John Stones deserves the best , according to Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola.

Stones scored twice – his first Premier League goals for City – and put in an accomplished display at the back in a 4-0 demolition of Crystal Palace on Sunday.

Alongside Ruben Dias, Stones has been in imperious form, and from the 10 games the pair have started together in all competitions, City have claimed nine wins and one draw, conceding just one goal.

Indeed, with Stones and Dias proving their worth, Aymeric Laporte, a star performer in recent seasons, has been limited to four league appearances this term.

Injuries and losses of form have marred Stones time at City, and the former Everton centre-back had lost his place in the England squad after making just 16 …

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer insisted the Premier League giants only sign players that fit the club s long-term strategy amid ongoing transfer links.

With the January transfer window open, United have once again been linked to Borussia Dortmund star Jadon Sancho, Bayern Munich s soon-to-be free agent David Alaba and Lens defender Facundo Medina among others.

During the previous window, United signed 33-year-old forward Edinson Cavani, Donny van de Beek, Alex Telles, Facundo Pellistri and teenage sensation Amad Diallo – who arrived from Atalanta this month.

As United eye their first Premier League title since 2012-13, Solskjaer discussed the club s transfer plans.

Just a light warm-up for today

— Manchester United (@ManUtd…

Newcastle United have been offered the chance to sign Joao Felix from Atletico Madrid in the January transfer window, according to . The report has claimed that Portugal international star Felix wants to leave Atletico and his agent, Jorge Mendes, is actively trying to find the 23-year-old a new club in the middle of the season.

Felix, who can operate as a forward, winger or attacking midfielder, played for Portugal at the 2022 Qatar World Cup. The 23-year-old has been on the books of Atletico since 2019 when he moved from Benfica, but head coach Diego Simeone has not always played him to his full potential and is quite defensive-minded.

The 23-year-old has made five starts and seven substitute appearances in La Liga for Atletico so far this season, scoring three goals …

Luke Shaw has spoken of his massive regrets over withdrawing from England squads in the past as the in-form left-back attempts to make up for lost time.

Manchester United defender Shaw made his first international appearance since September 2018 in the Three Lions 2-0 World Cup qualifying win over Albania on Sunday, setting up the opening goal for Harry Kane.

Shaw made his debut back in 2014, but won only his ninth cap in Tirana as Gareth Southgate s side made it two Group I victories out of two.

The 25-year-old has struggled with injuries since joining United from Southampton but is making a strong case to be England s first-choice left-back when Euro 2020 gets under way in June.

Shaw thought he may have blown his chances of representing England again …

Ozil felt his performances had reached a high level prior to the coronavirus-enforced break in Premier League action. 

After that, he says it was decided he was not allowed to play for Arsenal, but still feels settled at the club and in London. 

Ozil s view of his improved performances are backed up by the Opta data for his 18 Premier League appearances in the 2019-20 season. 

He created 2.36 chances for every 90 minutes he was on the pitch, comfortably more than the second-placed player on the list, Nicolas Pepe (1.79). 

Of Arsenal players to feature in at least 10 games last season, Ozil ranked second for successful passes in the opposition half (30.33 per 90 minutes), behind only Dani Ceballos (34.33). 

The former Germany interna…

Liverpool are interested in signing Chelsea defensive midfielder N Golo Kante on a free transfer in the summer of 2023, according to . Kante is out of contract at former Premier League and UEFA Champions League winners Chelsea at the end of the season, and English giants Liverpool reportedly want to secure the services of the 31-year-old.

Kante has been on the books of Chelsea since 2016 and has been superb for the London club over the years. The 31-year-old defensive midfielder has won the Premier League, the FA Cup, the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League once each with the Blues. The former Leicester City star also won the 2018 World Cup with France.

Chelsea are struggling in the Premier League at the moment and may not even finish in the top four this s…

Bayern Munich and Germany great Gerd Muller has died at the age of 75, leaving a remarkable legacy.

Muller spent 15 years at Bayern as a player and remains the club s all-time leading scorer.

He also led West Germany to a European Championship triumph in 1972 and World Cup glory two years later.

Using Opta data, Stats Perform looks at the remarkable career of one of European football s true giants.

BAYERN LEGEND

Muller made 607 appearances in all competitions for Bayern, helping the Bavarian club to four league titles, four DFB-Pokal triumphs and three European Cup successes in the process.

Renowned for his close-range finishing, Muller scored 566 goals, making him Bayern s all-time leading goalscorer.

Indeed, Muller spent his e…

With another stacked weekend schedule from across Europe on our hands, we look set for a string of eye-catching affairs. For those of you that are looking to stick on a Saturday acca, we have found a handful pf noteworthy tips that offer some great value to your flutter.

Saturday April 29th
BST 14:30 Koln vs Freiburg

Although Sunderland might have only made their Championship return this season, Tony Mowbray’s side are enjoying what has been a remarkable second-tier flurry. Only continuing to shine since returning from March’s international break, it is no secret that the former Blackburn boss has a famous play-off spot at the top of his agenda in 2023. Gaining a string of plaudits and riding what has been a stellar wave of momentum, the Black Cats find the mood …

Rafael Leao scored a deadly double as Milan returned to winning ways in Serie A and boosted their Champions League qualification hopes with a 2-0 victory over Lecce.

Stefano Pioli s side reached the Champions League semi-finals on Tuesday after a 2-1 aggregate win over Napoli, but their recent domestic league form had left much to be desired.

The Rossoneri had managed just one win in their last six league games, but Leao scored in each half on Sunday at San Siro to halt that slide against their relegation-threatened visitors.

Victory moved Milan level on points with fourth-placed Roma, who visit Atalanta on Monday, and three behind Juventus after the Bianconeri s 15-point deduction was reversed.

Rising to the challenge

— AC Milan (@acmilan) <…

Ashley Barnes converted an 83rd-minute penalty as Burnley condemned Liverpool to a first home defeat in the Premier League since April 2017.  

Having been fouled by Alisson for the spot kick, Barnes fired home from 12 yards out to secure his side three welcome and unexpected points to move them away from the relegation zone. 

Defeat means Liverpool remain six points behind leaders Manchester United in the table, the stuttering champions enduring a fourth successive league game without a goal despite having 27 attempts. 

Divock Origi hit the crossbar in the first half while Nick Pope who starred when Burnley end the Reds  100 per cent home record in their title-winning campaign was outstanding in the visiting goal, helping secure a stunning result t…