Bruno Fernandes declared Manchester United can win the title this season after being named the Premier League s player of the month for November.
Fernandes scored four goals in as many games to claim the honour for the third time in the calendar year, a feat most recently achieved by Tottenham s Harry Kane in 2017.
The Portugal international averaged a goal every 86.25 minutes last month, though that figure could have been even better as he also hit the woodwork twice.
His brace at Goodison Park helped United triumph 3-1 against Everton, while his penalty against West Brom secured a first league win at Old Trafford in the 2020-21 campaign.
Fernandes – who was also on target as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer s side recovered from two goals down…
Verdict: Morocco win to nil
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Two nations who are looking to secure a quarter-final showdown next week, Morocco will face off against Benin in Cairo on Friday evening.
Morocco
Starting with Morocco, while the Atlas Lions could only pick up a point out in Russia last year and slumped to the bottom of Group B behind Iran, Hervé Renard s side find their confidence at a high. While a run of three consecutive defeats prior to their African Cup of Nations campaign had many questioning the Frenchman s position in charge, the Reds managed to secure their spot in the knockout stage and they once again impressed in their 1-0 win over South Africa Monday. With Mbark Boussoufa s 90th-minute winner completing a trio of wins out in Egypt this…
Phil Jones believes Manchester United legend Alex Ferguson has the fight to recover from a brain haemorrhage.
Ferguson, who managed United between 1986 and 2013, was rushed to hospital to undergo emergency surgery, having reportedly fallen ill on Friday.
Well wishes have poured in from around the footballing world and Jones, signed by Ferguson in 2011, was among those to offer his support, describing his devastation at the news but adding a belief that his former boss will be able to recover.
When the news broke, I saw it on Twitter and didn t know whether it was true or not, he told ESPN. Just devastated, absolutely devastated.
He is such a legend in my eyes. He is the one who brought me to the club and gave me that opportunity to play for one of the b…
The Germany women s national team have fired a broadside to their own country ahead of the Women s World Cup, saying: We play for a nation that does not know our names!
In a commercial for Commerzbank, Germany s players highlighted the relatively low profile they have in public, despite the superstar status of many members of the men s team.
Lyon midfielder Dzsenifer Marozsan appears at the start of the commercial alongside Bayern Munich playmaker Melanie Leupolz and Wolfsburg forward Alexandra Popp, who will all feature in Martina Voss-Tecklenburg s squad at the World Cup in France next month.
In the commercial, which was later shared featuring English subtitles by DW Sports, Popp asks: Do you know my name?
Mit Euch an unserer Seite
Danke !
W…
David de Gea says Spain are f***** after their early World Cup exit, but will recover.
De Gea could not keep out any of Russia s penalties as the hosts progressed to the quarter-finals 4-3 in a shoot-out following Sunday s 1-1 draw in Moscow.
Koke and Iago Aspas were denied by Igor Akinfeev as Russia dumped the 2010 champions out.
But De Gea criticised for his poor performances throughout the World Cup pledged Spain will bounce back.
To those who supported, suffered and criticised us with respect, thanks, De Gea wrote on Twitter.
We re f***** but we ll get up again and never give up.
De Gea had a tournament to forget, saving one shot from 11 on target faced including penalties.
1 Including the penalties shoot-out, David de Gea…
Bayern Munich s search for a new sporting director will go on after leading candidate Max Eberl signed a new contract to stay at Borussia Monchengladbach.
Eberl had been strongly linked with the vacant position after captain Philipp Lahm confirmed he will not be moving into the role when he retires from playing at the end of the season.
The 43-year-old previously indicated he was flattered to be mentioned as a contender to be Bayern s sporting director but has now signed a new contract at Gladbach until June 2022.
Eberl who has been at the Bundesliga club for more than 18 years has been Gladbach s sporting director since October 2008, when he was appointed as Christian Ziege s successor.
He s signed!
— Gladbach (@borussia_en)
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The United States may have beaten England to return to the Women s World Cup final, but Phil Neville is adamant his Lionesses will eventually bridge the gap.
England suffered a third successive semi-final defeat at a major tournament as Jill Ellis defending champions claimed a 2-1 victory in Lyon even without an injured Megan Rapinoe to reach their third straight final.
Rapinoe s replacement, Christen Press, headed in the first and though Ellen White equalised for the Lionesses, Alex Morgan scored what proved to be the winner as Steph Houghton had a late penalty saved by USA goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher.
USA can now move into England s hotel, with members of their backroom team having controversially done so before the semi-final, but Neville warned that they will…
Should we have three different winners would be a better question in fact.
Football is a team sport. As such, teams are rewarded for their joint exploits in relevant competitions – both domestic and international.
The season behind us pushed two teams under the spotlight. Real Madrid emerged victorious in the 2017/18 edition of the Champions League whereas it was the French national team that picked up arguably the most valued prizes of them all – the FIFA World Cup trophy.
As we slowly head into the new campaign and toward the end of the year, the time has come for individual awards to be handed to players who have left the biggest mark in the season behind us.
The three most important individual recognitions are:
UEFA Best Player in Europe Award
The Best F…
Liverpool are reportedly keeping a close eye on Declan Rice s performances for England at the World Cup, and will prepare a move for the West Ham midfielder if they feel he handles the pressure of the big stage.
Rice, 23, played in all seven games for England in their run to the Euro 2020 final, and he has played in every minute of West Ham s 15 fixtures this Premier League season.
The defensive midfielder is a favourite of manager David Moyes, who declared in April that his price had risen to such an extent that £150m just now would be minimum – but his contract situation could force the club s hand.
TOP STORY – LIVERPOOL WATCHING IF RICE CAN RISE TO THE CHALLENGE
According to Football Insider, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is a huge admirer of the ma…
Kyle Walker believes Manchester City should still be considered firm favourites for the Premier League, as they look to win an unprecedented fifth title in a row.
City became the first English team to triumph in four successive league campaigns as they saw off Arsenal s title challenge last term.
And Pep Guardiola s all-conquering side begin their quest for a fifth straight crown away to Chelsea on Sunday.
Speaking on BBC Radio 5, England full-back Walker was confident about his side’s chances, believing they hold the psychological edge over other teams as they have been able to get over the line in tight title races over recent seasons.
He said: “I wouldn’t say it’s an ego, but we’ve done this now four times in a row – this is our trophy to l…