Jose Mourinho hit out at Manchester United star Marcus Rashford over his attitude after Young Boys clash

JOSE MOURINHO has carpeted Marcus Rashford over his attitude as he continues to get tough with his stuttering Manchester United stars.

Mourinho is starting to exert his authority over his players following their poor start to the season which has seen them fall off the pace in the Premier League and crash out of the Carabao Cup.
And according to the Mail, the latest to incur his wrath is striker Rashford after he failed to warm down properly following the Champions League win over Young Boys.

Rashford had produced a below-par display having been given a starting role in Switzerland and was hauled off in the second half.

It is claimed the 20-year-old then failed to follow the instructions of the coaching staff after that match when he was ordered to go through a full wind-down session.

That angered Mourinho, who is then understood to have hauled Rashford in and told him he is not too important to ignore what he has been asked to do.
There have been concerns around Old Trafford about the attitude of the forward ever since he returned back for pre-season training.

Rashford has been forced to grow up and mature in the full glare of the public since bursting on to the scene in such emphatic fashion three seasons ago.

But he has also had to deal with coming back as a World Cup semi-finalist to a club situation where he is not considered first choice by his manager.
And it is the way he is dealing with those frustrations that appear to be causing the most concern among the coaching staff at United.

Rashford's frustrations boiled over against Burnley earlier this month when he was sent off after a clash with defender Phil Bardsley.

That three-match ban has now been served and he should be in the squad for the crucial clash with West Ham on Saturday, which has suddenly taken on huge importance.
But it has also been claimed that in a separate show of authority, the forward was one of a number of players singled out for criticism in a team meeting by the manager.


It has been a clear attempt by Mourinho to bring his players back into line, fearing that some are being swayed by his stand-off with Paul Pogba.

Barcelona to swoop in for Premier League superstar with an offer of £100m

According to the Mirror, Barcelona are ready to spend £100m plus add-ons on Paul Pogba. It is well below the £200m transfer fee demanded by the Manchester United hierarchy for their star player.
Barcelona will also have to face competition from the likes of Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain who are also keeping a close watch on the situation regarding Pogba's future at Old Trafford.

In case you didn't know...

There were lots of rumours regarding the future of Paul Pogba at Manchester United in the recently concluded summer transfer window. Barcelona were tipped to be the front-runners for the signature of the French midfielder.

Due to his frosty relationship with manager Jose Mourinho last season, Pogba wanted a move to the Nou Camp. Having reportedly agreed on personal terms and conditions with the Barcelona hierarchy, Pogba was made to stay at Old Trafford as Manchester United put their foot down and reportedly told Barcelona that their key player is not up for sale.

The heart of the matter

Despite his sour relationship with Jose Mourinho, Pogba decided to stay at the club in this season after a successful campaign in the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

In the last weekend after the game against Wolves, Mourinho blamed Pogba for the draw and hence stripped him of the vice-captaincy. This reportedly angered Pogba who told Mourinho that he desires to leave the club in January.
Hence, after this incident, their relationship has gone beyond repairable and hence either one of them is expected to leave Old Trafford in January.

Barcelona, on the other hand, have decided to scout Pogba in every game and hence have doubled their efforts to land the player in January.

Rumour Rating: 4/10

The Mirror is not a very reliable source for transfer news. Further, it will be a momentous task to convince the Manchester United hierarchy to sell Pogba for £100m as they have reportedly demanded a price above £200m for him.

Paul Ince launches savage attack on Paul Pogba after Jose Mourinho row

Pogba is at loggerheads with United boss Jose Mourinho and the public spat is threatening to ruin the team's season.

The warring pair have fallen out on a regular basis ever since Pogba returned to United from Juventus in an £89m deal in 2016.

The situation came to a head this week, with Pogba slagging off Mourinho's tactics before finding himself stripped of the vice captain's role and lambasted in training in full view of his team-mates and the TV cameras.

Ince insists this scenario would have never been allowed to happen under former boss Sir Alex Ferguson.

The former Man United star has accused Pogba of thinking he's bigger than the club, thinks Mourinho is too soft to handle the problem and has urged executive vice chairman Ed Woodward to sell the World Cup winner in the next transfer window.

Ince said: "The latest episode between Jose Mourinho and Paul Pogba, where they were caugh rowing on the cameras at training, shows a complete lack of professionalism from both of them.
"The whole thing between those two is just ludicrous now. If anybody had any doubts before about how those two feel about each other – it's been proven for everyone to see. They very clearly don't get on.

"Not every player is going to like their manager all the time. It's not about the dislike for each other, it's about the fact you're playing for a team and you should want to put that aside and win games.

"I said weeks ago that someone needed to put this situation to bed. No one is bigger than Manchester United, yet somehow Pogba thinks he is.
"There's been an issue between them for a long time, and it's been allowed to spiral out of control and get into the mess it's in now.

"There's absolutely no chance this would have happened under Ferguson. He'd have had the situation dealt with weeks, even months ago. There's no way that Manchester United can compete with Liverpool or Manchester City, or even win trophies, when they've got situations like this happening in the club.
"I can tell you what Fergie would've done, too. There'd have been a complete ban on Pogba speaking to all media. Because it's obvious that he's been feeding off the attention he's been getting and that's made it even worse.

"Pogba is letting his personal vendetta with Mourinho take over his game."

Ince has urged Woodward to be strong and sell Pogba before the damage gets catastrophic.
He added: "If this was happening under Sir Alex, he'd have said one thing: 'He's going. Get rid of him now.'

"Because there's no chance he’d allow his team to become a joke because of Paul Pogba's behaviour. 

"I think his fate is completely sealed and he'll be gone in January. There's talk of Mourinho going before him, but I'd be disgraced if Ed Woodward allowed that to happen.

"If you do that, you’re essentially allowing a player to become bigger than the manager and the rest of his team. It's time for Woodward to step up and back Jose.

"If he tells him that he's upsetting the dressing room and still not playing at the level he should be, then he needs to back the manager and let him go. Pogba has caused far more trouble than he has good since returning to Manchester United."

Fans troll Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson after he screams at referee

Liverpool were knocked out of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday after Chelsea walked away with a 2-1 victory at Anfield.
The defeat marks Liverpool's first loss this campaign and the end of their unbeaten run of games in all competitions.

Goals from Emerson Palmieri and Eden Hazard helped Maurizio Sarri's Chelsea to a place in the last 16 of the competition.

Liverpool opened the goal-scoring with a brilliant bicycle kick from Daniel Sturridge in the second half, and seemed to be well on their way to win their eighth straight game this campaign.
However, Chelsea's Emerson Palmieri finished a rebound from Ross Barkley’s header to give his equalizer in the 79th minute but not before a long VAR check for offside. After the game, Klopp spoke to Sky Sports to discuss the goal and the influence of VAR in the game.

He said, "I cannot see it better than the referee but afterwards I think the first goal is offside, perhaps the VAR can see it not the referee."

"But three players are offside, two for sure offside and they block so they have an impact."
"[Ross] Barkley - not a lot - but he's offside, they watched it and didn't think it was offside so we have to take that."

Eden Hazard then came off from the bench to give Chelsea and its fans some delicious solo play before netting the winner in the 85th minute to knock Liverpool out of the Carabao Cup.

While the Belgian's performance was the center of attention after the game, what caught fans' eyes was Jordan Henderson's reaction to referee, Kevin Friend's decisions on the pitch.

Henderson was seen shouting at the referee saying, "You're s*** and belong in the Championship."
Fans have since reacted to the incident on Twitter:

Jordan Henderson telling the referee he belongs in the championship.😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/mikQ5i7FIy

— abdul jabbar (@ajabbaruk) September 26, 2018

Hurts me every time I see Jordan Henderson playing minutes in the prem. Championship at best.

— Liam Molesworth (@LiamMolesworth) September 26, 2018

When are football referees going to put an end to verbal abuse and send players off for continued dissent? Jordan Henderson has been shouting abuse at the ref for most of the game. 🤬It doesn’t happen in rugby - why can’t football referees be tougher?

— Elaine (@Echapman6) September 26, 2018

Has Jordan Henderson lost the plot? The #LFC captain (indeed any captain) should be above speaking to the referee like that. Presumably he'll be wearing a "respect" logo on his shirt in the Champions League next week. Getting my tin hat on. #LIVCHE

— Chris Cooper 📻📺🎙⚽🏈🏏🐴🍓🥕🌽 (@ChrisCoopsSport) September 26, 2018

Jordan Henderson telling referee Kevin Friend that he should be refereeing in The Championship. Quite ironic really. #LIVCHE

— Jonny Moulds (@JonnyMoulds) September 26, 2018

Watching Jordan Henderson get angry at the results of his own limitations is one of the joys of modern football

— Robert Rea (@robertrea) September 26, 2018

Liverpool will certainly look to exact their revenge on Chelsea when the two meet in the Premier League this weekend.

Gareth Bale's stunner against Liverpool missed out on award

I voted for Didier Deschamps and Luka Modric - it's hard to argue against Deschamps as a coach, not only winning the World Cup but how he did it. He had massive disappointment in the Euros in his home country, then massive pressure after leaving a lot of big-name players behind but those big decisions he made paid off.

To go on and win the World Cup, granted with a really good team, but the way he gelled them together was brilliant and I enjoyed watching them.
As for Modric, I went to a couple of games at the World Cup and he made Croatia tick, he was a big part of them getting to the final. He's similar to Paul Scholes and these players don't come along too often so it's good to celebrate these players - who can dictate the tempo of a game and change it when they want to.
I think Mohamed Salah's scored better goals, not taking anything away from the goals he's scored and he's a fantastic player, but just for the wow moment and the enormity of the games then Gareth Bale should have won that I think.

I think it's the only goal that would have got the reaction his did when he scored - I don't think you would have got that reaction from any other goal, purely because of the goal it was and in the final, it was just a wow moment.

What do Atletico Madrid have in Gelson Martins?

On 25 July, Atletico Madrid signed Gelson Martins from Sporting CP on a five-year deal. A free transfer, the 23-year-old, along with other players, had terminated his contract with the Portuguese club following a training ground attack from fans. The Leoes were confident of getting around £40 million for the winger, who was linked to several European giants. However, after the ensuing fallout, they lost him for zilch.
Martins joined Benfica's academy aged 13. After spending two years, he moved to city-rival Sporting. The youngster made his professional debut four years later. New manager Jorge Jesus promoted him to the senior squad in 2015. 

Martins scored 18 Primeira Liga goals, as well as provided 17 assists, during three seasons at Sporting. After announcing his decision to leave, there was much interest. He chose Atletico due to Diego Simeone's influence. 
While playing for Sporting's B team, Martins represented Portugal at youth level. Following an impressive U-20 World Cup, he earned senior recognition, making his debut aged only 21. Less than two years later, the Cape Verde-born attacker was included in Fernando Santos' squad for Russia.

Style of play

Martins is a typical Selcao right-winger, just like Nani and Ricardo Quaresma. He attempts to match foot-work, speed, agility and work-rate to rip around the pitch. His movement, often checking shoulders, is extremely rare. It helps him burst through defences easily. The Portugal international slows down to make opponents stand still before dribbling past and providing crosses. This is what he does best.    

Martins usually operates on the right but can play both wings. He doesn't possess a perfect aesthetic, instead opting to maximise trickery and pace. His clever awareness, in tandem with the ability to stretch backlines, means he has no problem delivering balls into the box for teammates. 

Not just an attacking threat, Martins is a ferocious tackler who regains possession before initiating important counter-attacks. He had more interceptions in the final third (26) than any other Primeira Liga player last season. His positioning is a great asset. 

Against Real Madrid two years ago, Martins was unleashed on the European stage. He dribbled roughly 40 yards, giving Toni Kroos a hard time, before nutmegging Casemiro and being fouled by Luka Modric. The Atletico wide man is adept at creating space, attempting one-twos with teammates in order to disrupt the opposition's defensive line. He enjoys getting into dangerous areas, while also happy to drop deep, collect the ball and dictate play.

Last year, Benfica president Domingos Estanislau described Martins as the next Cristiano Ronaldo. Others have offered praise, too. Speaking to ESPN, Sport TV commentator Luis Catarino said:

Gelson is one of the best players I've seen in the Portuguese league in recent years. There are few wingers who offer such a combination of speed, intelligence, consistency and technique. He's got the power to destroy any defender in the world and his self-confidence is unshakable.

Though he has many positives, Martins must improve on some things. His playing style is all about individuality. In big matches, teamwork is important. The winger's involvement in the build-up is strictly average. His decision making in front of goal is another worry. He takes too much time on the ball and at times seeks the glory. His quick feet need complementing with a better first touch, too. Luckily, his prime remains a few years away.

Simeone has numerous raw talents at his disposal, although recently, Atletico have never had a wing duo to perfect the Argentine's 4-3-3 system. Losing both Nicolas Gaitan and Yannick Carrasco to Chinese side Dalian Yifang left holes at the Wanda Metropolitano. Adding Thomas Lemar and Martins has surely opened up an option to play more directly. Doing so would not only allow Antoine Griezmann valuable resting time, but also give Rodri the chance to shine as the deep-lying playmaker.

Having played only 57 minutes for Atletico so far this season, Martins has much more to offer. If used correctly, he can help turn La Liga tables. Due to raw potential, his name could one day be engraved outside Atleti's stadium alongside past greats such as Diego Forlan and Sergio Aguero.   

Emile Heskey: Virgil van Dijk has replaced Liverpool FC legend

Emile Heskey believes Virgil van Dijk has finally filled the void left by Liverpool FC legend Jamie Carragher.

The Netherlands international moved to Liverpool FC in a club record £75m deal from Southampton in the January transfer window.

Van Dijk has cemented Jurgen Klopp’s defence to ensure Liverpool FC finished in fourth spot in successive seasons.

The Reds reached the Champions League final thanks to victories over FC Porto, Manchester City and AS Roma before a 3-1 loss to Real Madrid in the final.

Van Dijk has struck up a promising partnership with England starlet Joe Gomez to help Liverpool FC keep four clean sheets in the season so far.

The Netherlands star has helped the Reds to replace Carragher given the lack of top-class centre-halves since the club legend’s exit in 2013.

Former Liverpool FC striker Heskey lavished praise on Van Dijk for his impact at the Merseyside outfit.

“Defensively has been the main difference [this season],” Heskey told Quest TV.
“They haven’t had the sturdiness in the past and they’ve really struggled with that, they haven’t really had that commanding figure since Jamie Carragher left.
“But in Virgil Van Dijk they now have that, they seem to be getting there and he’s such a man-mountain he makes such a big difference in that back four.”

Liverpool FC will make the trip to third-placed Chelsea FC at Stamford Bridge in their next Premier League outing on Saturday evening.

The Reds signed Fabinho, Naby Keita, Alisson Becker and Xherdan Shaqiri in the 2018 summer transfer window.


Liverpool FC haven’t won the Premier League title but finished in second place in 2002, 2009 and 2014.

Ian Wright sends Arsenal message to Alexandre Lacazette

Ian Wright has praised Unai Emery for giving Alexandre Lacazette the chance to shine in the Arsenal team this season.

The France international has been in solid form so far this term under new boss Emery after the Spanish manager was appointed as Arsene Wenger’s successor at The Emirates in the summer.

The 27-year-old forward has been deployed up front alongside Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang for the Gunners and the pair are beginning to show glimpses of a fruitful partnership.

Lacazette has netted two goals and made one assist in six Premier League games so far this season, and he has started the Gunners’ last three games in the top flight.
And Wright has admitted that he is not surprised to see the striker in fine form now that he is being given a regular run of games under his new manager.

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 live, Wright said: “It was only going to be a matter of time.

“He didn’t play often enough for a goal-scorer. He was scoring goals but being taken off. It was flabbergasting from Wenger. He should have been left on.

“Now he is getting a run, he is scoring goals.”

Arsenal will look to make it five wins in a row in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon when they welcome Watford to The Emirates.

The Gunners are at least looking to try and break back into the top four this season after they finished in sixth place and without a trophy last term under Wenger.

Danny Welbeck happy to wait for Premier League start at Arsenal

Danny Welbeck believes he is back up to speed at Arsenal after a truncated pre-season because of the World Cup.

The 27-year-old only played 11 minutes as England reached the semi-finals in Russia, but it prevented him hitting the ground running under new Gunners boss Unai Emery on his return to the club.

Welbeck scored twice in Arsenal's 3-1 Carabao Cup third-round win over Brentford on Wednesday night, with Emery suggesting afterwards he is doing plenty to improve his chances of earning a first Premier League start of the campaign.

"You have got to wait for your opportunity," he said when asked about not starting a league game so far this season.
"A few of the lads had a bit more of a pre-season than me which made it a bit difficult, I came back a bit later than the others.

"I got 90 minutes last week, 90 minutes today and I'm just going to build on it from there and keep improving."
Welbeck's first start of the season actually came on England duty, as he led the line for the 1-0 friendly win over Switzerland at the King Power Stadium earlier this month.
Gareth Southgate will name his squad for the Nations League double-header against Croatia and Spain in the coming weeks, but Welbeck is keen to focus on his own game, rather than whether he has played enough to make the squad.

"It is for Gareth to decide who he picks in the squad, not for me or you to say," he said.

"What I can do is just focus on me, not focus on anything else that is the most important thing."

Liverpool too reliant on stars as Chelsea's depth proves the difference

LIVERPOOL -- Sometimes it all comes down to one piece of genius. Two well-matched teams slug it out for 90 minutes and up pops a special talent to make all the difference.
It was Eden Hazard who stepped up to the plate to do just that for Chelsea at Anfield on Wednesday night, but it could so easily be Mohamed Salah who does the same for Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on Saturday when Premier League points, rather than Carabao Cup progression, are at stake.
There is so little to choose between Liverpool and Chelsea in terms of quality and depth -- the same applies to their second string teams, which contested the Carabao Cup third round tie won by Hazard's late wonder goal -- that individual meetings are likely to come down to which of Hazard or Salah, or maybe Alvaro Morata or Roberto Firmino, delivers that extra touch of brilliance to decide a tight encounter.

One thing for certain is that Wednesday's cup tie will bear little resemblance to Saturday's league encounter in terms of the outcome, but it is the star players on each team that hold the game in their hands.

But Wednesday's game, won 2-1 by Chelsea, will give Maurizio Sarri's team the confidence and belief that they win at the weekend because of the psychological advantage of overturning a 1-0 deficit to end Liverpool's 100 percent winning start to the campaign.

Jurgen Klopp sends Chelsea FC message to Maurizio Sarri

Jurgen Klopp has admitted that he has been hugely impressed by the start Maurizio Sarri has made to life as Chelsea FC manager this season.

Sarri has been adapting to proceedings at Stamford Bridge after having been brought in as Antonio Conte’s successor in the summer.
The Blues have made a solid start to the new campaign in the Premier League after having been beaten by Manchester City in the Community Shield at Wembley back in August.

Chelsea FC have won five of their opening six top-flight games and they dropped their first points of the season last weekend when they were held to a goalless draw at West Ham United.

The west London side’s first aim this season will be to try and break back into the top four after they ended up fifth last term under Conte.

The Blues are currently two points behind Klopp’s high-flying Liverpool FC side as Chelsea FC prepare to welcome the Reds to Stamford Bridge in the Premier League on Saturday evening.

And Klopp has been very impressed by what he has seen from Sarri’s side so far this season.

Speaking at a news conference before Liverpool FC’s clash with Chelsea FC in the League Cup at Anfield, Klopp said: “It is quite impressive what he did in that short period.
“I don’t see the big difference in development [between the two sides]. They developed a lot, they changed a lot. They were very successful with [Antonio] Conte, it was a really successful time; last year was maybe a bit of a difficult year. So, changing it that much is cool.

“So, he’s right, we worked longer together, but obviously he doesn’t need the same amount of time as I do!

“It’s impressive, I cannot say differently, it’s really impressive what he did so far.”
Liverpool FC are still looking to win their first trophy under Klopp.

SNAPPED! Ex-trialist Mbappe back with Chelsea - thanks to Luiz and Willian

PSG striker Kylian Mbappe has sparked fresh transfer talk after spending Monday night with several Chelsea players.
After the FIFA gala in London, rather than spend time with his attending PSG teammates, Mbappe had a celebratory dinner with several Chelsea players.
N'Golo Kanté, Eden Hazard, David Luiz and Willian were all there, along with Blues legend Didier Drogba. Luiz and Willian are owners of Babbo restaurant.

Mbappe famously had trials with Chelsea as a junior before choosing to sign pro with AS Monaco.

Hazard, Mbappe, Drogba and Kanté dined at Bobba's in London after the Awards. The restaurant is co-owned by David Luiz, Willian and Kenedy. pic.twitter.com/QGoYuFpIOj

— Hillix Entertainment (@HillixEnt18) September 25, 2018

Man United warned Paul Pogba is ‘poison’ at Old Trafford

Paul Pogba is like poison at Manchester United, Alan Brazil has claimed.

The France international has instigated a fresh wave of controversy at Old Trafford in the wake of Manchester United’s 1-1 draw with promoted side Wolverhampton Wanderers last weekend.

Pogba appeared to criticise Manchester United’s tactics following a disappointing stalemate to lose further ground on their title rivals Liverpool FC, Manchester City and Chelsea FC.
The 25-year-old captained Manchester United to a 3-0 victory over Young Boys last week after the World Cup winner scored his first Champions League goal of the season.

However, the club record signing was omitted from Mourinho’s squad for the visit of Derby County in the League Cup third round on Tuesday night.

Reports in the British media claimed that Pogba had been stripped of the vice captaincy ahead of the cup clash, which Mourinho confirmed after the League Cup defeat.
Former Manchester United striker Brazil described Pogba as a “bad egg”.

“If Fergie was still manager now, Pogba would not be there – not a hope in hell,” Brazil told talkSPORT.

“Fergie would not trust someone with that reputation, even if he is a World Cup winner, he just wouldn’t.

“I think Jose has been patient, but I think his patience has run out now.
“I think he realises this man is a bad egg. A great player and a World Cup winner, but poison.”
Manchester United re-signed Pogba in an £89m deal from Serie A giants Juventus in the 2016 summer transfer window.

Pogba has won the Europa League and the League Cup in his first season back at Old Trafford but the Red Devils didn’t win any silverware last term.

Ryan Giggs believes Liverpool's form is 'scary'

In his latest Super 6 Class of '92 Diary, Ryan Giggs discusses Liverpool's "scary" form, the title race, Alexis Sanchez and why Gareth Bale should have won goal of the season.

Liverpool winning without playing well - it's scary

From 1-11 there's probably not been a better Liverpool team in the Premier League - when Raheem Sterling, Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge were on fire they were really impressive but probably overall it looks like a more balanced team now.

You've got players who've been in the team a couple of years and you've got young players coming through with experience of Jordan Henderson and James Milner so it's a good blend in there.

Liverpool haven't played well in some games but scraped results, which is actually quite scary because if you're able to do that, that's championship form, so not only the swash-buckling three or four goals, but digging out results is what you need to do to win it.
It looks like a case of Manchester City v Liverpool for the title, although you can't dismiss Chelsea because they're playing well. Remember just two years ago they were the champions and they've got players in that dressing room who know what it takes - Liverpool haven't got that, but you've got to start somewhere and Liverpool have been impressive.

As for Man City, I watched them against Lyon and you think something might be wrong and then they go and put on a show against Cardiff. So I'd say it was between those two but you can't discount Chelsea.


I'd still just give Manchester City the edge purely because Pep Guardiola usually wins second season after winning the league and they've got players who've been there and done it.