Jurgen Klopp has made clear Naby Keita remains part of his long-term plans at Liverpool, despite the midfielder enduring another stop-start season at the club.
Injuries have hampered Keita ever since he joined from RB Leipzig. The Reds showed patience to finally get one of their primary transfer targets, completing a deal in August 2017 that saw the player spend one final season in Germany before heading to Anfield.
There have been flashes of his obvious talent since arriving, but Keita has seemingly been stuck in a frustrating cycle of fleetingly good moments followed by spells out of the team.
This campaign has been no different: Keita has made just nine starts in all competitions, the last of them coming in a 3-1 Champions League defeat at Real Madrid that sa…
Verdict: Real Madrid Both Teams to Score
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Sunday brings a regal clash at Santiago Bernabeu as Real Madrid take on Real Sociedad in an effort to get back to winning ways following a midweek setback at Villarreal.
Real Madrid
Real Madrid were given a rude awakening following their FIFA Club World Cup dream at Villarreal. Los Blancos did well to overturn a Santi Cazorla 4th-minute opener through goals from Karim Benzema and Raphael Varane early in the first half. They ultimately failed to hold on to their lead with Cazorla slotting home once again to earn his team a vital point against the reigning European and World champions.
A point against Villarreal leaves Real Madrid in fourth place in the standings, two points beh…
Erik ten Hag has confirmed Harry Maguire will stay on as Manchester United captain this season.
Maguire was named skipper by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in January 2020 following Ashley Young s exit from Old Trafford.
The England international endured a difficult campaign both on and off the field last season, leading to suggestions David de Gea or Cristiano Ronaldo would take the armband instead.
Speaking after being unveiled as United s new manager in May, Ten Hag said he had yet to decide who would captain United in his first season in charge.
That came after interim boss Ralf Rangnick had suggested during his short stint at the helm that it should be down to the players to vote on who captains the side.
However, Ten Hag clarified at a news conferen…
Former United States goalkeeper Hope Solo has opened up on her treatment for alcohol abuse after being convicted of driving while impaired.
Solo was arrested in North Carolina on March 31 and initially charged with impaired driving, resisting arrest and misdemeanour child abuse, with her two children present in the vehicle at the time of the offence.
The latter two charges were voluntarily dismissed, her attorney Chris Clifton told the Winston-Salem Journal on Tuesday, as Solo received a suspended 24-month sentence and surrendered her driving licence.
The former goalkeeper, who won 202 caps for her country between 2000 and 2016, revealed she was to enter an in-patient alcohol treatment program in April, having requested her imminent induction into the National So…
Is my future long-term here? Yes, I feel good. I live well and work well here.
It’s a short and sweet statement from Barcelona defender Samuel Umtiti, who has confirmed that he believes his future lies at the Nou Camp. Umtiti hasn’t quite been able to lock down a place in the club’s starting XI ever since he arrived at the Spanish champions, and many would argue that’s because of circumstances beyond his own control.
Whether that may or may not be the case, though, one thing that is for sure is that Umtiti still has a long way to go before he can be regarded as an indispensable member of Barcelona’s first team squad.
It’s well known how stacked they are both now and in the past, and how much they’d love to be able to make a significa…
Christophe Galtier revealed Leandro Paredes is in demand and gave a strong indication he could leave Paris Saint-Germain before the transfer window closes.
Paredes is reported to have agreed terms with Juventus and a move is expected to go through if Adrien Rabiot joins Manchester United.
The Argentina midfielder has been frustrated by a lack of playing time at PSG, who he joined from Zenit in 2019.
Paredes replaced Vitinha for the final 20 minutes of the champions 5-2 Ligue 1 thrashing of Montpellier on Saturday, but Galtier is unsure whether he will still be at the club when the transfer window closes on September 1.
The PSG head coach said in a press conference: The situation Paredes is very different from Mauro Icardi s.
Leandro has many…
Paris Saint-Germain are interested in signing Chelsea central midfielder N Golo Kante in the summer of 2023, according to . The report in the Spanish news outlet has claimed that Kante is out of contract at former Premier League and UEFA Champions League winners Chelsea at the end of the season, and that defending Ligue 1 champions PSG are keen on securing the services of the 31-year-old
Kante is open to signing a new contract with Chelsea, but the France international midfielder wants a long-term contract. The former Leicester City star has had injury problems in recent years, and it remains to be seen if the Blues would be willing to keep the Frenchman at the club.
The Frenchman has been on the books of Chelsea since 2016 when he joined from Leicester. During his time…
According to a recent report from Calciomercato, Zlatan Ibrahimovic is back out on the market as talks between the popular Swedish forward and AC Milan have fallen apart. He is said to have walked away from negotiations after he asked for an 18-month contract, whereas Milan only wanted to offer him a deal until the end of the current season. Ibrahimovic is currently on the hunt for a brand new club after leaving LA Galaxy, with the belief always being that he was going to make his way back to European football. That has seemingly come to fruition as he is only really in talks with clubs from the main leagues in Europe, as opposed to accepting any offers from over in China which was heavily hinted at recently.
Ibrahimovic is certainly divisive, but he’s also one of t…
Speaking to the press after England s triumph over Italy in the Euro 2024 qualifications on Tuesday, Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips admitted being desperate for more game-time at club level as he seeks to be a part of Gareth Southgate s squad at the main tournament next year.
City signed Phillips from Leeds United in the summer of 2022 for around £45 million, but his move to the Etihad doesn t appear to have worked out for the best as of yet. Even City boss Pep Guardiola recently admitted he had failed to get the best out of the 27-year-old England international. Phillips is yet to start a Premier League game this term, having only come on from the bench three times so far.
As a football player you always want to be playing, Phillips . I want to be playing…
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Looking to pick up a Europa League first-leg advantage on Thursday night, Manchester United will welcome Sevilla to Old Trafford.
Manchester United
Starting with the hosts, while Manchester United might have marked their return from the international break with a 2-0 loss away at Newcastle, Erik ten Hag’s side have certainly proven that result was nothing more than a minor blip. Ending their six-year wait to lift a piece of silverware back in February as they were crowned EFL Cup champions at Wembley, the former Ajax boss has seen his side gain plenty of plaudits this season. Cruising their way to a top-four return, the Premier League giants also picked up some perfect momentum over the weekend. Last seen a few days ago claiming a r…