A collective of Paris Saint-Germain 'ultras' made a fresh request on Saturday to meet with club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, while complaining about the "compulsive purchase of flashy names" and demanding a return of the team's famous Hechter shirt design.

In a press statement, the Collectif Ultras Paris complained the club have put marketing above sporting priorities, and warned the churn of personnel on and off the pitch was bringing the same results each season.

Some would argue PSG have never had it so good, with their success during the Qatar Sports Investments era – since 2011 – far exceeding anything previously achieved. They have won eight of the last 10 Ligue 1 titles, having only been champions twice before, while in 2020 they reached the Champions League final.

It is not winning over the ultras, however, with the club's most hardcore supporters insistent the club have underperformed.

An 11th Ligue 1 title this year would make PSG the most successful team in the competition's history, as they currently share the record of 10 with Saint-Etienne.

The ultras said in their statement: "Seasons pass and look the same. Players, coaches and sports directors follow one another and the same causes produce the same effects. Once again, our club has not lived up to its national and European objectives."

The group pointed to an early Coupe de France exit at the hands of fierce rivals Marseille, a "flat-lining" Champions League last-16 defeat to Bayern Munich, and a struggle to dominate in the domestic league.

PSG hold a seven-point lead over Marseille with 10 rounds of Ligue 1 games remaining.

The club have been able to attract major stars such as Lionel Messi, Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, Marco Verratti, Sergio Ramos and Gianluigi Donnarumma, but the goal of becoming champions of Europe remaining frustratingly out of reach.

The ultras said: "However, we have decided to maintain our support in the stands for the time being, the players not intended to be the scapegoats of a poorly constructed squad, a sports policy without real direction, the compulsive purchase of flashy names without worrying about the balance of the team, and the policy of a club where marketing seems to have taken precedence over sport.

"We will therefore continue our support until the 11th title of champion of France, which is meant to be historic, is acquired to our club."

The group added: "We ask for the umpteenth time to meet quickly with president Nasser Al-Khelaifi to explain to him orally the many problems that we have identified in and around the club, sporting and non-sporting, for many years."

They want to raise a ticketing issue that the group says favours "tourists and other VIPs", and are up in arms about PSG abandoning the shirt style pioneered by fashion designer Daniel Hechter, who had a stint as club president in the 1970s.

That home shirt design featured a thick red strip, with thin white lines at either side, down the middle of a largely dark blue shirt.

This season it has been inverted, with a thick white strip and thin red lines, and the fans are revolting, also calling for PSG to stay at the Parc des Princes amid concerns about a possible move to the Stade de France.

"We want profound changes and guarantees concerning the permanent return of the Hechter jersey," the ultras said.

They added: "Our love of the club is limitless, not our patience."

Gareth Southgate is considering starting Ivan Toney in Sunday's Euro 2024 qualifier against Ukraine, but picking the best possible team to win the game is the top priority.

Toney was called up by Southgate for this month's fixtures, despite the Brentford striker facing a potential ban for breaching the Football Association's betting rules.

The 27-year-old was an unused substitute in Friday's 2-1 win against Italy, as he was in September's Nations League draw against Germany on his only previous call-up.

Southgate is hoping to give Toney some minutes against Ukraine at Wembley, but not at the expense of selecting a player more suited to starting the match.

"Ivan Toney has been very good. We really like him, and he's very much in our thoughts," Southgate said at Saturday's pre-match news conference.

"The numbers we've got with us now, there's always the duel objective. There's the desire to see players, but we're in a qualifying group, so the priority is to always win the game."

Southgate also confirmed Jordan Henderson is available after recovering from illness, while Jude Bellingham is fit after limping off late on against Italy.

Full-back Reece James has returned to club side Chelsea after sustaining a knock, but Southgate decided against calling up a replacement.

"We've been training with this group all week, so to call someone from outside the group would potentially be quite complicated," Southgate said.

"We have no idea where they might be or what their training load has been over the past few days. 

"So, if we were going to do that at this point, we would do it with the Under-21s, but they've got a game today, and we think we've just got enough to get through tomorrow's game."

Southgate is the third manager to win 50 games while in charge of England after Walter Winterbottom (78) and Alf Ramsey (69).

But rather than bask in that personal achievement, the England manager is focused on making it two wins from two in qualifying for Germany 2024.

"It means we have the chance to make it 51 tomorrow, it's as simple as that," he said. "The past and what we've done up until now is irrelevant. 

"I'm just focused on tomorrow's game. We need to win and need to be on six points when we leave Wembley tomorrow. 

"If we're going to be considered a top team, we need to back up the performance and result that we showed the other night."

Ukraine are playing their first qualifying fixture of the campaign amid a backdrop of ongoing conflict back in their homeland, which was invaded by Russia last February.

"They're a proud group of players," Southgate said. "They are totally committed to bringing enjoyment to their public.

"We of course have huge sympathy with what's going on, but tomorrow is a game of football and we're fully focused on trying to win the game."

Andreas Christensen is expected to miss the final Clasico of the season after Barcelona confirmed he sustained a calf injury on international duty.

The centre-back started Denmark's opening Euro 2024 qualifier against Finland on Thursday but lasted only 18 minutes before being forced off.

Barcelona revealed it to be a problem with his left calf on Saturday following widespread media reports of him facing a period on the sidelines.

While the club have not given a timeframe for Christensen's return, simply saying he is "unavailable for selection and his recovery will determine his return", they are reportedly expecting him to be out for up to a month.

As such, he could miss as many as six games – among those, crucially, is the Copa del Rey semi-final second leg against Real Madrid on April 5, when Barca host Los Blancos having beaten them 1-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu in the first leg.

The other five matches he could be a doubt for are in LaLiga, though Barca will likely feel their 12-point lead at the summit is sufficient to cope without him for the time being.

Christensen has become a prominent figure at Camp Nou in recent times, however.

After joining on a free transfer from Chelsea in pre-season, the 26-year-old was initially a bit-part figure, making only five LaLiga appearances before the World Cup partly due to injury.

But he missed just one of their 10 games across all competitions prior to this international window – that being the first leg against Madrid.

 

Zlatan Ibrahimovic believes Antonio Conte is being made to pay by Tottenham for "being himself".

Conte is widely expected to be sacked in the coming days following his outburst after Spurs let a two-goal lead slip in last weekend's 3-3 Premier League draw at Southampton.

The Italian accused his players of being "selfish" and playing with "no heart", with that draw following swiftly on from Tottenham's FA Cup and Champions League exits.

But Ibrahimovic, who has never previously played under Conte, has defended the multi-title-winning coach for speaking his mind in public.

"Every single person works in his own way. Somebody tries to be an actor, pretend. Somebody is being himself, somebody is trying to be perfect," he told Sky Sports.

"I believe in being yourself, and sometimes you pay for it because that's not what the people want to hear. 

"I prefer to be myself and express myself like I think and the way I want. We all work in our own way."

Conte has spent the past week in Italy, and his future is likely to be decided by the middle of next week at the latest when Tottenham's international players return to training.

Milan veteran Ibrahimovic is himself away on international duty with Sweden and was introduced as a second-half substitute in Friday's 3-0 Euro 2024 qualifying loss to Belgium.

Sweden's oldest player at the age of 41 years and five months, Ibrahimovic has no plans to call time on his career just yet.

"I want to continue playing football," said Ibrahimovic, who has played four times for Milan since returning from a long-term injury lay-off last month. 

"If I feel good, this is my priority, and I feel very good at Milan. If they want me to keep me then I'm happy. I'm available."

Thomas Tuchel is determined to set the tone for his reign at Bayern Munich by knocking his old team Borussia Dortmund off their perch at the top of the Bundesliga.

The new Bayern head coach is braced for "a different dynamic" in next Saturday's Klassiker, which could be the defining game of the German league season.

Dortmund hold a one-point lead after Bayern were beaten last weekend by Bayer Leverkusen, and there are only nine rounds of games remaining, ramping up the fixture's significance.

Tuchel, whose appointment as successor to the sacked Julian Nagelsmann was made official on Friday, has already begun to receive messages from within the Dortmund camp.

He was boss at Dortmund from 2015 to 2017 and grew his reputation before being sacked amid behind-the-scenes disharmony.

After a year out, Tuchel was snapped up by Paris Saint-Germain, and he went on to win the Champions League with Chelsea before being fired last September, a decision the Stamford Bridge hierarchy might have reason to regret.

On Tuesday, Tuchel was called by Bayern and asked to be the man to save their season, with CEO Oliver Kahn and sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic fearing the campaign was coming off the rails.

Tuchel said at his introductory press conference on Saturday: "I was a bit naive in the first discussion. The ball dropped that this would start with a game against Borussia Dortmund. The expectation level couldn't be higher."

He said the game was "not about me", but inevitably his presence adds spice to the Allianz Arena occasion.

"I got lots of messages and calls from staff at Borussia Dortmund saying they were looking forward to seeing me," Tuchel added. "There will be a different dynamic because of how the table now stands.

"I'm proud to have BVB on my CV, but it's not going to stop me dealing with the situation."

Dortmund have been long-time chasers of Bayern, so to be ahead of them at this stage of the season is unusual.

Bayern have won the last 10 Bundesliga titles and are fearful of that running coming to an end. They could still finish with a treble, given they have reached the quarter-final stage of the DFB-Pokal and Champions League, so if all goes swimmingly Tuchel could have plenty to celebrate in May and June.

The 49-year-old has pledged to "go in with open eyes and try to do everything we can to win all three titles".

He believes Bayern are suitably equipped to go after such silverware too.

"It's only on Tuesday I started really thinking about the squad," he said. "No one wants to play against a club like Bayern. It really got me excited for the job straightaway."

Due to the international break, Tuchel will not see some of his squad until Friday, the day before Bayern tackle Borussia Dortmund in a top-of-the-table Klassiker.

He considered it "a surprising time" for Bayern to change coach and said he would not be making radical changes over the coming weeks, promising a "deeper analysis" would take place in good time.

He expects some players may consider his arrival "a new chance" and said he would prioritise "forming some faith on the pitch".

"The fact is, I'm going to get feedback from players, but I don't want to overload anyone," Tuchel said. "The game that's coming up is a very exciting proposition, how everyone wanted it. It's my job to create a bit of anticipation as well."

He is determined not to look back and instead only focus on what Bayern have ahead of them, labelling the Dortmund game "a chance to put the first exclamation mark out there".

Asked about Nagelsmann, Tuchel spoke from experience when he said being sacked was "never nice", having lost his jobs at Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea in frustrating circumstances.

"I think everyone knows that when you take over a job at a club like Bayern, things like this can happen," Tuchel said. "I know it could be difficult for Julian Nagelsmann right now."

He stressed though, that the sacking was "not my responsibility" and hopes to have convivial discussions with Nagelsmann somewhere down the line.

Tuchel has not yet picked up the phone to sound out Nagelsmann about the players he is inheriting.

"I don't want to be disrespectful," he said. "I start things on Monday, and I'm sure we'll cross paths at some point and talk about things. My relationship with Julian, from my perspective, is impacted not one per cent."

Thomas Tuchel denied joining Bayern Munich was a backwards step and claimed the team he has inherited from Julian Nagelsmann would be title contenders if given a chance to play in the Premier League.

The former Chelsea boss had been recently linked with Tottenham and conceded on Saturday he had not expected his next job to be one in the Bundesliga.

Such a stance is understandable, given Tuchel would have looked at Bayern, perhaps the only team that could presently tempt him back to Germany, and believed they were planning a long-term tenure for Nagelsmann.

Until his sacking, that remained the Bayern stance, with Nagelsmann's departure and Tuchel's arrival announced simultaneously by the German giants on Friday.

Tuchel could scoop a treble in his first months in charge, with Bayern through to quarter-finals in the Champions League and DFB-Pokal and sitting just a point behind Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga.

He said it was "an honour" to be handed the job, revealed he almost joined Bayern five years ago, and scoffed at suggestions he had other offers that pushed Bayern to move quickly.

Asked about Bayern's position in relation to offer opportunities that might have come his way, Tuchel said: "I think it's fair to say the Premier League is an extremely incredible league, and with the highest level of competition in Europe right now.

"It's not a step back to come to the Bundesliga though. I think Bayern have a squad that could compete for the Premier League title."

Tuchel has signed up until the end of the 2024-25 season, dismissing any implication a two-and-a-half-year contract represented any sort of negative reflection on him, given Nagelsmann signed a five-year deal when he was appointed in April 2021.

"For me, the length of contract doesn't play a big role," Tuchel said. "We can be very honest about it. If things go well we can talk about extending it.

"It's a profession that's about performance and right now there's a lot of things changing: squads changing, clubs changing, hierarchies – if you look at Chelsea – that are changing completely. The length of the contract is perfect for me."

Tuchel said he was first contact by Bayern on Tuesday, when a call from sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic caught him by surprise.

He had become an in-demand boss, with Spurs rumoured to be keen as Antonio Conte looks set to depart, but Tuchel denied using any such factor in negotiations.

"My idea was my career would continue abroad and I wasn't expecting anything like this," Tuchel said. "Reports I used other offers as a means of applying pressure are not true."

He did not immediately jump at Bayern's proposal, needing time to consider if this was the sensible career path.

"I had to sleep on it first," Tuchel said. "The excitement and the thrill of taking on such a big task started outweighing everything else. We started communicating clearly between each other. There was nothing about other clubs."

It was confirmed Tuchel was in the frame for the Bayern job in 2018, when Jupp Heynckes was at the helm and looking set to depart at the season's end, but there was no certainty over that.

"I was very close to joining Bayern," Tuchel said. "At the time, Bayern had every right to wait for Jupp's decision."

Tuchel instead accepted an offer from Paris Saint-Germain, and he said of that moment: "The fact is, I couldn't wait for Jupp to make a decision on his own career.

"On this occasion, things did go very quickly, and it's a fantastic solution for me."

He described Bayern's group of players as "one of the most talented squads in Europe right now" and reflected they must not only win games and titles, but "it's about the way you win as well".

Robbie Keane expects Tottenham head coach Antonio Conte's future to be resolved "in the next few days".

Conte is facing the sack after an extraordinary outburst following a 3-3 Premier League draw at Southampton last weekend.

The Italian accused his players of being "selfish", having "no heart" and not wanting to "play under stress" after they dropped points against the struggling Saints.

Conte has returned to his homeland during the international break amid reports he could be shown the door before his contract expires at the end of this season.

Spurs bowed out of the Champions League with a whimper at the hands of Milan and are fourth in the Premier League.

Former Tottenham striker Keane thinks uncertainty over Conte's position will be ended early next week.

Asked about Spurs' season, he told Stats Perform: "I would say inconsistent if you look where they are. If they finish in the top four, is that a fantastic, successful season? I would say probably yes.

"With just 10 games to go, I think they're in a good position. Of course, the situation with Conte is not helpful. But nothing has come out yet in terms of the club or Conte saying that he's going to leave or he's going to stay.

"I'm sure that will be sorted out in the next few days, definitely before Monday or Tuesday because the lads are back in training, but it's not unusual for Conte to go home.

"He's been doing this since he's been at the club when the lads are on international break. He goes home and spends time with his family. So that's normal because I think we have three first-team players that are there.

"Ryan Mason and other first-team coaches take it. So that's not unusual. I think everybody, every Tottenham fan, would probably need a bit of clarity, certainly in the next few days."

Tottenham, who have been tipped to move for sacked Bayern Munich head coach Julian Nagelsmann, face Everton on their return to Premier League action a week on Monday.

England centre-back Harry Maguire suggested he does not feel fully appreciated at Manchester United and insists his influence is still being fully felt at the club.

Maguire has started just five Premier League games all season after falling out of favour at United since the arrival of manager Erik ten Hag.

The 30-year-old has had no such problems under Gareth Southgate, having remained a regular for England despite his relative lack of minutes at club level.

Amid rumours that Maguire may look to find a new team ahead of next season, the former Leicester City man has defended his time at Old Trafford.

"In my last nine starts for United, we have won," he said. "I can't remember losing a game for United, so my influence is still there."

Asked if he feels properly appreciated, Maguire said: "For England, yes. Last season was difficult for [United] but I've proven myself to Gareth. 

"I've made over 50 caps. I'm England's top-scoring defender. I've played nearly 200 times for United. I've captained the club for three years.

"I do also understand that when you are the captain of United you do come under the most amount of scrutiny.

"Last season at club level, my performances weren't good enough, alongside everybody else at club level."

Maguire played a full part as England kicked off their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign with a 2-1 win away at Italy on Friday.

England exited the 2022 World Cup at the quarter-final stage, and Maguire says falling short of lifting the European Championship title next year will be "a failure".

"I believe we have the players to win it," he said. "I'm with a mindset of 'If we don't win the tournament, it's been a failure'. 

"I've been at three major tournaments now and I've come so close. Obviously, we've got to qualify first from a tough group, we've come to Italy and got an amazing result. 

"We're in a good place. But these big tournaments are decided on the finest margins. 

"I think we played really well in the World Cup and ultimately we got knocked out by a good French team. So it's something that we're working on. 

"We have so much talent and so many young players coming through."

Oliver Kahn believed Bayern Munich's hopes of trophy success this season and in the next campaign were under threat with Julian Nagelsmann at the helm.

The tacit admission that the 10-in-a-row Bundesliga champions would surrender their crown if Nagelsmann stayed in charge came in a press conference on Saturday.

Bayern CEO Kahn sacked Nagelsmann and has brought Thomas Tuchel to the club as head coach, with their hopes of a treble remaining alive going into the closing weeks of the season.

The shock departure of Nagelsmann, less than two years after he was acquired at great expense from RB Leipzig, was one the Bayern hierarchy decided was essential.

"The last few days have been hard for us all," Kahn said. "They certainly weren't easy days, and it's safe to assume there was the odd night where I didn't sleep well.

"That's one side of this job that is no longer fun but unfortunately is part of the business. When you let a head coach go, ultimately there's a person behind that decision.

"Nothing big changed, we all see him as an excellent and very good head coach, and on a personal level we understood each other over the course of the last year and three quarters.

"But it's our responsibility and duty to sort out the sporting success of this club, and so we asked ourselves the question of what's the reason behind the big changes in performance.

"So, this isn't a panic decision. It's got nothing to do with panic. We had a close look at everything, and we took the emotions out of the decisions."

Bayern were beaten 2-1 by Bayer Leverkusen last Sunday and as a result relinquished top spot in the Bundesliga to Borussia Dortmund. Dortmund are Bayern's next opponents, and incoming boss Tuchel is a former Dortmund coach.

A beaming Tuchel was presented by Bayern on Saturday, having been first contacted on Tuesday.

"We might have taken the decision on Monday, but we took a chance to look at everything," Kahn said. "It's all about finding out where these big swings in performances come from."

Kahn pointed to last season's Champions League exit at the hands of Villarreal and a 5-0 DFB-Pokal loss to Borussia Monchengladbach in October 2021.

"The fact is there were vulnerabilities that were hard to understand that kept raising their head over several games, despite the fact we strengthened the squad before the start of the season and have one of best squads in Europe," Kahn said.

"The continuity in performance of the team never really got better.

"If you look at the start of the second half of the season, we were often not happy with the performances.

"It's the expectation for a club like Bayern that we are a stable ship, so we started with three 1-1 draws in a row – a tough start to the second half of the season – and you see where we are today. Out of 10 Bundesliga games, we have five wins and three draws. That's not where our expectation levels are.

"That's ultimately why we had to make a decision. The expectations are always at their highest here at Bayern.

"We saw and felt our season targets for this season and next season were in danger, and that's why we came to the decision to let Julian Nagelsmann go. It was a well thought through process, certainly not an emotional decision down to one game."

Kahn said he and sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic had supported Nagelsmann until reaching this decision.

They took no satisfaction in parting company with the 35-year-old Nagelsmann, who will be eager in his next job to prove Bayern made a rash choice.

"Of course, there are nicer things in life," Kahn said. "It was frustrating and he was trying to understand. We explained it as we have explained it today.

"He took it on board and understood. The bottom line is it really did not go how we expected things to go."

Kahn said his open-door policy to the club's players had provided some insight into the vibe of the squad under Nagelsmann's leadership.

"I let players come into my office, have a coffee and listen in," he said. "I think this is one of the strengths of the club. I think everyone had a very clear picture of how the players were feeling and what kind of situation they found themselves in."

Chelsea are assessing Reece James after he withdrew from the England squad for Sunday's Euro 2024 qualifier against Ukraine.

James' season has been ravaged by injury, limiting him to only 18 appearances for the Blues in all competitions.

A knee problem caused the right-back to miss the World Cup in Qatar, along with Chelsea team-mate Ben Chilwell.

James made his England return on Thursday, appearing from the bench for the final five minutes of a 2-1 qualifying win at Italy, only to suffer another setback.

"Reece James has withdrawn from the England squad and will not feature against Ukraine on Sunday," an England statement read.

"The full-back has returned to Chelsea for assessment on an ongoing issue.

"No replacements are planned as Gareth Southgate's squad, including the suspended Luke Shaw, continue their preparations at Tottenham Hotspur Training Ground."

England have Kyle Walker and Kieran Trippier in their squad, but James' latest injury concern is perhaps a bigger blow to Chelsea.

Graham Potter's side resume their campaign on April 1 against Aston Villa, the first of three Premier League matches before their Champions League tie with Real Madrid.

European glory is Chelsea's only realistic remaining aim this season, sitting 10th in the league with 11 games to play.

Kolo Toure has urged Arsenal to learn from past mistakes and hand Bukayo Saka a 10-year contract.

Saka is playing a big part in the Gunners' quest to win the Premier League title, scoring 12 goals and providing 10 assists in the top flight this season.

The winger also made his mark for England in the World Cup in Qatar last year, finding the back of the net three times and posing a huge threat.

Saka is only under contract with the Premier League leaders until the end of next season, but is reportedly on the verge of signing a new deal.

Former Arsenal centre-back Toure wants Saka to be tied down for a decade.

He told Sky Sports News: "One thing I have to say - my advice to Arsenal is for Bukayo Saka to sign for 10 years!

"One mistake that Arsenal made down the years, they had key players that loved the club and they let them go.

"You must keep those players because these players are the players that are going to lead the team for you.

"These are the players you can rely on; these are the players that when it's tough they will put their bodies on the line because they love the club.

"You have two types of players, players that love the club and players who just come and go. You need players who love the club because these are players who are going to fight with their heart."

Toure also expressed his admiration for Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta but warned the leaders must maintain the high standards they have set in order to fend off Manchester City in the title race.

"He's (Arteta) been incredible. What he is doing as a young manager is inspiring us. You can see the energy he is bringing," Toure, who was sacked by Wigan Athletic in January after a short spell in charge, said.

"He was really lucky to work with one of the best managers in the world in Pep Guardiola - learning from him was vital.

"But with Man City, they have the experience and Arsenal have to be really careful they don't slip because this Man City team will give everything they have until the last game."

Romelu Lukaku hoped to have answered some of his critics with a hat-trick in Belgium's Euro 2024 qualifying opener at Sweden.

Lukaku scored all three goals as Belgium claimed a 3-0 win in what had looked like being the toughest game of their campaign.

Goals have not flowed so easily at club level this season, with Lukaku returning to Inter and scoring just three time in Serie A – albeit while hampered by injury.

But Friday's game was a step in the right direction as Belgium's record goalscorer said: "It was not an easy game, but we can be satisfied. We did well.

"I am happy that I can play minutes and show the outside world what I can do."

The "outside world" had been an issue for Belgium at the 2022 World Cup, Lukaku suggested, as he reflected following the Sweden game on their group-stage exit.

"I was extremely disappointed," he said, as reported by HLN. "For the first time, we let ourselves be affected by the sounds of the outside world.

"The team has always been close and you saw that today. When I scored, everyone jumped up. We must continue this momentum."

Lukaku's match-winning turn came in the first game under new coach Domenico Tedesco, with Belgium leaving their Qatar disappointment behind in a new era following Roberto Martinez's departure.

"We started to play much more offensively," Lukaku said of their approach under Tedesco. "We haven't had much time to prepare, but I'm happy.

"Change is not a bad thing, as long as the results follow."

Pedri plans to stay at Barcelona for "many years to come" but is not ruling out a move to the Premier League.

The 20-year-old has been a revelation since breaking into Barca's first team, establishing himself as a key player for the LaLiga leaders.

Pedri won FIFA's Golden Boy award for being the best young player in Europe in 2021 and quickly forced his way into the Spain team.

The young maestro is contracted to the Blaugrana until 2026 and has no intention of moving on for now, but suggested he may ply his trade overseas further down the line.

When asked about the possibility of a switch to England, he is quoted as saying by Marca: "At the moment, no. I'm at Barca and hopefully I'll stay here for many more years.

"I love LaLiga, but nothing should ever be ruled out."

Pedri will miss Spain's Euro 2024 qualifiers against Norway and Scotland due to a hamstring injury, but is relishing a new era for the national team under Luis de la Fuente.

Having played under De la Fuente at Under-21 level and in the Tokyo Olympics, Pedri believes the new Spain head coach will be a success.

Pedri said: "He is a person who goes straight ahead, he likes to work on the things he believes in and I think we will do well.

"All the coaches who come try to have the ball and play, especially because of the style of footballers we have, and I think not It will change a lot."

Khadija 'Bunny' Shaw has already prompted comparisons to Erling Haaland for her goalscoring exploits, and a Manchester City team-mate believes she can be the world's best player.

Jamaica striker Shaw has scored 26 goals in 23 games in all competitions for City this season, including 15 in 15 in the Women's Super League.

The 26-year-old has averaged a goal every 86 minutes in the league – not quite on par with men's star Haaland, who has scored every 76 minutes in the Premier League, but close enough for onlookers to note the similarities.

City manager Gareth Taylor did not shy away from comparisons between the "pretty remarkable" pair last week, explaining how both are "so mentally strong".

It is that quality that might yet make Shaw the world's best, with England defender Alex Greenwood backing her City colleague.

"I'm not surprised she's doing what she is doing, and she still has so many levels to go to, which is quite frightening to be honest," Greenwood told BBC Sport.

"I think she can be the best in the world if she wants to be. She has all the attributes to be the best in the world.

"I know how hard she works in training. It's the reason she's flourishing right now.

"She's been really strong for us, so we just need to keep feeding her, keep giving her the ball, and the rest she'll take care of."

Christian Pulisic believes the United States can take confidence from setting a record for away goals as they thumped Grenada.

In winning 7-1 on Friday in the CONCACAF Nations League, it was the first time they had scored seven goals in a match taking place outside the US.

It was USA's first competitive match since the World Cup, with Ricardo Pepi and Weston McKennie each scoring twice.

Chelsea star Pulisic also got on the scoresheet, and had a hand in four other goals too.

"We came out really strong with a lot of energy and just kind of put with them right away," Pulisic said.

"So I think they were kind of surprised by that. Took our goals well and just a great all-around performance. Definitely gives us confidence."

The game was also the first time USA played a competitive match without using a single MLS player since the league began in 1996. 

Interim coach Anthony Hudson was impressed by what he saw from his team, but urged them to finish the job as they bid to reach the Nations League final four.

USA are top of their group ahead of hosting El Salvador on Monday at Exploria Stadium in Florida.

Hudson said: "With a [good] performance and a result like this, you don't want to get carried away.

"The importance for us is just to make sure that we do all the right things between now and the next game and we finish the job off. 

"But the actual performance, I thought it was the result of just a really, really good week."

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