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Zlatan Ibrahimovic doubts he will remain at AC Milan if the situation does not change, while insisting neither he nor the Serie A club belong in the Europa League.

Ibrahimovic returned to Milan – where he previously won the Scudetto in 2011 – as a free agent in January after leaving MLS side LA Galaxy but there are doubts over his future beyond 2019-20.

The 38-year-old striker has scored six goals since his Milan comeback, rejuvenating the team and helping the Rossoneri – seven-time Champions League winners – move into Europa League contention.

AC Milan are seventh and just two points adrift of Roma and Coppa Italia champions Napoli through 31 league games after stunning leaders Juventus 4-2 on Tuesday.

Despite Milan's resurgence, head coach Stefano Pioli is set to be replaced by German Ralf Rangnick, who has been tipped to combine the role with that of sporting director, which is currently occupied by club legend Paolo Maldini.

Amid the uncertainty and chief executive Ivan Gazidis' reported plans to bring in Rangnick, former Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona star Ibrahimovic issued a warning.

"Ibra plays to win something or he stays at home," Ibrahimovic told La Gazzetta dello Sport's Sportweek magazine in an interview set to be released on Saturday.

"They told me that retiring in America was too easy, so I came back to Milan. I am here purely for passion, because I'm basically playing for free...Then this Covid situation stopped everything and I thought, maybe there’s something trying to tell me that I should retire...

"Fortunately, we got back on the pitch. My calf managed to get involved too, but after two days I was ready to come back into the team. Ibra is like that. But they told me to take it slow.

"Ibra was born to play football and is still the best at playing football. We'll see how I feel in two months. We'll also see what's happening with the club. If this is the situation, to be honest, it's unlikely you'll see me at Milan next season.

"Ibra is not a player for the Europa League and Milan are not a club who belong in the Europa League."

Quizzed on a reported confrontation with Gazidis prior to the Coppa Italia semi-final, Ibrahimovic said: "I spoke for me and for the team. I needed to have some explanations on the future, both mine and of Milan. I said that this is not the Grande Milan I once experienced, that is true, but we must do the best we can even in this situation. All the way to the end.

"Ibra is here, Ibra takes care of it. I have to be here or you'll lose the fans.

"I don't know if there will be another club after Milan, I never like to close doors to opportunities. I will only go somewhere I have some control, not where words are worth nothing.

"I still have too much passion for what I do."

Pioli only replaced Marco Giampaolo in October and while he has overseen an upturn in results, former RB Leipzig boss Rangnick has reportedly agreed to take over in 2020-21.

"Who is Rangnick? I don't even know who he is," Ibrahimovic added.

David de Gea moved past Peter Schmeichel on Thursday to become the overseas player with the most Manchester United appearances. 

The Spanish goalkeeper played for United for the 399th time when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side travelled to Aston Villa in the Premier League and claimed a 3-0 win. 

It saw De Gea, who joined United from Atletico Madrid in 2011, move beyond another keeper in Schmeichel in the club's all-time list.

De Gea, 29, remains a long way behind Ryan Giggs, the man with the most United appearances regardless of nationality. The Welshman spent his entire career at Old Trafford and played for them on 963 occasions.

The Red Devils' shot-stopper is however eager to continue building on his appearance tally for the club as he also apologised to Schmeichel for breaking his record. 

“Sorry to Schmeichel,” De Gea told MUTV. “It's great. That means I've been here a long time and I've been playing really, really well to the top level so I'm really, really proud. I'm happy to play for this club for that many games.

“Hopefully I have another 400 games coming! So I'm really really happy.”

Manchester United became the first Premier League club to win four straight league games by three or more goals with their victory against Villa as they close in on the top four. 

Currently one point shy of fourth-place Leicester City, the Red Devils next take on Southampton and De Gea stressed the club must remain focused and not get carried away with their good form. 

"Of course, we are very confident now but we haven't done anything yet," he said. "We have some important games coming now so we need to be very, very focused and keep the level that we showed today and in the last four games.

“We're in a good mood, a good way, so yes, we keep looking forward to the next game.”

De Gea has enjoyed a mixed season in goals for United with club legend Roy Keane blasting his performance last month in a 1-1 draw with Tottenham.

“I am sick to death of this goalkeeper," Keane told Sky Sports. "I would be fighting him at half time. There’s no getting away from it, I would be swinging punches.

"It's a standard save for an established international goalkeeper. I am flabbergasted." 

On Thursday, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) President Praful Patel launched the first-ever batch of the AIFF Masters Programme via an online meeting.

A first-of-its-kind program to be launched by a national sports federation, the AIFF Masters hopes to build a supply line of football management professionals who will cater to the needs of the growing market that is Indian football.

There was well thought out curriculum and syllabus for the students of the one-year course when it was announced back in January this year. However, the thinktank behind the course have had to do some shadow boxing with the Coronavirus pandemic that has brought life to a standstill across the globe.

But, with a few tweaks, the program has launched on schedule, on July 9, 2020. Spanish club Cadiz CF, AIFF's partners in the program, were also present for the launch, albeit via online means.

Right from the Common Admission Tests (CAT) to actually launching the program, everything has gone to plan despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, explains the Program Head Shail Kapri.

"Our CAT exams happened on schedule. The program started on schedule with the AIFF President (Praful Patel) and General Secretary Kushal Das speaking. The Cadiz Sporting director Enrique Perez also joined live for the launch. They are all keyed in," he told Goal .

Of course, the pandemic has meant that physical classes that were set to involve international faculty will not be happening. Instead, it will all be done online. It is not ideal but something that has been necessitated by the pandemic, states Kapri.

"The first couple of months will be challenging. The international faculty were supposed to teach them face to face but now the sessions will be online. There will be challenges because classroom sessions are classroom sessions at the end of the day. But the good thing is, we have not allowed the pandemic to change our schedule at all," Kapri explains.

The schedule for the program will now see online classes for the first two months followed by a stint at the AIFF House in New Delhi. Kapri hopes that by that time, the lockdown and travelling restrictions are eased and classes can be held at the prestigious St. Xavier's College in Mumbai.

"At the moment, we have a batch size of 30 students which includes a woman. The plan for the first two months is to have online sessions because we have to abide by the government regulations. Then they move to Delhi to the AIFF House where they will learn how the Indian FA functions. Then they will come back to Mumbai where they will finish the remaining session.

"Then the students will work with the AIFF on the U17 Women’s World Cup in February. Then they will proceed for the Cadiz trip. The World Cup gets over on March 7th and after wrapping it up, we are looking to have them till April 15th in Spain."

Kapri feels that the Spain stint might become memorable for the students because of the fact that Cadiz are in the running for promotion to La Liga. They are five points clear in the Segunda division with three games remaining.

"I think Cadiz are playing really well. They are right now five points clear and if they get a promotion, there is a good chance that these students will get to see Cadiz play a big LaLiga team like Barcelona or Real Madrid. And working on such an event will be a huge opportunity."

Kapri further explains how the commitment showed by the 30 students to take up the course amid the pandemic bodes well.

"You will have adversity in your quest but the fact that all these students have shown a commitment to enroll during such an environment. It bears testimony that they are posing so much faith in the federation. The belief that the program will train them to handle pandemics like this and they're going to come out of this journey ready to make a positive impact on Indian football and football at large."

There is a real chance that all the Indian Super League (ISL) club might undergo their pre-season training at the same location where the competition will be held in the 2020-21 season.

With the uncertainty over the Covid-19 crisis not showing any signs of abating, the ISL will be held at a centralised venue in the upcoming season. Goa and Kerala have been mooted as potential hosts, with the former in prime position to hold the competition.

With the tournament following such a direction, the league authorities, ie Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), have asked the teams consider undergoing pre-season training at the same location where ISL will be hosted.

While it is up to the discretion of the clubs but it is very much likely that they will take up the league's suggestion.

Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, there is bound to be quarantine protocols for inter-state travel. So, all teams will have to take that into account when they finalise their arrangements.

As such, all teams will want to arrive at the host state well in advance so as to not leave anything to chance including getting the entire team in quarantine when the competiton kick starts.

A point to be noted here is that international players who come to India will have to definitely undergo quarantine when they enter the country. The clubs wouldn't want them to undergo another round of quarantine with such an interstate travel.

As far as Goa is concerned, travellers coming in can take a Covid-19 swab test two days prior to the travel. Else, travellers will have to get tested in Goa for the same. If the test is negative, they will be allowed in. Anyone testing positive for Coronavirus would either have to go back or stay in quarantine in Goa until their test result is negative.

It also remains to be seen if the protective measures are eased or tightened in the coming months.

From a time when numerous teams flew abroad to conduct pre-season training, this year will be a marked difference with all teams most certainly set to do their pre-season training in India if not at the same location.

The fantasy sports industry has seen rapid growth in India over the last few years.

Major players in the industry have overcome the legal issue of fantasy gaming in India. When the functioning of Dream 11 was challenged legally, Rajasthan, Punjab & Haryana and Bombay High Courts ruled that playing such games involved considerable skill and thus, exempted them from the provisions of the Public Gambling Act, 1867. 

India's betting laws haven't realy evolved and there haven't been any regulations or guidelines when the internet era kicked off and brought along with it quite a few online games of skill that offered financial rewards to users. As a result, in 2017, the Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports (FIFS) was formed. The FIFS is India’s first and only fantasy Sports self-regulatory body which was established to protect consumer interest.

Fantasy sports, the money-spinner?

The FIFS published the contents of a KPMG report on Thursday, which gave us an insight into the immense growth of the fantasy sports business in India. According to the report, the gross revenues of the online fantasy sports platforms in India stood at $320 million+ for the FY20 (financial year) as compared to INR 920+ crore in FY19. Over a period of 12 months, the figures have been tripled. And interestingly, close to 50 per cent of the transactions on OFS platforms in 2019 was from Tier 2 and Tier 3 Indian cities. 

Talking about the growth of the fantasy sports industry in India in his speech at a FIFS conference on Thursday, Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog (The NITI Aayog is a policy think tank of the Government of India), said, “I have very keenly followed the growth of Indian fantasy sports industry as a supporter of technology and good governance. I am a long term believer that India must become a global champion of the fantasy sports industry."

Can Indian football benefit? 

While cricket remains the biggest contributor to fantasy sports platforms, football has played its part. According to a KPMG survey, 77 per cent of fantasy sports users are engaged in contests on cricket and football stands at 47 per cent. 

Over 65 per cent of the respondents of the survey indicated that there is a direct increase in the time spent in analysing, watching and reading about the sport once they started participating in fantasy sports online. But this includes European football, which dominates India's community of football lovers. Can it help bring more people into Indian football? 

With the arrival of Indian Super League (ISL) in 2014, the awareness and marketing aspects of Indian football have improved leaps and bounds. More people are aware of Indian clubs and footballers and the fantasy sports platforms have also been coming up with contests for players to play the games based on Indian football, mainly the ISL.

The FIFS has generally argued that the number of people tuning into real-life sport has also increased with the help of fantasy sports. Players need to be aware of what is happening in matches to enjoy a good run in the games they take part in and earn rewards and this can help football in the country. 

To really make a difference, the quality of football also needs to improve, as pointed out by La Liga India managing director Jose Antonio Cachaza during a FIFS webinar on Thursday. In his response to a question about whether the number of people playing football in India has improved, he observed, "You have to consider football at three levels, grassroots, club level and the national team. India is moving forward but there is still a long way to go. Football connects India to the world. Virat Kohli is a hero in 15 countries. Lionel Messi is a hero in 150 countries. 

"Until a few years ago, we (Spain) were in the same situation. A strong grassroots backed by local government and a good high-performance model (helped us improve)."

There is a reason why all the major fantasy sports platforms have either a movie star or an Indian cricketer as their brand ambassador. The KPMG survey also noted that only nine per cent of its respondents who did not use fantasy sports platforms were aware of ISL, compared to 19 per cent who were fantasy sports consumers. The figure for the same jumped to 84 per cent (non-users) and 88 per cent (users) for Indian Premier League (IPL), 52 per cent (users) and 21 per cent (non-users) for Premier League, 26 per cent (users) and 11 per cent (non-users) for La Liga.

Fantasy sports platforms are here to stay and there are a lot of people who use it. In the long run, they could also contribute to helping the Indian football industry and it would be an added benefit to the real-life sport. 
 

Tottenham’s hopes of qualifying for Europe were dealt a blow as they were held to a scoreless draw against Bournemouth, with manager Jose Mourinho once again criticising VAR.

Throughout his career, the Portuguese has not been slow to lay the blame at officials but has been particularly prickly over the subject of the new system and referee Michael Oliver, who disallowed Harry Kane’s equaliser in a 3-1 loss to Sheffield United.

On Thursday, he felt his side should have been awarded an early penalty when Kane appeared to be shoved in the back, yet it was overlooked and an uninspired display from his side failed to break the resistance of their opponents. 

"The game has the most important moment and I don’t want to say any more in relation to that. Everybody knows. You know who, you know when... Everybody knows,” he told Sky Sports.

"The same referee who did the VAR decision against Sheffield United - Michael Oliver. Opinions matter. It’s not only mine, everybody knows that is a penalty and when I say everybody, I mean everybody. Everybody.

"I’m not saying Harry Kane 100% would score but his penalty range is high so usually we could win 1-0 against teams."

Mourinho, however, was aware there were shortcomings with his side after the early drama.

"The performance was not good enough,” he admitted. “Bournemouth surprised me in the way they played. It was a good result for them and they got the point they wanted. We were dominant behind but then there was lack of sharpness in the attacking areas. I made changes; I think the changes helped to improve the game in the last half but we didn’t score."

"I prefer to say the team understood it was more intense they were played, with certain levels of fatigue clearly for some players, like Moussa Sissoko and Giovani Lo Celso.

"I feel I got enough desire and they couldn’t give more today. For me it wasn’t a surprise but there’s always a negative when you have a huge penalty decision against you."

Tottenham have a north London derby to look forward to against Arsenal on Sunday, before a home match against top-four chasing Leicester is sandwiched between trips to Newcastle and Crystal Palace as their campaign draws to a belated close.  

Caf has confirmed the new dates for the outstanding African U17 Women's World Cup and U20 Women's World Cup qualifying matches. 

As the world gradually eases from the coronavirus lockdown, Africa's football governing body has announced the resumption of the women's qualifying games on the continent on Wednesday. 

Three U17 World Cup qualifying fixtures initially fixed for May 1-3 and 15-17 after first-round triumphs in March will now be played in November after it was rescheduled due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

The first leg of the final stage is slated for October 30 to November 1 and the reverse fixture three weeks later as South Africa battle Morocco and Uganda face Cameroon, while Nigeria take on Ghana.

The development leaves Botswana in limbo as no new date was set for the second leg of the second round tie with Morocco following Caf ruling in favour of the Southern Africans in May.

In the build-up for the qualifiers resumption, Goal can confirm Morocco, who hold a 1-0 first-leg advantage over Botswana in Gaborone have resumed training at Mohammed VI since July 5.

The 2020 finals earlier scheduled to take place in November 2020 was moved and will be held from February 17 to March 7, 2021 in India with three representatives expected to emerge from Africa.

At U20 level, Caf announced the first round of the African qualifier will now be played in September, and the second in October, while the third and final stage comes up in November. 

Nigeria, Ghana and Cameroon, earlier drawn a bye, will enter in the first round of the series which was initially slated for March, will see both legs now to be staged by September 3-5 and 10-12. 

The second round of the qualifiers will follow between October 1-2 and 8-9, while the third round fixtures are fixed for November 5-7 and 12-14.

The 2020 finals will be co-hosted by Costa Rica and Panama. They were earlier slated for November 2020 but rescheduled for January 20 to February 6, 2021, with two representatives from Africa.

Miguel Veloso scored late on as Hellas Verona snatched a 2-2 Serie A draw with Inter at Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi on Thursday.

The hosts had taken a second-minute lead courtesy of Darko Lazovic's superb solo effort but Inter stormed back early in the second half thanks to Antonio Candreva and an own goal from Federico Dimarco.

There was a late sting in the tail for Antoino Conte's side, however, with Veloso coolly stroking home with four minutes remaining to secure a share of the spoils.

The result leaves Inter in fourth, one point behind third-place Atalanta, while Verona remain ninth.

The hosts started in scintillating fashion as Lazovic cruised past Milan Skriniar down the left flank and lashed a fine finish past Samir Handanovic from an acute angle.

Inter's miserable start almost got worse but Veloso struck the post with a long-range effort and Dimarco flashed a volley wide of the upright in quick succession midway through the first half.

Inter belatedly woke from their slumber and tested Marco Silvestri through Roberto Gagliardini and Alexis Sanchez, while Marcelo Brozovic twice fired wide from outside the penalty area before the interval.

Inter started the second half with a spring in their step and pulled level after 49 minutes, Candreva slotting into the bottom corner after Romelu Lukaku's effort crashed back off the post.

Candreva was the architect of Inter's second just six minutes later as his right-wing cross was diverted past Silvestri by the hapless Dimarco.

Inter substitute Lautaro Martinez squandered a golden opportunity to put the game to bed nine minutes from time, failing to beat Silvestri after being played clean through.

He was duly punished when Veloso kept his composure to fire past Handanovic and seal a point for Ivan Juric's side.

What does it mean? Inter fail to respond to Conte's challenge

Conte's call for his players to channel their "bitterness and disappointment" in a positive way following the shock home defeat to Bologna on Sunday seemingly fell on deaf ears.

Inter were dismal in the opening period and were lucky not to be more than one goal down at the break. They somehow clawed themselves back into a winning position but for the second time in five days conspired to throw it away.

Veloso gets his reward

The Portugal international was at the heart of everything good about Verona's display. He struck the post with a fierce effort in the first half and gave Handanovic little chance with a fine strike to grab a point for his side.

Sanchez fails to take his chance

Chosen ahead of Martinez, who missed a crucial penalty in the defeat to Bologna, Sanchez did little to suggest he should hold onto his position in the starting XI. The on-loan Manchester United man huffed and puffed but, as has been the case for a few years now, a spark was sorely absent.

What's next?

Inter will hope to return to winning ways against Torino at San Siro on Monday, while Verona visit Fiorentina a day earlier.

Prospective Marseille investor Mohamed Ayachi Ajroudi has admitted that he “dreams” of one day seeing Zinedine Zidane in the OM dugout and Cristiano Ronaldo wearing the club’s famous white shirt.

A consortium led by Mourad Boudjellal is hoping to buy the club from its American owners this summer and reinstate the Stade Velodrome outfit as one of the country’s foremost clubs on a consistent basis.

Although OM finished second in Ligue 1 this term, they were 12 points distant of Paris Saint-Germain and in order to close the gap, they are ready to be ambitious, hoping to draw some of the biggest names in the world game to the club.

One of those is local lad Zinedine Zidane, who was famously born in the city and went on to become one of the most talented players of his generation then a three-time Champions League-winning coach with Real Madrid.

But while Boudjellal would love to see Zidane return home, he admits that it may be some time away.

"A new coach? The one in place is very good,” he told Le Figaro, “but what would be better than bringing back a local lad? Zinedine Zidane? The future will tell us.”

On the playing front, meanwhile, there is one outstanding candidate – another legend of the Bernabeu.

“I love football. I love the noble side of sport. I love German discipline, especially that of Bayern Munich. I enjoy the grinta of Barca. And a player that I will never forget is Cristiano Ronaldo. I like respect and discipline. He embodies that,” he said of the current Juventus star, who turned 35 in February but continues to go strong in terms of his contribution. 

“Do I dream of signing him for Marseille? Everything is possible in life. He is generous and gives a lot. It makes me vibrate. It would be a dream to have him in Marseille… But that is the task of [potential future club president] Mourad Boudjellal.”

Marseille discovered on Thursday that they will open their Ligue 1 campaign for the 2020-21 season up with a clash against Saint-Etienne, with PSG, Lille and Lyon all to follow in what promises to be a very testing start to the term.

Manchester United have set a new Premier League benchmark after winning by a margin of three or more goals for the fourth game in a row by thrashing Aston Villa.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side arrived at Villa Park on Thursday looking to extend their recent winning run in the top flight to four matches, and their unbeaten streak stretching back to January to 17 across all competitions.

The United boss named the same starting XI that managed to secure comfortable victories over Sheffield United, Brighton and Bournemouth, with Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Mason Greenwood leading the line and January signing Bruno Fernandes pulling the strings in midfield.

Villa managed to minimise the Red Devils' considerable attacking threat in the opening 25 minutes of the match, as Dean Smith's side aimed for an upset in their ongoing bid to avoid relegation.

However, the breakthrough was eventually made just before the half-hour mark, as Bruno Fernandes won a penalty following a rash challenge from Ezri Konsa in the box.

The Portuguese confidently struck the ball into the bottom corner for his eighth goal in 15 appearances for United, which sparked a dramatic shift in momentum.

Solskjaer's men quickly began pushing for a second goal and were rewarded for their efforts just before half-time when Greenwood picked the ball up 25 yards from goal. The 18-year-old set himself before firing a fearsome drive past Pepe Reina in the Villa net, giving the visitors a healthy lead heading in at the break.

Paul Pogba rounded off the scoring to continue his recent resurgence with 58 minutes gone, as he expertly placed the ball into the far corner of the net after receiving a pinpoint Fernandes corner just outside the penalty area.

The game finished 3-0 after a subdued last 30 minutes, with United becoming the first team in Premier League history to win four successive games by three-plus goals.

The Red Devils' latest win over Villa also means that they have now beaten the Lions on every day of the week in the top-flight, a feat no other side has managed against an opponent in the competition.

Solskjaer will now start preparing his side for a meeting with Southampton at Old Trafford on Monday, with United now only one point behind Leicester in the race for a top-four finish.

Paul Pogba said Manchester United's two goals this season are to win both the Europa League and FA Cup as their good run of form continued on Thursday. 

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side proved too strong for Aston Villa as they claimed a 3-0 win with Pogba scoring the game's final goal after Bruno Fernandes and Mason Greenwood had given them a first-half lead. 

The Red Devils are now the first team in Premier League history to win four straight games by three or more goals as they find their stride late in the season. 

While currently fifth in the league and simply hoping to secure a top-four spot, United are intent on ending their season with not one, but two pieces of silverware.

"I have been injured for a very long time, I focused on myself to get back," Pogba told Sky Sports post-game. 

"This year we have two goals, to win the Europa League and the FA Cup, so we focus on that.

"We are really pleased with ourselves because we know we have to carry on. We talk before the game, in training, Manchester is a big club and we want to keep the level up always. The performances of the past few weeks are Manchester United.

"We have to keep working, there is a lot to do."

Greenwood's strong form in front of goal continued against Villa with the 18-year-old firing home his 18th goal of the season in all competitions to join Wayne Rooney in the record books. 

Though the teenager has shown plenty of quality in the final third, Pogba stressed there's even more to come from him as the Frenchman looks to unleash his full potential. 

"I enjoy to see them play, this kid in training and in the game and will keep pushing him to reach the top," Pogba said of Greenwood. 

"He has so much to do again, he can do even more than what he is doing, he is a talent."

Manchester United will look to keep their good form going on Monday when they host Southampton, with Solskjaer's side now just one point shy of fourth-place Leicester City. 

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has encouraged his Manchester United squad to listen to Paul Pogba’s advice to push on to the next level.

Man Utd extended their unbeaten run to 17 in all competitions with a 3-0 win against Aston Villa making Premier League history as they became the first team to win by a three-goal or larger margin in four consecutive games.

While there were plenty of positives to take from the Villa Park display, Pogba, who scored the third of the night, warned their records won’t count for anything if they don’t push on to win the Premier League.

“We are really pleased with ourselves but know we have to carry on," Pogba told Sky Sports.

"We talked before the game, we talked in training that we have to carry on, that’s what Manchester is, it’s a big club and we want to keep the level up always, and the performance today and in the last few weeks, they are very good and they are at the standard of Man Utd.

“We didn’t win the Premier League, that’s the goal, and we didn’t win anything this year so we have to keep working, there’s lots to do. A lot.”

And Solskjaer agreed with the midfielder and said those words need to be taken into the dressing room.

“I'm sure Manchester United will mount a challenge and get back to winning the league," Solskjaer said. "

When that's going to happen is up to every single one who's here and how quickly we can make this process go, we're developing as a team, improving and we've come a long way in one season so let's take Paul's word into the dressing room and expect and demand more every single day.

Despite another fine attacking display and another three goals the Norwegian wants to see more from his forwards and believes they should have scored far more goals over the past two fixtures.

“I think we could have scored many many more goals and we're keeping clean sheets but of course we keep going into every game wanting to win, 1-0, 2-0 or 3-0 hopefully the goal difference won't be the deciding factor in the end,” he said. “We should have had 10 more goals in the last two games.”

United’s first came from the penalty spot but there was some controversy as to whether or not Bruno Fernandes was actually fouled by Ezri Konsa and whether or not United should have been awarded the spot kick. But, for Solskjaer it was the right decision.

He said: “I think the boy has done a Zidane turn and the boy has stuck his leg out and Bruno has landed on him, if I try to land on someone and they tackle me, for me, it's a pen.”

Seko Fofana provided an assist to help Udinese secure a 3-0 victory over SPAL in Thursday’s Serie A game.

The Ivory Coast international was afforded his 20th league start in the encounter and delivered an impressive performance to help his side clinch all three points.

After securing victory against Roma, the White and Blacks then played out a draw with Genoa before bouncing back to winning ways at Stadio Paolo Mazza.

Rodrigo De Paul opened the scoring for Luca Gotti’s men with only 18 minutes into the game before Stefano Okaka Chuka doubled the lead in the 35th minute.

With nine minutes left to play, Kevin Lasagna made it three for the White and Blacks after receiving a sumptuous assist from Fofana.

The 25-year-old Ivory Coast international featured for 90 minutes before he was replaced by Marco Ballarini.

Nigeria international William Troost-Ekong, who has made 26 appearances for Udinese in this campaign, was an unused substitute in the encounter.

With the result, the Stadio Friuli outfit are now 14th on the league table, five places above the relegation zone after gathering 35 points from 31 games.

Fofana has played 29 games for Udinese this season across all competitions, scoring two goals and providing seven assists.

The midfielder has been with the White and Blacks since 2016 when he joined the side from Premier League club Manchester City for a fee of £2.5 million.

The Paris FC and Lorient academy graduate will hope to continue his consistent form in their next league game. 

Troost-Ekong, meanwhile, will look forward to playing a part and make his 26th Serie A appearance this season against Sampdoria on Sunday. 

Manchester United have got their momentum back, according to Roy Keane, who is confident that the Red Devils will secure a top-four berth come the end of the season.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's bid to revive past glories at Old Trafford has gathered pace since last month's Premier League restart.

United had gone 11 matches unbeaten before the campaign was postponed for three months due to the coronavirus outbreak, with January arrival Bruno Fernandes helping to lift the mood of gloom surrounding Old Trafford while inspiring his new team-mates to raise their game.

The Red Devils have picked up from where they left off in March, winning four of their last five top-flight fixtures to move to within just a single point of fourth-placed Leicester City and two behind Chelsea - who currently sit in third.

A 3-0 win away at Aston Villa marked their latest triumph, as goals from Fernandes, Mason Greenwood and Paul Pogba helped Solskjaer's men etch their names into the record books.

United have become the first team in Premier League history to win by three or more goals in four consecutive games, with Liverpool the last club to achieve the same feat way back in 1987 - when the competition was known as the first division.

Keane, who won seven league titles and the Champions League during his time at Old Trafford, has been impressed with his old club's recent form, and expects them to go on and leapfrog their main rivals in the race for Champions League qualification.

The ex-United captain also thinks the players will be determined to go all the way in both the FA Cup and Europa League, as he told Sky Sports after the Villa clash: “I think we’ve said it now for a few months. Even before the lockdown, the momentum was getting back into the club.

“All of the new signings have seemed to have settled in. Paul’s back, Fernandes has been a huge boost for the club.

“What they have at the moment is a bit of momentum. Forget that Man City and Liverpool are ahead of them - there’s no getting away from that, but in terms of a few months ago, we’d ask if they could hunt teams like Leicester down, who had a huge advantage.

“To me now, they look favourites to catch Leicester and Chelsea. The momentum is there at the club. They’ll still want to get their hands on a little bit of silverware.

“Everyone at the club should be pleased. They’ve got the momentum back into the club, they just need to keep it up now.”

Keane added on United's quality in the final third of the pitch: “Man United fans want to see good attacking young players. That’s what gets United fans off their seats. United fans will be buzzing tonight.

"That’s what United’s all about, good attacking young players enjoying their game and hitting the back of the net.”

Godfrey Oboabona says winning the Erovnuli Liga is Dinamo Batumi’s target this season following Thursday’s 4-1 win at Locomotive Tbilisi.

Flamarion Junior’s first-half brace plus strikes from Malkhaz Gagoshidze and Jaba Jigauri inspired George Geguchadze’s men to a comprehensive away victory at the Mikheil Meskhi Stadium.

The triumph was their first this term having secured draws in all their previous four games.

Oboabona, who has been a key figure in Batumi’s squad, was rested for the encounter ahead of Saturday’s clash versus Torpedo Kutaisi revels in the important win which he claimed was a ‘big deal’.

“It’s great to have a win after a very long time. After so many draws, it is so important to secure an away win,” the Super Eagles defender told Goal.

“Locomotive Tbilisi are a very solid team and are well organised defensively, so getting all points at stake on their ground is a big deal and we are all happy.

“Yes, we scored four goals but it wasn’t an indication that the encounter was a stroll in the park for us. It was really tough but what gave us the upper hand was our high level of fitness, resilience and the attitude to win.

“This result is a sign of greater things to come for because it will boost our confidence level going into our next game.”

Thanks to this result, Geguchadze’s side sits in the third position after garnering seven points from five league outings.

Now that Dinamo Batumi entry’s into next season’s Europa League has been guaranteed, the Sunshine Stars legend claims their next target is to win the Georgian elite division diadem.

“We still have so many games to play but that was our target at the beginning of the season and it has not changed,” he continued.

“We were so close last season but we got a Europa League ticket as our consolation.

“Everybody in Dinamo Batumi knows it's a once in a lifetime opportunity, so we will keep fighting and continue working hard having in mind that others are also eyeing the league title.

“I am a positive man and we have what it takes to make this season ours.”

Moussa Marega was on the scoresheet for the 13th time this season to inspire Porto to a 3-1 win against Tondela in Thursday’s Primeira Liga game.

The Mali international was handed his 25th league start, pairing Soares in attack and delivered a fine performance in the encounter.

After scoring a brace against Boavista, the 29-year-old forward then bagged another brilliant goal in their last outing against Belenenses.

At Estadio Joao Cardoso, he continued his fine goalscoring form to help the Primeira Estadio do Dragao’s outfit secure their 24th win of the season.

The game started on a high tempo but both sides failed to break the deadlock in the first half after missing the few opportunities that came their way.

In the 47th minute, however, Danilo Pereira found the back of the net with a brilliant header which left Senegalese goalkeeper Babacar Niasse no chance.

Moments after the hour mark, Marega then doubled his side’s lead after benefitting from a timely assist from Jesus Corona.

Ronan Jeronimo reduced the deficit for Tondela from the penalty spot before Fabio Vieira sealed the victory in a similar manner.

Marega featured for the duration of the game along with his teammate and the Democratic Republic of the Congo international Chancel Mbemba.

With the victory, the Estadio do Dragao outfit now open an eight-point gap lead on the table after 24 wins, four draws and two losses.

Marega has scored 13 goals and provided eight assists across all competitions for Porto, including 10 strikes in the Portuguese top-flight this season. 

The forward, who has been with the Blue and Whites since 2016, has racked up 41 goals in 91 league appearances during his four-year stay so far. 

Marega will hope to continue his impressive performances when Porto face Sporting CP on July 15.

Brasileirao Serie A side Botafogo have announced the signing of Ivorian forward Salomon Kalou on a free transfer.

The 34-year-old joins the team two days after announcing his departure from Bundesliga side Hertha Berlin after a six-year spell.

Disclosing this development, the Rio de Janeiro based outfit published a video on its social media handle.

Although there were no further details about his contract in terms of duration, the former Chelsea star is expected to make his debut for Paulo Autuori’s men when the Brazilian league returns in August.

The club failed to seal a deal for Yaya Toure, who Vasco da Gama presidential candidate Leven Siano has promised to sign.

Nevertheless, Kalou joins former Japan international midfielder Keisuke Honda as the club hopes to challenge for honours.

Meanwhile, the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations winner expressed his delight with his move “Very proud to be in Botafogo,” he said.

Botafogo are among the top clubs in Rio and the former Chelsea star is expected to add bite to their attack when football returns in the country after a coronavirus pandemic break.  

Carlos Augusto Montenegro, a member of the Brazilian club's executive committee had hinted on the veteran’s potential move on June 28, 2020.

"He already has the pre-contract, but he asked for just one more detail in the contract that was sent to him," Montenegro told SporTV.

"I think it's okay. And if no presidential candidate for Vasco appears at his house, I think that maybe he will come."

Before leaving the Olympiastadion, Kalou was punished for posting a video showing him disobeying many of the German football league's (DFL) safety measures upon his return to training with Hertha. 

Kalou began his professional career at Feyenoord before moving to Chelsea after three seasons in the Eredivisie.

In England, he enjoyed a trophy-laden spell – winning the Champions League, one Premier League title, Four FA Cups, Football League Cup and the FA Community Shield.

On the international scene, he marked his debut in a 1–0 friendly win over Guinea on 6 February 2007 and went a step further scoring 28 times in 97 appearances for the Elephants.

Simba SC chairman Mo Dewji has promised players millions in cash should they defeat Yanga SC on Sunday during the FA Cup semi-final tie.

It will be the third time the Mainland giants are meeting in 2020 after their earlier matches which were played on January 4 and on March 8.

The first league tie ended in a 0-0 draw before Yanga won the second match with Bernard Morrison’s free-kick then making the difference

Dewji has promised to award the players with $100,000 which is equivalent to TSh230M should they get a win over their archrivals.

“Get it from me, the players who will start the match are going to get an equal share of the $100,000 and the issue of those who will come on from the bench is yet to be decided,” a senior official at Simba, who preferred anonymity, told Mwanaspoti.

According to the official, the players will be informed of the plan once they land in Dar es Salaam from Lindi where they had already entertained Namungo FC on Sunday.

“The money has been promised in order to motivate the players but the technical bench members are not part of the expected beneficiaries,” the official added.

“The club's hierarchy will also come up with a plan that will take care of the players who will not be involved in the match at all. We will also see how to say a big thank you to the players after winning the league title a few days ago.

“We are not going to let them go without a token of appreciation.”

Simba’s chief executive officer Senzo Mazingisa revealed that the players are always guaranteed of allowances for picking wins.

“Every time you see Simba play and win there is always an allowance to motivate them for working hard to ensure we as a club attain our objectives,” Masingiza told Mwanaspoti.

“These allowances will always be different when we are playing against either Yanga or Azam FC.”

The club’s top scorer Meddie Kagere said the allowances have always made them want to win more games.

“Apart from our usual salaries which are regularly paid in time, the club's management has always made sure we are motivated by way of giving us allowances after every win,” Kagere said.

“This has always made us hungrier to go and fight for victories.”

The match between Yanga and Simba will be played at the National Stadium.

Arsenal have failed in their appeal against Eddie Nketiah's red card versus Leicester, meaning he will now serve a three-game suspension.

Nketiah endured a night to forget as the Gunners were held to a 1-1 draw by the Foxes at Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night.

The 21-year-old was introduced to the action as a second-half substitute, but only lasted four minutes on the pitch before being given his marching orders by match official Chris Kavanagh.

The Arsenal striker was initially shown a yellow card for his high challenge on Leicester defender James Justin, but Kavanagh pulled out a red after consulting VAR.

The Gunners attempted to get the decision overturned on the grounds of wrongful dismissal, but the FA have now officially upheld Nketiah's three-match ban.

He will now miss upcoming Premier League fixtures against Tottenham and Liverpool, while also sitting out the FA Cup semi-final clash against Manchester City on July 18.

Nketiah has been a bright spark in Mikel Arteta's squad since returning to the Emirates in January following a frustrating loan spell at Leeds.

The England U21 international has hit four goals in his last 13 appearances, the latest of which came during a 2-0 victory away at Southampton last month.

He has proved himself as a more than capable backup forward behind Pierre-Emerick Aubameyeng and Alexandre Lacazette this year, but Arsenal will have to cope without him as they head into the final weeks of the season.

Arteta questioned the use of video technology in the wake of Nketiah's dismissal against Leicester, telling Sky Sports post-match: "I don't understand the rules. I never see a referee check any of the images."

Arsenal legend Ian Wright, meanwhile, expressed his belief that although the young striker's mistimed tackle was "purely accidental", the laws of the game dictated that he had to be sent off.

"He can say whatever he likes about the sending off, it was a sending off - no matter what he says about his age and stuff," said the Gunners legend.

Arteta's men are sitting eighth in the Premier League standings after their latest setback, nine points adrift of the top four with only four matches left to play.