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Scott McTominay has signed a new five-year contract at Manchester United to keep him at the club until June 2025, with the option to extend for a further year.

The midfielder, who was given his debut by Jose Mourinho in 2017, has become a key part of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side and established himself as a regular starter for the club.

Indeed, McTominay has made 28 appearances in all competitions this season and has been rewarded for his consistent performances with a new deal.

The midfielder said: "Whilst I understand that we all have so many other things to think about at the moment, I’m so happy to sign this contract and play a part in the future ahead for this team.

"All I have ever known is United and I hope that my passion for the club shows every time I go onto the pitch. I’ll continue to give everything for this club whenever I pull on the shirt.

"I want to thank the manager for the faith he has shown in me and everyone at the club that has helped me to get where I am today. I’m looking forward to finishing this season on a high and hopefully achieving our aims."

Since Solskjaer was given the manager’s job following Mourinho’s sacking in December 2018 he has been determined to bring through academy talent and the Norwegian remains committed to keeping homegrown players in the squad.

"Scott has done tremendously well since I joined and has been a vital part of our midfield. He brings determination, tenacity and skill to the game and we know that Scott’s attributes will be a major asset to the squad over the coming years," Solskjaer said. 

"As we always say the academy is the bedrock of the club and having come through the system everyone knows that Scott has shown the exact mentality that you need to succeed at Manchester United.  I look forward to seeing his continued improvement in the years to come."

McTominay has made 75 appearances for the first team since making his debut against Arsenal in 2017 and has scored six goals. His last being United’s second in their derby day win against Manchester City in March.

And he will be in contention to feature for the Red Devils in their next fixture, as United face Sheffield United at Old Trafford before turning their attentions to Saturday's FA Cup quarter-final clash with Norwich City.

Stellenbosch FC have confirmed that three of their staff members have tested positive for coronavirus. 

According to a statement released by the club on Tuesday, all the players have tested negative for the deadly virus. 

"Stellenbosch FC confirms that three of our staff members have tested positive for Covid-19 while the clubs' players tested negative," reads the statement. 

The PSL rookies said the testing was arranged and conducted last week while they also educated every member of their squad about this global pandemic. 

"Last week, the club arranged the testing of all staff and players and provided additional education on the pandemic as well as what will be expected once we get the go-ahead to start training. 

"It is very unfortunate that three of our staff members tested positive," continued the statement.  

Stellenbosch have pledged support for the three unnamed staff members and confirmed they are doing well and self-isolating at home. 

"However, after obtaining this information, we can now assist the individuals to recover as safely and speedily as possible as well as mitigate the risk of exposure to other employees.

"The three members are doing well and are now self-isolating at home," concluded the statement.     

The latest developments bring the number of confirmed positive cases in the PSL to five. 

In May, Orlando Pirates midfielder Ben Motshwari became the first PSL player to test positive for Covid-19 but he has since recovered after self-isolating for 14 days. 

On Monday, 

Any manager would “take 11 James Milners” in their side, says Martin O’Neill, with the former Aston Villa boss billing the Liverpool star as an “identikit pro”.

It remains to be seen whether the 34-year-old will figure again for his current club in the 2019-20 campaign, with an unfortunate injury forcing him out of the Merseyside derby on Sunday.

Jurgen Klopp is hoping that Milner will not be sidelined for long, with his versatility proving to be a useful weapon in the Reds’ armoury.

That has been the case wherever a seasoned performer has gone, with Villa, Newcastle and Manchester City among the others to have benefited from the presence of a model professional.

O’Neill worked with Milner in the West Midlands and still considers the ex-England international to be one of the finest performers he had the pleasure of coaching.

He had no desire to sanction a transfer to City in 2010, but accepts that there was to be no holding back a man who is fast closing in on a third Premier League title of his career and one who is thoroughly deserving of all that he has achieved.

“Perhaps I took it too personally when he wanted to leave because we were getting a lot of money for him from Manchester City,” O’Neill told the Daily Star.

“At the end of the day he was consistently excellent for us. We were doubling our money but he was irreplaceable for me.

“James was going there to further his career and certainly further his future financially. But to me, we were trying to compete with the likes of City and Tottenham at that particular point in time. Maybe another season and we might have done it. It was disappointing.

“But I've got to say, I could not be more pleased for him for getting the career and the medals he so thoroughly deserves.”

O’Neill added on Milner, who started out as a tricky winger but is also capable of filling defensive berths when required: “He can run with the ball, score you a goal. He was terrific. He was never my teacher's pet, but he was terrific for me.

“James just covered so much ground. He is like the identikit pro. He doesn't drink. He puts everything into his training and his game. He's put football at the top of his list of priorities so it's certainly no coincidence he's still going strong.

“Klopp's played him in virtually every position at Liverpool. You'd take 11 James Milners in your side if that were possible.

“I tried to get him first and on deadline day he was less than three miles from Villa's training ground and he was told to go back. He would have been very cheap then – about £4m, if I recall. I chased him again and kept going and when things weren't working out for him at Newcastle we paid £12m for him. Not bad business.”

Ajax director of football Marc Overmars has ruled out re-signing Jan Vertonghen this summer, due to the fact the Tottenham star is "no longer a left-back".

Vertonghen began his professional career at Ajax back in 2006 after rising through the club's youth ranks, and went on to help the club win two Eredivisie titles.

His performances at Johan Cruyff ArenA attracted the attention of Spurs, who forked out a reported fee of £12 million ($15m) to lure the centre-back to north London in 2013.

The Belgium international has since featured in over 300 matches for Tottenham, establishing himself as one of the Premier League's top defenders in the process.

Vertonghen was due to become a free agent at the end of the month, and although Spurs have managed to tie him down to fresh terms until the end of the season , his future remains unclear.

The 33-year-old expressed a desire to learn a new language in May, while opening the door to a move to either Spain or Italy.

A potential return to Ajax has also been mooted for Vertonghen, and although Overmars admits that the club have been in contact with the player's representatives, he insists that a final transfer is unlikely to come to fruition.

Overmars told Ajax TV : “I did speak to his [Vertonghen's] agent, but we made other choices. Jan is no longer a left-back either.

"We have confidence in Sven Botman and Lisandro Martínez can also play there."

Vertonghen is currently preparing with the rest of the Tottenham squad for a crucial meeting with West Ham on Tuesday.

Jose Mourinho's men drew 1-1 with Manchester United in their first game back following the three-month break in the season caused by coronavirus, which came as a major blow to their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League.

Spurs are sitting eighth in the top-flight standings at the moment, nine points behind fourth-placed Chelsea, but they could still gain entry to Europe's top competition by finishing fifth if Manchester City's two-season ban is held up.

They will benefit from 10 days off after their clash with the Hammers, with their next outing against Sheffield United at Bramall Lane not scheduled to take place until July 2.

Talk of Declan Rice attracting admiring glances from Chelsea and Manchester United comes as no surprise to David Moyes, but the West Ham boss has no intention of sanctioning a sale.

A versatile England international is expected to generate plenty of transfer talk heading towards the next window.

A big-money move to Old Trafford has been mooted in the past for the 21-year-old, while rumours regarding a return to west London for the former Stamford Bridge academy star are now starting to gather pace.

Moyes can appreciate why a player with such potential would be of interest to leading sides across the Premier League.

With West Ham currently stuck in a relegation battle, it may be that matters are taken out of their hands.

There is, however, an understandable desire on the part of all of those at London Stadium to retain both their top-flight status and the services of prized assets heading towards 2020-21.

Moyes told talkSPORT of the speculation surrounding Rice: “I think he will be wanted anyway (if West Ham avoid relegation). I keep reading it and keep getting told it.

“He’s a West Ham player and I want him to be a West Ham player for a long time and our intention is to stay in the Premier League.

“Nothing is crossing my mind about being in another league except the Premier League. We have to win our games and perform better than we have done.”

West Ham returned to action after a coronavirus-enforced break with a 2-0 defeat at home to Wolves, with Rice asked to operate at centre-half in that contest.

He broke through in that position, but has flourished as a holding midfielder in more recent times.

Moyes considers the youngster to be the best option he has in both roles, with there no immediate desire for Rice to nail down any one position.

The Hammers boss added: “I think Declan could arguably be my best centre-half and my best midfield player so we have to try and see what we’ve got and who is fit (against Tottenham on Tuesday) and use him the best we can.

“We know he will give us something else as a midfield player but he showed he was defensively sound when he goes into the back line as well.

“It’s really good for Declan that he’s improved so much and can play both positions. Going forward for himself and for us it’s a great thing to have, the ability to use him at the back and as a midfield player.”

Phil Foden will be an integral player for Manchester City over the next decade, according to Pep Guardiola, after the midfielder enjoyed his self-proclaimed best game to date for the club.

The 20-year-old played a starring role in his side's 5-0 demolition  of Burnley at the Etihad Stadium on Monday, netting two goals and proving key in the build-up to two more with a pair of exquisite passes.

Foden is already a two-time title winner with the Premier League champions and started their Carabao Cup final triumph over Aston Villa earlier this season two years after he came on at Wembley as a late substitute, but now Guardiola has predicted that he is poised for an even greater career with the club over the coming years

"We cannot forget he is 20 years old [and that] he has to improve," the Catalan said after the match. "But he will be an important player for the next decade in this club.

"The minutes he has earned, he deserves it. Every minute he plays, it’s a joy to watch. His behaviour and his attitude [are excellent].

"It doesn’t matter if he doesn’t play. When he plays, he never plays bad. I think every time he plays with us, since he was promoted, he [has] played at a high level."

Guardiola pointed to Foden's abiding love for life and the game away from matchday as key to his rise through the ranks, adding: "He loves to play football.

"You’ll see on Twitter and Instagram, when he’s on his day off, he’s with his friends, with the ball. He loves to go on the beach, and just pass [it around]. He loves to play."

When asked whether he agreed with Foden's own assessment that it was his finest performance in a City shirt, Guardiola was not drawn on the subject while admitting that it was "perfect" if the player thought so.

“I’m not going to discuss it with Phil," he added. "But I remember some games in the cup, he played quite similar.

"I’m happy for him and if he says that he feels it was his best performance, then perfect."

Manchester City winger Riyad Mahrez has thrown his weight behind his teammate Phil Foden to become a top player for the club in future.

The England U21 midfielder starred along with the Algeria international in City’s 5-0 thrashing of Burnley in Monday’s Premier League game.

Foden ignited the flurry of goals in the 22nd minute and then grabbed his second moments after the hour-mark to wrap up the commanding display after Mahrez’s brace and David Silva’s strike.

The victory helped Pep Guardiola’s men maintain their second place on the league table and reduced the gap between them and leaders Liverpool to 20 points.

Mahrez is delighted with the development of the young midfielder and is confident he will become a star player for City in future.

"Since I arrived, Phil has improved a lot. He's been training with us and he's still young. He's been improving a lot,” Mahrez told CityTV.

"He has a lot of quality and he needs to keep going in a good way to improve more and more. He has a lot of time to improve and be a top player in this Club and the country."

With his two goals against Burnley, Mahrez has now scored at least ten goals across all competitions in five successive seasons.

The forward joined the Citizens in the summer of 2018 from Leicester City after impressive showings for the side, where he helped win the Premier League title in the 2015-16 season.

The £60 million paid to the Foxes saw the Algeria star became the most expensive African footballer and City's record signing.

Mahrez has played 52 Premier League games since his arrival at the Etihad Stadium, helping the Citizens clinch the 2018-19 league title.

This season, the winger has enjoyed more playing time than his debut campaign, having featured in 39 games.

The 29-year-old former Le Havre forward has scored 11 goals this season and provided 15 assists across all competitions.

Mahrez has also been playing a prominent role for Algeria and in 2019, the winger inspired his side to win the Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.

The forward will hope to continue his impressive performances in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers for the North Africans.

He will also be expected to feature prominently when Manchester City take on Premier League rivals Chelsea on Thursday.

Young Africans coach (Yanga SC) coach Luc Eymael has confessed he has now run out of ideas on how to help under-fire striker Gnamien Yikpe.

The towering striker was signed by the Jangwani Street-based giants in January from Kenyan champions Gor Mahia, after penning a two-year contract, but he has failed to live up to expectations and has so far scored just one goal for the team.

On Sunday, after Yanga secured a 0-0 draw against Azam FC, the club's fans stormed outside the team’s dressing room, calling for the release of Ivorian striker, whom they accused of letting down the team.

A poor performance in the 1-0 win against Mwadui - where he missed one gilt-edged chance - and another lacklustre display in the goalless draw against Azam, forced the fans to call for the management to do away with the burly striker.

The Belgian coach has now exclusively told Goal he has done all he could to help the player and does not have any remaining options.

“Now about Yikpe, it is a terrible problem, he is so good in training sessions but he is not repeating this good style in-game time, then is a big problem and I give him so many times a chance and now the fans are there, they are on his neck, and it will be worse and it is for sure for now it will be difficult to give him playing time,” Eymael told Goal on Tuesday.

“But fans have to know, I am not the one who signed Yikpe, fans should know we don’t have the real solution for a striker, if we had one top striker, one of the strikers that I recommended to the club, we should have scored more than 15 or 20 goals by now, fans should know that I have recommended top strikers but until now the situation is the same.

“But until now we are just waiting for the decision from the stakeholders who are taking decision for signing new players, the coach can only recommend and the work of management is to sign, the only player I recommended for the club is Bernard [Morrison] and you can see the job he is doing for the club.

“It will be very difficult for Yikpe, it will be very difficult for him, even going into training on Monday the fans were still on his neck again on the road [going to training and back] and to recover will be difficult for the player.

“But I think since the beginning the fans did not appreciate Yikpe and I even told the club you signed Yikpe before I came, I asked them if you know you did a mistake, what do you do?

“You need to sit down with the player and agree if whether to terminate the contract on a mutual agreement because when the coach looks at the player in training sessions, he is scoring goals but when given the chance in a really match he doesn’t.

“I think Yikpe has a psychological problem and what happens the fans don’t watch training sessions but watch the match day, and it is normal the fans are on his neck, and also it is normal for the coach to select a player who is doing very well in training sessions and not a player who is absent and doing nothing in training sessions.

“We have a big problem in the striking force, we know that we try everybody until now, but did I sign any player in the striking force? No it didn’t.

“The fans are on the neck of Yikpe, why because they are not attacking the people who signed, him, and I can tell you Yikpe is very perfect during training sessions, he is his doing very well and even scores goals, but on the pitch, he is not doing the same, because he has a psychological problem, he has an issue.”

Yanga are preparing to face Ndanda FC in a league contest on Saturday.

Ramon Azeez made the Granada starting XI and was able to claim a point in a 0-0 draw with Kenneth Omeruo’s Leganes on Monday night in La Liga.

The 27-year old Nigerian midfielder has been involved in the Andalusian outfit's last two games against Real Betis and Samuel Chukwueze’s Villarreal, both games ending in a 2-2 draw and 1-0 defeat respectively. He had been an unused substitute in the 2-1 win over Oghenekaro Etebo’s Getafe at the restart of league activities.

For Omeruo, he was completing 90 minutes for the third time since the league restart, failing to get any minutes only in one game which was a 2-0 defeat away to giants Barcelona last week.

This match at the Estadio Butarque did not have much action, but it was a little feisty with eight yellow cards being produced, four for both teams.

Omeruo was strong defensively, making four clearances, six interceptions, and had 100% success with his aerial duels, winning three in three. The 26-year old also had 49 touches, 27 accurate passes at 77% and accurately play four out of eight long balls.

The 2013 Africa Cup of Nations winner has clocked 1,781 minutes of football in the Basque Country this season after arriving on a permanent deal from Chelsea having spent the previous campaign on loan.

Azeez meanwhile only played in the first half and made 23 touches, 15 accurate passes (88%) while being accurate with one long ball, aerial duel and ground duel.

He has played a total of 23 games for Granada this season scoring two goals, one of them which was in a famous 2-0 victory over Barcelona on September 21, 019, and providing another two assists.

Another Nigerian and defence partner of Omeruo in Chidozie Awaziem was an unused substitute in this game having played the opening three games since the restart. The 23-year old made a costly error that led to the first goal in a 2-1 home defeat to Valladolid.

Awaziem has made a total of 21 La Liga apperances for Leganes since joining on loan from FC Porto. The Enugu-born defender was previously on the books of Nantes and Rizepor also on loan.

Leganes remain rooted in 19th position on the table and are four points away from safety. Granada meanwhile are in a comfortable ninth spot with 43 points.

Opportunity has been limited for Mamelodi Sundowns' Sammy Seabi, but the midfielder has vowed to remain patient as he waits to play a key role in his new team's bid for a third straight Premier Soccer League title.

Seabi arrived at Chloorkop at the start of the current season from Polokwane City and has managed just five appearances across all competitions in his debut season at Sundowns.

While he is regarded by coach Pitso Mosimane as a player for the future, Seabi’s progress at Sundowns has been blocked by seasoned campaigners like captain Hlompho Kekana, Andile Jali and Tiyani Mabunda.

However, the midfielder believes that he is on the correct path to establish himself as a regular in the team at the PSL giants.

“One thing about me is that I am a patient person. It hasn’t been so long since I joined the team and I was still fitting in,” Seabi told the club website, "but so far so good.

"I know my time will come very soon. I just need to put more effort," he added. "My target now is to help the team fully to reach our goals and to win the league as well as the other cup competitions.”

Winning his first PSL title in his maiden season with the Brazilians appears a strong possibility, with second-placed Sundowns four points behind leaders log leaders Kaizer Chiefs who have played a game more.

If the season resumes, Mosimane’s men will have nine games to play in their title defence.

Although Seabi has earned limited gametime to far, it has been a season full of experience while travelling with the team around Africa for Caf Champions League matches.

“It was a very good feeling to be part of the team because it was my first time. I had never played [in the] Caf [Champions League] and for me being part of the team was great,” said Seabi. “I appreciate the opportunity [to travel to with the squad] and believe I will help the team to achieve more and more.

"I must also add that the atmosphere there was super, so it was really a great feeling, I must say, and I can’t wait to feature.”

Seabi arrived at Downs with four seasons experience of PSL football with Polokwane City.

Diego Simeone believes Atletico Madrid's defensive resilience is merely a by-product of the players' commitment to his footballing vision.

Atleti edged a 1-0 win over Real Valladolid on Saturday, the first time they have recorded back-to-back La Liga victories since beating Real Betis and Levante either side of the mid-season break.

A return encounter against the latter opponents is up next for Los Colchoneros, whose previous away fixture ended in a 5-0 shellacking of Osasuna.

The departures of Diego Godin and Lucas Hernandez last year forced Simeone to remodel his backline, with Stefan Savic and Jose Gimenez stepping up to form a fine alliance at centre-back, while Kieran Trippier and Renan Lodi have proved shrewd full-back additions.

Backed up by the exceptional Jan Oblak between the posts, Atletico have only been breached 22 times in 30 La Liga games in 2019-20, although Simeone insists he is reluctant to rely too much on this obduracy.

"There will always be mistakes, all teams make mistakes," he told a pre-match news conference.

"We must try to be focused and, with the best security we can offer the team, we have rotated.

"I am still convinced that the team's strength is the emotional convention of the group. This will be the way to reach the goals we want."

That goal, at least until August's mini-tournament in Lisbon to conclude this season's competition comes around, is securing qualification for the Champions League with a top-four finish.

The weekend result left Atleti in third, level on points with Sevilla immediately behind them and six better off than Valencia down in eighth.

More sparkling form from Joao Felix would certainly strengthen their hand after the Portugal youngster notched a brace as Osasuna were torn apart.

"He is a different player," Simeone said of the €120million recruit, who has endured a mixed debut campaign in La Liga.

"We have always valued him, we have seen him in training and in games. Surely, when he grows up and can spend more time in situations that are decisive for the team, he will continue to evolve.

"He has all the important qualities to break a game. With his growth in the game he will grow even more as a footballer."

Experience is certainly not something Joao Felix's boss lacks.

If Atleti are victorious against Levante, Simone will equal Luis Aragones as the coach with the most La Liga victories for the club.

"I did not know about this and, as I have already said, I do not stop on the path we are going through," he added.

"This is not the time to stop and look in the mirror; it is only time to work, win and continue in the best possible way."

Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo overtook Rui Costa to become the leading Portuguese scorer in Serie A history on Monday.

Ronaldo slotted a first-half penalty down the middle in Juve's 2-0 win over Bologna, a result that saw the Bianconeri move four points clear at the top of the table.

The goal was Ronaldo's 22nd in Serie A this season, one more than the 21 he managed in his debut campaign in Turin following his move from Real Madrid in 2018.

In reaching 43 goals, the 35-year-old also moved beyond Rui Costa as the Portuguese player with the most goals in Italy's top flight.

Rui Costa spent eight years in Serie A, playing for Fiorentina and then Milan between 1994 and 2006.

Former Manchester United star Ronaldo remains the top Portuguese scorer in Premier League history having scored 84 times in 196 appearances.

He is the also the leading Portuguese scorer in La Liga history having registered 311 goals in 292 appearances for Real Madrid, where he is the all-time leading scorer.

Only Ronaldo's great personal rival Barcelona captain Lionel Messi has scored more La Liga goals.

Ronaldo has been criticised recently after missing a penalty against Milan in the Coppa Italia semi-final and struggling to have an impact in the final versus Napoli.

Former Italy international Luca Toni described Ronaldo's performance in the last four of the Coppa Italia as 'average'.

"I saw the a whole Juventus team in difficulty, even Cristiano Ronaldo, who looked like an average player in what was a very slow match,” Toni told Rai Sport after the Milan clash.

"You expect a big performance from him but he looked like he was experiencing physical difficulties – he couldn't even dribble a man."

Ronaldo's sister took to Instagram after the match to stick up for her brother, stating that he can't always be expected to win matches on his own.

She said: “What else can you do? It is what it is and my darling can't work miracles alone. I can't understand how they played like that. Anyway, keep your head up. You can't do more, my king.”

The Coppa Italia final loss marks the only time in Ronaldo's career that he has lost two successive finals, having been defeated by Lazio in the Supercoppa Italiana at the tail end of 2019.

Juventus director Fabio Paratici said Arthur has to be "convinced" about swapping Barcelona for Turin after confirming negotiations with the La Liga champions.

Arthur has been at the centre of a possible swap deal involving Juve midfielder Miralem Pjanic , though the Barca star is reportedly unwilling to leave Camp Nou.

Paratici provided an update on the situation prior to Juve's 2-0 victory over Bologna in Serie A on Monday.

"We have spoken frequently with Barcelona, but at this moment all the teams are playing important games, so we preferred to bypass this period," Paratici told Sky Sport Italia.

"It's not about June 30, before or after, but about finding an agreement between the various parties, and both players have to be convinced. Therefore, it's not an issue about dates."

Arthur joined Spanish giants Barca from boyhood Brazilian club Gremio in 2018.

The 23-year-old, who impressed in his maiden campaign, has made 26 appearances and scored four goals in all competitions this season.

Earlier this month, Barcelona coach Quique Setien admitted there had been discussions about the Brazil international's future .

"It is true that we have talked about something, but not too much," Setien said when asked about Arthur.

"The current circumstances are different from the usual ones and will affect the market.

"As for the players, I am clear that all those who are currently in the squad, I count on them and I need everyone because there are going to be many games.

"On outside speculation, I choose not to speak."

Arthur made clear his desire to remain with Barcelona back in April; he was previously suggested as a transfer target for Inter.

In a statement sent to  Mundo Deportivo  , he said: "There will always be speculation but, sincerely, my idea is very clear. The only option that interests me is to continue at Barcelona.

"I'm very secure and relaxed. I feel really well here and, plus, I'm grateful to the club and technical staff for their confidence. This is yet another reason to be totally clear that my only desire is to continue."

Former India international goalkeeper Subrata Paul jumped ship this season to join Hyderabad FC, his fourth Indian Super League (ISL) club in six seasons.

Hyderabad FC, which was formed just a year back, have managed to rope in the seasoned campaigner who has vast experience at the top tier of Indian football. He was also part of Jamshedpur FC when they started off in the ISL in the 2017-18 season.

Speaking to Goal, Paul revealed what convinced him to take a new challenge and join another newbie in the ISL.

“The name Hyderabad will always remain synonymous with Indian football’s history. Over the years, it has produced so many International stars, and the club’s quest to revive glory days has personally appealed to me a lot.

“Unfortunately, all these years we didn’t have a club from the ‘City of Pearls,’ and now that we have one, it didn’t take me long to decide on moving to Hyderabad FC. Hyderabad’s love and passion for football is folklore and I look forward to all the fans to back their team and stand by them.”

Hyderabad has a very rich history of football but for long the city has craved for a top tier club. Teams like Hyderabad City Police had dominated the Indian football scenario in the 1950s and 60s. Legends like Syed Abdul Rahim, Tulsidas Balram, Peter Thangaraj and more have come from the state, an indicator of the rich footballing history in Hyderabad.

Paul hopes that Hyderabad FC can become one of the best clubs in the country in the near future.

Speaking about his personal targets and expectations from his new club, Paul said, “The management have been proactive and even as the Covid-19 pandemic have kept all of us indoors, they have been making the right choices laying the foundation stone for a better season ahead.

“The support from the management is there and the players need to be reciprocal. The players need to repay their faith by winning on the field, as much they have been working and planning so meticulously for glory.

“As players, we will make every team sweat that extra bit when they play us. We won’t be pushovers at any cost. The ultimate aim is to turn the club into one of the best in the country. Obviously it cannot happen in a day, but I want to play a significant role in making that start and belief.”

The former Mohun Bagan custodian also suggested that he is looking forward to playing under coach Albert Roca and outlined the respect he has for the Spaniard. He is looking forward to taking Hyderabad to the heights of Indian football.

“Coach Albert Roca is a seasoned campaigner and his inputs and coaching will surely help the club propel forward. Having a coach like him is an asset, but there’s also a flip side for the players. Even as much he will be guiding us, he will always be demanding that extra level from the players. He is someone who hates to lose and we as players need to understand the intellect ourselves with his coaching philosophy.

Paul is yet to win a league title in his career and he is hoping his stint at Hyderabad brings him that elusive title.

“On a personal level, I have always seen and watched him from the rival 18-yard box. Despite being in the rival team, I have had high regards for him when he earlier came into the ISL. But as players, we cannot leave it or expect the coach to win it for us. We need to back him, and not let him down. To me, he is the perfect choice for the club.”

VP Suhair's romance with football started during his school days. He was a district level player by the time he attended high school and was a top scorer at the all-India level in his third year with the University team. 

His brothers played football and that meant he was always involved football-related conversations right from a very young age. One of his brothers is the head coach of the junior team at Gokulam Kerala, one of several clubs that Suhair has had the chance to play for. 

Suhair has been able to show glimpses of his talent several times during his career but it was last season, at Mohun Bagan under Kibu Vicuna, that the striker really came to his own. He scored two goals and started every single I-League match in Bagan's title-winning campaign. 

"Last season with Mohun Bagan was very good. I played almost all the games and many tournaments. I used to play No 10 or No 9. Kibu (Vicuna) helped me play in the role of a winger as well. He is very supportive. If there are mistakes, he will let you know how to correct them," Suhair told Goal .  

He added, "I got a lot of experience from playing a lot of games last season. It also filled me with confidence. I learnt that in football, you don't have to play in a single role in a team."

Suhair started his career with the SBT (State Bank of Travancore) team and then joined Gokulam Kerala after playing in the Santosh Trophy team for Kerala. Satheevan Balan, who was part of the coaching staff of the Kerala state team when Suhair played for them, and Bino George were instrumental in helping the striker launch his professional career. The former helped him get a job in the University education department at Perinthalmanna through the sports quota, a job he undertook in March earlier this year. 

Suhair's football career has alternated between Kerala and Kolkata so far. After representing Kerala in the Santosh Trophy, he joined United SC in the second division. While at the West Bengal club, he scored against East Bengal in the Calcutta Football League (CF) and the next thing he knew, he had offers from both the Kolkata giants. He went on to play for both East Bengal and Mohun Bagan. 

Suhair said, "Both Kerala and Kolkata support football a lot. But in Kolkata, when you play for East Bengal and Mohun Bagan, it is their mother club. You will feel that in wins and losses. I get comments after every game.

"If you win, the respect you get is massive, like a celebrity. In Kerala, they enjoy football but don't irritate you (when you lose). You only have to watch a Kolkata derby to know about their passion," the striker said when asked about how both sets of supporters are. 

With Indian players, especially strikers, struggling for first-team minutes at their respective clubs, Suhair played over 30 matches for the Mariners in all competitions and made a mark under the tutelage of Kibu Vicuna, who has joined Kerala Blasters. 

Suhair lauded the effort of Vicuna, his teammates and the coaching staff in clinching the title last season. "Players did well but the staff deserves a lot of credit for reading the opposition well last season. The coach was able to keep the players together. Coach used to say that defeat is part of the job but it is about moving on and focusing on the next game. He was ready to take up responsibility if something went wrong. 

"When I couldn't score that many goals, he told me that I was not only in the team for scoring and that he wanted me to work for the group. He used to tell me to not read too much into the comments by fans and focus on the job and not get distracted."

After an impressive, title-winning campaign, it wouldn't be surprising to see Suhair take the next step in his career and play in the Indian Super League (ISL) soon. It will be nothing less than what he deserves. 

Burnley defender Ben Mee condemned a banner flown above the club's match with Manchester City on Monday, saying that he was "ashamed and embarrassed" of what he saw at the Etihad Stadium.

Just moments after players took a knee to support the Black Lives Matter movement, a banner reading "White Lives Matter Burnley" was flown above the stadium.

Mee was seen pointing out the banner to the referee, with players on the field clearly aware of what was being flown above them.

And, after the match, Mee had strong words for whoever chose to display the message, telling them to "educate themselves" about the world around them.

"It was a tough night. We can talk about football but there is something I would like to speak about first and that is the plane and banner flying over the stadium," he told Sky Sports. 

"I am ashamed and embarrassed that a small number of our fans have decided to fly that around the stadium. It is not what we are about. They have missed what we are trying to achieve.

"These people need to come into the 21st century and educate themselves. They don't represent what we are about, the club is about, the players are about and the majority of fans are about.

"I've heard it is a small number that have arranged this and I hope it doesn't happen again. I don't want to associate it with my cub. I don't want to see this in the game.

"It is not right. We totally condemn it. These people can learn and be taught what Black Lives Matter is trying to achieve.

"The players have pulled together and this is what we want, what the majority of fans want - equality in society and in football, everything, be it race, religion, gender, LGBTQ community.

"The players have pulled together and we want to make a stand against this for all minorities."

Burnley went on to lose the match 5-0, with Phil Foden stealing the show as Manchester City made it two wins from two since returning to play.

But, after the match, Mee was more concerned with what happened above the pitch than what happened on it.

"It made a big impact on our players. We, as a group of players, condemn it. We're ashamed, we're embarrassed," he told BBC Radio. "It completely misses the point of what we're trying to achieve as a football community.

"As a group of players we're really ashamed. It's a minority of our supporters and I know I speak for the main part of our supporters – we absolutely distance ourselves from any sort of thing like that. It's a real shame to see and it definitely had a massive effect on us to see that in the sky.

"We were embarrassed, we were disappointed, upset. It misses the whole point of what we're trying to do as a group of players throughout the Premier League, throughout society and the whole Black Lives Matter movement and community."

He added: "Embarrassing. The fact that they've tried to associate it with our club – it doesn't belong anywhere near our club. We definitely want to move as far away from it as possible. Fans like that don't deserve to be around football."

Manchester City will return to play on Thursday for a match against Chelsea, while Mee and Burnley host Watford on the same day.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic's future at Milan will remain up in the air until the end of the season, according to the club's director of football Frederic Massara.

The prolific forward, who sealed a return to the club for a second spell in January, has yielded four goals in 10 games across all competitions since he arrived back at San Siro.

Though he picked up a calf injury in training last month, he is expected to recover in time to play a part in the Rossoneri's run-in to the current Serie A campaign.

At 38, Ibrahimovic is fast approaching the twilight of his playing days, if not already into it, and questions have been asked over whether he has a future at the club.

Now, director Massara has revealed that there will be no answers until the campaign is concluded, though the former Pavia man paid tribute to the Sweden international's talents while doing so, hailing him as an extraordinary talent.

"Ibrahimovic is a champion," he told Sky Sport Italia . "The team [has] improved a great deal with his arrival but, come the end of the season, we need to sit down and discuss the situation, including his own state of mind.

"He wanted to help Milan during a difficult time for the club. It goes without saying that any team is improved by having Ibrahimovic in it as he is a phenomenal player."

Ibrahimovic, who won five consecutive Serie A crowns with Milan's major rivals Juventus and Inter between 2004 and 2009, before later lifting the Scudetto during his first spell with the Rossoneri, is over two decades into his career now and remains widely regarded as one of the finest talents of his generation.

Elsewhere, Massara admitted that a return to European competition remains imperative for Milan, with the club having been excluded from continental football this season due to a violation of the financial fair play rules.

They currently trail Hellas Verona in the race for a seat at the table but the director remains hopeful they can achieve their goal while not falling foul of restrictions this time.

“Milan cannot stay outside Europe for long, so qualification is absolutely a primary objective for us," he added.

“Our united idea is to get Milan back to the top of Italian and European football. There are some parameters we need to stay within, but we don’t want to give up on being competitive."

AC Milan’s return to Serie A action started on a very bright note as they saw off Lecce 4-1 at the Stadio Via del Mare on Monday night with Franck Kessie and Ismael Bennacer both playing.

Before the suspension of the league in March due to coronavirus, the Rossoneri claimed just one victory in four matches, losing two at home against fierce rivals Inter Milan and then Genoa.

They started on the front foot here with Samuel Castillejo getting assisted by Hakan Calhanoglu in the 26th minute.

Lecce came back with Marco Mancosu scoring from the penalty spot, but it was all Milan from there as Giacomo Bonaventura, Ante Rebic and Rafael Leao all got their names on the scoresheet.

Kessie and Bennacer played a double pivot role in midfield with the former playing for 87 minutes while the latter completed the game.

The Ivory Coast international had an impressive 84 touches and 68 accurate passes at 90%. He also had two shots, won three of six total duels, two interceptions and two clearances.

Bennacer, meanwhile, had 99 touches, 80 accurate passes at 92% and successfully played four of five long balls. The 22-year old also made two tackles, three interceptions and won five of 10 total duels.

Both Kessie and Bennacer have been very key for Milan this season, clocking 1,933 and 1,710 minutes of top-flight action.

Kessie has one goal and assist, the goal coming in a 2-1 win at Genoa while his assist was in the 4-2 defeat by Inter.

Bennacer has been a very tough player with 12 yellow cards which have earned him two suspensions. The 2019 Africa Cup of Nations winner has ghd most yellows in the Serie A this season, joint with Bologna’s Mattia Bani also on 12.

Milan remain in seventh place and are now tied on 39 points with sixth-placed Napoli for the final European qualification berth. The Partenopei play Hellas Verona at the Stadio Marc'Antonio Bentegodi on Tuesday evening.

Milan will host Roma at the San Siro next on June 28. The Giallorossi claimed a 2-1 win in the reverse fixture at the Stadio Olimpico on October 27, 2019.