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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has said Cristiano Ronaldo will be motivated by talk that he's too old after making his Manchester United return. 

United made the shock announcement that they have  reached an agreement to sign the 36-year-old from Juventus on Friday , despite rivals Manchester City looking like the favourites to land him until then.

The signing has not yet been finalised, however, and United boss Solskjaer is eager to welcome him to the squad once the paperwork goes through. 

What has been said?

"Hopefully we can get the paperwork sorted and announce it. He is a great player, a great human being," Solskjaer told Sky Sports  before his side's Premier League match against Wolves. 

"I'm excited to keep building this squad. He will bring something completely different.

"I think everyone is looking forward to having Cristiano in, the paperwork done and to work with him.

"I think it just adds more confidence and belief in what we're doing, what we're building. We've gradually improved, signed younger players, we've signed Jadon [Sancho], who's also a young player, Raphael [Varane] who's so experienced and won everything.

"Hopefully Cristiano can come in and show what he's done in his career. We know he's a more experienced player than when he was here last time, he's evolved and had an unbelievable career.

"I'm sure he likes all the talk about him being too old, make it personal and he'll show what he can do."

What can Man Utd expect from Ronaldo?

The Red Devils are set to welcome back a figure who scored 118 goals in 292 appearances across all competitions in his first spell at the club.

The 36-year-old helped United win three Premier League crowns and the Champions League before his departure to Real Madrid in 2009.

But since then he has gone from strength to strength, winning two league titles in Spain and lifting the Champions League trophy a further four times.

At Juventus, Ronaldo won Serie A twice and was the league's top scorer last season with 29 goals despite the Bianconeri finishing fourth in the table.

Further reading

Taiwo Awoniyi responded to being left out of the Nigeria squad by scoring once to propel Union Berlin to a 2-1 victory over Borussia Monchengladbach on Sunday afternoon.

The former Liverpool man – who has been in fine goalscoring form this season – was excluded by coach Gernot Rohr when he announced his 30-man squad for September’s World Cup qualifiers against Liberia and Cape Verde.

Heading into the fixture, the Iron Ones had gone on a run of 14 games without losing, with their last outing a 0-0 draw versus KuPS in a Uefa Europa Conference League encounter.

For the visitors, they played out a 1-1 draw with Bayern Munich in the German elite division.

As expected, the game got off on a competitive note as both teams tried to take an early lead. However, it was the hosts who took the lead in the 22nd minute courtesy of Niko Giesselmann.

Left unmarked in Monchengladbach’s area, he sent a looping header past goalkeeper Yann Sommer from Genki Haraguchi’s well-taken cross.

Adi Hutter’s men fought hard in search of an equaliser, nevertheless, that did not happen as they missed few scoring chances that came their way.

Four minutes before the half-time break, Union Berlin sent fans inside the Stadion An der Alten Forsterei into a frenzy as Awoniyi doubled his side’s advantage.

Having linked up brilliantly with Max Kruse, the former Nigeria youth international made a superb driving run before finding the target.

Before the end of the first 45 minutes, the Colts made their way through a solid Union Berlin backline, but Hannes Wolf and Jonas Hofmann were denied by fine saves from goalkeeper Andreas Luthe.

Not willing to accept defeat, manager Hutter made two changes early in the second half – introducing Patrick Herrmann and Denis Zakaria.

They reduced their deficit in the 90th minute through Hofmann, but that proved to be a consolation as they returned home empty-handed.

After 73 minutes of action, Awoniyi – who now boast five goals in his last five games – was subbed off for Kevin Behrens, whereas, his compatriots Anthony Ujah and Suleiman Abdullahi were not listed for action.

Thanks to this win, Union Berlin now occupy the eighth spot on the log having accrued five points from three matches. They host Augsburg in their next outing on September 11.

Kenya international Joseph Okumu put up another solid display as KAA Gent handed champions Club Brugge their first defeat of the season in a 6-1 demolition in a Belgian Pro League match on Sunday.

Gent took advantage of playing at home to take the lead in the ninth minute courtesy of Tarik Tissoudali and they doubled their lead in the 15th minute when midfielder Julien De Sart converted from the penalty spot.

Angola defender Nurio Fortuna made it 3-0 in the 38th minute and they were 4-0 up courtesy of Roman Bezus and though Brugge pulled a goal back courtesy of Hans Vanaken in the 65th minute, Gent never gave up as they sealed the game with two more goals via Laurent Depoitre in the 66th minute and an own goal from goalkeeper Simon Mignolet in the 79th minute.

Gent went into the game with confidence having qualified for the group stage of the Europa Conference League and coach Hein Vanhaezebrouck kept the same squad from their last assignment with the Harambee Stars' defender keeping his place at the back.

It was Gent who looked the most settled side at Ghelamco Arena and they took an early lead with only nine minutes played when a mistake by former Liverpool goalkeeper Mignolet allowed Tissoudali to find the back of the net with a looping ball.

Six minutes later, De Sart then made it 2-0 from the penalty spot after Noah Mbamba was adjudged to have brought down the advancing Sven Kums and up-stepped the Belgium midfielder, who sent Mignolet the wrong way.

After his impressive display in their Europa Conference fixture against Polish side Rakow Czestochowa which they won 3-0 to qualify 3-1 on aggregate, Okumu almost made it 3-0 for the hosts in the 25th minute after his glancing header beat Mignolet but failed to beat the cross-bar as the ball bounced out for a goal-kick.

However, Gent made it 3-0 through Fortuna, who connected a low-footed cross from Vadis Odjidja-Ofoe, and the home team headed into the half-time break with a solid 3-0 lead.

On resumption, Bezus made it 4-0 after rounding up the entire Brugge defence to slot past Mignolet but Brugge tried to come back with a goal from Vanaken, who sneaked the ball in between the legs of goalkeeper Sinan Bolat.

But Gent kept their composure and continued to attack and they were rewarded with two quick goals to seal the game courtesy of Depoitre and Mignolet’s own goal.

Okumu will now take a two-week break to travel to Kenya, where he will lead Harambee Stars in the World Cup qualifiers with matches against Uganda and Rwanda coming up.

Manchester United are rolling back the years with the sensational transfer of Cristiano Ronaldo and the return of the five-time Ballon d'Or winner poses a fantasy football conundrum.

Ronaldo has defied the march of time by scoring goals on a regular basis into his mid-thirties, and the expectation is that he will continue to do so when he comes back to the Premier League.

So if you're wondering whether to pick the Portugal icon or not, Goal brings you all you need to know about how much he will cost in FPL, which position he will play and his point-scoring history.

What is Cristiano Ronaldo's Fantasy Premier League price?

Cristiano Ronaldo's price in Fantasy Premier League has not yet been revealed, but he is expected to be one of the most expensive players in the game.

At £12.5m, midfielder Mohamed Salah and forward Harry Kane were the most expensive players at the start of the game and Ronaldo is likely to come at a similar cost on his reputation alone.

A direct comparison in terms of potential price could be Romelu Lukaku, who had a price-tag of £11.5m applied when he arrived at Chelsea from Inter.

Ronaldo actually outscored Lukaku in Serie A last season, so FPL numbers crunchers could even deem the Portuguese attacker to be worth more than the Belgian.

We expect Ronaldo to cost somewhere between £11.5 and £13m, which would make him one of the most expensive players on the Manchester United team.

What is Cristiano Ronaldo's Fantasy Premier League position?

Ronaldo is expected to be categorised as a forward in the official Fantasy Premier League game.

Indeed, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner looks set to spearhead the Red Devils attack, with a supporting cast consisting of Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho.

While it could be argued that he performs a similar role to Salah, Sadio Mane and others who are listed as midfielders, the official FPL Scout has hinted that he will be a forward. 

How many points does Cristiano Ronaldo score on Fantasy Premier League?

Ronaldo was a must-have player on FPL during his first spell at Manchester United and he scored over 200 points in each of his last three seasons at the club.

His highest total during that time was 283 points, which he scored during the 2007-08 season - a campaign which saw him score 31 goals and provide six assists.

In his last three seasons at United, Ronaldo averaged 7.3 points per game.

Of course, Ronaldo has evolved as a player since leaving Old Trafford, adding many more goals to his game, so it is worth considering his time with Juventus to give a more timely indication of his value.

Across three seasons in Italy, the veteran striker scored 81 goals and had 16 assists for his team-mates in Serie A. That is an average of 27 goals and just over five assists per season.

Cristiano Ronaldo's Premier League stats

When Ronaldo arrived at Old Trafford during the 2003-04 season, he did so as an out-and-out winger, so his stats in terms of goals and assists were not particularly impressive at first. However, he began his transformation into the goal machine he is today from around the 2006-07 campaign onwards, at a time when he grew physically stronger and faster.

His best-ever tally in the Premier League was 31 goals in 34 appearances, which ensured he won the division Golden Boot and also the European Golden Shoe.

In six years with the Red Devils, he averaged 14 league goals and just under six assists a season.

Since that time, Ronaldo took his goal-scoring exploits to another level entirely, regularly scoring over 30 league goals a season in La Liga and Serie A.

It remains to be seen how he will adapt to life in England again - the division has also changed since he left 12 years ago in 2009 - but he will be keen to avoid any downturns.

Ivory Coast international Sebastien Haller and Morocco's Noussair Mazraou claimed assists as Ajax registered a 5-0 win over Vitesse in Sunday's Eredivisie encounter at Johan Cruijff Arena.

Antony dos Santos, Edson Alvarez, and Ryan Gravenberch scored for the victors in the first half, before an own goal from Tomas Hajek and Davy Klaassen's strike sealed the convincing win for the home side.

Santos scored in the fifth minute to put Ajax ahead with an assist from Mazraoui, while Alvarez scored the second for Haller's side three minutes after the half-hour mark. 

Ajax added the third goal in the 43rd minute when Gravenberch scored with an assist from his Ivory Coast teammate as the home side went into the half-time break with a commanding lead.

As Ajax asserted their authority on the game, Vitesse's Riechedly Bazoer was yellow-carded in the 44th minute before he was replaced by Nigeria's Hillary Chukwah two minutes after the second half had begun.

Vitesse made more changes in a bid to stop Ajax from scoring more goals when Gnantin Gboho and Patrick Vroegh came on for Gnantin Gboho and Nikolai Frederiksen respectively, three minutes into the second half.

West Ham are close to sealing a €30 million (£26m/$35m) deal for CSKA Moscow star Vlasic after giving up on Jesse Lingard, Goal can confirm.

Manchester United's Lingard had an impressive six-month loan spell at West Ham last season, and David Moyes has made no secret of his desire to sign the 28-year-old on a permanent deal.

However, the Hammers have been looking at alternative targets just in case they cannot re-sign Lingard, with Vlasic now set for a return to the Premier League two years on from his departure from Everton.

What's the situation?

West Ham are working to finalise a €30m transfer with CSKA, and Goal understands talks between the two clubs are progressing nicely ahead of the August 31 deadline.

The east London outfit have now accepted Lingard will remain at Old Trafford, but Moyes is still determined to add another creative attacking player to his ranks as he prepares his side to battle on both domestic and European fronts this season.

Vlasic still has three years left to run on his contract at CSKA, but the Russian outfit are open to selling and if negotiations continue to run smoothly West Ham could tie up the deal over the next 48 hours.

Vlasic's credentials

Vlasic began his career at Hadjuk Split, where he spent three years before being snapped up by Everton in 2017.

The Croatian only managed to score twice in 19 appearances for the Toffees who sold him to CSKA in 2019, but he has taken his game to new heights in the Russian Premier League.

Vlasic has recorded 33 goals and 21 assists in 108 games for CSKA, and looks ready to make a bigger impact in English football.

Further reading

West Bromwich Albion manager Valerien Ismael has discussed the last-minute goal by Semi Ajayi against Peterborough United in Saturday's Championship game.

After a humiliating 6-0 loss to Arsenal in the League Cup, the Baggies had to bounce back in their league assignment away at Weston Homes Stadium. It seemed they were going to drop points for the second time this season before Ajayi struck in the final minute of added time to seal the win.

"[The late Ajayi goal] was so emotional," Ismael told the club's official portal later on.

"Last-minute goals in football are always the best. There is always so much energy and emotion. It was a difficult game for us, especially with the injuries we have.

"We have missed these moments so much. It was a great reward for everyone. The players who gave everything and the supporters who gave everything. It’s a great win for us, and to win in that way was so special."

The tactician has further insisted on why it was important for his players to stick to their principles. 

"Kyle [Bartley] had to come off and we had to manage it and stay focused. I think the guys did really well," Ismael continued.

"We dominated but we just couldn’t get the goal. When things don’t go your way you have to stay strong and focus on your principles. We did that tonight. Tonight was proof of all that."

It was the fourth straight win for Albion who had won their initial three matches in the English second-tier competition.  

They started the season with a 2-2 draw away to Bournemouth before defeating Luton Town 3-2 at home. The Baggies went on to collect a healthy 4-0 win against Sheffield United before defeating Blackburn Rovers 2-1.

After the win over Peterborough, West Brom are now joint top of the table, with Fulham, having collected 13 points. They have both won four matches and drawn once. 

QPR come in third with 11 points with three wins and two draws while Huddersfield and Stoke City are fourth and fifth respectively with 10 points each.

Borussia Dortmund director Michael Zorc has shut down rumours linking Erling Haaland to PSG amid talk of the French club submitting a €200 million (£171m/$236m) bid. 

A number of top clubs across Europe have been credited with an interest in Haaland over the last few months, including Real Madrid, Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City.

PSG are the latest club to throw their hat into the ring despite the fact that Dortmund have publicly insisted that the 21-year-old is not for sale on a number of occasions, and Zorc is expecting the speculation to increase before the summer market closes on August 31.

What has been said?

It has been reported PSG are preparing a lucrative swoop for Haaland, but the Dortmund chief is adamant that no amount of money will prise the forward away from Westfalenstadion this year.

Asked whether the club's resolve could be tested by a €200m offer, Zorc told Kicker: “We are a football club, not a bank! Our position is very clear and did not change.

"I assume that we will now be confronted with wild rumours for another two days. Our position is clear, I don't need to play the parrot all the time."

Why do PSG want Haaland?

PSG are reportedly lining up a new striker just in case Kylian Mbappe leaves the club, with the Frenchman having declined the chance to extend his contract at Parc des Princes beyond its 2022 expiry date.

Club officials have confirmed that Mbappe wants to leave, and Real Madrid are waiting for a final response to their second bid of €170m (£146m/$201m) for the World Cup winner.

Haaland is thought to be top of PSG's list when it comes to finding a replacement, but he is still tied to an agreement at Dortmund through to 2024 at the moment.

Further reading

Celta Vigo defender Joseph Aidoo and Wisla Krakow attacker Yaw Yeboah are among four additions to Ghana’s squad for their upcoming 2022 World Cup qualifier against South Africa due to the coronavirus-forced unavailability of England-based players named on the original 30-man roster.

Germany-born duo Daniel Kofi Kyereh and Braydon Manu, both uncapped, have also been called up for the first time.

The four new players are set to take the places of the England-based quintet of Daniel Amartey (Leicester City), Jordan Ayew (Crystal Palace), Tariqe Fosu-Henry (Brentford FC), Baba Abdul Rahman (Reading FC) and Andrew Yiadom (Reading FC) for the September 6 fixture away in Johannesburg.

The Black Stars are set to play as guests of Bafana Bafana at FNB Stadium in a Group G matchday two fixture, three days after hosting Ethiopia for their opener.

The England-based quintet will, however, be available for the clash with Ethiopia in Ghana’s central regional capital of Cape Coast.

Aidoo, who was in action for Celta against Athletic Bilbao in the Spanish La Liga on Saturday, has not been called up for international duty since featuring in a 3-0 loss to Mali in a friendly tie in October last year.

Yeboah, who made global headlines last week for a magnificent solo goal for Wisla Krakow in the Polish top league, was last on international duty with Ghana’s provisional squad at a pre-tournament camp ahead of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. He was one of the casualties as then Black Stars boss James Kwasi Appiah announced his final roster for the championship in Egypt.

Owing to UK government safety guidelines which mandate players to quarantine for a minimum 10 days on their return from international duty in coronavirus red-list countries, including South Africa, Premier League clubs have “reluctantly but unanimously” agreed against releasing players for games in those jurisdictions.

According to a statement by the English FA, nearly 60 players from 19 clubs have been affected by the decision.

Fifa president Gianni Infantino called on the UK government to reconsider its stance on mandatory quarantine for international players from coronavirus red-listed countries, shortly before Caf also issued a statement registering its displeasure.

Liverpool have condemned homophobic chants which occurred during their game against Chelsea on Saturday, with certain supporters aiming an offensive song at the opposition once again, despite Jurgen Klopp's recent pleas.

Klopp publically called for Liverpool fans to cut out the 'Chelsea rent boy' chant last week, having seen Blues loanee Billy Gilmour targeted while playing in Norwich's 3-0 defeat to the Reds at Carrow Road on August 14.

Liverpool also released a statement branding the song "offensive and inappropriate", but the homophobic insults were heard once again when Chelsea arrived at Anfield for a top-of-the-table clash on August 28.

Liverpool's latest statement 

Liverpool issued a fresh statement in the wake of this weekend's events, promising to launch a full investigation while vowing to do everything within their power to help eliminate all forms of discrimination in the game.

"Liverpool FC is disappointed by reports that a small section of our supporters were heard singing offensive songs during Saturday’s fixture with Chelsea at Anfield," the statement reads.

"The club strongly condemns these actions and will be investigating all reported allegations of abusive and/or discriminatory behaviour with the relevant authorities to identify perpetrators. LFC is committed to tackling abusive and discriminatory behaviour, which has no place in football or society.

"As part of its Red Together campaign, which encompasses all the club’s work on equality, diversity and inclusion, LFC strives to be the forefront of the fight against all forms of discrimination both online and in-stadium to create an inclusive environment for all.

"The club would like to remind its fans of its code of conduct, which clearly outlines what it expects from all supporters visiting Anfield."

What has Klopp said on the matter?

Klopp had previously told the Reds' official media channel of his disdain for the chant: "I never understand that, why you would sing a song that is against something in a football stadium, I never got that and never liked it.

"I can imagine now that people out there think, 'come on, it's only winding them up' and stuff like this. But that's the problem - most of the time we don't understand.

"I'm not sure if people listen to me but it would be nice. I don't want to hear it anymore for so many reasons.

"From a player or coach perspective, I can say these songs don't help us as well. It's a waste of time because we don't listen. If you think what you sing: you are an idiot. If you don't think about what you sang, it's just a waste of time, forget it and go for another song."

Further reading

Mamelodi Sundowns co-coach Rhulani Mokwena believes they learnt a vital lesson from Saturday’s 1-1 MTN8 semi-final, first-leg draw against Golden Arrows which gave them “very good signs” of progress despite struggling to break down their opponents.

It was another uninspiring display by the Tshwane giants who were in control of the game for the better part of the contest but could not score more goals.

Having been criticised in their previous three games for a slow start to the season, Mokwena insisted they learnt not to allow their opponents to challenge them.

“It’s still work in progress but very good signs. Having 93 percent ball possession I don’t know what the feeling is,” Mokwena told Sundowns’ media.

“The feeling is slight happiness in relation to seeing the signs and the light at the end of the tunnel that even when we were one-nil down we never reverted to a personality of a team that we don’t know. 

“We still tried to play and try to keep our identity as well as to knock and push. We managed to push them to the backfoot and we deserved the goal but maybe with 93 percent, you need a little bit more than just to score one goal that is the biggest take from today’s match.

"Dominate, but dominate to kill and not to create competition.”

Sundowns will welcome Arrows for the second leg of this semi-final on September 28 at Lucas Moripe Stadium.

But for now, they switch focus to the Premier Soccer League campaign as they host Kaizer Chiefs on September 12 after the international break.

They also have a visit to Orlando Pirates slated three days before they host Arrows.

“We are hoping for more but at this moment it is about keeping our feet on the ground. We are happy with where we are,” added Mokwena

“Even where we are speaks to a lot of work that needs to be done. When there is a lot of work to do, it’s good for us because it doesn’t create any room for complacency. That is what we need after a very difficult season where we only lost one match in the domestic league. 

“We know how difficult this season is going to be and already, the signs are there and that is why we have to be very systematic. We have to make sure that we are working towards building a very strong side because everybody wants to beat us. 

“So it’s important that we trust the process and move in a systematic way which allows us to have confidence in our ideas and game model of how we want to play.”

When they resume their league campaign after the international break, Sundowns will hope to welcome back from injuries star midfielder Themba Zwane as well as defenders Mosa Lebusa and Khuliso Mudau. 

Manchester United will hope to celebrate the return of club legend Cristiano Ronaldo to Old Trafford with a Premier League victory this weekend against Wolves at Molineux.

Watch Wolves vs Man Utd on fuboTV (free 7-day trial)

The ex-Real Madrid and Juventus hero has returned to the Red Devils in a seismic transfer move - and his old club will want to show him that they have not lost their style in his absence.

Ahead of the game, Goal has the details of how to watch on TV, stream online, team news and more.

TV channel, live stream & how to watch

In the United States (US), Premier League matches can be watched live and on-demand with fuboTV (watch with a 7-day free trial).

New users can sign up for a free seven-day trial of the live sports streaming service, which can be accessed via iOS, Android, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV as well as on a web browser.

Team news & rosters

A hefty Carabao Cup blowout over Nottingham Forest in midweek has finally handed the Bruno Lage reign its first victory in the Midlands - but the Portuguese will know that there is still work to be done as he follows in the footsteps of Nuno Espirito Santo.

Raul Jimenez has continued to come through his return to the game unscathed, while Daniel Podence is creeping closer to full fitness after featuring previously on Tuesday - but the likelihood is that faith will be kept with the 3-4-3 formation that allows Adama Traore to flex his muscles wide in attack.

Predicted Wolves starting XI: Sa; Kilman, Coady, Saiss; Semedo, Neves, Moutinho, Marcal; Trincao, Jimenez, Traore.

The sport-shattering news that Cristiano Ronaldo has sealed a homecoming to Old Trafford from Juventus has dominated headlines over the past few days, but he will not be involved at Molineux.

There will still be stardust for the visitors however, with Raphael Varane in line for his United debut alongside a potential start for Jadon Sancho - and with Marcus Rashford and Alex Telles still both sidelined, Jesse Lingard could get the nod after his England recall too.

Predicted Man Utd starting XI: De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Maguire, Shaw; Fred, Pogba; Sancho, Fernandes, Lingard; Greenwood.

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