Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has rejected the notion that Cristiano Ronaldo needs to accept being a bit-part player after failing to secure a move away from Old Trafford.

Ronaldo had tried to engineer a move away from Old Trafford after requesting a transfer, but failed to find a suitor to satisfy his desire for Champions League football and to challenge for trophies prior to the window closing on Thursday.

The five-time Ballon d Or winner, who has another year on his United contract, was used off the bench in a 26-minute cameo in United s 1-0 win at Leicester City on Thursday. Ronaldo has only made one start this Premier League season, with four appearances off the bench.

The 37-year-old missed United s pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia for per…

What the papers say

England and Manchester United goalkeeper Mary Earps, 30, could be heading to France, according to the Evening Standard. Paris St Germain have emerged a favourites to sign the BBC Sports Personality of the Year when her contract runs out in the summer.

Crystal Palace are closing in on signing Peterborough’s Ronnie Edwards, 20. The Evening Standard says the Premier League club is working on a deal for the England Under-20 defender.

Arsenal are looking to add Jorrel Hato, 17, from Ajax to their squad, reports the Telegraph. The Gunners are preparing a bid for the Netherlands defender.

Chelsea’s Thiago Silva, 39, could be heading back home to Brazil in the summer, according to the Daily Mirror. He is expected to be offered a return to Flumine…

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has insisted Brazil international defender David Luiz will not be leaving Stamford Bridge, for any price, this summer, understands.

Luiz, 26, has been the subject of reported interest from FC Barcelona in recent times, with the Spanish champions still searching for a long-term replacement for aging centre-back Carles Puyol.

The Brazil international, who joined Chelsea from Portuguese Primeira Liga side S.L. Benfica for an undisclosed fee believed to be in the region of €25 million in January 2011, is extremely versatile and can deputise as a defensive midfielder and as a left-back.

At the moment, the Blues first-team squad consists of five centre-backs, including Luiz, Branislav Ivanović, captain John Terry, Gary…

Real set to sign Martin Odegaard

Spanish daily newspaper that Real Madrid are set to win the chase for Norwegian wonderkid Martin Odegaard.

The talented footballer seems to have been convinced by los Blancos and looks set to move to Santiago Bernabeu, although Real Madrid officials cannot afford to relax just yet.

Having seen superstar Neymar slip out of their grasp few years ago, they are determined not to make the same mistake and continue to work hard on signing the 15-year-old footballer.

Odegaard will turn 16 in less than two weeks, meaning there will be no obstacles to the January transfer to Real Madrid.

Despite his fragile age, the youngster has already impressed at senior level, scoring 5 goals in 23 league outings for Stromsgodset.

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Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford is free to play for England and it is showing after his exploits against Costa Rica, according to international team-mate Danny Welbeck.

Rashford dazzled as England defeated Costa Rica 2-0 in a pre-World Cup fixture in Leeds on Thursday – the 20-year-old capping his performance with a stunning 25-yard strike.

The 2017-18 season was a struggle for Rashford, who was mostly restricted to substitute appearances under the conservative approach of United manager Jose Mourinho.

However, former United forward Welbeck – now playing for Premier League rivals Arsenal – believes Rashford is benefiting from freedom with the national team.

I have enjoyed training with Marcus and from playing against him in the Premier L…

Frederic Antonetti has been sacked as Lille head coach with the club languishing in the Ligue 1 relegation zone.

Antonetti replaced Herve Renard on November 22, 2015, with Lille 16th in the table and led them to a fifth-placed finish and Europa League qualification, but he has lost his job a year later after a sluggish start to 2016-17.

Lille s European campaign was ended by Qabala in the Europa League qualifiers and they have lost eight of their last 10 games in Ligue 1.

Antonetti s assistant Patrick Collot will take charge of the team on an interim basis, with Lille heading to Nantes on Saturday.

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Wrexham s fierce National League title battle with Notts County has been comparable to the great rivalry between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, according to Ben Tozer.

There has been a great deal of focus on Wrexham over the past two seasons after the club were bought by Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.

The Welsh side have thrived in the spotlight, finishing second last year and falling agonisingly short in an epic play-off defeat to Grimsby Town.

Wrexham bounced back this season and are now in pole position for the single automatic promotion place, needing only to beat Boreham Wood on Saturday to seal their return to the Football League.

That is only after a remarkable tussle with Notts County, however, culminating in the dramatic …

Thomas Tuchel thinks Bayern Munich resemble a team that has played 70 or 80 games after the lethargic Bavarians let more Bundesliga points slip away in a 3-1 defeat at Mainz.

Bayern looked likely to extend their lead over second-placed Borussia Dortmund to five points when Sadio Mane put them ahead, but an astonishing second-half collapse continued Tuchel s troubling start to life at the club.

Goals from Ludovic Ajorque, Leandro Barreiro and Aaron Martin dealt Tuchel his third loss in seven games at the helm, denting Bayern s hopes of an 11th consecutive league title.

Bayern have now gone four games without a win across all competitions, and Tuchel believes a lack of energy is responsible for their downturn.

I don t think it s a technical or tactical pro…

At Soweto s most famous address, tour buses of camera-toting tourists roll up like clockwork outside Nelson Mandela s old red-bricked home for a dose of anti-apartheid royalty.

Pouring toward the modest but revamped house which Mandela returned to after 27 years in jail, they pass gentle foot-traffic and street vendors punting animal skins, curios and the occasional gaudy Mandela bust.

It s the most famous street in South Africa. All the tour buses go past Vilakazi Street, said Jojo Tsheola, tour operator and treasurer of a regional tourism body.

The world s only street that claims two Nobel Peace laureates Archbishop Desmond Tutu s house is down the road the area is struggle-tourism gold anchored by the revamped Mandela Family Museum.

But with the FIFA…

Chelsea midfielder Mickael Essien has been named in the Ghana team for next month s African Nations Cup but captain Stephen Appiah has been left out along with Sulley Ali Muntari.

Essien, 29, limped off with a hamstring injury during Chelsea s 2-2 draw against APOEL Nicosia earlier this month, and is not certain to be in top form for the Janaury 10-31 tournament.

Like Essien and Gyan Asamoah, Inter Milan midfielder Ali Muntari refused to play in a friendly against Angola on November 18 but has been punished for disciplinary reasons after failing to pay a fine.

Appiah has not sufficiently recovered from a right leg injury and will miss the tournament for the second time after already missing the 2008 edition in his homeland through injury.

Coach Milovan R…