Thomas Meunier became the 10th Red Devil to hit the back of the net on Saturday as his nation recorded their best-ever World Cup performance

The World Cup third place play-off may be little more than a sideshow ahead of the main event, but it allowed Belgium to equal a tournament record as they downed England once more. 

Having prevailed over the Three Lions in the final game of Group G, Belgium again proved too strong for their European rivals on Saturday. 

Goals in each half from Thomas Meunier and Eden Hazard led Roberto Martinez’s side to a 2-0 victory, which in turn guaranteed their best-ever finish at a World Cup. 

The class of 2018 surpassed Belgium’s efforts in 1986, where they finished fourth after losing out to France in the play-off. 

And Meunier’s goal also made another little slice of history when he turned in past Jordan Pickford in the opening minutes. 

The Paris Saint-Germain defender became the 10th Belgium player to net in Russia, a mark only Italy in 2006 and France in 1982 have previously matched. 

Dries Mertens was the first man to get Belgium off the mark with a second-half strike against Panama in Group G’s opener, before Romelu Lukaku swooped with a late double against the CONCACAF team. 

Hazard then opened his account from the penalty spot and added another in a 5-2 rout of Tunisia, with Lukaku scoring another two and Michy Batshuayi adding another. 

Then, in a game that saw both sides make huge rotations, Adnan Januzaj scored the only goal of a 1-0 win over England to send the Red Devils through to the last 16 with a 100 per cent record. 

There were three more scorers in a thrilling comeback to beat Japan, as Jan Vertonghen, Marouane Fellaini and Nacer Chadli inspired their 3-2 victory. 

And Kevin De Bruyne became the ninth man on the scoresheet with Belgium’s second against Brazil; a Fernandinho own goal having put the Europeans ahead against Tite’s charges. 

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After helping Belgium to third place at the World Cup as Roberto Martinez’s assistant, the Frenchman wants to follow the path to becoming a head coach

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Thierry Henry has quit his role as a television pundit to focus on a future in coaching.

Henry was an assistant to Roberto Martinez as the ex-Everton boss guided Belgium to a third-place finish at the World Cup, having juggled the role with his on-screen duties for the past two years.

But the former Arsenal and France striker has elected to walk away from the small screen after completing his UEFA Pro Licence through the Football Association of Wales last year.

“Over the last four years I have had some extremely rewarding coaching experiences in football,” he tweeted. 

“These experiences have only made me more determined to fulfil my long-term ambition to become a football manager.

“It is with sadness, therefore, that I have decided that I must leave Sky Sports to enable me to spend more time on the pitch and concentrate on my journey to achieving that goal.

“I would like to thank everyone at Sky for making me feel so welcome and at ease throughout my time with them and I wish them all the best for the future. Great memories.”

Former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard is setting out on his first senior managerial role and he carries a burden of expectation in Glasgow

Steven Gerrard will lead Rangers into competitive action for the first time when they take on Macedonian outfit Shkupi in the first leg of their Europa League first qualifying round tie on Thursday.

The former Liverpool midfielder was appointed as manager of the Ibrox club in May and he will be expected to oversee a change in fortunes for a side that has struggled to reach former heights.

Indeed, Gerrard will be desperate to avoid a repeat of last season’s Europa League disaster, which saw the Scottish outfit fall at the first hurdle against Luxembourg side Progres Niederkorn.

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A trip to either Moldova or Croatia is the prize on offer for the winners of the tie, with one of Petrocub Hincesti or Osijek waiting in the second qualifying round. 

In the United States (US) the game will be not be shown live on television, but it will be available to stream live online via Rangers’ in-house TV channel, Rangers TV.

In the United Kingdom (UK), the game can be watched live on TV on BT Sport 1 or streamed live online using the BT Sport app.

Gerrard has added a number of new faces to the Rangers squad since taking the reins, with the likes of Connor Goldson joining from Brighton, Scott Arfield signing from Burnley and Jon Flanagan arriving from Liverpool.

However, Portugal defender Bruno Alves has departed the club, while Lee Wallace and Jordan Rossiter will miss the game through injury. New signings Lassana Coulibaly and Umar Sadiq are not expected to play a part in the first leg.

Potential Rangers XI: McGregor; Tavernier, Goldson, Katic, Flanagan; Jack, Windass, Candeias, Arfield, Murphy, Morelos.

Shkupi have boosted their squad with the signings of Brazilian winger Sergio Junior and Macedonia international Muarem Muarem, as well as Amir Bilal and Artan Veliu.

Potential Shkupi XI: Zendeli, Bajrami, Krivanjeva, Tipuric, Broja, Ljamcevski, Adem, Shabani, Sergio Junior, Ilijoski, Stojkovski.

Rangers are heavy favourites to win the game at Ibrox, with dabblebet offering odds of 1/50 on the Scottish side to come out on top. Shkupi’s chances of winning are rated at 28/1 and a draw is available at 12/1.

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An air of intrigue will envelop Ibrox Stadium on Thursday as Rangers embark on a new journey with one of the most respected footballers to play the game in the modern era at the helm.

However, that sense of hope will also be tinged with caution considering what happened to the Glasgow side in their previous Europa League campaign.

“This’ll be one of the easiest team talks I’ll ever have to do,” Gerrard told reporters ahead of the match. 

“All I have to do is show them the faces from 12 months ago in the away leg and that’s the team talk right there. If you’re not ready to go and put that right, we have a serious problem here.”

The former Liverpool captain has been busy making his mark at Ibrox by bringing in a host of new additions, a number of whom have been recruited directly from Premier League clubs.

A 6-0 friendly win over Bury in pre-season set the tone nicely for the new era and Gerrard will be keen for his charges to replicate that level of performance, particularly at home, as they look to set off on the right foot.

The England international saw injury struggles cost him a place at Russia 2018, but he is raring to go ahead of the new Premier League season

Adam Lallana is hoping to be like a new signing for Liverpool in 2018-19 after shaking off the injury issues which dashed his World Cup dream with England.

The 30-year-old playmaker saw niggling fitness problems restrict him to just 16 appearances across all competitions last season.

He was able to sign off with an outing in the Champions League final, but a lack of football cost him a place in Gareth Southgate’s squad heading to Russia.

Lallana was delighted to see the Three Lions roar their way to their best showing on the global stage since 1990, but admits it was difficult to watch on from afar knowing that he should have been involved.

He said ahead of an International Champions Cup clash with Manchester City on Thursday:  “Of course it was frustrating because I wanted to be there.

“It is what it is. Sometimes when you are a professional footballer, you have to deal with tough decisions. So I was just supporting them like any other fan.

“My best mate Jordan [Henderson] was there and he was one of the best players. It was great to see him do so well. The team got to a semi-final and it was a remarkable achievement.”

Lallana added on hearing Southgate brand him a key player in his plans: “I still feel that is the case. If I had been fit and had a half decent season in terms of availability, there is no shadow of a doubt that I would have been there.

“But I had a disappointing season in terms of my fitness and, you know, it just wasn’t meant to be.

“But that is in the past and I’m back in pre-season, three weeks down the line. The next goal is West Ham and I want to be in the best possible shape for it. I want to play good football again.”

With full fitness restored, Lallana is understandably desperate to make the Premier League season opener on August 12.

He will face added competition for places by then, with the likes of Fabinho, Naby Keita and Xherdan Shaqiri having been drafted in by Jurgen Klopp over the summer.

The former Southampton star is, however, confident that he can make a telling contribution.

He said: “Last season was so stop-start that it was more or less written off. It probably is like having a new signing, to be fair.”

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Having Lallana firing on all cylinders will offer a major boost to Liverpool, but they are set to be without another stricken star for the foreseeable future.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is taking in a long road to recovery from knee ligament damage, with it possible that he could miss the entire 2018-19 season.

Lallana said of the club and international colleague: “He’s such a good kid.

“We obviously knew the full extent of the injury, more or less, when it happened. We are friends, we are team-mates and he wanted to keep it all in-house. He wanted us to focus on the Champions League final. That shows he is not just focused on himself and what is best for him.

“He wants what is best for the team and there are so many players with that mind-set in the squad. That is why we have been so successful. It is up to myself and the other lads to have a good season for him.

“It was the likes of him who had outstanding form in the Champions League and, as a result, I got to feature in the final. We are a team. When someone else is injured, they are the ones who motivate you. It’s not just for yourself – it’s for them.”

Santa Clara’s Levi’s Stadium plays host to two European giants on Saturday in the latest International Champions Cup clash

AC Milan and Barcelona will go head to head on Wednesday as the International Champions Cup approaches its final fixtures.

It has been a busy summer off the pitch for Milan, complete with a change of ownership and a series of high-profile arrivals. 

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And while the likes of Gonzalo Higuain will not take part in the weekend’s clash, the Argentine will see how his new team fares against a side of Barcelona’s calibre. 

In the United States (US) the game will be shown live on television on ESPN Deportes and will be available to stream live online via WatchESPN.

In the United Kingdom (UK), the game can be watched live on TV on Premier Sports and streamed on the Premier Player app.

Milan start life without defender Leonardo Bonucci, who has now completed a move back to Juventus.

Former Juve pair Higuain and Mattia Caldara, meanwhile, will not play a part in Santa Clara, leaving the likes of Mateo Musacchio at the back and striker Suso with a point to prove as they look to cement a place in the Rossoneri’s plans. 

Potential Milan XI:  Donnarumma; Abate, Musacchio, Romagnoli, Antonelli; Locatelli, Bonaventura, Calhanoglu, Mauri; Borini, Suso. 

Ernesto Valverde will need to experiment with his side with the majority of his players still on post-World Cup holiday, though new arrivals Arthur and Malcom should pick up further minutes after impressing so far with the Catalans.

Potential Barcelona XI:  Cillessen, Semedo, Santos, Lenglet, Cucurella, Vidal, Gomes, Melo, Suarez, Malcom, Alcacer.

Barcelona are considered to be favourites to win the game, with  dabblebet  offering odds of 7/5 on the Blaugrana coming out on top. Milan are priced at 17/10 and a draw is available at 13/5.

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It has certainly been an action-packed summer for everyone connected with AC Milan. 

The Rossoneri have experienced a change in ownership already in pre-season, with hedge fund Elliott Management taking over the reins. That switch has coincided with increased activity in the transfer market, including a sensational triple deal struck with Juventus. 

Bonucci’s return to Turin has been compensated by the arrivals of Higuain and Caldara, while Pepe Reina has also arrived at San Siro in recent weeks. Pressure will be intense for coach Gennaro Gattuso, and he will need a strong start to the Serie A season to keep speculation over his job climbing to unbearable proportions. 

Barcelona, meanwhile, will go into the 2018-19 Liga season with great hopes. Arthur, Malcom and Clement Lenglet have all joined Ernesto Valverde’s side, while there is hope that Arturo Vidal will also sign before the end of the transfer window. 

Those buys, plus the exit of Cristiano Ronaldo and possibly Luka Modric at Real Madrid, mean the Catalans start as overwhelming favourites to retain their Liga title. The club’s starting XI is in little doubt, but with a host of top players still on leave Saturday will be another chance for the club’s frindge men to make an impact. 

The French side are on thin ice after European football’s governing body took issue with the behaviour of their supporters

Marseille will be banned from the next European competition they qualify for should they fall foul of any UEFA regulations in the next two seasons.

UEFA has taken a dim view of the behaviour of Marseille fans during the 2017-18 Europa League campaign, citing four matches where rules were broken.

The games in question all came in the knockout stages of the competition, starting with their last-eight meeting at home to RB Leipzig, before both legs of their semi-final with Red Bull Salzburg and the final against Atletico Madrid in Lyon.

Marseille were charged with crowd disturbances, acts of damage, setting off of fireworks, throwing of objects and a delayed kick-off by Europe’s governing body.

Having found the French side guilty, UEFA has revealed a lengthy list of sanctions, one of which would see Marseille excluded from playing in Europe for a season.

That ban has been deferred for a probationary period of two years, but the other punishments come into force immediately.

Marseille’s next home European match at the Stade Velodrome will be played behind closed doors and the subsequent clash will see areas of the stadium closed.

A fine of €100,000 has also been levied against the club, and they must pay for the damages caused by Marseille fans to the Parc Olympique Lyonnais during their 3-0 final defeat to Atleti.

Marseille finished last season fourth in Ligue 1, earning them an automatic spot in the 2018-19 Europa League group stages.

They will have to wait until August 31 to find out who they will face in the competition.

Updated on Oct. 29 at 10:30 p.m. ET

The Democrat-led House of Representatives is leading an impeachment inquiry into President Trump. While momentum toward impeachment had been building among Democrats for months, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., announced a formal inquiry in September — after a whistleblower complaint about a White House phone call with Ukraine.

In a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Trump asked for an investigation into a debunked conspiracy theory about the 2016 election and into potential 2020 rival and former Vice President Joe Biden. The White House is also accused of withholding military aid to Ukraine for Trump’s personal political gain. Trump maintains that he has done nothing wrong.

Here is the key information you need in order to understand an increasingly complicated affair. Read the latest coverage of the inquiry here.

Timeline: The Ukraine Affair

Clockwise from top left: Rudy Giuliani, President Trump, former Vice President Joe Biden, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Here’s how we got to the impeachment inquiry, from Trump’s early focus on Ukraine in 2017, to the release of the whistleblower complaint on Sept. 26. Read the timeline.

Who And What: Key People And Concepts

Since the original whistleblower complaint was released, the list of names of those connected to Trump’s call with Zelenskiy or to broader Ukraine policy has grown substantially.

From the president to career diplomats to private lawyers, here is a quick guide to people connected to the events being investigated.

In-depth profiles and features:

Documents: Primary Sources

Written words are central to the Ukraine affair. The significance of the whistleblower’s original complaint and the White House’s record of its call with Ukraine are debated, but the text is public. Here are the documents to refer to as the inquiry proceeds:

Tracker: House Members Who Back Impeachment

Even before the House speaker announced a formal inquiry, Democrats were calling for impeachment proceedings. Here is where they stand ahead of a potential vote on articles of impeachment.

More: Who In The House Is Calling For Impeachment?

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The NFCA is pleased to announce that St. John Fisher College head coach Bari Mance is the 2019 recipient of the Association’s Donna Newberry “Perseverance” Award, which recognizes an NFCA member coach who has demonstrated extraordinary strength of will and character in the fight to overcome a physical, mental, or social adversity that presented an additional challenge to the already demanding job of a coach.

Mance, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in August 2017, continued to run practices, coach games and recruit while undergoing chemotherapy, surgery and radiation treatment. She even managed to fly cross country from upstate New York to Las Vegas for the 2017 NFCA Convention.

Despite everything going on personally, she never missed a game during the 2018 season, as the top-10 ranked Cardinals went 35-10 and advanced deep into the NCAA tournament. A loss to fellow powerhouse Ithaca in the Super Regionals denied St. John Fisher a third-straight appearance in the NCAA Division III Championship, where the team finished tied for third in 2016 and was national runner-up in 2017.

Mance made sure her treatment and associated health issues never compromised the Cardinals’ success on the field, as they’ve won 70 percent of their games, going 62-27, since she was diagnosed. St. John Fisher has won the Empire 8 tournament title and played in the NCAA tournament both seasons since.

“It’s truly an honor to be awarded the Donna Newberry “Perseverance” Award,” Mance said. “The last few years, while difficult, were accomplished because of the amazing support from my family, friends, colleagues, peers and my team. Their support was beyond humbling, and I’m blessed because of it. This was an unexpected experience, not one I’d want to repeat, but I wouldn’t have changed a thing.”

“I feel every coach goes through struggles beyond the demands of coaching, and I handled cancer and everything that goes with it the only way I knew how, and that was to look forward, stay positive, and laugh often.”

Among that army of supporters, were her trio of nominators for the honor — Clarkson University head coach Kristen McGaughey, Robert Morris assistant Sara Pelegreen, and NFCA Hall of Famer Julie Lenhart, who recently retired as the longtime head coach at SUNY Cortland.

“I actually had the honor of knowing Donna Newbury while she was alive,” McGaughey said. “I witnessed firsthand her strength and determination to continue coaching the game she was so passionate about all while battling for her life. It has also been my honor to know Bari Mance and watch her battle breast cancer with the same energy and positivity she lives life.”

“That is an unexpected and scary thing for a woman in her 30s. In true Bari fashion, she faced it head-on and leaned on her vast support group of colleagues, family and the St. John Fisher softball network. She wasn’t going to let her illness stand in the way of her life or her career. She flew with a medical mask to protect her weakened immune system, and was not feeling well, but she didn’t miss a session while at Convention.”

“Perhaps the most impressive thing is that Bari didn’t miss a game in the 2018 season,” McGaughey continued. “Despite going through chemo and treatment, Bari fought through the fatigue and nausea to be there with her team. She knew they could have a tremendous year and didn’t want cancer to get in the way of that.”

She said Mance’s perseverance was beyond comprehension.

“As coaches, we all have our difficulties during season, but I can’t imagine balancing the expectations of a championship with the battle for my life,” McGaughey said. “We talk about perspective a lot with our athletes and being conscious of what’s important. We teach them about events and reactions and how we can only control one of the two, and here I was getting a real-life lesson from a good friend. It definitely helped me keep my problems in perspective and appreciate the ups and downs of a season.”

Mance found creative ways to get around, despite not being able to drive, sharing rides and even pressing her parents into service when needed to get to recruiting tournaments. She has continued to have an upbeat attitude and press forward. If you came into contact with her and didn’t know her, you might not even know anything was wrong.

“The hardest part for her was trying to understand that she wasn’t going to be able to do everything she wanted to,” Pelegreen offered, “but what she could do was give the best of what she had to her players, whether it was through love or just merely showing up on the hardest of days.”

“Servant leadership is one of the purest forms of leadership, and I think Bari embodies the loving, serving and caring characteristics to allow both her and her team triumph. Bari does not back down through adversity, and she helps other coaches (like me) see a different perspective and become better from it. “

Lenhart agreed.

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“Bari Mance is a perfect candidate for this award,” she said. “She had a double mastectomy, radiation, chemo with total hair loss and only missed one day of practice throughout that entire torturous first year,” she said. “I know she leaned on her coaching staff when exhaustion hit, but she never quit. She constantly led the way for her team and is a winner on and off the field.”

“She immediately began to share her journey as she educated her team, friends and the entire coaching community through her frequent updates on Facebook. She wanted to make sure all of the people she could communicate with became familiar with the need to do breast exams and speak up if something wasn’t right. She openly talked about her cancer and took every chance she could to educate.”

“I knew Donna personally and coached against her for many years,” Lenhart said. “She, like Donna, refused to let cancer control her life. You never knew when she was having a bad day.”

Just when she finally got a clean bill of health for her cancer last fall, Mance was saddled with a few new health issues, which forced her to miss some games this past spring. Then this summer, she was hospitalized for a virus that presents itself like meningitis.

Last week, in the middle of breast cancer awareness month, Mance’s oncologist told her he wouldn’t need to see her again until April, and his assistant didn’t recognize her with her hair grown back. That made her smile, just as she has managed to do throughout this terrible, unimaginable ordeal.

Mance will be recognized at the Awards Brunch on Dec. 7, the final day of the NFCA National Convention at Harrah’s Atlantic City.

ABOUT NEWBERRY
Newberry, the all-time winningest coach in the history of NCAA Division III softball when she passed away in November 2010, spent 36 seasons with Muskingum College athletics. During that time, she transitioned the Muskies from a slowpitch team to a perennial national fastpitch contender in Division III.

Over those 36 seasons, Newberry amassed a record of 906-419-1 and helped guide Muskingum to 17 conference championships, 18 NCAA regional appearances, eight national championship appearances and the 2001 NCAA Division III national championship. Newberry was the only Division III coach to be named national coach of the year in two sports – softball and basketball. As Muskingum’s women’s basketball coach, Newberry earned 403 victories and three OAC championships. 

She was a 10-time Ohio Athletic Conference Coach of the Year, a seven-time NFCA Regional Coaching Staff of the Year honoree and in 2001, the Muskingum staff was named as the NFCA National Coaching Staff of the Year. In 2008, Newberry was inducted into the NFCA Hall of Fame.

Newberry demonstrated her perseverance as she coached what would be her final season in the spring of 2010. While undergoing chemotherapy treatments during her third bout with breast cancer, she led the Lady Muskies to the Ohio Athletic Conference tournament for the 25th consecutive time. 

In the months before her death, Muskingum dedicated its softball field in her honor, renaming it the Donna J. Newberry Softball Field. In addition, Newberry finished a book about her coaching career and experiences — “You Must Play to Win: A Coach’s Journey from the Pit to the Pinnacle.”

In the second part of Goal’s exclusive chat with the USA star, he reveals why he’s using the Reds as inspiration at BVB this season

Christian Pulisic hopes Borussia Dortmund can follow in Liverpool’s footsteps by making an impact in the Champions League this season.

The USA international got a close look at Jurgen Klopp’s Reds when the sides met in their International Champions Cup clash in Charlotte, North Carolina last weekend.

Pulisic’s impact was decisive, the 19-year-old scoring two goals and helping create another as Lucien Favre’s men came from behind to win 3-1.

And in an exclusive interview with Goal, the attacking midfielder revealed he had watched with interest as Liverpool thrillingly fought their way to the Champions League final back in May. They eventually came up short, beaten by Real Madrid in Kiev, but Pulisic believes their run should serve as an inspiration for clubs such as his own.

“It was incredible to see their run to the final,” he said. “We would like to do something like that ourselves this year, I have to say. That’s the ultimate goal.”

Pulisic, naturally, takes a keen interest in how Klopp is doing. It was the German who gave him his first chance to train with Dortmund’s senior side as a 16-year-old during the 2014/15 season, and though Klopp would be gone before he could make his first-team debut, the two clearly share a mutual respect.

In Charlotte, Klopp spoke of Pulisic’s “huge talent” and tipped him to become “a big player” for club and country. He likes him a lot – and the feeling is mutual.

“He was there when I came,” Pulisic said. “I was obviously playing with the youth teams at Dortmund, but he was the one who gave me my first professional training session, just to give me a taste of it.

“He always accepted me and he was very kind to me, so I will always be thankful for that. I know he’s a great guy, and it’s nice to see him doing so well for Liverpool.”

Asked if Klopp was the kind of manager players enjoy playing under, Pulisic added: “Yes, absolutely. I personally didn’t get to know him too well, but I’ve heard stories from some of my team-mates who did, and they loved playing for him.”

The two had crossed paths before last Sunday’s game in Charlotte, of course. Few will forget when Dortmund came to Anfield for a Europa League quarter-final second leg in April 2016. It ranks as one of the great European nights in the Reds’ history.

Pulisic watched the drama unfold from the bench, an unused substitute on a night when Dortmund led 3-1 and 4-2 on aggregate but eventually succumbed to Dejan Lovren’s stoppage-time header in front of the Kop.

“Yes, I remember it very clearly!” Pulisic says, with a wry smile. “I was substitute that night, and didn’t get to be involved. But it was the wildest game that I’ve ever been a part of!

“The atmosphere in that stadium… wow! You could see why it’s so difficult to play there. There was a point in that game where we were just kind of looking around saying ‘wow, this is insane!’ It was as if you could just feel what was coming. Yeah, it was a tough night for us!”

He adds: “I think there are similarities between the two stadiums, actually, Anfield and Signal Iduna Park. There is always a good atmosphere at both. But yeah, at Liverpool, it’s pretty insane!”

Pulisic, of course, is a name regularly linked with a move to the Premier League, though there is no suggestion whatsoever that he is seeking to leave Dortmund or that the Bundesliga club are ready to sell one of their prized assets. At 19, the world is at the young American’s feet.

But, as a fan, what does he think of English football?

“I know it’s a great league,” he says. “It’s the league I watched the most growing up. In the US, you can’t really escape it!

“I know it’s a league full of top teams, so it’s cool that we’ve been able to compete against some of those teams in pre-season. It’s been a good test for us.”

Pulisic hopes Dortmund can build on a mixed campaign last time out, a season of upheaval in terms of both management and playing staff. They were eliminated at the group stage of the Champions League last season, but having squeezed into the final qualification spot on the final day of the Bundesliga campaign, he is ready for another crack at Europe’s biggest prize.

And ready to use Liverpool as a guide as to what can be achieved with the right mentality, a bit of belief and a young, hungry squad.

“Exactly!” he smiles. “Exactly.”

The Chilean impressed as the Red Devils beat Milan on penalties on Wednesday night but the absence of Martial was the big news to come out of the camp

From the minute Manchester United landed in Los Angeles for their 2018 summer tour, Jose Mourinho made it clear that preparation for the new season was going to be far from ideal due to the absences of 12 players following World Cup duty.

But even the United manager could not have envisaged their US trip being quite as disjointed as it has become, with their continued search for a victory inside 90 minutes following the 9-8 penalty win against AC Milan on Wednesday night seeming immaterial following the early departure of want-away attacker Anthony Martial.

Martial quit the tour a week early to return to Paris to be at the birth of his son, with rumours emanating from the camp that he had told team-mates he will not be returning stateside to rejoin the squad.

The Frenchman, whose future had already looked destined to lie away from Old Trafford for some time, has attracted the ire of Mourinho with his latest decision. It is just the latest twist during a summer which has had the Portuguese sporting a furrowed brow throughout.

While the lack of many World Cup stars until the final days before the season is down to simple misfortune, Alexis Sanchez’s visa delay, Antonio Valencia’s injury, the lack of victories against mediocre opposition and the board’s inability to get anymore transfers over the line have all combined to raise Mourinho’s frustrations further.

The lack of decent attendances will also spark questions over a return to the US in 12 months’ time however much the manager swears by the preparation afforded him at his favoured UCLA training base.

One saving grace for the boss to this point has been Sanchez’s form since arriving in America, and the former Arsenal forward was United’s star man by some distance in the 1-1 draw with Milan in Carson.

Playing in the centre of attack in the absence of Martial, Sanchez was always lively and seemingly revelled in the spotlight as United’s sole forward of any seniority. After netting the opening goal coolly from a delicious Juan Mata touch, Sanchez later turned on the tricks with an attempted shot from a corner and an outside-of-the-foot flick effort when driving into the channel on a counter.

Despite having missed out on a few days of intensive work with the squad due to the admin issue caused by his blocked visa application, Sanchez looks as sharp as he has at any point in a United shirt. The 29-year-old’s arrival in January served to push Martial to the fringes of the squad but never quite saw him hit his stride in 2017-18, and Mourinho will be hopeful that Sanchez’s early summer form can lead to improved performances in the season ahead.

Typically, United’s performance raised more concerns though. Within two minutes of Sanchez’s excellent goal they had managed to part like the Red Sea to allow Suso the time and space needed to equalise. Leonardo Bonucci’s rudimentary long ball found the Spaniard after Axel Tuanzebe had watched his man run off him and both Chris Smalling and Eric Bailly failed to react. It was just another moment on this wretched tour that left Mourinho fuming, and but for some slack Milan finishing the mood may have deepened later on.

While United’s display was slicker in general than their performances against Club America and San Jose Earthquakes, they could easily have conceded from a number of half-chances that Milan failed to take, must notably when Fabio Borini hit the post late on. Matters weren’t helped by the fact most of the United side had to pull a full 90-minute shift due to the lack of experience on the bench, with only 10 first-team starts between the 10 available substitutes.

The vibe around United is that they need a fast start to Mourinho’s third season if the boss is to keep the fans off his back but all the signs at present suggest that there will be a difficulty getting any kind of cohesion out of this squad in the short term.

Nemanja Matic has now rejoined the group and David de Gea and Fred will follow in the coming days, but United need a whole heap of positivity right now. Some full stadiums would be nice, even one or two new signings maybe. And a resolution of the Martial malaise needs to be reached sooner rather than later too.

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