Manchester City youngster Cole Palmer could have a similar trajectory to that of Phil Foden, according to Pep Guardiola's assistant Rodolfo Borrell.
Palmer played a crucial role in City's 4-1 FA Cup third-round win over Swindon Town on Friday, setting up the opener for Bernardo Silva before netting his maiden goal in the competition late on with a gorgeous strike.
It was an all-round positive display from the right-winger, whose close ball control and technical ability made him a constant nuisance to the fourth-tier opposition, while he also proved a reliable creative outlet.
No player on the pitch could match his four chances created, and his overall positivity on and off the ball led to him registering four more touches (14) in the penalty area than anyone else.
That led to a game-high total of five shots, four of which were from inside the box, including his well-taken goal.
The 19-year-old was making his 10th competitive appearance of the season across all competitions and looked at home alongside seasoned superstars like Kevin De Bruyne and Silva.
Borrell, who was in charge due to Guardiola testing positive for coronavirus, suggested they are looking at Palmer's development in a similar light to that of Foden.
With it put to Borrell that Palmer looked "special", the coach told ITV Sport: "Yes, it's true, we have him training with us [the first team] on a regular basis.
"He has great quality, everyone has been able to see this. He's a great player, still needs developing quite a lot but there is obviously a lot of talent there.
"Hopefully very soon he can play more minutes with us like Phil Foden a couple of years ago."
Borrell attempted to temper any comparisons between the two City youth products, but he did not hide his excitement about Palmer.
He continued: "They're completely different players and obviously Phil has shown… I'm not going say [Foden's shown] more than him, but obviously he's older than [Palmer] and has had more opportunities.
"At the end of the day, they're two great players. Right now, Phil is already established in our first team and in the national team.
"With Cole, he obviously has the talent and the ingredients to become [something similar] but let's see.
"It's in his hands, he has to keep working hard and performing consistently at a good level."
Ultimately there was little for City to worry about at the County Ground, with Guardiola's absence no more than a footnote.
As it turned out, he had little to do with the game once it started, such is his belief in his coaches.
Borrell added: "We were in touch at half-time. There was not a massive change because everything was as planned as before.
"He has great confidence in all of us. Not just me but all the backroom staff, we have been with him a long time.
"We planned all of this together but to be honest with you, after the start of the game he said, 'listen, do as if I wasn't there and obviously if you need anything, keep in touch, and we'll chat at half-time'.
"He has huge confidence in us and I'm grateful, we are grateful. Everything was as planned and it has been a great experience for me and for all of us."
The Green Bay Packers have activated All-Pro corner Jaire Alexander from the reserve/COVID-19 list, but he is not expected to play in their regular-season finale.
Alexander, who was named to the Pro Bowl and earned second-team All-Pro honours last season, has not played since the Packers' Week 4 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers when he suffered a shoulder injury.
He was activated from injured reserve last week but did not play as the Packers claimed the top seed in the NFC playoffs with a blowout win over the Minnesota Vikings and was on Monday placed on the COVID-19 list.
Despite coming off the list on Friday, head coach Matt LaFleur does not foresee Alexander playing in a meaningless game against the Detroit Lions.
"I would not anticipate Jaire playing. Just only having the one day [of practice] this week, I don't want to put him out there," LaFleur said.
However, quarterback and MVP favourite Aaron Rodgers will play at least some of the game at Ford Field ahead of the Packers' first-round bye.
Confirming Rodgers will start, LaFleur said: "I don't think he needs to play. I think he wants to play and keep the momentum going."
Jamaica international Leon Bailey could be closing in on a return to action for EPL club Aston Villa having stepped up his rehabilitation from injury in recent weeks.
The 24-year-old has been out of action since pulling up injured against Manchester City in early December. On that occasion, the visibly disappointed player left the pitch holding his thigh after sprinting in the first half-hour of that game.
The player has had a stop-start kind of season since joining Aston Villa in the summer from Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen. Bailey also spent several weeks out of action after a sensation cameo against Everton where he damaged the same muscle after scoring a spectacular goal.
Aston Villa coach Steven Gerrard gave the latest update on the player ahead of the team’s FA Cup clash against Manchester United on Monday.
"We’re [with Leon Bailey] four and a bit weeks post-injury and he’s progressing well, stepping up his rehab — he's focused. It was an injury in a similar area to the first one, so we have to be careful and respect that,” Gerrard said.
Aston Villa will, however, have Ollie Watkins and Tyrone Mings available for selection ahead of the match at Old Trafford.
Manchester City ran out comfortable 4-1 winners over hosts Swindon Town in Friday's FA Cup third-round clash.
City, under the guidance of assistant coach Rodolfo Borrell after Pep Guardiola contracted COVID-19, never looked in danger of suffering a first FA Cup defeat to a side from the fourth tier or lower since 1984.
The visitors were cruising by the half-hour mark, with Bernardo Silva and Gabriel Jesus getting the goals.
Ilkay Gundogan buried a fine free-kick with just under an hour played to put the game beyond doubt, before Harry McKirdy got a consolation.
Cole Palmer's gorgeous late strike finished the League Two side off and capped a great performance late on.
Swindon were lucky to hold out for 14 minutes, but Silva – who had previously wasted two great chances – was never going to miss when the excellent Palmer presented him with a tap-in.
City then pounced on Louis Reed's questionable flick just outside his own area as Swindon attempted to play out from the back, with Kevin De Bruyne feeding Jesus into the box for a simple finish.
The contest was over – if it wasn't already – in the 59th minute as Gundogan cleverly curled his free-kick around the wall and into the bottom-right corner.
The Swindon goalkeeper's wall positioning may have played a part, though Lewis Ward went some way to making amends when saving Jesus' penalty after Jordan Lyden fouled the Brazilian.
City could not keep a clean sheet, with Jonny Williams capitalising on Rodri's error and playing McKirdy into the area to finish past the suspect Zack Steffen.
But the away side had the last laugh, Palmer planting an exceptional finish into the top-left corner.
Bayern Munich were beaten for just the third time in the Bundesliga this season as they slipped to a 2-1 defeat against Borussia Monchengladbach as German football returned from its mid-season break.
First-half goals from Florian Neuhaus and Stefan Lainer cancelled out Robert Lewandowski's opener at the Allianz Arena, and Julian Nagelsmann's men were unable to find a way back into the game in the second period.
The defending champions had been hit by numerous positive COVID-19 cases in the build-up and were missing several key players including Manuel Neuer, Dayot Upamecano, Kingsley Coman, Alphonso Davies and Leroy Sane.
However, in a game behind closed doors with the snow falling in Munich, a nonetheless strong Bayern starting line-up was unable to avenge their 5-0 humbling by Gladbach in the DFB-Pokal this season.
Yann Sommer made two big saves early on from Serge Gnabry and Lewandowski, but the Poland star was never likely to be denied for long and he had Bayern in front on 18 minutes when he collected a Thomas Muller pass, before turning his marker and firing in at Sommer's near post with the usual precise venom.
Entirely against the run of play, Gladbach were level just nine minutes later. With the first real attack from the visitors, a cross was poorly cleared by Joshua Kimmich and the alert Neuhaus fired the ball in under Sven Ulreich.
That sparked Adi Hutter's team into life and they were ahead just after the half-hour mark when a Luca Netz corner was headed in well by Lainer.
Gladbach were the ones pressing for another as they started to dominate the hosts, with Neuhaus and Breel Embolo both coming close to getting a third, before Lewandowski hit the post from a tight angle just before half-time.
Sommer saved well from Jamal Musiala early in the second half while Lewandowski hit the woodwork again, but despite a late push for an equaliser, the league leaders were kept at bay.
General Secretary of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), Dalton Wint, has welcomed the implementation of Video Assistant Replay (VAR), which will be used for the final six games of the Concacaf World Cup qualifiers.
Prior to this, Concacaf was one of only three nations not making use of the technology, alongside AFCON (Africa) and Oceania, and were hampered in their efforts to do so by not only technological restrictions but also due to a lack of certified officials. With both issues rectified since the start of the year, the way is now clear for the replay system to be implemented.
In its absence, the competition has been plagued by what some believe to be high-profile refereeing errors. Against the United States with the game tied at 1-1, Jamaica defender Damion Lowe’s header, which flew into the net 7 minutes from time, was controversially ruled out for what appeared to be very little contact with US defender Walker Zimmerman. The game ended in a 1-1 draw.
With the country well behind on points in their pursuit of three and a half qualification spots, three points instead of one could have made a huge difference. Wint hopes that in the future such costly errors can be avoided.
“I think it (decisions like that) is one of the major reasons CONCACAF decided to implement it. It is really important to get the major decisions right,” Wint said of the upcoming technology upgrade.
There have of course also been times when the technology may have gone against the country notably when Lowe was himself yellow carded for a last-ditch challenge on USA player Brenden Aaronson, although the call might have been marginal at best.
“I’m all for it. If you have the technology, then why not use it. You can’t have it both ways, at times it may slow the game down, but it is important to try and arrive at the correct decision.”
The Reggae Boyz, who are currently in 6th place in the eight-team standings and 7 points behind the final qualifying spot, will resume their qualification campaign against Mexico on January 27th.
Manchester United midfielder Fred has hit back at what he described as "fake news" amid reports of dressing-room unrest at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils' meek performance in the 1-0 home defeat to Wolves last Monday, their first loss under interim manager Ralf Rangnick, resulted in widespread speculation over the futures of several first-team players.
It has been claimed as many as 17 United players are considering leaving the club, either this month or at the end of the season, with standards falling significantly short of expectation.
Fred's name appeared in some of the reports, with the 28-year-old having only played a minute of his side's previous two league matches despite scoring the winning goal against Crystal Palace at the beginning of Rangnick's tenure.
However, the Brazil international said there was no truth to the rumours he is unhappy at the club.
He wrote on social media: "Over the past few days I have read several fake news involving my name and other MUFC athletes. I'm not in the habit of answering controversial stuff publicly, but this time I will have to.
"I just want to say that I am very happy here and I have never expressed any dissatisfaction and the possibility of leaving the club. Don't get misled by fake news. We will continue to work with great dedication to pursue our goals."
Fred has played 19 times in all competitions in 2021-22, scoring twice.
United are seventh in the Premier League table after 19 games, having already lost six times in the top flight this term, and they face a tricky FA Cup third-round match with Steven Gerrard's Aston Villa at Old Trafford on Monday.
Tottenham boss Antonio Conte fears Son Heung-min could be unavailable until after the next international break after the South Korea international picked up a muscle injury.
Son - who has made 21 appearances for Spurs in all competitions this season, registering eight goals and three assists - came off after 79 minutes of Wednesday's 2-0 EFL Cup semi-final first leg defeat against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, but Conte insists that was not because of an injury at the time.
Speaking at a news conference ahead of Sunday's FA Cup third-round tie against League One outfit Morecambe, the former Chelsea and Inter boss said the player felt a pain in his leg the following day and has had a scan to evaluate the damage.
"It was a strange situation," Conte told reporters. "Against Chelsea, I made two substitutions together, with Lucas Moura and then Son. But not for injury, the substitutions, but only to try to give them a bit of rest, 15 minutes of rest.
"Then the day after, he felt a bit of pain in his muscle, in his leg. He had a scan and now we have to make the right evaluation from the doctors. He has an injury.
"I don't know, but probably he will stay without training sessions until the end of this cycle, before the international break."
The next international break is scheduled for the end of this month, meaning that Son would be unable to play for Tottenham again until February.
It will be a big blow to Conte, with Son having created more chances (33) than any other Spurs player this season, ahead of Lucas Moura (27), Harry Kane (21), Sergio Reguilon (20) and Emerson Royal (18).
Conte was also asked about whether there have been discussions about potential incomings in the January transfer window, to which he responded: "The first person who wants to improve the situation is for sure our owner.
"I will have time to speak, also with the people who work within the club to try to understand well the situation, to understand if there is the opportunity to improve this squad in this transfer market. But I think we will do the same thing that all of the teams are doing in these days.
"We have two ways to improve the situation, one is to improve the level of the players that we have in our squad. Another is to implement new players and improve the quality of the squad. But, as you know very well, January is not easy for anyone. So we'll see what happens."
Preparations are advancing for the Video Assistant Replay (VAR) replay system to be installed at Jamaica’s National Stadium, with a site visit expected to take place early next week.
Production and audiovisual company MediaPro, which is already in charge of broadcasting all Concacaf events, will be responsible for implementing the technology in Jamaica, Honduras, El Salvador, Costa Rica, and Panama. The other four venues, which do not have the technology installed.
The move follows up on the decision by CONCACAF to implement VAR for the region in September, but the move was held up not only by logistical considerations but also by adequately certified officials.
In recent weeks, however, football’s world governing body FIFA has accredited referees, as well as VAR assistants and managers. Prior to that, only the United States, Mexico, and Canada had VAR officials as they were the only ones to make use of the technology in their various leagues.
Implementing the technology in Jamaica will incur an added expense as the equipment will have to be flown to the island before being installed at the country’s national stadium. The other CONCACAF venues taking part in the Octagonal round, which do not have yet the technology, can be accessed via roadways. The majority of the bill will be picked up by Concacaf. Jamaica will resume World Cup qualification action against Mexico, at the National Stadium, on January 27th.
Novak Djokovic thanked the supporters campaigning for him to be allowed to play at the Australian Open as he spoke out for the first time since being detained in Melbourne.
The ATP world number one will spend the weekend in a hotel that also houses refugees and asylum seekers, some of whom have been waiting years for the chance of freedom.
A court hearing on Monday should determine Djokovic's fate after Border Force officials cancelled his visa application, stating the 34-year-old had "failed to provide appropriate evidence to meet the entry requirements to Australia".
Djokovic seemed all set to play after he was granted a medical exemption by organisers of the first grand slam of the year, but his fate now hangs in the balance. An injunction secured by his legal team has allowed him to remain in the country for now, albeit in detention.
The Serbian superstar wrote on Instagram: "Thank you to people around the world for your continuous support. I can feel it and it is greatly appreciated."
That came after a message from Djokovic to mark Orthodox Christmas on Friday, as he wrote: "Peace of God. Christ was born. Merry Christmas. May God's love strengthen and fulfil you."
The Australian Open begins on January 17 and this is just about the worst possible preparation for the 20-time major winner, even if he is given permission to remain in Australia at Monday's hearing.
There was an outcry from many Melburnians when Djokovic announced on Tuesday that he was on his way to the tournament with an exemption pass.
A small number have since protested that Djokovic should be liberated, while he has found some support on social media and extensive backing from his homeland, with Serbian president Aleksandar Vucic accusing Australian authorities of "harassment of the best tennis player in the world", pledging to "fight for Novak Djokovic, for justice and truth".
Djokovic is a record nine-time champion at Melbourne Park, but there is said to be a strong feeling locally that he should have to show proof of being vaccinated against COVID-19, given the efforts residents have gone to and the stringent restrictions imposed on them during the pandemic to date.
Australian Open officials have claimed "rigorous" checks were put in place to assess the veracity of any claim for an exemption.
One theory that has been widely suggested is Djokovic, who has spoken out about vaccine matters in the past, may have been awarded the exemption on the basis he had a positive test for COVID-19 in the past six months. He has not publicly confirmed he has recently had the virus.
However, reports from Australia have stated federal government officials instructed Tennis Australia in recent months that experiencing a recent case of coronavirus was not an adequate explanation for a player not being fully vaccinated.
Djokovic's wife, Jelena, issued a statement in support of her husband, posting on Instagram: "We wish we are all together today, but my consolation is that at least we are healthy. And we will grow from this experience.
"Thank you dear people, all around the world for using your voice to send love to my husband. I am taking a deep breath to calm down and find gratitude (and understanding) in this moment for all that is happening.
"The only law that we should all respect across every single border is love and respect for another human being. Love and forgiveness is never a mistake but a powerful force."
Australian authorities, all the way up to prime minister Scott Morrison, have contended their border laws are there for a good reason, with Monday promising to be a seismic day in the capital of Victoria.
Ansu Fati is set to make his return to action with Barcelona in the upcoming Supercopa de Espana semi-final against Real Madrid.
The 19-year-old forward has had a particularly difficult time of it in the past 14 months, managing just five league appearances due to injury.
Fati missed the majority of the 2020-21 season after tearing the internal meniscus of his left knee in November 2020, an injury that ultimately kept him out until September 2021.
But his return then was brief – he featured five times in LaLiga, scoring three goals, before then hurting his hamstring almost exactly a year to the day after suffering that initial knee injury.
Even during his short-lived return, Fati highlighted his importance to Barca – he averaged a goal every 71 minutes, the best record at the club this season (min. 200 minutes played) and was ruthlessly clinical, those three strikes coming from just 0.85 expected goals (xG).
Fati's xG overperformance of 2.15 is comfortably the best in the Barca team this season. Their current top scorer, Memphis Depay, has underperformance in relation to non-penalty xG (6.0 xG, five goals).
But despite the evidence showing just how much of an asset Fati can be, Xavi will resist the urge to play him against Granada on Saturday, instead holding him back for a few extra days in order to feature in Wednesday's Clasico in Riyadh.
"If it were the other way around, playing Madrid tomorrow and the Supercopa against Granada, I would do exactly the same," Xavi told reporters.
"Ansu is fine, [but] I had some doubts that he would be able to play tomorrow's game. For now I prefer to wait because the last experience he had was a relapse.
"We love Ansu 100 per cent, and knowing that he is about to return is spectacular news for us. He has worked very well, with a very strong ambition, capable of making a difference.
"He is a fundamental player, but we do not want to take risks because we would lose him for the rest of the season. I prefer to wait until he is at full capacity – it's a question of physical condition."
Xavi was speaking a few hours after Philippe Coutinho's loan exit to Aston Villa was confirmed, a move that will go down well with many Barca supporters who had become increasingly frustrated by the Brazilian.
But while Coutinho may never have been the most popular player among fans, Xavi commended his attitude.
"It says a lot about him that he wanted to leave to have minutes," Xavi said. "His salary has been lowered. He is a great professional, who wants to succeed.
"Here he was struggling and he has looked for a solution. All the players are being very professional. I am delighted with those who play, but also with those who do not. They are exemplary."
Barca had been eager to move Coutinho on in part due to his massive salary, with the club needing to get players off the wage bill in order to register new additions.
Ferran Torres still cannot be registered following his move from Manchester City, though Xavi assured fans the club is doing everything it can to ensure the Spain international can play once he returns from his coronavirus-enforced absence.
"Today [Torres] has tested positive again. Regardless of whether we can register him or not, in principle he will not play [against Granada]," he continued.
"[Barca director] Mateu Alemany is working 24 hours a day so that Ferran can play when he tests negative for coronavirus. I am optimistic, I trust in the club management."
Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy was released on bail at Chester Crown Court on Friday.
The France international, who has been charged with seven counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, had been in custody since last August.
Mendy was charged following allegations of attacks on five women that took place between October 2020 and August 2021.
The 27-year-old was granted bail at a hearing on Friday.
He had been due to stand trial this month, but that was put back until June at the earliest.
Mendy had reportedly been moved from HMP Altcourse prison in Liverpool to Strangeways jail in Manchester last month.
Co-defendant Louis Saha Matturie also appeared at the hearing in Chester.
Premier League champions City suspended their big-money signing Mendy after he was charged last August.
Russell Wilson insists his plan is to win more Super Bowl titles with the Seattle Seahawks as speculation over his NFL future continues.
Ahead of last week's crushing 51-29 win over the Detroit Lions, Wilson had acknowledged the uncertainty, admitting that game could be his last at home with the franchise.
There have been reports that the partnership of quarterback Wilson and head coach Pete Carroll will not continue in Seattle for the 2022 season.
The speculation comes after the Seahawks have struggled and sit bottom of the NFC West at 6-10 going into their season finale at the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.
Wilson had previously expressed frustration in the offseason and his agent revealed a small group of teams the 33-year-old would be prepared to waive his no-trade clause for.
Going into the Cardinals game, though, Wilson suggested he was not agitating for a move.
"My goal is to win more Super Bowls, and my plan is to win them here," he said.
"It is that simple. There is nothing really else other than that.
"We have always thought I would be here. That has always been my goal — to win multiple Super Bowls, and my plan is to be here and do that. You take every day and you just enjoy the moment."
Wilson, a Super Bowl champion in 2013, was also asked about the no-trade clause that exists in the contract he signed back in 2019.
"I think first of all when it comes to a no-trade clause in sports, the main reason is so teams can't trade somebody to anywhere," he said.
"That is the number one reason, right, because in sports you could wake up the next morning, and you are gone somewhere else.
"The certainty is today to give everything that I have and then when we get to Sunday, it is to ball out, have a great game, and do what I know how to do best.
"That is the only thing I know, I don't know anything else. There is no uncertainty in that sense for me, that is how my mindset has always been, so I'm grateful to be able to put my cleats on again and go after it."
While the Seahawks have been eliminated from postseason contention, the Cardinals (11-5) will be in the playoffs.
They could still win the NFC West but must win against Seattle and hope the Los Angeles Rams slip up against the San Francisco 49ers.
Seattle, meanwhile, are guaranteed a losing record for the first time since Wilson was drafted in 2012.
The Seahawks will finish with double-digit losses for the first time since 2009, ending a streak of 11 straight years without 10 or more losses which was the longest in franchise history.
Wilson has 2,875 passing yards, 22 touchdowns and just five interceptions in 2021 after missing three games earlier in the season due to a broken finger he suffered against the Rams in Week 5.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has suggested that the Gunners will look to sign at least one midfielder in the January transfer window after being left short of options.
With Ainsley Maitland-Niles having completed a loan move to Jose Mourinho's Roma and Mohamed Elneny away on Africa Cup of Nations duty with Egypt, Arteta's squad is running thin on central midfielders heading into the second half of the season.
The former Rangers and Everton midfielder was asked at a news conference ahead of Sunday's FA Cup third-round trip to Nottingham Forest about letting Maitland-Niles leave, with the Spaniard insisting that the player was entitled to move to Italy, but also raising concerns about his lack of options in the middle of the park.
"Ainsley came to me and explained the reasons why he thought the best thing for him in his career right now was to move away," Arteta told reporters.
"He felt the opportunity to go to Rome and work with Jose was a good one. Being fair with the amount of minutes that he’s played he was entitled to that opportunity. We wish him the best.
"We are very, very short at the moment. But on a player this cannot be the only argument to keep a player. He was very straight with me and I understood the situation.
"We are going to move and we are going to look for options because we are very short there."
The Gunners boss missed Saturday's controversial 2-1 home defeat to Manchester City after testing positive for COVID-19, and insisted that while he is feeling better, he was left frustrated by the loss to the Premier League leaders.
"I feel good. I had a few rough days but I feel in top form. I was so happy to leave my house after seven or eight days," he said.
"I was extremely upset at how we lost the [City] game at the end but at the same time extremely proud for the performance. The support from our fans and the atmosphere it was incredible.
"If I have to rate the decisions that were made in that game [by referee Stuart Attwell] I have to be extremely disappointed because it was completely inconsistent and affected the result in a big way."
Arsenal, like many other clubs, are set to be without several first-team players this weekend due to a mixture of COVID-19 and injuries, with Arteta saying: "I don't want to give anything away as you can imagine.
"We are really short with numbers. We want to play and that's how we are approaching every game."
The 39-year-old was also asked about Arsenal's No More Red campaign, which is part of an initiative to combat youth knife crime in London. Arsenal will wear a special white kit for the game at Forest.
"Obviously we've been really involved as a club over the years with knife crime and we have the capacity to give exposure to that issue in London," he added. "Everyone at the club has been extremely supportive."
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