Jurgen Klopp has been handed a Football Association (FA) charge following his actions during Liverpool's Premier League win over Manchester City on Sunday.

The Reds manager was shown a red card late on during his side's 1-0 victory at Anfield after he lambasted an assistant referee when no foul was given in Mohamed Salah's favour near the touchline.

Klopp accepted responsibility in his post-match comments, admitting he had overstepped the mark, having been sent to the stands by referee Anthony Taylor.

The 55-year-old is to be allowed in the dugout for Liverpool's next match against West Ham, but he has meanwhile been given until the end of the week to respond to an official charge relating to "improper" behaviour.

"Jurgen Klopp has been charged with a breach of FA Rule E3 following the Premier League game between Liverpool FC and Manchester City FC on Sunday (16/10/22)," read an FA statement.

"It is alleged that the Liverpool FC manager's behaviour during the 86th minute of this game was improper, and he has until Friday (21/10/22) to provide a response."

Erik ten Hag did not take issue with Cristiano Ronaldo's reaction to being substituted against Newcastle United but will not commit to starting the forward when Manchester United host Tottenham.

Ronaldo made just his second Premier League start of the season in Sunday's 0-0 draw with the Magpies but was replaced by Marcus Rashford after having two second-half goals disallowed.

The Portugal great reacted angrily to his 72nd-minute withdrawal and was seen shaking his head after taking his place in the dugout.

However, speaking at a news conference ahead of Wednesday's clash with Spurs, Ten Hag said Ronaldo's drive was crucial to his success.

"I think no player is happy when he comes off, especially not Ronaldo, I understand that," Ten Hag said. "As long as it is in quite a normal way, I have no problem with that.

"Of course, he is convinced he should stay on and score a goal, that's why he is that good."

Ronaldo claimed a hat-trick as United beat Tottenham 3-2 when the teams met at Old Trafford in March and has scored more Premier League goals against Spurs (eight) than he has against any other side.

However, Ten Hag said last season's treble did not mean Ronaldo was a certainty to start, adding: "I know of it [March's hat-trick], and of course, when you make a line-up you count on several facts, but also other facts you take out of [your thinking]."

Ronaldo looks more likely to appear in Ten Hag's line-up after Anthony Martial was ruled out of Wednesday's match, although United could be boosted by the return of Christian Eriksen. 

"Anthony Martial is not available. He is back on the pitch, but not in team training," Ten Hag added.

"Christian Eriksen returned to team training today. We have to see how that works out, how he will recover, and if he has the energy tomorrow. We have to wait for that."

United have won each of their last three Premier League games against Tottenham, who last lost four consecutive league meetings with the Red Devils between April 2009 and October 2010.

Meanwhile, Spurs have lost more Premier League games against the Red Devils than they have versus any other opponent (38), and head coach Antonio Conte has suffered three defeats in as many trips to United – against no club has the Italian lost more away games in his career.

Jurgen Klopp expects to be on the Liverpool bench for the visit of West Ham on Wednesday, which is just where David Moyes wants him.

Hammers boss Moyes said he would want a fair fight at Anfield by being pitched head to head against the Liverpool boss, who is facing a touchline ban.

Klopp raged so hard at assistant referee Gary Beswick in Liverpool's 1-0 win against Manchester City on Sunday that he was sent off by Anthony Taylor.

He had been furious when no foul was given against Bernardo Silva for a challenge on Mohamed Salah, after finding fault with a number of earlier decisions.

According to Moyes, a former Everton boss, referees would do well to understand that managers "sometimes lose our heads here or there".

Moyes also said that Klopp had a strong argument in this case, adding: "I think if you look at the incident why he got angry, he was correct, wasn’t he?"

Klopp indicated the disciplinary process had barely begun when he spoke in a press conference on Tuesday afternoon.

For that reason, he cannot see why he would not be at pitchside for the Premier League game.

"I think I will be there because there's nothing really happened yet," Klopp said. "But I don't think something will happen...a few hours before the game.

"I know where David is coming from. I still think I should have dealt differently with the situation, which I actually do usually.

"The whole game led to that maybe a little bit, the way it went. It was a very intense game with a lot of decisions the managers didn't understand, on both sides.

"This was then for me like, in Germany we would say one drop will let the bucket overflow. Does that make sense somehow? I'm not happy with my reaction, but that's the way it was. Everybody saw it.

"I was sitting after the game in the office of Anthony Taylor and spoke completely calm about the situations, how he saw the game and how I saw the game. It was a fair and calm discussion, but anyway that's the situation. I got the red card, and now we wait for the process pretty much."

Klopp compared the rising tensions in Sunday's game to the fiery London derby between Chelsea and Tottenham in August that finished 2-2 and ended with red cards for bosses Thomas Tuchel and Antonio Conte.

"No excuses," he added. "I don't use that as an excuse for me."

Manchester United have been charged by the Football Association (FA) for their protests after a Cristiano Ronaldo goal was ruled out against Newcastle United.

Ronaldo twice had the ball in the net in quick succession shortly after half-time in Sunday's goalless draw at Old Trafford.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner's initial strike was struck off for a clear offside, before he then stole in to score again as Newcastle prepared to take the resulting free-kick.

Ronaldo claimed the ball was already in play as Fabian Schar had played a short pass to Nick Pope, who was to take the free-kick.

Referee Craig Pawson disagreed, with his arm still in the air as Ronaldo tackled Pope, prompting a furious reaction from the United forward and his team-mates.

Nine of United's 10 outfield players – Luke Shaw the exception – surrounded Pawson, who then booked Ronaldo.

A statement from the FA on Tuesday read: "Manchester United FC has been charged with a breach of FA Rule E20.1 following its Premier League game against Newcastle United FC on Sunday (16/10/22).

"It's alleged that Manchester United FC failed to ensure its players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion during the 49th minute of this match, and the club has until Thursday (20/10/22) to respond."

Jurgen Klopp says there is no reason for Liverpool and Manchester City to be "best friends" after tensions ignited at the weekend.

Liverpool manager Klopp insisted he did not mean to inflame the rivalry between the clubs by referencing the wealth of Premier League champions City ahead of their game on Sunday, in which his team snatched a 1-0 win.

"There are three clubs in world football who can do what they want financially," Klopp said, two days ahead of the City clash.

That has been widely taken as a reference to City, Newcastle United and Paris Saint-Germain, each with wealthy Middle East owners.

City were reported to have considered the comments from Klopp to be almost xenophobic, and the Anfield tussle between the teams became an explosive affair, with Klopp sent off after snapping at assistant referee Gary Beswick.

There was trouble in the stands, too, with Pep Guardiola pelted with coins, while a number of City fans sang offensive songs about the Hillsborough and Heysel stadium disasters.

"I'm not sure we have to be best friends with other clubs, to be honest," Klopp said in a press conference on Tuesday.

"I don't think anybody wants to be best friends with us. I never heard about that at least. It's a completely normal competition.

"But apart from that, it started here with a question and I answered it, and all the rest was made of it.

"I know what I thought when I said it. I thought I had put it all in perspective and said how much I respect all that they are doing, and obviously it was still not right for some.

"But the most important thing, as a club and as a team together with our supporters, we showed an incredible performance on Sunday."

Klopp added: "It's not the first time I've been misunderstood."

He said supporters would be held to account if they stepped out of line. As well as incidents in the stadium, City complained their team bus was attacked as it left Anfield.

"If something happens, if one guy throws a coin, it's one fan and it's a massive mistake, definitely, and will get punished," Klopp said. "And after the game, if something happens, it's one supporter or maybe two supporters and not all of them."

Liverpool host David Moyes' West Ham on Wednesday, looking to back up what Klopp called a "massive" win over City, which came after a rocky start to the season for the Reds.

They remain 14 points behind leaders Arsenal, albeit with a game in hand, so Klopp says the Hammers clash is another huge fixture.

"We're at the moment in the season when you realise from now on they're all finals," Klopp said. "I'm not sure you can give games more importance than we already put in. It's very important absolutely.

"We respect them a lot. They've caused us a lot of problems here and there as well. David is doing an incredible job."

Chelsea boss Graham Potter has rubbished reports that Denis Zakaria's loan spell could be cut short in January.

Zakaria was signed by previous head coach Thomas Tuchel from Juventus on a season-long loan deal just before the transfer window closed at the start of September.

The midfielder is yet to make his debut for the London club and has only been a substitute on one occasion in the Premier League.

It has been reported that the Switzerland international could be on his way back to Juve when the next transfer window opens, but that is news to Potter.

He said: "There's no decision been made at all on that. Denis has been in the group, he's been training well.

"He's ready to help the team, obviously there's competition for places in that area, but there's no talk of anything.

"He's an important member of the team, he's been patient and he's trying to help the team from the side at the moment and waiting for his chance."

Chelsea will make the short trip for a derby at Brentford on Wednesday in search of a sixth consecutive victory and looking for a fifth clean sheet in a row.

It has been a great start to head coach Potter's tenure, with his side fourth in the Premier League and on course to qualify for the Champions League round of 16.

Mason Mount's double secured a 2-0 win at Aston Villa on Sunday and Potter says he is bemused over why there appears to be mixed opinions on the England midfielder's credentials.

He said: "It's a joy [to work with Mount], he's a fantastic person. He loves to play football, loves the club here. It's surprising I get some questions like there's some sort of mixed opinion on Mason, I find that strange.

"Especially from the outside and then when you start to work with him, you just think he's got everything you need to be a top, top player. He's got a great attitude, understands spaces, connects, can execute, assists, scores goals. He's a top player."

Potter revealed Chelsea have no new injuries to contend with ahead of their clash with the Bees, allaying concerns Thiago Silva could be sidelined with a hamstring injury.

Eddie Howe has clarified comments on Newcastle United's "ceiling" after Jurgen Klopp congratulated the Magpies on their limitless outlook following last year's Saudi-backed takeover.

Newcastle have made the most of their buyout by an ownership group including Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, the richest owner in world football.

No club spent more in the January window, before Newcastle shattered their transfer record with the £59million August signing of Alexander Isak, who netted on his Premier League debut against Klopp's Liverpool.

So, when Magpies sporting director Dan Ashworth last week spoke of the club having "no ceiling" – wording that was soon echoed by head coach Howe – it irked Klopp.

"I hear now at Newcastle they said, 'there's no ceiling for this club'," the Liverpool manager said. "He's absolutely right, there's no ceiling for Newcastle. Congratulations; some other clubs have ceilings."

Howe was asked about Klopp's reaction ahead of Newcastle's next match at home to Everton and felt the perception was unfair.

"I think it's probably been used in the wrong way," Howe explained. "I think what Dan meant with his comment was that there's no ceiling to our ambition.

"Long term, the club have huge plans and huge ambitions. But at the moment, the reality of what we're working towards and working with, there is a ceiling, because of all the things I've sat here and explained every week – Financial Fair Play, we're still in a training ground that's being renovated.

"We're not living that life that's being discussed. We're living a very different reality.

"Our wage bill is very controlled, we're trying to do things in a very stable and controlled way. Although we spent money on players, it's not been extravagant or out of sync, I think, with the rest of the Premier League.

"I think everyone has to be careful with comments and opinions. That's just my belief."

Newcastle were initially linked with a host of big names in January, only to instead turn their attention to younger talents like Bruno Guimaraes, Sven Botman and Isak.

"It could have gone a totally different way," Howe acknowledged. Although Newcastle are sixth, he added: "We're a long, long way from where we want to be."

Asked if he had been frustrated by the response to his and Ashworth's comments, Howe replied: "I try not to spend too much time thinking about it. I'm just aware that one or two comments may not be totally accurate – that's when I have to stand up for us."

Diogo Jota will miss the World Cup after suffering a "pretty serious" calf muscle injury in Liverpool's win over Manchester City.

The Portugal forward was carried off on a stretcher in stoppage time at Anfield on Sunday.

He appeared to overstretch and was clearly fearing the worst in the immediate aftermath.

The news is bad for Jota, Portugal and Liverpool, whose forthcoming games he will also inevitably miss.

"It's really not good news. Yes, he will miss the World Cup," Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said in a press conference on Tuesday.

"It's a pretty serious injury, calf muscle. Now we have to recover. The process starts like this. That's the first diagnosis which was pretty clear. 

"It's very sad news for the boy, for us, and for Portugal."

Klopp said Jota would not require surgery on the injury but that "we're talking about months" in terms of his lay-off.

"I don't want to put a number on it. Yes, it will be long," Klopp said.

He explained Jota had taken the news phlegmatically.

"It's Diogo and he's surprisingly OK, so far. He's an incredibly smart boy and very reflective. I think he knew it when we carried him off the pitch," Klopp added.

"When I came out we passed each other after the game and he expected what happened. I think in that moment he knew it was a serious one and could be pretty impactful on his World Cup dreams."

Jota's injury also leaves Liverpool short of another key attacking player, with Luis Diaz already sidelined until after the World Cup.

Frank Lampard's focus is on getting Dominic Calvert-Lewin fit and firing for Everton as he looks to make a late push for England's World Cup squad.

Calvert-Lewin enjoyed a brilliant 2020-21 campaign, scoring 21 times. That tally included a hot streak of eight goals in seven games to start the season, with his form seeing him make his England debut, scoring four goals in as many starts for the Three Lions, the most by a player since Kerry Dixon in 1985-86.

He was part of England's Euro 2020 squad but the 25-year-old missed much of last term through injury, returning to score the vital goal to keep Everton up in a 3-2 comeback win over Crystal Palace in May, only to suffer a knee injury on the eve of the new season.

With Calvert-Lewin limited to two substitute appearances in Everton's last two matches – defeats to Manchester United and Tottenham respectively – his hopes of making Gareth Southgate's squad for Qatar appear slim, especially with Brentford's Ivan Toney in rich form.

Lampard acknowledges time may be against his striker but is not giving up hope.

"We've got to be careful with Dominic coming back, making sure we gradually bring him in but as quickly as possible," he told reporters ahead of Everton's trip to Newcastle United. 

"We're definitely getting to the stage now where we can hopefully get more minutes out of him.

"It's human nature and a natural mentality of top-level players, they want to play for their countries. The first thing is you play well for your club to get there.

"Because of Dominic's injuries it's put him in this position. My feeling is if he'd been fit and playing regularly he'd be making that case.

"It's step by step for us, Dominic is an England player, he's been in that squad – can we get him fit for us first, see what he can deliver for us, then of course he gets himself into that question."

One Everton player certain to be going to the World Cup if fit is Jordan Pickford. 

The goalkeeper enjoyed a strong start to the season, but made a blunder in Saturday's defeat to Spurs, spilling Matt Doherty's shot and bringing down England team-mate Harry Kane to compound his error.

When asked if he had spoken to Pickford about the mistake, Lampard replied: "No need. He's saved us many times. 

"He's a high, high level of goalkeeper, top bracket in the world for me."

Provisional World Cup squads are expected this week, and Gareth Southgate – despite a few late injury headaches – is likely to have already nailed down the majority of his England group.

There do remain some question marks, however, and perhaps none are more prominent than in attack, where Harry Kane is the established starter but the role of back-up has been shared among an ever-changing cast.

Since Russia 2018, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Ollie Watkins, Callum Wilson and Danny Ings have all played and scored for England. But either form or fitness has deserted each of them.

That would appear to leave three contenders in Tammy Abraham, whose Roma place is no longer assured, Ivan Toney, the recent call-up yet to make his international debut, and Marcus Rashford.

Abraham and Toney were each included in Southgate's latest England squad, although neither featured in games against Italy and Germany where the Three Lions needed goals. Meanwhile, injury robbed Rashford of the opportunity to re-establish himself in the group.

At one stage, Rashford was assured of his place in every international squad, if not necessarily every team.

The Manchester United man has earned 46 caps for England, and all but three of those have come since Southgate's September 2016 appointment.

However, for all those accusations of Southgate defying club form to pick his 'favourites', Rashford has been punished for below-par displays for United, having scored a measly five goals in 32 games last season.

Rashford's last action for England was his missed penalty in the Euro 2020 final against Italy after appearing as a substitute for the final minute of extra time at Wembley. He has not started for his country since before that tournament.

But the 24-year-old has rediscovered something approaching his best form this season, netting five goals and assisting three in 11 matches for United. Rashford is far outperforming Abraham (two goals and one assist in 13 matches) in that regard, although he still trails flavour-of-the-month Toney (eight goals and three assists in 11 matches).

Toney's case is clear then – except Southgate is not looking for a forward to come in and lead the line against Iran on November 21.

Only Jordan Pickford (14 starts, 1,380 minutes) and John Stones (14 starts, 1,324 minutes) have started more matches or played more minutes for Southgate at major tournaments than Kane (13 starts, 1,222 minutes).

Assuming no injury to Kane that would alter the entire conversation, Rashford is auditioning for the position of primary attacking reinforcement – one he has filled twice for Southgate in the past.

Across the 2018 World Cup and Euro 2020, no England player made more appearances (10) or played more minutes (205) as a substitute than Rashford.

In 63 minutes from the bench for United this season, Rashford has scored two goals and assisted another. Abraham has yet to contribute to a goal in 91 such minutes for Roma, while Toney has a sole assist in 18 minutes.

As illness reduced Rashford to a substitute role against Newcastle United on Sunday, he showed how dangerous his hard running can prove late in matches.

Both he and Fred passed up huge chances, but only Casemiro (0.45 – 0.01 xG, 0.44 xA) produced more combined expected goals and expected assists in the whole match than Rashford (0.43 – 0.31 xG, 0.12 xA) did in an 18-minute cameo against the Premier League's meanest defence.

On that occasion, Rashford was appearing, as he would in place of Kane, as a centre-forward after being brought on for Cristiano Ronaldo. But his versatility is a key attribute Toney does not possess.

For United this season, five of Rashford's nine starts have come as a lone striker, with the other four as a left-sided winger.

Longer term, his starts through the middle have been far less regular. Rashford's 21 England starts have included 10 from the left, three from the right and eight as a central striker. Of those eight, seven have been as part of a forward pair.

His sole appearance in a Three Lions line-up in the sort of role Kane is used to was in a 3-1 Nations League Finals defeat to the Netherlands, in which Rashford was replaced by Kane at half-time after opening the scoring.

If England are in need of a spark in Qatar – whether from the start or as a substitute – Southgate is likely to turn to a player who can complement Kane rather than replace him, perhaps explaining the watching briefs for Abraham and Toney in September.

Importantly, Rashford has previously supported Kane to good effect, most notably in a 3-2 win against Spain in October 2018, when Kane teed up Rashford for the second goal and the pair each provided a further assist for Raheem Sterling, who is also set to start again at the World Cup.

As Kane and Tottenham visit Old Trafford on Wednesday for the pick of the midweek Premier League action, Rashford will no doubt hope to be restored to the United XI ahead of Ronaldo.

But were he to instead play from the left or come on for the veteran forward later in the match, the England hopeful might provide Southgate a more accurate representation of what he could expect if selected next month.

Newcastle United have reportedly expressed their interest in signing out-of-favour Real Madrid midfielder Marco Asensio.

Asensio, 26, debuted for Madrid back in 2016, racking up 244 appearances and 50 goals across all club competitions in the seven seasons since.

However, despite tallying a career-high 10 LaLiga goals in the 2021-22 campaign, Asensio has been relegated to a bench role this season, and will be a free agent next year if he is not offered a new contract.

TOP STORY – NEWCASTLE HOPE TO LURE ASENSIO TO THE PREMIER LEAGUE

With Asensio in the last year of his contract, Milan have been the team most closely linked with the Spanish international, until Calciomercato added that Newcastle have thrown their hat into the ring.

Despite soon being available on a free transfer, Asensio's contract demands will likely rule out a number of high-profile interested parties, but with Newcastle's new spending power and their inability to land some key targets, he should be well within their financial capabilities.

Asensio is primed to represent Spain at the World Cup, with a report from AS claiming he hopes to earn a new Madrid contract with some impressive performances.

ROUND UP:

– Tottenham target Weston McKennie will be allowed to leave Juventus at the end of the season, according to Calciomercato.

– The 'Here We Go' podcast claims the agent of Atletico Madrid's Joao Felix is exploring options for next season, with Manchester United said to have strong interest in the 22-year-old.

– According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Lazio will look to bring in another striker in January to help cover for injured star Ciro Immobile, with Sampdoria's Francesco Caputo named as a likely target.

– 90min is reporting both Chelsea and Newcastle United are investigating a move for Brighton's Leandro Trossard, with former Brighton and Hove Albion manager Graham Potter at Chelsea and former Seagulls sporting director Dan Ashworth now at Newcastle.

– United, Arsenal and Bayern Munich are all said to be weighing up moves for Napoli striker Victor Osimhen, although the Nigerian's manager claims he is happy in Italy.

Trent Alexander-Arnold will come through his difficult start to this season and "be a better player for it".

That is the opinion of former Liverpool striker John Aldridge, who discussed Alexander-Arnold's recent struggles in an exclusive interview with Stats Perform.

The right-back's performances have been scrutinised since the start of the campaign following a series of lax defensive displays.

Alexander-Arnold already faced a battle to make England's World Cup squad before contributing to Liverpool's underwhelming results.

Three Lions manager Gareth Southgate did not use Alexander-Arnold in the September internationals as he explained squad rival Kieran Trippier's "all-round game is ahead".

Until this season, Alexander-Arnold's club form had at least been consistent, and Aldridge is confident he will soon be back to his best.

"You're looking at one of the best full-backs in the world," Aldridge told Stats Perform. "Attacking wise, [he is] the best full-back in the world, without a doubt.

"He's a local lad. He's focused. He just needs to learn a bit about the defensive responsibilities he has.

"But he's got to be allowed to do what he does, and he's been let down by players in front of him and the midfield that don't cover for him as well this year, in my opinion.

"So, it's not entirely his fault, but he seems to be getting the finger pointed at him all the time, and what Gareth Southgate did to him, I don't think that did him any good at all.

"He's a young lad, this is the first time he's gone through anything like this. Everything's been rosy for him.

"And you've got to learn how to take the rough with the smooth in football, and he will come out of this, and he will be a better player for it."

Alexander-Arnold could yet go to Qatar with England next month, with Kyle Walker and Reece James both injured.

Aldridge added: "I think Reece James is out now by all accounts. Will he take Trent? If he doesn't take him, he's not the manager I thought he was, and I think he's done a very good job for England, Gareth.

"From my personal point of view, I'm going to be selfish and say I hope he doesn't go. But if he wants to go, I hope he goes."

Pep Guardiola's claim Manchester City's goal against Liverpool was ruled out due to the game being played at Anfield suggests he is "trying to be the new Alex Ferguson", John Aldridge has told Stats Perform.

City lost for the first time in the Premier League this season on Sunday, with Mohamed Salah's strike the difference in a 1-0 Liverpool win.

But Guardiola's side earlier appeared to have taken the lead when Phil Foden scored, only for the play to be called back following a VAR review.

Erling Haaland's tug on Fabinho's shirt was spotted in the build-up, with Liverpool awarded a foul that Guardiola felt was at odds with the spirit the rest of the fixture was played in.

Referee Anthony Taylor told City's coaching staff he was "not going to make fouls", according to Guardiola, whose explanation for the initial decision being overturned was simple: "This is Anfield."

Former Liverpool striker Aldridge, speaking to Stats Perform in an exclusive interview, felt this siege mentality was a tactic from the playbook of legendary Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson.

"He's trying to be the new Alex Ferguson, I think," Aldridge said. "Anfield is Anfield, but that referee didn't succumb to the Anfield atmosphere.

"He gave some bad decisions against Liverpool as well. He gave that decision for Man City, it was only the VAR [that spotted the foul].

"It's swings and roundabouts. Last week we were at the VAR's detriment against Arsenal on three occasions; this week we got the break.

"In our day, I have to say that wouldn't have been a foul, but in the modern day he's pulled him down with the shirt, everyone's seen, and it was a foul.

"From a centre-forward's point of view, if it happened to Liverpool, I'd be going mad, but I can see why he pulled it back.

"He was always going to argue with that, Pep, and it's them decisions that win you games. If that had been allowed, we might have got a draw, but we certainly wouldn't have won the game."

Robert Lewandowski earned the Gerd Muller Trophy by scoring 57 goals for club and country last season and is not about to shirk the challenge of reeling in Erling Haaland in the 2022-23 campaign.

Lewandowski was presented with France Football's award for world football's leading marksman for the second year in a row on Monday, before Karim Benzema landed the Ballon d'Or for the first time.

The honour – previously the Striker of the Year – has been renamed after Muller, the legendary Bayern Munich forward whose 40-goal single-season Bundesliga record Lewandowski broke en route to claiming the trophy.

But if the Barcelona man is going to retain the prize once again in 2023, he is going to have to overcome Manchester City's scoring sensation Haaland.

The City number nine has 20 goals for the club already, also netting once for Norway this season.

Meanwhile, Lewandowski, who was the fourth-best player in the Ballon d'Or rankings, has 14 for Barca and none for Poland to trail by seven.

The 34-year-old was asked about Haaland as he received the Muller Trophy at the Ballon d'Or ceremony, with Didier Drogba telling him of "this kid" at City who is "on fire".

Lewandowski said: "The season is very long, and I know for me it's also a new chapter with Barcelona. Since the first days, I'm feeling very well in this club.

"From the first minutes, I see that with my team-mates we have big potential and I have the opportunity to score a lot of goals. I am sure that all together we are working on this.

"This is football, and we have to be always ready. I know the new generation is also coming, but still I am here."

Reflecting on his achievement, Lewandowski said: "I am very happy and glad and proud not only to win but because also of the name of this trophy. Gerd was a huge inspiration.

"Before the season, I wanted to be closer to him, and I always wanted to break some of his records. It was always a huge challenge.

"It was very emotional to score 41 goals in Bundesliga because I did not think it was possible to break this record. Everything I did was for him."

While Haaland's bid will wait another year, as he scored 42 times for Borussia Dortmund and Norway combined, City did not go away empty-handed.

The Premier League champions beat Champions League finalists Liverpool and Real Madrid to the Club of the Year prize.

Antonio Conte allayed fears of Richarlison missing the World Cup, but confirmed he will not be available for Tottenham's game with Manchester United on Wednesday.

Richarlison suffered a calf injury in Spurs' 2-0 victory over his former team Everton and was taken off in the 52nd minute before later being seen on crutches, causing concern he could face a race against time to be fit for Brazil's World Cup opener against Serbia on November 24.

In a tearful interview after the game, Richarlison told ESPN Brazil: "It's kind of hard to say because it's close to the realisation of my dream."

But when questioned over Richarlison potentially missing the World Cup, Conte had an optimistic message.

"The injury of Richarlison, he's [having] a scan and then we will see how long he needs to recover," Conte told reporters. "But for sure against United, he's not available.

"I can confirm that the player is not risking not playing the World Cup, absolutely."

Conte was unsure whether Richarlison's fellow forward Dejan Kulusevski would be fit for Wednesday's game at Old Trafford, after the Sweden international missed the Everton match with a hamstring injury.

"Kulusevski is working, we'll see," Conte added. "We have to go day by day with him.

"The medical department are working a lot to try to recover him, but we don't know about the game against United."