The 23-year-old picked up a hamstring injury against Vitoria on November 6 but is likely to be fit for the busy festive schedule

Arsenal have been dealt an injury blow following news that midfielder Dani Ceballos will remain on the sidelines until mid-December.

The Spain international picked up a hamstring injury against Vitoria on November 6 and sat out the Gunners’ defeat to Leicester City ahead of the international break.

It has now been confirmed, however, that the Real Madrid loanee faces a further period out, though it is hoped he will return ahead of the busy festive run of fixtures.

Ceballos has become a fan favourite at the Emirates Stadium since his arrival from the Spanish capital on a season-long deal over the summer.

The 23-year-old has made 17 appearances in all competitions for Unai Emery’s side, scoring his only goal for the club against Standard Liege in October.

He is now likely to miss Premier League clashes with Southampton, Norwich City, Brighton and West Ham in the coming weeks as well as the Europa League meeting with Eintracht Frankfurt on November 28.

The return fixture against Standard Liege may also prove too early on December 12, though there will be hope he can face defending Premier League champions Manchester City three days later.

Arsenal’s fixtures around Christmas include a trip to Everton on December 21 as well as successive home matches against Chelsea and Manchester United on December 29 and January 1 respectively.

The only other fitness issue facing Emery’s side ahead of Saturday’s meeting with Southampton is whether Sead Kolasinac will be available after returning from international duty with Bosnia-Herzegovina with a tight left hamstring.

The full-back is being assessed ahead of the fixture at the Emirates Stadium, with Emery in need of a win to ease the pressure that has built on the Spanish coach in recent weeks.

Arsenal have won just two of their last 10 league matches, leaving them sixth in the table and eight points off the top four after just 12 games.

With a return to the Champions League imperative, there are concerns among supporters that ex-Paris Saint-Germain boss Emery is not the man to take them back to Europe’s premier club competition.

The club have offered the coach a public vote of confidence during the international break, but a continuation of their recent poor form may see the board forced into action before the year is out.

The Manchester City boss was quick to shoot down reports of a move to Turin, but admits he could head to Italy one day

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has refused to rule out a move to Serie A in the future, though he has vehemently denied reports he came close to moving to Juventus over the summer.

Guardiola’s current deal at the Etihad Stadium expires in 2021 and there has often been speculation linking him with a new challenge.

The 48-year-old has never spent more than four seasons at one club during his managerial career, taking in trophy-laden spells at Barcelona, Bayern Munich and now Manchester City.

Guardiola had a brief spell in Italy during his playing career, making 71 appearances for Brescia and Roma before moving to Qatari side Al-Ahli in 2003.

He admits that the chance to return to the country and manage in another one of Europe’s major leagues appeals to him, but insists his focus remains with the Premier League champions for now.

“Maybe. Possibly, yes,” he told reporters when asked whether he could see himself managing in Serie A one day. “I had a great time in Italy, though I’m fine in England right now. But maybe. I’m still not that old, let’s see.”

There had been rumours that Guardiola was ready to quit Italy in order to succeed Massimiliano Allegri at Juventus over the summer.

Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri eventually took the role, and Guardiola made it clear to reporters that any story linking him with a move to Turin was false.

“You had the wrong information,” he added. “You had to do your job as a journalist better.”

Guardiola was speaking after Manchester City’s 1-1 Champions League draw with Atalanta, which saw defender Kyle Walker go in goal and keep a clean sheet after Claudio Bravo had been sent off with 10 minutes remaining.

Bravo himself was a substitute for Ederson, who was forced off at half-time with a muscular injury.

The Brazilian is now doubtful for Sunday’s blockbuster clash with Premier League leaders Liverpool at Anfield.

Raheem Sterling gave City a first-half lead at the San Siro only for Mario Pasalic to equalise for Atalanta four minutes into the second half.

Despite being pegged back City are five points clear at the top of Group C and on course for a place in the knockout stages.

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The head coach has drawn comparisons between his current team and the one he took charge of when he swapped Southampton for London in 2014

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino has said that his side are in a similar position now to the one they were in five years ago, when he took over, and insisted that the team need to be given time.

Spurs have regressed this season and have struggled for results, winning just three of their 11 Premier League games so far this term and finding themselves in the bottom half of the table.

Their first two Champions League wins of the campaign have provided a little positivity of late, however, and Pochettino is keen to point out that his team are in a transitional phase.

“We went back to five years ago where we were like this in terms of position, situations and stuff like that, so it takes time,” Pochettino said ahead of this weekend’s match against Sheffield United.

“We cannot move the club forward quick, we cannot accelerate the time – that’s the problem. It’s a natural process. We only need to stay calm and work hard because there is not another way to change this dynamic. It’s different to five years ago but with a lot of similarities.

“It’s difficult to talk now because I don’t want to be talking about negative things. I promise you if all goes well, I will explain for you. I want to be positive because the signals in the last few weeks have been positive.”

Pochettino also believes that it is too soon to write his side off from challenging for a top-four spot, despite their early struggles in the league this term – Spurs are without a league win since they beat Southampton at the end of September, going four games without a victory since then.

“When you assess all the circumstances, it’s normal to be in the position we are,” Pochettino continued.

“We’ll see [about the top four]. Today, it’s so early. If we are capable of finding the right balance to start performing in the way we expect, it’s still possible.”

Spurs host Sheffield United next in an important game as they try to end their winless streak and lift the mood around the club ahead of the international break.

The former Reds striker has lavished praise on an England international defender and Andy Robertson after seeing them star again versus Man City

Trent Alexander-Arnold has been compared to Liverpool legends Steven Gerrard and Xabi Alonso when it comes to creative ability, with Peter Crouch considering the Reds to boast the best full-back pairing in world football.

Those qualities were highlighted again during a crucial 3-1 victory over Manchester City.

Fabinho had already fired Jurgen Klopp’s side in front when Alexander-Arnold – who survived a VAR penalty scare in the build-up to the deadlock being broken – and Andy Robertson combined to help double Liverpool’s advantage.

A sweeping cross-field pass from the Reds’ right-back to his opposite number on the left allowed a Scotland international to whip over a cross nodded in by Mohamed Salah.

For Robertson, another assist has been added to an impressive tally, while Alexander-Arnold continues to chip in with plenty of his own.

In a side which does not boast out-and-out wingers, or the playmaking skills in the middle of the park possessed by Reds sides of the past, those in defensive berths have proved to be invaluable.

Former Liverpool striker Crouch is very much part of the fan club, with the ex-England international telling BBC Sport: “With what they do for this Liverpool team, Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold are redefining the way full-backs play.

“With their runs forward and balls into the box they have always offered such an attacking threat along with the front three, but now they are passing to each other too.

“I remember when I was playing for Liverpool, the full-backs were passing it inside to Gerrard or Xabi Alonso, who would play the diagonal balls forward.

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“Well, Trent is doing that himself now, from his position, and he is doing it just as well as Gerrard or Alonso.

“Then you have got ‘Robbo’ on his bike and pelting forward to get on the end of them, creating chances like he did for Salah’s goal against City.

“It is a joy to watch at times and they really are outstanding. I don’t know a better full-back pairing in the world at the moment, and they are another reason why this Liverpool team is going to be so hard to stop.”

Victory over defending champions City has taken Liverpool eight points clear at the top of the Premier League table, and nine ahead of the Blues, with the general consensus being that the title is now theirs to lose over the remaining 26 games of the 2019-20 campaign.

The Tottenham left-back knows he will not be offered a new deal at the club, but insists he will see out his existing one through to 2021

Danny Rose says any speculation surrounding his Tottenham future in January will come to nothing as he intends to run down his contract.

The 29-year-old has repeatedly been linked with a move away from Spurs after he publicly announced an intention to leave following an outstanding 2016-17 season.

Then linked with Manchester United, Rose has since struggled for form and fitness and was a reported target for Premier League strugglers Watford on the eve of the new season.

However, the England international claims there was never any possibility he would leave in the most recent transfer window.

He says Tottenham have informed him his contract, which expires in 2021, will not be renewed and the club want him to leave. But Rose is standing firm.

“It’s pretty obvious what happened [before the season],” he told the Evening Standard. “People upstairs at Tottenham were trying to do what they were trying to do.

“I’ve said I’ve got 18 months left on my contract and I’m not going anywhere until my contract has finished.

“In January, you’re probably going to hear something [about a move]. I’m telling you right now that I’m not going anywhere until my contract is finished.

“[Tottenham chairman] Daniel Levy told me in the summer there was no new contract for me at Tottenham, which is fine. I respect that. We move on.

“My contract is up in 18 months’ time and I’ll leave the football club then. People [in the media] can save their time trying to get stuff ready for January about me being sold.

“Because I can tell you now: it ain’t happening. I know what people were trying to do in the summer. There were no bids – that was rubbish.”

Rose has played nine times in the Premier League this season, with Spurs struggling, and twice in the Champions League.

He went on to praise head coach Mauricio Pochettino for sticking by him through an uncertain period in north London, insisting he is “lucky” to be working under the Argentine.

“When the manager stops calling me into his office, stops giving me advice, that’s when I’ll think it’s time to leave Tottenham,” he added.

“But until then, I’m not going ­anywhere. I’m lucky to have a manager at Tottenham who, from the first day we met, has always stuck by me, regardless of anything, regardless of the rubbish in the media about me being sold or not part of his plans — all that nonsense.”

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The Scotland international says discussions behind the scenes have helped to get Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s back on track after a testing start to 2019-20

Scott McTominay believes dressing room discussions have helped Manchester United to rediscover their spark, with some home truths getting the Red Devils back on track.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer saw his side wobble out of the blocks in 2019-20, having previously stumbled over the line last term.

Questions were asked of his future as a result, while a number of underperforming players also came in for criticism.

The tide has, however, turned for those at Old Trafford, with five victories taken from the club’s last six outings in all competitions.

McTominay admits belief has returned to the ranks, with the United squad having to take a long, hard look at themselves in order to turn the corner.

The Scotland international told reporters: “In terms of the team, I feel we’re much, much brighter.

“The signs are good, the signs are positive and we’ve talked about things that we can improve on and how we’re going to try to improve by the end of the season, which is the business end of the season as well.

“It’s a normal thing to have meetings and for everybody to discuss, that’s a normal thing and the sign of a healthy dressing room.

“Boys speaking about it in the changing room, saying what they think we can improve on and what are good ideas as well.

“There’s plenty going on, it’s not a place to be quiet and in your shell. It’s time for people to really step up and start doing their jobs as well.”

The Red Devils will be back in domestic action on Sunday when they take in a trip to Sheffield United.

The Blades have been a surprise package this season, but McTominay believes Solskjaer’s men can rein them in along with a number of other sides sat above them in the battle for top-four finishes.

He added: “With the injuries we’ve had, I do think we’ve coped relatively well with a small squad and a lot of boys playing a lot of minutes in a short space of time.

“I think people forget that we have had a lot of injuries as well, and you can see with Anthony (Martial) coming back, what a difference he makes.

“There are very positive signs and things are changing. Everybody is looking forward to the next game and wanting that next game to come as soon as possible.

“Everybody wants to play and that’s the sign of a healthy dressing room.”

United are currently sat seventh in the Premier League table, nine points adrift of the Champions League places.

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It was one of the most surprising moves of the football year, a Portuguese coach striking out for Brazil and taking up one of the most unstable posts

“We know that it is not enough to win. We have to put on a show too.”

With those words veteran Portuguese coach Jorge Jesus introduced himself to Flamengo in his first press conference back in June. Five months down the line, and with his team on the verge of a stunning Serie A and Copa Libertadores double, nobody can contest that the former Benfica supremo has delivered on his promise.

Jesus’ arrival in Brazil was one of the biggest surprises of the football year in South America. The nation is notoriously conservative when it comes to embracing new coaching ideas, maintaining instead an interminable merry-go-round of underwhelming tacticians that seem to come and go every four or five games.

Predecessor Abel Braga, for example, lasted barely six months in his second Flamengo spell that came to an end halfway through 2019. A Libertadores winner himself with Internacional and a man of vast national and international experience, it would be unfair to cast aspersions on the 67-year-old’s credentials; but the fact that the job he subsequently took up with Cruzeiro in September is his 33rd in 34 years on the bench speaks volumes.

When Braga handed in his resignation, though, the Flamengo authorities decided to look away from the usual suspects and turn towards Jesus, renowned for his work in transforming Benfica from also-rans to Portugal’s finest team. The results have been nothing less than spectacular.

Accompanied by a hugely ambitious recruitment drive over the Southern Hemisphere summer that saw the likes of Filipe Luis, ex-Bayern defender Rafinha and Manchester City youngster Pablo Mari arrive, the new coach has taken his side to 20 wins and just one defeat in 25 Serie A games to date, a run that leaves Flamengo virtually assured of their first league title since 2009. Indeed, defeat for closest challengers Palmeiras one day after Saturday’s Libertadores final against River Plate in Lima would seal the crown with four games to spare.

It is the Libertadores that the Fla faithful most crave, however. Unforgivably for a team of such prestige, support and stature, the Rio side boasts just one Copa, lifted in 1981 with the wizard-like Zico directing matters on the field. Jesus was fortunate to see his fledgling side squeeze past Emelec in the last 16 after being humbled 2-0 by the Ecuadorians in the first leg but since then it has been plain sailing, with local rivals Inter and Gremio both dispatched with ease to set up a mouth-watering clash with River.

Jesus has strived to get the best out of his star-studded squad, seeking to impose discipline in the ranks as the foundation upon which he has built a fluid, dynamic attacking unit. “Now we have a rulebook. Hours in which you can and cannot do things inside and outside the club,” Jesus told reporters early in his Flamengo tenure – while admitting that he had to give way on one of his proposed restrictions, concerning the days his players could go to the beach.

“There is an idea in Europe that Brazilian players do not like to work. The Portuguese saying is that if you have more than four Brazilians in your team, what you’ve actually put together is a samba band. But I came to see them and it is not the case: they are very professional and know what they are doing.”

One player who has undoubtedly benefited from Jesus’ stern gaze is Gabriel Barbosa. Turned out of Inter after just a single disappointing season, the striker has hit 38 goals to date in 2019, including seven in the Libertadores which almost guarantees him the top scorer award. The only person that could overtake him is fellow ex-Santos man Bruno Henrique, who with 31 across all competitions has enjoyed a sparkling debut year at the club.

In defence, too, the young pairing of Mari and Rodrigo Caio – a one-time target for Barcelona – has proved a formidable duo, supported ably by the safe hands of Diego Alves in goal. They will not find it easy in Lima against a River side looking for their third Copa crown in five years, and marshalled by the equally astute and firm disciplinarian Marcelo Gallardo, but Flamengo go into the final as narrow favourites and will be backed up in Lima’s Estadio Monumental by hordes of fans desperate for victory.

For Jesus, too, glory in South America would be vindication of a coaching style that perhaps has never received the attention it deserves. A Primeira Liga winner with both Benfica and Sporting, the coach then ventured out to Saudi Arabia, where he won the local title in a brief six-month spell before leaving at the start of 2019.

His options looked sparse following that departure despite such a glittering track record, with few elite sides turning their gaze towards him. Those who have worked with Jesus, however, know that there are few brighter football minds.

Pablo Aimar, for one, ranks him alongside Marcelo Bielsa and Jose Pekerman as the coach from whom he learned the most, and despite being a former River star has nothing but respect for his old mentor at Benfica. “I admire Jorge Jesus a lot. I learned from him, I like how he works, trains his teams, which I like to watch a lot,” the current Argentina Under-17s coach told reporters when quizzed on the Millonarios’ next foe during the recent World Cup.

The veteran took a huge risk in walking into one of the world’s biggest and most demanding sporting institutions, and even more so with the stated goal of transforming the way Flamengo play in a country where a handful of disappointing results usually spells the end for even the most prestigious coach. But the gamble has paid off handsomely so far: now, if he can crown this spectacular 2019 with Libertadores victory, Jesus will already have written his name into Fla’s illustrious history books.

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Romain Grosjean believes he is well placed to replace Kimi Raikkonen should the Finn decide to retire from F1 at the end of the season.

Grosjean joined Haas at the end of 2015 with the hope that the US outfit’s close technical relationship with the House of Maranello could eventually serve as a springboard to a drive with the Scuderia.

Ferrari has not contracted either of its drivers for 2018, but pundits are betting on Sebastian Vettel remaining with the red squad while most se Raikkonen calling it a day on his time in F1. 

Asked by Sky F1’s Simon Lazenby if he had hopes of joining Ferrari, Grosjean replied: “Good question, I don’t know. Life is full of surprises.

“If you ask Valtteri what he was doing last December, I’m sure he was thinking ‘I’m going to go again with Williams’ and the next thing you know he’s in a world championship car.

“It’s a phone call and the best thing you can do is do the best thing on track.” 

Verstappen to Ferrari in 2018 despite watertight contract?

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Grosjean was evasive however when asked if there was any ongoing communication with the Scuderia.

“It’s early days and we are not even in July. Who knows what the F1 grid is going to be like next year.

“Valtteri is waiting on Mercedes, and there is the Kimi situation, what is he going to do?

“Everyone has thought he is going to be out of Formula 1 since 2010 and here we are in 2017, he’s 37 and still here doing a decent job.

“If there is an opportunity, a seat with them then I believe I am in a good position but it doesn’t necessarily mean anything.”

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Haas F1 Team drivers Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen appear to be engaged in a bit of flattery and reciprocity lately.

Magnussen recently vaunted the talent of his French team mate, saying that on his day, Grosjean was as fast as Jenson Button, who raced alongside the Dane at McLaren in 2014.

Grosjean just handed back the compliment, claiming Magnussen is the best driver he’s had on the other side of his garage since Fernando Alonso.

Indeed, Grosjean sampled firsthand the two-time world champion’s skills when the two were paired together at Renault in 2009, when Romain initiated his career in F1.

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• Magnussen considers Grosjean faster than Button ‘on his day’

Since then he has shared teams with Kimi Raikkonen, Pastor Maldonado and Esteban Gutierrez.

“Honestly, he (Magnussen) is super fast,” Grosjean told the Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet in Austria.

“People have had the wrong perception of him, and he has surprised me.

“He is the best teammate I’ve had through my ‘second’ career in Formula 1,” he added.

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F2 racer and Honda protégé Nobuharu Matsushita has been offered his first run in an F1 car by Sauber at next week’s in-season test in Hungary.

The Japanese hopeful will drive for the Swiss outfit on the second day of the test, following in the footsteps of fellow F2 racer Gustav Malja.

Matsushita’s presence at the test could signify that Sauber’s deal to run Honda power next season could still be on course.

Sauber and Honda had agreed in principle to a power-unit supply deal but it was reported that the departure from Sauber of former team principal Monisha Kaltenborn had put the potential partnership in jeopardy.

It is worth noting however that Matsushita races in F1 for ART, the outfit managed by Fred Vasseur, Sauber’s recently nominated team principal.

So the young charger’s opportunity to test with the Swiss outfit may simply be linked to Vasseur’s own positive assessment of Matsushita’s burgeoning talent. 

“I am pleased that Nobuharu has this great opportunity,” Vasseur said.

“He deserves the experience of his first test in a Formula 1 car.

• Ericsson banking on ‘big upgrade’ to move Sauber forward

“Ever since his debut in Formula 2 with ART Grand Prix, I have been following his progress closely, and have watched him advance his performance from year to year.

“With this Formula 1 test, he comes one step closer to his dream of becoming an F1 driver one day.” 

Matsushita is obviously ecstatic about his upcoming  test at the Hungaroring.

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“When I was four years old, I was fascinated by Michael Schumacher, watching him racing in Formula 1,” said the driver.

“Since then my dream was to become a Formula 1 driver.

“I am very excited about my first Formula 1 test and I am really looking forward to driving the Sauber C36-Ferrari at the Hungaroring – it is a great opportunity for me.

“I hope it will be a productive day for the team as well as for myself, so that I can learn as much as possible. I would like to thank the Sauber F1 Team for making this happen.” 

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