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Timothy Fosu-Mensah will be allowed to leave Manchester United this month, boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has confirmed.

The Dutch defender joined United from Ajax’s academy as a 16-year-old in 2014.

He made his debut two years later as a substitute against Arsenal in February 2016 - a game which saw Marcus Rashford score twice on his Premier League debut.

However, unlike Rashford, Fosu-Mensah has been unable to break into the side on a regular basis, making just 29 further appearances in the intervening five years.

During that time Fosu-Mensah has spent time out on loan at Crystal Palace and Fulham, and he will now be allowed to leave Old Trafford on a permanent basis should the right offer come in.

“I'm not sure if Timo is going to stay or [if] he's going to take an option now,” Solskjaer told reporters.

“He's not played enough, so of course he's been allowed to speak to clubs, with a view to leaving now in January. It's difficult when you've got good players, talented players, and you can't give them game time. He's now at the stage where he needs to go and play again.

“It might be [at the] end of January, or it might be in the summer that he finds somewhere else. So he's working hard, Tim, he's ready for a move for any club that he feels ready for.”

Fosu-Mensah, whose contract expires at the end of the season, is likely to be one of a number of players allowed to leave Manchester United this month as Solskjaer continues to rebuild his squad.

The Norwegian has already confirmed that Sergio Romero and Marcos Rojo can leave, either in January or when their contracts expire in the summer.

Odion Ighalo is also likely to follow them through the exit door. The striker's loan deal expires at the end of the month and will not be renewed.

The only incoming so far has been the arrival of teenage winger Amad Diallo, who put the finishing touches on his transfer from Atalanta earlier this week

The deal for the 18-year-old could cost the Red Devils up to £37 million ($50m).

Everton would be willing to sell Moise Kean to Paris Saint-Germain should the French side want to make his loan deal permanent, says Toffees boss Carlo Ancelotti.

Kean joined PSG on a season-long loan in October after a disappointing spell for the Toffees that yielded just four goals in 37 appearances since a €30 million (£27m/$33m) move from Juventus in August 2019.

The 20-year-old looks to have rediscovered his best form at the Parc des Princes, scoring 10 goals in 17 games to spark rumours of a permanent move.

When asked about the possibility of letting the forward leave Goodison Park, Ancelotti appeared to suggest the club were ready to do a deal.

“First we have to look at the desire of the player,” the Italian told reporters. “If the player wants to stay at PSG then of course the two clubs have to sit at the table to talk about this, and we are open to talk.

“The club is open to talk if PSG wants to sign Moise Kean, who is doing really well in this moment.”

Ancelotti also played down rumours linking Bernard with a move away from the Merseysiders.

Roma are reportedly keen on signing the Brazilian and were rumoured to be preparing a swap deal involving goalkeeper Robin Olsen, who is on loan at Goodison Park.

“If the player desires to stay here we are not going to force him to leave,” said the former Chelsea boss.

“Until now he is happy to stay here. He didn’t play a lot but he never came to say: ‘I want to leave’ and we don’t want him to sell him full stop. This is the situation at the moment.”

Ancelotti also confirmed that defender Lucas Digne is available for Saturday’s FA Cup tie against Rotherham after making a remarkable recovery from ankle surgery.

The France international was not expected to return until February but is available just six weeks after going under the knife.

“His recovery was really fast – the medical staff and him did a fantastic job,” Ancelotti said.

“He trained all week with us and is fit, in good condition and can play tomorrow. We know Digne is a top professional. The surgery was good, the rehab was really good and it was unbelievable to see Digne so early in training.”

Emile Smith Rowe has the "huge potential" to match the exploits of young England stars Phil Foden and Jadon Sancho, according to Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta.

The Gunners begin their FA Cup defence at home to Newcastle United on Saturday, buoyed by a sharp upturn in their Premier League form.

A dominant 3-1 London derby win over Chelsea on Boxing Day sparked an ongoing three-match winning run.

Smith Rowe was handed a starting berth in that game and has kept his place after impressing in the No. 10 role, with the 20-year-old giving Arteta's team an overdue shot of creative intent.

In 2017, Smith Rowe was part of the England squad that won the U17 World Cup, with Foden named player of the tournament.

Sancho featured during the group stages before being called back to club action by Borussia Dortmund, and Arteta acknowledged the duo are ahead of Smith Rowe in their development.

"He has huge potential. He really wants it and he has the personality when he goes on the field to express and play the way he can play," said Arteta, who coached Foden and - more briefly - Sancho at Manchester City as part of Pep Guardiola's backroom staff.

"To do it in a consistent way is a different thing. The boys that you mentioned, they've done it. It's true that they're ahead in their development phase because they've played many more minutes and games in the last two seasons.

"But he is capable of doing that. Whether he's going to do it will depend on how he continues to develop, how he takes the chance that he has in front of him and how much we can help him to achieve that."

Underwhelming loan stints at RB Leipzig and Huddersfield Town in the past two years preceded a pre-season shoulder injury, but a player dubbed "The Croydon De Bruyne" by some Arsenal fans has shown he is ready to make up for lost time.

"A lot of things have happened to him in the past year," Arteta acknowledged. "He needs to establish himself here, he needs to be successful here, he needs to really find his role and his position in the team and in the club.

"That will help him to have a clear path. We really believe in him. He needs to have no fear and go for it, because he has the quality."

That quality has certainly been to the fore this season, with Smith Rowe's four assists coming at a rate of one every 93.5 minutes across seven appearances in all competitions.

With the youngster in the side, Arsenal average 2.9 goals per game. The 4-1 Europa League triumph over Rapid Vienna – in which he scored – was one of six victories Smith Rowe has been involved in this term, amounting to a win percentage of 85.7 per cent that plummets to 40 in the 20 games he spent as a spectator.

It feels infeasible that Arteta will leave him out of such a large proportion of games again but the former Emirates Stadium skipper pointed towards the examples of Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli, who completed an exciting attacking midfield trident alongside Smith Rowe against Chelsea and Brighton, when discussing how younger players must have their workloads managed.

That could mean some stints playing in different positions, as Saka has during his fledgling Arsenal career, although Arteta cannot deny the much-needed lift his breakthrough stars have given Arsenal, even as he tries to manage expectations.

"Sometimes a team is a little bit concerned and has some fear because of the results, because of the pressure," he added, before noting the impact through "enthusiasm" the younger members of his squad have had.

"I think they were really helpful because they were re-energising to the team. They pushed the team into a different direction and a different rhythm as well.

"But, of course, the young players need that solidity, experience and maturity that the older players bring. It's a good combination."

James Milner has praised the spirit, determination and talent of Aston Villa’s young players despite their 4-1 FA Cup defeat to Liverpool.

Villa had to field a team of U23 and U18 players for Friday’s third round tie  after the entire first-team squad, manager Dean Smith and his first-team coaching staff were forced to self-isolate following an outbreak of Covid-19 at the club’s training ground.

It meant U23 coach Mark Delaney took charge of a youthful side that had an average age of just 18 years and 294 days. Five of the starting XI weren’t even born when 35-year-old Milner made his first ever FA Cup appearance, for Leeds against Scunthorpe in January 2003.

Speaking after the game the veteran Reds player only had words of praise for his beaten opponents.

"A good set of lads, honest, worked hard for each other, quality," he told BT Sport. "They put a shift in – we expected that, we didn't want to take it for granted. In the first half they got the goal to keep playing. We got the result in the end but I think it's not an ideal situation for either team." 

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp unsurprisingly made changes to his team from their last Premier League game, though the starting XI still included the likes of Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Jordan Henderson.

It looked set to be a long evening for Villa when Mane gave Liverpool the lead after just four minutes. However, they slowly battled their way back into the game and were rewarded with a stunning equaliser from 17-year-old Louie Barry before half-time.

Klopp looked to be growing increasingly frustrated as Villa continued to hold their own after the break, before their resistance was finally broken on 60 minutes when Gini Wijnaldum found the back of the net with an effort from the edge of the box.

Further goals from Mo Salah and a second of the game from Mane extended Liverpool’s lead as their class and fitness finally told, though the Villa youngsters can hold their heads high after putting in a spirited display.

"I think obviously we needed to do some things better," added Milner. "I think we started pretty well with the counter-pressing and pressed on the ball, but then maybe didn't get it right – especially for the goal [we] let them out of a couple situations in the corner where they shouldn't have got out. 

"They're good players, they're at Aston Villa for a reason. One of their lads said he hadn't played for two months.

"Every single time you're not quite there, you're going to get punished. They took the goal and we had to lift ourselves again."

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta believes his decision to block a move away for Rob Holding last summer has been vindicated.

The Arsenal defender was close to joining Newcastle - who the Gunners play on Saturday in the FA Cup third round - only for Arteta to pull the plug on the potential loan deal.

Holding has gone on to make 18 appearances in all competitions this season and has started 13 of Arsenal’s 17 league games, including all of the last seven.

He has formed an excellent partnership alongside Pablo Mari in recent weeks, helping the Gunners to consecutive clean sheets in the league for the first time since the start of the campaign.

Arteta praised the 25-year-old for the way he has battled back to form since returning from the knee injury he suffered against Manchester United, which kept him sidelined for nearly 10 months.

“He had a period when he did not play and then he played against Leeds at home (an FA Cup match in January 2020),“ said the Arsenal boss. “When you compare how he has evolved from then to now, in a year’s time, it is incredible.

“It is down to him, how professional he is, how much he wants to learn, how much he puts into every training session and then his character and his personality.”

Arteta added: “He is growing in every aspect. I am really happy with him.

“It is true that in the summer he came to me because we had a large amount of central defenders and he was not sure about how many minutes he was going to have.

“We stopped him going anywhere because we knew he was going to be an important player for us.”

Arteta handed Holding the captain’s armband in the absence of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang during Arsenal’s Premier League game at Everton before Christmas.

It was another indicator of how highly he rates the former Bolton defender, who is expected to put pen to paper on a new long-term contract before the end of the season.

“It is what I see on a daily basis with him and the room that he still has for improvement at his age,” said Arteta.

“I really like what I see and he has earned that right himself.

“It is true there have been many other conditions for him to play that many minutes because we have injuries, we have other issues, but he has earned that right.

“Nobody can question that when he has played, he has performed really well.”

On-loan Arsenal defender William Saliba seems to have taken something of a dig at manager Mikel Arteta, suggesting that he should have been offered more of an opportunity at his parent club.

Saliba completed a loan move to Ligue 1 side Nice earlier this week and made his debut in a 2-0 defeat against Brest on Wednesday.

It was his first competitive action in almost a year, and though he signed for Arsenal in the summer of 2019, he has yet to feature for the club, having spent last season on loan with Saint-Etienne.

Arteta has claimed that he lacks first-team football, but Saliba has argued that is not the case.

“The coach immediately told me that I was not ready. I would have at least liked to have had a chance to rediscover my rhythm,” he told the media on Friday.

“My first six months were difficult, because I was coming from six months where I wasn’t able to train because I was at home and couldn’t train outside, couldn’t play.

“I arrived there as they were finishing the league season, so I was training alone. As soon as they came back from holidays, we quickly had the first friendly matches where I lacked rhythm and was a bit insufficient physically.”

Meanwhile, he has not ruled out a prolonged stay at Nice, with a suggestion that his loan deal could be extended from six to 18 months.

“I have signed a six-month contract. After these six months we will see what happens. But for now I have signed for six months, I am going to give my all, and then we will see,” he explained.

Additionally, he is confident of rediscovering his best level back in Ligue 1.

“What’s for sure is that I was coming from Arsenal U23s, and what is for sure is that the rhythm at professional level and U23 level is not the same,” he explained. “I wanted to play and I trained so hard at Arsenal, that’s why the coach put me in directly on Wednesday. But certainly I had not played for a while and that has done me good.

“Even though I’m young, I’ve come to be a leader.”

Nice’s next match comes in Ligue 1 on Saturday versus Metz.

A number of Chelsea players have made their frustrations clear with a series of sarcastic tweets directed towards Manchester City after the Continental Cup tie between the sides was postponed because of a Covid-19 outbreak among the City squad.

Four unnamed City players reportedly tested positive for Covid-19 after returning from a holiday in Dubai over the Christmas period.

The trip was reportedly made with City’s permission and international travel was allowed as Manchester was then under Tier 3 of the UK government’s coronavirus restrictions, though it was not advised.

However, images of the players on holiday that were posted on social media caused frustration across women’s football, as it was perceived to be unprofessional given the strict protocols in place across elite sport in an attempt to curb the spread of the virus.

That frustration then turned to anger and consternation when it emerged the players had tested positive for Covid-19 upon their return, which led to Saturday’s WSL clash with West Ham and Wednesday’s clash with Chelsea to be postponed.

Once news of the Chelsea postponement was confirmed, some Blues players could not resist having a dig at their opponents.

Beth England tweeted “If I speak”, referring to a famous Jose Mourinho interview which has since become a meme when he said he could not speak for fear of being punished.

Fran Kirby said “good luck trying to fit that in”, with the club's schedule already packed, while Erin Cutbert posted a meme of comedian and talk show host James Corden saying: “seriously?”.

Goalkeeper Carly Telford made her feelings clear by posting a video featuring a woman called Brenda, whose incredulous reaction to the news of the 2017 UK general election has gone viral.

Manchester City are not the only WSL club to become embroiled in controversy over positive Covid-19 cases.

Arsenal’s clash with Aston Villa on Saturday was postponed after one of three Gunners players who made a trip to Dubai over the Christmas break returned a positive test.

Everton’s match against Manchester United on Sunday has also been called off because the Toffees are unable to field a team because of coronavirus and injuries - though the Covid-19 infections are not linked with any unauthorised holidays.

Liverpool survived a major scare from Aston Villa's youngsters before claiming their place in the FA Cup fourth round with a 4-1 victory.

Forced to name a starting XI comprised entirely of players without a first-team appearance to their name as a result of a COVID-19 outbreak, the Villans produced a hugely impressive performance under the guidance of U23s boss Mark Delaney.

It was enough to see them deservedly level at the break, Louie Barry finishing off a well-worked move to cancel out Sadio Mane's early header.

But Georginio Wijnaldum's strike on the hour-mark served to break the kids' resistance and was followed by further goals from Mane and Mohamed Salah that added gloss to the scoreline.

Villa would have been anticipating a long night ahead when Mane headed home Curtis Jones' right-wing cross with just four minutes on the clock.

Only two great stops in quick succession from Akos Onodi stopped the Reds doubling their lead soon after, the young goalkeeper keeping out Fabinho's low shot before rising to save Mane's follow-up.

But, while they continued to dominate possession as the half wore on, Liverpool hardly had the Villa goal under siege, and they paid the price as the hosts made the most of their first real attack.

Callum Rowe did brilliantly to evade Jordan Henderson deep in midfield before sliding an inch-perfect pass through to Barry, who saw off the challenge of Rhys Williams and produced a composed one-on-one finish that belied his tender years.

Liverpool could not have expected to find themselves in such a battle at Villa Park but responded with renewed vigour following the restart.

The pressure finally told on the hour, Wijnaldum sidefooting home in space with tired Villa legs unable to close him down, and two further goals in the next five minutes put the game to bed.

The first came from Mane, who looped a header up and into the far corner, before Salah got in on the act with a low finish into the corner.

What does it mean? More cause for Klopp concern

While Villa's youngsters will receive deserved praise for their first-half heroics, the opening 45 minutes cannot have been an easy watch for Jurgen Klopp.

Liverpool came into this game having failed to win in their last three outings and their struggles continued for large periods against inexperienced opponents who looked there for the taking after conceding early.

If the Reds are to get their season back on track, they are going to have to find improvement from somewhere.

Revan a rock for Villa

Although he would have been excited at the prospect of coming up against this Liverpool attack, Dominic Revan surely could not have expected to fare this well.

The 20-year-old was hugely impressive for the hosts, making 14 clearances – more than anyone else on the pitch – and winning 66.7 per cent of his duels up against some world-class attackers.

Henderson struggles

Although his half-time substitution had all the hallmarks of a planned change, Henderson was far from at his best at Villa Park.

The captain was too easily beaten to the ball in the moments before the hosts' goal, lost possession on 10 separate occasions with some aimless passing, and failed to make a single tackle in his 45 minutes on the pitch.

Key Opta facts

- Aston Villa's starting XI average age was just 18 years and 294 days – there had not been a player aged as young as that in any of their last 158 line-ups in all competitions, not since Jake Doyle-Hayes started against Middlesbrough in September 2017 aged 18 years and 263 days.
- Five of Villa's starting XI (Kaine Kesler, Louie Barry, Lamar Bogarde, Benjamin Chrisene, Mamadou Sylla) were not even born when James Milner made his first ever FA Cup appearance, in January 2003 for Leeds United against Scunthorpe United.
- Xherdan Shaqiri became the first Liverpool substitute to assist two goals in a single game since Milner in December 2017 against Spartak Moscow (3), the Switzerland international getting his brace within 208 seconds of coming off the bench.
- Barry (17y 201d) became the youngest player to score an FA Cup goal for a Premier League club since Rony Lopes (17y 8d) for Manchester City against Watford in January 2013.
- Barry (born June 2003) is only the second player born in 2003 to score a goal for a Premier League club, after Liam Delap (born February 2003) for Man City against Bournemouth in the EFL Cup earlier this season.

What's next?

Liverpool now have a rare nine-day gap before facing bitter rivals Manchester United in a top-of-the-table Premier League clash. It remains to be seen whether Villa will be able to fulfil their next scheduled fixture, a league encounter with Tottenham on Wednesday.

Jonas Hofmann played a pivotal role as Borussia Monchengladbach incredibly came from two goals down to defeat Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich 3-2 on Friday.

Robert Lewandowski scored his 20th top-flight goal of the season from the penalty spot after an inexplicable handball from Florian Neuhaus, and Leon Goretzka had Bayern cruising at Borussia-Park in the 26th minute.

However, Hofmann struck twice in the space of 10 minutes to send the teams into half-time level and Neuhaus atoned for his earlier error with what proved to be the winner in the 49th minute.

Gladbach consequently became the first team since Cologne in February 2011 to defeat Bayern in the Bundesliga after falling 2-0 down.

Lewandowski put Bayern in front from the penalty spot following a bizarre handball by Neuhaus, though referee Harm Osmers only pointed to the spot after a VAR check.

Bayern doubled their advantage six minutes later, Goretzka intercepting Matthias Ginter's pass and drilling a venomous effort past Yann Sommer after a one-two with Leroy Sane.

Gladbach reduced the deficit when Rami Bensebaini regained the ball high up the pitch and a quick passing move ended with Hofmann sliding Lars Stindl's throughball past Manuel Neuer.

The hosts drew level in first-half stoppage time when Stindl dispossessed Joshua Kimmich and fed Hofmann for another cool finish - the VAR confirming he was onside when the pass was played.

Gladbach completed the turnaround four minutes after the restart, Hofmann intercepting Niklas Sule's pass and teeing up Neuhaus to curl a wonderful effort into the top-right corner.

Marco Rose's men sat deep and Ginter cleared a header from Sule off the line in the 91st minute, opening the door for RB Leipzig to replace Bayern at the Bundesliga summit if they can beat Borussia Dortmund in a mouthwatering clash on Saturday.

What does it mean? Worries at the back for Flick

Bayern's defensive struggles continued against Gladbach, with Neuer now on a 10-game run without a clean sheet in the Bundesliga for the first time in his career.

He was not helped by Benjamin Pavard giving away possession prior to Hofmann's first, while Sule played a role in allowing the other two Gladbach goals.

Securing the future of David Alaba, who will be out of contract at the end of the season, never seemed quite so important.

Having it Lars

Most teams would think the game is beyond them when falling 2-0 down to Bayern, but Gladbach captain Stindl led by example to turn the game around. He set up both of Hofmann's goals with a pair of quality passes and contested 11 duels before being substituted in the 82nd minute.

Sluggish Sule

Sule replaced Jerome Boateng in the centre of defence but endured a disappointing outing. He played Hofmann onside for the equaliser just before half-time and within minutes of the restart his stray pass resulted in Neuhaus putting Gladbach in front.

What's next?

Bayern are in DFB-Pokal action against 2. Bundesliga side Holstein Kiel on Wednesday, while Gladbach have a week to prepare for a Bundesliga clash with Stuttgart.

Stoke City manager Michael O'Neill has insisted Oghenekaro Etebo will see out his loan contract with Turkish Super Lig side Galatasaray.

The 25-year-old midfielder teamed up with the Turk Telekom Stadium outfit on a season-long loan in the summer of 2020.

The Nigeria international has struggled to make a meaningful impact with the Yellow and Reds since his arrival in Turkey.

Etebo has only made 11 appearances across all competitions for Galatasaray this season, including eight in the Super Lig.

His failure to enjoy sufficient game-time has lent credence to the rumour making the rounds that he is set to cut short his loan and return to Stoke City.

O'Neill has now revealed the midfielder and other stoke players away from the club temporarily will not return to Bet365 Stadium until the end of their loan deals.  

“It’s definitely a rumour! The players who are out on loan are out on loan for the season and that won't change,” O'Neill said in a pre-match press conference.

“It was what they wanted at that period in time. They made that decision and we made that decision as a club.

“Maybe because the loan hasn’t gone well, you can’t just decide you want to come back. It doesn’t work like that.

“We don’t envisage any of the loan players who are currently at various clubs returning to Stoke in January.”

Etebo spent the second half of the 2019-2020 season with Getafe in La Liga and despite the club having an option to sign him permanently, they chose not to activate the clause.  

The midfielder teamed up with Stoke City in the summer of 2018 from Portuguese club Feirense and has featured in 51 games for the side across all competitions.

Etebo will hope to deliver convincing showings in training to boost his chances of featuring for Galatasaray when they take on Genclerbirligi in a league game on Saturday.

The midfielder is a key member of the Nigeria national team and featured prominently as they secured a back-to-back draw against Sierra Leone in the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers in November.

Merseyside rivals Everton and Liverpool have stepped in to help local minnows Marine prepare for their huge FA Cup tie against Tottenham on Sunday by letting the non-league side use their training grounds.

There are 161 places between Premier League giants Spurs and Northern Premier League Division One side Marine, the biggest gap between sides in the FA Cup’s 150-year history.

If Marine's task on Sunday wasn't tough enough, their preparations for the game have been hampered by inclement weather combined with new coronavirus restrictions.

Freezing temperatures meant Neil Young’s side have been unable to train on their usual outdoor pitches this week, while the new national lockdown in the UK has forced indoor venues to close.

That left the players with nowhere to train until their Merseyside neighbours Everton and Liverpool, whose stadiums are less than six miles from Marine’s Rossett Park ground, allowed them to use their first-class facilities.

"We have had a few issues, certainly since the new lockdown, in terms of training venues," Young told reporters. "Our pitch, where we were due to train on Thursday, had to be covered earlier in the week due to frost, but the leisure centres that we would normally use have been closed because of lockdown.

"So we are very thankful to Everton, who stepped in on Thursday and allowed us to use their Finch Farm training ground at the last minute, and Liverpool, who have also allowed us to use their training ground on Saturday.

"We are just glad they could step in. We are preparing for the biggest game in our history against one of the top sides in the country, but at 3pm on Thursday, we had nowhere to train, so we're very grateful that the two clubs have been able to step in.

"Without their help, we could have been going into the game with very little preparation, other than what we can do on a tactics board and the playing of a video."

With coronavirus cases on the rise across the country, Young admits it has been hard to prepare the players while complying with Covid-19 regulations.

Marine’s part-time status means the players, who are all due to be tested for Covid-19 in the next 24 hours, have to juggle training sessions with other jobs in various locations and settings.

That also applies to Young, who is a facilities manager for the local railway network, though he is not going to let the logistics detract from the excitement surrounding the tie.

"From a part-time perspective, it's been a bit of a nightmare with the Covid regulations," he added.

"At this round of the competition, you are allowed to have nine substitutes, but I don't think we have enough players to name nine. That's the reality for us.

"But we are coming up against a formidable side, coached by one of the greatest managers in the history of the game and a team of world-class players including many international captains. It is dream time for us."

Ghana international Jonathan Mensah believes playing in Major League Soccer (MLS) has contributed to his struggles for call-ups to the Black Stars.

The 30-year-old Columbus Crew captain, who once featured for French side Evian, has not been called up for national duty since playing at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.

His snub has prompted calls for retirement from the national team, a suggestion he recently swatted aside, re-affirming his commitment to the Black Stars.

“Looking back at my career in France, one of the top leagues in the world, I was in a tough situation at that time with a couple of injuries,” Mensah told Citi TV.

“I played just about 50 games in my four or five years in France. But I still played lots of games with the national team, because wherever there was a call up I was always fit,” he said.

“I’ve played over 100 games during my time in the MLS and I haven’t received too many call ups. I really don’t know where talk of the league being weak is coming from. I don’t believe that narrative."

Mensah made his international debut in 2009 and has gone on to represent Ghana at six Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) tournaments and two World Cup gatherings.

He currently has over 60 appearances for the Black Stars.

“My doors are wide open to the national team always. I’m never going to retire from international football," Mensah earlier told Angel FM.

“I don’t even have the ink in my pen to write and announce a retirement.

"Even if I’m done with club football and am needed by Ghana at 40, I will avail myself.

“Even the likes of Roger Milla and Flavio Amado were grown and unattached yet they still played for their national teams.”

Mensah joined South African side Free State Stars from Ashanti Gold in 2008 before signing for Italian side Udinese in 2010 after helping Ghana win the 2009 U20 Afcon and Fifa U20 World Cup.

While with the Serie A outfit, he moved to Spanish club Granada on loan, from where he transferred to Evian in 2011 for a five-year spell.

He spent the 2016 season with Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala before heading for Columbus Crew in 2017.

Young Africans (Yanga SC) laboured to a 1-0 win over Namungo FC in a Mapinduzi Cup game played at the Amani Stadium on Friday night 

Timu ya Wananchi scored their goal in the first half courtesy of Zawadi Mauya.

Wananchi had come into the match desperate for a win after drawing 0-0 with Jamhuri in their opening Group A game. However, it was not going to be an easy game against their league rivals.

The 27-time league champions stamped their authority early in the game, trying to limit their opponents from getting sight of their goal and at the same time using every opportunity to raid them.

Yanga's tactic worked as they managed to get their goal in the 24th minute through Mauya. It happened to be the only goal in the first half despite the numerous chances created.

Namungo came in the second half with an attacking mindset, but they could not break down their opponents who were organized well.

Eventually, the 2020 finalists lost the game by a solitary goal as Yanga went top of the group and sealed their place in the quarter-finals.

Wananchi are not showing signs of missing their star midfielder Carlinhos who was forced to return back home owing to an injury.

The Angolan star was keen to use the tournament to revive his career at the club after a rather poor start which saw him miss a couple of Mainland Premier League matches in the first round.

Despite starting well by scoring two goals and assisting two, Carlinhos picked an injury that saw him miss a number of matches including the derby against rivals Simba SC which ended in a 1-1 draw.

He later returned and played only one match and picked another injury which ruled him out of the first round matches.

However, he was named in the 20-man squad for the Mapinduzi Cup which kicked-off on January 4, and according to the club’s Information Officer Hassan Bumbuli, he has suffered another injury setback and was forced to return to Dar es Salaam.

"The squad is in good shape; all the players are fit except for Carlinhos who has been forced to return to the capital, Dar es Salaam,” Bumbuli told reporters in Zanzibar.

"He will have to continue with the treatment as well as the programs he was scheduled for due to his lack of fitness."

His withdrawal makes him join the list of Yanga players not in the tournament including Feisal, Kaseke, Yasin Mustapha, Farid Mussa, Bakari Mwamnyeto, Ditram Nchimbi, and striker Yacouba Songne.

Real Madrid head coach Zinedine Zidane has lent his backing to striker Karim Benzema, who is to stand trial over his alleged involvement in the attempted blackmail of Mathieu Valbuena.

The case has been rumbling on since 2015 and cost the players the opportunity to feature at both Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup.

Benzema is accused of trying to extort money from his fellow France star prior to a friendly against Armenia.

And AFP reports that he will be taken to court at an as yet unspecified date, facing a potential penalty of up to five years in jail.

Zidane, though, is confident that justice will fall on the side of the prolific forward, who has been among Los Blancos’ ranks since 2009.

“Benzema has my complete support,” Zidane said on Friday. “I know it's not an easy situation. The important thing is what I see and he is well.

“These are difficult situations and we want it to be resolved as soon as possible. He detaches from all of that and focuses on his work, his family. He does what he likes and wants to make people happy when he is on the pitch.”

Benzema's lawyer responded to the news that his client is being charged with conspiracy to attempt blackmail by telling the Efe news agency: “The decision to try him is absurd and is unfair cruelty.

“Benzema has nothing to be ashamed of in this case.”

Valbuena's lawyer Paul-Albert Iweins told L'Equipe that the decision to go to trial is “the logical continuation of the instruction which perfectly established the participation of the various people”.

Despite his off-field issues, Benzema has remained a potent source of goals for Los Blancos, with 261 efforts recorded through 533 appearances. This tally puts him fifth in the all-time standings for the club, behind only greats like Cristiano Ronaldo, Raul and Alfredo Di Stefano.

Indeed, since Ronaldo departed the Bernabeu for Juventus in the summer of 2018, Benzema has been increasingly important for the club and has been the constant in their forward line over that period of transition.

Manchester United head coach Casey Stoney has apologised and taken responsibility after some of her players flew to Dubai over the Christmas period.

The club's fixture against Everton became the third WSL game to be called off on Friday, due to positive tests at Everton that occurred at the end of 2020.

Toffees manager Willie Kirk told the press on Friday morning that "the last round of [Covid-19] testing was all negative", however the club announced on Friday night that the game had been postponed due to them "not being able to field a squad because of recent Covid-19 infections and injuries".

The statement said five Everton players had contracted coronavirus "between Christmas and New Year" and, although those players returned to training this week and the rest of the squad tested negative, "the five players are unable to be passed fit to play this weekend", leaving Kirk with just 13 available players. The minimum required to play a fixture is 14.

Stoney, however, still admitted that she made a mistake in allowing her players to travel abroad.

“I said before Christmas that I will always take my players’ wellbeing into consideration and I granted permission for my players to go home and see their families to have a break," Stoney told the press on Friday.

"On reflection, I do trust my players wholeheartedly to stick within government guidelines, everything we allowed them to do was within government guidelines, but I have to be honest and on reflection it was a poor error in judgement from me. I am sincerely sorry for that.

"The buck starts with me and it stops with me so I am sorry for that. Everything was considered as a club in terms of the players’ needs. That’s why it was approved. I’m human and I make mistakes. I made a mistake and I take responsibility for it.”

Pictures of a number of players throughout the Women's Super League on trips abroad were spotted on social media this week, causing mass controversy, particularly with a number of games since called off due to positive Covid-19 tests.

Manchester City revealed on Monday that four players had contracted the virus, with their game against West Ham this weekend and their Continental Cup quarter-final against Chelsea next week both postponed.

Arsenal's clash with Aston Villa was also postponed due to a positive Covid-19 test forcing a number of players into self-isolation, as per the government guidelines.

“I can understand frustration of course, especially when we are getting positive tests and games are being called off," Stoney said.

"Fans can’t get into grounds. Covid-19 has impacted everybody. I can completely understand when people are stuck at home and can’t see families and they see players on holidays – I can understand the frustration in that. I can only say from my point of view and the club’s point of view, we took everything in consideration for their needs.

"Jackie Groenen went back to Holland, Ona Battle went back to Spain and Ivana Fuso went back to Germany. They all came back, quarantined and got tested before coming back into our environment.

"It was the right thing to do by them as people because of where they were at. I can only speak from our club’s point of view. I have to take responsibility for that.

"[The players who went abroad but not to see family] went away for a break, again within government guidelines as we were in Tier 3 at the time. We felt we were making an informed decision, on reflection it wasn’t a good decision and I’ll admit that.

"But I’m not going to single out players and crucify them, at the end of the day it was a club decision and unfortunately it wasn’t the right one. As I said, I am human and I make mistakes. I’ve made an error. I’ll look into it deeply and the impact it’s had on people and the reaction it’s caused, and I am deeply, deeply sorry for that.

"I expect my players to stick within government guidelines and club protocols and I have to tell you our club protocols have been more stringent than government guidelines for a long time, which took a huge toll on our players.

"Anybody that is deemed to be breaking club protocols or govt guidelines I take very seriously and I will deal with internally.

"I wouldn't want to call a game off. Obviously I'm saying that we've potentially made poor decisions over Christmas, had that come back to us, I still wouldn't have wanted to call the game off because of the integrity of what we're doing. I want my players to play.

"If I'm the one saying we are prepared to allow people to go [away] and I'm saying it's a risk that I'm okay to take for their needs, their emotional needs, I'm not going to call a game off, because it is my decision, and why should the rest of my players suffer?

"So for the integrity of the competition, I would never ask for a postponement. It's not something I would do."