CHELSEA are considering a summer move for Sergio Aguero, who is available on a free transfer from Manchester City.
Meanwhile Arsenal have reportedly entered the race for Sevilla’s Jules Kounde.
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UTD ‘TOO INCONSISTENT’ TO WIN FA CUP
Ex-Tottenham and England star Jermaine Jenas tips Chelsea to win the FA Cup but says Manchester United are ‘”just too inconsistent”.
Man City travel to Everton in the quarter-finals as bookies’ favourites to lift the cup in May, while Chelsea host Premier League bottom club Sheffield United on Sunday.
Championship side Bournemouth are at home to out-of-form Southampton and United visit Leicester.
Jenas – who is working with heycar, the sponsors of BT Sport’s Emirates FA Cup coverage – said: “Leicester struggled towards the end of last season and I see that happening a bit again this season.
“Whereas Manchester United are just too inconsistent, week to week.
“Chelsea might win it. They have found some form under Thomas Tuchel and I like what is going down there.
“With the form they’re in, they could be a side bet to Manchester City as winners this season.”
BATTERED AND BRUCED
Steve Bruce admitted he is doing a shoddy job at Newcastle.
Two wins from 17 leaves the Magpies struggling to stay afloat after plunging from mid-table safety in the Premier League.
Defeat at Brighton tomorrow could be critical for Bruce.
And the under-fire Newcastle boss said: “That decision will always be taken out of my hands.
“I only want what’s best for the club and over the last few months, in particular, I haven’t been good enough to get the results this club demands.
“I understand it totally.”
Three successive draws from winnable games against Wolves, West Brom and Aston Villa leaves the Toon Army fretting with 10 games left.
But despite it taking 19 games to pick up their last 18 points, Bruce is targeting the same tally in the home stretch.
MALANG PRANG
Chelsea defender Malang Sarr was lucky to avoid injury after he smashed his £200,000 Mercedes into a lamp post.
The 22-year-old – who joined the Blues last summer before being loaned out to Porto – crashed his car shortly after leaving training.
Malang Sarr crashed his Mercedes shortly after leaving Porto’s training ground According to Portuguese news outlet Record, the centre-back lost control of his vehicle just 100 metres after departing Porto’s training ground.
They state that the accident involving the France youth international occurred on Wednesday in the early afternoon.
Initial reports stated that Sarr’s team-mate Moussa Marega was also in the car, however those claims have been shut down by Record.
Sarr is said to have walked away from the accident unscathed after the airbags deployed, however his Mercedes was bashed up.
The former Nice star has impressed during his loan at Porto, where he has featured in 19 games in all competitions.
And he could face Chelsea next month after Porto were drawn against the West London outfit in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
RUUD’S RON REGRET
Ruud Van Nistelrooy admits he was wrong to spark a training ground bust-up with Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United.
The Dutch striker had an altercation with Ronaldo in training after the then Portugal winger failed to provide a simple pass.
Ronaldo and Van Nistelrooy had a spat while teammates at Man Utd Van Nistelrooy went crazy but it was the catalyst which ended the Old Trafford career of the prolific forward, who scored an incredible 150 goals in 218 appearances.
Van Nistelrooy held his hands up and conceded he made a mistake when he told ex-United team-mate Rio Ferdinand on his Vibe with Five podcast: “I know that I was wrong in that situation.
“I immediately walked into the dressing room and I sat next to him and apologised for my behaviour when I calmed down.
“That frustration came from somewhere. Now when you are 44 and you look back on things and you know when things are going around you in your private life, things are going on and sometimes can make you frustrated.
“That incident led to a discussion with Cristiano. Of course, you need to realise then and you have to be big enough to acknowledge that.”
THEATRE OF STREAMS
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has landed a huge transfer-fund boost after Manchester United announced a new £235million, five-year shirt sponsorship deal with global technology firm TeamViewer.
United said: “The agreement will bring together one of the world’s most popular and successful sports teams with one of Europe’s fastest-growing software companies.
“The partnership will harness the power of Manchester United’s unrivalled global platform to showcase the unique capabilities of TeamViewer to transform the way the world works and interacts.
“The partnership will introduce Manchester United and its 1.1billion fans and followers around the world to exciting new technology drawing on TeamViewer’s expertise in remote connectivity services.
“TeamViewer will enable Manchester United to bring its fans even closer to the team they love through ground-breaking AR solutions and remote access to the Theatre of Dreams.”
UNITED ARE EUROPA LEAGUE FAVOURITES
United are warm favourites ahead of Arsenal to win the Europa League after an advantageous quarter-final draw today.
AC Milan’s conquerors United are 6/4 after being paired with Granada, whilst Arsenal are second favourites on 13/5 as they face Slavia Prague.
Ladbrokes spokesman Alex Apati said: “Things are shaping up nicely for an all-English Europa League final.”
Ladbrokes odds: Man Utd – 6/4, Arsenal – 13/5, Ajax – 6/1, Villarreal – 6/1, Roma – 8/1, Granada – 25/1, Slavia Prague – 28/1, Dinamo Zagreb – 40/1
FULL DRAW – QUARTER-FINALS: Granada v Manchester United, Arsenal v Slavia Prague, Ajax v Roma, Dinamo Zagreb v Villarreal.
SEMI-FINALS: Granada/Manchester United v Ajax/Roma, Dinamo Zagreb/Villarreal v Arsenal/Slavia Prague.PEP HAILS HAALAND
Pep Guardiola hailed Erling Haaland as one of the world’s top strikers as he prepares to go up against the Borussia Dortmund hot-shot.
Manchester City are leading the race to land the Norwegian striker this summer – although they face competition from the top teams in Europe.
And Guardiola will get the chance to have a good look at him after his team were paired with the Germans in the Champions League quarter finals.
The City boss admits he has had not had the chance to watch too much of him due to the congested nature of his own team’s season.
But he said: “The numbers speak for themselves, one of the best in the world at his age.
“I saw few games but I’ve seen highlights and the numbers are impressive. I know the quality of him and I think everyone knows,
“I am going to try to see some games in the international break and in two weeks, I will answer better.”
MORRISON’S LATEST CHANCE
Former Manchester United prodigy Ravel Morrison is training with Sheffield Wednesday ahead of a possible free transfer.
The 28-year-old midfielder was tipped as a youngster to be one of England’s hottest prospects, but he failed to develop into a world class player.
And now, after spells at the likes of Queens Park Rangers, Sheffield United and Middlesbrough, Morrison is linking up with Wednesday as he looks to save them from relegation to the third tier.
Having trained recently with Huddersfield Town, The Star understand he is now with Wednesday and close to reaching a free transfer agreement.
SACK RACE
Jose Mourinho needs a ‘miracle’ to stave off the sack at Spurs, according to reports.
Tottenham were humiliated by Dinamo Zagreb last night, meekly exiting the Europa League at the round of 16 stage.
The Portuguese is understood to have no break clause in his contract, meaning chairman Daniel Levy will have to pay a pretty penny to give him the boot.
But according to Telegraph sources, Mourinho now requires a ‘miracle’ to hold onto his job beyond the end of this season.
Following last night’s 3-0 humbling, goalkeeper Hugo Lloris labelled the performance a ‘disgrace’, while pointing to division behind the scenes.
Mourinho, 58, was appointed in November 2019.
Jose Mourinho has failed at TottenhamCredit: Reuters
FOR FOX SAKE
Manchester United travel to Leicester this weekend as their attentions turn to the FA Cup quarter-finals.
Here’s how SunSport’s Will Pugh thinks that the Red Devils could line up.
How Man Utd could line up this weekend RICE ONE HARRY
Manchester United fans were left delighted after Declan Rice congratulated Harry Maguire on their ‘incredible’ win over AC Milan.
Red Devils ace Maguire captained his team to a clean sheet and a 1-0 win on the night to win 2-1 on aggregate and qualify for the Europa League quarter-finals.
Paul Pogba came off the bench at half-time and had an almost immediate impact – scoring the winner just minutes later.
And Maguire-led United held on for the win.
The England centre-back posted a picture of himself walking out onto the pitch at the famous old stadium.
He captioned the post: “Leading the lads out to victory at the San Siro.”
And his Three Lions team-mate Rice replied: “Incredible bro.”
More than 115 people had liked the comment within 12 minutes of it going live.
Several replied with heart emojis and urged the midfielder to join the Reds.
United fans were loving the interaction KEEP KOEMAN
Barcelona’s dressing room is reportedly trying to insist manager Ronald Koeman is kept on for another season despite rumours of Xavi taking over in the summer.
Koeman, 57, came under fire after Barca were knocked out of the Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain last week.
But the Catalan side’s upturn in form in LaLiga has seen them move to within four points of table toppers Atletico Madrid.
And according to Sport, this has led to the players calling for Koeman to remain in charge despite talk of legendary midfielder Xavi taking over at the club.
Speculation surrounds the future of both Koeman and Lionel Messi at Camp Nou ART ATTACK
Mikel Arteta has taken aim at Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang after the Arsenal skipper spurned a number of chances against Olympiacos on Thursday.
The Gunners limped through to the quarter-finals despite losing 1-0 to the Greek outfit at the Emirates as they won 3-2 on aggregate.
And commenting on Aubameyang’s missed chances against Olympiacos, Arteta said: “I hope the weekend isn’t still on his mind.
“We moved on, he started and we expect when he does play he performs at the level he can.
“We had a tough opponent, we knew that, we knew that they weren’t going to give up, so happy to be through.
“But at the same time we have to be fair with ourselves and today we were nowhere near the levels that we have to set ourselves.
“It has been a really demanding week but I don’t think we have to use any excuses. We have refreshed the team, we have players that they were fresh, and we know the importance of the competition.”
Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang failed to impress against Olympiacos on Thursday RODGER THAT
Brendan Rodgers is the standout favourite to replace Jose Mourinho as Tottenham manager.
That’s according to odds supplied by bookmakers Betfair, who’ve installed the Leicester boss as the 6/4 market leader to be appointed on a permanent basis in North London.
Next Tottenham Manager odds – Betfair
- Brendan Rodgers – 6/4
- Max Allegri – 7/2
- Julian Nagelsmann – 5/1
- Carlo Ancelotti – 10/1
- Diego Simeone – 12/1
- Dean Smith – 16/1
- Adi Hutter – 20/1
- Julen Lopetegui – 25/1
Diego Simeone, Brendan Rodgers and Carlo Ancelotti have been linked with the Tottenham job, say Betfair HART IN MOUTH
Joe Hart has apologised after his social media team posted ‘job done’ following Tottenham’s shock exit in the Europa League.
The Lilywhites were dumped out in stunning fashion as Dinamo Zagreb came from two goals down to win the last 16 tie 3-2 thanks to a hat-trick from Mislav Orsic.
And Hart, who played no part in the game, was left with egg on his face after the match when his Instagram posted ‘job done’ despite the defeat.
Explaining his team’s mistake on Friday morning, Hart said: “I feel like I need to come on and make an apology on behalf of my social media team, I’ve literally just woke up.
“Someone thought that we’d won 3-0 last night. As sloppy as it sounds it’s the truth.
“They posted ‘job done’. That’s unacceptable. I’m sure that’s annoyed a lot of people and I’m sorry it’s come to that but it’s obviously not come from me.
“I’ve got nothing but love for the club and support for the team and I’m just as down as the boys are.
“So apologies, unfortunately stuff like this happens, but just know it didn’t come from any other place other than a typo. Have a great day.”
Joe Hart’s social media team made the gaffe last night
GETTING SHIRTY
Manchester United have announced TeamViewer will be their new shirt sponsor.
The Red Devils’ deal with the global technology company will commence at the start of the 2021/21 side and will last for five years.
An excerpt of the club statement read: “Manchester United today announced that it has signed a new five-year agreement with the global technology company TeamViewer as its principal shirt partner.
“The partnership will begin with the 2021/2022 season.
“The agreement will bring together one of the world’s most popular and successful sports teams with one of Europe’s fastest-growing software companies.”
Manchester United’s main kit sponsor will be global technology company TeamViewer ERL OF BARCA
Barcelona ‘must slash players’ wages and sell stars’ if they want to sign Erling Haaland this summer.
The 20-year-old Norwegian has been linked with a move to the Nou Camp after a remarkable campaign with Borussia Dortmund.
Haaland’s contract with Dortmund has a release clause of £66million.
But it is being reported that the Bundesliga side will not accept any fee less than £130m for the world class goalscorer.
Therefore, if Barcelona were to pay that amount for Haaland he would come within touching distance of the club’s record transfer fee which was £145m for Philippe Coutinho in 2018.
Haaland has established himself as one of the very best strikers in the world EUROPA LEAGUE SEMI-FINAL DRAW
Manchester United could face either Ajax or AS Roma, while Arsenal could come up against Spurs’ conquerors Dinamo Zagreb or Villarreal.
Europa League semi-final draw:
Arsenal/Slavia Prague vs Dinamo Zagreb/Villarreal
Manchester United/Granada vs AS Roma/Ajax
EUROPA LEAGUE QF DRAW
Manchester United have drawn Granada in the Europa League quarter-finals.
And Arsenal will face Leicester and Rangers’ conquerors Slavia Prague.
Europa League quarter-final draw in full.
Ajax vs Roma
Arsenal vs Slavia Prague
Granada vs Manchester United
Dinamo Zagreb vs Villarreal
RON THE WAY?
Real Madrid star Marcelo has teased fans that rumoured Manchester United target Cristiano Ronaldo could return to the Bernabeu from Juventus in the summer.
Speculation has been rife that Los Blancos could re-sign the 36-year-old, with the Portugal international reportedly keen to make the switch.
With just a year remaining on his deal in Italy, it has been claimed that Juve could cash in on the five-time Ballon d’Or winner at the end of the season.
Amid the ongoing rumours, left-back Marcelo has hinted that Ronaldo could be in line for a shock return.
The Brazilian commented on an Instagram video of him and Ronaldo celebrating after the victory against the Reds in Kiev three years ago.
Captioning the post, 433 said: “That @marcelotwelve @cristiano connection @realmadrid.”
Marcelo was quick to respond, as he simply stated, ‘Soon,’ followed by two emojis that have been left open to interpretation.
Marcelo teased fans about Juventus forward Ronaldo possibly returning to Real in the summer Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcelo won numerous trophies together at Real Madrid REDS REST
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has given at least SEVEN first-team stars the week off to recover from a gruelling season.
The Reds don’t play again until their April 4 showdown with Arsenal thanks to the international break.
Liverpool had been due to face Chelsea this weekend, but that game has now been pushed back due to the Blues’ involvement in the FA Cup.
And Klopp has given a handful of his exhausted players some much needed rest and relaxation time before they head off on international duty.
Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Georginio Wijnaldum, Thiago, Diogo Jota and Andrew Robertson are claimed to have been given the week to relax, according to The Athletic.
Klopp has given at least seven of his first-team stars the week off before the international break
CL SEMI-FINALS
The winner of Manchester City vs Borussia Dortmund will take on the victor of Bayern Munich’s crunch clash with Paris Saint-Germain.
And either Real Madrid or Liverpool will face Chelsea or Porto for a place in the final.
Semi-final draw:
Man City/Dortmund vs Bayern/PSG
Real Madrid/Liverpool vs Chelsea/Porto
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE DRAW
The Champions League quarter-finals have been drawn, with Liverpool facing Real Madrid and Chelsea taking on Porto.
Meanwhile Manchester City go head to head with Borussia Dortmund, while Bayern face PSG in a repeat of last season’s final.
Quarter-finals:
Chelsea vs Porto
Liverpool vs Real Madrid
Manchester City vs Borussia Dortmund
Bayern Munich vs Paris Saint-Germain
VAN DER SHRIEK
Donny van de Beek poured cold water on suggestions he is unhappy at Manchester United with his passionate celebration during the Red Devils’ win at AC Milan.
The Dutchman has struggled for game time under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
He joined United from Ajax in a £39million move at the end of last season.
But the 23-year-old has played just 26 times in all competitions since the transfer.
Reports in recent days suggested the Holland international wants to quit Old Trafford already because of a lack of game time.
Dutch legend Ronald de Boer also confirmed the midfielder is ‘not happy’ with the amount of time he has spent out of the team and the squad.
But the Ajax youth coach added he is certain Van de Beek is willing to stay and fight for his place.
And judging by the 17-cap star’s reaction to Paul Pogba’s winner in Italy on Thursday, former Barcelona ace De Boer is right.
Pogba replaced injured Marcus Rashford at half-time with the score at 0-0 on the night and 1-1 on aggregate.
Donny couldn’t hide his delight when Pogba scored THE TIEL DEAL
Leicester midfielder Youri Tielemans is wanted by Inter Milan this summer, according to reports.
The Belgian star, 23, has impressed in the middle of the park for the Foxes this season.
Tielemans has bagged six goals and three assists in 29 Premier League games – becoming a key man for Brendan Rodgers.
But Fichajes reports Inter are preparing to table a £34.3million offer for his services.
The report claims Inter boss Antonio Conte has signed off on the player.
The former Chelsea manager is said to have been impressed by his technical quality and reading of the game.
Tielemans has caught Inter’s eye
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
