Milan coach Stefano Pioli insists Napoli's first Serie A defeat of the season has done little to alter the picture in the Scudetto race ahead of Sunday's clash with Roma.

Serie A champions Milan made a successful return to action following the World Cup break on Wednesday, beating Salernitana 2-1 after taking a two-goal lead within 15 minutes. 

That result took the Rossoneri to within five points of leaders Napoli, a gap which the Partenopei failed to extend as they fell to their first league defeat of the campaign at Inter.

Milan ended an 11-year wait to capture the Scudetto with an outstanding run of form over the second half of last season, and Pioli feels they will need to produce something similar to see off the challenge of Napoli this term.

"Not much has changed with one game," Pioli said on Saturday. "We're not there to count the points behind.

"We have to make our run and we need a lot of points to win the Scudetto. We're thinking about playing well, raising the level and winning tomorrow.

"Roma are a strong, complete team, they have important offensive qualities and physicality. They lost against Napoli in the last few games and won against Inter, we will respect them a lot. 

"Then there's us, our will and our determination. Let's get back to playing at San Siro and we will do it with enthusiasm and energy."

Pioli will be unable to call upon Mike Maignan against Roma, with the goalkeeper's recovery from the thigh injury which sidelined him for the World Cup taking longer than anticipated.

Asked when Maignan might return, Pioli said: "We don't have timings, we must not take any risks and I can't say if it will be two, three, four or five weeks. 

"The muscle doesn't respond as it should, now I can't say when we will have him available."

Sunday's game will see Pioli do battle with Jose Mourinho, with the Milan boss being the only coach to face him more than once in Serie A and boast a 100 per cent winning record.

Following Roma's 3-1 defeat in this same fixture 12 months ago, Mourinho said he was "doubly happy" to have turned down the chance to coach Milan in 2019, but Pioli refused to be drawn into a war of words with his Giallorossi counterpart.

"Everyone can express their opinions," Pioli said when reminded of Mourinho's comments. "Milan was a great opportunity for me and I'll make the most of it as long as I can."

Barcelona head coach Xavi was keen to remind his players that Sunday's trip to Atletico Madrid "won't decide anything" as he looked to ease the pressure on the league leaders.

Barca headed into matchday 16 at LaLiga's summit thanks to having a better goal difference than Real Madrid.

But with Los Blancos in action on Saturday, Barca could begin the game trailing Carlo Ancelotti's men in the table.

It promises to be one of Barca's toughest fixtures of the season and comes amid an underwhelming return to action following the World Cup, with the Blaugrana held to a 1-1 draw at home to Espanyol last Saturday before needing extra time to beat third-tier opponents Intercity 4-3 in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday.

Nevertheless, Xavi did not want to overstate the importance of Sunday's game, even if he tempered his tranquillity by highlighting Barca's habit of shooting themselves in the foot with individual errors.

"Every week is like this: the next game is the most important. It won't decide anything, but [dropping points] would be a blow on the table," he told reporters.

"It's a complicated place to go and they are a rock defensively. It will be difficult for us to generate things and we have to be more effective than in the last few two games, [but] it's not a transcendental game for the future of LaLiga."

Regarding their mistakes, he added: "It's more of a mental issue than a game issue.

"We've dominated and created chances, but we have to kill the matches. We have to be more forceful in certain areas. We're far superior to our rivals but we make occasional mistakes.

"In the end we all fail. We try to give the players confidence so they don't make mistakes, but football is a game of mistakes.

"We have to minimise those mistakes to win. Against Intercity we made life difficult for ourselves."

Although Barca are doing well in LaLiga this season, they have already been knocked out of the Champions League and have the difficult challenge of Manchester United in their Europa League play-off.

It is in such competitions – and the Copa del Rey – where Xavi feels Barcelona's lack of decisiveness is proving problematic, rather than LaLiga.

"Against Espanyol we lacked aggressiveness in the opposition's area and we lacked effectiveness. Against Intercity it was different. We conceded three goals and this can't happen. We have to be more aggressive.

"In LaLiga we are very plugged in, but in other competitions it is costing us more. In the knockout competitions, one detail can knock you out."

It was put to Xavi that Barca lack obvious leaders, particularly following the retirement of Gerard Pique.

But this was not a suggestion he agreed with.

"We have [leaders]," he continued. "Sometimes it's not necessary to raise your voice.

"[Andres] Iniesta did not raise his voice… There is always someone who expresses things with their voice, and others express with personality. We have several profiles.

"There is no problem of personality or leadership. Everyone knows their role in the squad and that's not the problem."

Harry Kane moved just one goal away from becoming Tottenham's joint all-time leading goalscorer to secure a 1-0 FA Cup third-round win over Portsmouth.

Kane is only a solitary goal behind the great Jimmy Greaves' staggering haul of 266 for Spurs after opening the scoring with a sublime second-half finish.

The England captain's 17th goal of the season at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday was enough for the Premier League club to seal their place in the fourth round.

Antonio Conte's men had failed to register a shot on target in a poor first-half display, but were much improved following the interval against a side without a win in nine League One games – resulting in boss Danny Cowley's sacking this week.

Pompey showed no signs over being overawed in a positive start, Reeco Hackett-Fairchild forcing a save from Fraser Forster with an early left-foot volley.

Spurs were short of ideas as they were unable to break down their well-drilled opponents, Kane having a close-range effort blocked by Denver Hume before Son Heung-min fired wide late in a drab first half.

Tottenham showed more urgency early in the second half and Emerson Royal rose to head Son's cross against the post before Kane got the breakthrough with a classy finish.

The prolific striker exchanged passes with Ryan Sessegnon before unleashing a sumptuous strike into the bottom-right corner from the edge of the penalty area five minutes after the break.

Oliver Skipp should have doubled the advantage when he blazed wildly over the crossbar from inside the box, but Kane's goal was enough for Spurs to advance.

Diego Simeone suggested it would be difficult for any team not to be hampered by the loss of Lionel Messi, ahead of Atletico Madrid's clash with Barcelona.

LaLiga leaders Barca travel to the Spanish capital on Sunday in the headline fixture of the weekend.

Barca struggled last season under Ronald Koeman in the wake of Messi's departure to Paris Saint-Germain, though recovered under Xavi to finish second in LaLiga.

The Blaugrana are well set for a title challenge this term, with Robert Lewandowski having hit the ground running, but they have faltered in Europe, crashing out of the Champions League at the group stage for a second straight season.

Asked if Barca were a less-threatening side without Messi, Simeone told reporters: "Where Messi is will always be decisive, be it in the national team, in his current team or in Barcelona. 

"With a player of Leo's characteristics there is a better chance of winning."

Simeone compared Messi's influence on teams to that of the late Diego Maradona, who the Atletico coach played with at the 1994 World Cup.

"When I played the World Cup with Maradona, already a veteran, there was a feeling that it is difficult for us to lose, because we have the best," Simeone added.

"And if you have the best it is easier to win."

Simeone will be glad he no longer has to face Messi domestically, given the Barca great scored 26 goals in 30 LaLiga appearances against Atletico, who realistically need a victory on Sunday to keep any slim hopes of a title push alive.

"We face all the games and we want to see them as if it were a final," Simeone said.

"The next game in Almeria will be in the same and so on. There is no bigger game than the one you have to play [next].

"Barcelona are doing very well in the league, [have] a coach with clear ideas and they play very well."

Joao Felix's future appears up in the air, with Atleti willing to let the Portugal forward leave the club in January.

Asked if the Barca match provides a big stage for Joao Felix to impress on, Simeone elected not to focus on the individual.

"It is a good opportunity for the team," he said. "We continue to grow, improve as a team and capture what we want in the game."

Napoli have strengthened their squad in pursuit of a first Scudetto in more than three decades with the signing of right-back Bartosz Bereszynski from Sampdoria.

Bereszynski joins from fellow Serie A side Samp, where he has spent the past six years, on an initial loan until July with the option for Napoli to make the deal permanent.

The 30-year-old Poland international has made 180 appearances in the Italian top flight since the start of 2017, which is the sixth-most of any defender during that period.

He will provide competition for Giovanni Di Lorenzo on the right side of defence for Napoli, who are five points clear of Milan at the top of the table.

Both clubs confirmed the transfer on their official websites on Saturday, a day before the sides face off at Stadio Luigi Ferraris in Serie A.

Luciano Spalletti's men suffered their first loss of the season against Inter on Wednesday, but they remain the favourites to win the title for the first time since the 1989-1990 season.

Barcelona will face the lowest-ranked team left in the Copa del Rey after being drawn with Ceuta in the last 16.

Xavi's side will be huge favourites to reach the quarter-finals, with their next opponents propping up Group 1 of the Primera Division RFEF, Spain's third tier.

Nevertheless, Ceuta – who beat LaLiga's Elche in the round of 32 – will take encouragement from Barca's struggles in the last round ahead of welcoming the Catalans to Africa's north coast.

The top-flight leaders needed extra time to beat another third-tier side in Intercity, with Oriol Soldevila pegging them back three times to force extra time.

Ansu Fati's extra-time goal made it 4-3 and eventually sealed Barca's passage, but it was still alarmingly close to an upset for the Blaugrana.

The tie of the round will take place at Estadio de la Ceramica as Villarreal host Real Madrid.

Holders Real Betis were drawn at home to Osasuna, one of four all-LaLiga ties, while Atletico Madrid, Valencia and Sevilla were all paired with Segunda opposition.

Fixtures will take place across January 17, 18 and 19.

Copa del Rey draw in full:

Ceuta v Barcelona

Levante v Atletico Madrid

Sporting Gijon v Valencia

Deportivo Alaves v Sevilla

Real Betis v Osasuna

Villarreal v Real Madrid

Real Sociedad v Real Mallorca

Athletic Bilbao v Espanyol

Josko Gvardiol named Liverpool as his "dream" destination as the RB Leipzig defender continues to attract interest from a host of Europe's biggest clubs.

Gvardiol has been linked with the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City and Real Madrid after enjoying an outstanding World Cup campaign with Croatia, starting all seven of his country's games as they clinched the bronze medal.

The 20-year-old led all defenders for interceptions (11) and clearances (37) at the tournament, also scoring with a brilliant diving header in his team's third-place play-off against Morocco.

Gvardiol partnered former Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren at the heart of Croatia's defence in Qatar, and he is enthusiastic about the prospect of following in his footsteps by moving to Anfield. 

"My dream club? That would definitely be Liverpool," he told RTLDanas. 

"Since I was little, I watched a lot of their matches with my dad. We covered every season in detail. It is a club that has remained in my heart."

However, Gvardiol is in no rush to leave Leipzig – who sit third in the Bundesliga during the competition's mid-season break – before the end of the campaign. 

"I'm not in a hurry," he said. "I'm at Leipzig and we still have six months to finish the season and to win something. Then we will look further to the future."

Chelsea were strongly linked with a move for Gvardiol in the last transfer window before signing fellow defenders Kalidou Koulibaly and Wesley Fofana, and the Leipzig man revealed he was close to moving to Stamford Bridge. 

"Last summer a transfer was close and [Leipzig] simply kept me. I hope to spend these six months with [Leipzig]," he added. 

"Chelsea did not give up, but it was agreed that we would go for the winter. Winter has come, so we need to see what and how to proceed, but it's okay, there's still plenty of time, so we'll see.

"Nobody presented anything to me. But I'm not in a hurry, we have time, let them arrange the plan and we'll see."

Roberto Mancini has described his "little brother" Gianluca Vialli as a "perfect and courageous man" after he died at the age of 58

Former Italy, Cremonese, Sampdoria, Juventus and Chelsea striker Vialli passed away on Friday.

The hugely popular and successful Vialli was first diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2017 and was re-diagnosed with the disease in 2021, having been given the all-clear three years ago.

Ex-Chelsea manager Vialli's death has rocked the football world less than a month after he stepped down from his duties as head of delegation for the Italy national team.

Italy head coach Mancini has spoken of his final visit to see his long-time close friend late last month, so soon after the death of Sinisa Mihajlovic.

He told the Corriere dello Sport: "He was powerless, with little voice, but very lucid. We talked a bit about everything, he even asked me about the get-together in December with the youths. He wanted to know the developments of the project."

Mancini paid a glowing tribute to Vialli, who he celebrated a European Championship triumph with at Wembley in June 2021 following a win over England.

He added: "Luca was smiling, we joked. I told him that he was earning more than me at Sampdoria, the president was paying him more than me. A few days after Sinisa's farewell, I lose another brother, a little brother, as I liked to call him.

"We met when we were 16 and we never split. The entire journey together. Azzurri's youth sector, national team, Samp, joys and pain, victories and defeats. Those two nights at Wembley.

"Once we cried with sadness and bitterness, many years ago. The other time, we cried with joy, as we were united by destiny, before his death. Gianluca was the best of us, a complete striker, a perfect and courageous man.

"I've long hoped he could become the president of Sampdoria, he would have opened an extraordinary history, as when he was a footballer. It was a privilege to be his friend and a team-mate in football and life.

"He made me happy. He had a decisive role in the victory of the Euros. Players loved him. Gianluca had the strength and gave us the courage we didn't know we had which he used to fight the illness, staying with us until he could.

"I say goodbye to another brother, after Sinisa. With his strength, I'll go forward to dedicate to him something relevant, which we've been dreaming of for a lifetime."

Didier Deschamps has agreed to stay on as France coach until June 2026.

The French Football Federation (FFF) confirmed the news on Saturday.

France reached the World Cup final in Qatar, losing to Argentina on penalties following a remarkable 3-3 draw at Lusail Stadium.

Deschamps was appointed France coach in July 2012, succeeding Laurent Blanc.

Arsenal and Tottenham are reportedly trying to pry centre-back Evan Ndicka away from Eintracht Frankfurt this month.

Ndicka, 23, arrived at the Bundesliga club in 2018, racking up 162 appearances since. He has played every minute of their 15 Bundesliga fixtures this season, helping them to reach the German mid-season break in fourth position.

Standing at an imposing 192cm tall with pace to burn, he fits the bill as a centre-back who can handle the physical demands of the Premier League, and his impressive traits are exactly why Frankfurt have been desperate to retain his services.


TOP STORY – PREMIER LEAGUE RIVALS BATTLE IT OUT FOR EXCITING CENTRE-BACK

Currently in the final year of his five-year contract, this will be the last opportunity Frankfurt get to cash in on their young talent, and they reportedly see the writing on the wall despite their desire to extend Ndicka's stay.

According to German publication FR, Ndicka's agents have been reaching out to Europe's elite clubs including Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus and Barcelona, but are said to have driven some away with their lucrative contract demands.

Previous reporting from Football London has claimed Arsenal had agreed to personal terms with Ndicka for a free move before Frankfurt's most recent improved contract offer, while Tottenham remain in the hunt.

Interested parties prepared to wait another six months could scoop him up on a free, but a transfer fee in January with so little time remaining on his contract could end up surprisingly affordable.

ROUND-UP

– Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea are all closely monitoring 19-year-old PAOK winger Giannis Konstantelias, who is believed to be worth in the range of £10million, per the Evening Standard.

– Foot Mercato is reporting Saudi Arabia side Al-Nassr are working on acquiring Eden Hazard to reunite him with former Real Madrid team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo.

– According to Sport, Juventus have enquired about 33-year-old Barcelona left-back Jordi Alba as he enters the final six months of his contract.

– Napoli have submitted a €19m offer for 22-year-old Angers and Morocco midfielder Azzedine Ounahi, per Foot Mercato.

– Sport is reporting 28-year-old Barcelona forward Memphis Depay would like to return to former club Manchester United.

The 2022 World Cup was unique for many reasons.

It was the first World Cup to be played in the Middle East, and the first one to take place in the middle of the season, as far as Europe's top clubs are concerned.

One thing that did not change, of course, was players being able to use the tournament as a platform to show what they can do on the biggest stage, and perhaps get big moves on the back of it.

While Josko Gvardiol, Enzo Fernandez, Alexis Mac Allister and Jude Bellingham are among the players to possibly fall into that category, Antoine Griezmann is different.

Griezmann is not the youngster making his name, but he did shine in Qatar as, in the space of seven games, he arguably redefined his own position.

That is not to say Griezmann had not been impressive this season prior to the World Cup. Before the tournament he had directly contributed to 10 goals for Atletico Madrid, scoring five and creating as many.

Griezmann's form has come during a season in which he had to settle for a substitute role up until September 18, due to Atleti attempting to navigate a financial clause in their loan agreement with Barcelona, which would have kicked in had the 31-year-old played a certain amount of minutes.

Had that clause been activated, Atleti would have had to pay €40million to re-sign Griezmann. As it was, they paid under half of that to bring him back to the club permanently in October.

It's Barca up next for Atleti in the highlight fixture of this weekend's LaLiga matches. Going into that match, Griezmann is a player reimagined.

The creator in chief

Griezmann has returned from the World Cup with a vigour and verve to his play perhaps not seen since his prime years at Atleti back in 2017 to 2019.

His goal contributions stand at 13 (five more than any of his team-mates) after three assists across two appearances since Atleti's campaign restarted – one game in LaLiga and one in the Copa del Rey.

Griezmann leads the club's scoring charts along with Alvaro Morata while his tally of seven assists is four clear of next-best Joao Felix, who seems destined to leave the club this month. None of his team-mates come close to matching Griezmann's 42 chances created, and 35 of those have come from open play.

But it's Griezmann's positioning that is the truly interesting aspect of his fine form.

Didier Deschamps has often utilised Griezmann as a second striker in international football. That was the position he played in at Euro 2016, and during France's successful run at the 2018 World Cup.

Yet in Qatar, Griezmann was deployed as the most advanced of a midfield trio, and there he showed his ability to not only find space in the final third, but run games altogether.

Only Kylian Mbappe (49) was involved in more shot-ending attacking sequences for France at the tournament than Griezmann (30).

However, of Griezmann's 361 open-play touches, just 14 came in the opposition box, with the vast majority clustered in the middle of the park.

Not that it prevented Griezmann from wielding his influence. He provided three assists, leading the competition alongside Harry Kane, Bruno Fernandes, Ivan Perisic and Lionel Messi. Unlike all of those players, however, Griezmann's expected assists (xA) of 3.6 was actually slightly underperformed. Essentially, he was creating higher quality chances for those assists than his counterparts.

That quality was evidenced with a sublime cross into Olivier Giroud for France's second goal in the 2-1 quarter-final victory over England, having earlier teed up Aurelien Tchouameni's strike to move ahead of Zinedine Zidane and Thierry Henry in terms of the most assists for Les Bleus. Griezmann's 28 assists rank as the most by any France player for his country in the last 50 years.

Griezmann's 22 chances created were the most at the tournament, albeit only nine of those came from open play. When it came to creativity, Griezmann was at the top of his game.

From poacher to playmaker

It was certainly a case of picking up where he left off for Griezmann when Atleti took on Elche in LaLiga on December 29. Diego Simeone's side won 2-0, and Griezmann was superb.

He set up both goals and created four chances. No player attempted more passes in the opposition half (37), or played in more crosses (five).

Despite Atleti having lined up in a 3-4-3, with Griezmann nominally positioned on the right flank, his average position was just ahead of the halfway line.

It was a similar story against Real Oviedo on Wednesday in the Copa del Rey. While he was supposedly playing in a front two alongside Alvaro Morata, Griezmann's touches were centred around the halfway line, with only two coming in the opposition box.

Dovetailing with Morata in a forward line, or indeed playing as an inside forward in a 3-4-3, is in principle ideal for Griezmann to drop into a similar role as to the one he thrived in during the World Cup.

Barca best be wary

It would seem the two-man attack would provide the perfect platform for Griezmann to show what Barca never managed to unlock on a consistent basis during his two years at the club.

Not that his time at Barca was a complete failure. Griezmann scored 35 goals and assisted a further 16 across 102 appearances. But he looks like he has his mojo back now. In fact, no LaLiga player has assisted more goals in all competitions.

Morata should provide the pace and work rate to stretch Barca's backline, handing Griezmann the space to drop between the lines and pull the strings.

Griezmann is averaging 73.4 touches per 90 minutes for Atleti this term, but only 4.8 in the opposition's box. His role has been gradually developing over the course of the campaign and the World Cup proved just how effective he can be.

Barca twice gave away the lead against Intercity Sant Joan d'Alacant in their Copa del Rey tie, and as Inter and Bayern Munich displayed in the Champions League, the Blaugrana's defence can be got at, even if in LaLiga Xavi's side have conceded just six times.

If Griezmann, who at least might be easier to spot, what with his bright pink hair, can replicate the influence he had in Qatar, Barca will be hard-pressed to stop him.

Paris Saint-Germain left out their biggest stars and survived a scare to progress in the Coupe de France, earning a 3-1 win at Chateauroux on Friday.

An early goal from Hugo Ekitike was cancelled out by Natanael Ntolla before half-time, and PSG had to wait until the 78th minute for Carlos Soler to bundle home for the Ligue 1 side before Juan Bernat added some gloss to the score late on.

Christophe Galtier included 16-year-old Warren Zaire Emery in his much-changed starting line-up, with no Lionel Messi, Neymar or Kylian Mbappe as Ekitike, Pablo Sarabia and Soler were selected in attack.

Chateauroux, who play in the third tier of French football, belied their lowly position of 14th in the Championnat National with a determined showing against their celebrated opponents, but PSG ultimately made it through to the last-32 stage.

The visitors took the lead in the 13th minute when Ismael Gharbi's first-time ball from the edge of the box into the path of Ekitike allowed the young striker to finish neatly in off the left post with the outside of his right foot.

Jonathan Mexique went close for the home side with a close-range shot in the 26th minute that was deflected over by a diving Vitinha, while Paul Delecroix made a good save down to his left from a Gharbi volley shortly after.

The scores were level eight minutes before the break though after neat work down the left ended with former Lille and Saint-Etienne striker Nolan Roux pulling the ball back for Ntolla, whose goal-bound shot was deflected past Keylor Navas by 17-year-old PSG defender El Chadaille Bitshiabu.

Galtier called for more experience in the second half as Sergio Ramos and Fabian Ruiz came on just after the hour, and the coach eventually saw his team re-take the lead as Vitinha stood up a cross to the far post that allowed Ekitike to head at goal, with Soler following up from Delecroix's initial save.

Bernat made it 3-1 in stoppage time after racing onto a ball from Ruiz and firing low and hard across Delecroix to seal the victory for PSG.

Marcus Rashford was involved in all three goals as Manchester United secured a place in the FA Cup fourth round with a 3-1 victory over Everton at Old Trafford on Friday.

Frank Lampard's side had experienced a run of five defeats in six in all competitions, and they were soon behind when Rashford excellently set up Antony to put United 1-0 up.

Although Everton levelled when Conor Coady took advantage of a David de Gea howler to stab in, more silky work from Rashford restored United's lead as Coady turned his cross past Jordan Pickford for an own goal.

In-form United needed a reprieve in the shape of a VAR review to deny Dominic Calvert-Lewin a second equaliser, but Rashford got a goal for himself with a stoppage-time penalty as the Red Devils deservedly advanced to maintain their interest in silverware on four fronts.

United were ahead after just four minutes, with Rashford driving past his man before finding a pinpoint cross for Antony to poke home, and it could have been 2-0 moments later when Anthony Martial sent a dipping effort just past the post.

But Everton nearly levelled when Demarai Gray's long-range drive crashed off the woodwork, and they did soon find an equaliser as De Gea somehow let the ball through his legs from Neal Maupay's cross before Coady tapped in.

Rashford played a big role again for United's second, however, brilliantly powering to the byline before his low delivery was turned into his own net by Coady.

The introduction of Everton striker Calvert-Lewin almost reaped dividends when he got on the end of Gray's cross to seemingly level, only for the VAR to spot the winger's offside in the build-up.

There was time then for Ben Godfrey to tangle with Alejandro Garnacho and give Rashford an opportunity from 12 yards, which he confidently took to cap a brilliant display and make sure of United's place in the draw.

David Beckham's playing career may be over, but one Premier League club will list a Beckham among their ranks this season after the former England captain's son Romeo joined Brentford.

The young Beckham made 20 appearances for Inter Miami II – the reserve side of his father's Major League Soccer franchise – in the MLS Next Pro league last season.

The 20-year-old previously spent time in Arsenal's academy before being released in 2015, and he joined Inter Miami II in 2021 when the team were known as Fort Lauderdale CF.

In a statement released on Friday, Brentford revealed the winger would join their B team until the end of the season.

"Brentford are delighted to announce the signing of Romeo Beckham from Inter Miami CF on loan until the end of the 2022-23 season," the club said.

"The 20-year-old will join Neil MacFarlane's B team for the rest of the campaign to continue his development as he makes the temporary switch from the MLS club. The move is subject to international clearance."

Revealing Beckham had been training with the club since the end of the MLS Next Pro season, MacFarlane said: "He came to us from Inter Miami with the aim of working with us during their close season.

"Romeo has applied himself unbelievably well, he's really bought into the culture and the group which he has become a big part of. I love his standards and the way he conducts himself on and off the pitch."

The new recruit said he was relishing his opportunity, telling Brentford's website: "I'm very proud and very happy to be here.

"I came here at the start to keep fit during the off season. The chance then came to come on loan here and I've never been so excited."

Last July, Inter Miami coach Phil Neville defended his decision to bring on Beckham – as well as his own son Harvey – in a friendly against Barcelona, saying they both "earned the right" to feature in a game which ended in a 6-0 defeat for the MLS side.

Antonio Conte has joined those paying tribute to Gianluca Vialli with a heartfelt social media post, describing his former Juventus team-mate as a "lion" and "an inspiration".

Vialli's passing at the age of 58 was confirmed on Friday, with the former striker having been re-diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2021 after being given the all-clear the previous year.

Conte played with Vialli throughout the latter's four-year spell with Juventus between 1992 and 1996, helping the Bianconeri win the Champions League in Vialli's final season with the club, during which he was club captain.

Conte took to Instagram on Friday to share a recent image of the pair dining together, alongside the caption: "Having dinner together in London a few months ago as we had fun remembering all our adventures and battles on the field.

"Unfortunately, in these last few years you had to fight a great and terrible battle in life.

"I told you and wrote that you have always been an inspiration to me as my captain and for how you were proving to be strong, proud and brave, fighting like a lion against this disease.

"Always in my heart my friend. Goodbye Gianluca."

Vialli spent much of his playing career at Sampdoria before joining Juventus in 1992, winning one Scudetto, one Coppa Italia and the UEFA Cup in addition to the Bianconeri's 1996 continental triumph.

He then left the club for Chelsea, where he eventually took over as manager, with Conte succeeding him as Juventus captain upon his departure.