وجه مدرب فريق مانشستر سيتي بيب جوارديولا تحذيرًا للاعب سيرجيو أجويرو، بعد عودته إلى الملاعب من جديد عقب فترة غياب دامت 4 أشهر للإصابة.

وتعرض أجويرو لإصابة قوية في الركبة، في يونيو الماضي، أجبرته على الخضوع لعملية جراحية.

اقرأ أيضًا.. جوارديولا: تصرف أجويرو مع مساعدة الحكم؟ ابحثوا عن المشاكل في مواقف أخرى

وعاد الأرجنتيني إلى مانشستر سيتي من جديد حيث شارك في مباراة أمس الأول، أمام آرسنال في الجولة الخامسة من الدوري الإنجليزي والتي حسمها السكاي بلو بهدف.

وسينتهي العقد الحالي لـ أجويرو في ملعب الاتحاد، في نهاية الموسم الحالي.

وعندما سُئل عن مسألة تجديد عقد أجويرو، أجاب جوارديولا في تصريحات نشرتها شبكة “جول” العالمية: “الشيء المهم هو أن أجويرو عاد في حالة بدنية جيدة، والمهم كذلك أن يبدأ في العودة إلى إيقاعه المعروف، وألا يتعرض لمزيد من الإصابات، وأن يلعب جيدًا”.

وأضاف: “نحن نعرف ما يعنيه بالنسبة لنا، ونعرف كيف نقدره، ولكن الآن عليه أن يظهر مثل الجميع، أنا أولًا، إنه يستحق الاستمرار هنا واللعب بشكل جيد والفوز في المباريات”.

وواصل: “بعد ذلك، أنا والنادي بالطبع نقرر، ولكن عندما يلعب بمستواه المعهود فإنه لا يوجد لدينا أي شك تجاه بقائه معنا حتى يقرر الرحيل، لأنه لاعب فريد، ومهم لنا وللجماهير والجميع”.

وتابع: “بوجود سيرجيو على أرض الملعب، نحن أفضل، نحن أكثر أمانًا، لقد افتقدناه كثيرًا في لحظات مهمة في الجزء الأخير من الموسم، الآن خبر جيد بالنسبة لنا إنه عاد”.

Blackburn Rovers fans will look back on the era of Roque Santa Cruz fondly as the days before the dawn of their collapse.

The exotic talent that was Roque Santa Cruz is something Blackburn fans scantly enjoy nowadays stuck in midtable Championship purgatory, which is why this douse of nostalgic relief will come as a welcome surprise.

Before making his reported £3.5 million switch in 2007 (as per The Guardian) Santa Cruz had accumulated quite an extensive trophy collection at Bayern – consisting of six domestic cups, five Bundesliga titles and a Champions League winners medal.

So it may have come as a bit of a surprise when former manager Mark Hughes recruited him to work alongside the likes of Benny McCarthy, Jason Roberts and a young Matt Derbyshire (appreciate McCarthy was a player in his day).

Hughes said at the time (The Guardian): “Santa Cruz is a young player, an international with a good reputation who is playing at a top European club.

“The good thing from our point of view is that his fitness levels are fine as he has been playing in the Copa America.”

And Hughes was not wrong. Santa Cruz bagged 19 goals in 37 Premier League games earning the Lancashire a 7th placed finish in the Premier League – something they have not managed since.

Indeed, it is no coincidence that their form deteriorated following his big-money move to Manchester City in 2009 – who were just beginning to flex their muscles in the transfer market at the time.

Despite his move, however, the Paraguayan was unable to replicate his earlier form and after just 24 appearances for the club was quickly shipped off to Real Betis on loan, which was shortly followed by a loan and permanent move to Malaga CF.

26 goals in 109 appearances later Santa Cruz found himself on a plane to Mexican outfit CD Cruz Azul, but, in a bizarre turn of events, was returned just half-a-year later on loan.

Now 37 and back playing in his native Paraguay, the forward is a distance relic of the good and bad times for all those clubs he represented.

While it has been a disappointing season in the Championship for Millwall, supporters have still had something to smile about this campaign with the south London club performing exceptionally well in the FA Cup.

After beating AFC Wimbledon 1-0 in the previous round, a quarter-final clash versus Brighton at The Den now awaits Neil Harris’ men with Lee Gregory likely to be the home side’s best chance of making it to Wembley.

As for the visitors, looking at his most recent display, Anthony Knockaert could be the player who proves to make the difference on the day from a Brighton perspective.

With that in mind, how do the two Millwall and Brighton attackers compare?

Lee Gregory

Currently Millwall’s leading goalscorer this term, Gregory is the man Harris will undoubtedly be pinning his hopes on.

Capable of playing up front alone or with a strike partner, the English centre-forward is an individual who is clearly rated highly by his manager – and not just for his goal-scoring exploits.

“It’s not just his goals, Lee has got a lot of other attributes,” Harris told News at Den back in 2015 when speaking about his striker.

“His closing down from the front, link-up play and the way he competes in the air against big centre halves are terrific.”

Based on that, Lewis Dunk and Shane Duffy could be in for a difficult Sunday afternoon.

TT Grade: C+ Anthony Knockaert

Knockaert stole the show in Brighton’s recent 2-1 win over rivals Crystal Palace after he curled in a fantastic effort towards the end of the game to give Chris Hughton’s men all three points.

Since winning promotion to the Premier League with Brighton, it is perhaps something the Amex faithful have not seen enough of.

Nevertheless, that moment of brilliance from out of nowhere is what Knockaert is capable of, making him someone Millwall have to pay close attention to.

Once the tricky winger receives the ball on the right flank, he has the skill to beat his full-back on the inside with his left foot before getting a shot on goal or playing in a team-mate.

Much attention will be on Glenn Murray when Brighton take to the Den pitch, but it could so easily once again be the Anthony Knockaert show.

TT Grade: B- TT Verdict:

Sunday’s FA Cup quarter-final encounter between Millwall and Brighton will be no walk in the park for the Premier League side.

The Lions have already beaten opposition from English football’s top flight in Everton with Gregory getting his name on the scoresheet in that victory.

That being said, Brighton have to be considered favourites for the tie, especially with a player like Knockaert in their ranks.

Gerard Deulofeu is currently proving Everton wrong with his recent showings at Watford that have seen the Hornets qualify for the FA Cup semi-final after beating Crystal Palace 2-1 at Vicarage Road on Saturday afternoon.

Watford have been enjoying a great season and are currently eighth in the Premier League, only a point behind the high-flying Wolverhampton Wanderers, while Everton, on the other hand, have found it difficult to get any sort of consistency going.

The Spaniard spent two years at the Merseyside club between 2015 and 2017 before making a loan move to Watford in January 2018. The 25-year-old eventually signed a permanent deal at Watford in May that year and he hasn’t looked back, proving a valuable figure in Javi Gracia’s team this season.

The former Barcelona man never looked comfortable at Everton and found it difficult to earn a regular place in the starting lineup.

During that time, the Toffees’ turmoil somewhat started with both Roberto Martinez and Ronald Koeman failing to take the club to a new level, which ultimately led to some players also moving to new clubs. A graduate of the infamous La Masia academy, he clearly never received the full backing at Everton like he is currently receiving at Watford and it has proved to be instrumental to the Hornets success.

Gracia has been brilliant in managing Deulofeu throughout the campaign and has been able to use him in more than one position.

The Spanish international even played as an attacking midfield in the club’s previous league match at Manchester City, despite playing as a centre-forward for most of the season.

His versatility is finally paying off and his true potential appears to be delivering at the moment, while Marco Silva has struggled to get his players adapting to make-shift roles in the team.

If Watford continue to deliver good showings and finish the season on a high then Deulofeu will only get better, while Everton might have make another heavy investment in the summer transfer market to find a similar type of footballer.

Potentially more wasted money when they had such an exciting talent all along.

Everton fans, how disappointed were you to see the Deulofeu experiment fail so badly? Join the discussion by commenting below… 

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Leeds fans on Twitter have been praising Pontus Jansson for putting his body on the line to help the club seal a 2-0 win over Preston in the Championship.

Jansson got himself a black eye during Tuesday’s game after clashing heads with Lukas Nmecha in the closing minutes.

The 28-year-old has become a real fan favourite at Elland Road due to his good performances and his social media presence. The Swedish centre-back has gained himself a reputation as a hard man on the pitch courtesy of his tough tackling style and ferocity when defending.

Leeds United’s official Twitter page tweeted out a selfie that Jansson had taken which highlights the extent of the bruise on his face. The defender’s eye was swollen to the point where he was almost unrecognisable.

Whilst the image had some fans wincing in pain it had others feeling proud as they believe Jansson encapsulates the club motto of “Side before self. Every time.”

Here’s what Leeds fans had to say on Twitter…

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Loads of Rangers fans have been running the rule over Wednesday’s action, as the Gers brushed Hearts aside at Ibrox.

Steven Gerrard had a bit of a crisis at left back this week, with Borna Barisic still out injured and Andy Halliday picking up a red card during the Old Firm.

The boss opted for Jon Flanagan over Lee Wallace, who is clearly now completely out of the picture no matter what the circumstances are.

Check out the video below to see how Brazil fans reacted to being asked how Cristiano Ronaldo would perform for them in a hilarious prank by Pl>ymaker FC…

“Flanno” tends to both delight and frustrate fans due to his immense work rate and tough tackling but horrific lack of ability and composure on the ball, but he managed to find the best of both worlds in Wednesday’s 3-0 win.

Jermain Defoe opened the scoring with a classic Defoe goal, before Connor Goldson doubled the lead with a header after just 21 minutes.

The hosts never looked back from there, racking up 63% of the possession and 15 shots, per BBC, and they were finally rewarded once more when Scott Arfield added the third just after half time.

It was a wonderful bounce back performance from Gerrard’s side, and no one was more impressive than Flanagan.

Aforementioned, the Scouser tends to split opinion at Ibrox, but the Twitter reactions down below are united after Wednesday’s display…

[ad_pod ]Sunderland’s season-defining clash against promotion rivals Barnsley has come and gone, but there’s one thing that happened during the clash that fans simply can’t wrap their heads around.Tuesday’s goalless draw at Oakwell did not make pretty viewing for Sunderland fans, even though the result may just be a blessing in disguise.Fans have heaped credit on the likes of Jack Baldwin, who returned to the first XI and dropped a defending master-class against the Tykes, but they are less impressed by January signing Kazaiah Sterling, who played one minute at Oakwell. Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals why Tyne-Wear is a more intense derby than anything London can offer – check out the video below….The 20 year-old, who joined on loan from Tottenham in January, made his debut with a 30-minute cameo against Wimbledon back in February, but didn’t play a single minute of action between then and Tuesday, when he came off the bench in the 91stminute.While it was Will Grigg who was brought in to replace the goals that walked out the door with Josh Maja, Sterling drew plenty of comparisons to the Bordeaux striker too, due to similarities in their age and play-style.

Jack Ross’ move to sign the Spurs starlet now looks almost completely pointless, as he clearly doesn’t trust a player with so little senior experience when promotion is on the line every single week.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below, where fans are bashing the January move…

سجل محمد مجدي أفشة لاعب الأهلي الهدف الأول لفريقه أمام الوداد المغربي في المباراة المقامة اليوم ببطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

وتقام مباراة الأهلي والوداد في ذهاب نصف نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا 2020، على ملعب مركب محمد الخامس.

طالع أيضًا.. فيديو | محمد الشناوي يتصدى لركلة جزاء أمام الوداد

وأحرز أفشة الهدف في الدقيقة الرابعة مستغلًا خطأ من مدافع الوداد يحيى جبران، وانفرد لاعب الأهلي بحارس المرمى رضاء تكناوتي وسددها في أسفل الزاوية اليسرى.

طالع أيضًا.. مباشر بالفيديو | مباراة الأهلي والوداد في دوري أبطال إفريقيا

ومن المقرر أن تقام مباراة الإياب بين الأهلي على ملعب استاد القاهرة يوم الجمعة المقبل.

يذكر أن الفائز من مواجهتي الأهلي والوداد سينتظر في الدور النهائي المنتصر من الزمالك والرجاء المغربي. شاهد هدف الأهلي الأول أمام الوداد

Imagine the impact signing Paulo Dybala would have on Manchester United! Excitement is just about back at Old Trafford and a major signing like the Juventus ace could get the place rocking again.

The United faithful saw him score the only goal as Juventus beat United 1-0 in the Champions League group stage, but they could be about to see him swap sides if reports in Corriere Dello Sport (via the Metro) are to be believed. They say the Old Lady want £103m for their star man, with United, City and Madrid all interested.

Until Ole Gunnar Soskjaer’s appointment, the red side of Manchester was a snooze-fest. Both Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho bored their fans to tears and they weren’t afraid to express it. Things are different now though, and whoever gets the manager’s job in the summer will look to build on the last few months’ excitement.

Dybala’s one of those players that’d add the extra excitement United have been missing. Players like himself, Paul Pogba and Neymar have an aura of unpredictability about them that supporters just love. He could give the fans and the players the boost they need to challenge for titles again.

Yes, the fee would be astronomical, but if he’s the key to getting United back to the top of the Premier League and challenging for the Champions League, it’d be worth every penny to the fans and the money men on the board. The last five years haven’t been good enough by United’s standards, so they have to fix it quickly.

Indeed, he scored against the Red Devils at Old Trafford in the Champions League earlier this season so fans may not exactly have the fondest memories, though his quality was certainly on show.

Such a massive signing would re-announce United as a footballing superpower on the pitch and not just commercially. It’d keep the fans’ excitement from dying down to 2014-2018 levels, and could just bring success back to Old Trafford once again.

United fans, who do you think your club should sign in the summer? Join the discussion by commenting below.

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Crystal Palace receive Huddersfield this weekend at SE25 and fans will surely accept nothing less than three points from the Premier League’s punching bag, although they know that it is a game they cannot afford to take for granted.

The Eagles’ home form is down there with the worst in the league – in fact, they would be in the relegation zone if not for some great away wins. Despite the efforts of the Palace faithful, Selhurst Park is anything but a fortress and that has to change.

On the chalkboard

Ahead of the Terriers’ visit, Max Meyer has stressed the importance of getting results and scoring goals at home – two things that often evade Palace – and this weekend presents the German and his teammates with the perfect opportunity to get some form going.

Jan Siewert’s side looked certain to take a fantastic three points from the London Stadium last time out but West Ham came back from 3-1 down with just 15 minutes to go and won – a result which pretty much summarises Huddersfield’s season – so if Palace cannot get a win then there will be outrage from supporters.

How then, can the Eagles finally transform Selhurst Park into a ground worthy of its’ atmosphere?

Play to all of their strengths, not just one

The glaring issue from the loss to bitter rivals Brighton – aside from the individual mistakes which led to goals – was the lack of quality decision making. The Eagles a fortunate to have a top player in Wilfried Zaha that other clubs in their position could only dream of having, but sometimes the players seem to forget that they aren’t just there to give the ball to the Ivorian.

Is the FA Cup distracting Crystal Palace fans from their EPL issues? Pla>yamker FC’s Sam thinks so in the video below…

For example, there were numerous occasions when Michy Batshuayi was making an excellent run in behind the Seagulls defence but wasn’t spotted by the man on the ball, who instead shifted it wide to Zaha. Perhaps this is partly due to the fact that the Belgian striker hasn’t been there all that long, but these are professional footballers who should know when to look up for a centre-forward rather than instinctively turning and sliding it to the left wing.

When Palace are not forced into making decisions, then they tend to rely too heavily on Zaha to work opportunities out of nothing; they play on the counter on their travels, meaning they are forced to think and pass quickly, and are far better for that reason.

The sooner the Eagles realise that there are other players in their ranks who can cause damage going forward, then the sooner their home form will improve – it’s up to Roy Hodgson to make them realise that, though.