While the former Red Devils captain is impressed by his successor in the No.10 shirt, he thinks the 21-year-old has plenty of room for improvement

Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has claimed Marcus Rashford is a ‘fantastic’ striker, but should focus on improving his heading if he is to continue his development.

Rooney, who now plies his trade for D.C. United, knows a thing or two about scoring goals for the Red Devils, and with 253 goals for United is the club’s all-time top goalscorer.

During Rooney’s 13-year stint at Old Trafford, the 33-year-old played with some of the Premier League’s top forwards, including Rashford, who Rooney claims has continued to grow in the past few seasons.

“He has got a bit of everything,” the former United captain told talkSPORT. “He is quick, he is strong. The only thing he could probably work on is his heading.

“He is fantastic. He has got so much ability and it is great to see him doing so well. For Manchester United and England, he has certainly got a bright future.”

Rashford has enjoyed a superb few months under manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and is now performing at a much higher level than under his predecessor Jose Mourinho.

Since the Norwegian took over in December, Rashford has bagged 10 goals in all competitions compared to just two under Mourinho.

For that reason, Rooney believes his former team-mate should be given the job at Old Trafford permanently and even see parallels with Solskjaer and Sir Alex Ferguson.

“Ole obviously played under him [Ferguson] for a long time and knowing how Alex Ferguson is, it wouldn’t surprise me if he is on the phone to him every day.

“It is important for Ole to get that help and that guidance through Sir Alex and also Mike Phelan, who is sat alongside him.

“He has gone in with simplicity and has brought belief back to the fans. He has made the place enjoyable again to go into work every day. The staff around Carrington are enjoying working there again and that does rub off.

“When you see the staff happy around the players, it makes it a happy environment to work in. He is doing a fantastic job and I’m sure he is the only candidate for Manchester United to take that job and it will be great to see him get it and bring some of the players he wants to bring in and keep moving the club forward.”

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Vahid Halilhodzic has criticised the French champions for their lacklustre preparations for the second leg of their last-16 tie, which they lost 3-1

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Nantes head coach Vahid Halilhodzic has slammed Paris Saint-Germain for their “incomprehensible behaviour” prior to defeat against Manchester United in the Champions League.

The Red Devils qualified for the last eight of the competition after securing a 3-1 victory at the Parc des Princes on March 6, overturning a 2-0 first-leg deficit.

Thomas Tuchel’s men put themselves in a great position to progress to the quarter-finals after winning at Old Trafford, but they were undone in shocking fashion in front of their own fans.

Marcus Rashford grabbed the decisive winner in stoppage time at the end of the game, firing home from the penalty spot after Presnel Kimpembe was controversially judged to have handled the ball in the area.

PSG’s season has already been dubbed as a failure in the wake of that result, despite the fact that there are still two months of the campaign to be played and two trophies still up for grabs.

Halilhodzic believes the Parisians got what they deserved, after failing to adequately prepare for the crucial showdown in the hours before kick-off.

Reports in France have claimed that instead of arriving at the Parc des Princes together on a team bus, the players made their own way to the stadium.

“The behaviour of the team before the match was incomprehensible,” Halilhodzic told Le Parisien ahead of Nantes’ trip to Paris in the French Cup semi-finals on Wednesday. “How they could accept that the players arrived alone to the stadium two hours before the match? 

“The preparation of Paris before the Manchester United game was a serious mistake. It’s unworthy for a big club. It’s unprofessional.

“In Paris, there may be traffic jams or an accident [that would delay the arrival to the stadium]. The main lesson is: ‘You acted like a child, so you have the result of a child’.”

PSG have never won the Champions League and they have only managed to appear in the semi-finals of the competition once – way back in the 1994-95 season.

Since they received financial backing from billionaire Qatari investors in 2011, they have only managed to arrive in the quarter-finals once, suffering several damaging defeats against the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid and Chelsea.

Tuchel’s side looked well poised to end that hoodoo this time around, which made the United defeat even tougher to bear for supporters around France.

Instead, PSG have been left chasing another domestic double, with a 20-point lead to protect in Ligue 1 and a French Cup final to aim for in May.

The champions’ top scorer limped off against Fulham last weekend, while the former Monaco star has been out since January

Sergio Aguero will travel with the Manchester City squad to face Brighton in Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final, while Benjamin Mendy is ready to fill the problem position of left-back for Pep Guardiola.

City’s top scorer Aguero limped off having netted in a 2-0 win at Fulham last weekend and was on the sidelines as the Premier League leaders beat Cardiff City by the same scoreline in midweek.

Guardiola’s men are approaching a pivotal period in their battle for a clean sweep of major honours, with the first leg of a Champions League quarter-final at Tottenham to come on Tuesday.

It means Aguero is unlikely to be unduly risked but the City manager confirmed his star striker is in contention to face Brighton at Wembley.

“He’s almost fit. He is travelling,” Guardiola told a pre-match news conference.

Mendy has not started a competitive match since November after undergoing knee surgery, while his attitude was again called into question when mobile phone footage of the France international in a Manchester nightclub in the early hours of last Saturday morning emerged this week.

But Guardiola reported the ex-Monaco star has trained freely for the past week-and-a-half – a timely boost in light of Oleksandr Zinchenko suffering a hamstring strain against Cardiff and Fabian Delph’s ongoing fitness struggles.

“Mendy alone cannot help us to arrive at the end of April with the challenge to win something more,” he said, before revealing Zinchenko should be back inside the next two weeks. 

“But of course it’s incredibly good news for us that he is training without problems for the last 10 days.”

Brazil right-back Danilo is another option to fill in on the other side of defence and Guardiola added: “I almost decided [who will play at left-back]. Of course, no [I won’t tell you who].”

Another full-back discussed at Guardiola’s pre-match briefing was Danny Rose, after the Tottenham and England player said he “can’t wait to see the back of football” as problems with racism continue to stain the game.

“Danny Rose has not to do that. Next Tuesday, if I see him, I will tell him,” Guardiola said, offering his support to the 28-year-old. “The best way to combat this kind of terrible situation is fighting, being there every day.

“He is an extraordinary football player.”

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The Nerazzurri have not called upon the Argentine for almost two months but the former captain will return to lead the attack on Wednesday

Luciano Spalletti has expressed his belief that Mauro Icardi is more valuable than Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, after ending his exile from the Inter line-up.

Icardi has not featured for Inter since a 1-0 win at Parma on February 9, with speculation over his future, a contract stand-off and conflicting fitness claims all playing a part in the ensuing saga.

The 26-year-old trained before the 1-0 weekend loss at home to Lazio but was told to “stay away” by Spalletti following reports of a fresh dressing room incident.

But the slate appears to be clean once more for the Argentina international, whose head coach was keen to present a united front at his pre-match news conference after fruitful work behind the scenes from chief executive Beppe Marotta .

Spalletti opened by saying Icardi is more important to Inter than Ronaldo and Messi are to Juventus and Barcelona respectively, before praising him for showing the correct mentality during a testing period.

“In the context of our team, Icardi is worth more than Messi and Ronaldo put together. He is now in a position to help the team,” the Italian boss began.

“Icardi is available. The work done by Marotta has been instrumental in ensuring that all parties can take part in real and not virtual discussions.

“He will start. He’s shown the right reaction mentally – something which is more important than the physical side of things.

“We’ll see how long he’ll be able to remain on the pitch and if we’ll need to take him off.

“The squad is together as one. And a strong squad is something that defines Inter.”

Inter remain third in Serie A, two points ahead of rivals AC Milan, although they might still rue missing the opportunity to take Lazio – five points back in fifth – out of the Champions League equation.

“We’ll go again from our third-place position with all of our potential available,” Spalletti added.

“This will allow us to fight right until the very end to reach our goal of qualifying for the Champions League.”

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The Argentine revealed an ongoing injury this week, but his team-mate was not at all surprised to see him deliver the goods for the Catalan side

Sergio Busquets was not surprised to see Lionel Messi overcome a pelvic injury to inspire Barcelona to a 2-0 derby win over Espanyol.

Messi revealed this week that he has been managing a fitness concern since December, explaining his absence from Argentina’s friendly against Morocco.

But the Barca captain was named in Ernesto Valverde’s starting XI on Saturday and scored both goals as the league leaders took another step towards the title.

The 31-year-old opened the scoring with a free-kick in the 71st minute before slotting into the bottom corner after Malcom cut back to him.

Messi is now on 31 goals for the season in La Liga, while he recorded his 334th victory in the Spanish top-flight, matching former Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas.

A tough week might have impacted other forwards, but Busquets always expects the unexpected from Messi.

“He is so important for us and he had a great game,” Busquets said. “It is always an advantage to have him playing for us.

“His performances may be unusual from the outside, but they do not surprise us. What he does in training is more difficult in matches, but we are used to it.”

Describing Barca’s difficulties in breaking down Espanyol, who held out until the 71st minute, Busquets said: “Espanyol took an ultra-defensive approach where it was difficult to find spaces.

“But we still had chances and they did not. In the end, despite the fact that it was difficult, we have got the goals and won – deservedly after what you could see on the field.”

Barca are now 13 points ahead of second-placed Atletico Madrid in La Liga and are back in action on Tuesday before taking on their nearest challengers at Camp Nou.

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The legendary defender hopes that the Chile international forward comes good under the new Man Utd boss after a stuttering start under the Norwegian

Rio Ferdinand believes the next big challenge facing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Manchester United is getting Alexis Sanchez back to his best.

Sanchez is the best-paid player in the Premier League after joining the Red Devils on a lucrative contract in January 2018 as part of a swap deal which saw Henrikh Mkhitaryan head to Arsenal.

However, the Chile international winger has been unable to replicate the form he displayed at Arsenal and has been the only big-name player not to impress since Solskjaer replaced Jose Mourinho as United manager in December.

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Solskjaer has now been handed the role on a permanent basis and, as United battle for a top-four Premier League finish and prepare to face Barcelona in the Champions League quarter-finals, Ferdinand feels his former team-mate’s next test is to get Sanchez firing again.

“He will be aiming to get the best out of Sanchez,” Ferdinand told Goal. “Ole has gotten the best out of every other player in the squad since he has come. One of them is not going to do it. At the moment, Sanchez isn’t playing at the level that we have seen him play at Arsenal.

“He will want to get back to that for personal pride. Ole and his coaching staff will be aiming to get him back into that rhythm and producing that quality he had at Arsenal consistently at United.”

Ferdinand added: “Since Ole has come you would say [Marcus] Rashford, [Paul] Pogba and [Victor] Lindelof have been the most improved. Those three have been standouts for me. David de Gea is the best keeper in the league by a mile.”

The former United defender also believes that Solskjaer has proven his credentials as manager after winning 15 of his 20 games in charge in all competitions since his appointment on an initial interim basis, a run which included a stunning comeback to knock Paris Saint-Germain out of the Champions League.

“My opinion hasn’t changed,” said Ferdinand. “If you said to the owners when Ole took over that, fast-forward to now, United would be fighting for fourth place and be in the Champions League they would have bitten your arm off.

“So, I think that Man United’s players are mentally in a much better space. It is up to Ole to keep driving that and keep improving with that.

“I think the result they got in Paris is a springboard for this team because everything was against them. Ten players out injured and suspended.

“We went there and beat a team that was fancied by many people to win it. That will do them a world of good so they won’t go into this game [with Barcelona] with fear I don’t think.”

Ferdinand was undoubtedly one of the best defenders ever to wear the Manchester United shirt, winning 10 major honours and making 455 appearances for the club.

Now retired, the 40-year-old is aiming to make a cultural impact, while continuing his work as a pundit on BT Sport in the UK. Ferdinand has launched fashion brands, magazines and worked in the music industry, but film-making is his latest foray into the art world.

His latest project is to work as an executive producer on the film 90 Minutes, which comes a decade on from his film-making debut with Dead Man Running. 90 Minutes is a comedy drama centred around amateur football and is predominantly set on the Hackney Marshes pitches that Ferdinand played on as a youngster.

Flexing his artistic muscles is nothing new for Ferdinand, who did ballet as a youngster as he aimed to make it in professional football. He says that footballers shouldn’t be pigeonholed into being coaches upon leaving the game, but adds that his love of amateur football inspired him to work on the new cinema release.

“Whether you have made it to the top of football or you haven’t, at some point you have played in Sunday football,” he continued. “For people to get up on a Sunday, not getting paid to do it, but because it is something that they love it is a great thing. That’s the beauty of it.

“That’s what was good about doing the walk-on cameo in Hackney Marshes where I played as a kid a few times. You just see everyone out there playing for the love of the game. All shapes and sizes, all ages. Half-time cigarette, they love it.

“[I remember being] cold. Getting changed on the sidelines and being cold. Mud everywhere. Half-time oranges chopped up. Just having fun, I enjoyed it. Some of my best memories and most vivid memories are of playing Sunday football as a kid. So, I love it.

“The film is not necessarily around the 90 minutes of the game but everything that shoots off around that. His friends, the different characters and the different goings-on around football.

“It is funny, it is light-hearted, it is a low-budget film. I think it has turned out well. I have never wanted to be pigeonholed or put in a box and be told that’s what you are. That’s what you will stay as. I think I have always had that since I was a kid.

“That’s why I have done gymnastics or ballet. I have always been interested in doing lots of different things. So, as I have grown older and got my football right and I was playing consistently, playing well, winning things, I was able to branch out.

“I allowed myself to think about things outside and think what’s going on outside and business wise. When I was 27 or 28, I started to feel confident enough so that I could look outside of just being a footballer and get involved in a different business.

“I never wanted to do it and allow people the excuse to say ‘oh, he has taken his eye off the ball’. As long as I kept doing well football-wise then no one could say anything negative towards me, because I am getting my football right.

“So, I have a restaurant, clothing range, foundation, movies, documentaries and doing any content. Video content especially. All sorts of forms; long, short and medium. I love all that, and in the digital age, there’s so much, and it moves so fast.”

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A Chelsea colleague of the Belgian forward, and a former Blancos striker, concedes that a top talent may already have his heart set on a transfer

Eden Hazard continues to be linked with a move to Real Madrid and Chelsea team-mate Gonzalo Higuain concedes it will be “difficult to change his mind” if he wants a new challenge in Spain.

The Belgium international forward has offered regular hints that he sees his future in La Liga and is yet to commit to a contract extension at Stamford Bridge past the summer of 2020.

He has vowed to reveal his intentions “soon”, with transfer talk continuing to be batted away for now.

Hazard distanced himself from the Real rumours after firing Chelsea to a 2-0 win over West Ham on Monday, claiming that Hammers fans were “wrong” in chants suggesting that he will soon be on his way out of west London.

Speculation continues to build, though, and former Blancos striker Higuain admits a talented colleague may already have his heart set on a switch to the Santiago Bernabeu.

The Argentine frontman told ESPN FC: “What can I tell you? Those are things that involve the club executives and the desire of the player.

“When a player has a desire, it is difficult to change his mind.”

Hazard has been in talks with Chelsea over fresh terms for some time, but Higuain says the 28-year-old is the only one who can shed some light on his plans.

The South American added on a player he hopes to be turning out alongside next season after earning his own move from Juventus in the next window: “He is one of the best [in the world].

“It is obvious that, when he is at this level, he gives you points, he gives you goals and the truth is that it is a great asset to have him with us.

“Here what matters is Eden’s decision and the decision of the board. I cannot do anything. He has not asked me [about life in Madrid] but if it’s what makes him happy, I wish him the best. I hope he can stay.”

Any move from Madrid to try and land Hazard would require them to dig deep, with Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri having claimed that €100 million (£86m/$113m) will not be enough to get a deal done.

He has told Sky Sports: “It’s too cheap.

“We have seen every price in the last few transfer windows. I think it’s very hard to change Hazard with another player.

“I’m sure the club doesn’t want to sell him.

“But, of course, we all have to respect his decision. He’s in the last year of his contract [next season]. If he wants to have another experience, we’ll respect that.”

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The Blues should thank their Belgian superstar – who is likely to depart for Spain this summer – for dragging them towards the Champions League

When Eden Hazard delivered his second assist of the afternoon in the 3-0 win against Watford on Sunday, an astonishing statistic was unveiled… the Belgian superstar had been responsible for 50 per cent of Chelsea’s goals this season.

With 16 goals and 15 assists this term, he had contributed to 31 of Chelsea’s 62 league goals. And, although Pedro assisted a third Chelsea goal for Gonzalo Higuain – following Ruben Loftus-Cheek and David Luiz’s earlier strikes – there could be no doubting just how invaluable Hazard is.

This is exactly what Chelsea will be missing if Hazard – appearing in potentially his last Premier League game at Stamford Bridge – does indeed move to Real Madrid this summer.

Without Hazard’s contribution in 2018-19, the Blues would not have qualified for next season’s Champions League.

Chelsea fans know this only too well, and after a poor first-half performance here, they booed Maurizio Sarri’s team off the pitch at half-time.

However, soon after the break, Hazard quickly showed that this would be a game of two halves. With nothing on, he beat several Watford players and forced a save from Ben Foster.

He then set off following a short corner and crossed for Ruben Loftus-Cheek to open the scoring.

Hazard was behind Bournemouth’s Ryan Fraser in the Premier League assist chart ahead of kick-off but he soon became the best creator in Europe’s top five leagues as he assisted the second goal for David Luiz’s header.

If he does leave this summer, it was a beautiful way to mark his final Premier League appearance on the ground he has called home for seven years.

This probable final act comes as Real Madrid prepare a £100 million bid for a player whose contract expires in June 2020.

Hazard is keen on making the transfer and there is a sense that Los Blancos are willing to pay Chelsea a fee close to their asking price to get the deal done, ensuring that the 28-year-old gets his dream move to play under his idol, Zinedine Zidane.

The Belgium captain holds Chelsea firmly in his heart, though, and is keen to ensure that they enjoy a great end to the season – including Champions League qualification and winning the Europa League.

Unfortunately, Hazard realises that this Chelsea team can’t challenge for Premier League or Champions League honours right now – as they could when he joined them in 2012.

A top-four finish will be a decent achievement for Sarri, but for Hazard, it’s not enough – despite posting his best individual numbers in a single season in England.

“For me, the best season is when I’m first in the table,” Hazard said ahead of kick-off when asked about his goal and assist figures. “To be fair, it is not my best season anyway, because it was a bit like the team’s [season]. We started well, and I started well, then we had ups and downs.

“The same for me as well. I think we missed a bit of consistency.”

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Hazard has no interest in joining any club other than Madrid, and if the move were to fall through, he would look to stay at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea fans continued to chant for Hazard, just like they did for the departing Gary Cahill, who made a late substitute appearance and was honoured at Stamford Bridge for his wonderful service to the club.

It was a nice touch from Sarri, who held no grudges against a player who admitted – ahead of the game – to having a poor relationship with his coach.

Losing Hazard will be a much more significant blow, though, and his performance against Watford showed just what Chelsea will miss when he leaves.

The former Blues frontman believes a prolific performer who has been enduring a tough time at Inter would be a perfect addition at Stamford Bridge

Chelsea have been urged to make a move for Inter striker Mauro Icardo if they seek more firepower this summer, with Gonzalo Higuain not considered to be the answer to their attacking problems.

Former Blues frontman Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink saw Maurizio Sarri bring in one Argentine goal-getter during the January transfer window.

That gamble has not paid off as hoped, with Higuain finding the target just three times in 12 appearances.

He has expressed a desire to stay on at Stamford Bridge, but Sarri has been told to look elsewhere.

Serie A has been touted as the best hunting ground, with another prolific presence on the books at Bayern Munich considered too old at 30 years of age.

Hasselbaink told Bwin of the potential options available to the Blues: “Chelsea are in desperate need of proven firepower so I would love to see them make a move for [Robert] Lewandowski or Icardi this summer.

“Icardi would be my preference as I’m a little bit worried about Lewandowski’s age.

“I think Icardi is a more realistic target while also being more likely to adapt to the Premier League.

“Lewandowski is a superb striker but he is the wrong side of 30 and we have seen with Higuain that England is not an easy place to come at that stage of your career.”

Hasselbaink believes Higuain should be allowed to return to Juventus when his loan spell comes to an end but admits a few of those currently taking in spells outside of west London could be welcomed back into the fold.

He added, with the Blues currently contesting a two-window transfer embargo: “Chelsea have dozens of players out on loan and they may need to tap into that pool if they’re unable to make new signings for the next 12 months.

“I can see [Alvaro] Morata returning to Chelsea because I think the squad is in desperate need of a striker and [Gonzalo] Higuain hasn’t looked like the answer so far this season.

“[Kurt] Zouma might fancy his chances of coming back to Chelsea and becoming part of the squad, but I don’t think he would earn a regular starting role.

“[Tiemoue] Bakayoko will be moved on this summer because he hasn’t come remotely close to performing as he did at Monaco. That move simply hasn’t worked out for either party.

“There’s a couple of young players in the Championship, [Mason] Mount and [Jay] Dasilva, that might eye a role in the Chelsea squad next year similar to what [Callum] Hudson-Odoi has had this season.

“I’ve been impressed with both of them, but it’s a big step up from the Championship to performing for Chelsea so I do think next season might come too soon for them.”

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The Atletico Madrid striker will not be seen again in La Liga action this season after being suspended and fined over his action against Barcelona

Atletico Madrid striker Diego Costa has seen his season brought to a close after being stung with an eight-match ban for insulting and grabbing referee Jesus Gil Manzano during a defeat to Barcelona.

The fiery frontman saw red just 28 minutes into the La Liga fixture at Camp Nou on April 6.

Believing that he had been fouled, the Spain international launched into a furious tirade at the match officials.

He was shown a straight red card and had to be ushered from the field by Gerard Pique after initially refusing to walk.

Manzano revealed in his match report that Costa had said to him: “I sh*t on you wh*re mother”.

The former Chelsea forward also grabbed hold of the referee’s arm during an angry confrontation.

He has paid the price for those actions, with the Spanish Football Federation having met on Wednesday to discuss what punishment to hand out.

They have determined that Costa must sit out eight La Liga fixtures.

He has been handed two four-game bans – one for insulting a match official and another for holding Manzano’s arm in an effort to prevent him from showing yellow cards to Diego Godin and Jose Gimenez.

As Atletico only have seven more matches to take in this season, Costa’s campaign has been brought to a premature conclusion.

The 30-year-old has also been fined over his actions in his most recent outing.

He has been ordered to pay €6,010 to the relevant authorities and Atletico €2,800.

The sorry episode brings the curtain down on what has been a testing season for Costa.

Across 21 appearances, he has managed just five goals, with only two of those coming in La Liga.

Questions have been asked of his future as a result, with Diego Simeone having often favoured Alvaro Morata since adding another Spain international striker to his books.

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Costa, who returned to Atletico from Chelsea in 2017, will have no further opportunities in which to prove his worth this term.

He does have a contract through to 2021 at Wanda Metropolitano, but it remains to be seen whether he will see that out.