers reflect that fact, managers also command significant financial reward.

Of course, just as players' salaries vary, the wages earned by managers represent a broad spectrum.

The stature and monetary might of a club plays a part, while a manager's track record and reputation certainly matters as well.

So how much do football managers get paid?

Household names such as Jurgen Klopp, Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho are at the top end of the spectrum when it comes to highest-earning football managers.

When Manchester City recruited Guardiola as manager in 2016, the Catalan's contract was reported to be worth in the region of £15 million ($19m) a year, which works out at around £290,000 a week.

That annual salary was said to have been bumped up to £20 million ($27m) a year when Guardiola agreed to extend his deal with the Premier League club in 2020, making him the highest-paid manager in the league.

Mourinho is believed to have similar earning power to Guardiola, which is of little surprise given the level of success that the Portuguese has delivered at previous clubs.

Having won trophies at every club he has managed, Mourinho's reputation, though sometimes divisive, is such that Tottenham are reportedly willing to pay him £15 million ($19m) a year.

Klopp's wages at Liverpool are at a similar level - £15 million a year - with the former Borussia Dortmund boss' achievements in the Premier League and Champions League arguably justifying his cost.

Highest earning Premier League managers 2020-21

Based on data from sportekz.com

Such is the charisma and appeal of managers like Klopp et al that very often they are able to make even more money outside of football through endorsement deals.

Mourinho famously teamed up with betting company Paddy Power for a series of advertisements, while Klopp has promoted a variety of products, including Opel cars and Erdinger beer.

The base salaries of managers such as Klopp, Mourinho and Guardiola are comparable to high-earning players in the game, such as Paul Pogba and Mohamed Salah, though they fall significantly short of the money paid to the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. 

The contract Manchester United handed to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in 2019 was reported by the Daily Mirror to be worth £7.5 million annually - half that which Mourinho et al are paid.

Solskjaer had only managed Norwegian side Molde and Welsh outfit Cardiff City prior to his appointment at Old Trafford, yet the Red Devils saw fit to reward him with a contract that was similar in remuneration to that which Leeds United paid veteran coach Marcelo Bielsa.

Arguably, Leeds - a club whose financial power pales in comparison to Manchester United - paid a premium for Bielsa, who is reported to earn £8 million a year, whereas the Red Devils paid what might well be their going rate for a manager.

While the salaries of managers at clubs further down the table are lower than the aforementioned trio, their pay is still relatively lucrative.

Despite it being his first job in management, Mikel Arteta was given a contract worth £5 million ($6.8m) a year at Arsenal according to the Daily Express, a figure that places him in the same league as former Liverpool and Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers at Leicester City.

Managers at less fashionable clubs in the Premier League, particularly those which traditionally toil in the lower half of the table, earn a fraction of the money that their more vaunted peers get.

However, the figures are still similar to the average wages that would be earned by players in the division. Sean Dyche was given a new contract by Burnley in 2018 worth £70,000 a week or £3.6 million a year according to The Times - which actually saw him earn more than the Clarets' highest-earning players at the time.

Interestingly, Dyche earns more than England manager Gareth Southgate, who is on just over £2 million a year, having taken a Covid-19-related hit to his £3 million salary in 2020.