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Express FC coach Wasswa Bbosa has revealed his immediate task is to help the side to avoid playing in relegation battles every season.

Express finished ninth in the 2019-20 Uganda Premier League campaign after Federation of Uganda Football Association (Fufa) moved to end the season owing to the coronavirus pandemic with Vipers SC being declared the champions.

Bbosa, who has returned to Express after signing a new three-year contract, now says he wants to come up with a competitive squad, able to challenge their rivals in the top-flight among them KCCA FC, Vipers and SC Villa.

“We want to bring the team to the level where it will be competing for trophies,” Bbosa is quoted by New Vision.

“Express is a well-known traditional club. She is a big brand that does not need to be in relegation dogfights. I promise the fans that we are ready to do anything that will make this club great again.

“Before I left Express it was performing well and in good positions and I hope and believe that it's where we are going. We are working on so many things to ensure that we revamp Express. This is a big club with a rich history so it should aim for big things.”

Express moved to extend Bbosa’s contract after he moved the club from relegation after he came in to replace sacked George Ssimwogerere.

In a recent interview, Bbosa, who last won the UPL title with Express in 2012 serving as Sam Ssimbwa's assistant coach, revealed specific duties his backroom members will be handling.

“I’m going to work with [James] Odoch, [Sam] Kawalya, [Ayub] Balyejusa, and [Hassan] Mubiru; who like me, all played for the club and love it at heart,” Bbosa told reporters.

“Kawalya will work with the goalkeepers, Mubiru with the strikers, Balyejusa and Odoch with midfielders and me with the defenders on top of conducting the entire training sessions.”

The tactician believes the objectives of the club can be achieved in three years.

“The first year will be for rebuilding, the second, we will go for the title and the third will be a real business. With my favoured 4-3-3 counter-attacking formation and with right players, expect Express to be back.”

Martin Braithwaite says he started baking bread to fight off boredom during the coronavirus lockdown.

The 29-year-old forward joined Barcelona from Leganes in February in an emergency transfer after Luis Suarez suffered a knee injury. The Denmark international made just three appearances for the Catalan side before the campaign was suspended because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

With the country in lockdown, Braithwaite was able to spend more time with his family and found some new hobbies to keep his mind occupied.

"It is a special scenario. I had the feeling it was some kind of movie because we have never experienced anything like this, so it has been a really special situation for me,” he told Goal. “I try to be positive in the face of negative situations. For me it was important that I could be with my family during this time.

“My wife was pregnant and I was there for my son's birth so there are a lot of positive things to me at the moment. If I have to try to look to the positive things as I always do I can only be grateful.

"I think my wife saw another side of me. I began baking bread and doing stuff I had never done before. Now we are beginning to get back to normal, so I can’t do it anymore!"

La Liga has been cleared to resume this month and Barca will begin with a game against Mallorca on June 13. Quique Setien's team are two points ahead of Real Madrid at the top of the Spanish league with 11 games to go.

Braithwaite is happy to be back in training after such a long hiatus and is eager to start playing for the Spanish champions again.

"I feel good. I have been waiting for this moment for such a long time," he said. "I'm fine working with the team again, it makes me really happy. It makes me wake up every day to do better in football.

"I feel everybody in the team is eager and hungry. I see a lot of players hungry as I am."

Mason Mount says Chelsea are raring to go for the resumption of Premier League football, with any rustiness shaken off after what felt like “an age” stuck in a coronavirus-enforced lockdown.

The Blues are due to return to action on June 21 with a trip to relegation-threatened Aston Villa.

That contest will take place behind closed doors, but it will see Frank Lampard’s side return to a competitive arena for the first time since March 8.

Mount, who has seen training stepped up over recent weeks, is looking forward to getting back onto the pitch, with Chelsea ready to play their top-four challenge through to a finish.

The England international midfielder told the club’s official website: “It’s very exciting.

“It’s something we’ve all been waiting for a long time, to get back playing when the time was right, so we are all excited.

“To get the games back is great and it’s something we all wanted if it was possible. We all love playing games and representing Chelsea in the Premier League and we are all looking forward to getting started again.

“It’s been a long time since we played and the two months we had away in lockdown certainly seemed like such an age! So it’s been great to be able to get back out on the pitch at Cobham and do what we love.

“I think I speak on behalf of all the boys when I say we had to ensure we stayed fit during the lockdown, ready for when we could go back to work. It was important to remain active and to be honest, I think most footballers find it difficult to stay too far away from a football. I know I’ve been kicking one around my house all the time!

“Training has been great, and the boys are looking sharp. I think at the start, having been away for so long, there was a little rustiness to shake off but we are back to normal now and raring to go again.”

Chelsea will be returning to action sat fourth in the Premier League, three points clear of a chasing pack headed by Manchester United with nine games left to take in.

Paul Scholes has recalled being man-marked by Park Ji-sung in training, describing his former Manchester United team-mate as a "nightmare" to play against.

Park completed a £4 million move to Old Trafford from PSV in the summer of 2005, and went on to feature in 203 matches for the club in all competitions, scoring 27 goals.

The former South Korea international quickly earned a cult following among supporters for his tenacious style of play, with Sir Alex Ferguson often trusting him with key roles in big games due to his exceptional work rate.

Park picked up 13 major trophies during his time in Manchester, including four Premier League titles and the Champions League, before departing for QPR in 2012.

He was part of a squad widely revered as one of the finest in English football history, and played alongside legendary figures such as Scholes, Ryan Giggs, Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney.

Scholes says he was unable to get the better of Park in practice sessions at the club's Carrington training base, and remembers his Italian counterpart Andrea Pirlo having the same issues with the Korean during United's Champions League showdowns against AC Milan.

The Red Devils great told Wes Brown on MUTV: "I do remember you trying to man-mark me, but you weren't the only one, Wes!

"Do you know who the worst one was? Park Ji-sung. He was a nightmare! He was unbelievable.

"Do you remember when he did it against [Andrea] Pirlo? Ah, he was unreal! He had energy all day and discipline. The discipline was unreal.

"He just used to come up to me, look at me and not say a word, stand right next to me... 'Oh Jesus, here we go!' 'Come on, ginge!' - Just say something to me, have a laugh with me!

"But he was unbelievable at it. He just used to come and stare right into my face, stare right into my eyes, 'You're not getting a kick today'."

Scholes also revealed that he initially rose through United's academy ranks as a centre-forward, before being encouraged to transition into midfield by ex-youth team coach Eric Harrison.

He added: "I grew up as a centre-forward. I was just a goalscorer which you find hard to believe to where my position went on but I always liked playing in midfield.

"Eric Harrison always said I’d be a central midfield player and possession was everything we did when you’re 11-12 years of age in the academy, it was just always about possession so over the years you’re just watching players and you learn how to do it."

Call of Duty: Warzone has continued to grow since its launch in March, with more than 60 million players heading to Verdansk to fight it out in the Gulag.

The game was built with battle royale fans in mind, but the game’s Battle Royale mode is only half of the equation. Players can also see how they fare in Warzone’s much more unique Plunder mode where the key to victory lies in becoming a skilled hoarder.

Warzone pits 150 players against one another in teams of two, three, four or solo in an ever-closing map.

Download Call Of Duty: Warzone

The game features two main factions of the Operators: the Coalition and the Allegiance. Both factions include a variety of Operators to choose from. The Coalition is a multinational alliance that consists of operators from SAS, Warcom and Demon Dogs, while the Allegiance is made up of the remnants of the Russian Forces in Urzikstan, foreign mercenaries and rogue NATO soldiers.

And while the Operators are getting famous among the gamers, Goal.com has teamed up with Call of Duty to make the "Coalition vs Allegiance" ultimate team. The concept consists on choosing 11 characters from both the Coalition and Allegiance who are featuring in Warzone.

We'll then analyze the specific traits of each character and potential Footballers who fit the mould and resemble well with the character. The audience will be involved by voting for their favorite Operator-Footballer combo to make it feature in the Ultimate team.

For our new poll, we are going to be looking at Ronin from the Coalition faction and Azur from the Allegiance one.

Ronin - Heung-min : Son is a smart player with great balance. He moves gracefully with the ball and is secure in possession. He makes sure he is always aware of his surroundings and his decisions are often accurate. Like Son, Ronin is a perfectionist who pays attention to the small details. He doesn't like to take uncalculated risks. Once he takes a decision, he stands by it and does everything in his power to implement it.  

Azur - Salah :   Salah is one of the most hard working footballers in the world and that helps him to continuously improve. The Reds' star is now the complete player, with tremendous pace, great decision making and high efficiency in front of the goal. Azur is a hard worker too. On the battle field, he does his very best to help his team to win, using his pace and vast experience.

Who should feature is the Coalition vs Allegiance utlimate team? vote below

SC Villa head coach Edward Kaziba has revealed teamwork was the reason why the Ugandan Premier League side performed well in the concluded 2019/20 season.

With five rounds remaining to conclude the season, the top tier was suspended in mid-March owing to Covid-19 pandemic.

The league was eventually annulled by the Federation of Uganda Football Associations (Fufa) after the pandemic was not contained quickly.

As a result, the eight-time league champions managed to finish third on the table.

"It was teamwork despite problems within the camp such as delayed payment of wages," Kaziba said as quoted by New Vision.

"I had to bring the team together and above all, I have my own philosophy of play and I selected players who fitted the style.

"The players were committed and as a parent, I approached and talked to them and we solved problems together as a family. I listen to them, and we work hand in hand with both players and the technical bench."

The tactician has also stated his agreement with the management after joining from Uganda women's national team, where he served as the assistant coach.

"When I arrived at Villa, I told the top administration to keep me away from the pressure of the fans and not interfere with the team," Kaziba revealed.

"I came to SC Villa with an experience just having coached at Standard High school for almost 16 years and having acquired my CAF A, B, C coaching certificates.

"This helped me with a lot of knowledge and confidence. So coming to coach a club like Villa that has a lot of supporters with a lot of expectations was easy."

During his playing days, Kaziba turned out for the likes of KCC, Tobacco FC. He was also part of Jogoo Young technical team and managed to coach top talents like Godfrey Walusimbi, Emmanuel Okwi and Joseph Mpande.  

After the Ugandan Premier League cancellation, Vipers SC were declared winners after accumulating 54 points from the 25 matches played.

Former champions KCCA FC were second on 50 points with Villa finishing third with 46 points.

Former AFC Leopards striker Francis Chinjili has revealed how a small fish mongering business has become a good source of income since he retired

Chinjili, famously known as 'Yekini' due to his likeness to Nigerian legend Rashidi Yekini, hanged up his boots in 2013 and tried his hand in the coaching world before quitting after it became clear it was not going to sustain him effectively.

The retired striker then ventured into fish mongering, a business that he says is valuable and worth undertaking.

“It might be labour intensive but I have learnt over the few years that it is very valuable and maybe then this is a good retirement path onwards,” Chinjili told People Daily.

“It was not rocket science. It was such a sweet deal that probably only a fool could turn down.”

The former St George SC star started the business in the Bunyore area and hopes to expand it soon in order to reach as many customers as possible.

“I tried to set up a shop in Mbale, Vihiga but it did not get the market I hoped for,” he added.

“When I then turned to social media and set up a page on Facebook, things changed. I used my name to inform potential customers and also did deliveries.

“I am now happily getting big orders from clients as far as Europe and America who tell me to supply their older kin at home and this is exciting.”

With a stable income in his pocket daily, Chinjili says he has been able to employ a number of people to help him run the business.

“On a good week before the coronavirus struck, I could make KSh15,000 on average and this has made me employ youth from the area to help in the business,” Chinjili added.

“I have mighty plans and if all goes well, then maybe we could have a restaurant because the gap and demand are alive for fresh fish that we offer.

“We have six ponds at the farm, which is fed with fresh water from the river and all we do is to feed the fish and during harvesting ensure all compliance is met because the product is sensitive.

“On a good day, we sell up to 50kgs to hotels and individuals.” 

Chinjili's revelation comes in a year when the majority of the Kenyan Premier League (KPL) players have faced salary delays as some clubs are without sponsors.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer expects to have Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford at his disposal when Premier League action resumes, but he will not be setting any trophy targets for Manchester United.

The Red Devils are due to restart their 2019-20 campaign on June 19 when taking in a reunion with former manager Jose Mourinho and his Tottenham side.

With only three points separating them from the top four at present, there is still plenty for United to play for when competitive action returns.

A spark had been found prior to lockdown, with the January signing of Bruno Fernandes proving to be particularly inspired, and the Red Devils could be even stronger when they next take to the field.

That is because those who had been nursing knocks - such as Pogba, Rashford and Eric Bailly - have been able to use an enforced break to work on their fitness and push themselves back into contention.

“Well, we hope everybody’s going to be ready for the first game,” Solskjaer told United’s official website, with a green light having been given for matchday squads to be increased.

“We’ve had time out so I don’t think we can expect that those lads who’ve missed lots of the football can last the full game.

“But now the rules have changed, we can use five subs and have nine on the bench. I think that’s helpful because footballers, after being out for so long, going into competitive games will be a challenge for them and we have to look after them injury-wise and fitness-wise.

“We can’t just flog one player and say to them, ‘you play every game and every minute’ because it might be a period when we have to rotate quite often.”

Solskjaer intends to make full use of his squad from this point, adding: “We have a big squad, a strong squad and at the moment, loads of these players can prepare for the first game and hope to play in the first game and then if you don’t play in the first, you might play the second or the third.

“So that’s what it is about at Man United, being in the squad, being in the team, being ready when you’re asked upon.”

The Red Devils will hope to still have plenty of games left to take in, as they also remain in the hunt for FA Cup and Europa League honours, but Solskjaer is reluctant to set sights on silverware at this stage.

He said: “Of course, when you get to Man United, you want to end the season with trophies. But trophies won’t be what we’re talking about now.

“We’ve got to make sure we make this short spell before next season a good one for us and if it ends up with trophies, fantastic. We’ve just got to focus on what we can control and that’s our own performances. If that takes us to a final or two, it would be great.

“I’m focused on each game as it comes but also on developing this team. It’s a young team with some great talent, some great work-rate, personalities… the human qualities in the group are fantastic.

“And of course, Paul and Marcus are back, Eric has been out for a long time, Scott [McTominay] was out for a long time, so we want to gel the team together again.”

Paul Pogba has secured his place in call of Duty: Wazone ultimate team, which features a cambo of COD's operators and football players who have similar characteristics.

Goal.com has teamed up with Call of Duty to make the "Coalition vs Allegiance" ultimate team. The concept consists on choosing 11 characters from both the Coalition and Allegiance who are featuring in Warzone.

We then analyze the specific traits of each character and potential Footballers who fit the mould and resemble well with the character. The audience is involved by voting for their favorite Operator-Footballer combo to make it feature in the Ultimate team.

For the sixth poll, we had a duel between Paul Pogba and Van de Beek who were representing Nikto from the Allegiance team and Alex from the Coalition team respectively.

Pogba led the poll with 73% of the votes (15894) beating out Ajax's midfielder who ended up with 27% of the votes (5710).

Stay tuned for our next poll...

Ajax chief executive Edwin van der Sar has insisted that the club won't sell their star players on the cheap amid the coronavirus crisis, as Donny van de Beek continues to be linked with Manchester United and Real Madrid.

After several years of mediocrity, Ajax finally re-emerged as a major force on the biggest stage in 2018-19, with head coach Erik ten Hag boasting one of the most exciting young squads in European football.

The Amsterdam-based outfit won a domestic double last season, and managed to reach the semi-finals of the Champions League - only to be knocked out in heartbreaking fashion at the hands of Tottenham.

Unfortunately, prized duo Matthijs de Light and Frenkie de Jong departed for Juventus and Barcelona respectively last summer, which naturally, led to a downturn in results on both domestic and European fronts.

Ajax were knocked out of the Champions League in the group stages this term, and exited the KNVB Cup at the semi-final stage, while failing to maintain their dominance in the Eredivisie.

Ten Hag's side were denied the title when the season was voided due to the Covid-19 pandemic in April, despite being top on goal difference, and now look set to lose more key players when the transfer window reopens.

Hakim Ziyech signed a pre-contract agreement with Chelsea in February, and is set to join up with his new team-mates at Stamford Bridge next month, while United and Madrid are reportedly preparing to launch separate bids for Van de Beek.

Cameroon goalkeeper Andre Onana and left-back Nicolas Tagliafico have also been tipped to leave Ajax this summer, but Van der Sar says no further departures will be sanctioned unless the club's director of football Marc Overmars gives the green light.

The Ajax CEO told Dutch publication NoS: “We know players have an ambition to leave for a better competition after a few years, but this will only happen on the conditions of Marc Overmars and Ajax.

"There will always be some who benefit from a crisis and some clubs will have to sell for less, but I think we're in a fortunate position thanks to our strong financial policy. Therefore we don't have to sell, but we made agreements with the players. These won't go below a certain price level. We won't let go of our players for sale prices. We prefer to keep them here."

Having put a deal in place for Timo Werner, Chelsea have been urged to rival Liverpool for another reported transfer target, with Frank Leboeuf saying Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly would “fit very well” at Stamford Bridge.

After two windows of no activity, with a transfer ban keeping their hands tied, the Blues are very much back in the market for top talent.

Hakim Ziyech was the first to be targeted, as Frank Lampard swooped to snap up the Morocco international winger from Ajax. A £54 million (€60m/$68m) move has now been made for RB Leipzig striker Werner, with other Premier League suitors fended off in order to close on the highly rated Germany international.

With the final third have been focused on so far, it may be that attention now shifts towards defensive matters. If that does prove to be the case, then Leboeuf feels Chelsea need to be adding Senegal international Koulibaly to their wish list.

Liverpool may be faced once again in that hunt, with the Reds another of those said to be keen on the commanding centre-half, but Roman Abramovich is making the funds available that allow those in west London to be competitive on the recruitment front.

Discussing potential clubs for Koulibaly with ESPN FC, former Chelsea defender Leboeuf said: "I will never ask him to go to Manchester United for many reasons.

"I want him to win some stuff and I think Manchester United is not the club that they used to be and they're not ready to win stuff.

"I think Liverpool would be a good fit with [Virgil] van Dijk, that would be fantastic. Paris Saint-Germain as well with Marquinhos, there would be two great central defenders.

"I think Chelsea will need a player like that. I don't know if Koulibaly will be interested, but even if they have two very good central defenders, Koulibaly I think belongs to another level and would fit very well.

"I know he has a link with Liverpool, Van Dijk and Koulibaly at the back - my God, that's going to be another Red season I guess.

"You have to make a choice at certain points. The question was 'what is the best fit for Koulibaly?' and definitely with Van Dijk, and when you're a defender like Koulibaly, that would be the best central defence in the world."

Bidvest Wits are set to lose striker Gift Motupa to Mamelodi Sundowns ahead of next season. 

According to a Goal source close to the player, the Brazilians have reignited their interest in the former Orlando Pirates attacker, and the proposed move could happen in the next few weeks.

"The interest is still there from Sundowns and it could happen before the start of next season," the source told Goal. 

Motupa was close to joining the Tshwane giants earlier this year but the deal failed to materialise as Wits changed their minds about selling one of their top strikers in recent years. 

However, with rumours that the Students may be sold at the end of the season, Motupa may consider jumping ship, according to the source. 

"You'd recall that the deal didn't happen in January but it's back on the table and the player wants to secure his future because we are not sure of what is going on at Wits [with regard to rumours that the club could be sold]," said the source. 

While neither Sundowns nor Wits have commented on possibly signing or losing players, the source confirmed there have been talks behind the scenes.  

"For now, everything is still being spoken behind the scenes but if all goes well, Gift will join Sundowns," concluded the source.  

The Clever Boys, through club director George Mogotsi, have distanced themselves from reports that TTM owner Masala Mulaudzi is in the process of buying their PSL status.

But indications are that all is not well at the club financially, and therefore they could look to cash in on some of their top players instead of losing them for free. 

Motupa has been with the Students since July 2018 following his arrival from Chippa United, who sold him even without kicking a ball after securing a permanent move from the Buccaneers.

He has scored 12 goals in 25 matches across all competitions for the club this season - including five in the league and six in the Caf Confederation Cup. 

In the last two years, the 25-year-old has scored 23 goals in 50 appearances and he appears to be enjoying his time under the stewardship of Gavin Hunt. 

Goal contacted Sundowns media officer Shupi Nkgadima but he did not pick up his phone or responded to texts sent to him at the time of publication. 

As Carl Ikeme turns 34, Goal take the opportunity to review the brief Super Eagles career of a player whose time with the national side was brief but memorable, curtailed prematurely by his early retirement in July 2018.

While it was always going to be hard to rebound from the leukaemia diagnosis which turned his world upside down in 2017, it was impossible to prepare for the finality of Wolves' official statement almost two years ago, when Ikeme confirmed that there would be no return.

Now 34, Goal celebrate a player who was raised a wolf, then became an eagle.

In a tenure that was riddled with acrimony, accusation and attrition, he proved one of the few positives of Sunday Oliseh's shortlived time at the helm, as the keeper took his first steps in the international arena. It was the former Super Eagles captain who gave him his international debut in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Tanzania.

Nigeria has not always handled goalkeeping transitions well, although one must concede that it is not exactly a cinch to pull off. With their ability to continue well into their 30s, unlike outfielders, there is the danger of letting them run on too long. However, Ikeme's arrival on the scene came as a matter of necessity, following the surprising decision of Vincent Enyeama to retire from the national team.

With a toothless Super Eagles attack unable to muster any menace, its midfield devoid of any guile, and its defence shorn of all structure, the Wolves goalkeeper was literally the sole reason the game ended goalless. His tremendous reflex save from Thomas Ulimwengu in the second half lives long in the memory, but it was just the pick of a brilliant bunch.

"Carl Ikeme had a great game for us." Oliseh acknowledged afterwards. "He saved us from defeat."

There had long been the impression that players eligible for European countries would only opt for Nigeria if they weren't good enough.

Yet, here was a tall, commanding goalkeeper, in his prime and playing club football in England, and he was not only chuffed to be here, but he was actually quite excellent? Why are we so blessed?

It was love at first sight, but a love that almost seemed fated not to last.

Before the cancer, there were the injuries. He missed the crucial return leg of the Afcon qualifier against Egypt, a 1-0 defeat which confirmed Nigeria's absence from the 2017 edition.

He then missed the World Cup qualifier against Algeria in Uyo with a hip injury. As it turns out, his final game for the Super Eagles was the opening qualifier against Zambia in Ndola. There is a nice symmetry to the Ikeme love story: Zambia and Tanzania, where it ended and where it began, are contiguous; beyond land, they are now connected by Ikeme's brilliance.

It would have been unfathomable, watching him wave a rattled defence into position after repelling wave after wave of Zambian attack, that he was waving goodbye.

The depth of disappointment following the revelation of his cancer diagnosis months later was like the excision of a painful tooth, only to find the root rotting. It felt like a cruel joke: relief quickly turning to grief, which in turn quickly became panic.

With the World Cup on the horizon, who was supposed to be in goal?

For the second time in two years, the Super Eagles had to deal with Enyeama's retirement. Ultimately, it led to the discovery of Francis Uzoho, but few would have begrudged Ikeme his World Cup moment; he only featured in three qualifiers, but they were hugely important ones: the two-legged play-off against Swaziland, and that crucial victory over the Chipolopolo.

He was in goal just a handful of times for the Super Eagles, but that was all it took to win a nation's hearts. He leaves unblemished, with no losses on his record, and while he may not have burnt long, he certainly burnt brightly.

Jordan Henderson admits the pain of losing major finals helped to feed Liverpool’s hunger to get back on the trophy trail, with everyone at Anfield determined to establish another dynasty.

Prior to lifting the Champions League crown aloft in 2019, the Reds had gone seven long years without getting their hands on major silverware.

A wait for top-flight glory has stretched on even longer, with the 30-year mark reached in 2020.

That barren spell appears set to be brought to a close, with Jurgen Klopp’s side about to resume competitive action sat 25 points clear of the chasing pack, and the floodgates have been well and truly flung open on Merseyside.

Henderson believes falling short over recent years, in domestic and European competition, can be credited with having taught Liverpool what was required to get over the line and to become regular contenders for the very biggest prizes on offer.

The Reds captain told the club’s official website: “That was a big factor.

“Not only the 2018 [Champions League] final, but previous finals over the years that we had been involved in – the ­Europa League final to Sevilla as well, the League Cup final that we lost to Manchester City.

“All of those things you sort of learn from and it gives you even more ­hunger to put things right and improve.

“Every time we have faced that adversity we have bounced back in a really good way.

“It was just a case of continuing to do that and we knew the time would come where we’d manage to win something. Thankfully it came last year.”

Liverpool are also benefitting from Jurgen Klopp’s work in assembling a star-studded squad, with Henderson of the opinion that the Reds could not be better placed to build on their triumphs of the last 12 months.

He added: “The amount of great players of course that we have in this team, but how they are as people, how we are as a dressing room, how close we are and not only players but that’s the staff as well.

“The fans are incredible of course so it’s just an amazing football club and over the past couple of years we’ve played some pretty good football, went through some pretty tough times but also some pretty amazing times, so I’m just so excited to see what the future holds for this team and this football club because I know we’ll continue to give everything and keep improving and keep learning.

“If we do that then there’s no reason why we can’t have more success in the future.”

Barcelona forward Martin Braithwaite has described Lionel Messi as an "inspiration" as he reflected on his first few months at Camp Nou.

The 29-year-old was a surprise signing in February after injuries to Luis Suarez and Ousmane Dembele left Barcelona short on attackers. While yet to score for the club across three appearances, Braithwaite did contribute two assists on his debut as he gets used to playing with the Catalans. 

Messi is one player the Dane hasn't struggled to gel with as he noted the Argentina legend has already begun improving his game. 

"It changes a lot, of course," Braithwaite told Goal when asked about his opinion on Messi now he plays alongside him.

"He gives so much confidence to the team because he can make the difference and also helped me personally to be a better player with his advice and how he sees football. He is really an inspiration."

Signed in the wake of an injury to Suarez, Braithwaite may now struggle for minutes when the Liga season resumes this week with the Uruguayan star now fully fit again, but rather than despair at his likely limited role at Camp Nou, the Denmark international is eager to learn from Suarez. 

"Honestly I don't think in that kind of way. I am so happy that Luis is back because when I came here he was injured and I haven't played with him," he said. "I want to learn from him, he is one of the best strikers in the world and I am happy he is back." 

After previously playing for the likes of Leganes, Middlesbrough and Toulouse, Braithwaite has found things quite different on the training ground at Camp Nou. 

"The training is totally different to what I was used to so I can feel I am developing a lot in the technical level," Braithwaite said. "As a human I can feel I have more attention in such a big club like this but you must learn to live with all this attention."

One year ago, the prospect of Braithwaite being a Barcelona player would have been laughed off by many, but the fact it has happened convinces the man himself that no dream should be deemed too hard to reach as he hopes his time at the club will show his grandchildren anything is possible. 

He said: "I just want to tell them everything is possible in life. If you put your mind in it you can achieve your dreams."

Alexis Sanchez's struggles at Manchester United have "no explanation", according to Ander Herrera, who says his old team-mate "had everything to succeed" at the club.

Sanchez joined United from Arsenal in a swap deal with Henrikh Mkhitaryan in January 2018, bringing to an end his hugely impressive four-year spell at Emirates Stadium.

The 31-year-old scored 80 goals in 166 appearances for the Gunners, becoming one of the finest imports in Premier League history in the process.

He was, however, unable to reproduce the same electrifying form at Old Trafford, and ended up being shipped out to Inter on loan last summer after netting just five goals in 45 outings across all competitions.

Sanchez is due to return to United at the end of the month, but it is uncertain whether he will figure in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's plans.

Herrera played alongside the Chile international before his final contract at United expired, and admits he has been mystified by the mercurial performer's spectacular fall from grace.

The ex-United midfielder, who now plies his trade in Ligue 1 with Paris Saint-Germain, told The Athletic: "Sometimes, in football, there is no explanation for every single thing that happens.

"Alexis is one of them. He came from Arsenal. He used to win games by himself for Arsenal.

"I remember watching him because Arsenal were our rivals for titles and the top four. I saw them losing games 2-0 and Alexis would score two and they’d win the game. He’d score the winning goal.

“It shows football sometimes has no explanation. How can a player, who one month before, two months before, is the best player by far in a big team like Arsenal… then he comes to United and he doesn’t perform? I have no explanation."

Herrera added on Sanchez's failure to transfer his performances in training to matchdays at Old Trafford: "He trains good, he is a good professional, he tries to improve.

"In training sessions, you can see his quality. He scores a lot of goals. In front of the goalkeeper in training, he was lethal, scoring goals, goals, goals.

"He fights if he loses the ball, he runs back and wins the ball, so he had everything to succeed at United, and he didn’t do it.

"The only thing I can tell you is that I have no explanation."

AFC Leopards chairman Dan Shikanda has maintained his stand that the 2019-20 Kenyan Premier League (KPL) season should be declared null and void.

While the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) moved to end the season and crown Gor Mahia the champions while promoting Nairobi City Stars and Bidco United, the KPL has insisted a decision on the league is yet to be made.

On two occasions, KPL plans to issue a stand on the league have been jolted by the extension of the nationwide curfew, with the latest being on Saturday when Kenya President Uhuru Kenyatta confirmed the ban on all sporting activities and social gatherings will remain in force for another 30 days.

The decision by Kenyatta has left the Ingwe chairman also calling for the league managers to move quickly and make a decision, insisting the only way to have peace is by annulling the top-flight.

“My stands is still the same and it will not change, KPL should annul the league and allow teams to start afresh next season,” Shikanda told Goal on Monday.

“It will be a very big mistake to award Gor Mahia the trophy, even if it was AFC Leopards who were leading, I will not advocate we be given the title whereas we have not played all the matches.

“The simplest way for KPL to solve this puzzle once and for all is to declare the season null and avoid and allow Gor Mahia and Bandari to represent Kenya in Caf competitions, as AFC Leopards we don’t have any objection with that and it will remain our stand.”

Shikanda’s comments come a few hours after Gor Mahia coach Steven Polack also called on KPL to issue a final decision on the 2019-20 season.

“Thirty more days [extension of curfew] …it means we are now where we were three months ago, and let’s be honest, at the end of the current ban which ends on July 7, we will not be able to play the league,” Polack told Goal on Monday.

“Even if the President says we can now start sporting activities at the end of the 30 days, it will not be possible to play the league, we will need at least four to five weeks of training, which will take us to the middle of August, and then if we resume the league it will finish at the beginning of October.

"Then you will need to rest and have pre-season, meaning the new season can only start in November or December, which is not possible.

“For me, the KPL needs to make a decision now, do they nullify it, do they cancel it or do they award Gor Mahia trophy, so that everybody can get prepared for the new season which starts at the end of August.”

Gor Mahia are leading the 17-team league table on 54 points, seven more than second-placed Kakamega Homeboyz, who have a game in hand.

Lionel Messi appears on course to be fit for Barcelona's first La Liga game back this week having returned to group training on Monday.

The Spanish top flight recommences on Thursday following a three-month break enforced by the coronavirus pandemic, with leaders Barca visiting Real Mallorca on Saturday.

However, there were concerns their key man may be missing for that fixture after Barca confirmed last week Messi had a quadriceps injury and was unable to train with the main group.

The Blaugrana captain was still training separately on Saturday when the team conducted a session at Camp Nou, yet on Monday the club's all-time leading scorer was back with the rest of the squad.

Barcelona uploaded photos of that session showing Messi smiling alongside Luis Suarez as Quique Setien's players warmed up.

Setien had previously insisted Messi was "perfectly fine" when the Barcelona head coach was asked about the superstar's physical condition.

"It's not just Messi - other players haven't trained because they've had niggles," Setien told Movistar. "It's happened to lots of them.

"Leo has a cramp that's not hugely significant. I think he's perfectly fine and he won't have any problems. It's the same for any other player. We'll see how the league goes and what circumstances come up.

"We have lots of games and a small squad. I always want to have Messi on the pitch, of course."

Messi is La Liga's top scorer for 2019-20 having registered 19 goals in 22 appearances, while he has contributed 12 assists - also the most in the division.

Barcelona full-back Nelson Semedo, another who had been training alone due to an injury issue, was also back with the main group on Monday.

While Messi's fitness was a focus for Barcelona, the club will also be boosted by the return of Luis Suarez after the Uruguayan star's extended injury absence. The club confirmed over the weekend that Suarez will be fit to take part in the weekend’s clash with Mallorca, as he will return to the Barca squad for the first time since January.

La Liga will resume with Barcelona two points clear of their great rivals Real Madrid with 11 games to go.

After Mallorca, Barca face a short turnaround before a match against Leganes three days later before a slight break ahead of a game against Sevilla on June 21.

India number one Gurpreet Singh Sandhu is one of the few Indian players to have plied their trade in a European league. He was part of Norwegian outfit Stabaek for a period of three years from 2014 to 2017 before opting to return to India and join Bengaluru FC.

Gurpreet started his career with East Bengal in the I-League, however. In an Instagram chat on the Indian Super League (ISL) handle, he opened up on his time in Kolkata and detailed how he came to play in Norway and the challenges that came with it.

He also revealed that Hyderabad FC's veteran goalkeeper Subrata Paul was a huge factor behind him taking goalkeeping seriously, having not watched the domestic leagues with any seriousness before then.

"When I was playing football I didn't know much about the structure of Indian football. I was fortunate to get a call from India U16s and there in the camp in Goa I started watching I-League. That's when I decided to become a serious footballer watching Subrata Paul play," he said.

"Subrata Paul was the best in the country. He was great in one-on-one situations. Being a young keeper you idolise him and I wanted to replace him. I wanted to wear that India jersey and get out on the pitch."

The 28-year-old almost joined the famed Tata Football Academy (TFA) as a youngster before opting to go to Kolkata and join East Bengal.

"TFA was the place to be back then and in 2008 I went there. There was an East Bengal scout there. After watching me play, he came to my father and said that one day I will play for East Bengal. But a strange thing happened when I went back to Goa (India U16). Colin Toal was the coach and he asked me why I went to TFA when players from there are coming here? Then I did not join TFA. And in 2009, I signed for East Bengal."

"I chose East Bengal because of Atanu (Bhattacharya) da. I had offers from Salgaocar and Churchill Brothers as well. But I wanted to learn from the best and therefore, I joined East Bengal. Before that, I was training under Tanumoy Basu during my formative years," he added.

After surviving the testing atmosphere in Kolkata, a visit from former English goalkeeper John Burridge turned out to be a breakthrough for Gurpreet. However, he explains why he could not join Premier League outfit Wigan Athletic with whom Burridge had arranged a trial for Gurpreet.

"In 2010-11, John Burridge came to one of the East Bengal sessions. He was watching me play, he got excited. After the session, he told me that you are wasting your time here. You should go outside and play. That was the first time I thought about going out. Because of his help, I got a good seven day trial with Wigan Athletic. I got to understand the level of the Premier League. If I was a free agent, I could have signed for them. But due to contractual obligation I could not sign."

But former Wigan custodian Ali Al Habsi helped Gurpreet get a trial in Norway with Stabaek.

"I did not want to sign an extension with East Bengal. Thanks to Ali Al Habsi, I got an opportunity in Norway. They were looking for a good prospect. I went to Norway without expectations. Then I started training with them and a seven-day trial turned into a three-year contract."

He was initially on the fringes at Stabaek, getting occasional minutes during cup games but soon Gurpreet climbed up the ladder and became the first Indian to play in a Europa League game when he started for Stabaek in a qualifying fixture.

"I was training with Sayouba Mandé and I got better. But I had to surpass his level and get a chance in the team. It took me more than a season, but I became the number one," he added.

Gurpreet, who stands at 6'6", was sidelined soon after the club changed the head coach. Though he wanted to stay in Europe, Gurpreet ended up joining ISL outfit Bengaluru FC at the start of the 2017-18 season.

"I didn't want to leave (Stabaek) but I had to. I wasn't getting game time under the new coach. Then the contract expired. When you know that the coach is not expecting much from you it becomes difficult. My first intention was to stay in Europe and I tried my best. I had offers but they were from lower levels.

"I managed to talk to a club in Portugal first division. They had three keepers. They told me to join and spend one season loan and then join back. I accepted the offer. I found the loan option in ISL with Bengaluru. But we didn't hear from the Portugal club even on the transfer deadline day.

"That's when I decided to stay back with Bengaluru. It is an ambitious club. I am playing in Asia and then I tell them that I want to play for them for a long time. Then the five-year deal happens. But I told them that anything from Europe I will take into consideration."