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Manchester United defender Luke Shaw has stressed that manager Erik ten Hag has brought the kind of discipline back to Old Trafford that the player hinted was absent under previous bosses. News broke on Saturday morning that Marcus Rashford had been dropped to the bench for the Premier League trip to Wolves, despite the forward returning from the World Cup in great form. Speaking before the Game , Ten Hag had labelled it an 'internal disciplinary' matter. Rashford was eventually brought on at half-time with the score still tied at 0-0 and went on to change the Game . He scored the only goal to secure his side the win and three points, moving them into the top four of the Premier League , and had another goal disallowed following a VAR review. Wolves 0-1 Man Utd: Player ratings as super-sub Rashford decides the game After the final whistle, Shaw backed Ten Hag for initially dropping Rashford, insisting that there have to be consequences if players step out of line. His words s...

Frank Lampard has claimed he tried to sign Erling Haaland while in charge at Chelsea in 2019. Lampard was appointed by the club where he established himself as an all-time midfield great that same year after leaving Derby County and remained in the hot seat until his sacking in 2021. A bright start while dealing with a transfer ban soured in his second season and he was dismissed after a poor run of results that had seen them fall away from the top of the tree. Lampard has since taken charge at Everton and steered them clear of relegation last season, but takes them to the Etihad Stadium this weekend to play Haaland and Manchester City. Speaking ahead of the Game , he explained: "[Haaland] is an amazing player and the ultimate top level players generally can do what he does in a top level league. "I coached against him in a pre-season game when he was playing for Salzburg. I tried to sign him for Chelsea and it was not to be." Lampard added: "It was clear in our pr...

Cristiano Ronaldo has described Pele as a ‘reference’ point for the rest of Football , both in the past and present, as well as still for the future. The Brazilian icon sadly passed away on Thursday at the age of 82. He is the only player to win three World Cup trophies and for decades was considered the greatest of all time. Just a few others have ever come near him in that sense…Diego Maradona, who passed away himself in 2020, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Pele dies aged 82 Pele: The man who invented the beautiful game Pele: How the world of football reacted to the death of an icon Neymar & Ronaldo post emotional tributes to Pele “My deep condolences to all of Brazil, and in particular to the family of Edson Arantes do Nascimento,” the former Manchester United and Real Madrid star posted on social media. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Cristiano Ronaldo (@cristiano) “A mere ‘goodbye’ to the eternal King Pele will never be enough to express ...

Stefan Bajcetic has been ‘ lucky ’ to get the opportunity to make such an early breakthrough at Liverpool according to his father, but he’s determined to make the most of it. The 18-year-old became one of Liverpool’s youngest ever Premier League goalscorers when he scored in their 3-1 win over Aston Villa on Boxing Day, just seconds after coming off the bench. Bajcetic joined Liverpool in December 2020 from Celta Vigo and has featured sporadically for the Reds this season. It is all happening for him a lot sooner than he and his father expected, but the ambition of making a big impact was always there. “We didn’t expect this to happen this year,” Srdan Bajcetic told AS of this son’s breakthrough. “He was lucky that a lot of people were injured in midfield and from the beginning, he started training with the first team. “He has taken it as a challenge, he is very ambitious, and he has achieved it. "He has a very good relationship with Klopp’s assistant; Pepjin Lijnders, who is a...

Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone has stressed that Joao Felix remains ‘important’ to the club and will have a big role to play in the second half of the season if he can carry over his form for Portugal at the World Cup to club level. Felix cost Atletico a club record €126m when they triggered the release clause in his contract with Benfica in 2019. He was just 19 at the time, but in three and a half years has often struggled to justify being one of the most expensive players in history. In the first half of this season, Felix only started five La Liga Game s and none since September. His only starts in any com Pet ition in the last three months have been a Champions League dead rubber played after Atletico had been knocked out and a Copa del Rey tie against lower league opposition. It has paved the way the for a potential January exit. 90min reported in November that Felix is ready to look for a move, while Atletico chief executive Gil Marin confirmed as recently as early December...

Chelsea mark their return to Premier League action with a home clash against AFC Bournemouth on Tuesday night. The World Cup arrived at a timely moment for Graham Potter, who oversaw three straight league defeats before the unprecedented break. Chelsea's pitiful form in the wake of Potter's honeymoon period saw them slide down to eighth in the table. The club accumulated just 21 points through 14 Game s and haven't tasted victory in the Premier League since 16 October, when they beat Aston Villa 2-0. Injuries played a major role in the Blues' demise before the World Cup and the break allowed those sidelined to recover in time for the club's festive schedule. Reece James' absence down the right flank was a particular blow, but Potter should be welcoming the England international back to the fold very soon. How long has Reece James been out for? Chelsea have been without their superb full-back since mid-October after he picked up a knee injury in his side's 2...

Arsenal once again underlined their Premier League title credentials by coming from behind to beat West Ham 3-1 at the Emirates. The Gunners were the better side for much of the contest, but they were made to do it the hard way after a toothless first-half showing. Despite dominating the ball in the opening 45 mins, Arsenal found themselves behind when Jarrod Bowen was felled in the penalty area on a breakaway. Said Benrahma converted from the spot to give West Ham an unlikely half-time lead. The Gunners came out fighting after the break, though, and showed the kind of ruthlessness that has taken them to the top of the Premier League table. Bukayo Saka, who had a goal ruled out for offside earlier, hauled Arsenal level just eight minutes after the restart with a crisp close-range finish. Almost immediately Gabriel Martinelli put them in front after good work from Granit Xhaka. From there, it was a completely different Game with Arsenal looking very much in the mood. Eddie Nketiah, who...

Manchester United host Nottingham Forest on Tuesday evening in the first com Pet itive meeting between these iconic clubs in the 21st century. When these sides last met in February 1999, Nottingham Forest had won more European Cups (two) than Manchester United (one). En route to levelling that tally of big-eared trophies, the Red Devils romped to a humiliating 8-1 victory at the City Ground. This fixture may be the setting for one of the greatest substitute performances in Premier League history - Ole Gunnar Solskjaer came off the bench to score four goals that afternoon - but the starters are the focus for now. Here's the XI Erik ten Hag may deploy in a bid to emulate the club's past triumphs against the (Not Always So) Tricky Trees. Man Utd vs Nottingham Forest: TV channel, team news, lineups & prediction Watch  90min's TFP  on YouTube as Harry Symeou, Scott Saunders, Grizz Khan, Lawrence Bury and Daniel Childs look ahead to the Premier League 's return. Subscribe...

Football at Christmas is one of the best times of the year for fans in England. It’s not ideal for the players and coaches because there are games at every level coming thick and fast. But you might be able to watch your team three of even four times in little more than week in late December around the festive season. Boxing Day football is a staple of the calendar, as is New Year’s Day. There will usually be another game in between those and one just before Christmas, depending on where the weekend falls. The football calendar is still extremely busy around Christmas / Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images Christmas Day used to be part of that, often a double header with Boxing Day when a team might play the same opponent home and away on consecutive days. In 1957/58, reigning First Division champions Manchester United faced Luton at Old Trafford on Christmas Day and then travelled south to play them again at Kenilworth Road the next day. It was par for the course in those days, and i...

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) have confirmed they are investigating a number of incidents of crowd trouble during the Carabao Cup clash between Manchester City and Liverpool on Thursday. City won the game to progress to the next round, but there has been a growing animosity between the sets of fans in recent years born out of the new competitive rivalry. Among the incidents on Thursday night was a 15-year-old girl being treated for head injuries after being struck by an object. A 53-year-old man was also assaulted after the Game , while two men were arrested on suspicion of trying to take a firework into the stadium, and another man arrested over a racially aggravated public order offence. “We are aware of a number of objects, including coins and a smoke bomb, that were thrown during the match," GMP match commander, Superintendent Gareth Parkin, said. "We will be investigating the incidents and reviewing CCTV from the night." A joint statement issued by the clubs con...

Dele Alli took to Instagram to break his silence after being hooked by Besiktas to a chorus of boos just 30 minutes into a Game . The 26-year-old headed to Turkey in August on loan from Everton but has flattered to deceive during his time at Besiktas thus far. He made headlines for the wrong reasons earlier this week when he was substituted after half an hour with Besiktas 2-0 down against a third division outfit in a cup Game . After making way to an overwhelmingly negative reaction from the crowd, he watched on as they fought back to win 4-2. Back in November manager Senol Gunes criticised Dele for falling below expectations during his time with the club, a damning highlight in his unfortunate fall from grace. Since the disappointing half hour cameo and subsequent substitution, Dele went to Instagram to make his feelings known. He posted a photo of him heading and holding a ball on a training pitch, with the caption: "You saved my life. That's why I will always love you...

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has given the green light to trigger a one-year contract extension clause on four first team players. Marcus Rashford, Luke Shaw, Fred and Diogo Dalot, all initially out of contract in 2023 and able to speak to foreign clubs about a free transfer from January 1, have now seen their deals extended until 2024 - giving United more time to renegotiate long-term contract s or seek transfer fees for any players they'd like to offload next year. One player in the same boat whose future remains unresolved however, is first-choice goalkeeper David de Gea. When does David de Gea's Man Utd contract expire? De Gea's contract expires on June 30, 2023. United have an option to extend the Spaniard's stay by a further year like the aforementioned players, but the issue United face is De Gea is currently among the club's top earners - he agreed a deal in the region of £375,000-a-week when it was signed in 2019. Any extension trigger would be...