Paris Saint-Germain sporting director Leonardo defended Kylian Mbappe following his strop at being substituted early by head coach Thomas Tuchel, insisting the star forward is not a spoiled child .
Mbappe vocally questioned Tuchel s decision to replace him after 68 minutes with PSG already five goals ahead in last weekend s 5-0 Ligue 1 rout of Montpellier.
Former France international Christophe Dugarry criticised the youngster s reaction and said he has lost respect for his 21-year-old compatriot.
However, Mbappe has since played 90 minutes in back-to-back games for the Ligue 1 champions and Leonardo attempted to further play down the incident amid links to Real Madrid.
I heard things about Mbappe. On his personality. It makes me feel uncomfortable, he t…
Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic insists his team will have no reason to fear Lionel Messi in the World Cup semi-finals if they repeat the defensive approach that limited Neymar s influence against Brazil.
A 4-2 penalty shoot-out win over the Selecao on Friday following a 1-1 draw after extra time at Education City Stadium secured Croatia successive World Cup semi-final appearances.
Neymar did give Brazil the lead in the first half of extra time at the end of a brilliant move, before Bruno Petkovic s deflected strike took the game to penalties.
But Brazil s talisman otherwise struggled to penetrate the Croatian defence.
Occupying a slightly more central position inside Vinicius Junior on the left, the two players managed just one key pass and five completed dri…
Harry Maguire bailed out what looked set to be a costly John Stones error as the Manchester United defender scored England s late winner in a 2-1 victory over Poland on Wednesday.
Gareth Southgate s men, who had begun a new World Cup qualifying campaign with wins over San Marino and Albania, just about did enough against a Poland side without the injured Robert Lewandowski.
The Three Lions were good value for their lead amid a commanding first-half display, Harry Kane becoming England s all-time leading penalty scorer on 10 as he converted after fine play by Raheem Sterling.
Stones gifted Poland a chance that Jakub Moder capitalised on in the 58th minute, though he played an important role as Maguire s goal maintain England s unblemished start in Group I.
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Manchester United are interested in signing Evan Ferguson from Premier League rivals Brighton and Hove Albion, according to . The report has claimed that United are looking to get back to the level they were once at and compete with Manchester City for the Premier League title on a regular basis. One of the players the former Premier League and UEFA Champions League winners are looking to sign is Ferguson.
Ferguson is one of the best young strikers in the Premier League and has been making the headlines since last season. The 18-year-old made 10 starts and nine substitute appearances in the league for the Seagulls last season, scoring six goals and providing two assists in the process.
The Republic of Ireland international striker has made two starts and two substitut…
Manchester United are interested in signing Declan Rice from Premier League rivals West Ham United in the summer transfer window, according to . It has been reported that United are among three clubs in England who are keen on securing the services of Rice, who plays predominately in midfield but can also operate in central defence.
Rice is one of the best midfielders in the Premier League and is also a regular in the England squad. The 23-year-old has made 24 appearances in the Premier League for West Ham so far this season, scoring one goal and providing four assists in the process. Rice has also scored two goals in four Europa League games, has scored one goal in two FA Cup appearances, and has made one appearance in the Carabao Cup.
West Ham are aiming to finish in …
Tottenham defender Younes Kaboul has emphatically denied rumours that he is considering a move to north London rivals Arsenal.
The Frenchman is out of contract at White Hart Lane at the end of the season and has yet to sign a new deal with Tim Sherwood s men.
And reports have suggested that Kaboul is to follow in the footsteps of Sol Campbell, who left Tottenham for Arsenal in 2001, going on to win two Premier League titles and three FA Cups under Arsene Wenger.
But Kaboul has categorically rejected claims that he will repeat Campbell s controversial switch.
He posted on his Twitter account: I can confirm 100% that the rumour about me joining Arsenal is not true!!! #coys
Kaboul initially joined Tottenham in 2007, leaving for Portsmouth in 2008 only to retu…
Gio Reyna s alleged fallout with United States head coach Gregg Berhalter at the World Cup was a non-story , according to team-mate Tim Ream.
USA reached the knockout rounds on their return to the competition after eight years away, but saw their stay at Qatar 2022 curtailed after a last-16 loss to the Netherlands.
There was a limited role for Reyna, widely considered one of their best players, with just two appearances off the bench throughout the USMNT s run.
Reports pointed to a disagreement with Berhalter over a lack of effort in training, but Ream has moved to settle the story once and for all as the team continue to decompress.
For us, it s a non-story, he said on his podcast Indirect. We dealt with it in camp, things moved on, we moved past it and…
Celtic goalkeeper Joe Hart will take confidence from their display with 11 men against Feyenoord as he and his team-mates seek to change their Champions League narrative.
The Dutch champions triumphed 2-0 in Rotterdam but Celtic’s hopes of a second-half comeback were dashed by red cards for Gustaf Lagerbielke and Odin Thiago Holm.
Hart saved a penalty in the five minutes between the red cards before being beaten again in the 76th minute.
The former England goalkeeper let in the opener from Calvin Stengs’ 30-yard free-kick in first-half stoppage-time after Celtic had more than held their own during the opening 45 minutes.
De stats van vanavond: •
— Feyenoord Rotterdam (@Feyenoord)
Celtic have now won just once in 22 Champions Lea…
Inter held on to top spot in Serie A after coming from behind to claim a 1-1 draw at second-placed Napoli on Saturday.
Lorenzo Insigne gave the hosts the lead from the penalty spot after just seven minutes at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
But the reigning champions equalised inside a minute in the second half as Edin Dzeko fired in only his third league goal since October.
Although Napoli looked the more likely to find a winner, they missed the opportunity to displace their opponents at the summit.
Inter had kept a clean sheet in each of their previous four away games in Serie A, but they were breached early on when Insigne confidently swept home from 12 yards after the VAR ruled Stefan de Vrij had fouled Victor Osimhen.
Although forced into…
Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane confirmed he received an offer from Manchester United in the transfer window and found it difficult to turn down Jose Mourinho.
After one season in the first team at Lens, Varane was taken to the Santiago Bernabeu by Mourinho in 2011.
The Portuguese attempted to bring about a reunion between the pair following his appointment as manager at Old Trafford.
However, the France international was unwilling to leave Madrid, where he feels his career is progressing along the right path.
It was flattering to hear of United s interest. Mourinho is the one who made me come to Real Madrid and they are a great club, Varane told Canal Plus.
But at the moment the club [Madrid] and I are in sync and I had no questions to ask.…