Kyle Walker's availability for the World Cup is up in the air after Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola declared the England right-back suffered an abdominal injury that will keep him out "for a while".

Walker, 32, was substituted in the first half of City's 6-3 derby win against Manchester United on Sunday after making his seventh start from his side's eight Premier League fixtures this campaign.

He also started four of England's six UEFA Nations League games since the beginning of June, resulting in three defeats and a draw.

However, Walker is now set for "weeks" on the sidelines in the shadows of the World Cup, according to Guardiola.

"[He will be out] for a while," he told reporters following City's 5-0 Champions League thrashing of Copenhagen on Wednesday. "I don't know exactly, but weeks.

"Something abdominal, so he will be a while. We don't know how long. Maybe the club will make a statement in the next day, but for a while he will be out.

"I don't know [about availability for the World Cup]. I cannot say anything else, I don't know."

Liverpool forward Darwin Nunez says he has had to learn to adapt to life in the Premier League after a difficult start, adding: "I needed to calm my nerves".

The Uruguay international was the flagship signing of the Reds' transfer window, and netted in his first two appearances for the club, in a blaze of early potential.

But a red card for an altercation with Crystal Palace's Joachim Andersen shortly afterwards handed him a three-match ban that has left him struggling to acclimatise since.

Nunez arguably delivered his best performance since the opening weeks in Tuesday's 2-0 home win over Rangers in the Champions League, and now feels he is making steps forward once more.

"The truth is that it was a little difficult to adapt, but I believe that, as training and games go by, I will adapt little by little," he told TNT Sports Brasil.

"[After the red card] was a very tough time. I was suspended for three games, I know I made a big mistake, and now I'm aware that it won’t happen again.

"I have to calm my nerves during the games, talk less. We all make mistakes and I know it will serve as a learning experience.

"The important thing is to leave my mark on the team, someone who can always contribute by playing well and, if I don’t score, I have to be calm."

Difficulties with the language barrier have seen Nunez lean heavily on Jurgen Klopp's assistant Pep Lijnders to bridge the gap, but the German has reassured his star of his support.

"I don’t know English and he doesn’t know Spanish," Nunez said about Klopp.

"But the relationship with the coach is that he supports me, gives me confidence and I have to repay that on the field."

Son Heung-min has defended Antonio Conte's principles following recent criticism aimed the Tottenham head coach's way for recent results.

After seeing out a 0-0 draw with Eintracht Frankfurt in the group stages of the Champions League, Spurs are now without a win in their past four away matches in all competitions. 

Despite starting the season well, Conte has been questioned for the way he has approached recent fixtures, including a 3-1 defeat to fierce rivals Arsenal in the Premier League. 

However, Son does not see this as an issue and stated the importance of sticking with Conte and his ideas.

He said: "We saw last season that nobody believed we would be here right now. Last season nobody believed we'd be in the Champions League. 

"The gaffer always wants more, more, more and as [a player] I want to follow his way, or you know what's coming. If we don't follow him then you know you struggle.

"We have to follow, there is no option because he's a winner and I think this is what we do – sacrifice and do the hard things."

Spurs find themselves in second place of Champions League Group D, with their next European fixture coming against Marseille on November 1. 

Chelsea's admiration of 23-year-old Milan forward Rafael Leao is not a secret.

The Blues, along with several other clubs including Manchester City, are keen on the Portuguese.

Chelsea have also been linked with Christopher Nkunku in recent days but are plotting ways to land Rafael Leao too.

TOP STORY – CHELSEA AND MILAN PLOTTING SWAP DEAL

Chelsea and Milan are considering a swap deal whereby Rafael Leao would join the Blues, claims Calciomercato.

Christian Pulisic and Callum Hudson-Odoi would be part of the deal, although the Italian champions would still demand a £90million fee for the Portuguese.

According to the report, Milan will use their Champions League game on Wednesday against the Blues at Stamford Bridge to talk with Pulisic, along with Trevoh Chalobah.

ROUND-UP

– 90min claims that West Ham midfielder Declan Rice is top of Chelsea's transfer wish list. The Hammers slapped a £120m price tag on the England international in the off-season, although that will likely drop as the length of his contract shortens.

– Football Insider claims Arsenal have reached an agreement in principle with 21-year-old winger Bukayo Saka on a new contract. Saka's current deal expires in 2024.

Everton are eager to use the option-to-buy trigger in Conor Coady's loan deal from Wolves, claims The Times. Coady would cost the Toffees less than £10m.

Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper could be sacked by owner Evangelos Marinakis, according to The Mail, with The Guardian linking Rafael Benitez with the role along with ex-Burnely boss Sean Dyche.

– Fabrizio Romano reports that former Inter and Lazio midfielder and Red Star boss Dejan Stankovic has reached a full agreement with Sampdoria to become the Italian Serie A club's new manager to replace the sacked Marco Giampaolo.

Jose Mourinho is set to be offered a new contract by Roma, potentially keeping him in the Italian capital until 2026, reports La Repubblica.

– Sport1 claims ex-Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has declined the opportunity to take over at Bayer Leverkusen amid their poor start to the season.

N'Golo Kante's fitness is a more pressing issue than whether the Chelsea midfielder needs a contract extension, says Graham Potter.

The France international, whose current deal runs through the end of this season, has been sidelined with a hamstring injury since August.

Kante has struggled with a succession of fitness issues since helping to guide his country to success at the World Cup in 2018, though his experience has been invaluable when fit.

Questions therefore have been asked about his future, but ahead of Chelsea's Champions League clash with Milan on Wednesday, Potter says his main concern is helping the 31-year-old back to full fitness.

"My focus at the moment is to help him rehabilitate in a good way so that he is available for us and on the pitch," Potter told reporters.

"When he is on the pitch, he is a huge asset for us. The other thing is between the club and him. My focus is to help him get fit and enjoying his football.

"There are not many players in world football like N'Golo, so the quicker he is back the better."

Kante could talk to foreign clubs about a pre-contract agreement from January 1, though it is not yet known whether Chelsea would seek to table a new deal for the former Leicester City man.

Alan Shearer expects Erling Haaland to break his record for the number of goals scored in a single Premier League season – should the Manchester City striker remain fit.

Having made a big impact during spells in Austria and Germany with Salzburg and Borussia Dortmund respectively, Haaland has already set a number of records at new club City.

The Norway international became the first player in Premier League history to score hat-tricks in three successive home matches with his latest treble against Manchester United on Sunday.

The 22-year old has 14 goals in his first eight appearances in the competition, which is just one fewer than City's top-scorer Kevin De Bruyne managed across the entirety of last season.

Haaland is averaging a goal every 48 minutes in the Premier League – the best rate of any player to have scored more than once in the competition's history.

One long-standing record which may now be in his sights is Shearer's return of 34 goals in the 1994-95 campaign, which matched the record set by Andy Cole the previous season.

While Haaland will have two games fewer to chase down that 34-goal tally, Shearer accepts his – and Cole's – record is now under threat.

"If he stays fit, he's breaking it," Shearer told the Premier League's official website after naming Haaland in his Team of the Week.

Shearer also selected James Maddison in that team after the midfielder scored twice in Leicester City's 4-0 win over Nottingham Forest on Monday.

Maddison has been directly involved in 26 Premier League goals since the start of last season, a tally only Harry Kane (34) can better among English players.

Newcastle United great Shearer suggested the 25-year-old should be part of Gareth Southgate's World Cup plans, having not featured for his country since November 2019.

"Are you watching Gareth Southgate?," asked Shearer, who scored a record 260 goals across his Premier League career.

Chelsea and Liverpool are reportedly both interested in Milan midfielder Ismael Bennacer, who could become available at the end of this season.

Bennacer, 24, spent time at Arsenal's academy before heading to Empoli, where he impressed enough to earn a €16million move to Milan in 2019.

He already has 42 international caps for Algeria after debuting as an 18-year-old, and he has started in seven of Milan's eight Serie A fixtures to begin this campaign, but his contract situation could accelerate his exit from Italy.

 

TOP STORY – PREMIER LEAGUE HEAVYWEIGHTS CIRCLE BENNACER

Bennacer's contract expires in 2024, at the end of next season, but the more time that passes before signing an extension, the more pressure Milan will be under to cash in as opposed to letting him leave for free.

According to Calciomercato, Milan value him at €50million as Chelsea, Liverpool and Serie A rivals Juventus all keep a close eye on his progress.

The report says to pry him away from Milan in January would take a "sensational offer", but if Milan decide to see out the rest of the season their leverage in negotiations will be significantly weakened.

Both Bennacer and team-mate Rafael Leao have high levels of interest from elite clubs, and Milan will likely not have the budget to hand out two big extensions.

ROUND-UP

– The Telegraph is reporting Manchester United will not stand in Cristiano Ronaldo's way if he wishes to leave in January.

– According to the Daily Mail, Chelsea are interested in signing Arsenal's Gabriel Martinelli.

– 90min is reporting Chelsea are also trying to push RB Leipzig into accepting deals for centre-back Josko Gvardiol and forward Christopher Nkunku as soon as possible.

Paris Saint-Germain are hopeful of getting Lionel Messi to agree to a new contract with his deal set to expire at the end of this season, although they will hold off on negotiations until after the World Cup, per Mundo Deportivo.

– January will mark 18 months remaining on Sergej Milinkovic-Savic's contract with Lazio, and according to Gazzetta dello Sport, Italy's top clubs are all keeping a close eye on the 27-year-old's availability.

James Maddison not going to the World Cup with England would be "a shame for the country", said Brendan Rodgers after the Leicester City midfielder scored another two goals on Monday.

Maddison's continued absence from Gareth Southgate's Three Lions squad has been the source of some contention.

The 25-year-old has earned only a single England cap, in November 2019, and appears to face an uphill battle to gain favour with Southgate before Qatar 2022 kicks off next month.

Yet Maddison has started the Premier League season in outstanding form. After scoring two and assisting another in Leicester's 4-0 win over fellow strugglers Nottingham Forest, he has seven goal involvements in seven appearances.

Going back to the start of the previous campaign, Southgate's captain Harry Kane is the only English player with more Premier League goals (24) or goal involvements (34) than Maddison (17 goals, 10 assists).

"It's such a shame for the country and for James himself," manager Rodgers told Sky Sports. "You see his talent, and his performance level for the last 18 months I think everybody is clear on.

"I think it's only Harry Kane who has created and scored more goals than him, so to not even be in the squad...

"Even if he's not going to start, to have a player of that quality and not only in that, in international football, to have the personality to take the ball, be creative, take the ball and change the game, James is all of that. He's an absolutely brilliant player.

"I really hope over these next few months he can continue the form he's shown for 18 months and somehow get into the team, because if you're wanting creativity, you're wanting personality – he's improved his defensive side of his game, and he can play in a couple of positions.

"For me, he's an absolutely outstanding player, and he's up there.

"I love Phil Foden, Mason Mount, those boys who play there – Jack Grealish is different, Jack plays from the side – but Madders can play in a number of positions to a high level, and he showed that tonight."

Maddison, who said suggestions he would not be a good character within the group if not starting were "insulting", added: "It's been a weird position for me.

"We [Leicester] have been bottom of the league, and results have not been going our way, but I've almost been as confident as I've ever been in my career.

"I don't remember over the last 12 months playing better than I have and feeling as well as I have.

"It's obviously hard to answer this question [on his England hopes], because you want to say the right thing, you don't want to say the wrong thing, but that's an ambition of mine, a goal of mine.

"I'm a football man, I watch all the games, I watch international football, and an opportunity at that level would be something I desire. I almost know I'd have an impact.

"It's one I hope will come my way at some point."

Antonio Conte has told Tottenham fans "I'm not stupid" and "I can teach football to many people" in a strong defence of his decision to overlook Djed Spence.

Spence has made only one very brief substitute appearance for Spurs following his move from Middlesbrough in July.

Some Tottenham fans called for the right-back to be given his chance after Emerson Royal was sent off for a reckless challenge on Gabriel Martinelli during a 3-1 north London derby defeat to fierce rivals Arsenal on Saturday.

But Conte made it crystal clear he is not impressed with questions being asked about his approach ahead of Tuesday's Champions League clash at Eintracht Frankfurt.

The Spurs head coach said: "If we were able to exploit the situation, especially last passes, we would have been able to score many goals against Arsenal.

"Instead, we made really bad mistakes for the last passes because we had the opportunity to go one-to-one, but every team has to think and understand the way to play different games.

"Last season we won 3-0 [against Arsenal], and when you win, the opponent has to explain, but for me it's important to have a plan, to put my players in the best possible situation to exploit their characteristics.

"Otherwise it can happen that you can concede six, seven or eight goals – in England, that happens a lot of times.

"In my career, it never, never happened because I don't like to play open, concede a lot of space and concede six, seven or eight goals. I won in England, I won in my past and I think I can teach football to many people."

He said of Spence: "The fans have to be fans. They can think anything, but I see every day the training sessions. If I don't decide to pick a player, it's because maybe he's not ready.

"We are talking about a young player with a good prospect, but I try to pick the best team. I'm not stupid, I don't want to lose.

"I try to pick the best team. If they trust me it's okay, if they don't trust me then I'm the coach and I need to take the best decision for Tottenham."

Erling Haaland feels like he belongs to the Premier League as much as he does Manchester City, believes Jamie Carragher.

The Norway international continued his stunning start to life in the English top flight with another hat-trick in Sunday's 6-3 derby demolition job against Manchester United.

It was the Leeds-born attacker's third consecutive three-goal haul in a home league game – a competition first – and furthers his tally for the season to 14 in eight games.

Now, former Liverpool defender Carragher, speaking as a Sky Sports pundit, feels the 22-year-old's talents are something to be savoured by fans up and down the country rather than just at one club.

"He's not just City's, he's the Premier League's [player]," Carragher said on Monday Night Football.

"That's what it feels like to me. It felt like that when he joined, it was something to be enjoyed by the whole Premier League."

Carragher's fellow pundit Gary Neville echoed his sentiments, adding: "I can't think of another time where the Premier League has signed a player in the last 30 years where you've thought [they are] a world star.

"[Cristiano] Ronaldo, [Thierry] Henry, [Virgil] van Dijk, [Kevin] De Bruyne, [Mohamed] Salah – all these players have gone to be some of the best in the world. They weren't that when they signed into the Premier League.

"But what we've signed here is somebody that everybody knew was going to be one of the best in the world."

Arsenal defender William Saliba has revealed he is in talks over a new contract at the Emirates Stadium after making a fine start to the season.

Having returned from a loan spell at Marseille ahead of the 2022-23 campaign, Saliba has started all eight of Arsenal's Premier League games this season, seven of which have ended in victory.

Saliba has formed a fearsome defensive partnership with Gabriel Magalhaes during Arsenal's best start to a Premier League campaign since 2007-08 – when they went on to finish third after taking 22 points from their first eight matches.

The France international's current deal runs until 2024, and he is hopeful of reaching an agreement to extend his stay.

Asked whether he could agree fresh terms after impressing in Saturday's 3-1 derby win over Tottenham, Saliba said: "Yeah, we will see. They [the club and his representatives] talk a little bit."

Saliba believes Arsenal are growing in confidence with each victory, adding: "You have to wait every time and I waited a long time for my first North London Derby. I enjoyed it from the first minute to the end, and now I am so happy. 

"We are so happy to win at home against Tottenham. It was a hard game, but we were focused all the game. We deserve this win.

"We play against the best players in the world. It is good for young players like me, and I learn a lot.

"The more we win, the more we are confident. We want every week to win, to win, to win — and that's it."

Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale has watched Saliba's development from close quarters in the season's early weeks, and has described him as a "Rolls-Royce" of a defender. 

"He has fit in really well," Ramsdale said. "It is a credit to him that he has been put straight into the team. He is a bit of a Rolls-Royce with the way he moves, and he has never seemed fazed.

"He is still a young boy so still makes mistakes, so at the minute it is either Ben [White], myself, Gabriel or Thomas Partey digging him out and he is digging other people out as well.

"That is the main thing at the minute, our mistakes aren't leading to too many things and that is the sign of a team who have good characters in and around that back five."

Erling Haaland shares many of the same qualities as Cristiano Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, according to Peter Schmeichel, who has described the Manchester City man as several top strikers "put into one player".

Haaland produced an incredible display as City swatted aside Manchester United for a 6-3 derby win on Sunday, scoring a treble and teeing up two goals for fellow hat-trick hero Phil Foden.

The Norwegian – who has scored 14 goals in his first eight Premier League appearances – has now scored a hat-trick in three successive home league games, becoming the first player to do so in the competition's history.

After watching Haaland tear United apart at the Etihad Stadium, Schmeichel picked out similarities between the 22-year-old and several striking legends.

"The biggest part of a good striker is patience. I played against some of the best strikers, and when they go missing is when you really have to concentrate," the former United and City goalkeeper told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"The Cristiano Ronaldos, the Filippo Inzaghis of this world – they disappear then all of a sudden they get the chance.

"When you look at Haaland, you see different players. That Zlatan-like goal, and Ronaldo is in there too. You see top, top strikers in one.

"That is why he is so dangerous. He has the luxury of seeing many top strikers and they are all put into one player."

Haaland's dominant display on Sunday saw him become just the 25th player to record five goal involvements in a Premier League game – and the youngest to ever do so (22 years, 73 days).

In Haaland and team-mate Kevin De Bruyne, meanwhile, City have the highest goalscorer and top assist-maker in Europe's top five leagues this season (in all competitions).

Haaland has already found the net 17 times this season, with five of those strikes being laid on by De Bruyne, who has a total of 10 assists in 2022-23.

Manchester United have already conceded 14 goals in seven Premier League games this season.

United boss Erik ten Hag is weighing up his goalkeeping options, having stuck with long-term number one David de Gea since taking over.

Reports have emerged that United and De Gea are set for talks on his future, with the 31-year-old's deal to expire in 2023.

TOP STORY – MAN UTD EYE COSTA AS DE GEA REPLACEMENT

Manchester United's goalkeeper situation is in flux, with the club interested in Porto custodian Diogo Costa, according to Metro.

United have sent scouts to watch the 23-year-old goalkeeper, who has seven caps for Portugal.

The Red Devils are looking for De Gea's successor, with the Spaniard seemingly not suiting Ten Hag's possession-based style.

United also have 25-year-old England international Dean Henderson out on loan at Nottingham Forest.

ROUND-UP

– O Jogo claims former Olympiacos manager Pedro Martins could be the latest Portuguese coach to take over at Wolves, following Bruno Lage's dismissal on Sunday. The Telegraph reports that under-fire Sevilla boss Julen Lopetegui may be considered and Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou has also been discussed.

Juventus and Real Madrid will rival Liverpool in the race to sign Belgian midfielder Youri Tielemans from Leicester City, claims Calciomercato.

– LaLiga pair Sevilla and Valencia are both interested in Manchester United forward Anthony Martial, reports Todofichajes.

Tottenham and Juventus target Nicolo Zaniolo is set to pen a new deal with Roma, re-committing on a €4million per-year deal until 2027, according to Calciomercato.

– Everton's Venezuela international striker Salomon Rondon has interest from UAE club Sharjah FC but is likely to stay with the Toffees, reports Liverpool Echo.

Bruno Fernandes admitted Manchester United were destined to lose the derby from the opening minutes because they did not trust themselves.

The midfielder was part of a team over-run by a vibrant Manchester City, who tore to a 6-3 victory thanks to hat-tricks from Erling Haaland and Phil Foden.

City led 4-0 at half-time and later held a 6-1 cushion, before United grabbed a pair of late replies from substitute Anthony Martial.

It was gruesome watching for anyone on the red side of Manchester, particularly as United had been on a four-game winning run in the Premier League going into the game.

"The belief from the beginning was not the best and I think that caused us many problems and made us concede early goals," said Fernandes.

Fernandes captained United in the absence of the injured Harry Maguire, but he could not imbue the side with the confidence to shake off a rocky start.

"I think the second half was much better," Fernandes said. "We kept control more, we controlled the game whenever we had the ball. We were down on the result, so we had to take some risks.

"And obviously, when we took that risk, we scored straight away. We tried to [go forward] a little bit more, but then we conceded more goals. You can't give that much space to City."

United 'won' the second half 3-2, but it was emphatically City's day.

Fernandes has just one goal and one assist in seven Premier League games this season, after 10 goals and six assists last term.

In the previous campaign he managed 18 goals and 12 assists, so new boss Erik ten Hag will be hoping to draw that mercurial level of form from the Portuguese playmaker, rather than the watered-down version that has been served up of late.

"Obviously, we are really disappointed," said Fernandes, speaking to MUTV. "But now it is time to focus on the next game and understand we have to get back the performances we did before [the international break], and the belief and togetherness, and understand that this cannot get us down. It has to make us improve for the future."

The next game for United is a Europa League meeting with Omonia in Cyprus on Thursday, while they return to Premier League duty at Everton on Sunday.

Haaland used his social media accounts to gloat after his and City's sublime performance, declaring: "Manchester is blue!"

Fernandes and United are in no position to question City's superiority at present, and it is a rebuilding job again, just as it was after the early season losses to Brighton and Hove Albion and Brentford.

United followed those setbacks by beating Liverpool, Southampton, Leicester City and Arsenal.

Everton, Newcastle United, Tottenham and Chelsea present their opposition over the next four games, with Fernandes eager to banish the derby blues.

"We knew it was going to be a tough game, but we've had tough games before and won them," he said, "so I think it's about mentality, attitude, togetherness and belief in the process."

Erik ten Hag decided not to introduce Cristiano Ronaldo in Manchester United's 6-3 derby thrashing by Manchester City as a mark of "respect" towards the forward.

Ronaldo was an unused substitute as hat-tricks from Erling Haaland and Phil Foden handed City a dominant derby win on Sunday, despite Ten Hag using all five of his permitted changes.

Anthony Martial scored twice after his second-half introduction to salvage a touch of pride for United, while Victor Lindelof, Fred, Casemiro and Luke Shaw also appeared from the bench.

Having failed in an apparent bid to leave Old Trafford in the recent transfer window, Ronaldo has been a peripheral figure under Ten Hag, making one Premier League start this season – in a 4-0 defeat to Brentford.

Speaking at a post-match news conference, Ten Hag explained his rationale for failing to call upon the 37-year-old, saying: "I wouldn't bring him in out of respect for Cristiano, for his big career.

"The other thing was the advantage that I could bring on Anthony Martial. He needs the minutes, but I don't want to point it out like that."

Ronaldo has appeared as a substitute five times in the Premier League this season, failing to score a single goal.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has been limited to just one goal in all competitions this campaign, a penalty against Sheriff in a Europa League group-stage tie.

Ronaldo will hope to feature when United travel to Cyprus to face Omonia in the Europa League on Thursday, with the Red Devils trailing Real Sociedad by three points in Group E.

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