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Ziyad Larkeche has revealed he spoke for Lyon striker Moussa Dembele about his time at Fulham before joining the Cottagers from Paris Saint-Germain.

The 17-year-old was released by French champions to sign for the Championship club, where he will initially link up with their U23 side next season.

It is exactly the same move made by Dembele as a 16-year-old back in 2012, with the forward later moving on to Celtic and now Lyon.

Larkeche says he spoke to the now 23-year-old about his early career, a conversation which helped him decide to sign for the Cottagers.

"It's true that I spoke with Moussa,” Larkeche told Goal. “He called me. It was an afternoon. I was at home watching TV.

“He said ‘do you know who I am?’ I said yes because I knew he was going to call me. We talked for 30 minutes about PSG, Fulham, and more generally English football.

“Like me, he comes from PSG. And even if we don't play at the same position, I asked him for lots of advice. He spoke with my father. The chat was very enriching, constructive, and I can only thank him for that.”

Larkeche is rumoured to have turned down a number of offers from across Europe to sign for Fulham, a decision which may surprise some given the London club is currently in England’s second tier. But the defender is confident he has made the best decision for the good of his career.

"I have been approached by English, Italian, Spanish, French and Belgian clubs. But I finally opted for Fulham,” he added. “English football is forward thinking, where there is a high intensity and it matches my qualities. I like to give intensity in my offensive runs. I like to do it also defensively when necessary.

"Fulham is an historic club of London with great ambitions, values and a state of mind that suits me. I'm convinced that I'll thrive in this club.

"My goal is to join the first team as soon as possible, and I will work hard as usual. Fulham showed me that they wanted me.”

Larkeche also revealed his disappointment at not being offered a contract to stay at PSG, but says he is now focused on the challenge ahead of him in England.

"My family and I were surprised [not to be offered a contract],” he said. “I have been playing at PSG since I was nine and a half.

“Camp des Loges [PSG’ training ground], I know it perfectly. Everyone knows me or my parents.

“It's a page that turns. I misunderstood at first, but I accept the decision and I won’t forget the years spent at Paris Saint-Germain. Now I'm focused on the future. It's time for me to take a new step.”

Pep Guardiola has described Manchester City talisman Kevin De Bruyne as the best midfielder in world football.

Liverpool's first outing as Premier League champions proved one to forget as Guardiola's dethroned City ran out 4-0 winners at the Etihad Stadium.

De Bruyne slotted home a 25th-minute penalty after Joe Gomez fouled Raheem Sterling, who doubled the home side's advantage against his old employers 10 minutes later.

Phil Foden made it 3-0 on the stroke of half-time and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain turned Sterling's shot into his own net to complete the scoring.

The latter two goals featured typically precise De Bruyne passes in the build-up and the Belgium midfielder underlined his case for being the Premier League's outstanding player against unquestionably the division's outstanding team this season.

"He is a really good player. A really, really good player. He has something unique," Guardiola told reporters afterwards.

"He can run, the vision he has. The personality he shows right now, scoring four penalties in a row when we struggled this season with them.

"Right now in the midfield position is the best.

"Of course he can get better. How? He knows it."

Foden was again worthy of praise within the supporting cast, with the England Under-21 midfielder's assured finish bringing his fourth goal in three Premier League outings since the resumption.

"What we have done is try to protect him," Guardiola said.

"Don’t let him play every single game. Young players have to be careful in the first steps.

"He has an incredible thing that makes me convinced for the next decade he will be an incredible player.

"There is not one day when he has had a bad face for not playing. In training sessions, every single action is positive. Every one – look forward, don't regret.

"He is a huge competitor, he is a guy who scores incredible goals, so fast, defensively so strong.

"It's a reality that he played at Old Trafford, he played here. Against incredibly top teams he was there, always playing at a high level.

"I don't want to say anything wrong, but Gareth Southgate has an incredible talent for the national team in his hands. I saw many players in my life, training with incredible players and Phil will be one of them."

Foden's fellow academy graduate Eric Garcia returned to action after suffering a concussion in the 3-0 win against Arsenal and recovered well from a shaky start at centre-back, after Mohamed Salah hit the post during a deceptively strong Liverpool start.

"He played against Salah and [Sadio] Mane. He's 19, he had a kick against Arsenal, was training for three or four days after 10 days out and he was awesome," Guardiola added.

"He doesn't make mistakes. He is always focused, he guides the line, he knows what he has to do.

"As a club, we are so proud to have Phil and Eric. We can count on them, without a doubt."

Zinedine Zidane said he was "proud" of his Real Madrid players after coming through a tough test against Getafe, while insisting "without suffering you cannot achieve anything".

Sergio Ramos was the hero, scoring the only goal from the penalty spot in the 79th minute as the La Liga leaders earned a 1-0 home win on Thursday night.

After full-back Dani Carvajal was upended by Getafe's Mathias Olivera, the Madrid captain coolly converted the spot-kick with 11 minutes remaining at Santiago Bernabeu.

The victory was Madrid's sixth in a row as they extended their advantage over stuttering defending champions Barca to four points with five matches remaining.

Zidane heaped praise upon his squad post-match, but refused to start getting carried away with their position in the league standings.

"There are three more points," Zidane told Movistar. "They are three very important points.

"We had to win yes but nothing more. For us nothing changes. We have five finals left.

"We have not won anything. I know what this is like and until this is over, we cannot say anything.

"We have to keep working. We are happy, proud of the team ... the effort, the solidity that we show, is very good.

"This is football, football every three days is a new story. Today we suffered a lot, the other day against Espanyol too.

"We played against the bottom team, but they always make it difficult for you. Without suffering you cannot achieve anything."

Zidane, whose in-form Madrid side travel to Athletic Bilbao on Sunday, added: "We knew that we would suffer a lot. They pressed very high, it has cost us a little, but it is normal.

"I think that with patience it was known that the goal could be reached. It is what we did, have peace of mind, because these are key moments You have to congratulate the players because it has not been easy, physically or mentally."

After their trip to San Mames Stadium this weekend, Madrid will look ahead to another home fixture against Deportivo Alaves on July 10, which comes just three days before a meeting with Granada as the fixture list continues to pile up.

As he is facing an uncertain future after his club was sold to Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila (TTM), Bidvest Wits coach Gavin Hunt says he has not received offers on the table as yet.

The Clever Boys manager explains this will become his first pre-season without a club since 1981, saying what TTM said about him that he is expensive is embarrassing.

Although he has been linked with a possible return to his former club SuperSport United, he says he doesn’t like to see his name linked with Premier Soccer League (PSL) clubs that have coaches.

“I know the nature of the beast. The suitcase is always at the front door, I’ve done every pre-season since 1981,” Hunt told SAFM as quoted by FARPost.

“This might be the first time I miss it…already I’m going mad. Obviously, I’m from Cape Town but I have lived in Gauteng for 22 years. I’m now more of a Joburger [Johannesburg resident].

“I have nothing on the table at the moment. It’s also embarrassing what TTM said about me because they didn’t even talk to me.

“I don’t like it when my name gets thrown around and gets linked with clubs that have coaches. Obviously, I would still like to be coaching next season.”

Speaking about his players, the former Moroka Swallows manager added he has wished his players the best of luck in their next moves as they have to protect their livelihoods.

“I don’t want to put it in public about the moves some of my players have made. But players have to think about their livelihoods,” he added.

“There are not too many big opportunities in SA when it comes to money and playing. To get the balance right is not easy.

“But I spoke to every player and wished them well. When you have a guy that’s 28 or 29, obviously he needs to look after his future and those types of things. But he needs to play football as well.”

Meanwhile, key players such as Thulani Hlatshwayo, Buhle Mkhwanazi, Thabang Monare and Sifiso Hlanti have been linked with Orlando Pirates whilst Deon Hotto has been heavily linked with a switch to Mamelodi Sundowns.

Renowned Ghanaian coach JE Sarpong has advised Ghana Premier League clubs to demand compensation from the Football Association (GFA) for the cancellation of the 2019-20 season.

After two months of the standstill of the top-flight due to the coronavirus, the football's governing body's Executive Council took a firm decision on Tuesday to end the term for good, amid uncertainty about a return date.

The league was at the Matchweek 15 stage, with Aduana Stars on top of the table.

"The inaction of the Ghana Football Association caused the cancellation of the league," Sarpong, who has had stints with Asante Kotoko, Aduana Stars, Liberty Professionals, Ebusua Dwarfs and Great Olympics, told Akoma FM.

"They [Ghana FA] didn't put in enough effort to get the league restarted. They didn't do enough to ensure that the league bounced back.

"Clubs must make a case for compensation for all the wasted efforts and resources caused by the cancellation of the league."

The cancellation came two weeks after the GFA revealed it was engaging the Government of Ghana over the possible resumption of football under strict and safe protocols such as playing matches behind closed doors.

“I think it is welcome and long overdue. We expected it because when the game went for a break we all saw that the virus was not making it possible for us to resume," Inter Allies assistant coach Tony Lokko told Bryt FM.

“Looking at the situation at hand, even if we are to resume the preparation towards the game, it will take a longer time, so I think it is a good idea from the Ghana FA to cancel the league for now and prepare for a better calendar.

“In fact, we are all happy it has come that way though the FA may be losing certain things but technically it is welcoming news for the coaches I believe."

Following the recent return of some national leagues in England, Spain, Germany and Italy, there have been calls for Ghana to follow suit.

Medeama, who sit sixth on the men's league table, nonetheless, wanted football back as soon as possible.

Personalities from Berekum Chelsea, Eleven Wonders and King Faisal, however, called for the total cancellation of the 2019-20 season.

Ghana's ban on all contact sports, including football, remains in effect until at least July 31.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is "hurting a lot of people at the moment", according to Paul Parker, who thinks the Manchester United boss has successfully silenced his critics in 2020.

Solskjaer's appointment as United's permanent boss in March 2019 was initially a popular choice among supporters, who had been taken in by the club legend's impressive interim spell in the hot seat following the sacking of Jose Mourinho.

However, results quickly took a turn for the worse after the 47-year-old was handed a three-year contract, and the Red Devils ended up finishing down in sixth in last season's final Premier League standings.

Calls for Mauricio Pochettino, who was in charge of Tottenham at the time, to replace Solskjaer became widespread, but the Norwegian stuck to a rebuilding task admirably amid intense speculation over his future.

United's struggles for inconsistency continued in the first half of the 2019-20 campaign, before the January arrival of Bruno Fernandes sparked a turnaround in fortunes.

The Red Devils are now in the hunt for a third-place finish as well as FA Cup and Europa League honours, and Parker thinks Solskjaer deserves more credit from those who were previously too quick to question his credentials.

The ex-United defender wrote in his latest column for Eurosport: "People are still struggling to come forward and say ‘Well done Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’, no one wants to do it because a lot of people wanted him to get the sack so they could follow up and say ‘we told you so’.

"He’s hurting a lot of people at the moment, I don’t want to begrudge anybody that opportunity because it’s still viable it could happen, but he has made people’s life a little bit more difficult because of how good a job he has been doing.

"If you throw out any top manager’s name, somebody in the press or a keyboard warrior would know all the reasons why Mauricio Pochettino would be doing better than Solskjaer. In fact, they don’t really know, to be honest, they haven’t got a clue why he would be better, all they know is that he’s a bigger name.

"Ole’s record prior to United wasn’t very good, but a lot of managers were getting jobs and we all questioned why, and they’ve been quite successful. People questioned Arsene Wenger coming to Arsenal, look what a difference he made there. He made them an institution and changed other clubs’ habits as well.

"Mourinho didn’t achieve enough, or the right things, at United on and off the pitch, so who says Pochettino could go and do that. He will want to bring in his own people, change the playing style, why are United going to go backwards and do that again?

"No one wanted to give Ole any time at all. Yes, it has taken him a while, but he had to get rid of a lot of bad eggs and lift a club in the doldrums because of the previous manager.

"He has put smiles back on people’s faces, done a lot of homework and worked to know what United needed off the pitch. There are still issues to be sorted out above, but he has put himself in the best position to change the culture and get people at the club thinking more about winning games and trophies, rather than coming close and worrying about a profit line in the market."

Pape Gueye has expressed his delight after completing his move to French side Marseille on a four-year deal.

The Olympians recently confirmed the signing of the Senegalese on a free transfer following the expiration of his contract with Le Havre last month.

The highly-rated defensive midfielder has been with the men in Sky-and-Navy since 2012 after joining the youth setup from Blanc-Mesnil SF.

He signed his first professional contract with the side in 2017 after he was promoted to the senior team and made his debut against Chamois Niortais.

The Franco-Senegalese played 39 league games for Le Havre, including 25 in Ligue 2 in the 2019-20 season before his departure from the French side.   

In April, Premier League club Watford announced the signing of the midfielder on a five-year deal only for him to make a u-turn, claiming he was ill-advised.

The 21-year-old midfielder has spoken of his excitement to complete his switch to the Stade Velodrome outfit.   

“Very happy and proud to announce my signature to Marseille for the next four years,” Gueye posted on Instagram.

Before completing his move to the Stade Velodrome outfit, he was linked with a number of French clubs, including Angers, Rennes, Metz and Nantes.  

Gueye has since teamed up with the rest of Andre Villas-Boas side in their first pre-season camp in Portugal in preparation for the 2020-21 campaign.

The midfielder will link up with Comoros defender Abdallah Ali Mohamed, Cameroon goalkeeper Simon Ngapandouetnbu and his compatriot Boubacar Kamara.

He has played for France U18 and U19 but he is still eligible to feature for the Senegal national team, provided he agrees to switch allegiance to the West Africans.

Ex-Tottenham star Jamie Redknapp has expressed his belief that "VAR is ruining football" after seeing a Harry Kane goal against Sheffield United disallowed due to Lucas Moura's alleged handball in the build-up.

Spurs travelled to Bramall Lane on Thursday to take on the Blades in a must-win encounter, buoyed after a 2-0 victory against West Ham last time out.

However, they found themselves 1-0 down after a tight opening 30 minutes, with Sander Berge making the breakthrough with a neat finish past Hugo Lloris in the Tottenham net.

Jose Mourinho's men responded quickly, and thought they had levelled the scores when Kane found the net following a mazy run from Moura in midfield.

Unfortunately for the visitors, the England international's effort was chalked off after a VAR review, with Moura adjudged to have handled the ball as he went down under a challenge just outside the box.

Replays showed that the Brazilian wasn't even looking at the ball, which seemed to deflect off his back rather than his arm, but referee Michael Oliver called for play to resume from a goal kick rather than the centre circle.

Redknapp was fuming with the decision at half-time, and insisted that changes must be made to reduce the number of frustrating technology-related incidents in the Premier League.

The former Tottenham midfielder said: “This is one of the worst decisions I’ve ever seen, I can honestly say, since VAR was introduced,” he said, speaking as a pundit on Sky Sports. “I get the letter of the law but we have to show common sense.

"A player’s [Moura] been fouled. When you fall over you have to put your arms out to protect yourself. He’s been fouled by three players there, you can see it’s an obvious foul. The ball then ricochets on to his arm, it falls to harry Kane who obviously finishes pretty well.

“Why can’t we show common sense at times like this? I get it’s difficult for Michael Oliver. He’s the best referee in the Premier League and he’s probably thinking ‘what do I do? It’s the letter of the law’. It’s ruining football.”

Tottenham were on the wrong end of a controversial VAR decision as Jose Mourinho's side slumped to a 3-1 Premier League defeat at Sheffield United.

Harry Kane seemed to have pulled Spurs level immediately after Sander Berge's 31st-minute opener, yet the visitors were to be denied by the technology.

Despite there being a clear foul on Lucas Moura in the build-up, VAR official Michael Oliver deemed the Tottenham attacker to have handled the ball as he fell.

Tottenham's frustration was compounded midway through the second half as substitute Lys Mousset tucked into a gaping net.

Oli McBurnie made sure of victory six minutes from time, Kane's late effort the only blemish on a triumph that ended the Blades' four-match winless run.

Spurs could have been ahead inside six minutes – Moussa Sissoko just unable to get on the end of Eric Dier's flick-on from a corner.

Kane sliced a presentable chance wide soon after, and Tottenham were made to pay for his rare show of profligacy when Berge slammed home a low finish from inside the area.

Tottenham thought they were level a minute later as Kane calmly slotted in, only for the goal to be harshly disallowed for a handball by Moura, who only tripped onto the ball after he was fouled.

After a bright start to the second half, United could have been 2-0 up just after the hour, only for David McGoldrick to slice an effort into the side netting.

Yet McGoldrick's replacement Mousset made no such mistake with his first opportunity, the ex-Bournemouth striker provided with a simple finish after latching onto Enda Stevens' cross.

Kane had another goal rightly disallowed for offside soon after, though it was United who had their third next when Berge teed up McBurnie.

A defensive lapse from Berge allowed Son Heung-min to set up Kane in the 90th minute, though it was a mere consolation as Spurs suffered their first defeat since the restart.

What does it mean? Blades get back on track in style

A run of poor results since the restart had seen United drop to 10th prior to kick-off, yet they are now up into seventh place, which should be enough to secure at least a spot in the Europa League qualifiers.

Chris Wilder's side are two points above Tottenham, who will need a result against 11th-placed Everton next time out to propel themselves back to the top of the pack chasing the top six.

Berge off the mark for the Blades

It has been a staggered start to life in the Premier League for Berge, who has struggled to show his best form either side of lockdown, but the Norway international displayed great poise and composure with his finish, netting his maiden United goal with his first shot on target in England's top flight, and to complete an impressive display, he provided the assist for McBurnie late on.

Defensive woes shake Spurs

Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld were on the bench on Thursday, yet the players preferred by Mourinho – Eric Dier and Davinson Sanchez – both failed to cover themselves in glory, and would both be lucky to be in the side next time out.

What's next?

United are back in action on Sunday, facing Burnley at Turf Moor, while Spurs host Everton on Monday.

Uganda head coach Johnathan McKinstry has stated players will be ready to play both the 2020 African Nations Championship (Chan) and the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon).

The two competitions were affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. So, Confederation of African Football (Caf) pushed Chan to January 2021 with the Afcon set for the same year as well.

"The confirmation by Caf of the Chan tournament for January 2021 is a relief to the players," McKinstry told the Federation of Uganda Football Associations (Fufa) website.

"The players were more concerned and worried that this tournament could be called off because if you look at the schedule, it was a challenge to see where it could be fixed. Now the tournament is only six months away. This is really close.  

"Everyone is refocused, re-energized and hungry to go. The... Uganda Premier League kicks off in October 2020 and the players are really ready. We, as the technical team, are also looking forward and putting together some plans. Hopefully, Cecafa 2020 will be happening and this will help in the preparations. The players and staff are now motivated with more energy."

Currently, there is no football in Uganda which houses the entire Chan squad. The 34-year-old is however not worried with the situation and he has revealed why.

"The players have been given a special pre-season training schedule. The programs have been sent to them, quite different from the ones in the Covid-19 period because anytime we expected football to return soon.  

"We hope to have six weeks of competitive football before the training camp will be summoned for the Chan finals."

The youthful tactician has also stated how challenging it has been for everyone involved and why he was jealous of his colleagues abroad.

"It has been really challenging but as a coach, there has been hope and planning never stops. Everyone was frustrated with no football but it is two-sided; the supporter, player, or coach. 

"Everyone was frustrated that football was not happening. I am a little bit jealous that my colleagues in Europe are involved in what they love to do best but hopefully, this frustration will be converted to energy when football returns."

He played alongside the likes of Samuel Eto’o, Ronaldinho, Wayne Rooney and Zlatan Ibrahimovic during his career, but for Henrik Larsson the best strike partner he ever had was Chris Sutton.

Sutton joined Celtic from Chelsea in the summer of 2000 and went on to form an effective strike partnership with Larsson for four trophy-laden seasons.

During that time, under the management of Martin O'Neill, they helped the club win three Scottish Premiership titles, two Scottish Cups and two Scottish League Cups. They also reached the 2003 UEFA Cup final, where they were beaten by Portuguese giants Porto, managed by Jose Mourinho.

Larsson went on to join Barcelona in the summer of 2004 and was part of the side that beat Arsenal to win the Champions League two years later. He also enjoyed a short spell at Manchester United later in his career as well as earning 106 caps for Sweden, featuring at two European Championships and two World Cups.

He played alongside a host of illustrious forward players in that time, but it is Sutton who stands out.

“The players he [O'Neill] signed were real quality," he told the Lockdown Tactics Podcast. “Chris Sutton, Alan Thompson, Neil Lennon, just to mention a few.

“Chris Sutton was the best partner I ever had. A big guy with vision who knew how to play the game. He was totally unselfish. He worked very hard, never stopped running and he could score goals. It was easy to play with him. When he went up for a header, I just had to judge where to run.”

Larsson also admits he was surprised when Barcelona came in for him at the age of 32, with the Champions League final victory the obvious highlight of his time in Spain.

“I said I would like to go play somewhere warm. I was thinking of Spain but never thought Barcelona would come in for me,” he added. “I had grown up watching Romario, [Michael] Laudrup, [Ronald] Koeman. Being able to sign for them was a dream come true.

“Xavi was good but became even better. [Andres] Iniesta was a young kid. [Lionel] Messi was just a young kid.

“The team we had was just fantastic. Training was unbelievable. Ronaldinho, at the time I hadn't seen any other player being able to do the things he did with the ball.

“It [the Champions League final] was so special. Obviously being in one big final in Seville with Celtic, losing that, that wasn't a nice experience. I still don't really enjoy talking about that.

“But being able to win the final in Paris was great because it's the biggest club competition you can win. I was so happy I didn't even have a drink that night, because I wanted to remember it all. I can still remember almost everything.”

SuperSport United chief executive officer Stanley Matthews says they are in no rush to re-sign Jeremy Brockie.

The New Zealand international is currently a free agent after leaving Mamelodi Sundowns following a loan spell at Maritzburg United.

Matthews has previously confirmed that they are interested in re-signing Brockie, who was on the books of Matsatsantsa between 2015 and 2018.

However, the Tshwane giants are only likely to make a move for the 32-year-old player at the end of the current season.

"As for Brockie, we are not in a position to commit to him or any other player at this stage," Matthews told Daily Sun.

"We will re-assess our position towards the middle of August when the season has been concluded."

The current season has been suspended indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic since mid-March 2020.

The government recently gave the PSL the go-ahead to resume the suspended campaign, but PSL clubs should follow all the required safety measures.

Meanwhile, Matthews also confirmed that they have extended their loan agreement of three players, Kamohelo Mahlatsi, Athenkosi Dlala and Kagiso Malinga at their respective National First Division (NFD) clubs.

Midfield duo Mahlatsi and Dlala are currently with the University of Pretoria, while forward Malinga is on the books of Moroka Swallows.

“We decided to extend the players’ stay at the two clubs until the end of the season," Matthews said.

The club official also revealed that Matsatsantsa head coach Kaitano Tembo will sign a contract extension at the end of the current season.

“Tembo’s contract is ready for him to sign and he will do that after we have played our remaining six matches,” he added.

Matthews recently stated that Gavin Hunt, who is set to leave Bidvest Wits at the end of the current season, will be considered if Tembo leaves Matsatsantsa.

Hunt was in charge of SuperSport between 2007 and 2013 and he led the team to three successive PSL titles and the Nedbank Cup.

Matsatsantsa are placed third on the league standings - four ponts behind second-placed Sundowns, who have three games in hand.

Liverpool star Mohamed Salah has picked a third Premier League Golden Boot over the English top-flight’s record points total.

Since joining the Reds for £36.7 million ($45m) in the summer of 2017 from Serie A outfit AS Roma, the Egyptian has been an instant hit for Jurgen Klopp’s men helping them win the Champions League, Premier League, Super Cup and Club World Cup.

His brilliance in front of goal saw him win the Premier League topscorer prize twice, and in the process joining the likes of Alan Shearer, Michael Owen, Thierry Henry, Robin van Persie and Harry Kane as players who have won the accolade for two consecutive seasons.

This season, however, he has found the net 17 times and is next to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy and Southampton’s Danny Ings in the race for the 2019-20 Golden Boot prize.

For Liverpool, they are on course to demolish Manchester City’s total of 100 points in the English top-flight. The Anfield giants could end the season on an incredible 107 points should they win all of their remaining games.

Nevertheless, the former AS Roma and Chelsea forward prefers a third Golden Boot hat-trick to the points record chased by Klopp’s men.

"I think in the back of my head, I want to really break the record for the team points, then I will try my best to win the Golden Boot again,” Salah told Sky Sport.

"It’s tough but if I have to choose then it's the Golden Boot.

Liverpool face the Citizens on Thursday night and he stated that his team will be hoping to show Pep Guardiola’s team how good they are.

"I think it'll be really tough because they've been champions of England for the last two years and they're an unbelievable team," he continued.

"They have great players, a great manager and I'm sure they will do their best to win the game against us so we will do our best also to win the game.

"I'm sure every fan around the world will be excited to watch the game and I'm sure they will enjoy it."

In 145 Premier League appearances, Salah has found the net on 92 occasions to better the returns of legendary figures Fernando Torres and Luis Suarez.

Jose Mourinho said VAR is bad for the "beautiful game" after watching Tottenham lose at Sheffield United on Thursday, and expressed his belief that "the referee should be the man on the pitch".

Spurs suffered their 11th defeat of the season at Bramall Lane, as the Blades ran out deserved 3-1 winners thanks to goals from Sander Berge, Lys Mousset and Oli McBurnie.

Berge opened the scoring on the half-hour mark, but Harry Kane appeared to hit an equaliser two minutes later after a dizzying run from Lucas Moura.

Tottenham's joy was short-lived, however, as a VAR review ruled that Moura handled the ball as he went down under a challenge just outside the box.

Referee Michael Oliver chalked Kane's goal off, and although he found the net again late on, it was the Blades who earned all three points after an impressive second-half performance.

Mourinho questioned the way video technology is used, insisting the removal of human error is having a detrimental effect on the game.

The Spurs boss told reporters: "I think I cannot say what I feel. It's not the referee anymore. The man on the pitch is the assistant referee, The man and lady with the flags are now the assistants of the assistant referees.

"The referee should be the man on the pitch. We are going into a direction which is really bad for a game that is a beautiful game."

Mourinho added on his side's inability to respond after Oliver's controversial first-half decision: "We have to do better. We have to be mentally stronger to cope with what happened in the game. We cannot mentally die after Michael Oliver's decision.

"I think the team was playing well in the first half. We scored and then the team felt too much. I think now I know more the profile of my players.

"I know it's difficult to take, in the second half we had the ball but we didn't have chances to change the game.

"We played with a very offensive team plus Gio [Lo Celso] and Moussa [Sissoko] as midfield players. We have to create more chances then we did. I have to admit I am disappointed."

Tottenham are now nine points behind Chelsea in the race for a top-four finish, with a tough fixture against an in-form Everton side up next on Monday.

Pressed on how he will motivate his squad for their remaining six fixtures after such a damaging setback, Mourinho responded: "It's very easy to motivate myself because it's my nature. I think the motivation should be self-motivation that is directly related to professionalism.

"If these boys don't care about results and the position we finish in at the end of the season then we will be in big trouble in the future."

Former international Ifeanyi Udeze has advised Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr to assign assistant manager Joseph Yobo as the team’s defensive trainer.

Yobo was appointed as the national team’s assistant in February by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) as a replacement for Imama Amapakabo, who was sacked after performing poorly at Wafu, Chan and Olympic qualifiers.

The former Super Eagles captain delivered solid defensive displays for his clubs and country during his playing years before his retirement.

Yobo spent most of his career with Everton, where he made 220 league appearances after moving from Marseille, initially on loan before penning a permanent deal.

The former Norwich City centre-back, who also played for Turkish Super Lig side Fenerbahce and Belgian club Standard Liege, had 101 caps for the Super Eagles, the joint-highest with Vincent Enyeama.

Udeze, who made 35 appearances for the three-time African champions, feels Yobo has garnered enough experience to help the national team’s defence.  

“In this modern era of coaching, apart from the head coach, who coordinates all the departments, assistant coaches are assigned to manage some departments of the team. That’s why I think Yobo should be deployed to the Eagles’ defence and defensive midfield,” Udeze told the Guardian.

“He has played at the highest level of football and acquired enough experience, So, handling these areas will not be a problem for him.

“We should understand that club football is different from national team games. Yobo should be in a better position to talk to the players on the best approach and positioning in the national team.”

The Super Eagles were billed to take on Sierra Leone in Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers back in March before the game was postponed due to the outbreak of coronavirus.

Caf recently released a statement postponing the Africa Cup of Nations from 2021 to January 2022 due to the spread of the pandemic to the continent while it is yet to be known when the qualifiers will resume.

The Super Eagles currently lead Group L with six points after victories against the Republic of Benin and Lesotho.

Udeze started his career with Bendel Insurance and went on to play for Kavala, PAOK Thessaloniki, West Bromwich Albion and AEK Athens before his retirement.

It has been an interesting day as 10 years on from Ghana's famous 2010 World Cup quarter-final clash with Uruguay, football fans took to social media to share their thoughts on what could have been but never was.

While some fans hailed Uruguay ace Luis Suarez for producing the 'save of the tournament' in denying Ghana an obvious winning goal with an illegal hand save, others simply sympathised with the Black Stars. 

For most people, however, it was a perfect time to troll Ghana's villain on the day Asamoah Gyan, who at least inspired the Black Stars to the last eight.

Following a 1-1 draw after normal time, the game headed into extra-time where Ghana won a penalty in what was to be the last kick of the game, Suarez having blocked a goal-bound Dominic Adiyiah header.

After the Uruguay hit-man was sent off for his unprofessional act, Gyan, who had successfully converted two penalties prior, stepped up but could only drive his shot against the upright. 

A penalty shoot-out followed shortly where the Black Stars lost 4-2.

Thursday's social media fans were so intense they drew reactions from Gyan himself.