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• De Rossi 'can do great things' at Roma, says former team-mate Cafu

  Cafu admits he did not see former team-mate Daniele De Rossi becoming a head coach, but hopes the Roma boss can "do great things" with the Giallorossi.

  The former midfielder replaced Jose Mourinho in the Stadio Olimpico dugout in January on a deal until the end of the season, and has overseen nine victories in 14 Serie A games - only losing to newly crowned champions Inter and fourth-place Bologna.

  De Rossi's glittering career at Roma as a player, which brought over 600 appearances across an 18-year period, was in its infancy when he briefly played alongside Cafu for the Giallorossi during the early 2000s.

  The former Brazil captain, who played 217 times between 1997 and 2003, helped the club win the Scudetto under Fabio Capello in the 2000-01 season, and was inducted into their Hall of Fame in 2012.

  And the 53-year-old has been delighted by the strides De Rossi has made since their playing days.

  "I know him well. He's that kid who used to play with us, who we saw grow up at Roma," Cafu told Stats Perform. "Now, he has become the boss of one of the most important teams in the world and in Italy, which is Roma.

  "Things change a lot in football. He seemed to be a shy and calm guy, and yet he grew up, becoming this really great coach. We have to wish him good luck. I hope he can do great things. 

  "I am very happy when I see that my team-mates are doing well, working as coaches, deputy coaches, athletic trainers. It is always very pleasing for me to see that they have grown a lot in the world of football.

  "It is even more pleasing to see that kid grow up, a kid that now has become a coach, a great one; I am very happy."

  De Rossi is also overseeing another impressive European campaign for Roma, who were Europa League runners-up to Sevilla last term and back in the semi-finals of this season's competition.

  The Giallorossi are gearing up for a mouth-watering showdown with newly crowned Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen, who are unbeaten in all competitions.

  "It's always hard to say when you're talking about two great teams," Cafu added. "Both Bayer and Roma are playing really well. I hope Roma can play a great game and get as far as they can."

• Ancelotti defends Kroos substitution against Bayern Munich

  Carlo Ancelotti defended his decision to substitute Toni Kroos during Real Madrid's 2-2 draw with Bayern Munich.

  The two European heavyweights shared the spoils in a thrilling Champions League semi-final first leg at the Allianz Arena, where Vinicius Junior's late penalty levelled the tie.

  Vinicius had opened the scoring in the 24th minute after latching onto Kroos' delicious throughball, one of a game-high 15 line-breaking passes the Germany midfielder played during the first half.

  The 34-year-old was replaced by Brahim Diaz for the final 14 minutes of the contest, which Bayern had turned around thanks to second-half strikes from Leroy Sane and Harry Kane.

  But Ancelotti, who knows the support of Madrid's fans will be crucial when he welcomes his former club to Santiago Bernabeu for next week's second leg, explained his thinking.

  "Jude Bellingham had cramp, Toni Kroos played a spectacular game, but the plan was to try to recover the control of the game by putting fresh legs in," the Italian told reporters during his post-match press conference.
   
  "As always, at this point in the season, we have a great opportunity to play in another final. It's an even tie against a great team. It will be another 90 minutes of suffering, but in an atmosphere that we know quite well. The fans are going to help us."

  Meanwhile, Thomas Tuchel knows Bayern will have their work cut out in the second leg, but has encouraged his players to be confident and embrace the challenge.

  "The situation is now very clear," he said. "We go to Madrid and the winner takes it all. We are ready to fight. It is important to believe that.

  "It is still possible. It is 50-50. It is one of the toughest places to win, but that is also what makes this challenge exciting."

• Manchester United clearout continues as two more senior boardroom figures depart

  Manchester United have continued their clearout under Jim Ratcliffe by confirming the departures of Patrick Stewart and Cliff Baty.

  Interim chief executive Stewart and chief financial officer Baty will depart Old Trafford at the end of the current campaign.

  Stewart, who replaced Richard Arnold in the position at the start of the year, will be temporarily replaced by Jean-Claude Blanc until Omar Berrada arrives in July, while Roger Bell will take over from Baty.

  The news was confirmed by United on their official website on Tuesday.

  INEOS Sport chief Blanc is well known to Ratcliffe, who recently bought a 27.7-per-cent stake in United and is in control of footballing affairs.

  Bell also has ties to INEOS and will now take up the same CFO role at Old Trafford.

  Ratcliffe said: "I would like to personally thank both Patrick and Cliff for their support in helping us get to know the club and making us feel welcome and I respect their decisions to now move on as we establish a new management team for the club."

  Executive co-chairman Joel Glazer said: "I would like to thank Patrick and Cliff for their dedicated service to Manchester United and wish them well for the future. 

  "Both have been a source of invaluable advice and expertise over many years, and Patrick has served an important role as interim CEO during this transitional phase."

  Since Ratcliffe purchased a minority stake in United, the club have made a number of other changes behind the scenes.

  John Murtough stepped down as football director after more than a decade at the club, with Dan Ashworth lined up to replace him, while Jason Wilcox has been appointed as technical director.

  United are sixth in the Premier League with four games remaining, raising questions over the future of manager Erik ten Hag under the new regime.