The shot-stopper has made three errors leading to goals in his last four appearances, and cost the Reds two points at Old Trafford on Sunday

If David de Gea is dropped by Manchester United, the club could lose their number one “forever” according to Graeme Souness.

De Gea spilled a simple Antonio Rudiger shot two minutes before half-time when United took on Chelsea at Old Trafford on Sunday to allow Marcos Alonso a close-range equaliser. 

The blunder came after mistakes against Barcelona and Manchester City also cost the Reds, and De Gea has now made three errors that have led to goals in his last four appearances.

But Ole Gunnar Solskjaer insisted after the game that he was right not to drop De Gea against Chelsea , and Souness agrees it would be a mistake to remove the Spain international from the team. 

“You leave him out, I think you lose him forever,” Souness said on Sky Sports .

“There would still be a queue for him. If Ole was to leave him out, and he brought in someone who didn’t do well, you’ve then lost the guy you’ve trusted for seven, eight years. And you’d end up having to buy someone else.

“You’ve got to stick with him. Credit is a big thing in football. The supporters love him and you saw that at half-time.”

Red Devils legend Gary Neville also believes De Gea should retain the number one spot, citing the 28-year-old’s impressive form in recent seasons for United.

“There are some players who build up enough credit during their careers, that you play them through,” Neville said.

“Let’s say Wayne Rooney had a bad time – didn’t score in 12 games for Manchester United. If he’s had five, six years at the club playing like he has, you don’t just ditch someone like that after five, six, seven games. It’s not a young player coming into the club that’s struggling. 

“He [De Gea] has been outstanding. He’s been the best player at Manchester United, the only top player at Manchester United for the last five or six years.”

The slip-up from De Gea cost his team a valuable two points that would have drawn them level with fourth-placed Chelsea, but they now remain three points adrift of the Champions League qualifications places with two games remaining. 

Brumbies winger Henry Speight will join Irish province Ulster on a short-term loan contract.

Speight will move to Kingspan Stadium later this month in a similar deal to that which saw fellow Brumbies player Christian Lealiifano arrive in Belfast last season.

He will return to Australia on 31st December, in advance of the 2019 Super Rugby season.

The opportunity to play in the Pro14 and emulate Lealiifano played a large part in Speight deciding to head north for the loan spell.

“I’m excited to have the opportunity to represent a big club like Ulster,” Speight said.“I’ve spoken to Christian (Lealiifano) a lot regarding this move and he had only great things to say about the staff, players, supporters and wider community, which welcomed him with open arms.

“This is a fresh challenge for me and I hope to embrace it by relishing every moment and by adding value to the group as best I can. I can’t wait to arrive in Belfast and get to work with my new teammates.”

Brumbies coach Dan McKellar was supportive of the move.

“We are fully supportive of Henry joining Ulster for the first months of the Pro14 season,” he said.

“Henry has been at the Brumbies for eight years now and this is a great opportunity for him to experience a new environment and culture”

Our squad is coming together nicely, and Henry Speight will once again play an integral role for the Brumbies in the 2019.

“We wish him luck in his spell in Ireland and look forward to welcoming him back for pre-season in January.”

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Reds coach Brad Thorn has refused to dwell on his team’s season-halting loss to the Chiefs, pointing instead to the young team’s “gutsy” effort in Hamilton and the bright future that lies ahead.

Youth has been a dirty word this season at Ballymore as the Reds banished excuses while hunting their first Super Rugby finals appearance in six years.

But as their chances evaporated in the heartbreaking 19-13 loss, Thorn pointed out the Reds’ reality – that they are a young group still coming to terms with the consistency required at the highest levels despite refusing to say die.

“It was gutsy. It went down to the wire at the end there and disappointing not to get that result,” Thorn said of just failing to get across the line from an 80th minute drive for a try that could have pinched a crucial win.

“For us, the first half I felt we were mainly hurting ourselves – putting kicks out on the full or guys executing little things – but it was a slugfest in the end and we didn’t quite get across the line.”

Thorn may be a Kiwi but having grown up in Queensland and played State of Origin footy, the dual international draws on the mythology of the maroon jumper as much as any league coach.

“I’m very proud of the boys, they love their rugby in New Zealand and I may be a New Zealander but I grew up in Queensland and the maroon jersey means a lot to us and they’re doing the maroon jersey proud,” he said.

“They just won’t go away. And to me that’s Queenslanders.”

The Reds’ Super Rugby finals charge suffered a fatal blow in the Hamilton heartbreak. Queensland hammered the Chiefs line in the final stages of the match with an unlikely win on the cards after they clawed their way to within six points of the home side following a try to Taniela Tupou that got them back in touch.

Without captain Samui Kerevi – rested under Rugby Australia’s workload management policy – and missing several regulars through injury, the Reds were massive underdogs.

But they had a mountain of possession in the final minutes, including an 80th minute lineout that they won and pushed across the Chiefs’ line for what could have been a match-winning try.

But the Chiefs stood tall, pilfering the ball from the Reds on their own line with their 242nd tackle of the match to end the Queenslanders’ charge for the Australian conference title.

Izack Rodda, who captained the team in place of Kerevi, was proud of his charges despite the loss.

“The second half was a cracker from both sides and in the last five minutes we were on their line just going and going and going,” Rodda said.

“But credit to the Chiefs for holding us out, that was an amazing effort.”

The stats suggest the game should have gone to the Reds.

With an amazing 193 carries, almost exactly double the number from the Chiefs, and having to make only a third of the tackles of their rivals, the Reds had ample opportunity.

Twice they were denied tries by the TMO as Angus Scott-Young and Alex Mafi were pinged for promoting the football, while they conceded more turnovers than their rivals and were guilty again of kicking the ball away as they took poor options at vital stages.

“That’s always frustrating,” Rodda said of the TMO rulings. “But I just told the guys to keep at it, keep doing our game plan and it would work.”

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But in what is shaping as the story of their season, it was simple errors that let them down.

“Little errors can cost you games like that and we’ve just got to build on that stuff,” Rodda said.

In a bright spot for Queensland, young prop Harry Hoopert has escaped serious injury despite being taken from the field on a medicab early in the second half after the game was stopped for several minutes as he lay prone after an awkward tackle.

The Reds showed excellent patience and control early, holding the ball for 19 phases before being denied by the TMO when Angus Scott-Young was ruled to have made a second effort to propel himself over the tryline.

The Chiefs looked to have made the most of their reprieve when Etene Nanai-Seturo crossed just minutes later but the TMO was again called into action and ruled that the winger’s hand had separated from the ball as he went to plant it.

The Chiefs were not held out for long though, scoring through no.8 Pita Sowakula after he jinked and barged his way through some flimsy Reds defence after the visitors failed to put their kick into touch.

Bryce Hegarty was dismal with the boot against the Waratahs, managing just one from six but he was on song straight away, slotting a penalty in the 12th minute to help the Reds claw the margin back to four points.

The Reds had plenty of possession but could not translate that into point and it was the Chiefs that were over next, Atu Moli barging over to extend their lead to 12-3.

Queensland was over the line again late in the first term but Alex Mafi was denied after crawling his way forward after being tackled, the TMO turning down a third try for the period.

But with the referee playing advantage, Hegarty slotted his second penalty and the Reds seemed set to go into the break in touch.

Where the Reds were unable to capitalise on their chances, the Chiefs made the most of theirs though and when their shift to the left resulted in a try to Nanai-Seturo, they were up 13 points at the break and the Reds season was on life support.

Hoopert was taken from the field on a medicab in the 50th minute, the game stopped for several minutes as he lay on the turf following an awkward tackle in which he stung his neck and shoulder.

Despite the scare, he was able to return to the bench for the Reds, providing relief for his parents who had travelled across the Tasman to watch their son play.

His injury seemed to spur his teammate though, who were finally able to score when Taniela Tupou crossed after another patient building of pressure.

Hegarty’s conversion brought the deficit back to just six points but the Reds were unable to land the final blow despite a mountain of ball in the dying stages.

RESULT

Chiefs 19

Tries: Pita Sowakula, Atu Moli, Etene Nanai-Seturo

Cons: Marty McKenzie 2

Reds 13

Tries: Taniela Tupou

Cons: Bryce Hegarty

Pens: Hegarty 2

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The Waratahs turned to Air Izzy and a impressively strong defence to upset the Crusaders at the SCG, and bring the Kiwi champion’s record 19-game winning streak to an end.

On an emotional return to the field for the Crusaders after their game was cancelled last week, the NSW side led from start to finish in the 20-12 win; their first victory over the defending champions since 2015.

On a slippery night, the Waratahs strategically built a game around a strong and disciplined defensive effort, and a kicking game designed for the superstar in no.15 named Israel Folau.

Folau instrumental in two of the Waratahs’ three tries, setting up one and scoring another to equal Doug Howlett’s all-time Super Rugby try-scoring record of 59.

Both came from high kicks and on confidence-building night for the Waratahs, the clinical execution of a pre-game tactic to attack the Crusaders from the air was on the dais for positives.

The Crusaders came into the game off a difficult preparation, after the horrific events of Christchurch – which were remembered in a moment’s silence joined by both teams in the centre of the SCG.

In the wet, the Kiwi powerhouse side “dropped enough ball for the whole year”, according to coach Scott Roberston, but credit had to go too to the pressure of the Waratahs’ defence.

Led by another 20-tackle performance from skipper Michael Hooper, the Tahs muscled up in contact and critically never lost shape and discipline, which in turn never let the Crusaders get their attack behind the NSW line.

“They’re the benchmark team and have been for two years, so it gives our team a lot of confidence that we can compete with the best,” Gibson said.

“We had a clear gameplan tonight, which we executed for large parts of that game.

“We learned a great deal from last year’s fixture with the Crusaders and this year we were able to be far more consistent and apply that pressure for far longer.

“We knew what we were up for in their defence, and there is not a lot of space to attack, so we decided to go for a different strategy for this game.”

Hooper praised the Waratahs’ defence and said the performance would help his team understand they can win games a number of ways.

“It’s a big confidence builder,” Hooper aid.

“Like Daryl is talking about with defence, it is taking confidence … and building in that area of the game.

‘Knowing that, yeah, ok, we had 42 per cent of possession but we knocked off a team that has been beaten 20 games.

“Sometimes we are not going to be running in tries from all over the field. It is about building a win, and tonight we built a win against a team that has so much variation in attack. When we had the ball, we struck.”

Robertson said the team had endured a tough week but were simply off the pace at the SCG.

“We were really desperate to play well, and represent our people and show how much we care. You could see how hard we worked but we dropped enough ball for the whole season, so that’s out of our system now,” he said.

“It was a tough week but look, we are Crusaders, we don’t make excuses. We just needed to be better at a lot of parts of the game tonight.”

Crusaders skipper Sam Whitelock said the Waratahs had played well, and unlike in last year’s clash in Christchurch where the Kiwis came from back from 29-0 to beat the Tahs, they failed to rally because they were “their own worst enemy”.

“They were really up for it, and they were last year as well, but we didn’t allow ourselves to come back,” Whitelock said.

“We dropped enough ball and that took the pressure off them. Good sides take those opportunities.”

Robertson lauded Folau’s strike power, saying he should be an astronaut given how effective he is when he leaves terra firma.

“He should work for NASA, he’s that good in the air isn’t he?” he said.

The Waratahs led 15-7 at halftime after scoring two tries in the opening half, and almost three.

The Waratahs opened the scoring early after playing for territory and getting a crack at the Crusaders in their red zone.

A powerful Jed Holloway run folding around the corner saw the NSW lock bump through the attempted tackle of Whetu Douglas and stroll over for an easy seven-pointer.

Showing signs of rust after a week off – and with rain affecting handling – the Crusaders coughed up a fair amount of possession and couldn’t get into a rhythm.

The Tahs were more clinical, and mirroring their 2018 gameplan, went to the air with a mid-field kick for Israel Folau.

It worked again, too, and after Folau re-gathered a Foley bomb, he passed to Cam Clark and the winger raced away to score his second try in as many games against the Crusaders.

Crusaders winger Braydon Ennor was denied the chance to chase after being tripped by a teammate but he saved a try soon after.

A post-turnover run down the sideline by Alex Newsome was followed by Foley chipping and chasing into open space. He won the race but Ennor’s last-ditch tackle forced a knock-on over the line.

The Crusaders got back into the game when they finally pinned NSW in their own half, and from a lineout, scored a try with a nice – but dubiously executed – set move.

Playing off the top, Codie Taylor passed back inside to winger George Bridge and though replays looked like it was forward, the speedster cruised in untouched.

The score moved to 12-7 but the Tahs their lead back out to 15-7 at halftime after Foley nailed a penalty in the 38th minute.

The second half saw the two sides scrap and claw for every metre, and the scoring rate dried up.

The Waratahs defence held firm when the Crusaders tried to mount sustained pressure, and responded well to turnover threats too.

The Crusaders had the chance to draw a little closer when they went for a penalty shot in the 57th minute but Mitchell Hunt missed the kick.

When it became clear this would a dog fight until the end, the Waratahs bafflingly elected to not take a kickable shot five minutes later to extend their lead to 11, and instead went for the corner. 

The ball was turned over but it didn’t cost too much, with the Waratahs defence holding firm – and the air Izzy tactic again paying dividends.

The Tahs scored in the 74th minute when they rolled into the Crusaders’ territory and won a penalty advantage.

Foley lobbed a speculative kick across the face of the posts and after the ball came out of the pack and bounced, Folau pounced and touched it down.

TEAMS

Waratahs to face Crusaders

1. Harry Johnson-Holmes

2. Damien Fitzpatrick

3. Sekope Kepu

4. Jed Holloway

5. Rob Simmons

6. Ned Hanigan

7. Michael Hooper

8. Jack Dempsey

9. Nick Phipps

10. Bernard Foley

11. Alex Newsome

12. Kurtley Beale

13. Adam Ashley-Cooper

14. Cam Clark

15. Israel Folau

16. Andrew Tuala

17. Rory O’Connor

18. Chris Talakai

19. Lachlan Swinton

20. Michael Wells

21. Jake Gordon

22. Mack Mason

23. Karmichael Hunt

Crusaders to face Waratahs

1. George Bower

2. Codie Taylor

3. Owen Franks

4. Quinten Strange

5. Sam Whitelock

6. Jordan Taufua

7. Matt Todd

8. Whetu douglas

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9. Bryn Hall

10. Brett Cameron

11. George Bridge

12. Ryan Crotty

13. Jack Goodhue

14. Braydon Ennor

15. David Havili

Reserves

16. Andrew Makalio

17. Harry Allan

18. Michael Alaalatoa

19. Luke Romano

20. Tom Sanders

21. Ereatara Enari

22. Mitch Hunt

23. Will Jordan

The Super Rugby play-offs have begun in familiar fashion, with the ruthless Crusaders powering clear in the second half to beat the Highlanders 38-14 in their quarter-final in Christchurch.

Five-eighth Richie Mo’unga scored two of their five tries and slotted all of his goalkicks in a 23-point haul as the nine-time champions took command of what had been a bruising South Island derby on Friday.

Up just 17-14 at the break, the implacable Crusaders sensed blood when Highlanders forward Liam Squire spent time in the sinbin, bagging two quick tries to effectively book another semi-final berth.

The eighth-ranked Highlanders were all aggression early but were barely in the contest against the top qualifiers as the match wore on, failing to handle the intense pressure up front from a team chasing their third straight title.

The Crusaders will host the winner of Saturday’s Hurricanes-Bulls quarter-final in Wellington.

They will be hotly favoured if their All Blacks-laden forward contingent play with the same muscle and Mo’unga with the same class.

Captain Sam Whitelock said the next visitors to Christchuch can expect the same methodology from his team.

“We want to pressure every team right across the board so obviously it starts and finishes at set piece for us as forwards,” he said.

“Finals are always tough and against your neighbour just amplifies it.

“Man, we were pushed early, pushed late, so full credit to the Highlander boys.”

Winger Sio Tomkinson’s try had the Highlanders 7-3 up through the opening quarter but the hosts leapt clear when Mo’unga put fullback David Havili across and then scored himself after some skilful Crusaders offloads.

The Highlanders pulled the margin back to three after Teihorangi Walden slid through off a bullet pass from Aaron Smith.

A key moment was the yellow card shown to All Blacks flanker Squire for a no-arms tackle on opposite Whetukamokamo Douglas soon after halftime.

The clinical Crusaders took advantage of the extra number with big drives to set up tries for Douglas and Michael Alaalatoa.

Mo’unga scored from a chip and chase to ice his team’s 28th straight win in Christchurch.

More pertinently, they have never lost a home finals match since the competition’s inception in 1996.

The match marked the end of notable Super Rugby careers for six Highlanders.

All Blacks Ben Smith, Waisake Naholo, Luke Whitelock, Squire, Tom Franklin and Jackson Hemopo are all moving to offshore clubs next year.

Luke Whitelock said the build-up had been an emotional one for the departing players but they couldn’t lift when needed against the Crusaders juggernaut.

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“They’re very good at what they do and they just execute it well,” he said.

“They have the ability to score a couple of tries pretty quickly and they punished us in a couple of minutes to change that pressure.”

RESULT

Crusaders 38

Tries: Mo’unga 2, Havili, Douglas, Alaalatoa

Cons: Mo’unga 5

Pens: Mo’unga

Highlanders 14

Tries: Tomkinson, Walden

Cons: Ioane 2

The Brumbies have been reviewing and changing  their half-time routines after failing to convert 40-minute leads into 80-minute wins in a majority of their games this year.

The ACT men, who are expected to welcome back David Pocock and fellow Wallabies Scott Sio, Rory Arnold and Folau Faingaa against the Lions this weekend, have had a major case of second-half blues in the 2019 season.

The Brumbies have led at the break in five of their seven games but only converted those leads to two wins – against the Chiefs and Waratahs at home.

They’ve been outscored 142 points to 66 in second halves.

The rocks-or-diamonds effect was on full display in Christchurch last Saturday when Dan McKellar’s men led the Crusaders 7-0 at half-time but ultimately crashed to a 36-14 loss.

“It is something we have talked about. We have tried a few things around halftime but it comes down to our game plan and mentally 1-15 being switched on, and starting fast,” Brumbies backrower Locky McCaffrey said.

“I think we are starting games really fast but we are not starting that second half with the same intensity.

“It is something we have addressed and something we are working on.”

The Brumbies are clinging on to the positives of their visit to the South Island of New Zealand, and the ambition and industry shown in the opening 40 minutes against the Crusaders

They’ve also taken lessons from the performance, said McCaffrey; not least the pain of having two men in the sin-bin after oranges.

“There were lots of positives in the game, especially the first 40 minutes. Second half was tough, playing over there in Christchurch against the reigning champs,” McCaffrey said.

“You have to put an 80 minute performance together. They were bringing All Blacks off the bench, who made a pretty big impact in that last 25 minutes and we just didn’t go with them. Playing with 14 men for 20 minutes in the half also didn’t help.

“Lots of positives. I don’t think too many teams will go over and keep the Crusaders scoreless for the first half so lots to improve on but some good things too.”

The return of Pocock will be a big bonus, but so too the additions of the other Wallabies.

“He is the best no. 7 in the world but at the same time we have a squad mentality and a guy like Folau Faingaa will come back and have as much impact as a Poey or a Scotty or a Rory,” McCaffrey said.

“I don’t think we focus on one inclusion.”

The Brumbies take on the Lions on Saturday April 13, kicking off at 7:45pm AEST, LIVE on FOX SPORTS, Kayo and via RUGBY.com.au RADIO. Buy tickets here.

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The Gunners have stumbled at the worst possible time in the Premier League, with the Swiss midfielder admitting that they have not been good enough

Granit Xhaka admits Arsenal do not deserve to be talking about top-four finishes in the Premier League as they stumble their way towards the end of the season.

Struggles on the road have returned to haunt the Gunners at the worst possible time.

A 3-0 defeat to Leicester City in their most recent outing has left Unai Emery’s side fifth in the table and on the outside of the Champions League pack looking in.

Three successive defeats have been suffered in the English top-flight, and four in their last five outings.

Xhaka concedes that is not good enough for a side with such lofty ambition, telling Sky Sports: “It is not the right moment to think about the top four.

“We had three big chances. It started with Crystal Palace, then Wednesday against Wolves and finished [against Leicester].

“If you don’t take from two away games and one at home three points, you can’t speak about the top four.”

Eight of Arsenal’s 10 Premier League defeats this season have come away from Emirates Stadium.

Emery has been unable to find a cure for the travel sickness inherited from Arsene Wenger, with Xhaka adding: “It is difficult to explain why we don’t play like at home and why we don’t take the points.

“I said this last week. It is a different game away and at home. You can’t play like at home.

“You have to win the duels, run more than the opponents because the fans are in front of them.

“All the teams in the Premier League can play football and they can fight. If you don’t take the fight against them it looks like [Sunday].”

Arsenal, who are through to the semi-finals of the Europa League, have two Premier League games remaining in which to try and clamber above London rivals Chelsea and into fourth place.

“We fight. It’s not that we don’t fight because if we didn’t fight we wouldn’t go to play,” said Switzerland international Xhaka.

“It is difficult to explain. Whenever you lose it is always difficult to find the right words.”

Arsenal are due to face Valencia in continental competition on Thursday before then playing host to struggling Brighton on Sunday.

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The Eredivisie side continue to defy expectations on the continent but the Lilywhites are not giving up on their European dream just yet

Kieran Trippier and Moussa Sissoko were disappointed with Tottenham’s slow start in their 1-0 first-leg semi-final loss to Ajax but both players believe their team-mates have the quality and mentality to go all the way in the Champions League.

The Dutch outfit were sharp in the early stages of the match, playing high-tempo passing football which bore fruit in the form of Donny van de Beek finding the net after just 15 minutes at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The hosts, without main goal threats Son Heung-min and Harry Kane through suspension and injury, respectively, fought hard for an equaliser in the second half but ultimately came up short.

Trippier acknowledged that he and his team-mates could have done better from the off, but feels that Son’s return for the second leg will provide an added boost as the Lilywhites attempt to fight back and reach the final of Europe’s premier club competition.

“It was a difficult first 20, 25 minutes,” Trippier told Sky Sports. “We just couldn’t close them down as we like to, the pressing that we do week in, week out.

“I thought we gradually got into the game and kept on pushing. We did everything to try and equalise in the second half. It’s only 1-0, we go to their place next week and hopefully we can get a performance.

“Obviously Sonny (Son Heung-min) and H (Harry Kane) are massive players for us, especially with the attacking outlet that they’ve got – Sonny running in behind and Harry’s goals, but we always believe as a team that the players coming in can step up.

“Fernando [Llorente] has scored crucial goals and Lucas [Moura] has been fantastic for us but Sonny’s back for the next leg and we’ll go out there and give everything we’ve got.

“Of course we still believe we can win the Champions League, we all believe, we have belief in the squad. Next Wednesday we’ll go there with nothing to lose and try to score as many goals as we can like we did at Man City. Anything can happen.”

Sissoko came off the bench in the first half to replace Jan Vertonghen, who took a knock to the head, and gave a positive account of himself despite his side coming up short on home soil.

The Frenchman, however, also pointed to Son’s quality as a plus in Spurs’ upcoming comeback mission.

“[We put in] a lot of crosses but we didn’t equalise, so we are disappointed to lose the first game,” Sissoko said. “But it is not over.

“We know the quality that Son has, we know what he adds to this team. It will be great to have him back and hopefully he can score some goals because he’s scored a lot this year.

“But with him or without him we’ll go there [to Amsterdam] with the same mentality and try to come back with qualification. We want to go to the final – it would be something amazing for all of us.

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“One more game to play. It won’t be easy but, all together, I am sure we can do it.”

The champions face the Foxes at the Etihad on Monday knowing that a win will take them to within three points of retaining their title

Pep Guardiola has been hugely impressed with Leicester City under Brendan Rodgers as the Foxes prepare to visit the defending Premier League champions on Monday.

Should second-placed Liverpool lose at Rafael Benitez’s Newcastle United on Saturday, victory for City at the Etihad Stadium will see them achieve what no team has managed since 2008-09 and successfully retain the title.

Since Rodgers was appointed in late February, Leicester have won six of their nine outings, while Jamie Vardy has rattled in 10 goals during that period to propel the side firmly into contention for a seventh-place finish and Europa League qualification.

And Guardiola paid tribute to both Vardy and Rodgers in Friday’s pre-match news conference.

“His [Vardy’s] career speaks for itself, not just the last games, he’s done incredible in this league. An incredible striker, his movement, finishing, fighting,” Guardiola said.

“Before Leicester were a counter-attacking team, now with Brendan Rodgers they have another way to play, they can control all parts of the game so I think Brendan has showed his incredible quality as a manager.

“In two months, his team is already playing the way he wants to play. Of course with incredible quality, with so fast players, honestly I’ve been really impressed.

“The players know it’s an incredible task for us, it’s already a final for us, hopefully on Monday the people can help us and we can do what we have to do and win the game.”

Guardiola scoffed at suggestions that Leicester would arrive at the Etihad with anything short of 100 per cent focus, while he expects former Liverpool bosses Rodgers and Benitez to treat their fixtures with the utmost professional pride.

“That [switching off] is not going to happen,” he said. “They want to make a good performance, the question makes no sense, sorry. Forget about it.

“I can’t imagine Leicester players come here for holidays, they maybe have a chance to finish seventh, they’ll make a good game.

“Brendan and Rafa were in Liverpool, but they want to win. I cannot imagine being at former clubs and not wanting to win. They want to win so I don’t have doubts about that, it makes no sense this kind of questions, all players and managers when they are there want to do a good performance.”

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Clubs interested in signing the young Italy international will have a tough time convincing him to leave Roma as he looks set to sign a new deal

Talented teenager Nicolo Zaniolo plans to remain at Roma for the foreseeable future and could soon sign a new contract.

Confirmation of the sought-after midfielder’s intention to stay at Stadio Olimpico will come as a relief to Roma on the day they announced Daniele De Rossi’s impending departure.

Zaniolo, 19, joined as part of the swap deal that sent Radja Nainggolan to Inter last June and has impressed greatly across his 35 appearances in all competitions.

Tottenham and Bayern Munich are among the European heavyweights to have been linked with the Italy international and it appears their reported interested will go unrequited.

“I still have four years left on my contract and I’m happy here. I see my future at Roma,” Zaniolo told Sky Sport Italia.

“My agent will talk to the club at the end of the season.

“It’s always pleasing to have interest from great teams, but I’m focused on Roma and the last two league games.

“I’m positive about the [contract] renewal and I’m happy to stay.”

Roma will need Zaniolo to continue his eye-catching development next term as they seek to compensate for the loss of captain De Rossi.

The homegrown fan favourite has not been offered a new deal and will leave behind many admirers at the end of the season.

“I thank him for welcoming to Rome and treating me like a son,” Zaniolo said.

“I remember that even before I arrived he wrote to me saying, ‘Welcome to your new family, I’m the old man of the house, you’re one of us’.

“I can’t hide the fact that I shed some tears today because Daniele has shown how important he is for the club and for the team. He is an absurd player, a leader on and off the pitch.”

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