Barcelona defender Inigo Martinez is facing another spell on the sidelines after suffering a fresh injury setback on his return to action at the weekend.
The Spain international lasted just 11 minutes as he made his comeback from a hamstring problem as a second-half substitute in Sunday’s Copa del Rey victory at Barbastro.
The 32-year-old now has a thigh injury and, having just spent a month out, is now facing a further period on the casualty list.
An update from the club read: “Tests carried out on the first team player show that Inigo Martinez has an injury to the biceps femoris muscle in his left thigh.
“He is unavailable for selection and his recovery will dictate his return.”
Maidstone United produced the biggest FA Cup upset at the weekend as the lowest-ranked team left in the competition beat Stevenage to reach the fourth round.
The sixth-tier club are waiting to learn who they face next after a 1-0 victory against the League One side sealed their sixth FA Cup win this season and a place in the hat for Monday night’s draw.
Here, the PA news agency turns the spotlight on The Stones, who have reached the fourth round for the first time.
Route to the fourth round
Second qualifying round – Steyning Town 1-4 Maidstone
Third qualifying round – Winchester City 0-2 Maidstone
Fourth qualifying round – Torquay 0-2 Maidstone
First round proper – Chesham United 0-2 Maidstone
Second round proper – Maidstone 2-1 Barrow
Third round proper – Maidstone 1-0 Stevenage
Upsetting the odds
Maidstone reached the third round proper for the first time since 1987 when coming from behind to beat League Two promotion-chasers Barrow 2-1 last month thanks to goals from Sam Corne and Bivesh Gurung, who fired a superb 74th-minute winner. Against Stevenage on Saturday, midfielder Corne kept a cool head to convert a first-half penalty and that was enough to dump out Steve Evans’ League One high-flyers, who are 69 places above The Stones in the league pyramid.
Elokobi eyes dream tie with Wolves
Manager George Elokobi said after his side’s win on Saturday that it would be a dream come true if they were drawn to play his former club Wolves in the fourth round. Elokobi, who moved to England from Cameroon aged 16, spent six years as a defender at Molineux before ending his playing career with The Stones and also had spells at Colchester, Oldham and Leyton Orient. “Whoever we draw, it’s a privilege and a great time to be a Maidstone United player, fan, for the management team, owners and backroom staff. It is a historic day,” he said.
Boom and bust
Maidstone won promotion to the Football League for the first time in 1989 but at the end of their third season in the old Fourth Division, the club’s debts had spiralled out of control and they were liquidated in 1992. A new club, Maidstone Invicta, was established in the Kent County League Fourth Division and in 1995 they changed their name to Maidstone United. They have had two spells in the National League since 2016 and were relegated to National League South last season.
Home from home
During their spell in the Football League, Maidstone were forced to play home games at Dartford as their ground was not up to standard and they were without a stadium of their own until 2012 when the £2.8million Gallagher Stadium was opened in the town on James Whatman Way. After several improvements, the ground now has a seated capacity of 4,200. Maidstone are currently fifth in the National League South table, 13 points behind leaders Yeovil.
Chelsea announced on Sunday that forward Sam Kerr sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury during their warm weather training in Morocco.
The Australia international is now likely to be out for an extended period.
Here the PA news agency takes a look at how Chelsea can cope without Kerr.
How big is Kerr’s loss?
Kerr’s absence is a huge loss for Chelsea, who are chasing their fifth successive Women’s Super League title.
The two-time WSL Golden Boot winner is a prolific goalscorer for the team, scoring four in eight league games this season. Her 21 league goals in her first full season in 2020-21 was a WSL record until broken last season by Aston Villa’s Rachel Daly, and she followed it up with 20 and then 12.
Kerr has also been influential in their Champions League campaign this year, bagging five goals in four, and she has 95 in all competitions in her time at the club.
Who can Hayes turn to?
Chelsea have plenty of options to turn to in Kerr’s absence. Fran Kirby has also been making her return from injury this season, while her England team-mate Lauren James has scored seven goals in nine league games.
There could also be a chance for Aggie Beever-Jones, a Chelsea academy product who has had previous loans with Bristol City and Everton.
The 20-year-old has struggled to get consistent starts in the WSL this season but makes an impact whenever she comes off the bench and in her six appearances as a substitute for Chelsea has scored four goals, with her season total being five.
Will Chelsea look to the transfer market?
Possibly – there is plenty for Hayes to chew over in the transfer window but it will be difficult to find a like-for-like replacement for Kerr.
Chelsea already have plenty of attacking talent and Hayes could opt to shuffle the pack at the top of the pitch.
Pre-season moves for Americans Mia Fishel and Catarina Macario could prove inspired now that Kerr is missing for a prolonged period of time. Macario was handed the coveted number nine shirt while Fishel grabbed a debut goal against Tottenham, though she has not scored for the club since.
Kevin De Bruyne admits he will need to hold himself back as he eases himself into action following a long lay-off.
De Bruyne made his first appearance in five months with an impressive substitute cameo in Manchester City’s 5-0 FA Cup third-round demolition of Championship Huddersfield on Sunday.
The Belgium playmaker was given the last 33 minutes of a one-sided tie at the Etihad Stadium and wasted no time as he set up his side’s fifth goal for another player returning from injury, Jeremy Doku.
De Bruyne had a hamstring operation in August after being troubled further by a problem that had affected him in the latter stages of last season’s treble-winning campaign.
“I worked hard and I’m happy to be back,” said the 32-year-old. “I felt good so I’m pleased about that but I’m still nowhere near where I need to be.
“It’s a good continuation of the process of the last few weeks. I feel good, the movements were good, I felt comfortable in what I was doing and that was the only thing I was really looking for.
“To get that ovation after being away for five months gives you more of a boost. There will be moments I want to play every game but I know in the back of my mind I need to take care of myself.
“It’s good being January where we have fewer games. I don’t expect to be playing too many games and Newcastle next week is a big game so I’ll expect to be back on the bench.”
Getting injured was an obvious frustration for De Bruyne but, given his heavy schedule for club and country in recent years, he tried to turn the situation into a positive.
He said: “To be honest I enjoyed it in a way.
“At the beginning it was a big blow but I knew I was going to be out for four or five months, so after the first reaction I thought to myself I needed to work hard when I’m working, but then I could enjoy the things that I’ve not been able to do with my family and friends.
“Maybe it was good to refresh a little bit. It’s not like I needed a break but I took it, to turn a disadvantage into an advantage.”
City were already well in control when De Bruyne entered the fray after first-half goals from Phil Foden and Julian Alvarez. A third goal came after an Oscar Bobb cross deflected in off Ben Jackson and Foden doubled his tally before Doku wrapped up the scoring.
Despite his return, De Bruyne confirmed Kyle Walker will remain as the team’s regular captain having worn the armband throughout the Belgian’s absence.
“I’m number two, Walks is number one,” said De Bruyne.
Huddersfield boss Darren Moore felt his team acquitted themselves well and hopes that spirit can be carried forward as they look to pull away from the bottom end of the Sky Bet Championship.
Moore said: “It’s no disgrace to lose against arguably the best team in the world.
“It is about what we can take into next week and the second half of the season. For me as a manager a lot has been learnt, and certainly the players learnt a lot.”
Joe Gomez insists Liverpool will not get giddy at the prospect of another potential quadruple tilt, but has acknowledged there is a fire in the squad to achieve this season.
The Premier League leaders continue to battle on four fronts after they progressed into the FA Cup fourth round on Sunday with a 2-0 win at Arsenal.
Next on the agenda for Jurgen Klopp’s team is Wednesday’s Carabao Cup semi-final first leg at home to Fulham, but Gomez says there is no prospect of complacency creeping in.
He said: “We don’t want to get giddy. We’re all just full of desire and want to make the best out of the season.
“All we can do is take it one game at a time. I know it’s a cliche, but there’s desire and we have a platform to build on.
“We can’t take that for granted, as we know with last season it’s not always plain-sailing and we went through rough patches but we built from it and learnt from it. So, we have to keep at it and see where it takes us.”
Gomez only made 31 appearances in all competitions for Liverpool last season, but is already up to 26 this term and has recently been used at left-back with Andrew Robertson absent.
While the unorthodox position has been a challenge for the London-born defender, he relished another battle with Bukayo Saka and hailed a big team effort at the Emirates.
“He’s a top player, a direct winger. It’s not often the case these days but he’s one that will stay wide to pick up the ball and drive at you. It was tough. I knew it was going to be having played him so recently but yeah, great team performance, we all dug deep,” Gomez added.
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“It’s different at left back! It’s been a challenge to adapt. Small, minor differences that maybe aren’t noted, maybe how you receive the ball and so on.
“But people at the club know me now, they know I will give my all. I’ve been here long enough now but I’m grateful to play for the club.”
Liverpool were on the ropes for long period in the capital before Trent Alexander-Arnold’s free kick produced Jakub Kiwior’s own-goal and a late Luis Diaz strike made it four wins in five for Klopp’s men.
The victory was all the more impressive considering the club’s lengthy list of absentees with captain Virgil van Dijk ill, while Mohamad Salah is away at the African Cup of Nations.
Nevertheless, Gomez hailed the togetherness of the squad and backed them to take another step towards silverware in this week’s cup tie with Fulham at Anfield.
“There’s definitely a good bond in the team. There’s definitely a freshness and fire about the team,” he added.
“We’re not over-analysing who we lost and who we don’t have. We’ve got top players who we’ve missed this year.
“Thiago, Robbo, Kostas (Tsimikas), Mo going, but the gaffer keeps reiterating we can all do a job defensively and we can all defend.
“It means we don’t have to worry about who’s missing. We have to keep that mentality.
“We’ve got a bit more of a spring in our step. Another big game on Wednesday. We want to get to another final, (it’s) over two legs but we’ll go for it.”
Newcastle defender Fabian Schar has signed a contract extension which will keep him at the club until the summer of 2025, the Magpies have announced.
The 32-year-old Switzerland defender, whose existing deal was due to expire at the end of the season, has committed his future to the Tyneside outfit for at least another campaign two days after playing his part in a 3-0 derby victory over Sunderland in the FA Cup third round.
A club statement said: “Newcastle United are pleased to announce that defender Fabian Schar has extended his contract at St. James’ Park until the summer of 2025.
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“Switzerland international Schar, who turned 32 last month, has made 169 appearances for the club since arriving from Deportivo La Coruna in July 2018.”
Schar, who cost Newcastle just £3million when he arrived from Deportivo, has established himself as a key member of Eddie Howe’s side and a firm fans’ favourite with his no-nonsense style of defending.
He is also confident on the ball and is not afraid to stride forward and take aim at goal, which he did to spectacular effect during the famous 4-1 Champions League victory over Paris St Germain at St James’ Park in October.
Schar, who has been capped 78 times by his country, said: “I’ve said it a lot of times, but I feel really at home here.
“I feel so comfortable living in Newcastle. I love the city and I love playing for the club and the incredible fans. I can’t say enough how much I love them, and how much their support means to me.
“Playing for this team where I feel so comfortable with all my team-mates and with the coaching staff feels really like a family for me, so I’m really grateful to stay here a bit longer and hopefully to have some more exciting times.”
Head coach Howe was delighted to have secured the services of one of his most influential players for another season.
Howe said: “Fabian has been excellent for us. Since I’ve come to the football club, he’s been a model of consistency and a big part of our success.
“He’s defended very well but he’s hugely talented with the ball as well, so we’re delighted that he’s extended his time here.”
The January transfer window gives clubs an opportunity to reshape their squad for the second half of the season or for players to take on fresh challenges. Here, the PA news agency looks at who is making some of the headlines.
Manchester United
After performing way below expectations during the first half of the campaign, the need for a squad refresh at Old Trafford is clear. Primarily, Erik Ten Hag would seem to require a forward to give the attack more of a cutting edge and a defender, where he has not settled on a preferred centre-back pairing. New faces would also give the place a lift in general but some players may need to be moved on first. The futures of Rafael Varane and Casemiro are uncertain while Anthony Martial is again being linked with a move away. Outcast Jadon Sancho appears set for a loan move to former club Borussia Dortmund.
Chelsea
The Stamford Bridge outfit have spent more than £1billion on transfer fees over the past 18 months but results this season indicate they have not yet got things right. Bringing a centre forward would appear to be a necessity for manager Mauricio Pochettino but the Londoners also need to give serious thought to balancing the books. Outgoings are likely with rumours abounding over the future of Conor Gallagher, despite some impressive recent performances. With his contract due to expire in 2025, the England midfielder could be let go for around £50million.
Kalvin Phillips
Phillips has failed to establish himself at Manchester City since his £42million switch from Leeds in the summer of 2022. Injuries curtailed his involvement last season and, with so much quality in Pep Guardiola’s squad, even substitute appearances have been few and far between. As Euro 2024 approaches, Phillips may have to move now to ensure he stays in the England picture. Newcastle are apparently keen but there has also been reported interest from Juventus.
Jordan Henderson
The former Liverpool captain could be on the move again after reports emerged over the weekend that he would like to cut short his stay in Saudi Arabia, where he signed a three-year contract with Al-Ettifaq amid much controversy last summer. At 33 and still firmly in the England plans, Henderson could be an attractive proposition for many clubs based purely on football terms, but the financial obstacles to bringing him back to Europe could be significant. It remains to be seen if genuine interest emerges but a loan move could be a possibility. A return to Anfield would seem unlikely with Liverpool’s midfield having been rebuilt since his departure.
Ivan Toney
The England striker is set to return to action this month as his eight-month ban for multiple breaches of betting regulations comes to an end. Given their poor form of late, Brentford will undoubtedly welcome the striker back with open arms and he has said he is keen to repay the club for their support during his suspension. However, his value remains high and with the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea both looking for goalscorers, potentially head-turning approaches are more than possible.
William Saliba has vowed Arsenal will come back stronger after they suffered a third consecutive defeat on Sunday.
The Gunners created a number of chances, especially in the first half but exited the FA Cup in the third round following a 2-0 loss at home to Liverpool.
It saw Mikel Arteta’s team conclude a difficult festive period on another low after a run of four defeats in their last seven matches.
Arsenal will get the chance to reset with no fixture until January 20 and they are set to spend this week away in Dubai at a warm-weather training camp.
“We have to stick together,” Saliba said.
“We know we’re not in our best moment, but we won’t give up and we’ll come back even stronger.
“We will work a lot during this break, we will breathe a little bit. We will stick together and come back stronger and better.”
Arsenal were top of the Premier League on Christmas Day, but have only scored once in their last three fixtures in all competitions.
Like in their 2-0 loss to West Ham, their final home clash of 2023, the Gunners were wasteful in front of goal against Liverpool and made to pay when Jakub Kiwior headed an own goal past Aaron Ramsdale in the 80th minute.
Luis Diaz confirmed Liverpool’s place in round four with a fine finish after a slick counter-attack, but it could have been a different story had Reiss Nelson, Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz taken excellent first-half chances.
Arteta played down talk of a January move for a forward and insisted the fans must stick with his young side.
Saliba told the official club website: “I’m really disappointed because we started the game so well.
“We had too many chances too score, but we didn’t. Even in the second half, we were good. Unfortunately we conceded one free kick 10 minutes before the end.
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“We have to kill the game off before because when we have so many chances like this, we have to score.
“We have to defend free kicks better, we cannot concede like this, so we can be really disappointed.”
Arsenal were without forward Gabriel Jesus for the visit of Liverpool due to another knee injury, but Arteta played down concerns.
“He had some pain in his knee. We have done a scan that shows something,” Arteta insisted.
“Hopefully it’s not something big. It’s the same knee that he had before, so we could not take any risks.”
Ivan Toney says he lost his love for football during an eight-month betting ban but is ready to return and repay Brentford’s support during his lengthy lay-off.
The 27-year-old England striker has not played since last May, when he was found guilty of 232 breaches of the Football Association’s gambling rules, but is set to make his Premier League comeback against Nottingham Forest on January 20.
He has spent his time away from the game working hard on his own, in extra sessions at the club and on solo trips to Nashville, and admits struggling to come to terms with his punishment.
“I didn’t watch football for a while. In a way I punished myself. There was a stage I probably did fall out of love with football,” he told Sky Sports.
“Missing games and not being around my team-mates was tough. I was confused but what’s done is done now, I can’t dwell on these things. Life’s not fair, we know this, the more you dwell on it the more it’s going to hurt you.”
Toney has been linked with a big-money move, with the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea reportedly interested in a player who netted 20 times last season, but he is keen to show his appreciation for the Bees.
“(Brentford manager) Thomas Frank has been nothing but the biggest help I could have asked for – the whole club has,” Toney added.
“From putting on extra sessions for me, from taking their time out to put a session on and go outside when it’s raining when they’re not supposed to be in. I have a lot to repay them and I can’t wait to try and do that.
“The fans were behind me. Even when I wasn’t at their games, they were singing my name. A friend of mine sent me a video of the fans singing my name, I got goosebumps to know that they’re still behind me, even though I’m not there.
“With Brentford, they’re struggling at the moment but I’m sure when I’m back I will play a big part to get them out of the losing form they’ve been in. I can’t wait to get back and be helping my team-mates.”
Toney’s time away also helped focus his mind on life outside of football and he came away with bold plans for his future off the field.
“I want to start my own businesses, start my own clothing brand. One thing I want to do is get into acting, which I think I’d be quite good at,” he said.
What the papers say
Newcastle have reportedly been given a boost in their pursuit of Kalvin Phillips. According to a report from journalist Fabrizio Romano, cited by the Daily Mail, Juventus – Newcastle’s biggest rival for the 28-year-old’s signature – have cooled on the Manchester City midfielder due to stumbling blocks over a loan fee and salary, opening the window for the Magpies to swoop.
The Daily Mail also says former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson is desperate for a return to the Premier League. The midfielder completed a £12million transfer from Liverpool to Saudi Arabian side Al Ettifaq last summer, but has reportedly been disheartened by the side’s poor on-field form and lack of crowds. Henderson is believed to be willing to give serious consideration to any offers received this month.
And The Sun reports Newcastle could let go of midfielder Sean Longstaff if the right offer comes along.
Social media round-upPlayers to watch
Jean-Clair Todibo: Chelsea, Manchester United and AC Milan are all monitoring the Nice defender, according to RMC Sport.
Max Kilman: The Guardian says West Ham are looking at a move for the Wolves defender.
Cavalier Football Club registered a fourth win on the trot and, more importantly, moved closer to a top two position, after they blanked a lacklustre Arnett Gardens 3-0 in a lopsided rescheduled Wray and Nephew Jamaica Premier League (WNJPL) contest at Sabina Park on Sunday.
Captain Kyle Ming (9th), Dwayne ‘Busy’ Atkinson (21st) and Shaneil Thomas (90+1), shared the goals, as the Rudolph Speid-coached team extended their unbeaten run across five matches –the last four with a clean sheet intact.
The win, Cavalier’s seventh of the season, propelled them into fourth position on 24 points, same as third-placed Tivoli Gardens, who has a slightly better goal difference.
Arnett Gardens, who ended the contest with 10 players after Roshawn Amos straight red card in the 80th, are also on 24 points, but were relegated to fifth position as the margin of defeat dented their goal difference.
Having addressed their previous defensive issues, Speid expressed pleasure with his team’s current vein of form.
“I remember we went 10 matches without a clean sheet (across competitions), we worked on it, and it is now paying dividends.
“We saw some things that we could exploit, so we changed the system and decided that ‘Parko Blacks’ [Fabian Reid] was going to have to play the hardest game of his life and it worked for us,” Speid said in a post-game interview.
“Another thing we are working on is making it difficult for opponents to pinpoint where the goals are coming from which is a good thing from our point of view. But we remember, we had it hard early in the season, so we are just getting back some of the players and the commitment, and I think that is what is now carrying us through,” he added.
Cavalier started spiritedly, as they wasted little time to impose their will on the game, which placed Arnett Gardens in an uncomfortable situation to play catch up.
Atkinson, who is one of a few players returning from overseas stints, proved menacing to the ‘Junglists’ defence, as he was involved in two of the goals.
The diminutive winger first floated in a weighted corner kick which eluded defenders and fell kindly for Ming, who easily headed past Asher Hutchinson, in goal for Arnett Gardens.
Atkinson, who was in Iceland, then displayed immense composure when he fired past Hutchinson at his near post, after a well-worked one-two combination with Dwayne Allen.
Orlando Russell, another player returning from overseas, should have extended Cavalier’s lead five minutes later when he went on the break and dismissed a lone defender, but his left-footed effort was kept out by Hutchinson.
In the 39th minute, Atkinson served up another weighted cross inside, this time an unmarked Russell at the far post, but he went for the spectacular and the chance went begging.
Arnett Gardens best chance of the half came on the stroke of the break when Warner Brown got behind defenders, but couldn’t beat Jeadine white, who left his line well.
The Xavier Gilbert-coached Arnett Gardens looked more purposeful on the resumption and created a few half chances, which they failed to make count.
That allowed Cavalier to get back into rhythm and it took Hutchinson diving full stretch to his right, to deny substitute Jalmaro Calvin’s 66th-minute effort.
Rushike Kelson went close for Arnett Gardens in the 72nd, as his well-taken free kick from the top of the arc rendered a five-man wall useless, but the effort couldn’t beat the right upright.
With Arnett playing a man short after Amos’s dismissal, Thomas capitalised on their poor defending, as he waltzed his way into the final third to fire past the hapless Hutchinson and cap the win.
Gilbert was left disappointed by his team’s dismal display.
“We were very flat; I don’t think we provided what we should have provided to cause problems to the Cavalier team. I think we were too narrow when we were in possession of the ball and they hit us in transition a couple of times, and we just didn’t execute so credit must be given to Cavalier for the way they executed,” Gilbert said.
Sunday’s results
Cavalier 3, Arnett Gardens 2
Harbour View 2, Treasure Beach FC 0
Mauricio Pochettino warned his Chelsea players they will come unstuck in their Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Middlesbrough if they begin the game as they did Saturday’s FA Cup meeting with Preston.
The Sky Bet Championship side did a comfortable job of containing the Blues during the first half at Stamford Bridge, with the hosts displaying little attacking threat against a team currently 14th in the second tier, before clicking into gear after the break to claim a 4-0 win.
Three goals in 11 second-half minutes from Armando Broja, Thiago Silva and Raheem Sterling ultimately broke the resolve of Ryan Lowe’s side, before Enzo Fernandez added a fourth in the final moments.
It was a far cry from the stolid performance given in the first 45 minutes, with home supporters forced to endure another listless display in the final third, where Chelsea’s build-up play typically broke down.
And Pochettino said a repeat performance at the Riverside against Michael Carrick’s team on Tuesday could see his side miss out on the opportunity to claim their first trophy since 2021.
“It’s going to be tough,” he said. “Middlesbrough is a very good team that we need to respect. (Saturday) was a great example that we need to respect the opponent if we want to beat them.
“If we start the game like (against Preston), we will find it difficult. We need to use this as an example that we need to start like we played the second half.
“We need to be respectful, not to approach the game showing not the right attitude. (The first half) upset me, but the players were disappointed also at half-time. The attitude was completely different in the second half.”
Chelsea last lifted silverware in December 2021 when they beat Brazilian side Palmeiras to win the Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi, seven months after victory in the Champions League final against Manchester City in Porto.
Pochettino said he is not allowing his players to think about the Carabao Cup final at Wembley while there is still a final hurdle to clear.
“I don’t want to think on (the final),” he said. “I prefer to think only about Middlesbrough. I know that it’s important for the club and for this team because it’s going to be a boost of energy if we get to the final.
“But we need to go step by step because if we think too much long-term, even if it’s only two months, I think we will expend energy and we will be not right.
“What the group needs is to build their confidence step by step. (Saturday) is a good example, in a good way but also not in a good way. We need to realise that on Tuesday we need to play 90 minutes like we played in the second half.”
Erik ten Hag has blamed injuries for ruining Donny van de Beek’s spell at Manchester United and insisted his experience should not put off other players from signing for the club.
Van de Beek, 26, has joined Eintracht Frankfurt on loan until the end of the season, having failed to establish himself under any of three different managers – Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Ralf Rangnick and Ten Hag – at United since joining from Ajax in the summer of 2020.
The £35million midfielder made only 23 starts during his three and a half years at Old Trafford, and already spent time away on loan when he joined Everton for the second half of the 2021-22 campaign, again being limited by injuries at Goodison Park.
Ten Hag worked with Van de Beek at Ajax but hopes that a reunion in Manchester might revive the midfielder’s fortunes proved misplaced.
“He has had many injuries, first of all,” Ten Hag said. “From the first moment I came in here at Manchester United, he wasn’t the player he was at Ajax because he was injured. So many times he was not available and then he struggled for a long time to recover from that injury.
“That is probably the main reason why he was not playing. We decided for a loan in the summer but it didn’t come and then his opportunities are few because also we make appointments and we make agreements with players and contract players in that position. The competition was high.”
Van de Beek is among a number of players who have joined United in big-money deals in recent seasons but then struggled to live up to the billing, with £72million winger Jadon Sancho also close to leaving on loan in this transfer window after a public falling out with Ten Hag.
But asked if others might look at Van de Beek’s experience and be wary of moving to Old Trafford, Ten Hag disagreed.
“That is always on those players and how much confidence you have in your capabilities,” he said. “But I can tell you one thing – the Premier League is tough. Man United, that is tough to play there because it’s more easy to play in almost any other team than Man United because the pressure is that high always.
“You have to deal with that. But if you have confidence in yourself, this is the best challenge and this is definitely the best club you want to be at as a player. It depends on player to player, and it depends especially on the character of the player, their personality.”
Ten Hag will take his United side to Wigan on Monday night for their FA Cup third-round tie.
Andre Onana will be in the squad and should also be available to face Tottenham next weekend before joining up late with Cameroon for the Africa Cup of Nations.
But Onana’s back-up Altay Bayindir is yet to make his debut after a summer move from Fenerbahce and the trip to the DW Stadium could be an opportunity to give the Turkey goalkeeper a taste of first-team action before he is needed more regularly.
Ten Hag insisted he had confidence in all of his goalkeepers despite the decision not to use Bayindir in the Carabao Cup before Christmas.
“At some point Andre will go,” he said. “We are totally happy and we constructed this group of keepers because we are comfortable with this. We have confidence in them both and both are very good goalkeepers, both experienced at the highest levels.
“I think we can have a lot of belief that we have coverage, but not only coverage but competition between two or three. We are sure that if Andre has to go that we are good, we are in a good place and have a good replacement to fill that gap.”
Dusan Vlahovic’s stoppage-time header saw Juventus come from behind to win 2-1 at 10-man Salernitana.
The Bianconeri had run out comfortable 6-1 winners in the Coppa Italia tie between the sides in Turin on Thursday night – but found themselves behind shortly before half-time at the Arechi Stadium when Giulio Maggiore finished off a swift counter-attack.
Maggiore was then dismissed for a second caution in the 53rd minute and Juve substitute Samuel Iling Junior equalised just after the hour.
When it seemed Serie A’s bottom club would hold out for a valuable point in their survival fight, Vlahovic headed in a looping cross from Danilo to seal a dramatic win and put Juventus back to two points behind Serie A leaders Inter.
AC Milan had earlier extended their unbeaten run to six games in all competitions with a 3-0 win at strugglers Empoli.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek put the Rossoneri ahead in the 11th minute and Olivier Giroud doubled the lead from the penalty spot before half-time.
Teenager Chaka Traore, who opened his Milan account in Tuesday’s Coppa Italia victory over Cagliari, wrapped things up with a late third.
Napoli’s dismal season continued with a 3-0 defeat at Torino to slump to ninth in the table.
Antonio Sanabria, Nikola Vlasic and Alessandro Buongiorno were on target for the hosts as the defending champions endured another miserable afternoon – with wing-back Pasquale Mazzocchi having been sent off four minutes after coming on for his debut.
Saturday’s evening kick-off saw Atalanta draw 1-1 at top-six rivals Roma, while Lazio recorded a third straight victory with a 2-1 win at relegation-battlers Udinese.
Barcelona were made to work for their place in the last 16 of the Copa del Rey with a 3-2 win at fourth tier Barbastro.
Raphinha struck in each half to seemingly put the LaLiga side in control.
The Segunda B outfit, though, pulled a goal back on the hour through Adria de Mesa before Robert Lewandowski added Barca’s third from the penalty spot with two minutes left.
Barbastro reduced the deficit again in stoppage time when Marc Prat slotted home a spot-kick, but there was to be no grandstand finish as Barca saw out the closing stages.
Villarreal’s tie at Unionistas was abandoned following a lighting problem at the Municipal Reina Sofia stadium ahead of the start of extra-time, with the scores level at 1-1.
Last-season’s runners-up Osasuna needed extra-time to get past third tier Castellon 1-0 – as did Valencia in their 2-1 win at LaLiga2 side Cartagena, who had played the second half with 10 men.
Celta Vigo fought out at 4-2 win at Segunda Division Amorebieta, while Mallorca won 3-0 at Burgos.
Juanlu Sanchez’s late goal helped Sevilla to a 2-1 victory over 10-man Racing Ferrol, while Athletic Bilbao beat Eibar 3-0 and Real Sociedad won 1-0 in Malaga.
Kylian Mbappe scored a hat-trick as Paris St Germain coasted to a 9-0 win over sixth-tier Revel in their Coupe de France tie.
Marco Asensio was also on target in the first half, when the Regional 1 side scored an own goal, before Mbappe completed his treble three minutes after the restart at the Stade Pierre-Fabre in Castres.
Goncalo Ramos added a sixth from the penalty spot before Randal Kolo Muani scored twice late on, either side of Cher Ndour’s first PSG goal, to wrap up a comfortable night’s work for the Ligue 1 leaders.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s second-half strike gave Marseille – depleted by players away at the Africa Cup of Nations – a 1-0 win at fifth-tier Thionville Lusitanos.
In an all-Ligue 1 tie, Monaco edged past Lens 6-5 on penalties having been 2-0 up inside the opening 20 minutes before the hosts mounted a fightback to draw 2-2.
Lyon coasted to a 3-0 win over Championnat National 3 outfit Pontarlier and Rennes won 2-0 at Guingamp.
There were also victories for Le Havre, Reims and Toulouse while fifth-tier Saint-Priest, Rouen, Laval and Championnat National 2 side Bergerac Perigord all made it through to round of 32.
Barcelona booked their place in the last 16 of the Copa del Rey despite an unconvincing display in a 3-2 victory over fourth-tier Barbastro.
Fermin Lopez, Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski were on target for Xavi’s side in a match which also saw their opponents score twice through Adria de Mesa and Marc Prat.
LaLiga giants Barca lacked a cutting edge and presented chances to Barbastro in what turned out to be a hotly-contested tie.
Barca were camped in the attacking third before they took a 1-0 lead in the 18th minute.
The visitors won possession in midfield before Raphinha was found out wide. The Brazil winger stormed forward and picked out Lopez, who expertly scored with a first-time shot to give his side the advantage.
After 41 minutes the Spanish champions thought they had doubled their lead but Joao Felix’s effort was ruled offside.
Lopez turned creator and floated a ball on to the head of the potent Felix, who nodded his effort past Arnau Fabrega. The Portugal international appeared to have perfectly timed his run but Barca were denied the chance to add another.
The Catalan side strengthened their position in the 51st minute through Raphinha.
Seventeen-year-old full-back Hector Fort cut inside and sent a dipped ball to the back post where the former Leeds winger evaded his marker and volleyed home to make it 2-0.
But on the hour Barbastro scored an unlikely goal to halve the deficit.
The hosts sent men forward for a corner and a whipped delivery into the area challenged Barca’s defenders, who failed to clear their lines. Barbastro striker De Mesa was alert and got on the end of the loose ball to grab one back.
Xavi turned to the bench and brought on Lewandowski. The Poland striker instantly had an impact, winning a header and forcing an error from the defender whose backwards pass to keeper Manas was intercepted by Ferran Torres.
But typical of Barca’s day, Torres failed to hold his nerve and a poor touch saw the opportunity go begging.
Lewandowski sealed the tie when he scored from the spot in the 88th minute.
After a clear handball in the box, the former Bayern Munich star hopped, skipped, jumped and sent Manu the wrong way as he rolled his effort into the bottom-right corner.
Prat also scored from the spot in added-time but it was too late and Barca sealed a 3-2 win.
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