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Former Ghana striker Baffour Gyan believes players must have a "purpose" to be selected for national duty if the Black Stars hope to realise their Africa Cup of Nations title ambitions.

The four-time champions have suffered a series of disappointments following their last glory at Libya 1982.

On their last attempt at the 2019 championship in Egypt, Ghana produced their worst performance in the competition since 2006.

"I think hard work and discipline can help win the Africa Cup of Nations," Baffour, elder brother of legendary Ghana striker Asamoah Gyan, told Asempa FM.

"We tried winning it during my playing days but we could not achieve what we were expected to achieve.

"Players must not come to the Black Stars anyhow. We must have the purpose of inviting them to play for the country.

"During our time, we hard senior players that we all looked up to, so before they leave [the scene], we are well trained and acquainted to replace them.

"For me, once we are planning to win the Afcon, this must be taken into consideration and I believe we can win it."

Ghana won their first three Afcon titles in 1963, 1965 and 1978, and beat Cote d’Ivoire on penalties in the 1982 final to make it a quartet of titles.

It has since been one heartache or the other for the Black Stars, though.

At the 1992 championship in Senegal, the West Africans bowed to Cote d'Ivoire on penalties in the final. Four year later in South Africa, the Black Stars went just a step further to pick up bronze.

A semi-final loss to Cameroon at the 2008 tournament on home soil broke many Ghanaian hearts. Ultimately, the Black Stars finished third, a position they just surpassed in 2010 when they finished the tournament with silver.

In 2017, Ghana ended the championship in the fourth position.

After two rounds of matches in the qualifiers for the 2021 Afcon, Ghana lead the table in Group C and are well on course to secure a ticket for the championship. 

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has confirmed it will announce a decision on Manchester City and their appeal against a Champions League ban on July 13.

The Switzerland-based body will confirm the verdict at 10:30 local time on Monday, it said in a statement on Friday.

City's hearing at CAS began on June 8 and concluded two days later, with proceedings having been conducted by video call.

The Premier League club are seeking to overturn UEFA's decision to ban them from European competition for the next two seasons and fine them €30million (£27.2m) after finding them guilty of "serious breaches" of Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations.

City have persistently denied wrongdoing in relation to the matter, which stemmed from a series of articles published by Der Spiegel in November 2018, drawing on information purportedly obtained by the whistleblower Football Leaks.

"The club has always anticipated the ultimate need to seek out an independent body and process to impartially consider the comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence in support of its position," read a statement at the time from City, who UEFA said had "failed to cooperate" with the investigation.

Speaking on Friday, City manager Pep Guardiola said he had faith in the club's chances of success in their appeal.

"I'm so confident because I saw the arguments of the club that next season we will be there [in Champions League]," he said.

In an interview with HLN, star midfielder Kevin De Bruyne suggested he might be happy to stay at City in the event of a reduction to a one-year ban, although a two-year Champions League absence would force him to consider his options.

"I'm just waiting," he said. "The club told us they are going to appeal, and they are almost 100 per cent sure they are right. That's why I'm waiting to see what will happen. I trust my team.

"Once the decision is made, I will review everything. Two years would be long, but in the case of one year I might see."

Manchester City currently sit second in the Premier League, with Liverpool having already clinched the league title.

City, who maintain a nine-point lead over third-place Chelsea, will face Brighton on Saturday.

Blackburn Rovers manager Tony Mowbray has admitted the Championship club is not able to sign Tosin Adarabioyo permanently from Manchester City, although they would have loved to have him beyond the 2019-20 season.  

The Anglo-Nigeria has been with the Citizens from the age of five and was promoted to the first team in 2016, making his debut in an FA Cup game against Chelsea.

The defender has, however, struggled for game time since his promotion and he is yet to play in the Premier League for the side.

His quest to play regularly saw him join West Bromwich Albion last season and he went on to make 30 Championship appearances for the side, helping them to the quarter-final stage of the playoffs.

The Super Eagles target teamed up with Rovers last summer and has been a key figure for the side, making 33 appearances across all competitions in the current campaign.

Adarabioyo is nearing the end of his contract with the Citizens and with the uncertainly over his future, Rovers boss Mowbray is unsure of having him for next season on another loan, and revealed his side does not have enough money to sign him permanently.

“Ultimately, we couldn’t afford him, that’s the first part of the question. This is why this loan system is really good because not in a million years could we afford Tosin Adarabioyo,” Mowbray was quoted as saying by Lancashire Telegraph.

“We’ll wait and see, but I’m not thinking sat here that Tosin will be starting next season with us unless Man City do us a huge favour, of course, I’m not sure that will be the case.

“Adarabioyo, in my opinion, he’s been very good for us. He’s still a young boy learning his trade in such a crucial position. He has wonderful attributes.

“I hope he’s enjoyed it. We’d love to have him back, I think it’s a bit more complicated than that.

“First and foremost, for his career, his advisors would expect him to be moving on to try and nail down his career in the Premier League.

“Whether that’s with Manchester City, and that’s not for me to say, he would like to be in the Premier League and be in a squad somewhere, or he could go to La Liga or the Bundesliga to get his career going.

“From our perspective, we’d love to do something with him. At this moment I don’t know Manchester City’s plans.”

Rovers are currently 10th on the Championship table with 59 points from 42 games, five points below a playoff spot and Adarabioyo will hope to help them secure promotion to the Premier League before his departure.  

The defender will be expected to feature when Rovers take on West Bromwich Albion in their next Championship game on Saturday.

Harambee Stars captain Victor Wanyama made his anticipated Major League Soccer (MLS) debut when Montreal Impact fell 1-0 to New England Revolution on Thursday.

A Gustavo Bou goal was enough to see Thierry Henry's Impact suffer a loss in the first match of the 'MLS is Back' tournament, and the former Arsenal striker said the tie was not won by tactics while calling for improvement from his players.

“Time will tell,” Henry said after the match with regard to whether they are ready for the upcoming fixtures.

“A lot of teams came with different schedules in terms of preparation. You just have to adapt to whatever comes our way. When we play, we're going to try and be ready, and in a better way than we were.

“If you don't fight and you don't win battles, and you lose balls, there is no need even to talk about tactics. There was nothing to do about tactics today [Thursday night]. It was about desire that we didn't have that, and it can happen.

“I'm not questioning the desire of my players but it wasn't there.

“We didn't know where we were going to be physically, but that's not an excuse.”

The Frenchman went ahead and said there was no urgency to fight from his side when compared to the previous ties.

“There's one thing that always I've been talking to the team and talk about before this game is that we do fight, and you saw that before at the beginning of the season,” he added.

“And then at the beginning of this [tournament] again, that didn't happen. This is not an attack against anyone but that didn't happen tonight.

“I'm not saying it won't happen again.”

Henry also accepted the defeat and acknowledged their opponents deserved the slim win more than his side.

“You have to be honest, give credit to New England,” the Arsenal great continued.

“We beat them once and they beat us [on Thursday]. They wanted it more than us. We made too many mistakes under no pressure, individually and as a team.”

Impact are ninth on the MLS table while the win moved New England to the seventh position.

Papiss Cisse is on the verge of leaving Alanyaspor for their Turkish Super Lig rivals after his agent Sedat Atmaca confirmed "positive" discussions with Besiktas.

Cisse is set to leave the Bahsesehir Okullari Stadium on a free transfer when his two-year deal expires at the end of the 2019-20 season.

The 35-year-old is enjoying his best goalscoring run since 2011 in the Turkish top-flight this season with a return of 22 goals in 29 league outings, which makes him the leading top scorer.

In an update about his striker's future, Atmaca disclosed that the Senegal international has agreed on a one-year contract with the option of another year with Besiktas, but they are yet to reach an agreement on his salary.

“Our negotiations continue. It will be either Besiktas or another place. It will be announced in a few days,” Atmaca was quoted as saying on Radyospor.

“Our meeting with Besiktas was positive, we are trying to agree on the figures. The contract will be 1+1 but the salary issue has not been clarified.

“Cisse looks at Besiktas very positively and wants to play there. Everyone wants to play in a big club like Besiktas. Hopefully, this season he will finish the league as the top scorer.

“We expect this work to be finalised in a few days. Signatures are not made before the season ends. He is currently a contract player of Alanyaspor.”

Cisse has been in fine scoring form since football activities in Turkey resumed after the coronavirus lockdown, scoring nine goals in six games so far.

He has scored at least a goal in his last five matches for Alanyaspor and most recently inspired them to beat Galatasaray 4-1 with his brace on Wednesday.

The Dakar-born star will be aiming to continue his impressive return in front of goal when Alanyaspor visit city rivals Antalyaspor for Sunday's derby match.

With three matches remaining, Erol Bulut's side is sixth in the Super Lig table with 51 points from 31 games. They will also be playing Trabzonspor in the Turkish Cup final on July 29.

Football Kenya Federation (FKF) youth committee chairman Chris Amimo believes the establishment of the U13 and U15 leagues was a good decision if Kenya is to achieve her dream of playing in the 2026 World Cup.

The competition will have 48 teams, an increase of 16 teams, with Africa set to produce nine teams to battle for the trophy.

The administrator is confident the East Africa nation will have a chance to be part of the tournament to be hosted in Mexico, Canada and the United States.

"This is the way to go if we want to play in the 2026 World Cup," Amimo told reporters.

 "Previously we didn’t have a way of identifying good players until it was too late. But the U13 and U15 leagues give an opportunity to do that.

"The advantage of it is that once we identify a player at that age, they cannot change as they are captured in our systems."

The chairman has also revealed the talents are collected from all over the country and there is a partnership with schools as well to approach players who can join their peers to ensure there is sufficient talent.

"It is a pilot project which we came up with after picking the players from different regions in the country," Amimo added.

"We currently have 30 players but we know this is not enough. We have also established a working relationship with schools who are encouraged to do the same and we set up standards for them."

Stanley Okumbi, who is coaching the U16 national team, believes the already set structures will help develop Kenya football.

"We tend to focus a lot on the senior national teams and even Premier Leagues but the future is with the youth," the former Harambee Stars coach told reporters.

"It is only through the youth structures that we can begin to build our football. This is the future. If we stay on this road, we will see some good progress in the coming years."

Kenya has never qualified for the World Cup since its inception in 1930. 

Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr has predicted a difficult year for the Super Eagles if they qualify for the Fifa World Cup and the Africa Cup of Nations, both in 2022.

The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted the global football calendar with the Confederation of African Football (Caf) postponing several competitions, including the 2021 Afcon for health and safety reasons.

The continental tournament, initially scheduled to hold between June and July in 2021, has been moved to January 2022 with Cameroon still the host country.

The Super Eagles have commenced their qualification campaign for the tournament, and they currently are at the top of Group L ahead of Sierra Leone, Benin and Lesotho with six points after two matches.

With the next World Cup tournament in Qatar set to take place in the winter of 2022, the German coach said the hectic qualifying schedule in 2021 might affect the team the following year.

“The Africa Cup of Nations is postponed. It's the same for everyone so it's not a drawback,” Rohr told Girondins4ever.

“We have more time to prepare as well as for other countries. We can continue the play-offs and start the World Cup qualifiers at the same time.

"But it will be a difficult 2022 year because already in 2021, there are a lot of qualifying matches to play for the team.

“I think we will have time to play a few friendlies. In the year 2022, if we have qualified for the World Cup and the Afcon, there will be many, many games to play.

"So it will certainly be a difficult year.”

In May, Rohr agreed a two-and-half-year contract extension with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to continue as the Super Eagles coach until December 2022.

Included in the new deal is a mandate for the former Bordeaux manager to qualify for the 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar and also win Afcon, after helping them win bronze in Egypt last year.

Real Madrid are set to reveal their brand-new kits for the upcoming season as they look to clinch the Liga title ahead of close rivals Barcelona.

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

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

Real Madrid's 2020-21 home kit

The Spanish side are yet to reveal their new jerseys for the 2020-21 campaign, but it's a given that their new home strip will be the classic all-white number.

The new home kit under Adidas is expected to not look to different to the Bayern style, featuring the brand's signature three stripes down the sides.

Certain leaks that have surfaced online, however, have suggested that the white number will feature pink accents.

The new home jersey is expected to be revealed later in July.

Real Madrid's 2020-21 away kit & release date

Real Madrid aren't expected to release their away number until after their home kit has been launched, but some leaks have suggested that the club could go for an all-pink kit, matching the accents of their home kit.

Los Blancos have had an all-pink away kit before, with this upcoming away collection a potentially nod to the bright fuschia colours from their 2014-15 season.

Real Madrid's 2020-21 third kit & release date

If online leaks are to be believed, Real Madrid could be going for shades of pink as an ongoing theme for their upcoming 2020-21 kit collection.

The Spanish side's third strip is suggested to have a primarily black base, with the lettering and club crest a shade of pink.

Vipers SC head coach Fred Kajoba has insisted their transfer business will not be influenced by outsiders.

Vipers has been one of the busiest Ugandan clubs in the market and have signed four players so far in preparation for an appearance in the Caf Champions League next season.

The Venoms are strengthening in a bid to have a successful campaign in Africa’s premier tournament as well as on the domestic front.

“To be honest, we are not interested in opinions from outside. All our signings were agreed upon a couple of months ago after identifying the areas where we lacked and needed to recruit,” coach Kajoba told the club’s portal on Friday.

“It’s now six months since I came here, therefore, I have a clear picture of how best to improve this squad. I know the players to keep, the ones to send on loan and those to be released.”

The Ugandan tactician hinted that they may not bring many more players given what they did in the previous transfer window.

“Vipers recruited massively in the out-going season hence there is no need for such kind of business right now. We are only targeting one or two more signings and we shall then close that chapter,” he added.

“We already have a strong squad but our target is to balance all departments to favourably compete on the various fronts. In that regard, key decisions are to be made in shaping the squad and we’re up to the task.”

Kajoba is also hopeful youngsters from the junior team will be ready sp they can be promoted to the senior side.

“The emergence of Karim Watambala, Aziz Kayondo, Ahmed Amayo, Jacob Okao, and Bobos Byaruhanga clearly shows the importance of the club’s youth structure,” added Kajoba.

“Others like Musa Ssali, Umar Kyebatala, Najib Yiga, Richard Basangwa and Ivan Ashaba also look ripe for the big stage. So, we expect promotions within that area.”

Disan Galiwango, whose signing remain contested by his former club Express FC, signed a four-year deal with the Venoms, Ibrahim Orit was roped in from Mbarara City and signed a deal which will see him remain at the St Mary’s Stadium for three years

Jamil Kalisa from Bright Stars put pen to paper on a four-year deal too. 

Former Ghana international Shilla Illiasu Alhassan has shed more light on his failed 2006 move to Arsenal following a brilliant performance at the World Cup.

Then on the books of Ghana Premier League (GPL) outfit Asante Kotoko, the defender impressed in group matches against the Czech Republic and Italy, benefiting from a nightmarish outing of Samuel Kuffour in the tournament opener against Italy.

He attracted interest from Arsenal but failed to seal a deal with the Gunners after a trial spell.

“When the opportunity to play for Arsenal came, I was in doubt. I didn’t think my dream was coming to pass. I love Arsenal," Shilla narrated to TV3.

“After our game against Czech Republic, I was at the hotel when my agent came to me and said ‘Shilla, gradually we are getting close, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was at the stadium and so after the tournament, you are going to Arsenal for trial’.

“I went to Arsenal for two weeks. I nearly signed a deal. I remember Ghana’s [post-World Cup friendly] game against Togo in London, I came to the match and saw a journalist and he said ‘Shilla, congratulations you have been given the No.27 jersey to represent Arsenal’.

"Kolo Toure was there and he also said ‘sign, what are you waiting for?’ and I told him I was waiting for my agent. If you ask me what really went wrong, I can’t tell.

"I really regret not signing for Arsenal."

Illiasu's stay with Kotoko was courtesy of a loan agreement with King Faisal. Recently, the former centre-back blamed Faisal president Alhaji Karim Grunsah for sabotaging the transfer. 

“Arsene Wenger told me that he had monitored me against Czech Republic and believes that I’m one of the best defenders in Africa. He told me he wanted to sign me to Arsenal to help his team," Illiasu told Asempa FM in April. 

“I started training with them and after the third training session, the agent called and confirmed Wenger was impressed and wanted to sign me.

“Later, the agent called and requested that I speak with Alhaji Grunsah because he was being stubborn, and that I should also engage Kotoko - Kwabena Kesse 'Kessben' was then the CEO.

“I remember I spoke to him and Mr Kesse told me they were still in talks with Arsenal and assured me my future remained the central focus."

Retired from football, the 37-year-old Shilla is now a farmer in northern Ghana. 

Tammy Abraham has had his Chelsea contract extended by another year to 2023 after a clause was activated as he reached 15 Premier League goals.

The England striker was on the scoresheet in the Blues' 3-2 win over Crystal Palace, with Frank Lampard's side having won consecutive matches as they aim to finish in the Champions League spots.

The clause in Abraham's contract gives Chelsea some further breathing room as they consider the forward's long-term future, with his original deal having been due to expire in 2022.

Should the Blues consider a sale, they now have more leverage in any possible transfer talks for the 22-year-old, who is currently the club's top scorer with 16 goals in all competitions.

The clause itself was agreed in 2017 and was also based on appearances, which had long been achieved by the Blues' No.9 but has only come to light after both landmarks were reached.

Lampard was happy to see the striker break his 10-game goal drought against Palace, with his rhythm having been disrupted due to an ankle injury sustained against Arsenal in January.

"It will be really important for Tammy because he is desperate for goals," Lampard told reporters.

"He hasn’t scored a for a while, it helps his confidence and it is good for me. It gives me other options. He came on later in the game, he scored the winning goal and I'm pleased for my strikers."

Indeed, Abraham's representatives will still target a new contract in the near future to reflect his status in the squad as he currently ranks as one of the lowest-paid players in the first team on around £50,000 a week.

Lampard spoke ahead of the Palace game about Abraham putting his contract talks out of his mind and how he expects an agreement to be reached with Blues director Marina Granovskaia, who will lead the talks.

"I think on Tammy’s contract we’re not at a critical level with it and I’ll leave that between him and the club to discuss that side of it,"  Lampard told reporters.  "I don’t think it’s something in his mind now. It certainly shouldn’t be.

"What needs to be in his mind now is these games we have coming up and how much he can give us on the pitch, whether he’s coming on as a sub or starting games. He has had a really good season.

"He hasn’t scored so much in the second half of the season and as a young player, it’s always clear that when you have those periods there’s only one way out of it and that’s work and repetition in training and trying to make the most out of every moment you get.

"I just think that’s where Tammy’s at. The contract will hopefully look after itself. It’s between him and the club."

Chelsea's signing of RB Leipzig striker Timo Werner for £47m ($59m) in mid-June had thrown Abraham's future into doubt, with Olivier Giroud having also replaced him in the starting XI since the Premier League restart.

The Frenchman was one of four players who saw their contracts extended for another season but the 33-year-old's position at Stamford Bridge remains unclear, with Inter still keen on signing him.

Jordan Henderson will miss the rest of Liverpool's Premier League campaign with a knee injury, manager Jurgen Klopp has confirmed.

The Reds captain was forced off during the second half of Wednesday's 3-1 win over Brighton at the AmEx Stadium following a collision with Yves Bissouma. 

Henderson underwent a scan at Melwood on Thursday, and while he will not require surgery on the injury, he will miss the final four games of the season. 

Klopp did, however, suggest the 30-year-old would be fit for the start of the 2020-21 campaign.

Speaking at a press conference to preview his side's game with Burnley on Saturday, Klopp said: "It is the best possible of all the bad news. It is a knee injury, but there is no surgery needed.

"He will not play again for the rest of this season, but I'm positive he will be with us for the start of next season. He's a quick healer. 

"It's not too cool, but it's the best news we could get."

Liverpool take on Burnley at Anfield on Saturday and follow that up with games against Arsenal, Chelsea and Newcastle. 

The Chelsea fixture will see them receive the Premier League trophy, and Klopp confirmed that Henderson would be the one to lift it, even though he will not be involved that day.

He added: "It was an awful moment when he left the pitch, we knew immediately. In Germany, we would say that Hendo is an animal, he fights with everything. If he has pain he will never tell you. So you knew something had happened which should not have happened. 

"It was a complete mood killer. We won away, and I said to the players we should be happy with that, but then everyone realises Hendo is round the corner [injured]. Everybody felt for him.

"He deserves to lift the trophy, and he will lift the trophy. No surgery needed, that's the good news. All the rest, we can make our own decisions. Hendo will lift the trophy."

Henderson has taken in 40 appearances for Liverpool across all competitions this season, with his consistency for the record-breaking Reds seeing him billed by many as a leading contender for the PFA Player of the Year award.

Meanwhile, Klopp confirmed that defender Dejan Lovren had returned to full training having missed the Reds' last four games through injury. The Croatian will be in contention to feature against Burnley. 

Rhulani Mokwena's agent Steve Kapeluschnik believes his client still has plenty of time to be his own boss in the coaching industry. 

Earlier this week, Mokwena returned to his old position at Mamelodi Sundowns following his departure from Orlando Pirates. 

Kapeluschnik said the Soweto-born mentor enjoyed his time at Pirates and was happy to work at the club.

However, he feels his two-and-a-half-year stint with the Sea Robbers was more of a learning curve than anything. 

"He had a great time at Pirates. He was happy there. It was a big learning curve for him," Kapeluschnik told IOL. 

After serving as Micho Sredojevic's assistant for the first two seasons, Mokwena was elevated to the position of head coach albeit on an interim basis. 

This was soon after Sredojevic's sudden resignation in August 2019. 

Mokwena held the position for four months before Pirates decided to replace him with Josef Zinnbauer in December 2019. 

He didn't take kindly the club's decision to hire someone else and the pair didn't see eye-to-eye and Mokwena eventually decided to take a sabbatical before permanently leaving Pirates last week. 

Asked if Mokwena is done with Pirates given the management's failure to hold on to his services, Kapeluschnik hinted that the young coach may return in future. 

 "He's a young guy. You can never say that he’s served and done (with Pirates)."  

"You can't use that kind of language at the moment. He went to Pirates and that was a learning curve and now he’s focusing on his next chapter at Sundowns," added Kapeluschnik.

Meanwhile, Mokwena has arrived in Rustenburg to link up with the Brazilians for their week-long training camp.

The club revealed soon after the announcement of his return that Mokwena that the coach was only waiting for his Covid-19 test before travelling to the North West province. 

He will work alongside Manqoba Mngqithi as Pitso Mosimane's assistants for the next few years as Sundowns look to add another Caf Champions League title to their trophy cabinet.

It's unclear, at this stage, Wendell Robinson will continue as the club's assistant coach or will focus on being a goalkeeper coach at Sundowns now that Mokwena is back.  

Jurgen Klopp insists star duo Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah have a "healthy competition" for goals at Liverpool, praising the latter's "absolutely crazy" numbers.

Speaking at a press conference to preview his side's Premier League clash with Burnley, the Reds boss dismissed suggestions that there is any kind of discord between his forwards. 

In the return fixture at Turf Moor back in September, Mane had reacted angrily after Salah opted to shoot for goal instead of passing to his unmarked team-mate.

And after Wednesday's 3-1 win at Brighton, Sky Sports pundit Graeme Souness suggested Salah had been "super selfish" as he looked for goals to take him closer to the Premier League Golden Boot award.

Klopp told reporters: “I’m not sure it’s a competition but it’s healthy. They want to score goals and that’s completely normal. These things are always made up, and it’s clear. If you shoot and don’t score, there’s a 98 per cent opportunity that you should have passed somewhere else! 

“It was never a bad relationship. There are moments where you think ‘he could pass the ball here or there’ but in my 20 years as a manager, I don’t think I’ve had more than two talks to a striker about being too selfish!

“Strikers have to be selfish to make decisions. And these decisions are the most important things, you have to be ready to finish a situation off.

“If he doesn’t see it, we can talk to a player and show them. But I have never thought a player is selfish or too selfish. In those situations, so many legs are around and you need to make sure you can keep the ball and finish. 

“No, it’s all good.”

Salah moved to 19 league goals for the season with a double at Brighton, while both he and Mane have passed 20 in all competitions for the past three seasons.

"It’s incredible," Klopp said. "We would not be where we are now if these boys didn’t perform at such a consistently high level.

“Mo? Of course, come on! The numbers are absolutely crazy! Involved in 100 goals since he is here, 73 [goals] and 27 [assists], it’s just outstanding, world-class numbers. Nobody should be surprised anymore.

“The boys showed this, week in and week out, and for a while. We know that it is special, but we know that you can only score if you invest in each game, to be in the right position. That’s what the boys were ready to do, and what they still have to do.

"Long may it continue!”

Klopp also dismissed claims that Salah's team-mates were actively seeking to aid his quest for a third successive Golden Boot. The Egyptian currently sits three goals behind leader Jamie Vardy with four games remaining in the season.

“I hope they were not doing that," Klopp said. "When I saw the [first goal v Brighton] situation, it was just that Bobby Firmino's football intelligence told him he was not in the best position and that Mo was in a much better position. I don’t think he left the ball because he wants Mo to win the Golden Boot. You cannot have this mindset. 

“We all help each other. We have another contender with Sadio. He has 16 goals. They all want to score goals. Bobby wants to score. They want to be decisive, to decide football games. That’s the mindset a striker needs.”

The principal owner and chairman of ATK Mohun Bagan FC, Sanjiv Goenka, has sent a message of support for the Mohun Bagan fans by claiming that 'Green and Maroon' are now his colours as well.

Three-time Indian Super League (ISL) champions ATK have merged with reigning I-League champions Mohun Bagan, with the first board meeting of the newly merged entity held on Friday.

The board decided that the newly formed club which will take part in the ISL 2020-21 season will be known as ATK Mohun Bagan FC and will wear the iconic Green and Maroon jersey as their home kit. Mohun Bagan’s logo too was left unaltered as the new club will continue with the iconic Pal Tola Nauka emblem.

"To me, green and maroon are my colours. Green and maroon it is. The logo remains the same, ATK Mohun Bagan is the new name of the club. To each fan, all I can say is that you are important, your emotions are important, and above all, your blessings are important," Goenka said in an interview with ISL.

Goenka also stated that his plan was to have red and white (ATK's colours) as their away kit but it is not finalised yet.

"The away jersey will be white and red with green and maroon stripes on it. That is not yet unveiled nor is absolutely finalized. We have earlier thought it would be the ATK jersey with the new logo for the away kit. But today, Tumpai (Srinjoy Bose) and Debasish (Dutta) made a very good suggestion that why don't we introduce green and maroon in the jersey. So we will do that."

Goenka’s main aim though is to consistently perform at the highest level in Asia. ATK Mohun Bagan FC have qualified for the group stages of the AFC Cup 2021. But he feels, the club should target AFC Champions League.

 “What is very clear is that we cannot play in the ISL and the I-League both. So we will play in the ISL. But, we should be playing in all other leagues as well. And I do not want to over a period of time confine it to local leagues or national leagues only. I think we have to build ourselves, our competencies, our strengths, and capabilities to an extent where we can participate in international competitions. And my target is the AFC Champions League. We have to prepare for that and at some stage, we have to play in it,” said the RPSG Group chief.

The Kolkata-based businessman also suggested that he will try to improve the existing facilities in the iconic Mohun Bagan club tent in Maidan, even stating that he intends to develop a venue which can host ISL and continental games in the future.

“If I can, I would like to upgrade the facilities at the Mohun Bagan ground. It is part of the city's history. As we have grown up, each one of us has seen that it is iconic. But, it needs up-gradation, modernization, and needs to be reconstructed in a manner that is different. And, if I can I would definitely like to upgrade the facilities such that, to begin with, we can have ISL games there. But over a period of time, maybe have AFC games there as well and really build it into a world-class facility," opined the ATKMB FC owner.

Mason Greenwood is capable of following in the footsteps of some notable teenage sensations, says Phil Neville, with there every reason to believe that the Manchester United forward could emulate the achievements of Ballon d’Or winner Michael Owen.

A striker who was recognised as the best player on the planet in 2001 burst onto the scene at Liverpool.

At 18 years of age he was already an established Premier League star and the talk of the 1998 World Cup after scoring a stunning solo effort against Argentina.

Greenwood is the same age as Owen was at that point, with the highly-rated youngster having made giant strides since stepping out of the academy system.

He has recorded an impressive haul of 16 goals this season, with nine of those coming in the Premier League.

Owen managed 18 top-flight efforts in 1997-98, but Neville believes Greenwood is capable of matching the ex-Liverpool frontman and other precocious talents such as Robbie Fowler and Wayne Rooney.

“You look at his impact as a young player and you think about some great careers – Michael Owen was a Ballon d’Or winner,” former United defender Neville told Premier League Productions.

“You’ve got to keep your feet on the ground and you’ve got to protect the lad and there is a long way to go, but ultimately the quality of his development and the rate of his development is up there with some of the great young players that we’ve seen.

“You think about the front three for United, [Bruno] Fernandes, [Paul] Pogba - that lad can be absolutely anything he wants to be.”

Neville added on an ambidextrous frontman: “The impressive thing about him is that he is so gifted with both feet – left foot, right foot.

“I have seen him take penalties with left foot, penalties with his right foot. That is something special. He’s a special, special player.

“Before lockdown he was as thin as a rake, he’s become a man and that strength, that power, that balance is going to take him a long way.”

For now, Greenwood is being asked to fill a wide attacking role by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, with United tending to use him on the right of a trident that also includes Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial.

Neville, though, believes it is only a matter of time before a clinical finisher is moved inside to a central berth.

He said: “With Marcus, he’ll always play but where he’ll play depends on where there is a position in the team – he has the ability to play in all positions and I think he enjoys being a little bit freer.

“I think Mason will eventually become an out-and-out number nine. Marcus has got the ability to play left, right, centre, number 10 as well.

“It will be interesting to see if they play them both together. But I think Mason is probably the more out-and-out number nine.”

Mesut Ozil and Matteo Guendouzi appear to have been “ousted from the core group” at Arsenal, says Alan Smith, with Mikel Arteta displaying the kind of decisive leadership that north London rivals Tottenham are lacking ahead of a derby date on Sunday.

The Gunners are set to lock horns with Spurs with just one place and a solitary point separating them in the Premier League standings.

Arsenal just about have bragging rights with four games of the 2019-20 campaign left to take in.

They limped out of the blocks when competitive action resumed in June, but have since hit their stride to take five wins and a draw from their last six games in all competitions.

Spurs, in contrast, are still scratching around for consistency, with Jose Mourinho seeing uncomfortable questions asked of his supposedly “boring” methods.

Smith believes contrasting moods at two close neighbours could work in Arsenal’s favour when a fierce rivalry is rekindled, with Arteta making the kind of bold decisions – such as dropping those not pulling their weight – that have the Gunners moving forward and “nobody doubting” their manager.

“If we’re going on momentum, there’s only one winner on Sunday,” ex-Gunners frontman Smith said in the Evening Standard.

“Arsenal, with all their challenges and shortcomings, are at least enjoying a bit of optimism. Under Mikel Arteta, they are looking up as an improving outfit, hoping to close the gap on the top teams.

“To give the situation some context, Spurs are 18 points worse off than at this stage last season. That’s the biggest drop of any Premier League team. Admittedly, the side was gradually deteriorating under Mauricio Pochettino, and getting to the Champions League final only masked those problems.

“But to fall so far so quickly? These are worrying times down Tottenham High Road. And there must be serious doubts as to whether Mourinho is the right man to turn the ship around.

“Meanwhile, up the Seven Sisters Road, nobody is doubting Arteta’s ability. The Spaniard has laid out a clear path towards improvement that most of the players are prepared to follow.

“Those not on board with the project, such as Mesut Ozil and Matteo Guendouzi, get quickly ousted from the core group.

“I think that’s the big difference between the teams at the moment — the message is clear at the Emirates, while the thinking looks muddled across north London.

“From that point of view, Arsenal go into this derby, set to be the strangest on record, in a better frame of mind. That doesn’t mean, of course, that my old club will win. But it should lend an advantage in this joust for local pride and a Europa League slot.”

Arsenal are only a point behind Sheffield United as things stand, and two adrift of Wolves, with European qualification still very much there to be shot at by a side that are also through to the semi-finals of the FA Cup.

Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero will not recover from his knee injury in time to face Real Madrid in the Champions League, Pep Guardiola has confirmed.

Aguero sustained meniscus damage during last month's 5-0 Premier League win over Burnley and was operated on by Guardiola's preferred surgeon, Dr Ramon Cugat.

A four-to-six-week recovery period appeared to place Aguero in contention for the August 7 second leg with Madrid, which UEFA this week announced was clear to take place behind closed doors at the Etihad Stadium .

City hold a 2-1 advantage over the 13-time European champions but, after Friday's draw paired the winner of their last-16 tie against Lyon or Juventus , they will have to try and seal a place at the final stages in Lisbon without their all-time record goalscorer.

"I told you many times no. No," Guardiola told a news conference when asked about Aguero's prospects.

Friday's draw mapped out City's potential route to glory, with prospective semi-final opponents coming from a quarter-final between Napoli or Barcelona and Chelsea or Bayern Munich. 

Nevertheless, Guardiola insists City must not look past an in-form Madrid who appear set to wrest La Liga from his beloved Barca's grasp. 

"We play against Real Madrid," he said. "If we think about the next step the kings of this competition, Real Madrid, will put us out.

"There is not one person who knows Real Madrid better than me, their potential and history, and we have to play this game.

"I saw the draw maybe two or three hours after it was made. I’ve got Brighton [in the Premier League on Saturday] and continue to prepare for Arsenal [in the semi-finals of the FA Cup].

"After that, we have two games and a potential [FA Cup] final to prepare for before Real Madrid. That's all I have in my mind." 

City's bid for an elusive Champions League crown might be thrown into sharper focus on Monday if the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) uphold their two-season ban from UEFA competitions for violating Financial Fair Play regulations.

Guardiola reiterated his belief that City will be cleared by CAS and, irrespective of the verdict, he does not feel events in a Swiss court room will fuel his players.

"The intention is every season to play in the Champions League as best as possible, it's not about Monday," he said.

"On Monday, I'm so confident because I know and hear the arguments of the club. Next season we will be there and after I will give my opinion and the club will give a statement."

City head to Brighton looking to snap a run of three successive away defeats in the Premier League.

Guardiola could once again call upon Benjamin Mendy after revealing the left-back sat out matches against Southampton and Newcastle United over the past week due to "muscular issues". 

Tottenham are the next club to be the subject of a fly-on-the-wall documentary helmed by Amazon, after the streaming giant's success with All or Nothing: Manchester City that offered fans an in-depth glimpse at the lives of the players not just at the Etihad, but during their everyday lives.

That series, released in 2018, saw Amazon given exclusive access to the stadium, training ground and the players' homes as it looked back on their title-winning 2017-18 campaign. 

But what is Amazon's Tottenham documentary, when it is released and how can it be watched? Goal has all the information.

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What is Amazon's Tottenham: All or Nothing documentary?

Amazon's All or Nothing: Tottenham Hotspur is a fly-on-the-wall style documentary about Premier League club Tottenham. 

A statement from the club revealed that the upcoming series on the North London club would largely focus on the building of their new home ground, the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, its impact on the local community as well as the club's strengthening relationship with the NFL during the course of the 2019-20 season.

The stadium is set to host two regular-season games each year for the next 10 years, with Chicago Bears and Oakland Raiders playing the historic first match in September 2019. Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers met a week later.

Amazon will be looking to grow their already large presence within the Premier League, having already secured the rights to a number of fixtures over the next three years.

The streaming giant will also be hopeful that the NFL angle of the upcoming documentary will attract a largely U.S. audience.

It is also understood, however, that the series' camera crews will still be given exclusive access to the dressing room before and after the games, as well as filming in and around the training facilities and the boardroom, which provided much of the core of All or Nothing: Manchester City .

A club statement read: "Away from the pitch, the docuseries will focus on the unique aspects of the Club, including its extensive work and impact in helping to transform the local area and showcasing the workings of our world-class stadium, with its ground-breaking multi-use functionality allowing it to play host to all our first team fixtures as well as a raft of major sport and entertainment events throughout the course of the season."

It will make for interesting viewing if the series is set to cover the majority of Tottenham's 2019-20 season. The North Londoners had gotten their domestic and European campaign off to a disappointing start despite their runners-up status in the 2019 Champions League final.

Mauricio Pochettino was eventually relieved of his position and replaced by the inimitable Jose Mourinho at the end of November and the prickly Portuguese coach is certainly a box-office personality.

Of course, the difficulties associated with the coronavirus pandemic, which brought football to a halt from March until June, complicated matters, but the documentary will nonetheless provide some insight into how the situation was handled by the club and players.

Mourinho has expressed his lack of enthusiasm for the experience of being filmed, but suggested that the documentary will still be enjoyable for football fans.

"I try to forget them during the time, if you ask me something I enjoy, no," he told reporters in July. "I don't like the feeling of being in Big Brother and I try to forget them.

"Am I going to watch it? No. It is not something I want to, also because I know better than anyone what our day by day is here.

"But I think it will be very interesting for the people who love football and sport. It will be great for them."

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When is Tottenham: All or Nothing released?

Tottenham: All or Nothing will be released in autumn 2020. Flming is set to begin in the 2019-20 season and the core of the series expected to focus on Tottenham adapting to life at their new home ground.

For Amazon's Manchester City: All or Nothing documentary which offered a retrospective look at their title-winning 2017-18 season, the programme was released in autumn 2018.

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How can I watch Tottenham: All or Nothing documentary?

The Tottenham: All or Nothing  series will be available to watch exclusively on Amazon Prime Video.

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All or Nothing: Tottenham Hotspur trailer

The first trailer for the documentary was released in July 2020, with the focus on the sacking of Pochettino and the appointment of Mourinho.

Interspersed with shots of players such as Christian Eriksen and Eric Dier looking worried, Daniel Levy remarks: "We have to do what we feel is right for the club and only time will tell if it's the right decision."

You can watch the short trailer in the video above.

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Matthijs de Ligt “would not have got any better” had he joined Barcelona, claims former Ajax video analyst Michele Santoni, with Juventus and Italian football considered to be the best fit for a promising Dutch defender.

Ahead of the summer transfer window in 2019, a Golden Boy-winning centre-half was one of the most sought-after talents in European football.

Top clubs from across the continent jostled to position themselves at the front of the queue for a prized signature.

La Liga giants Barca were very much in that hunt, especially as they already had a deal in place for De Ligt’s close friend Frenkie de Jong.

There was, however, to be no second agreement for the Blaugrana with Ajax, as a top talent slipped through the Camp Nou net.

De Ligt decided that his future would be best served in Serie A, with Juve hoping to see the Netherlands international follow in the footsteps of some iconic defenders on their books.

A slow start was made by the 20-year-old to life in new surroundings, but he has now found his feet and is considered to have made the right call in snubbing Catalunya for Turin.

Santoni, who has also spent time working at Inter in the past, told Voetbal International of De Ligt’s big decision: “When it comes to details [Maurizio] Sarri is king.

“As a defender, he couldn't have made a better step.

“Just look at the development of Stefan de Vrij. If you want to learn how to defend better, you have to be in Italy. I have no doubts about that. 

“Look, Barcelona is always calling in the Netherlands. Every top Dutch player has to go to Barcelona. That link is so easy to make, due to Johan Cruyff and the Dutch influences there. 

“But football in Italy is changing. It used to be more strategic with a lot of 0-0s, but now it is really enjoyable in some games.”

Santoni added: “Look at Atalanta, look at Inter with [Christian] Eriksen, [Lautaro] Martinez and [Romelu] Lukaku. You cannot say that is defensive. 

“I think we need five seasons of super fun football before the stereotype that Italian football is boring disappears. 

“That was an extra prejudice that De Ligt faced. In the Netherlands, Barcelona is still seen as a Valhalla, but this move is better for his development. 

“At Barcelona he would have defended one-on-one again. Then he would not have got any better. Barca would certainly have got better, but he wouldn't. 

“Now he is learning a whole new way of defending and he is a real defender.”

De Ligt has taken in 33 appearances for Juventus this season, with it still possible for his debut campaign to end with Serie A title glory and a Champions League crown.