Manchester United have confirmed the departure of manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer following Saturday s Premier League defeat to Watford.

The pressure has been building on Solskjaer throughout the season, but the 4-1 loss at Vicarage Road – their fifth defeat in seven league matches – proved the final straw.

The former striker s future was reportedly decided during a long board meeting after the match before a mutual agreement over his exit was reached, with Michael Carrick placed in temporary charge.

A club statement released on Sunday read: Manchester United announces that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has left his role as manager.

Ole will always be a legend at Manchester United and it is with regret that we have reached this difficult decision. While the p…

Didier Deschamps anticipates Hungary presenting world champions France with a dangerous test as Les Bleus look to seal their place in the last 16 of Euro 2020.

France were not at their best in an entertaining 1-0 win over Germany, but the fact only the offside flag prevented their victory from being more emphatic in a game where they clearly had several other gears sent an ominous message to the other contenders for the title.

But they have work to do to win Group F, from which they will progress should they beat Hungary, with Portugal having shown their mettle with a late show against the same opposition in Budapest to prevail 3-0.

Yet Deschamps was impressed by what he saw from the minnows of the group prior to Raphael Guerreiro s 84th-minute opener, which prec…

Erling Haaland and Mino Raiola have been thinking about the striker s future for two years and have a clear idea of his next move, the agent says.

Haaland joined Borussia Dortmund from Salzburg after the Bundesliga side met his €20million release clause in December 2019.

He has since raced to 51 goals in as many German top-flight appearances, averaging a goal a game to reach his half-century – Haaland the quickest to the milestone in Bundesliga history and the youngest to do so at just 21.

Indeed, among players in Europe s top five leagues, only Robert Lewandowski (100) has scored more goals than Haaland (74) across all competitions since his Dortmund debut on January 18, 2020.

Speculation around a move away from BVB persists, with Haaland s cont…

Diego Simeone is ready to call upon star forward Antoine Griezmann for the Copa del Rey round-of-16 encounter with Girona.

Griezmann was rested for both legs of Atletico s tie against minnows Sant Andreu in the previous round.

But Simeone hinted he will select a strong side despite lying second in LaLiga and having a mouth-watering Champions League showdown with Juventus to come next month.

Griezmann will train like the others, he is the most ambitious player we have, the Atleti boss told a pre-match news conference.

We give importance to the cup, the Champions League and everything we play in the shirt of Atletico.

We will try to compete [in line] with the demands that there is for a club like Atletico. We will go out with players who can hurt…

Andres Iniesta has admitted he misses teaming up with Xavi and Xabi Alonso for Spain.

The three midfielders played a key role in Spain s recent successes as they won Euro 2008, the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012.

However, Xavi and Xabi Alonso retired from international football after the 2014 World Cup, meaning Iniesta will have to make do without his peers at Euro 2016.

I definitely miss Xavi and Xabi Alonso. Both were great comrades for Spanish football. We had a wonderful time together, winning numerous trophies across the globe, Iniesta told Times of India.

And if I start speaking about Xavi, I really do not know where to start. It was a privilege to play alongside him ­ throughout my playing years in the club and the national team. We d be sure abou…

Neymar is again being linked with a return to Barcelona.

The Brazil forward left the LaLiga giants for Paris Saint-Germain in a world-record €222million deal in 2017.

But rumours of a return to Camp Nou refuse to go away.

TOP STORY – NEYMAR CONTACTED OVER BARCELONA RETURN

Neymar has been contacted by different Barcelona presidential candidates over a return to the club from PSG, according to Sport.

It says Neymar, who was recently said to be happy to renew a PSG deal that expires in 2022, does not want to extend at the Ligue 1 champions.

 ¡Neymar entra en campaña!

 Las elecciones serán el 24 de enero de 2021

— Diario SPORT (@sport)

Neymar has battled injuries since moving to the Fre…

Marcos ’Rony’ Lopes has had his medical for Seville following the news that he will be leaving Monaco this summer, reports .

In December 2018 the 23-year-old Portuguese midfielder signed a new deal tying him to the Ligue 1 club until 2022. Lopes’ first deal with Monaco dates back to August 2015, when he joined the club from Manchester City for £9 million.

Nevertheless, during the summer it was reported that Monchi turned to Lopes after his negotiations with PSV Eindhoven over the winger Steven Bergwijn fell through. Now Lopes is moving to the LaLiga Santander club for approximately €20 million.

Sevilla are disappointed after the closing of the Premiere League transfer window have left them with a number of players they had hoped to offload, including …

Isco s fall from grace continued on Friday with the Real Madrid midfielder left out of Luis Enrique s Spain squad for the matches against Norway and Malta.

Isco has made just five starts for Madrid in LaLiga this season, despite the club s domestic struggles, and his lack of playing time has seen him omitted from a much-changed selection.

His Madrid team-mates Sergio Reguilon and Nacho Fernandez have also been left out as have Atletico Madrid trio Diego Costa, Koke and Saul Niguez.

Uncapped quartet Sergio Canales, Sergi Gomez, Jaime Mata and Fabian Ruiz have all been included while there are returns for Jesus Navas and Iker Muniain.

OFICIAL | Lista de convocados para los próximos partidos ante Noruega y Malta. ¡Comenzamos nuestro camino hacia la !

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Roberto Mancini has been backed to stay on as head coach by FIGC president Gabriele Gravina despite Italy’s failure to qualify for the 2022 World Cup. 

The Azzurri succumbed to a sensational 1-0 defeat to North Macedonia in a play-off semi-final in Palermo on Thursday, ending their hopes of securing a place in the tournament in Qatar this year. 

Having missed out on a spot at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, Italy will not feature in two successive editions of the competition for the first time in their history. 

However, with Mancini having led the team on a 37-game unbeaten run that included Euro 2020 glory and only ended last October, Gravina still believes he is the right man for the job. 

I hope Mancini will continue with us. He has a commitmen…

Newcastle United have been warned Unai Emery is enjoying life at Villarreal after he was linked with the newly-wealthy Premier League club.

Former Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain boss Emery is said to be a prime target for Newcastle, whose new Saudi majority owners are seeking a successor to Steve Bruce.

According to reports in England on Tuesday, Emery and former Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe have both been considered for the job at St James Park. Newcastle are said to want Emery in place before Saturday s game against Brighton and Hove Albion.

Whether Emery is tempted by a return to the Premier League remains to be seen, after he endured a difficult time with Arsenal. He would be inheriting a team who are facing a relegation battle, albeit he would likely ha…