Young signs Manchester United contract extension

Frank Lampard does not believe Manchester City have suffered any drop off in quality from last season, adding Chelsea s hopes of lodging a title challenge will not end if they lose on Saturday.

The Blues sit third, a place and a point above defending champions City, and head to the Etihad Stadium on the back of six successive Premier League victories.

City lost 3-1 to leaders Liverpool prior to the international break, taking their tally of defeats to the season to three.

However, Lampard does not see City as being more vulnerable than they were last season, and insists Chelsea who could finish the day in second place if results go their way will not be downhearted if they lose.

I don t think so. Premier League football, it s quite casual to say they ve …

Thomas Muller and Mats Hummels will remain valued leaders for Germany with Joachim Low resisting the temptation to make wholesale changes following Nations League relegation.

Die Mannschaft s miserable year plunged into deeper disappointment when they were confirmed as finishing bottom of Group 1 in League A by Netherlands win over France on Friday.

Some pride had been restored the previous day with a comfortable 3-0 friendly victory against Russia, a youthful starting XI flourishing as regulars Muller and Hummels were consigned to the bench.

Though calls have been made for the pair to permanently assume less prominent roles, Low is not about to discard his trusted lieutenants.

Muller and Hummels bring energy, which the younger players benefit from, sa…

Skelmersdale United manager Pascal Chimbonda has been given a five-match stadium ban for improper conduct, his club have confirmed.

The 44-year-old former Tottenham, Sunderland, Wigan and Blackburn player, who was also a member of France’s World Cup squad in 2006, took the reins at the North West Counties Premier League side in October.

His club have appealed against the severity of the punishment, which follows an incident which saw him sent off when Skelmersdale faced Barnoldswick Town on October 21.

A thread posted on the club’s official account on X (formerly Twitter) read: “Pascal Chimbonda has been served with a five match stadium ban for Improper Conduct which will take effect immediately. This is in relation to his sending off on the 21st October 20…

Inter coach Antonio Conte has welcomed Zlatan Ibrahimovic back to Serie A following his move to rivals Milan and recounted attempting to take him to Chelsea.

Ibrahimovic, 38, became a free agent after his contract with LA Galaxy expired at the end of the 2019 MLS season and a return to Italy always looked his most likely next step.

Napoli and Bologna were both linked with the Swede, but he ultimately opted for Milan, whom he previously spent two years with – the first on loan from Barcelona – until 2012.

Ibrahimovic made his second comeback from the bench in Monday s clash with Sampdoria but was unable to inspire Stefano Pioli s men to victory, as they were held to a goalless draw at San Siro.

Conte expects the former Manchester United, Barca, Inter a…

Juventus are set to join the race to sign Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey, according to the Daily Star.

The Wales international has been linked with a move away from the Emirates Stadium after a decade with the Gunners, with Manchester United leading the chase for his services.

Jose Mourinho is on the lookout for a new midfielder with Paul Pogba’s Old Trafford future in question though Juve boss Massimiliano Allegri is keen to partner him in the centre of midfield with Liverpool’s Emre Can.

Since signing from Cardiff City in the summer of 2008, Ramsey has played three hundred and twenty times for Arsene Wenger scoring fifty-four goals a tally that includes the winner in the 2014 FA Cup final victory over Hull City.

He has also been capped fifty-t…

Javier Tebas has announced he is resigning as LaLiga president in order to stand for re-election.

The 57-year-old has been in charge of the Spanish top flight since 2013 and is into his second term, having also stepped down in 2016 to run unopposed for re-election.

His latest term was due to be up in October 2020, but he has again taken the decision to force an early open election.

Explaining his reasoning in an open letter on his Twitter page, Tebas said: I have decided to resign from my role as president so that a new electoral process starts, which I plan to run in, and I hope to gain support to stay four more years.

A new political term is starting, where it is possible that in our national parliament and in the European parliament there may be laws…

Tired of your mates recycling the same old football trivia questions from years gone by?

Bring them bang up to date and get them guessing with our Opta-powered Premier League quiz.

All the answers are at the bottom of the page, so you can claim the high ground when it comes to statistical knowledge!

1. West Ham have scored fewer goals on the road that any other team in the Premier League in 2019, with only two players netting. Who are they?

 London derby

— West Ham United (@WestHamUtd)

2. Ayoze Perez (10) and Salomon Rondon (nine) are Newcastle United s top scorers this season. Who were the last two strikers to both score 10 or more goals in a single Premier League campaign for the club?

 Man of the m…

Undefeated Manchester City felt the sharp end of Pep Guardiola s tongue after letting their standards slip against Feyenoord, according to Yaya Toure.

With qualification to the Champions League knockout stages already secure, Guardiola made seven changes to his starting line-up for the visit of the faltering Eredivisie holders and a patchy, listless contest was drifting towards a goalless conclusion before Raheem Sterling expertly dispatched his 11th goal of the season two minutes from time.

That made it five wins out of five in Europe this term, securing top spot in Group F in the process, while City have taken a remarkable 34 points from the 36 on offer in the Premier League.

Speaking after Saturday s considerably more impressive 2-0 win at Leicester, Guardiola…

Benfica head coach Jorge Jesus dismissed speculation linking LaLiga giants Barcelona with Darwin Nunez.

Nunez became Benfica s most expensive signing when he arrived from Almeria in a €24million deal in September.

The 21-year-old forward opened his account with a hat-trick in the Europa League last month, while the Uruguay international has netted four goals across all competitions.

Barca are reportedly interested in Nunez, who has been tipped by Jesus to surpass Joao Felix as the club s most expensive sale following the latter s €126million transfer to Atletico Madrid last year.

Jesus was asked about Nunez and rumoured interest following Benfica s shock 3-0 Primeira Liga loss to Boavista on Monday.

There is no point in talking about it, it c…

Kalidou Koulibaly insisted he loved Napoli, but said we ll see what happens amid speculation over his future.

Koulibaly, 29, has regularly been linked with a move away from the Serie A side, with Liverpool reportedly interested in the defender.

The Senegal centre-back, who is contracted at Napoli until 2023, acknowledged the interest in him, but said he loved the Italian club.

I love Naples and Naples loves me, that s the most important thing, Koulibaly said, via Sky Sport, after Thursday s 1-0 Europa League win over Real Sociedad.

I always make myself available game after game, I still have three years of contract, I m calm, the teams are looking for me but I m still here.

I play at my level and I help this team and these people because I wa…