The midfielder created a firestorm with a social media posting just hours after the Man Utd boss was sacked

Gary Neville has reiterated that his “one problem” with Paul Pogba was his controversial social media post in the aftermath of Jose Mourinho’s sacking. 

The French midfielder deleted a post that asked users to caption an image of Pogba with a wry smile just hours after Manchester United dismissed their manager. 

Pogba’s team insisted that the post was scheduled before Mourinho’s sacking, but Neville has dismissed that rationale. 

“Everyone always concentrates on Paul Pogba,” Neville said on Sky Sports on Wednesday. “I only have one problem with Paul Pogba and that was his post, which I think disrespected Jose Mourinho in losing his job.

“We know it didn’t come from the club, we know it didn’t come from adidas, we know it came from Paul Pogba, so my view personally is that was a massive disappointment to disrespect somebody that’s lost their job.”

Pogba and Mourinho had a notoriously poor relationship, with the manager often benching the Frenchman and stripped him of his vice captaincy earlier in the season. 

With caretaker boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at the helm, though, Pogba has been reinvigorated. 

The World Cup-winner has four goals and three assists in Solskjaer’s first three games, and was named named Manchester United’s Player of the Month for December.

Neville has taken note of Pogba’s impact on the field, and is ready to led bygones be bygones when it comes to Pogba’s ill-timed social media post. 

“I’ve always said that Manchester United are a far better team with him in it,” Neville said of Pogba. 

“There is a line that needs to be drawn, perhaps you forget everything that’s happened in the past.

“However, all is forgiven because you move on in football but the fact of the matter is that he’s now performing how he should be, and that is a massive plus for United because he is a big player.”

The midfielder played with Reds man on international duty and believes he has since developed into one of the world’s greatest

Stoke City’s Charlie Adam has claimed Liverpool defender Andy Robertson is the best left-back in Europe and believes the Scotland captain is worth around £70m.

Few would have thought this was possible 18 months ago however, when Robertson was relegated to the Championship with Hull City, but the 24-year-old has since developed rapidly and is now a guaranteed starter in Jurgen Klopp’s side.

Adam, who spent 18 months of his career at Anfield, told The Scotsman in a recent interview that he recognised the full-back’s potential after seeing him up close and personal while on international duty.

The midfielder even encouraged Stoke to make a bid for Robertson when Hull were relegated in 2017.

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“I said to Stoke at the time we should have bought him for £8 million – it was cheap,” said Adam.

“Liverpool could afford to throw that at him though, and if it hadn’t worked it wouldn’t have been a gamble for them. What’s that £8m worth now? Put a five in front of it at least – it’s probably £60m, £70m, for a left-back. 

“Fair play to him. And the biggest thing for him now will be if they can win that league – they’re in a great position

“If Liverpool won the league, he’d be a cult hero,” he said. “The players love him, the fans love him – Liverpool have always had a tradition of Scottish players and the one thing they always love about them is how hard they work. We have the most endeavour, we want to win, we have a passion and they’ve related to him in that way.

“But don’t forget he’s also a quality player. His assists, the link-up play he has with [Sadio] Mane is fantastic,” he added.

It hasn’t all been plain sailing for Robertson since joining Liverpool, and he initially struggled to get the team ahead of Alberto Moreno.

Adam believes that makes Robertson’s short rise even more impressive.

“Although it took him three or four months to get the opportunity, he hasn’t been out of the team since,” Adam said. Jurgen [Klopp] had him on the sidelines, but he did well in training, got his chance and has never looked back.

“He’s been the best left-back in the league, probably the best left-back in the Champions League as well. He’s proof that it’s not where you start your career that matters, it’s where you finish.

“No disrespect to Queen’s Park but Andy knows where the low point is, part-time, working on match-days at Hampden – to get to where he is now is incredible.”

Amid speculation that this could be his final season at Camp Nou, the coach has declined to confirm whether he will sign an extension

Ernesto Valverde moved to cool speculation over his future at Barcelona by saying discussions over a possible contract extension would take place at the end of the season.

The 54-year-old coach prompted rumours that he might be set to leave Camp Nou when he told the club’s in-house TV channel that he did not know what he would be doing next season.

Valverde’s current contract does not expire until 2020 but both he and the club have the option to terminate the contract a year early.

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“It is true that the contract has an optional year and at the end of the season we will decide,” Valverde told reporters ahead of his side’s clash with Getafe in La Liga.

“We will be in a position later to assess. We have not even reached the middle of the season.

“The club and I have always been in tune with each other. As a coach, when you do not win, they put a price on your head, but I have a contract.”

Barcelona are three points clear at the top of LaLiga after 17 matches and Valverde is on course to lead the club to a second consecutive title under his leadership.

He reiterated that his relationship with the club’s directors is strong and said the decision over his future would not be his alone.

“I’m not saying that I have to decide,” he said. “It’s a question, we have a signed contract and we will respect both parties. We will be in a position during the year to see how things are going.”

Looking forward to the clash with seventh-placed Getafe at Coliseum Alfonso Perez, he added: “Getafe are a tough side who create intense pressure and are convincing.

“They’re battling for a spot in Europe and will be a difficult opponent.”

The Barcelona star has not played for his country since a last-16 defeat against France the World Cup

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni will hold further talks with Lionel Messi over the captain’s return to international action.

Messi has not featured for his country since the World Cup, where Jorge Sampaoli’s men were dumped out by France.

The forward dragged Argentina through the group stage with a wonderful goal against Nigeria, but a chaotic campaign ended in the last 16.

Messi has given no indication over whether he will play international football again, with Argentina beginning preparations for next year’s Copa America.

But Scaloni, appointed as Sampaoli’s successor after initially taking over on an interim basis, is planning to hold further talks with the talismanic forward after they met when the Copa Libertadores final second leg was played in Madrid in December.

“I do not talk very often with Messi, but we have a relationship,” Scaloni said on Friday.

“We are going to try for him to join us in 2019, we have pending talks and we are optimistic that it will be positive.

“For us it is something important. Any coach would like to coach him, myself more than any.”

Speaking last month, Messi’s Argentina team-mate Mauro Icardi said he hopes the Barcelona star can be persuaded to return to the fold.

“He’s the best player in the world and we all hope he comes back with us, especially with the Copa America coming up,” Icardi told TyC Sports after a friendly win against Mexico.

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Blancos coach Santiago Solari doesn’t favour the playmaker, but the problems run deeper and a summer exit looks likely

Real Madrid, despite being decimated by injuries and struggling for goals across the board since the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo, are showing no signs of reintroducing Isco to the starting XI under Santiago Solari – but why?

The situation is a complex one, especially given the lack of communication coming out of the Spain international’s camp, but Goal will attempt to explain.

Firstly, Solari is not a big fan of the four-time Champions League winner’s style of play. The Argentine coach prefers a 4-3-3 system without a recognised number 10 – the very position that the playmaker plays his finest football.

In addition, Isco has not been in his best form since Solari’s appointment (one only has to watch his performances to note that as fact), but is seemingly showing no interest in training sessions to rectify that situation.

Indeed, it is thought that Isco had counted on being given more game time to return to his best, but Solari has no intention of giving additional minutes to someone who seems not to be pushing personal limits to return to 100 per cent match fitness.

Instead, Solari prefers players with a good engine and willing to run themselves into the ground for the team. One must only look at Lucas Vazquez, Fede Valverde, Vinicius Jr. and even Brahim Diaz being picked ahead of him to recognise that.

So what chance does Isco have of regaining his spot in the starting XI? Well, he has been named on the bench several times, so there is nothing to suggest that he has been frozen out. It is more likely that his coach won’t place his trust in him until he returns to match fitness.

That’s all well and good, you might say, but how does he feel about Dani Ceballos, four years his junior, being introduced off the bench against Betis, with 15 minutes to go and Madrid needing a goal?

In general, the people in Isco’s camp are staying quiet, but one look at the player’s face during matches paints a picture of an unhappy and angry young man.

One friend of the 26-year-old did speak out via Instagram, however, stating: “Solari has the same idea of football as I do of engineering” before calling the Real boss a “murderer of football”.

Another large matter of note is the complete lack of public support from Isco’s team-mates – not a single member of the squad has defended him during his time in the wilderness. That could be a suggestion that the players are in agreement with the coach that Isco’s style simply doesn’t suit the club’s football.

And let’s not forget being booed by his own fans in Madrid’s clash with CSKA Moscow. Couple that with a lack of support from the club and it’s easy to imagine that a departure from the Santiago Bernabeu could be on the cards as soon as is feasible.

So is Isco’s Real Madrid career over? In short: yes. Certainly as long as Solari remains in charge and Isco is not at 100% fitness. Even if Madrid do appoint a new boss in the summer, however, the damage may already be irreversible.

What happens next? A January move is unlikely. Even with Castilla players being preferred ahead of Isco, the club are still in tatters with regards to injuries, and a player with such a high profile means negotiations will not be fast.

Although he has been linked with Manchester City in the past, Goal understands that a move to the Etihad will not be forthcoming as he does not fit into Pep Guardiola’s plans. Instead, reports suggesting Juventus as a potential destination are probably closer to reality.

For now, Isco’s seat on the bench is likely to stay warm until the summer at the earliest.

The former Chelsea goalkeeper has become the latest player in Santiago Solari’s squad to suffer an injury setback

Real Madrid have confirmed goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois is set for a spell on the sidelines after suffering an injury to the left iliac muscle.

The Belgium international has joined an increasingly long list of players in the treament room at the Santiago Bernabeu, with the likes of Marcos Llorente, Marco Asensio, Gareth Bale, Toni Kroos and Mariano Diaz also out of action at present.

It’s believed that Courtois’ injury will keep him out for around a fortnight, with Keylor Navas set to deputise for the Galacticos in his absence.

A Real Madrid statement read: “Following tests carried out on our player Thibaut Courtois today by the Real Madrid Medical Services, he has been diagnosed with a grade I injury in the left iliac muscle. His recovery will be monitored.”

Courtois completed the full 90 minutes in Real’s previous match, a 2-0 loss at home to Real Sociedad and he is also believed to have trained for the majority of this week in the build-up to his side’s Copa del Rey tie against Leganes on Wednesday.

Navas, who had been Real’s number one goalkeeper up until Courtois’ summer arrival, was expected to start their latest cup clash regardless, but the former Chelsea stopper is now likely to miss both legs of the tie, as well as the club’s upcoming league matches against Real Betis and Sevilla.

Santiago Solari’s side are in desperate need of some positive results after their defeat to Sociedad left them languishing in fifth place in La Liga and 10 points adrift of leaders Barcelona.

The 13-time Champions League winners have endured an extremely underwhelming season to date, having only won half of their 18 league matches so far and losing six.

Former Spain boss Julen Lopetegui was in charge at the beginning of the season, only to be sacked in late October after a poor start to the season.

The teenage sensation has been one of his side’s most productive stars and the coach is delighted to have him alongside Marco Reus and Paco Alcacer

Lucien Favre has been impressed by Jadon Sancho’s dribbling skills and says he has taken on a “crucial role at a very young age” at Borussia Dortmund.

The 18-year-old is one of Dortmund’s top players this season and has emerged as one of England’s most promising stars since he joined the German side from Manchester City in 2017.

Sancho has scored six goals and set up seven more in his last 17 Bundesliga appearances as Favre’s team sit top of the table, six points ahead of reigning champions Bayern Munich.

The Swiss coach has been impressed by the England international so far and is happy to have him in the team, comparing him to his former Borussia Monchengladbach star Raffael.

“He’s incredibly good but I also had Reus and Raffael. The fact that Raffael never played in the Brazilian national team is a scandal for me,” he told Bild. “But it’s true, Sancho is playing a crucial role at a very young age. He’s an incredible dribbler.”

Sancho is Dortmund’s third top scorer in the Bundesliga this season, with Paco Alcacer and Marco Reus on 12 and 11 goals respectively, much to Favre’s delight.

“I know Marco well from Gladbach and I must say he has always been sensational,” he said of the German winger. “He was able to put his mark on every match, especially when he plays in his favourite position in the middle. 

“He’s intelligent, he feels football. He does his job as captain very well. He’s discreet but he everyone on and off of the pitch. He’s outstanding.

He added of Alcacer: “[Thirteen goals] is incredible, I’ve never seen that before. When he comes on he almost always scores – his stats will be hard to beat. He doesn’t just score goals, he scores important ones. It’s an outstanding quota.”

Dortmund return to Bundesliga action on January 19 when they face RB Leipzig, who sit fourth in the table, while Bayern take on Hoffenheim.

The two don’t meet again until the spring when Bayern host Dortmund at the Allianz Arena on April 6, as the hosts look to gain a measure of revenge for their 3-2 loss in the reverse earlier this season.

The Washington Wizards’ point guard also says he prefers the Argentine superstar to the Portuguese hitman

NBA star Tomas Satoransky has labelled LeBron James as the “Cristiano Ronaldo of basketball” and compared Kobe Bryant to Lionel Messi.

The Washington Wizards point guard – who is in England for the NBA London Game 2019 against the New York Knicks – also revealed that he prefers Messi to Ronaldo having previously played for Barcelona’s basketball team earlier in his career.

“Am I Team Messi or Team Ronaldo? I’m Team Messi!,” Satoransky told Goal.

“If I had to name a ‘Messi of basketball’, it would be [former LA Lakers star] Kobe Bryant.

“I would probably call LeBron James more like a Cristiano Ronaldo because of how physically dominant he is.

“But I would say Messi is more like a Kobe Bryant.”

Satoransky, 27, played for Barcelona’s basketball team from 2014 to 2016, prior to joining the Wizards, and he shared a humorous story from that period regarding the Barca football side.

“We shared the same training centre with the football team but they were always quite hidden from us and from the media,” he explained.

“I remember the fans waiting for the Barcelona soccer players. We [the basketball players] would come along and the fans would be like: ‘We don’t want them!’ So they were waiting only for the soccer players.

“But it was like a real family there at Barcelona. Neymar and Pique are huge basketball fans. Pique was at a couple of games, too.”

Satoransky also commented on Wayne Rooney’s move to Washington DC to play for D.C. United.

The Czech giant expressed his hope that the NBA London Game can have the same positive impact on basketball in the UK as Rooney has had on soccer in the U.S.

“I always pay attention to footballers who come over from Europe and I followed the career of Wayne Rooney when he was in the Premier League, before he came to Washington,” he stated.

“It’s great for MLS and American soccer fans that they get to watch players like Rooney. It’s become more and more fashionable for such stars since David Beckham played for the LA Galaxy.

“[To help basketball grow] is why we have had an NBA game in London for so many years in a row. They love basketball in the UK and their league is developing well.

“The UK fans are great and when you see all the stars from the Premier League sitting courtside for the game, it’s clear it has a big impact. A lot of my friends from Europe are trying to come over to watch the game, too.”

The game between the Washington Wizards and the New York Knicks will take place at The 02 in London on Thursday evening.

Quade Cooper’s return as well as the prospect of a taking home the dreaded wooden spoon, has the Queensland Reds set to fire against the Force.

A loss would drop the Reds to the bottom of the Australian conference with only two games left to play after the Force clash.

“I’m not worried how we win it, just that we win it,” Reds coach Richard Graham said. “No one wants to win the wooden spoon, that’s something you want to avoid.”

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The Force have proven a bogey side for Queensland with just the one win in the last six meetings, although that victory did come in Round Two this year.

“We have got a clear way we want to play the game, it worked well for us in the second round. We need to be disciplined to that and Quade has been one of the key drivers in that this week.”

Jake McIntyre drops to the bench in place of Cooper, who has three games to show Wallabies coach Michael Cheika that he’s ready for a World Cup charge.

“The point of difference with Quade is he sees the game ahead one or two phases, he’s able to construct the attack to manipulate the defence. And his set of skills, he passes better than anyone in Super Rugby.”

Lachie Turner is the only other change to the starting side, with Chris Kuridrani out with a calf injury. Beau Robinson will feature off the bench for his first appearance of the season.

Rob Simmons has been named interim captain of the Reds, while James Slipper recovers from shoulder surgery.

Simmons served as sole vice-captain in 2015 and was the obvious candidate to lead the side in Slipper’s absence.

A number of potential successors have been touted in recent months but with Slipper’s shoulder rehabilitation ahead of schedule, the franchise opted for an interim solution in their vice-captain.

The Wallabies lock is one of the most experienced members of the Reds squad but this will be his first time captaining the side.Simmons said he was grateful for the opportunity to lead the Reds for the start of the 2016 season but that his focus was on the team.

“It’s an honour and a proud moment in my life. I’m grateful for the opportunity, but James is still our captain and I know he’ll be offering the team plenty of leadership and support from the sidelines,” he said.

“It’s not really about me, or James, it’s about the team and the culture we want to build here and that’s something everyone is contributing to.”

Slipper endorsed his deputy’s credentials, although he expressed his disappointment at missing the start of the season.

“It’s obviously disappointing that I won’t be out there at the start of the season, but not only myself but the whole team has a lot of confidence in Rob, he’s been at the Reds a long time and he has a genuine love for Queensland,” he said.

“He’s a well-grounded person and he knows the game well, it’s a great opportunity for him and right reward for the hard work he puts in on and off field.”

Reds coach Richard Graham said the decision was made with continuity in mind.

“James and Rob are two of our more experienced players, they’re respected by their peers and are incredibly passionate and committed to the Queensland cause,” he said.

“They’ve both experienced leadership roles here at the Reds and also at the Wallabies in the last 12 months, with James part of the formal leadership group at the World Cup and Rob leading the lineout.”

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