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Mesut Ozil has ruled out a return to the German national team, while insisting that he has no plans for a Bundesliga homecoming in the future.

Ozil racked up 94 caps for Germany between 2009 and 2018, scoring 23 goals and laying on 43 assists while also getting his hands on the World Cup.

The midfielder played a key role in Die Mannschaft's run to glory at the 2014 finals in Brazil, but was unable to help Joachim Low's side defend their title four years later in Russia.

Germany were eliminated in the group stages, and Ozil subsequently announced his retirement from international football, citing racism as the main reason behind his decision.

The 32-year-old, who has ancestral roots in Turkey, was heavily criticised for meeting with the country's president Recep Tayyip Erdogan before the World Cup, but he strongly denied any wrongdoing.

It has been suggested that Ozil could perform a U-turn after leaving Arsenal to join Fenerbahce, where he is likely to enjoy a prominent role in the first team again after being frozen out by Mikel Arteta during his final year at Emirates Stadium.

However, the experienced playmaker insisted during his signing ceremony at Sukru Saracoglu Stadium on Wednesday that he will never play for Germany again.

"If I go on a road, I will never come back. So I will not play in the German National Team anymore. I wish them success," said Ozil.

He also ruled out the possibility of returning to the Bundesliga before he hangs up his boots, having enjoyed spells at Schalke and Werder Bremen in the early stages of his career.

Asked if he has dreamt of going back to the German top-flight at some point, Ozil replied curtly: "No, I haven't."

The former Arsenal star added on how he will deal with the weight of expectations at Fenerbahce: "There is always pressure on a football player. I always played in big clubs, and there was always pressure.

"Fenerbahce is also a big club and I know there will be pressure here. This is a club I love very much. I will do my best. I hope everything will be fine.

"I can't give a date about when to play but I want to play as soon as possible."

Ozil could be in line to make his debut for the Super Lig club when they play host to Rizespor on Saturday afternoon.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has denied all allegations of using racist abuse during his on-field clash with Romelu Lukaku in the Coppa Italia match between Inter and AC Milan on Tuesday evening.

The attackers squared up to each other at half-time, trading verbal blows and ultimately being cautioned by referee Paolo Valeri.

Lukaku came out on top in the end, scoring the equaliser in a 2-1 win for the Nerazzurri, while Ibrahimovic was shown a second yellow in the second half and was given his marching orders.

The dust has far from settled in the wake of the spat, however, as pitch-side microphones picked up the heated conversation between Lukaku and Ibrahimovic, with the latter reportedly calling the former a “donkey” and telling him to go do his “voodoo sh*t”, among other things.

The voodoo reference appears to date back to a report that Everton owner Farhad Moshiri used it to explain why Lukaku left the club for Manchester United, with a representative for the player subsequently stating that he simply did not have faith in the club's project.

Taking to social media on Wednesday, Ibrahimovic insisted that he made no discriminatory remarks – although could not resist a little dig at Lukaku by suggesting he is better than the Inter frontman.

The Swede wrote: “In Zlatan's world there is no place for racism! We are all the same race – we are all equal! 

“We are players. Some better than others.”

But while Ibrahimovic may not have apologised to Lukaku for his language, the 39-year-old did acknowledge his poor behaviour in the dressing room after the match.

Rossoneri boss Stefano Pioli told RAI following the game: “It influenced the sending off because he was booked there. I don't know what they said. It can happen, we have to think about the next one. 

“The second yellow card was from his desire to track back and help the team. He could’ve slowed down, but it happens. In the dressing room he apologised.

“We are sorry to have gone out of this competition, we wanted to win. We were able to keep up with a very strong opponent. Being outnumbered has complicated the situation.

“I come out of this defeat feeling positive and confident for the future. Only the numerical difference made the difference.

“In 11 vs 11 it was an open game and we were ahead.”

Paris Saint-Germain have been "disrespectful" in their pursuit of Lionel Messi, according to Barcelona presidential candidate Joan Laporta, who has threatened to report the Ligue 1 champions to FIFA.

PSG have been strongly linked with Messi ever since his decision to hand in a transfer request at Camp Nou at the end of the 2019-20 campaign.

The 33-year-old ultimately decided to see out the final year of his current contract with Barca after opposition from club officials and La Liga, but his long-term future remains up in the air.

Parc des Princes has been mooted as the most likely next destination for Messi, and PSG sporting director Leonardo publicly sounded out the six-time Ballon d'Or winner earlier this month.

“Great players like Messi will always be on PSG's list," said the Brazilian.

Laporta, who is up for re-election at Camp Nou, thinks the French outfit have overstepped the mark with their efforts to try and lure Messi to Paris, and has outlined his plans to take legal action against them if he secures a second term as Barca president.

The Catalan does, however, admit that time is running out for the Blaugrana to convince their club captain to stay put, as he told a press conference on Wednesday: "The club must be capable of making a good proposal that Messi is willing to accept. That depends on the club.

"I would understand any answer [from Messi], but he needs to know what the proposal is; that requires urgency. It is getting more complicated all the time to make a convincing proposal. He's free to negotiate with other clubs now and Barca are still without a president.

"It is disrespectful to Barca that clubs like PSG publicly say they are going to sign Messi. This coming from a club-state that have bypassed the rules. We cannot allow clubs and states the luxury of destabilising another club.

"In that sense, we will have to speak with UEFA and FIFA to avoid such actions. PSG must abstain from [talking about Messi]. It is out of place for another club to speak about him. And, at the moment, there is no president in place to respond to this lack of respect."

Messi is set to return to Barca's starting XI against Rayo Vallecano in a last 16 Copa del Rey clash after serving a two-match ban.

Orlando Pirates coach Josef Zinnbauer is not worrying himself over the suspension of defender Innocent Maela for Saturday’s Soweto Derby against Kaizer Chiefs, saying they have enough cover for the defender.

Maela picked up his fourth yellow card and is suspended for the match at Orlando Stadium in which Pirates are keen for maximum points after failing to win three of their last five games.

The absence of the Bafana Bafana left-back is a blow for the Buccaneers who already have a number of players out injured, but Zinnbauer is trying to play down their predicament.

“We have to see what’s happened with the players on the field. But we have solutions, we have other players also ready for the next game. We have solutions in this position [left-back],” Zinnbauer told the media."

With another left-back Paseka Mako also injured, Bongani Sam is like to play in that position after he played as a left wing-back in Tuesday’s 1-1 draw against TS Galaxy, a match Maela was deployed as a centre-back.

Apart from Maela as the latest to be declared out, Pirates have less options in selecting their front-runners.

The Buccaneers go into the derby without forwards Frank Mhango, Zakhele Lepasa, Tshegofatso Mabasa and Terrence Dzvukamanja who are all injured.

For a side which has managed to score just two goals in their last four matches, the situation upfront could be worrisome.

This could force Zinnbauer to start inexperienced Azola Tshobeni, while other options are to push wingers Thembinkosi Lorch and Vincent Pule upfront to spearhead their attack.

Congolese forward Jean-Marc Makusu could be another choice but Zinnbauer has insisted that he is yet to settle into the team and is using him as a second-half substitute.

“It’s difficult we have no striker it’s not Gaba [Mhango] alone, Lepasa, Mabasa and Dzukamanja also. We have four strikers out, but we cannot change it, it is what it is,” Zinnbauer said.

“We have to work with the players on the field. We have enough opportunities to score. We had Fortune Makaringe in the first half [against TS Galaxy] completely alone, but the header was not good enough. Maybe he should have chest trapped the ball and scored. Bongani Sam scored for us as a full-back and I’m happy about that, he had a top game.

“Azola Tshobeni came in as well but he was not fresh enough for this game. He is also a player that can score, but he is not a striker. Like I said, it is what it is. We cannot say we don’t have enough players that can score. We had the opportunities, but at the moment we need the power and the body language to score.

“We have to work more than before on this, but we don’t have enough training sessions. We couldn’t work with shooting or crossing in the last two weeks.”

Despite missing some key players, Pirates would be keen to recreate the form that saw them crush Chiefs 5-0 on aggregate in the MTN8 semi-finals.

Jadon Sancho would be "Donny van de Beek two" if he signed for Manchester United, according to Dimitar Berbatov, who insists the Red Devils don't need the Borussia Dortmund star.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer identified Sancho as his primary target in the summer transfer window, but United ultimately failed to sign the winger after a drawn-out saga which saw Dortmund refuse to budge on their £100 million ($136m) asking price.

United decided against paying such a large fee amid the financial uncertainty caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, and moved onto alternative targets at the start of the 2020-21 campaign.

Solskjaer was able to add the likes of Van de Beek, Edinson Cavani and Alex Telles to his ranks, while a deal was also put in place for Atalanta winger Amad Diallo, who finally arrived at Old Trafford earlier this month.

And Berbatov fears that, were United to move for Sancho, the Norwegian would struggle to find a regular place for him in his starting XI.

"I have read more rumours about Jadon Sancho at Dortmund and how United could sign him. So, you sign Sancho and where do you play him?" Berbatov told Betfair.

"They will have lots of games in the Europa League and FA Cup, but then what happens to people like Donny Van de Beek. It would be Van de Beek two if they sign him. Yes, he is a great player but then do you just have too much talent.

"Cavani has been a great signing and do you drop him? You will not turn down Sancho and he is a good player and it is whether you want that luxury headache where you tell people you are rested today etc - it is not a good conversation, I am telling you from experience.

"I still don't think it will happen. The way things are going at the moment credit has to go to Ole and the players now. He has found the right balance about which players are playing.

"He has found that delicate balance with players not complaining and that is a difficult thing. The manager has taken the right decisions so far.

"If Sancho signed for another team or a rival it wouldn't be a blow. Sir Alex Ferguson got rid of players because no-one is bigger than the club, they were replaced.

"That's still the case, no one is bigger than Manchester United, so, I'm not expecting anything to happen."

Berbatov is expecting at least one outgoing at Old Trafford this month, though, with West Ham-linked Jesse Lingard considered to be wasting his time sitting on the bench.

"Jesse Lingard is not playing and it makes sense to go somewhere in which he might play," he said. "It shows that Ole is not going to count on him and as much as he loves United, Jesse needs to go somewhere to play.

"He has played for England and if he has aspirations to return to the National side, he needs to go somewhere else. His situation isn't unique, you see it all over the world.

"The other young players around him want it more than him maybe. He might have stopped developing and they are passing him by with development. Maybe he has reached his peak.

"It's not a happy place for him now and he needs to get on the pitch. It is good for him to stay in England."

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is pleased for Thomas Tuchel, describing the Chelsea squad as a “present” for his fellow German, but acknowledged that he feels the sacking of Frank Lampard was “really harsh”.

Lampard was shown the exit door by the Blues hierarchy on Monday, with former Mainz, Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain coach Tuchel swiftly installed as his successor.

Klopp feels that Tuchel has everything in his locker to be a success in London with the squad he has at his disposal, but offered sympathy to Lampard, who he felt was not given enough time to usher in a new era of success with Chelsea.

“Two things happened. One is that Frank Lampard lost his job and I have to say that was a really tough one,” Klopp told a press conference on Wednesday.

“Chelsea did an incredible job in the transfer market this summer, brought in really good players, and things like this need time. It’s really harsh to make a decision that early, but obviously Mr Abramovich gives you money and players, but is not the most patient person in the world. 

“I really feel for Frank, because he’s a young, talented manager. I wish him only the best. He will be fine for sure, but it’s a hard one if it happens at your club, and it was obviously Frank’s club. Maybe it’s good that the story is over, he can go [to a new club] and be completely fresh without any history.

“But for Thomas Tuchel obviously it’s great. Unfortunately he’s a really good manager. I have known him a long time and respect him a lot. This Chelsea squad is a present, I’m pretty sure Thomas sees it like that. They will be good.”

Asked if he had any advice for Tuchel and why he feels Chelsea are always so quick to hire and fire, Klopp said: “I will give Thomas Tuchel no advice in public! I’m not sure when we play them next, and I don’t actually have his number so I couldn’t text him. He was in France for a while and I never got his French number! No advice necessary, from my side.

“The difference is that I was lucky with my clubs. At Mainz, everyone wanted me to do well, at Dortmund the same and at Liverpool the same. Why did I get the time? Because the owners, the presidents, the sporting directors, they thought we were doing the right stuff, and they knew that it takes time. 

“How many coaches did Chelsea have in the last 10 or 15 years? It’s quite a lot. So you are either successful or out, that’s the mantra, and I have nothing to do with that. I was lucky with the clubs I had, always. There were only three, but I was lucky. 

“For Frank, everything will be fine. For football people out there, if they saw some of the stuff Chelsea played last year already, you’d have to say there was a clear plan. He was a young manager and he did a lot of really good stuff. He will be back soon if he wants, and he will get time again.” 

Manchester City have agreed to sell Eric Garcia to Barcelona for €3 million and the player will play for free for six months, according to presidential candidate Victor Font.

Garcia has been heavily linked with a move to Camp Nou over the past year, and Goal reported that he had agreed personal terms with Barca earlier this month.

The 20-year-old began his career in the famed La Masia academy in Catalunya before joining City in 2017, but his current contract at Etihad Stadium is due to expire in the summer.

City head coach Pep Guardiola has admitted that he doesn't expect Garcia to extend his stay in Manchester, with the defender having only featured in eight games for the club across all competitions this season.

"I’m pretty sure he’s going to leave at the end of the season," he told reporters at the weekend. "And [whether he leaves] now in this transfer window will depend on the clubs.

"We’ll see until the end of the transfer window."

Font, who is running for election at Camp Nou alongside Joan Laporta and Toni Freixa, says City are now ready to sanction Garcia's departure before the January transfer window closes.

The 48-year-old claims that the Spanish centre-back is willing to forgo his wages until the end of the season in order to seal a return to Barca, who are currently in the middle of a financial crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

"We're asking the acting board to sign Eric Garcia," Font told the media ahead of Barca's next set of presidential elections on March 7. "Koeman's asked for him, our sporting structure [if we're elected] support it and the player wants to come because there's a European Championship this summer.

"He [would be] fundamental in the fight for three trophies this season. We know City would accept €3m plus add-ons and we wouldn't have to pay until next season - that's a lot less than Barca offered four months ago.

"The player's also ready to make a big effort and not be paid a salary until the end of the season."

AFC Leopards striker Elvis Rupia is confident the goal scoring record in the FKF Premier League will tumble this season.

The record for the most scored goals in one season for the Kenyan top-flight still stands at 26 goals, which was set by two players – Boniface Ambani while playing for AFC Leopards in the 2006-07 season and Gor Mahia legend Maurice ‘Sonyi’ Ochieng in 1976.

Since then, no striker has been able to score more than 26 goals and it is something the former Wazito FC striker believes could be possible in the 2020-21 campaign.

“But I feel the Golden Boot race will go down to the wire and there is a chance of someone scoring more than 28 goals,” Rupia told the Standard Sports.

“We just need to believe in ourselves and make the impossible possible.”

Rupia is currently fighting neck and neck for the Golden Boot with Kariobangi Sharks striker Erick Kapaito with only nine rounds of the league played. Rupia has managed nine goals so far while Kapaito is leading the pack after notching 11 goals.

“Both of us [Rupia and Kapaito] set our targets before the season begun and we are optimistic of achieving them. I believe the competition between me and Kapaito is healthy,” Rupia continued.

On whether AFC Leopards will end their 22-year drought to win the title, the former Nzoia Sugar striker said: “It is still too early to talk about the title, but are doing everything we can to continue fighting for the rest of the season.”

On notching one of the goals that helped Ingwe beat Kariobangi Sharks 2-0 on Sunday, Rupia said: “Of course it was nice to get a goal on Sunday and help the team to win as I try to close in on Kapaito.

“That goal has given me a lot of motivation and I believe I can score more goals. I will keep on working hard and hopefully, more goals will come.”

Ingwe coach Anthony Kimani believes Rupia is determined to help Ingwe end their trophy drought this season.

“You can only score goals when you play well and that’s exactly what he’s been doing,” Kimani told the same publication.

“It is important for him to continue scoring as it will give us an edge over our title rivals and also make the Golden Boot race competitive.”

AFC Leopards will next take on Posta Rangers on Saturday.

Kelly Lindsey has set a target of qualifying for the Women's World Cup for the first time with Morocco after securing the hosting rights for the 2022 Africa Women's Cup of Nations.

The Atlas Lionesses will make their first appearance at the major women's tournament on the continent since South Africa 2000 as the event will be held on North African soil for the first time.

The last time the Atlas Lionesses appeared at the event, they suffered three defeats in the group stage, conceding 13 goals and managed to score a goal in South Africa, where Nigeria won her second title.

On January 3, Fifa handed Africa four automatic slots to the 2023 Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, meaning the four semi-finalists at 2022 Africa Women's Cup of Nations will qualify. 

In the wake of this, two-time Women's Champions League winner Reynald Pedros with Lyon has been recruited as the Moroccan Federation women's football director, and Lindsey opened up on their ambitions.

"It is exciting times as coach Reynald Pedros will be focusing on the senior and U20 sides to build an elite line-up to achieve our massive goal of going to our first World Cup," Lindsey to BBC Africa.

"This Africa Cup will be the culmination of teamwork and unity to drive the women's game forward.

"Hosting the tournament will be a massive boost to women's football here in Morocco. A country so passionate about football will have the best women's football at their doorstep.

"We are very grateful to [football federation] president Fouzi Lekjaa to ensure the girls, families and fans can be personally connected to the beautiful women's game.

"The country is starting to unite around women's football with the start of our U15 and U17 Championships."

In a build-up to 2022 Awcon success, Morocco had commenced international friendlies with Ghana in November 2020 and are set to face champions Nigeria in another doubleheader in February.

With 12 nations set to compete for the first time, the North Africans will aim to excel under the watch of experienced French tactician Pedros in 2022.

Former Real Madrid player, coach and general manager Jorge Valdano has urged the club to sign Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund ahead of Paris Saint-Germain striker Kylian Mbappe.

Haaland's rise to prominence is well documented, with the Norwegian scoring 37 goals in as many appearances in all competitions since his Dortmund debut in January of last year, having previously shone at Red Bull Salzburg in Austria.

Mbappe, meanwhile, has continued to find the net with regularity for PSG, but his long-term development has been called into question due to the relative ease with which his club continues to dominate Ligue 1.

The World Cup winner himself recently admitted that he was giving consideration to his future, with his current contract in the French capital set to expire at the end of next season.

A move to Madrid has long been mooted for Mbappe, but Valdano feels that Real supremo Florentino Perez should prioritise Haaland instead.

“I would sign Haaland before Mbappe,” the 65-year-old told Onda Cero. “He moves in small and large spaces, he scores with great regularity.

“I understand that Mbappe is a star, but I'm very impressed with Haaland. He scores goals of all types.”

Martin Odegaard, meanwhile, completed a loan move to Arsenal on Wednesday after failing to nail down a starting spot under Zinedine Zidane.

Valdano, however, feels that Odegaard should have bided his time this season, with patience required for any player with aspirations of becoming a regular fixture at the Santiago Bernabeu.

“It doesn't seem to me that Odegaard played badly when he had his chance, but he lacked a degree of daring and a greater sense of risk,” Valdano said of the 22-year-old.

“He was too close to Casemiro and lacked prominence for the final pass, which is what is expected of Odegaard.

“But that has to do with confidence, and I think time would have given him that. He lacked patience. A Madrid player should have a greater capacity for suffering, he must not give up too soon.

“And even less so being so young and competing for the position of two stars like [Toni] Kroos and [Luka] Modric. They are not just any two players.”

There were plenty of fireworks in the Milan derby in the Coppa Italia quarter-final this season as Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Romelu Lukaku clashed.

The towering attackers traded industrial insults at the halfway mark, coming together in a physical and verbal altercation which saw them both cautioned by referee Paolo Valeri. 

Lukaku eventually came out on top in the match, though, as Ibrahimovic was sent off in the second half and the Belgian scored an equaliser before Christian Eriksen hit a decisive last-minute free kick.

So what actually happened between the pair? Goal takes a look at what was said and what, if anything, will come of it.

What did Ibrahimovic & Lukaku say to each other?

During the heated confrontation, the words of both Ibrahimovic and Lukaku were picked up by the pitchside microphones, with the two players serving volleys of English back and forth.

Ibrahimovic can reportedly be heard saying: "Go do your voodoo sh*t, you little donkey. Go do your voodoo sh*t. Call your mother!"

In an apparent invitation to engage further, Lukaku can then be heard responding: "Well, let's go inside you b*tch. We will see."

Ibrahimovic replied by apparently repeating his earlier comment. Upon hearing the Swede's words, the Inter striker grew increasingly annoyed, shooting back: "What did you say? Who? Who?"

He then followed Ibrahimovic as they left the pitch, repeatedly calling him a "b*tch" before delivering the message: "F*ck you and your wife, you little b*tch."

The pair had squared up prior to that, with Ibrahimovic's head meeting Lukaku's in an aggressive manner.

Ibrahimovic was sent off for a second yellow-card offence in the second half and, after the game, AC Milan boss Stefano Pioli explained that the Swede apologised to his team-mates.

Why did Ibrahimovic reference 'voodoo'?

It is not exactly clear what Ibrahimovic's "voodoo sh*t" is a reference to, but, according to Football Italia, it may have something to do with comments made by Everton owner Farhad Moshiri.

In 2018, representatives for Lukaku denied that the player's decision to reject a new contract with Everton had anything to do with "voodoo", following a suggestion by Mr Moshiri at an Everton AGM.

BBC Sport reported that a representative for the striker said: "Romelu is very Catholic and voodoo is not part of his life or his beliefs.

"He simply had no faith in Everton and no confidence in Mr Moshiri's project. That is why he did not want to sign on any condition."

Will Ibrahimovic & Lukaku be banned?

It is unlikely that Ibrahimovic and Lukaku will face further punishment for their verbal confrontation outside of the sanction meted out by the referee.

Lukaku will serve a one-game suspension in the first leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final due to an accumulation of yellow cards.

Ibrahimovic, meanwhile, will also have to serve a one-match Coppa Italia suspension when Milan are next in action in the competition following his red card.

What is the history between Zlatan Ibrahimovic & Romelu Lukaku?

Tensions between Ibrahimovic and Lukaku have their roots in their time playing together at Manchester United, where they were in direct competition for the position of striker.

Back in 2019, Lukaku revealed how he learned a lot from Ibrahimovic, but that a 50-50 challenge with the veteran in a United training session taught him a lesson.

He told the official Manchester United website: "Because we were both strikers, we were never on the same team and, at one point, there was a 50-50 challenge. He went full-on against me!

"That is when I knew this guy wants to compete and this guy wants to fight for his spot. That is why he changed me. It was an eye-opener. The guy had to fight to be in the position he is in.

"So, I learned just to focus, work hard and enjoy it as well. Because he is a guy who you can have a lot fun with as well and having his personality in the dressing room was good."

When Lukaku signed for Inter, Ibrahimovic was less gracious about his erstwhile colleague.

In an October 2019 interview with Gazzetta dello Sport, the Swede said: "Don't expect good technique from Lukaku. His best strength is sheer power – if only he'd listened to me.

"At Manchester United, we made a bet: 'I'll give you £50 for every decent first touch you make'. He replied: 'What do I win if I get them all right?' I told him nothing, he would simply become a better player.

"For the record, he never accepted the bet! Perhaps he was afraid of losing..."

He added: “Joking aside, Lukaku has this mad hunger to prove himself to the world and I'm sure he will do well at Inter too.”

Their recent collision is, unfortunately, not likely to improve those fraught relations.

Ryan Giggs says Daniel James is "frustrated" over a lack of regular minutes at Manchester United, but thinks it's unlikely he will be granted a loan move this month.

James completed a dream move to United in the summer of 2019 after rising through the ranks at Swansea City.

The Red Devils invested £15 million ($21m) in the winger's talents and handed him a five-year contract, but some questions were raised over whether he would be able to make the step up from the Championship to one of the world's biggest clubs.

He silenced those doubters initially, scoring three goals in his first four outings for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side, including a stunning debut strike against Chelsea.

However, James gradually fell down the pecking order over the course of the 2019-20 campaign due to the emergence of Mason Greenwood, who nailed down a spot in the front three alongside Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial.

Edinson Cavani's arrival at Old Trafford on a free transfer in October increased competition for places in attack even further, leading to speculation over the Welshman's future.

James has only appeared in 10 games for United so far this season, and it has been reported that he could be loaned out before the January transfer window closes amid interest from Leeds United.

However, Giggs, who won 13 Premier League titles with the Red Devils as a player, doesn't think Solskjaer will sanction the 23-year-old's departure amid a congested fixture schedule, and has urged him to knuckle down and prove he deserves a place in the starting XI instead of becoming downbeat about his situation.

“We are in unknown territory,” the Wales manager told Stadium Astro. “Where you don’t have a lot of time. A lot of games squeezed into a short space of time.

“So, I think Ole would take the safe option and keep as many quality players in the club as he can.

“Yes, it would be frustrating. I know that Dan is frustrated. Just like any other player who isn’t getting regular football.

"But when you are at a big club like United, when you get the chance, take it.”

James will be available for selection again when United welcome Sheffield United to Old Trafford on Wednesday night, when they will be expected to pick up three points in order to return to the top of the Premier League.

Nuno Espirito Santo says Raul Jimenez could play again this season, with the Wolves boss delivering a positive update on the striker's fitness ahead of a meeting with Chelsea.

Jimenez has not played for Wolves since being stretchered off in the first half of a 2-1 win against Arsenal on November 29.

The Mexican forward was rushed to hospital after clashing heads with David Luiz, and he was diagnosed with a fractured skull after being evaluated by doctors.

He spent a few days under observation after undergoing successful surgery on the issue, before beginning an extensive rehabilitation programme.

Wolves have struggled in the absence of Jimenez over the past two months, winning just one of their last nine Premier League fixtures, and he will also be unavailable for selection when Nuno takes his team to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea on Wednesday.

However, the Portuguese head coach said he was optimistic that the 29-year-old will return soon, having seen the forward make great strides with his recovery in recent weeks.

Asked if Jimenez could play again before the end of the 2020-21 campaign, Nuno responded: “We are truly positive that this can happen. It’s very good news the way he keeps improving day by day.

“Not only me but all the medical staff are surprised because he’s improving on all the concussion tests that we did previously two seasons ago. He’s doing really, really well.

“Just by seeing him running and lifting weights and doing all these strong training sessions it’s a big lift for everybody because first of all it’s [about] the man.

“It’s Raul, we want Raul back healthy and then we will get back Raul as a player and an important player for the team. The big lift for us is just having him around.”

The Wolves manager won't be rushing Jimenez back into the fold, though, as he added: “We had a medical plan and these things are very responsible decisions to be made because of how serious the injury was.

“We have to be really patient and take the right decisions and this will require decisions from the surgeon, scans on the skull – all these things take time and we will proceed according to the situation.

"We will not rush or take any kind of risks.”

Nuno is confident that Jimenez won't be affected psychologically after such a horrific injury, but he stopped short of predicting how long it will take for him to get back into peak physical condition. 

“That part is not a worry for us because he’s exactly the same guy, always a smile on his face, aware of the process he has gone through and confident that he wants to return stronger,” he said.

“Heading and how can he deal with this situation, how his brain will react to acceleration, deceleration, jumping and impact is another issue. That will come in time.”

Klinsmann Omulanga has explained how Mathare United can beat Ulinzi Stars during the Football Kenya Federation Premier League match on Wednesday in Nakuru.

Omulanga believes playing according to what their game plan would demand is the best way to down Ulinzi Stars at Afraha Stadium.

“The key to this is to stick to our game plan and play the way we as Mathare are renowned,” Omulanga said as was quoted by Mathare United’s Facebook page.

“Ulinzi play a completely different style to ours and if we move the ball around with purpose and play as a team then I reckon we will come away with something from there.”

The forward also stated how they made sure a poor start would not affect them with their season picking up speed as they try to catch-up with the rest.

“We started the season badly but responded quickly so as not to allow the negative results to take a toll on us,” he added.

“We now feel like we are understanding more of one another on the pitch and I expect this to improve with every game that we play.”

Mathare United will be up against the 2010 Premier League champions, who have scored just three goals and have conceded two.

On the other hand, after conceding seven goals against Sofapakaa and Gor Mahia, where they also scored three, the Slum Boys saw an improvement in the next games against Zoo FC and Bandari.

The 2008 champions defeated Zoo 2-0 and managed to get a point from a 0-0 draw against Bandari. Omulanga hopes they will have a better outing against Ulinzi Stars as compared to the game against the Dockers.

“We will be better on Wednesday than we were against Bandari, I can assure you that,” he concluded.

The game will be the first one for the Slum Boys since they confirmed the departure of Moses Mburu and Francis Oduor.

The club is yet to confirm any new signing after the FKF Premier League transfer window opened on Tuesday although they are expected to bolster the squad.

Two matches will be played on Tuesday as Gor Mahia will be up against Zoo in the other clash.

AC Milan boss Stefano Pioli has spoken out of Zlatan Ibrahimovic's red card and spat with Inter striker Romelu Lukaku, insisting the Swede has "apologised to the dressing room".

Milan crashed out of the Coppa Italia at the quarter-final stage after losing 2-1 against Inter at San Siro on Tuesday night.

Ibrahimovic produced a trademark finish to open the scoring in the 31st minute, but he was shown a yellow card just before the interval after a heated exchange with Lukaku, who reacted angrily to a foul from Alessio Romagnoli.

The 39-year-old squared up to his Inter counterpart and the pair had to be pulled apart by their respective team-mates, but they continued to hurl insults at each other as the teams made their way down the tunnel at half-time.

At one point Lukaku was heard saying "Well, let's go inside you b*tch!" to Ibrahimovic as tempers flared, and he also accused the veteran frontman of insulting his mother.

Milan were reduced to 10 men early in the second half when Ibrahimovic was involved in another controversial incident.

Ibrahimovic was shown a second yellow card after tripping Aleksandar Kolarov in the middle of the pitch, leaving the Rossoneri with a mountain to climb to hold on and qualify for the semi-finals.

Their stubborn resistance was eventually ended when Lukaku dispatched a penalty in the 71st minute, and substitute Christian Eriksen scored a sublime late free kick to seal a famous victory for Inter in stoppage time.

Pioli addressed Ibrahimovic's ill-discipline in his post-match interview, telling Rai Sport: "It influenced the sending off because he was booked there. I don't know what they said. It can happen, we have to think about the next one. 

"The second yellow card was from his desire to track back and help the team. He could’ve slowed down, but it happens.

"In the dressing room he apologised."

The Milan head coach went on to express his disappointment over the final result, but refused to criticise the performance of his players while highlighting Ibrahimovic's dismissal as the turning point in the match.

"We are sorry to have gone out of this competition, we wanted to win. We were able to keep up with a very strong opponent. Being outnumbered has complicated the situation," Pioli added.

"I had some important responses from the team, the performance was there. I come out of this defeat feeling positive and confident for the future. Only the numerical difference made the difference.

"In 11 vs 11 it was an open game and we were ahead."

Hibernian full-back Josh Doig is attracting interest from Manchester City, Leeds United and Celtic ahead of a possible summer move.

The 18-year-old had also drawn interest from Arsenal and Chelsea although the latter has stepped away due to the change of manager at the club and not yet knowing Thomas Tuchel's priorities in the transfer market.

Doig, who has impressed in the Scottish Premiership in the 2020-21 season, will command a fee of around a £1 million having become a regular at left-back for high-flying Hibs.

The defender, who has two-and-a-half years left on his contract, is being tracked by Manchester City as they look to add a left-back to their academy teams.

The Premier League side could also likely make use of their wider City Football Group, with there being the possibility to arrange a loan move with one of their sister clubs.

However, Leeds and Celtic would likely offer a faster route to first-team football for the defender, who has also played on the left-hand side of midfield.

Scouts have noted Doig's attacking output as a huge part of his game, with his crossing ability and tireless running two of his key attributes.

Doig, who has made 19 appearances for Hibs this season and provided two assists, is also defensively solid and is the latest talented young left-back to emerge from Scotland following the likes of Andrew Robertson, Kieran Tierney and Aaron Hickey.

The full-back spent last season on loan with Queen's Park and has earned youth caps with his national team, with Hibs boss Jack Ross explaining earlier in the season: "At 18 years old, for Josh to have played so many games and made the impact he has is impressive.

"He is growing all the time in stature and becoming more confident. I speak often enough about Lewis [Stevenson] supporting and helping him - and I think that we’ve used Josh sensibly this year, in terms of the times we’ve brought him out of the team.

"But at the moment, he is in the team on merit, which is great for him."

Simba SC coach Didier Gomes Da Rosa has said that new striker Junior Lokosa is still not fit enough to compete in the Mainland Premier League.

The Nigerian forward, who signed for the Wekundu wa Msimbazi as a free agent after being released from Esperance of Tunisia, has already started training with the rest of the squad members but according to new coach Da Rosa, he is still not 100 percent fit to play in a competitive match.

“I have seen him but he is still not 100% fit because he was out of action for a long time due to the effects caused by the coronavirus pandemic,” Da Rosa said as quoted by Sokalabongo.

“My belief is that as time goes on he will be better and more stable so he needs time to improve it will not be as fast as we need it to be.”

Simba have lined up a tournament in Dar es Salaam to gauge their preparedness ahead of group stage matches of the Caf Champions League.

The tournament, dubbed ‘Simba Super Cup’, will kick off on Wednesday with Tout Puissant Mazembe of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Al-Hilal from Sudan the other teams set to take part.

Simba will open the tournament with a clash against Al-Hilal, and commenting on the tournament, Da Rosa said: “As for the competition, we are participating in I say we are coming up against good teams and we strive to do well especially as the players have been seen doing well in practice.”

On Tuesday, Simba received a huge boost as winger Luis Miquissone reported to camp after arriving from Mozambique where he had travelled for family issues.

Simba have also beefed up their squad after they confirmed the signing of Highlanders FC defender Peter Muduhwa on a two-year deal.

The Wekundu wa Msimbazi have already signed Zimbabwean Perfect Chikwende and have also reached an agreement to bring the Democratic Republic of Congo player Doxa Gikanji on board.

In the Champions League, Simba have been drawn to play defending champions Al-Ahly of Egypt, AS Vita from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Sudanese giants Al-Merrikh in Group A of the competition.

Uganda head coach Johnathan McKinstry has admitted they fell to a clinical Morocco during their African Nations Championship match on Tuesday.

Morocco picked up a 5-2 win over the Cranes and advanced to the quarter-finals and McKinstry – whose side needed a win against the Atlas Lions in order to progress after falling to Togo in the second group game – has stated the North Africans were lethal in front of goal.

Soufiane Rahimi’s brace, coupled with Ayoub El Kaabi and Hamza El Moussaoui goals and an own goal by Uganda’s Charles Lukwago secured the victory for the reigning champions.

“Morocco were clinical and absolutely clinical. We gifted them a couple of goals but even when you give the ball to them in dangerous areas they have to put them in the net,” McKinstry told Goal after his side suffered a second group loss.

“Congratulations to my counterpart and Morocco and we wish them the best for the rest of the tournament. Look, it was a game we all knew it was going to be very tough.”

McKinstry did not contest the penalty for Morocco towards the end of the first half which was converted by El Kaabi. The star made history after scoring the penalty as he became the first-ever player to score 10 goals in a Chan tournament.

He had scored nine when Morocco won the previous edition on home soil.

“The penalty obviously could not come at the worst time but we have got no complain whether it was a penalty because even my technical bench could not see what I saw from my position and so it was a fair enough call,” he added.

“For the second goal, our young left-backs slept which again is very unfortunate and thereafter the game started to unravel.”

As he conceded the penalty for Morocco, the former Rwanda head coach also claimed he was told of an instance where Uganda should have also been awarded one.

“I have been told by at least five people on the phone that there was a handball which was not given to us,” McKinstry stated.

“Apparently with the penalty we could have gotten well. But look, it started going away from us because when you go behind we had to throw caution to the wind.”

Uganda will now return home and shift focus to the upcoming African Cup of Nations and World Cup qualifiers.

India U16 emerged victorious against Sharjah FC U18 as the Blue Colts defeated them 4-2 in a friendly on Tuesday. 

There were four different goal-scorers for India. Himanshu Jangra opened the scoring, followed by a strike from Taison Singh. In the second half, they netted two more with Maheson Singh and Suhail Bhat scoring the third and fourth goal respectively. Whereas, the hosts scored once in each half of the match. 

It was India's second consecutive win of the trip and third overall. 

Bibiano Fernandes' boys started their UAE (United Arab Emirates) sojourn on a bright note by beating the U19 team of local side Liwa FC 1-0 in a friendly encounter at the Spanish Soccer School Ground in Sports City.  

The Blue Colts were supposed to play their first match on January 15 against Al Hamriyah FC but the match had to be cancelled because of a few Coronavirus cases in the opposition camp. Four players in their team had tested positive. The Indian team management then arranged a last-minute friendly with Liwa FC. 

Ebindas scored the only goal of the match in the 71st minute. 

In their next match, they were defeated 3-0 by the UAE U16 team. But the team showed character and beat the same opponents 1-0 in their next meeting. 

After a docile first half, the team took control of proceedings in the second. The coach brought on Bhat in the 55th minute in place of Himangshu Jangra. Around the hour-mark, he was almost through on goal but his effort sailed wide of the post. Three minutes later, Ebindas' effort also missed the target. 

However, in the 79th-minute, the deadlock was finally broken and India were rewarded for their persistence. After Taison Singh latched on to a through ball from midfield on the right-wing, he burnt his pace to leave behind his marker and drilled in a low cross inside the penalty box. Suhail was waiting for the delivery and the striker made no mistake to dispatch the ball into the net to give India the lead. 

Fernandes was preparing his team for the upcoming AFC U16 Championship that was slated to be held in Bahrain. 

But AFC (Asian Football Confederation) reluctantly arrived at the decision to cancel the tournaments after taking into consideration the uncertainty and risks in view of the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic.

The next edition will be allocated to the same hosts in 2023.