Ten Hag call ramps up Man Utd ‘pressure’ as doubts over ‘too wild’ star revealed

Barcelona vice-president Javier Faus says his club are owed eight million euros by AC Milan for the 2011 transfer of Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

The club s end-of-year financial report was presented on Friday, and it was revealed that despite Ibrahimovic s recent move from Milan to Paris Saint-Germain, a portion of the transfer fee from the striker s permanent move from Camp Nou to San Siro last year is still outstanding.

The Sweden striker initially moved to Milan on loan in 2010, and sealed a permanent deal the following year after an unhappy stint in Catalonia.

Faus also revealed that the Catalans would not receive any money from the player s recent transfer to PSG.

He also made it clear that after exceeding last season s transfer budget, Barca cannot afford …

Real Madrid salvaged a 1-1 draw at Valencia on Sunday thanks to a late Karim Benzema equaliser that Zinedine Zidane believes is proof of the team s fighting spirit.

Valencia looked to be heading for a 1-0 win when Carlos Soler put the hosts in front with 12 minutes to go, then surviving a scare as Luka Jovic had a goal disallowed for offside.

But Madrid continued to plug away and eventually restored parity deep into stoppage time – Benzema slamming home after goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was remarkably denied when his header was saved by Jaume Domenech.

As such, Madrid go into Wednesday s Clasico against Barcelona with something of a morale boost, with Zidane suggesting the late goal highlights his team s mentality.

This shows you what we are, we fight …

Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno called for unity under embattled boss Mikel Arteta following Saturday s 2-1 defeat at Everton.

The Gunners winless run in the Premier League stretched to seven games thanks to Yerry Mina s header and a Rob Holding own goal, either side of Nicolas Pepe s penalty.

Arsenal s 14 points from their first 14 games of the season is their worst return since 1974-75, while they have not scored from open play in any of their past five away matches in the top flight.

With his side just four points above the relegation zone and 10 adrift of the top four, pressure is mounting on manager Arteta ahead of two huge matches next week: an EFL Cup quarter-final with Manchester City on Tuesday and a league game at home to Chelsea on December 26.

L…

Chelsea have seen a £100m double swoop for Gareth Bale and Raphael Varane knocked back by Real Madrid, .

The Blues had enquired about the midfielder and defender, but have been told by Real president Florentio Perez that the pair are not for sale.

Bale moved to the Bernabeu in the summer of 2013 for a world record transfer fee of £85m, and has since scored thirty-nine goals in eighty-seven appearances for the club though his contribution to the team this campaign has been questioned in some quarters.

Varane arrived at the La Liga club two years before Bale, and has played for them one hundred and ten times, scoring six goals but is not guaranteed a regular first team place, leading him to be linked with a move elsewhere.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side we…

Argentina great Diego Maradona has urged his compatriots to leave Lionel Messi alone in the wake of his decision to retire from international football. 

Messi called it quits on the international scene after Argentina lost a third final in three years, going down to Chile 4-2 in a penalty shoot-out for the Copa America Centenario last Sunday. 

It was the fourth time Messi has suffered a defeat the final of a major tournament, adding to the heartbreak of the 2007 and 2015 editions of the Copa, as well as the 2014 World Cup decider against Germany. 

The decision brought many in the South American nation to tears, with several high-profile figures including the country s president Mauricio Macri pleading with Messi to reconsider. 

However Maradona who w…

Italian newspaper that Napoli are closing in on PSV Eindhoven midfielder Dries Mertens.

The same source has suggested the Azzurri have already agreed a €10 million fee for the talented footballer, with the player soon expected to put pen to paper on a long-term deal with San Paolo outfit.

Mertens can cover all three attacking midfield positions in  the 4-2-3-1 formation Rafael Benitez plans to use with Napoli, which makes him a perfect signing.

The 26-year-old joined PSV Eindhoven from Utrecht in the summer of 2011 and quickly proved he would be a great signing for the Dutch giants.

Mertens went on to score no less than 37 goals in 62 Eredivisie matches despite being mostly used as a winger.

Following two very successful seasons, during which…

Spain go into their Confederations Cup clash against Nigeria knowing a point will be enough to see them through to the semi-finals.

But that is unlikely to have any impact on Vicente Del Bosque s world and European champions heading into the Group B encounter at the Estadio Castelao in Fortaleza.

Spain were last beaten in November 2011, when a Frank Lampard goal gave England a 1-0 win in a friendly at Wembley.

They have gone unbeaten in their past 24 matches since that day, and will be hot favourites against a Nigeria side who suffered a 2-1 loss to Uruguay on Thursday.

Spain, meanwhile, thrashed minnows Tahiti 10-0, with Fernando Torres scoring four times to be the top scorer at the tournament.

David Villa netted a hat-trick and David Silva scored a brace,…

Christian Eriksen returns to full training with Manchester United on Tuesday, manager Erik ten Hag has confirmed.

The Denmark international has been sidelined since January with an ankle injury but remains hopeful of featuring before the end of the season.

While Eriksen will not be available to feature against his former side, Brentford, on Wednesday, a return could be right around the corner.

He s not ready for tomorrow but he s returning to the pitch and into team training today, so we now have to see how quickly he can make progress, Ten Hag said at a press conference.

Eriksen s continued absence in midfield is further complicated by Casemiro s suspension. He was issued a four-match suspension following his red card in the goalless draw against Southa…

The poll on this site for the last several weeks has asked who the surprise team was in the 2008-09 season.

There have been several votes for Fulham who transformed themselves from relegation candidates into a side that qualified for Europe. They truly have been a revelation over the past few months and manager Roy Hodgson deserves all the credit in the world for the way he has turned things around at Craven Cottage.

Winner

However, the clear winner in the poll is the Bundesliga side Wolsburg. How many people tipped them to win the league at the start of the season? I certainly wish I had because I would guess the odds on that very thing happening would have been very attractive indeed.

Many people thought that Jurgen Klinsmann would lead Bayern Munich …

Brighton and Hove Albion head coach Graham Potter is confident the club will retain Moises Caicedo amid reported interest from some of the Premier League s big hitters.

The 20-year-old Ecuadorian has become a pivotal asset for the Seagulls since returning from a loan stint with Beerschot in January, scoring in the 4-0 victory over Manchester United at the back end of last season.

Following the departure of Yves Bissouma to Tottenham in June, Caicedo s importance has increased and he has been a mainstay in the club s stellar start to the season, which sees them sitting fourth in the Premier League with 10 points from four games.

Caicedo s exploits have not gone unnoticed, with United and Liverpool among those attributed with an interest in in him.

Potter i…