Valencia in for Darmian

Erik ten Hag believes Sir Bobby Charlton will always remain an inspiration to Manchester United as they prepare for their first home game since the World Cup-winner died on Saturday.

Tributes to Charlton, who was 86, will take place before Tuesday’s Champions League fixture against Copenhagen, in the form of a minute’s silence, a wreath being placed on Charlton’s seat in the directors’ box and players and club staff wearing black armbands.

Charlton will also be remembered in the official programme for both the Copenhagen match and Sunday’s derby against Manchester City. There will be a minute’s applause prior to the City match as well as expressions of remembrance via flags and banners in the stadium.

Fans have already been flocking to Old Trafford to…

Monaco head coach Philippe Clement hopes Takumi Minamino can bring new qualities to his side as the Liverpool forward closes on a move to Ligue 1.

Minamino is widely expected to join Monaco in the coming days, with the club reportedly agreeing a €13.3million (£15.5m) deal to sign the Japan international.

The forward has scored four goals in 30 Premier League appearances for Liverpool since joining from Salzburg in 2020, but he started only five of those games as he struggled for regular minutes in Jurgen Klopp s star-studded side, spending half a season on loan at Southampton.

Ahead of Monaco s 1-0 friendly win over Cercle Brugge on Sunday, Clement revealed Minamino was set to complete his move to the principality and affirmed his belief in the 27-year-old …

New Paris Saint-Germain coach Christophe Galtier has pledged to end predecessor Mauricio Pochettino s practice of rotating between goalkeepers Gianluigi Donnarumma and Keylor Navas. 

Galtier was announced as PSG s new head coach on Tuesday, with the former Lille and Nice boss signing a two-year deal with the club.

The man who beat PSG to the Ligue 1 title when in charge of Lille during the 2020-21 season takes over a squad containing two world-class goalkeepers in Italy s Euro 2020 hero Donnarumma and three-time Champions League winner Navas.

Pochettino used both goalkeepers often during his one full season in charge of the Parisian giants, with Navas making 26 appearances in all competitions and Donnarumma featuring 24 times.

Donnarumma managed one cle…

Pep Guardiola enjoyed the Centre Court action at Wimbledon as Alexander Zverev sought an opportunity to entice the Manchester City manager to Bayern Munich.

Premier League title-winning coach Guardiola turned his attention away from football on Saturday, watching on as Zverev overcame Cameron Norrie in straight sets.

The Man City boss was joined by Arsenal Women and England captain Leah Williamson, as well as cricketing stars Jos Buttler and Joe Root in a star-studded lineup.

Yet Zverev was most interested in pointing out former Bayern boss Guardiola as the fourth seed urged the Spaniard back to Bavaria.

For me and for all tennis players it s an honour to play on this beautiful Centre Court and in front of the Royal Box, we had so many sporting legends t…

While the current climate might be playing havoc with the football schedule, we hope to have another stacked list on our hands this weekend. So, for those of you who are looking to stick on a Saturday acca, we have found a handful of helpful tips that are worth keeping an eye out for.

Saturday December 18th

BST 15:00 Aston Villa vs Burnley 

Starting with Saturday s hosts, putting in what was another professional display earlier in the week, Aston Villa have really found an immediate boost since Steven Gerrard made his arrival last month. While the Midlands outfit might have found themselves in the midst of a real struggle when heading into November s international break, they have come roaring back. Last seen away at Carrow Road and landing a deserved 2-0 vic…

Vitaly Mutko has stepped down from his role on the organising committee for the 2018 World Cup as he fights allegations relating to Russia s state-sponsored doping program.

Mutko, who is Russia s deputy prime minister, was banned by the IOC this month after the release of the Schmid Report.

Commissioned by the IOC, the report confirmed allegations of the widespread manipulation of anti-doping procedures during Mutko s tenure as Russian sports minister, chiefly at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.

He is set to challenge the ruling with the Court of Arbitration for Sport, while Russian Football Federation (RFS) director general Alexander Alayev has been named acting president of the governing body in his stead.

FIFA praised Mutko earlier this week after …

Everton, Liverpool and Wolverhampton Wanderers are among the clubs interested in signing Samuel Chukwueze from Villarreal in the January transfer window, according to . Manchester United, Leicester City and Chelsea are also reportedly monitoring the 21-year-old winger.

Villarreal are aware of interest in the youngster and will not sell him for anything less than his full release clause of £80 million, according to the report. The player himself is considering his future and is ready to take the next step in his career and move to a bigger club.

Chukwueze has been on the books of Villarreal since 2017 and has established himself as an important player in the team. The 21-year-old Nigeria international winger has scored one goal and provided one assist in eight La La Lig…

Barcelona presidential candidate Victor Font has no intention of attempting to re-sign Neymar from Paris Saint-Germain should he win his election bid.

Neymar spent four trophy-laden seasons at Camp Nou before joining the French giants for a record €222million in August 2017.

He has since been embroiled in a court battle with his former club over an alleged breach of contract and unpaid loyalty payments.

Amid fresh rumours last week linking Neymar with a return to Catalonia, Font has ruled out making an approach for the 28-year-old.

Institutionally, Neymar s not in my plans, said Font, who has previously stated he wants to bring Pep Guardiola back to the club to reunite the Catalan coach with Lionel Messi.

For financial reasons and for other r…

Paul Konchesky has left his position as West Ham manager after the Women’s Super League season ended on Saturday.

The former England defender, who made 70 appearances for the Hammers, was promoted from assistant in May 2022 when boss Olli Harder departed the club.

Konchesky signed a two-year deal, but has left the Hammers after just 29 games in charge, with the club finishing eighth in the WSL table following a 2-2 draw at home to London rivals Tottenham in their final match of the campaign.

We can confirm Paul Konchesky has left his role as manager of the women’s first team.

— West Ham United Women (@westhamwomen)

“I am proud and honoured to have had the opportunity to manage this club,” Konchesky told the club’s official website.