Stefano Pioli believes Zlatan Ibrahimovic has the desire to help Milan beyond the end of this season, although his future still is not settled and the forward's immediate focus is on aiding the Rossoneri's 2021-22 title bid.
Ibrahimovic signed a one-year contract extension in April last year, meaning his Milan deal is again up in June.
And the superstar forward, who is now 40, is increasingly struggling for fitness, even if his goalscoring form has not deserted him.
Ibrahimovic has eight goals in all competitions this season, with no Milan player scoring at a greater rate than his average of one every 133 minutes.
However, Ibrahimovic has been limited to 12 starts and has not featured in over a month since injuring his Achilles tendon against Juventus.
Milan coach Pioli was asked for an update on both the striker's future and fitness before Friday's match against Udinese and offered a mixed response, with his recovery not as rapid as anticipated.
"[His future] would be a question for Zlatan," the league-leading coach told a news conference. "His will is very important.
"As I know him, for the determination he has, for the ambition he has and for the desire he has to help the team, I am convinced that he would want to continue playing.
"His condition is improving, albeit a little slower than we expected, but he is better.
"His path is day by day – you have to understand how the tendon responds when he starts to run. Between today and tomorrow he will return to running on the grass; in these days he has done individual work and ran on the sand."
Russia should not be allowed to host World Cup qualifying play-off matches due to the nation's invasion of Ukraine, the respective football associations of Poland, Sweden and the Czech Republic have said.
The four countries are in the same UEFA qualifying pathway for Qatar 2022, with Russia set to host Poland next month. Should they win that fixture they are scheduled to be at home to the winner of Sweden versus the Czech Republic.
A joint statement from the trio said they would not consider playing matches in Russia following president Vladimir Putin's decision to launch military action into neighbouring Ukraine, with all three insisting a neutral venue should be found.
"Based on the current alarming development in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, including the security situation, the Football Associations of Poland (PZPN), Sweden (SvFF) and Czech Republic (FACR) express their firm position that the play-off matches to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, scheduled for 24 and 29 March, should not be played in the territory of the Russian Federation," the joint statement read.
"The signatories to this appeal do not consider travelling to Russia and playing football matches there. The military escalation that we are observing entails serious consequences and considerably lower safety for our national football teams and official delegations.
"Therefore, we expect FIFA and UEFA to react immediately and to present alternative solutions regarding places where these approaching playoff matches could be played."
Russia, Poland and Sweden all confirmed their place in the second-stage playoffs after finishing as runners-up in their respective qualifying groups.
They were joined by the Czech Republic as one of the two best-ranked Nations League finishers not already qualified or involved in the play-off pathway.
Russia already face serious sanctions, including sports-related punishments, following their invasion.
They are expected to be stripped of hosting rights for the Champions League Final, while there is serious doubt over the Formula One Russian Grand Prix.
Schalke have removed Gazprom branding from their shirts in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Thursday.
The 2.Bundesliga club are sponsored by the Russian energy company, which is majority state-owned and the country's largest company in terms of revenue.
Schalke's move comes after Russia's attack on neighbouring Ukraine attracted widespread international condemnation.
The Gelsenkirchen-based team has not confirmed if it has severed its financial relationship with the company.
"Following recent developments, FC Schalke 04 have decided to remove the logo of main sponsor GAZPROM from the club's shirts," the club said in a statement.
"It will be replaced by lettering reading 'Schalke 04' instead. The association will inform you about further possible steps in due course."
Schalke's actions come amid mounting expectation that Russia will be stripped of hosting the 2021-22 UEFA Champions League final in May.
The competition's showpiece fixture is set to be played in St Petersburg, coincidentally at the Gazprom Arena.
However, Stats Perform understands European football's governing body, UEFA, will announce a change of venue after an emergency executive committee meeting on Friday.
Elsewhere, this year's Formula One Russian Grand Prix appears to be under threat, while serious doubts hang over next month's Qatar 2022 World Cup qualifying play-offs, in which both Russia and Ukraine are set to take part.
Tom Latham insists the priority will be World Test Championship points when New Zealand face South Africa in the second and final Test of their series at the Hagley Oval on Thursday.
After thrashing the tourists in the first Test by an innings and 276 runs in just seven sessions, New Zealand will clinch their first ever Test series win against the Proteas should they avoid defeat in Christchurch.
However, Latham is keen for his team to keep their eyes on the prize they won last year, and not simply play for a draw to ensure a historic series win.
The Black Caps' stand-in captain, speaking at a media conference ahead of the second Test, said: "On the whole for us it's about the WTC and you get as many points as possible.
"Points at home are really vital. Nowadays in international cricket it's so hard to win away from home, so points in your own country are really important."
When asked about the possibility of playing for a draw, he added: "Yeah, if you look back a few years ago, where you know this wasn't the case, we had series which, if you won 1-0 then that was cool.
"But I guess nowadays the context that the WTC has had has been great for Test cricket and it just shows that you need to win every game, and that will be our challenge."
New Zealand are in sixth place in the WTC points table, with 46.66 percentage points after five matches. Following this series, their Test side travels to England and Pakistan.
South Africa will be looking for drastic improvement on their feeble showing in the first Test, where they scored just 95 and 111 in their two innings and allowed the hosts to amass 482 runs in reply.
Remarkably, it was New Zealand's first Test match victory against the Proteas since 2004, and they have lost 13 out of the last 16 series between the two, including the most recent six.
No Williamson? No Boult? No problem
Kane Williamson remains sidelined by injury, though New Zealand's batting hardly seemed to suffer without their regular captain, and coach Gary Stead confirmed Trent Boult will also miss out again.
The pace bowler missed the first Test as he was awaiting the birth of his third child, and Stead feels he has not had enough time in the nets since returning to be considered here.
"[He] is not in a position to be available with his loads and where he's at," Stead said.
"Since his wife has been having the baby, he's missed out on a lot of opportunities to play cricket and bowl. We just felt the risk of him playing was far too great at the moment."
Ngidi ruled out again
Although an inability to put runs on the board was a major factor in the first Test defeat – the second-biggest in South Africa's history – it was also frustrating for them to see New Zealand do so with relative ease.
South Africa certainly missed the bowling of Lungi Ngidi, and unfortunately will be without the 25-year-old again.
"Because he hasn't been able to bowl last week, I don't think his bowling loads are up to the standard of preparing for Test matches," Proteas captain Dean Elgar said to reporters regarding Ngidi, who missed the first Test with a back issue.
"He hasn't been training with us, he's only been bowling off a short run-up, which has been a bit of a setback for us. We know Lungi's been a key figure in our bowling line-up. So it's a bit disappointing that he's in the situation that he's in now."
UEFA will strip St Petersburg of the right to host May's Champions League final, Stats Perform understands, after the governing body released a statement condemning Russia's attack on Ukraine.
Russia's military assault on neighbouring Ukraine unfolded after President Vladimir Putin recognised the independence of two pro-Russia breakaway regions in the east of the country, leading Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to sever diplomatic ties and declare martial law.
With Russia's actions attracting international condemnation, UEFA has been forced to backtrack on claims earlier this week that there were "no plans" to move the final.
Stats Perform now understands that the decision has been made to strip Zenit St Petersburg's Gazprom Arena of the showpiece event, and all that remains is to find a suitable replacement venue.
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has called an emergency meeting of the organisation's executive committee, which will take place on Friday.
"UEFA shares the international community’s significant concern for the security situation developing in Europe and strongly condemns the ongoing Russian military invasion in Ukraine," a statement from European football's governing body read.
"As the governing body of European football, UEFA is working tirelessly to develop and promote football according to common European values such as peace and respect for human rights, in the spirit of the Olympic Charter.
"We remain resolute in our solidarity with the football community in Ukraine, and stand ready to extend our hand to the Ukrainian people.
"We are dealing with this situation with the utmost seriousness and urgency. Decisions will be taken by the UEFA Executive Committee and announced tomorrow."
A formal announcement on a change of venue is expected at the conclusion of Friday's meeting, and the 2022 edition will now be the third consecutive Champions League final to require such a switch.
The final between Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain in 2020 was played behind closed doors at Lisbon's Estadio da Luz, rather than at Istanbul's Ataturk Olympic Stadium, owing to the impact of COVID-19.
Last year's clash between Chelsea and Manchester City, meanwhile, was also moved from Istanbul, being played at Porto's Estadio do Dragao, with British fans having been unable to travel to Turkey due to coronavirus restrictions.
Rafael Nadal hopes Alexander Zverev's withdrawal from the Mexico Open will "serve as a lesson" for him and other players when it comes to controlling their emotions on the court.
The world number three was pulled out of this month's tournament in Acapulco following an outburst where he hit the umpire's chair with his racquet in a tirade following a doubles defeat.
The ATP subsequently barred him from competition for a second-round singles clash, with several leading players, including Novak Djokovic, condemning the German's actions.
Speaking ahead of his own quarter-final this week, Nadal - who won a record-breaking 21st Grand Slam in at the Australian Open last month - stated he hoped the 24-year-old and other young players would learn that such behaviour is not acceptable.
"It's unfortunate, without a doubt," the Spaniard said. "I feel sorry for him as I have a good relationship with Alexander.
"In the end, he deserves the sanction because you can't act in this way.
"I think Sascha is aware of that and I hope this will serve as a lesson for him and for other young players who sometimes lose control on the court.
"I am not going to enter into what is or is not fair in terms of sanction," Nadal said. "But in the end you have to stop that type of attitude from becoming fashionable."
Zverev had been due to face Peter Gojowczyk in a singles encounter before he exploded at the end of his match with partner Marcelo Melo against Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara.
Following an over-ruled decision from the umpire that handed the latter pair match point in a super tie-break, the duo decided the game with an ace the very next serve.
That led to Zverev smashing his racquet against the umpire's chair on multiple occasions in quick succession, punctured by a foul-mouthed tirade.
The Tokyo 2020 champion subsequently apologised for his behaviour. The Mexico Open continues until February 26.
Sebastian Vettel claims he has already decided not to participate in September's Russian Grand Prix after Russia launched an attack on neighbouring Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to attack Ukraine comes just days after Moscow elected to recognise the independence of two breakaway regions in the east of the country, and has led to Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy severing diplomatic ties with Russia and declaring martial law in the country.
The attack has drawn widespread international condemnation, and has already impacted the sporting world, with UEFA likely to strip St Petersburg of May's Champions League final and the Ukrainian Premier League being suspended.
Now Vettel claims he has already made up his mind on whether he would participate in the Russian Grand Prix, currently scheduled for late September in Sochi.
"I woke up after this morning's news, [and was] shocked," the four-time Drivers' champion said.
"For myself, my opinion is I should not go, I will not go.
"I think it's wrong to race in the country.
"I'm sorry for the innocent people that are losing their lives, that are getting killed for stupid reasons and [because of] a very, very strange and mad [Russian] leadership.
"I'm sure it's something we will talk about, but as the GPDA [Grand Prix Driver's Association, the trade union representing Formula One drivers], we haven't come together yet."
Aston Martin driver Vettel, who won four consecutive world championships between 2010 and 2013, has been a director of the GPDA since 2010, and has previously spoken out on several other issues, being reprimanded for donning a pride flag at last year's Hungarian Grand Prix, before hosting an all-women's karting race prior to the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix later that year.
Two-time champion Fernando Alonso also called on Formula One to "do the best thing", while reigning world champion Max Verstappen echoed Vettel's sentiments.
"When a country is at war it is not right to race there," Verstappen said on day two of pre-season testing in Barcelona.
Formula One had earlier refused to comment on the potential for the race to be relocated, issuing a statement which claimed it "was closely watching the very fluid developments, and at this time has no further comment on the race," and added that it will "continue to monitor the situation very closely."
Rory Darge will make his first start for Scotland in their Six Nations clash with France on Saturday after Gregor Townsend was forced to reshuffle his pack.
The Glasgow Warriors flanker is named alongside Hamish Watson and Magnus Bradbury in an all-new back row, with the latter making his first Scotland start since 2020.
A slew of injuries have forced a clutch of players – including Cam Redpath, Rory Sutherland, Javan Sebastian, Jonny Gray and Scott Cummings – to drop out of contention.
Six more faces have been called up to the wider squad, though only prop Oli Kebble makes the matchday party from those added following Scotland's 20-17 defeat to Wales last time out.
Sam Skinner moves up to partner Grant Gilchrist at lock while WP Nel drops to the replacement bench in what is ultimately two direct changes to the starting line-up.
France meanwhile make just the one change to their starting XV, after Gabin Villiere was ruled out with a sinus fracture sustained against Ireland.
Jonathan Danty comes back into the side after dropping out for the 30-24 win over Andy Farrell's side, while Yoram Moefana moves over to the wing to cover the Toulon star Villiere's absence.
Les Bleus remain the only side unbeaten in this year's Championship, but now face consecutive matches on the road after enjoying home advantage in their first two games.
Both teams will be out to make metres, with Scotland duo Stuart Hogg (843) and Finn Russell (747) having accrued more kicking metres than any other players in the 2022 Six Nations so far.
However, it is France (2,261) who have made the most as a team, with three different players having made 500+ metres with the boot for them in Antoine Dupont (682), Melvyn Jaminet (564) and Romain Ntamack (501).
This will be the 99th clash between the two nations in all competitions, with France claiming victory on 56 occasions and Scotland winning 39 times.
However, the honours are evenly split across their last 10 meetings with both sides picking up five wins apiece during that period.
Scotland team: Stuart Hogg, Darcy Graham, Chris Harris, Sione Tuipulotu, Duhan van der Merwe, Finn Russell, Ali Price; Pierre Schoeman, Stuart McInally, Zander Fagerson, Sam Skinner, Grant Gilchrist, Rory Darge, Hamish Watson, Magnus Bradbury.
Replacements: George Turner, Oli Kebble, WP Nel, Jamie Hodgson, Nick Haining, Ben White, Blair Kinghorn, Mark Bennett.
France team: Melvyn Jaminet, Damian Penaud, Gael Fickou, Jonathan Danty, Yoram Moefana, Romain Ntamack, Antoine Dupont; Cyril Baille, Julien Marchand, Uini Atonio, Cameron Woki, Paul Willemse, Francois Cros, Anthony Jelonch, Gregory Alldritt.
Replacements: Peato Mauvaka, Jean-Baptiste Gros, Demba Bamba, Romain Taofifenua, Thibaud Flament, Dylan Cretin, Maxime Lucu, Thomas Ramos.
Manu Tuilagi and captain Courtney Lawes will make their returns from injury in England's Six Nations showdown with Wales at Twickenham, while forward Taulupe Faletau will make his first appearance since last year's competition for the visitors on Saturday.
Both sides have posted a win and a loss in their two games so far to trail early leaders France in the table.
England bounced back from a 20-17 loss to Scotland by thrashing Italy 33-0 last time out, while Wales beat Scotland 20-17 after opening their title defence with a 29-7 defeat in Ireland.
Lawes returns from a concussion-enforced layoff which has kept him out of action since January, and regains the captaincy he held against South Africa last Autumn, replacing stand-in Tom Curry in the role.
Tuilagi also makes a welcome return from injury, but Ben Youngs will have to wait to win a record 115th cap after being named on the bench, as Eddie Jones makes four changes to the team which impressed in Rome, with Luke Cowan-Dickie and Kyle Sinckler also coming in.
Looking ahead to the match, Jones told England Rugby that he was content with his side's preparation, and was excited ahead of the showdown.
"We've prepared very well for this game, the squad have really come together on and off the pitch," said Jones.
"Wales are a good, tough side and Six Nations champions, and it will make for an exciting Test match in front of a full Twickenham crowd.
"We've got a talented, young, hungry squad who have trained with real intensity this week. We're ready to go at them and can't wait to play in front of our supporters again."
Ralf Rangnick has revealed Anthony Elanga almost left Manchester United on loan in January, after the teenager rescued a Champions League draw against Atletico Madrid.
The winger came off the bench to score an 80th-minute equaliser at the Wanda Metropolitano, after Joao Felix had originally opened the scoring for Diego Simeone's side.
Elanga's finish means both sides head into the return leg at Old Trafford on level terms, but Rangnick has now indicated he almost did not have the Sweden Under-21 international at his disposal.
The German stated Elanga had his heart set on more first-team minutes away from the club before he was convinced to stay after the former's arrival.
"Of course, I had heard about his name before [I joined] but I didn't know him as a player because he didn't play for Manchester United [the first team]," Rangnick said.
"On the first training session, the night before the Crystal Palace game, he was the player with the best training performance, so I asked my colleagues and my staff members about him and then found out he had almost already decided to leave the club on loan.
"He came on against Palace as we all know and the week after I said, 'Listen, I want you stay and see how you do, how you are doing in training and the games until the closure of the transfer window'.
"I think right now he has just shown what is possible in football with the right mentality, the right approach to go into games. This is exactly what he did and what he always does in every training session."
Under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Elanga found his chances severely limited across the first half of the campaign, with the winger squeezed out of any senior game-time bar a 17-minute cameo against West Ham in United's EFL Cup exit in September.
Since Rangnick took the reins, however, he has found himself a regular presence among the senior squad, making 13 appearances across all competitions.
Having stolen the show late on for a flagging United side in Madrid, Elanga will hope to feature when they return to Premier League action this weekend against Watford, whose 4-1 win over the Red Devils in November spelled the end for Solskjaer's time as manager.
UEFA has called an emergency meeting of its executive committee for Friday to discuss the developing situation between Russia and Ukraine.
Russia launched a military assault on Ukraine on Thursday, having previously recognised the independence of two breakaway regions in the east of the country.
The ongoing crisis has brought scrutiny to May's Champions League final, which is due to be held in the Russian city of St Petersburg.
Recent reports have suggested European football's showpiece event could be moved to another country, and UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has now called an emergency meeting of the governing body's leadership to take place on Friday.
A statement from UEFA read: "Following the evolution of the situation between Russia and Ukraine in the last 24 hours, the UEFA president has decided to call an extraordinary meeting of the executive committee for Friday, February 25 at 10:00 CET, in order to evaluate the situation and take all necessary decisions.
"Further communication will be made after the meeting of the UEFA executive committee."
UEFA-partnered fan group Football Supporters Europe (FSE) has publicly called for the relocation of May's Champions League final – currently set for the Russian city of St Petersburg – after the country launched an attack on neighbouring Ukraine.
Russian president Vladimir Putin opted to launch a military assault on Ukraine on Thursday, having previously recognised the independence of two breakaway regions in the east of the country.
Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelensky, responded by cutting diplomatic ties with Moscow and announcing the imposition of martial law.
As such, pressure is growing on UEFA to move European club football's biggest game away from the Gazprom Arena as a result of Russia's actions.
The FSE, an independent fans' organisation that is recognised as a representative association on fan issues by the likes of UEFA and the Council of Europe, has called for the governing body to strip Russia of the showpiece event.
"On this tragic day, our thoughts are with everyone in Ukraine, our friends, colleagues, members and their loved ones," read a post on the FSE's official Twitter account.
"Given the events unfolding, we expect an imminent announcement from UEFA on the relocation of the Champions League final from St Petersburg."
UEFA said in a statement earlier this week that there were "no plans" for a venue change, but pressure could now reach intolerable levels given the escalation of the crisis.
Last season's final between Chelsea and Manchester City was relocated to Porto from Istanbul with only two weeks' notice, as Turkey was on the United Kingdom's 'red' list, meaning fans were urged not to travel for the game due to coronavirus risk levels.
The Ukrainian Premier League has been suspended after the government's imposition of martial law following neighbouring Russia's decision to launch an attack on the country.
Russian president Vladimir Putin opted to launch a military assault on Ukraine on Thursday, having previously recognised the independence of two breakaway regions in the east of the country.
Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelensky, responded by cutting diplomatic ties with Moscow and announcing the imposition of martial law.
As a result, Ukraine's premier footballing competition will be forced to halt.
"Due to the imposition of martial law in Ukraine, the championship of Ukraine has been suspended," read a short statement on the league's website.
Defending champions and 16-time winners Dynamo Kiev currently trail Shakhtar Donetsk by two points at the division's summit, although the competition's ability to reach a conclusion will now be thrown into doubt.
The ongoing crisis has also brought scrutiny to UEFA's decision to host May's Champions League final in the Russian city of St Petersburg, with recent reports suggesting European football's showpiece event could be moved from the Gazprom Arena.
Likewise, FIFA's World Cup qualification campaign could also be affected, with Russia due to face Poland and Ukraine set to meet Scotland in the upcoming play-offs next month.
Cristiano Ronaldo expressed his pleasure at being back in Madrid after Manchester United secured a 1-1 draw against Atletico Madrid in their Champions League round-of-16 first leg at the Wanda Metropolitano.
Teenager Anthony Elanga came off the bench to equalise for United after a first-half Joao Felix header had put the hosts in front.
The second leg at Old Trafford will be played on March 15.
Ronaldo spent nine years at Real Madrid after his first stint with the Red Devils, winning four Champions League crowns and two LaLiga titles among a vast array of honours at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The Portugal international also boasts an impressive record against Atletico, having scored 25 goals in 36 matches against them, only managing more versus Sevilla during his entire career.
Four of Ronaldo's club hat-tricks have come against Atletico, two of which have been netted in the Champions League – no other player has recorded more against a single opponent in Europe's top club tournament.
However, he was unable to find the net on Wednesday. It was Elanga who had the honour of scoring United's 500th goal in the European Cup/ Champions League.
Ronaldo seemed satisfied with his night's work though, taking to Instagram to write: "Always a great feeling to be back in Madrid, one of the few cities in the world that I've learned to call 'home'.
"Great feelings, great players, great game, this is the Champions League! The mother of all club competitions!
"Now we have the opportunity to close this for us in our stadium, showing everybody why Old Trafford is and will always be The Theatre of Dreams.
"Last but not least, thanks to our amazing supporters! Your presence make us stronger, and together we will go forward! Let's go, Devils!"
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