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MLS announced on Friday that the start dates for a trio of expansion franchises will be pushed back by one year as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Originally set to begin play in 2021, Charlotte will now join MLS in 2022 while St. Louis and Sacramento will now push towards a 2023 start date.

Austin FC, meanwhile, remains on schedule and will begin play next season as planned.

“We have always taken a thoughtful and strategic approach to our expansion planning and have delivered successful launches for every new club,” said MLS Commissioner Don Garber in a statement.

“It is important for each club to take the necessary time to launch their inaugural MLS seasons the way their fans and communities deserve. With the extra year to make up for what has been a challenging 2020, these teams will be well-positioned for their debuts and for long-term success.”

Charlotte recently announced the first signing in their brief club history in Spanish midfielder Sergio Ruiz, with the outfit expected to announce its team name, logo and colours next week.

The club began its youth academy in March with the expectation that there will be a return to training soon despite the pandemic.

“We are committed to bringing Major League Soccer to our city and region,” Charlotte MLS owner David Tepper said in a club statement. “The party’s still on! We are just delaying it a bit to ensure we have the best experience for our fans when we do start playing.”

Club president Tom Glick added:  “When we were awarded the team in December, we knew we were on an extremely tight timeline to begin play in 2021, but we were ready to meet that challenge. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted several of our essential initiatives. We have made huge progress in the last few months but having additional time to build is important.”

St. Louis, meanwhile, are in the process of building the club's stadium and headquarters, with those plans expected to go on largely as originally scheduled.

“We’ve been working closely with the league and collectively agreed that the adjusted timeline was the best decision to position our club for a historic launch and long-term success,” said Carolyn Kindle Betz, MLS4TheLou CEO. “We can’t wait to get on the pitch in 2023 and are still moving full steam ahead to build a world-class club and stadium district that will invigorate Downtown West and be a meaningful part of our current downtown renaissance.”

Finally, Sacramento will continue to play in the USL Championship division through the 2022 season with Republic FC also working towards a new stadium.

The Railyards Stadium is set to break ground this fall and be ready in advance of the 2023 jump to MLS.

“Our goal remains the same – to build the best stadium and MLS club befitting the wonderful Sacramento region," said Sacramento Republic FC investor Matt Alvarez in a club statement. 

"With an additional year, we can better adjust for the impact of the pandemic on our community and identify how we can best serve the neighbours and friends that have supported our club on its rise to Major League Soccer.

"We will bring Sacramento into the top-tier of American soccer ready to compete at a championship level, and create an opportunity to support the next era of regional growth with a world-class venue and a commitment to continued community investment.”

MLS is currently in the middle of the MLS is Back tournament in Orlando with the 2020 season including two new expansion teams: Inter Miami and Nashville SC.

Nashville, however, were forced to pull out of the competition as a result of a series of positive coronavirus tests.

Gent striker Jonathan David has named Lille as his preferred next destination, despite having been heavily linked with a move to Arsenal in recent months.

Goal reported back in March that Arsenal were tracking David's progress at Gent in preparation for the potential departure of either Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang or Alexandre Lacazette in the summer transfer window.

The 20-year-old admitted that the Premier League holds great appeal to him during an interview with The Guardian a month later, while outlining his ambition to become one of the top forwards in Europe.

David stated: "The Premier League is the best in the world and most competitive so obviously that is somewhere I would love to play in the future."

The Canadian has enjoyed a prolific 2019-20 campaign with Gent, scoring 23 goals in 40 appearances, including three in the Europa League.

David is still under contract with the Belgian club until 2023, but he is already planning to take the "next step" in his fledgeling career later this year.

However, Arsenal will not be seeing the talented frontman star at Emirates Stadium any time soon, as he has now admitted that he wants to join Ligue 1 outfit Lille.

Gent have reportedly received a €25 million (£23m/$29m) bid from the French suitors, who are ready to hand David a five-year contract at Stade Pierre Mauroy, 

When quizzed on Lille's interest in his services, David told L'Equipe: "Yes, I want to come to Lille. I have had a very good season. For me, my next step, is Ligue 1.

"And the footballing project at Lille is fantastic. They are a very good team in France. I already speak French. That will help during my adaptation period.

"And Lille is very close to Gent geographically. So I will be able to concentrate on the pitch."

The Gent starlet added on the ongoing negations between the two clubs: "Talks are difficult. The club says they want to keep me. Or be ready to sell me for a price that I don’t think is realistic (at least €30m) when you take into account the Covid-19 situation. That is making negotiations complicated.

"In any case, I made it clear that I want to go to Lille. They said to me that they would not block me. At the start, things were going quicker. Now, everything has slowed. As if they are waiting for a better offer. I don’t know where that is supposed to come from."

Former Nigeria captain Jay-Jay Okocha admitted he ‘did enough’ during his playing days and regrets not winning the African Footballer of the Year award.

The ex-Bolton Wanderers star came close to securing the coveted individual honour in 1998 after his impressive displays at PSG but he finished in the second-place behind Morocco's Mustapha Hadji.

Five years later, Okocha grabbed the third spot behind Samuel Eto'o and Didier Drogba and in 2004, he came second again after claiming the Best Player award and the Golden Boot with four goals at the 2004 Africa Cup of Nations in Tunisia.

Although he won several laurels in his 18-year career, the 46-year-old said he was probably not destined to win the prize that rewards the best player in Africa.

“And if I’m to say, I’ll say, I regret not winning the African Footballer of the year,” Okocha said in a chat with MasterCard.

“But of course, if you look back, there’s always a time that you say oh maybe you could’ve done a bit better than you did.

“I thought I did enough to have won it because it was not a fluke that I won BBC player of the year three years in a row and not manage to win that CAF award, but I mean maybe it was not meant to be.

“Well, I think I don’t want to sound greedy, but I’ve had an amazing career, I never thought I would make it that big.”

Okocha, renowned for his dribbling skills and creativity, is referred to as a mentor by several African stars and upcoming players, but he picked Pele as his biggest influence and recalled his experience with the Brazil legend in Tunisia back in 1994.

“The person that influenced me the most is none other than Pele,” he said.

“As a child, growing up we were always talking about him and how great he was on the pitch but then, I was fortunate enough to meet him in 1994 during the Africa Cup of Nations final, and I was impressed with the way he conducted himself off the pitch.

“I was blown away with the way he related with everyone.”

Okocha made his Super Eagles debut in 1993 and he played 73 matches, scoring 14 goals before calling time on his international career in 2006.

Martin Keown says Arsenal should be looking at Danny Ings in case Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang leaves the club this summer.

Aubameyang has hit 64 goals in 104 games for Arsenal since moving to Emirates Stadium from Borussia Dortmund in January 2018.

The Gabon international has solidified his reputation as one of Europe's top strikers in the process, but as it stands, he will become a free agent in 2021.

Arsenal have yet to tie the 31-year-old down to fresh terms, and he gave a non-committal update on his future following the team's 4-0 win over Norwich on July 1.

He told BT Sport: "We’re going to talk to the club and we’ll see what happens.

"First of all I'm really focused on the games and the end of the season so we'll see."

Ex-Gunners defender Keown is still hoping that Aubameyang extends his stay in north London, but if not, he believes Southampton talisman Ings would be the ideal replacement.

Ings has found the net in 20 of his 36 Premier League outings in 2019-20, emerging as arguably the finest centre-forward outside of English football's top six clubs.

When asked to discuss the possibility of the 27-year-old ending up at the Emirates, Keown told Talksport: “Danny Ings has been outstanding. He presses really well, he’s hard-working, Southampton are lucky to have him.

“I think while Ralph Hasenhuttl is there they’ll keep him, because the two together are a little bit special. Ings is rewarding Southampton for the way they stood by him and gave him another chance and now he can’t stop scoring.

“He could slot in anywhere, there would be a lot of clubs that would be interested in this fella if he became available. He’s doing it now at the highest level.

“If Aubamyeng left would Arsenal be an option? When you’ve got 20 goals to your name then everybody is interested in you, especially if suddenly you need a striker.

“There’s no doubt the top clubs will be really interested in what he does and he’s still young enough to get better and develop.

“I would rather have Aubameyang, but if Aubameyang is gone you need goals, you’ve got to have players in your team that give you belief you will win games, and Ings is one of those.

“So yeah, I don’t think I’d be turning him away. I’d be definitely looking at him as a player Arsenal should be interested in.”

Manchester City finished the Premier League season as runners-up to runaway champions Liverpool, but will try and reclaim their throne next campaign with their brand-new jersey collection.

Goal has the latest information about the Citizens' 2020-21 shirts - home, away and third - as well as when they're expected to be fully released and more.

New 2020-21 football kits: Chelsea, Bayern Munich & all the top clubs' shirts & jerseys revealed

Man City's 2020-21 home kit

The Etihad club released their latest home strip under Puma on July 16, the signature light blue design inspired by the artwork of legendary figures as seen in Manchester's iconic Northern Quarter.

The kit sports the club's trademark sky blue hue with a mosaic pattern alongside navy accents, with the look completed by white shorts and light blue socks.

“We did our research,” Puma's senior designer, Ulrich Planer, told Goal. “We dived into the history of Manchester and there are so many things we can pull out of the city.

“We want to give the fans a design that only Manchester City can wear - and not any other team around the world.”

Man CIty will debut their brand-new kit during Saturday's FA Cup semi-final against Arsenal, with purchase available to fans potentially in late July.

Lifelong City supporter Mark Kennedy is the artist responsible for the artwork around the city's Northern Quarter, telling Goal: “All my childhood was spent watching City. To get out of working in a factory, if you had anything about you, you had to be a musician, a footballer or a boxer.

“I went to see The Fall and The Buzzcocks and I made the commitment to be a musician. During the '80s my whole stock was music. I used to go to matches with [The Fall lead singer] Mark E Smith and never thought for one minute that my love for them would take me back to sport. But I ended going to City matches with him and that’s what happened, it all came back to City.”

Man City 2020-21 away kit & release date

Pep Guardiola's side have not unveiled their away kit yet, but judging from leaks circulating online, it is set to be predominantly blue and black with yet another mosaic-inspired pattern.

The blue pattern is likely to have been inspired by the buildings found in the Castlefield area of Manchester, with the logos emblazoned in gold.

Man City's away kit is expected to be announced in late July, along with the third kit.

Man City's 2020-21 third kit & release date

The Sky Blues' third strip has not been announced but online leaks suggest that the club will be continuing the patterned look - this time with paisleys against a dominantly white background.

Their third kit is expected to be launched in late July.

Mikel Arteta says he has "full faith" in the Arsenal hierarchy ahead of what he accepts will be an "unique" transfer window.

Arsenal’s head coach was responding to comments made by former Gunners captain Tony Adams, who blasted the club’s recent record in the market and claimed that head of football Raul Sanllehi and technical director Edu were "out of their depth" in north London.

“My fundamental issue is with recruitment,” Adams told talkSPORT. “I think the club is going through such a recruitment issue at the moment.

“Edu, I love him, he’s a beautiful man, it’s not personal, but he has no experience of building European squads. Even Raul Sanllehi, came from Barcelona, all the money in the world, it don’t look like he’s going to get money. Those people are out of their depth, I’m sorry.”

However Arteta has backed both men amid the criticism from Adams and says the club is united in what it wants to do when the transfer window opens later this month.

“I have full faith,” he said. “I have a really good relationship with Raul, with Edu, with Vinai [Venkatesham] and direct contact with the owners. We know what we want to do. That’s not the issue for sure.”

Arteta has spoken many times in recent weeks about the need to strengthen his squad to close what he has described as the ‘enormous’ gap that currently exists between Arsenal and the Premier League’s top two sides.

The Spaniard sees a central midfielder as a priority, with Atletico Madrid's Thomas Partey his top target. He would also like to add another centre-back and an attacking midfielder before the start of next season.

Yet with so much uncertainty surrounding finances at present due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and with the club currently unsure of whether it will qualify for next season’s Europa League, Arteta accepts that concrete decisions can’t yet be made.

“We don’t know exactly what is going to happen or what we are going to be able to do, or not to do, to keep players or not to keep,” said Arteta.

“It will depend a lot on what we do on the pitch in the next three or four games. That is in our hands so we have to maximise that. After that we start to put all the question marks out as quick as possible to try to do what we want to do.”

Arteta added: “We don’t know the type of transfer market we are going to find. It is something unique, it never happened [before] and there are a lot of question marks around that.

“So we cannot stick to something that maybe is not possible to do, so we have to be flexible and creative in order not to react when that happens but to have clear ideas of: in that scenario, what do we need to do and how are we going to do it.”

Frank Lampard has admitted to concerns that Manchester United are getting a run of VAR decisions in their favour ahead of Chelsea's FA Cup clash with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side at Wembley.

United have had a number of high profile decisions go in their favour this season, the most recent coming on Thursday when Crystal Palace's Jordan Ayew had a goal ruled out for a marginal offside, before Victor Lindelof appeared to bring down Wilfried Zaha in the box but no penalty was given.

Palace chairman Steve Parrish complained on Twitter, saying “Is VAR broken?”

After Man United's 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge in February, Lampard complained about VAR ruling out a Kurt Zouma goal and missing a potential Harry Maguire red card incident.

"People said it would favour big teams maybe, because of the pressure or fan influence," Lampard told reporters on Friday. "But those days are gone. VAR has come in to try and change that, not just favouring teams but just to get the right decision.

"But there is always a human element to VAR, still, and clearly they have to make a decision. The confusing thing about some of the recent ones, and the one on Thursday night, is that it’s a very, very clear and obvious decision that was wrong and didn’t get reviewed and changed.

"A few of those have happened and that is strange. I would like to think that with VAR you have to be level headed. Some might go against you or not, but we seem to be in a period where, in terms of Manchester United, they’ve got a few in their favour. It would be nice if VAR worked in our favour in this one."

Indeed, Lampard had previously complained that Bruno Fernandes' penalty against Aston Villa shoudn't have been given, with VAR not overturning a contentious decision just over a week ago.

It was the third penalty United have won since the restart and Lampard admitted that he will tell his defenders not to dive in against their speedy attack.

"They have to be careful because when players of such high level, quality and speed of the Manchester United forwards travel quickly, you have to move your feet and not dive in on them," he said.

"That’s an important part of defending at any point in time, but [especially] when you understand the qualities of the opposition, with players like that.

"The players don’t have to give that. As a player, we can talk about VAR decisions and whether they’re right or wrong but if a player is going to dangle a leg and not move their feet, then you obviously do leave yourself open to penalties, VAR or no VAR."

Chelsea were knocked out of the Carabao Cup and lost both league games to Man United this season. However, Lampard wants his side to put revenge out of their minds and disagrees it is similar to the rivalry that developed between his previous club Derby County and Leeds United last season.

“That was a different circumstance; there was a lot more to that, a lot of off the field stuff," Lampard concluded. "When I say I’m not too concerned about it, of course, the detail of the game and knowing the quality of their players.

"They counter-attacked us at Old Trafford to great effect, pretty similar at the Bridge, so I won’t go short on those details. What I don’t want to get caught up in is that we must have revenge because of that.

"Because at the moment in the league we are fighting, we are one point ahead, it’s going to be tight, those three defeats are just part of our season, the Carabao Cup is long gone, the FA Cup is what is in front of us and we just respect them for what they are, a very good team with very good individuals, playing in great form.

"The Leeds one was clearly different because of outside things that happened, with Manchester United, it’s two big teams, going against each other and we want to win the game for what it is.”

Kelechi Nwakali made a cameo appearance as Huesca secured their promotion to La Liga for the 2020-21 season on Friday.

Huesca defeated Numancia 3-0 to seal the second spot in the Segunda division table after their closest rivals Almeria and Real Zaragoza dropped points.

Following a goalless first-half at the Estadio El Alcoraz, Rafa Mir's brilliance in the second 45 minutes guided the hosts to triumph, scoring two goals and providing an assist for Shinji Okazaki's goal in the 78th minute.

Nwakali was introduced late in the game as an 89th-minute substitute for David Ferreiro - his fourth appearance for Michel's team since his permanent signing from Arsenal in September.

The 22-year-old who was named the Best Player at the 2015 Fifa U17 World Cup, has played 57 minutes of football for Huesca across all competitions so far this season and they all came after the coronavirus lockdown.

After securing their 20th win in the second division, Huesca join league leaders Cadiz in grabbing the two slots for automatic promotion to La Liga with two points separating both teams.

They gathered 67 points from 41 matches and they visit Sporting Gijon for their final league match of the season on monday.

A few weeks ago, Nwakali who did not make any competitive appearance for Arsenal during his three-year stint at the club said he was committed to helping Huesca gain promotion after playing competitive action.

The Nigeria youth international previously had loan stints in the Netherlands with MVV Maastricht and VVV-Venlo, and in Portugal with Porto reserve team.

After the termination of the Joint Venture between East Bengal club and their investors Quess Corp on Friday, a huge cloud of doubt hanging over the Kolkata giants' season has been lifted. 

They have finally obtained the sporting rights back from Quess East Bengal FC (the Joint Venture) and will now apply to the All India Football Federation (AIFF) for club license for the upcoming 2020-21 season.

East Bengal senior official Debabrata Sarkar told Goal that the Red and Golds will apply for the license in the name of a new company East Bengal Club Private Limited.

“We were confident from day one that we will get back the sporting rights and No Objection Certificate (NOC). There were no doubts whatsoever. Club licensing process will start via the new company East Bengal Club Private Limited,” said Sarkar.

Earlier on Friday, Quess Corp had sent a letter addressing to the Department of Corporate Services of the National Stock Exchange of India Limited where they stated, “Please note that the Board of Directors has considered, approved and noted execution of termination of the Share Subscription and Shareholder’s Agreement (“Agreement”) dated July 5, 2018, executed between Quess East Bengal FC Private Limited (“QEBFC”), East Bengal Club (“Club”) and the Company.”

Quess chairman Ajit Isaac too had confirmed the termination of the agreement between the two parties in a statement and also conveyed his best wishes to the club.

His statement read, “We are pleased to inform that the JV agreement closure has taken place between Quess Corp and EBC on mutually agreed terms. The formalities pertaining to termination of the JV agreement between Quess, QEBFC and EBC was concluded on 17 July 2020. Consequent to this the sporting rights have been returned to the Club and the shares held by the Club in QEBFC have been returned to Quess.

“Upholding the future of the game as well as its supporters have been our sole intent from the very beginning and we are glad that we have been able to resolve all points of discussion in good faith. We believe that the club has fantastic potential and we leave with good memories of the diehard supporters, its talented players and its many sporting victories which we still cherish. We wish the club only the best as we move forward.”

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane believes George Maluleka will bring a different dimension to how his team plays next season. 

The 31-year-old midfielder joined the Brazilians from Kaizer Chiefs on July 1 following the expiry of his contract and Amakhosi's decision not to offer him a contract extension to finish the suspended campaign. 

He has already been training with the Tshwane giants in Rustenburg, and Mosimane said he has spoken to him about what he expects whichever role he plays for the team.

"He is a good boy, a good player, intelligent, intrinsic also and I have spoken to him about tactics and I have put him through the process of how our number six and eight plays," Mosimane told the Sundowns website. 

Furthermore, Mosimane is excited about what Maluleka will bring to his team, and he's pleased that the midfielder is willing to learn.  

"He comes with a lot of set-piece delivery and he can score, can shoot from outside the box and is willing to learn which is good and we wish him all the best," added the 55-year-old mentor. 

Meanwhile, Maluleka spoke about his first day at Sundowns and the welcome he received from his new teammates and the technical team. 

"The first day was good and great to be back on the field, a lot of physical training and I enjoyed myself," said Maluleka.

"The guys have been good, I received a warm welcome, it was very good and I am happy."

Maluleka will be eligible to play for Mosimane's team at the start of the 2020-21 season as he's currently not registered with the PSL. 

He will be fighting for a place in the starting line-up with the likes of Hlompho Kekana, Tiyani Mabunda and Andile Jali among other players. 

His arrival may have well ended Oupa Manyisa's career at the Chloorkop-based outfit.

Manyisa, who featured 47 times for Sundowns since his arrival from Orlando Pirates, is still waiting to hear if he still has a future at the club as his contract has already expired. 

The former Bucs skipper is not with his teammates in Rustenburg but the club is expected to make a decision on his future in the next few weeks. 

Mason Greenwood produces every time he plays, according to Jesse Lingard, who says the teenage striker has been the "driving force" behind Manchester United's recent resurgence.

Greenwood was thrust into the limelight at the start of the season following Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's decision to offload Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez to Inter.

The Norwegian boss trusted the 18-year-old to serve as United's main backup forward behind Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford, and has been richly rewarded for his faith in the academy graduate.

The England U21 international has hit 18 goals in 46 appearances in all competitions for the Red Devils in 2019-20 to help them move to within touching distance of a top-four finish as well as success in the FA Cup and Europa League, with four of those efforts coming in his last five starts.

Greenwood became the first teenager since Wayne Rooney to net in three consecutive matches for United when he struck during in a 3-0 victory over Aston Villa on July 9, and he is now appearing on Solskjaer's team sheet week in, week out.

His recent performances have come as no surprise to Lingard, who says the young frontman is "fully focused" on reaching the very top as he develops his all-round game.

"He's a good lad," the United midfielder told 90min of Greenwood's unique talents. "He's humble. He's obviously waited a long time for his chance, and each time he plays, he produces, he helps the team. He's got skills in his locker, he's got goals in his locker. He's really been a driving force for the team.

"Of course, we have a lot of young players as well who can add to the team, and when they get the chance, I'm sure they'll be ready.

"Like I said, Mason's took his chance, he's always been ready, he's always willing to learn. The most important thing is he's fully focused and he's humble at the same time."

The facet of Greenwood's game which has been talked up most frequently is his ability to score with both feet, and Lingard admits that he still isn't sure which side his team-mate is more deadly from.

"He's been scoring goals since he was young," he added. "That's nothing new for him, and he's obviously brought that to the big stage as well.

"You see him after training, he's practising every day, he's working on both feet. I still don't know what foot he is! He might be left, he might be right, but it seems to be working. I've seen it in training anyway, the things that he can do, and he's getting lots of games as well."

AFC Leopards have shown keen interest to sign Kariobangi Sharks midfielder Harrison Mwendwa ahead of the new season.

Ingwe are keen to strengthen their squad as they have vowed to end their 22-year wait for the Kenyan Premier League (KPL) trophy by wrestling it from rivals Gor Mahia in the 2020-21 season.

The club chairman Dan Shikanda has admitted they are interested in signing the Sharks player to help beef up their midfield area which was their main undoing in the just-concluded season.

“Yes, we have had an interest in the player who is a very creative midfielder and I believe he will add the much-needed impetus in the attack,” Shikanda is quoted saying by People Sports.

“He is open to talks with AFC Leopards’ management but we cannot finalise his paperwork for now because of the vagaries of the Covid-19 pandemic. Hopefully, that will be done later.”

Mwendwa has enjoyed a good season at Sharks under coach William Muluya, and was on two occasions called up to the Kenyan national team.

In a recent interview, Shikanda revealed he was confident the club will not go 30 years without winning the KPL title and are determined to win the league title soon to avoid waiting as long as Liverpool.

Liverpool finally won the league title after a 30-year wait and Leopards, who won their last title in 1998, are keen to avoid that length of time without a league title

“Liverpool went for 30 years without a Premier League title. We have gone 22 years and we don’t want to go the Liverpool way. We are keen to build a team that will lift the KPL title sooner,” Shikanda told Goal.

Shikanda also confirmed they will not take any risks with their signings as they still have a young squad that can help them to fight for the titles.

“We believe in continuity and that is why we are going to be cautious about the players we sign and release. But for a fact, we have a very young and strong team that can continue working together for years to come," Shikanda added.

"Therefore, we are not going to gamble on any signings.

Ingwe have also been linked with a move for former captain Duncan Otieno and ex-Gor Mahia skipper Musa Mohammed, both who turn out for Nkana FC in Zambia.

Cypriot outfit APOEL have completed the signing of Francis Uzoho on a three-year deal from Spanish second division club Deportivo La Coruna.

The Super Eagles goalkeeper, who has spent the last 18 months in Cyprus, penned a permanent contract that will keep him with the Legend until May 2023.

APOEL will be participating in the 2020-21 Europa League first qualifying round after they finished third on the league table before the Cypriot First Division was declared null and void because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“The company APOEL Football (public) Ltd announces the conclusion of an agreement with Real Club Deportivo de La Coruña for the acquisition of Francis Odinaka Uzoho,” the club announced.

“The co-operation between APOEL and Uzoho will last for three years until May 2023.

“We welcome Francis to APOEL and wish him to celebrate titles and European successes with the blue and yellow jersey."

Uzoho spent the 2019-20 season on loan with league rivals Omonia Nicosia where he played five matches before suffering a knee injury that has kept him out of action since November.

He suffered a ligament injury during Nigeria's international friendly outing against Brazil in Singapore which forced him to go under the knife for treatment.

Uzoho started his European career at Deportivo La Coruna in 2017 after he was scouted while in action for Aspire Academy at a tournament in Barcelona.

He featured prominently for Deportivo's reserve team that year but struggled to break into the first-team even though he made two La Liga appearances, against Eibar and Girona, in 2017-18.

The 21-year-old spent the following campaign in the Spanish Segunda division with Elche where he played seven matches before moving to Cyprus to seek first-team football at Anorthosis Famagusta.

During his brief stint in Famagusta, Uzoho won an appeal after he was fined €1,000 and handed a one-game ban by the Cyprus Football Association for submitting an invalid medical certificate ahead of his league debut, while Anorthosis were deducted nine points.

He continued the 2019-20 season in Cyprus with Omonia Nicosia but his stint at the club was plagued by the injury he suffered eight months ago.

Squad numbers are regarded as important in football. They are indicators of positions and there are expectations of players who wear certain numbers.

Skilful playmakers such as Diego Maradona or Lionel Messi usually wear No. 10, and you had better fit that mould if you want to wear it.

At some clubs, numbers have come to be associated with particular players, such as the No. 7 at Manchester United, with Cristiano Ronaldo, Eric Cantona and, of course, David Beckham donning it.

The No. 7 became something of a brand when Beckham wore it at Old Trafford (as it later did with Ronaldo), but he switched to the No. 23 when he signed for Real Madrid.

So why did he do it? Goal takes a look at the squad numbers Beckham wore in his career and why he chose the No. 23.

Why did David Beckham wear No. 23 at Real Madrid & LA Galaxy?

While Beckham may have been the biggest star in world football when he signed for Real Madrid in 2003, the No. 7 was worn by Raul, the club captain and a Blancos icon.

Unable to continue wearing the No. 7 - a number he was building the 'DB7' brand around - Beckham chose the No. 23, inspired by Michael Jordan, who wore that number for the Chicago Bulls.

According to former Real Madrid sporting director Jorge Valdano, No. 4 and No. 23 were Beckham's options and the player's wife, Victoria, steered him towards No. 23.

“We spoke to him about the numbers four and 23. He asked my opinion and I told him I prefer the classic numbers from one to 11," Valdano told AS. "But I also told him that I understood things had changed and today’s fans can easily accept any number. He said he thought it was a bad idea to delay a decision on the subject.

"Finally, his wife intervened to say something like: ‘The number 23 didn’t do Jordan any harm.’"

Beckham has indicated that he would never have had the audacity to ask Raul for the No. 7 at Real Madrid and that wearing No. 23 was a "no brainer" given the Jordan connection.

"So 23 was available and I’d always been a huge fan of Michael Jordan and I’ve loved him as a player and a person," he said in an interview with ESPN. "Everything that he represented. Everything that he did in his career. I was a huge fan so yeah it was a no brainer."

He then resolved to remain attached to the No. 23 when he made the switch to MLS to play for LA Galaxy, out of a classic sense of footballer's superstition: he had enjoyed good times with it. 

When asked why he continued with No. 23 in the US, he said: "It was just kind of a number that I wanted to keep because I’ve been successful with it with Real Madrid, and like I said being a fan of Michael Jordan."

What squad numbers did David Beckham wear?

Beckham wore No.7 at Manchester United, but switched to No. 23 when he joined Real Madrid in 2003 and continued to wear that number when he moved to LA Galaxy in 2007.

While the No. 23 had become his favoured squad number, he wore the No. 32 in his loan spells at AC Milan, since the No. 7 and No. 23 were held by Alexandre Pato and Massimo Ambrosini respectively.

In choosing to wear the No. 32 at San Siro, Beckham followed legendary Italian striker Christian Vieri, who wore it for the bulk of his career at Inter, AC Milan, Fiorentina and Atalanta.

Beckham, who has '723' tattooed on his hand, also wore No. 32 at Paris Saint-Germain, continuing the use of the digits 2 and 3 until the conclusion of his career.

At international level for England, Beckham wore the No. 7 for the entirety of his Three Lions service.