#_author:James Ducker

[the-telegraph-sport-yahoopa-blog]

Jose Mourinho lambasts 'nonsense' fixture schedule as Manchester United cruise to FA Cup fifth round

Jose Mourinho has launched another scathing attack on Manchester United’s “crazy” fixture list and questioned how “the best country of world football” can preside over such a “nonsense” schedule.

Although evasive on the subject of Wayne Rooney’s future amid talk of the England captain moving to China next month, the United manager admitted Ashley Young could leave before the close of the transfer window tomorrow evening.

But Mourinho was mostly preoccupied last night with United’s expanding volume of games after victory over Wigan Athletic at Old Trafford left the Portuguese with another game to navigate in an ­increasingly onerous fixture list.

Mourinho sarcastically claimed that a series of “nice gifts” awaited his side as he moved to highlight the advantage Southampton will have in the lead-up to the EFL Cup final at Wembley on Feb 26, as well as Liverpool and Chelsea in the Premier League title race. Liverpool are not in Europe and out of all domestic cup competitions so have just the league to concentrate on whereas United could play another 30 matches, excluding replays, if they reach the finals of the FA Cup and Europa League.

“I can imagine we are going to have some nice gifts, like Watford today had an amazing gift,” Mourinho said. “They played today and then have to play Tuesday in the Premier League. It’s a laugh with many matches played [on Saturday]. How is it possible a team plays today and Tuesday?

Bastian Schweinsteiger got a rare start against Wigan  Credit: Getty Images

“It’s absolutely nonsense and I know this is not just for Watford, I know that applies with many other clubs. Liverpool are going to play 16 matches, Chelsea will play 16 matches, plus some in the FA Cup and we are in this crazy situation.

“I think Southampton will have 15 days without football before the final and we are going to have in these 15 days two matches against St Étienne [in the Europa League] and the next round of the FA Cup so the calendar in the best country of world football is nonsense.

“In a realistic way I think the ­Premier League is almost an impossible mission but I just think about winning the next match and the next match is not an impossible mission.

“In the League Cup we have a 50 per cent chance of winning it. In the FA Cup we are in the last 16. In the Europa League we are in the last 32, so lots of matches to play.”

Jose Mourinho feels Utd have been disadvantaged by TV scheduling  Credit: Reuters

Mourinho may be forced to tackle that forbidding fixture list with a reduced squad, too, unless the potential departure of more players paves the way for a new arrival in the next 48 hours. Watford, West Bromwich Albion, West Ham ­United and Everton, as well as ­Chinese Super League clubs, are interested in Young, who was omitted from the squad against Wigan as a consequence. Doubts have also been cast over the future of Rooney, who has a £32 million-a-year offer on the table to move to China before their transfer window closes on Feb 28.

Asked about Rooney – who was presented with a golden boot before kick-off by Sir Bobby Charlton to commemorate breaking his ­United goalscoring record – Mourinho said: “The only player that I am aware of a possibility to leave, and I am waiting for Jan 31 to know what really is going on, is Ashley Young, a player that I would love to keep. If I could choose, yes definitely, he will stay with us.”

One United player who is going nowhere, for now at least, is Bastian Schweinsteiger. The midfielder, 32, capped a first start for the club in 385 days by scoring the game’s fourth goal with an overhead kick of sorts to add some gloss to a scoreline that flattered Mourinho’s side after a dogged display from Wigan.

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With Morgan Schneiderlin and Memphis Depay having departed for Everton and Lyon respectively this month, Mourinho said Schweinsteiger would be in the squad for the Europa League knockout stage. “He’s staying and he’s going to the Europa League list because we open spaces with Depay and Schneiderlin [gone], and we don’t have many players and in midfield we don’t have many options so obviously he’s an option,” he said.

Mourinho admitted United “did nothing” in the first half, when he had substitutes Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Marcus Rashford warming up after just 16 minutes, and he told his players as much at the interval. United were fortunate to lead 1-0 at half-time after Marouane Fellaini headed in Schweinsteiger’s cross but they improved in the second half. Anthony Martial was more effective once moved wide on the left and set up the second and third goals for Chris Smalling and Henrikh Mkhitaryan. Schweinsteiger added a fourth when he scooped Ander Herrera’s knock down over his head and in.

Warren Joyce, the Wigan manager who was previously United’s Under-21 coach, said: “We got all the things we wanted to do pretty much right for 44 minutes. We ­created the best chances with ­pretty clever football then conceded a goal you see every week in the Championship. Four-nil probably flatters United.”

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[the-telegraph-sport-yahoopa-blog]

Wigan's Reece James leaves dark days behind him as he prepares to face old club Man Utd

There were some dark days in the James household last year. Matty James missed the entirety of Leicester City’s remarkable championship-winning campaign after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament in the penultimate home game of the previous season. Waiting hand on foot on the crestfallen midfielder was his younger brother, Reece, the Wigan Athletic defender and fellow product of Manchester United’s famed youth academy, at least until the roles were reversed and the junior James sibling succumbed to an injury nightmare of his own. Then it was Matty’s turn to play the role of downtrodden butler in the house they shared in Mere, a Cheshire suburb.

The road back for both has been long and painful but they were able to lean on each other for support and, almost a year after suffering an ankle ligament and tendon problem that required two operations, Reece is finally braced for his comeback for Wigan on Sunday afternoon. He could not have picked a more emotive venue for it. Having never got the opportunity to play at Old Trafford in a competitive match during his three years at United, the left-back is hopeful of getting off the substitutes’ bench in the televised FA Cup fourth-round tie. And watching him in the crowd should be Matty, whose own career got a welcome lift yesterday when he made his first appearance on loan for Barnsley from Leicester. 

“It would be amazing for me,” said Reece, 23, talking at Wigan’s Euxton training ground on Friday. “I was unfortunate to miss the friendly in pre-season against United [at the DW Stadium] but this one is even better because it is actually at Old Trafford and it is a game with some meaning behind it. I played for United’s Under-21s in a pre-season game against Valencia at Old Trafford but it was nothing like a full house so if I can get on this weekend it will be something I have always wanted to do.

Reece is the brother of Leicester's Matty James, who is currently on loan at Barnsley

“The fixture obviously came up two weeks ago and it was a coincidence that I was just getting back to fitness at that point after 12 months out, so it was extra motivation for me to push myself even more. I’ve only had seven training sessions but hopefully I’ve done enough for a reward.” 

So long as Reece can come up with the tickets, Matty will be present. Only 21 months separate the pair and the bond between them is strong. “The injury was the first serious one I’ve had and the only thing that helped me is that Matty had a cruciate injury so he was suffering at the same time,” Reece recalled.

“We both lived together, went to the training centre together, suffered little setbacks together. It was difficult for Matt to miss the whole Leicester thing last season. To watch him go up on his own and not receive a medal was heartbreaking for the family. He was made to feel part of the squad by the manager and the players.

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“I was staying with him until I got my own house so we lived together for two years in Manchester. He didn’t charge me rent! He was housebound for two weeks when he was on his crutches and couldn’t really move, so it was me having to get up and do the coffees. But then the tables turned when I got injured. I had my little bell and just rang the life out of it!”

Reece is matter-of-fact about his time at United. He scored twice in a 7-0 friendly win over LA Galaxy in July 2014 after Louis van Gaal took him on the club’s pre-season tour of the US. But the defender said he blew his chance of making it at Old Trafford five weeks later when a young United side were demolished 4-0 by MK Dons in the League Cup. Loan spells at Rotherham and Huddersfield followed and the next year he joined Wigan, who are now managed by Warren Joyce, his old under-21s coach at United.

“I felt like I got a fair chance,” he said. “Being invited on to the tour was a massive opportunity and I felt like I took that chance. When I came on against LA Galaxy I felt my legs were jelly-like and then as soon as I scored the first goal all the nerves went away. But it was unfortunate when I got back, I had an injury setback, and then MK Dons was the game that killed me, and I can only fault myself for that. I didn’t impress on that night.

“There were a few of us chucked in with players who aren’t there any more. It was difficult. It was a team that had never played together before against a team that was really up for it. You look at some of their players – Benik Afobe, Dele Alli – it wasn’t a bad side they had. It was just one of those nights where a mistake happens for the first goal and then you go under a little bit.

“Sometimes you have to admit whether Man United is where you’re going to be in the long term. You’ve got to understand that yourself – whether you’re going to make that grade or not and, at that time in my career, I felt like I wasn’t, and that’s why I made the decision to come to Wigan.”

[the-telegraph-sport-yahoopa-blog]

Exclusive: Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic pep talk lifts Anthony Martial

Zlatan Ibrahimovic pulled Anthony Martial aside last month and told the France forward his Manchester United career would be best served by ignoring outside influences and instead heeding the advice of manager Jose Mourinho and others at the club.

Ibrahimovic’s pep talk came after Martial’s agent, Philippe Lamboley, had spoken publicly about exploring the possibility of a loan move to Sevilla for his client and echoed Mourinho’s warning that the 21-year-old should listen to him and not his representative.

Although frustrated at being omitted from United’s squad for the Premier League game at Stoke City last Saturday and Thursday’s EFL Cup tie away to Hull City, Martial is understood to have been receptive to Ibrahimovic and Mourinho’s messages and is determined to emerge a stronger player from a difficult second season at the club.

Ibrahimovic’s intervention is the latest example of how the Swede helps to police the Old Trafford dressing room and his influence on the squad and Martial has come to recognise that Mourinho would not have been so hard on him if he did not think the player was worth all the effort. Henrikh Mkhitaryan has been in a similar situation this season.

Mourinho has said he will recall Martial for the visit of Wigan Athletic in the FA Cup fourth round on Sunday and has told the player that, if he produces a “magnificent” performance against the Championship club, he will keep his place for the league match at home to Hull three days later.

Martial is hoping to come in from the shadows when United host Wigan Credit: REX FEATURES

Left-back Luke Shaw, who has not played since Nov 30, is also expected to start against Wigan.

Asked how Martial reacted to be omitted against Hull, Mourinho said: “I don’t know. I don’t speak with the players about how they take it. He will play Sunday and, if [on] Sunday he plays magnificent, he will play against Hull City in the next match. Simple.”

Martial has been twice warned publicly by Mourinho this season that he cannot keep passing up opportunities to impress given the competition for places out wide with Mkhitaryan, Juan Mata, Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard.

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The Frenchman was involved in an acrimonious split from his partner, Samantha Jacquelinet, last year that became a distraction but he is thought to have found a new girlfriend, is happy in Manchester and eager to prove why the club paid Monaco an initial £36.3 million fee to make him the world’s most expensive teenager in September 2015. United will owe Monaco a further €10 million (£8.5 million) if Martial scores twice more to reach 25 goals.

Meanwhile, United captain Wayne Rooney has reiterated his desire to move into management once he retires from playing. “It’s something I’d love to do,” Rooney, 31, said. “My whole life has been around football and the minute I finish playing I would like to try and stay in the game and hopefully get the opportunity to manage. Players of this generation have enough money to not have to go into management so the ones who want to do it will be successful at it.”

[the-telegraph-sport-yahoopa-blog]

Man Utd vs Wigan: Paul Pogba always wanted to be the best but he keeps having stupid haircuts, says former youth coach Warren Joyce ahead of Old Trafford return

It is easy to understand why Warren Joyce was unsympathetic to any youngster under his watch at Manchester United who might have been reluctant to go that extra yard. As a teenager, he once broke his neck on a school rugby tour of Australia but played through excruciating pain for another 10 matches over a six-week period before returning home to discover the severity of the injury. “They told me later I could have paralysed myself,” he says, almost matter of factly.

Joyce is a no-frills sort of guy. Honest, plain-speaking, a football man to the core, you can see why Sir Alex Ferguson entrusted him with guiding the futures of so many young players over two spells totalling 18 years at Old Trafford. Joyce returns to his spiritual home on Sunday as manager of Wigan Athletic, when several of is proteges, notably Paul Pogba, will be blocking the Championship club’s path to the FA Cup fifth round.

Joyce is fiercely proud of his record of producing a litany of talents. At one point during an hour of illuminating conversation, he reels off a 25-man squad, in position order, of players plying their trade in the Premier League who emerged under his tutelage at United. He demanded dedication and recalled how midfielder Oliver Norwood, now with Brighton, “always had a problem with getting weight off” so “almost starved himself” after being told his body fat was double that of Paul Scholes. But it is those who have not fulfilled their potential who get him just as animated.

“The frustrating thing is seeing ones like Adnan Januzaj, James Wilson or Federico Macheda get up to that level and stop doing the work they did to get to that level,” said the Oldham-born 52-year-old. “Not play the games, not train as hard, sit in Jacuzzis and not do the same weights and sessions they did to get there. Those are the frustrating ones for me, because that could be avoided.

Joyce spent 18 years at Old Trafford  Credit: REX FEATURES

“If you can get up to that level when you’re young, you need to continue to work hard. You hope they become intelligent enough that they’re self-managing. Look at the Leicester team that won the league last season. There were five players that were in United’s reserves. If you add Jeff Schlupp, who came on trial for three months, trained with us and says openly that it changed him around, that’s a big group.” 

.html-embed.component .quote.component{margin-left:0;}.html-embed.component .quote.component .component-content{margin-right:16px;}.quote_source, .quote_author {white-space:normal;}@media screen and (min-width:730px){.html-embed.component .quote.component{margin-left:-60.83px;}.html-embed.component .quote.component .quote_content:before{margin-left:-12px;padding-right:1px;}}@media screen and (min-width:1008px){.html-embed.component .quote.component{margin-left:-82.33px;}}We took it in turns doing his community service with him. I’ve shovelled horse s--- with him to try and help himJoyce on Ravel Morrison

Another source of frustration is Ravel Morrison, the gifted midfielder who kept the wrong company, got into trouble with the authorities, was eventually sold by United and has just finished a short-lived trial at Wigan from Lazio after struggling to convince Joyce he was worth a punt for the remainder of the season. “There were times we took it in turns doing Ravel’s community service with him,” Joyce recalled. “I’ve shovelled horse s--- with him in an afternoon to try and help him through that.” 

Joyce used to drive what he called a “little old shed” of a car at United in protest at the so-called “baby Bentley” culture among young footballers that Roy Keane, the former United captain, publicly derided. “If you’re preaching those sorts of habits to players, you’ve got to have those habits yourself, haven’t you?” Joyce said. “I had the worst car at the club because they [United] were tight and didn’t pay much [laughs] but also because there are too many kids nowadays who have got big flash cars and they’ve not done anything in the game. You either want to be in a boy band in a pop star environment, or a footballer.”

.html-embed.component .quote.component{margin-left:0;}.html-embed.component .quote.component .component-content{margin-right:16px;}.quote_source, .quote_author {white-space:normal;}@media screen and (min-width:730px){.html-embed.component .quote.component{margin-left:-60.83px;}.html-embed.component .quote.component .quote_content:before{margin-left:-12px;padding-right:1px;}}@media screen and (min-width:1008px){.html-embed.component .quote.component{margin-left:-82.33px;}}He always wanted to be the best in the world. Doing it depends whether he keeps having them stupid haircuts, and is involved in gimmicksJoyce on Pogba

Joyce recalls how Ferguson once sold Nicky Butt’s Porsche behind the player’s back because he felt it was too flash. When Joyce arrived at Wigan, he was given a Mercedes ML 4 x 4. “We’re sponsored by Mercedes, and I said to the young lads, ‘I’m not bothered what car I’ve got’ and they were all laughing, saying, ‘Watch, you’ll be just as flash’. The next thing a big white Mercedes jeep arrives at my house. My son’s going, ‘That car’s sick’. I drove it the next day and thought, ‘There’s no way I can drive that’. I didn’t even park it in the manager’s spot. I said, ‘Get me a car that’s not flash, we’re bottom of the league’.”

Talking of flash, Joyce has observed the commercial fanfare around Pogba, the fashion range, the Twitter emoji and the Old Trafford perimeter boards marketing the world’s most expensive footballer, and hopes it does not damage the midfielder’s focus.

“He always wanted to be the best player in the world,” Joyce said. “He set his standards to try and do that. I had a go at him a couple of times because he never tackled. But he’s always had that inner drive to want to do that.” Can he achieve it? “That depends on him really,” Joyce adds. “It depends whether he keeps having them stupid haircuts, and is involved in too many gimmicks off the field.” Joyce chuckles briefly before his tone becomes serious again. “It’s up to him, what he does. That’s me being critical of him because you can’t remember Scholes and Ryan Giggs doing very much of that.” 

Pick your Manchester United team to play Wigan

United paid Juventus £89 million to bring Pogba back but Joyce infers that the player might never have left but for the influence of his agent, Mino Raiola. “There is a story there but you’re better leaving it dead,” Joyce said. “There was a lot written and it wasn’t anywhere near the truth. There was me and him in a room and I can’t tell you. All I do know is he played for us in the Manchester Senior Cup final on May 17 at the Etihad, four days after Manchester City had won the league [in 2012]. He was still desperate to play for Man United in a reserve final when, if he breaks his leg, he isn’t going to Juventus.” 

Joyce played cricket and rugby for England at schoolboy level but his rugby career ended when he fractured the fifth and sixth vertebrae in his neck. “You talk about influences like Sir Alex but my school teacher on that rugby tour was Ray French, who played for the British Lions,” Joyce said. “They’re like John Wayne-type characters. You were ashamed to come off, even with a broken neck. If that had happened now the school would be sued to bits.”

Football was always Joyce’s first love, though, and within a year of breaking his neck he was playing as a midfielder in Bolton Wanderers’ first team. He rejected more than 10 offers to leave United during his second spell at the club. But it is often forgotten that Wigan is his third job in management. In his first, Joyce performed a remarkable rescue act in 1999 at Hull City, who were 15 points adrift at the bottom of the fourth tier and staring non-League football in the face, and his second was overseas at Royal Antwerp, United’s old feeder club in Belgium.

Joyce’s father, Walter, played for Burnley but was left out of the 1962 FA Cup final against Tottenham Hotspur, despite starting against Fulham in the semi-final. They never spoke about it. But it was something his dad did say to him when he was 10 that would leave a lasting impression. “He told me, ‘The fitter you are the more you can do, and the more you can do, the better you’ll be’. That’s stuck with me through life.” 

There are plenty of young players who will testify to having had that message drilled into them by Joyce.

[the-telegraph-sport-yahoopa-blog]

Jose Mourinho refuses to accept that Man Utd's unbeaten run is over after 2-1 defeat to Hull City: 'It was 1-1'

Jose Mourinho refused to accept Manchester United's unbeaten run was over on Thursday night after struggling to contain his fury at referee Jonathan Moss awarding Hull City a controversial penalty.

United booked their place in the EFL Cup final against Southampton, despite Hull ending their 17-game unbeaten streak with a 2-1 win at the KCOM Stadium.

But Mourinho claimed his side did not lose after being infuriated that Marcos Rojo was penalised for a push on Harry Maguire.

Tom Huddlestone converted the penalty and then escaped conceding a spot-kick after a challenge on Chris Smalling.

"I think 18 matches unbeaten is amazing," the United manager said. "We didn’t lose. It was 1-1. I only saw two goals. I saw Paul Pogba's goal and their (second) goal (by Oumar Niasse) was a fantastic goal, a great action. It was a great cross, and the guy coming in at the far post. 1-1.”

Mourinho said he only saw two goals

Asked why he did not count Hull's first goal, Mourinho said: "I didn’t see. The message for the players is to celebrate, we are in the final, we played against a good team, a very improved team.

"I told you in the beginning, and you maybe didn't believe me, this boy (Marco Silva, the Hull manager) is a very good manager.

"I don’t want to speak about the penalty, but I don’t want also to speak about the performance because to speak about the performance again I have to say the game was in the pocket, the game was under control, and something happened to open the game.”

Pogba celebrates his crucial away goal

Mourinho has history with Moss.

The referee sent him to the stands in November after the Portuguese kicked a water bottle during a game against West Ham United in November. Last season, Mourinho was given a stadium ban as Chelsea manager after reacting angrily during another match against West Ham that was refereed by Moss. Mourinho had accused the official of being “f------ weak” in the FA’s written reasons for the one-match stadium ban and fined the Portuguese £40,000.

Moss sent Mourinho off earlier in the season for kicking a water bottle

Mourinho's anger was also reflected in his television interview with Sky lasting just 31 seconds. 

"I just want to say congratulations to my players, it was difficult road to the final," he said. "I'm calm, I behaved on the bench, no more sending offs, no more words."

Mourinho claimed United would not be favourites in the final against Southampton and appeared to aim a thinly veiled dig at Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp in the process. Klopp had complained about the wind after Liverpool's 1-0 defeat by Southampton in the second leg of their semi final at Anfield on Wednesday night and Mourinho rather mischievously suggested it would also be windy at Wembley.

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"I don’t think we are favourites against nobody, and it doesn't mater where we play, against who, we are never favourites," said Mourinho, who confirmed Anthony Martial, Luke Shaw and Sergio Romero would play against Wigan Athletic in the FA Cup fourth round on Sunday. "Normally the stadium is windy and it's difficult."

United midfielder Michael Carrick thought they were fortunate against Hull. "We got away with it today," he said.

Silva paid tribute to his Hull players. "It was a good win but not enough for our goal," the Hull manager said. "It is important to win the game but the result in the first leg caused problems for us.

"It was a good performance again, a good attitude and we controlled the game in large periods against a big team. It is impossible at this moment to feel really happy. The goal we conceded is not a normal goal, we lost control at the vital moment."

[the-telegraph-sport-yahoopa-blog]

Man Utd struggle to find fluidity as 17-match unbeaten run comes to end but Wembley date is still booked 

As the temperature at the KCOM Stadium continued to plunge, there was a point when Jose Mourinho pulled his snood above his ears in a vain bid to keep warm. In hindsight, the Manchester United manager might have regretted picking this week as the moment to have his hair shaven off. The freezing weather conditions will have been well down the list of reasons so many Hull City fans opted to stay away, though.

A couple of crashes on the roads had held up some supporters but it was eerily quiet outside the ground right up to kick-off and the large swathes of empty seats offered another reminder of the fierce opposition in these parts to the club’s owner, Assem Allam. That anger has only deepened this month with Jake Livermore leaving for West Bromwich Albion in a £10 million deal and another midfielder, Robert Snodgrass, missing for the second game running, set to follow suit.

Snodgrass is Hull’s best player. By offloading him, the club’s owners already appear to be raising the white flag in their battle against relegation. But it is a position that stands at odds with the fight being shown on the field by new manager Marco Silva and his players, something that was in clear evidence again on Thursday night as they brought United’s 17-match unbeaten run shuddering to a halt, even if victory was not enough to carry them to Wembley.

United celebrate after Paul Pogba saw them equalise on the night

Silva could not have imagined United would be quite so flat and there was an element of good fortune to the penalty Harry Maguire won and Tom Huddlestone converted to put Hull in front. But it was easy to forget that, with Livermore gone and Snodgrass absent, the Portuguese was still missing half a dozen players through injury. What Hull lack in genuine quality, though, they make up for in heart. Mourinho has been telling anyone who cared to listen that his compatriot will surprise the critics and, as Chelsea discovered in the Premier League on Sunday and Bournemouth eight days earlier, Silva has succeeded in bringing a discipline and doggedness to the side in just three weeks that was too seldom seen under Mike Phelan.

In the 25th minute, Hull fans paid tribute to Ryan Mason, their No. 25, whose fractured skull has deprived Silva of yet another central midfielder.

Pogba reels away after scoring United's away goal

Applause rippled around the ground as the message #OneRyanMason appeared on the giant screens and, if anything, that unfortunate episode seems only to have brought the group closer together. Paul Pogba may have cancelled out Huddlestone’s penalty but Hull’s response spoke volumes. Lazar Markovic blazed over from close range and Oumar Niasse sent a header crashing against the crossbar before the lively Senegal striker, on loan from Everton, scored Hull’s second.

Fans paid tribute to Ryan Mason in the 25th minute

Will that unity be enough to save them? The fixture list has not been kind to Silva. He has United again next week in the league, with games against Liverpool and Arsenal to follow, and he may not encounter a Mourinho side quite as passive and ponderous as they were for long periods of this match. Unlike Hull, were they guilty of thinking this tie was over? It certainly felt that way as they struggled to find any real fluidity to their game, other than a fleeting flourish in the lead up to Pogba’s goal. 

Hull vs Man Utd

The prospect of a first trophy will excite them but they will have to play much better than this to trouble Southampton, so impressive against Liverpool, in the final on Feb 26. Before then, United have five games in the next 19 days to negotiate and Mourinho needs his side to rediscover some momentum. They are winless in three and that head of steam they had built up has slowed.

Average touch positions (0 min)

Anthony Martial, dropped for the second game in succession here, is likely to return to the squad for Sunday’s FA Cup fourth round tie against Wigan Athletic but United need to find a spark from somewhere.

Hull may just have found theirs and, regardless of the actions of others, neither Silva nor his players will be throwing in the towel any time soon.

[the-telegraph-sport-yahoopa-blog]

Jose Mourinho fears EFL Cup final could hurt Manchester United's top four chances but would not swap fixture lists 

Jose Mourinho is concerned that reaching the EFL Cup final could hurt Manchester United’s prospects of finishing in the top four this ­season.

United’s Premier League game away to Manchester City will have to be rescheduled if Mourinho’s side, who take a 2-0 lead to Hull City for the second leg of their EFL Cup semi-final at the KCOM Stadium on Thursday evening , progress to the final at Wembley on Feb 26 because the two fixtures clash.

Mourinho – who has again warned forward Anthony Martial he cannot keep squandering chances to impress – admitted United’s congested fixture list was already a headache and fears the City match will be pushed back towards the end of the season to a time that is “difficult” for his team.

United’s final two away games of the Premier League campaign are against Tottenham Hotspur and ­Arsenal and Mourinho appears to be worried that another tough away fixture during the same period could damage their prospects of Champions League qualification.

With United still in four competitions, including the Europa League, in which they face St-Étienne in the round of 32 next month, they could play as many as 32 more matches, excluding replays, this season.

Manchester United take a 2-0 lead to Hull in the EFL Cup semi-final Credit: Reuters

United played a total of 63 games in all competitions when they won the Treble in 1998-99 but Mourinho’s side would face a minimum of 66 if they reached the finals of the EFL Cup, FA Cup, in which they face Wigan Athletic in the fourth round at Old Trafford on Sunday, and Europa League.

“I know it’s going to be hard if we go step by step,” said Mourinho, who was sporting a new cropped haircut. “If we beat Hull and we play the final then we don’t play against Manchester City. Then the match against City, I’m sure they will choose an amazing moment, difficult for us, to make us play against them. Then we have the Europa League, which is a non-stop competition. If we progress it’s going to be really difficult but let’s see.

“We go competition by competition, match after match. It is the semi-final [against Hull] then an important game in the FA Cup. If you lose you’re out, if you draw you have to go to another match at Wigan and we don’t need another match.

Jose Mourinho sported a new haircut at his pre-Hull press conference 

“I have a board with all matches and possible matches on my office wall and when I look at it, the image is quite complicated. We know there are teams with a wonderful life – a wonderful life we don’t want but a wonderful life [they have].”

Mourinho said of his new buzz cut: “The haircut is a privilege because I’m the kind of guy who can do it and in a one month I have a new [head of] hair, a new wig! It’s just a privilege. Some of you can’t do it!”

Martial was dropped for United’s 1-1 draw at Stoke City on Saturday, but while Mourinho said he had no problem with the France striker opting to go to Paris for a short break instead of staying to watch the game, the manager has warned the player that he cannot keep failing to take the opportunities afforded him.

Which Premier League team has trailed for the fewest minutes this season?

Martial was substituted after 65 minutes of the 1-1 draw at home to Liverpool, with Mourinho frustrated that the forward did not do more to trouble Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold, who was making his first Premier League start. It remains to be seen if Martial features against Hull but Mourinho has already warned Martial once this season that he needed to take his chances after being dropped against Feyenoord in November. 

“I don’t think he lost his focus, I think he just didn’t catch with both hands a big opportunity he had,” said Mourinho, who could also include left-back Luke Shaw for the first time since Nov 30.

MUFC greatest XI

“We still have five players for these positions. I cannot give to one player chances to play and kill the others. If for him it was better to go to Paris, that’s completely fine.

“For the weekend if nothing happened in terms of injury, I’m going to play [Sergio] Romero [against Wigan] and put Joel [Pereira] on the bench. David De Gea will be free and if he wants to go to Spain and enjoy two days, he has to go.

“I give the players this freedom of choice so no problem at all with Anthony to go to Paris.”

Meanwhile, Mourinho will watch with interest to see what punishment, if any, awaits Arsène Wenger after the Arsenal manager was charged by the Football Association with verbally abusing and shoving fourth official Anthony Taylor during Sunday’s 2-1 win against Burnley. 

Mourinho’s assistant, Rui Faria, was given a six-match stadium ban for abusive language towards officials during Chelsea’s 2-1 defeat by Sunderland in April 2014. Mourinho has stated this season that he wants to see consistency from the FA when handing out ­disciplinary punishments.

Asked about the Wenger episode and what he thinks will happen, Mourinho said: “I never pushed the referee so I don’t have a comparison. So I have no idea.”  

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Passengers on tram filmed chanting anti-Semitic songs ahead of Man City vs Spurs clash

Manchester City have pledged to co-operate fully with any police investigation after Jewish leaders condemned the chanting of anti-Semitic songs on a tram before the Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.

Video footage on a Metrolink tram from Manchester city centre to the Etihad Stadium appears to show supporters heading to the match singing “You’re getting gassed in the morning” – a sickening reference to the treatment of Jews in concentration camps during the Second World War.

Tottenham’s support is historically made up of a large Jewish fan base, who have been the subject of anti-Semitic chants and behaviour over the years.

The footage was reportedly at around 5.10pm on Saturday, 20 minutes before kick-off, and police have urged anyone with information to come forward. According to local newspaper reports, Anthony Fallon, who filmed the chants on a mobile phone, said he would be sending the footage to Greater Manchester Police to investigate.

The chanting was heard as fans made their way to the Etihad Stadium

Jonathan Arkush, the president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, the organisation that represents the UK Jewish community, was hugely critical of the alleged incident.

“Sick racist chanting has been an enduring part of the football scene in this country for far too long now,” he said in a statement. “It is a criminal offence. The perpetrators should be arrested and feel the full force of the law.”

Simon Johnson, the chief executive of the Jewish Leadership Council, echoed Arkush’s remarks. He said: “It is incumbent upon all clubs, and the football authorities, to take extra measures to prevent this from happening and rapidly identify the culprits.” 

A spokesman for City said the club “strongly condemns the use of any anti-Semitic language” and would be cooperating with any investigation into the matter.

GMP has asked for witnesses to come forward. A spokesman said: “We have not received a report of the incident but we would urge anyone with information to contact us on 101.” 

Which Premier League team has trailed for the fewest minutes this season?

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Yaya Toure: I don't understand why people sacrifice high-class football for China's cash

Yaya Touré has claimed that a money-spinning move to China would only leave him feeling “angry” after questioning why players who can still compete at the highest level would sacrifice pedigree football for a lucrative payday.

Oscar turned his back on the Premier League last month to join Chinese Super League club Shanghai SIPG from Chelsea for £60 million, despite the Brazilian being only 25 and with his best days arguably ahead of him.

Touré, 33, was offered £430,000 a week this month to join a Chinese Super League club but the Manchester City midfielder said he shared the same determination as another ageing superstar, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, to play at the top for as long as possible.

Whos playing in China?

Ibrahimovic, 35, is the third highest scorer in the Premier League this season with 14 goals and, like Touré, the Manchester United striker has also shunned eye-watering offers to move to China. Touré is out of contract at City in the summer, but while he hopes to earn a 12-month contract extension to his £220,000-a-week deal, the Ivorian wants to remain in the Premier League in the event that Pep Guardiola releases him.

Yaya Toure is back in the fold at Manchester City but his future will not be decided until the end of the season Credit:  Reuters/Hannah McKay 

Asked about the prospect of moving to China, Touré said: “Me? No. I’m still looking young, right? I want to play in Europe, especially in England. I want to continue doing that for a few years yet. I always say that if I went to China I would end up feeling angry there. Do you play football because you love football or do you play because you want to make money? Me, I just want to play football because I enjoy it. I love playing. I enjoy helping my team-mates, I enjoy playing against the big players and teams.

“I want to carry on in that way. Some people have the mentality that they want to do that [go to China] – to try something different. But for me, my feeling is that I want to play more football.

Players of out contract this summer

“Look at my friend Ibrahimovic. He’s 35 and he’s going to play for maybe three more years? He’s got the same mentality as me. He’s a big player, a champion who loves football. It’s football first. Anything after that is a bonus. You can be lucky to go and play for big clubs and still earn a lot of money. But those who go to China? I don’t think like that.”

Having initially been frozen out by Guardiola at City following a row between the manager and the player’s agent, Dimitri Seluk, Touré was brought back into the fold in November and has played regularly since.

Asked if playing for City for an eighth season was his priority, Touré said: “Yes, definitely. I’ve said before that I’ve been involved with a lot of clubs. But especially at City, I want to give something back to the fans. I’d like to continue to work hard for them, keep giving them entertainment, keep them happy. If I was tired, I’d say, ‘No more, move on’. But I don’t feel like that, I feel very, very good. I feel young.” 

Tosin Adarabioyo could opt to leave Man City at the end of the season Credit: Rex Features

While Touré wants to stay at City, one player who could leave by choice this summer is Tosin Adarabioyo. The 19-year-old centre-half is out of contract at the end of the season and City have yet to agree a new deal with his representatives, whose financial demands the club are reluctant to meet. Everton and Celtic are among the clubs hoping to take advantage of the impasse but City remain in talks and are hopeful of a resolution.

Meanwhile, referee Andre Marriner will not be rested for the next round of Premier League games, despite attracting criticism for his performance during City’s 2-2 draw at home to Spurs on Saturday. Marriner failed to spot a handball by Leroy Sané in the lead up to City’s goal and was rebuked for not awarding Raheem Sterling a penalty after he was pushed by Kyle Walker. Marriner will referee Arsenal’s fixture against Watford at the Emirates Stadium a week today.

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Ross McCormack ordered to train with Aston Villa U23s as club seek to offload striker

Ross McCormack was ordered to train with Aston Villa Under-23s on Monday while the first team were given a day as the club seek to offload the errant striker before the transfer window closes.

The Scotland international, signed from Fulham for £12 million last summer, has been banished by Steve Bruce after the manager lost patience with the player repeatedly missing training.

Bruce dropped McCormack from his squad for the 2-2 draw against Preston North End in the Championship on Saturday and revealed that the forward’s latest excuse for missing training was that the electric gates at his house would not open.

McCormack's fitness levels have been an issue this season Credit: rex

McCormack, who is understood to have some personal problems, was instructed to train with the youngsters last week and again on Monday as Villa weigh up what to do with the 30-year-old, whose fitness levels have also been an issue this season.

Villa must consider a number of factors before offloading McCormack but the club’s desire for a substantial transfer fee, coupled with the player’s reputed £45,000 a week wages, could prove prohibitive to potential suitors.

Bruce, who replaced Roberto Di Matteo as manager in November, has been critical of Villa’s previous spending and said at the weekend that there had been too many instances of indiscipline at the club. McCormack has scored just three goals in 22 appearances. 

Steve Bruce is not happy with his errant striker Credit: rex

Bruce said there would be “anarchy” if he lets players behave how they saw fit. “I've never done this in 20 years but if it repeatedly happens, then I won't put up with it,” he said. “If I do, then I will have the lunatics running the asylum.

“If I let people do what they want, then we'll have anarchy. You're never going to create a team spirit if they're looking round giggling at each other because he's not turned up again.”

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Manchester City face tricky dilemma with young defender Tosin Adarabioyo's future at a crossroads 

Tosin Adarabioyo is not a name that will be overly familiar to many beyond supporters of a Manchester City persuasion but it would be little surprise if that was to change over the coming weeks and months.

While City’s struggles to convert chances into goals remain a considerable source of angst for manager Pep Guardiola, Adarabioyo is causing plenty of anxiety behind the scenes as the club’s decision-makers find themselves between the proverbial rock and a hard place over the sensitive subject of the player’s future.

Adarabioyo, for those who don’t know, is a gifted 19-year-old centre-half. Manchester born, tall, fast, good in the air with an excellent attitude, he looks a natural reader of the game and has represented England throughout the junior age groups.

When City are asked to rate the prospects of the current crop knocking on the first team door, Adarabioyo’s name is usually one of the first that rolls off the tongue. Guardiola spoke for many at the club last August when he said of Adarabioyo: “His mind is open. He listens. He trains every day like it’s the last training [session] of his life.”

And yet City find themselves in a jam, a rather big one, and whatever materialises, none of the likely outcomes look too favourable from the club’s perspective. Adarabioyo is out of contract in the summer but talks over a new deal have dragged on and on and others clubs, including Everton and Celtic, are now circling, hoping to take full advantage of the stand-off that has ensued between City and the defender’s family and representatives.

Adarabioyo in action against Arsenal in last season's youth cup semi-final Credit: Rex Features

Adarabioyo’s side are demanding an eye-watering financial package that City are deeply uncomfortable meeting for a youngster who has yet to make a Premier League appearance and, for all his talents, remains unproven. If they bow to such demands, they are fearful of opening a can of worms, with other academy talents lining up to request similar paydays. Such concerns are understandable.

On the flip side, City are only too mindful of how the prospect of Adarabioyo departing would be perceived from outside – another promising youngster, one of the perceived jewels in their crown who was denied any real opportunity at first team level, going to try his hand at a club where chances are forthcoming, not one that just talks a good game about blooding youth. It has the makings of a PR disaster. Either way, City are over a barrel.

Pick your best Manchester City team

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Man Utd working on £86m Antoine Griezmann deal as Atletico Madrid say they won't stand in player's way

Diego Simeone has opened the door for Antoine Griezmann to leave Atletico Madrid in the summer as Manchester United continue to lay the groundwork for a move for the coveted France forward.

Jose Mourinho has identified Griezmann as a leading summer transfer target and United are one of the few clubs able and prepared to meet the €100 million (currently £86 million) release clause in the 25-year-old’s contract.

With Simeone likely to leave Atletico in the summer after taking the unusual step last September of shortening his contract with the Madrid club by two years, one considerable barrier to Griezmann departing is expected to be removed.

In addition, Atletico are due to move into a new 67,000-capacity stadium next season and it is thought the club will have to consider the sale of at least one leading player to help offset some of the loans they have taken out to fund the Wanda Metropolitano project on the site of the former La Peineta athletics stadium.

What the Wanda Metropolitano will look like

Simeone has had a significant part to play in helping to turn Griezmann into one of the world’s most revered strikers but the Atletico coach was adamant he would not stand in the player’s way if he was determined to leave.

There have been conflicting reports of Manchester City’s interest in Griezmann while it is unclear if Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich would be prepared to sanction such a huge purchase, although Atletico would be interested in re-signing unsettled Chelsea striker Diego Costa in the event Griezmann leaves.

Paris St-Germain have also been linked with the player while Real Madrid’s French coach, Zinedine Zidane, is a keen admirer of Griezmann but the prospect of crossing the Madrid-divide could prove too problematic.

Antoine Griezmann will cost £86 million Credit: AFP

Asked about the speculation surrounding Griezmann’s future, Simeone said: “I don’t tie anybody down. I simply work in order to continue getting better for the good of the club. 

“He [Griezmann] is in an extraordinary moment. He is working well, he has got back on the score sheet. He is currently in great form and it’s normal that the top clubs in the world want him. I’m not surprised that those that can afford him are seeking him.”

Griezmann’s release clause was increased from €80 million when he signed a new deal last June that ties him to Atletico until June 2021. United paid Juventus a world record £89 million fee to sign Paul Pogba last summer and the France midfielder could end up proving a key figure behind signing Griezmann. The pair are best friends and speak most days and United would not be short of someone to sell the vision of the club to the forward.

Antoine Griezmann and Paul Pogba are best friends Credit: AFP

  Bastian Schweinsteiger could be the next player to leave Old Trafford after Memphis Depay underwent a medical in France on Thursday as Lyon moved closer to completing the signing of the Holland winger in a deal that could eventually be worth up to £21.7 million with add ons.

Mourinho is not averse to Schweinsteiger seeing out the season at Old Trafford but talks are ongoing with potential suitors, including Major Soccer League clubs in the US.

The top 100 targets in the January transfer window

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Memphis Depay had run out of chances at Manchester United, and departs with potential unfulfilled

It was December 2015 and, concerned about some of Memphis Depay’s off-field decisions and the unwanted attention he often drew, Ryan Giggs, then Louis van Gaal’s assistant at Manchester United, sat down to talk to the Holland winger.

This was not uncommon. Giggs had often taken the time to counsel, advise and encourage Depay, something the player appreciated. He would later describe Giggs as an inspirational mentor.

“He talks a lot with me and gives me advice to equip me,” Depay said. “He has experienced everything already so he helps with all kinds of things. He works a lot with me.”

So Giggs talked, Depay listened, made all the right noises and United hoped the message would sink in this time because such conversations had not always been heeded before. Imagine the furrowed brows then when, a couple of weeks later, Depay arrived at United’s Carrington training base in a gleaming £240,000 Rolls Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe.

Told to keep a lower profile, shun the bling, reconsider his extravagant, excessive attire and buckle down, the message went in one ear and out of the other. The exasperation was marked. As a snapshot of Depay’s doomed career at Old Trafford, it was telling.

Depay was brought to Old Trafford by Louis van Gaal Credit: REUTERS

Eighteen months after inheriting the famous United No. 7 shirt and talk about Depay perhaps following in the footsteps of Cristiano Ronaldo, the Dutchman will complete a transfer to Lyons on Thursday in a deal that, with add ons, could eventually be worth around €25 million (£21.7 million).

Depay may have had the swagger and cocky strut of Ronaldo but that is where the comparisons end.

United staff and former players still talk with a sense of awe about Ronaldo’s famed levels of dedication, the endless hours on the training ground honing not just those free-kicks but things like his heading technique, the relentless gym work that was central to creating a physique that redefined the way wide players were viewed. He became a one-man wrecking machine not simply because of his superior talent but his superior attitude. 

By contrast, Depay’s attitude and application often left something to be desired. The irony is that he had actually been showing clear signs of equipping himself professionally under Jose Mourinho, who spoke in positive terms about the player’s public persona not being in keeping with what he witnessed privately.

There may have been a significant element to that of Mourinho wanting to keep the player’s value high, of not damaging an asset’s worth, but staff who expected him to become a nuisance or negative influence in the dressing room after being frozen out encountered the opposite.

Sure, frustration at not playing, at falling so far down the pecking order was acute but he was never a distraction, a problem. In the circumstances, he radiated as much positivity as he could, the same which went for Morgan Schneiderlin and still applies to Ashley Young.

Perhaps that offers a glimpse of optimism going forward, hope that, while still young at 22, Depay can revitalise his career in France. Having seen what happened with Mexico striker Javier Hernandez, who left United for the relatively paltry sum of £7.3 million and has since been scoring for fun for Bayer Leverkusen, United must have felt the need to protect themselves in the future with a buy-back option on Depay. He will have to go some for such a scenario to ever materialise.

His United career under Mourinho looked over the moment he was hooked after 55 minutes of an EFL Cup tie against lowly Northampton Town in September, having failed to make an impression. But the writing may have been on the wall long before then.

After being withdrawn at half-time of United’s Boxing Day game at Stoke City in 2015, Depay would only make another four starts in the league for the club.

After being blamed for gifting Chelsea a late equaliser three minutes after coming on as a substitute at Stamford Bridge in February last year, Depay was instructed to play for the reserves against Norwich City the next day. It was an embarrassment trumped only by his omission from United’s 18-man squad for the FA Cup final against Crystal Palace in May.

First Victor Valdes and some of the youngsters Van Gaal blooded, such as Paddy McNair and Donald Love, then Schneiderlin and now Depay, Mourinho is overseeing a gradual purge of those purchases made by his predecessor who have fallen short of the level required. Midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger may be next.

Having been accused in the past of buying too high and selling too cheap, United’s executive vice-chairman, Ed Woodward, deserves credit for recouping the £24 million they spent on Schneiderlin and striking a good deal for Depay, despite being dealt a bad hand.  Once currency depreciations and amortisation are factored in, United expect the loss on their initial £25 million outlay to be negligible. 

Perhaps Depay will prove his critics wrong at Lyons. Perhaps he will be sold on for a substantial fee in the future, a cut of which United will be entitled to. Something extraordinary would have to happen for him to be back playing for the club one day, though. He had his chance and he failed to grasp it.

best midfielders

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Zlatan Ibrahimovic: 'I conquered England in three months' 

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has warned Chelsea that Manchster United are ready to pounce on any slip-ups in the title race Copyright (c) 2016 Rex Features. No use without permission.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has claimed it has taken him just three months to “conquer” English football as the Manchester United striker warned Chelsea his side will be ready to pounce on any slip ups from the Premier League leaders during the title run-in.

United go in search of a seventh successive league win – and 10th in all competitions – when Liverpool visit Old Trafford on Sunday, when victory would move Jose Mourinho’s team to within two points of their bitter Merseyside rivals.

Ibrahimovic missed Tuesday’s 2-0 win over Hull City in the EFL Cup through illness but is expected to have recovered in time to lead the line against Liverpool when he will be looking to add to his tally of 12 goals in as many games and 18 all told this term.

Despite being 35, the Swedish striker has played in every minute of United’s league matches, apart from the 1-1 draw against Arsenal which he missed through suspension, and is only one goal behind Chelsea striker, Diego Costa, the league’s leading scorer this season.

But Ibrahimovic said he had already demonstrated his prowess and was less bothered about hunting down Costa than catching Chelsea, convinced that United will be much stronger during the second half of the campaign after establishing a clear, attacking identity under Mourinho. United currently trail Chelsea by 10 points.

Ibrahimovic has played every minute of all bar one league game for Manchester United this season Credit: Oli Scarff/AFP

“No, I’m not chasing anybody,” Ibrahimovic said when asked about Costa. “I’m chasing the head trophy – the Premier League. That is my aim. The individual things come as part of the main objective because that is like a bonus for every individual player.

“If the collective does well, then the individuals will do well. I have no individual targets because that I did already. After three months I conquered England. It took three months.

“We had our dips, our ups and downs when we were winning, losing, winning and losing. Lately, we have been more stabilised as a team. The coach has found his base, which is not easy when you’re a new coach coming to a new team and want to put in your philosophy.

Ibrahimovic said he had thought it would take a while for United to click and so it proved but now they have clicked and are in the title race Credit:  John Peters/Man Utd via Getty Images

“I said from the beginning – slowly we will get better and everything was about the click. We needed to click as a team - now you the see the identity of the team. We are finding each other but I think we can do much more and be much better. And we will do it – we are working hard for it.

“The last 1½ months have shown the right way. The gap [at the top] has been bigger but now it’s better. So we are closer to that now. We wait for the other teams to have their dips, to make their mistakes, and we will be there. We will give them hard work until then. I know what we want. We want to show it.”

United, meanwhile, have rejected a bid from Lyons for Memphis Depay, with the French club also interested in another winger at Old Trafford, Adnan Januzaj. Depay has asked to leave United and the club are prepared to sell but want around £20 million for the player.  

Januzaj, who is currently on loan at Sunderland, is still waiting to discover United’s intentions around his long-term future amid interest from Lyons and other French clubs. Januzaj’s contract at Old Trafford runs until the end of next season and United are not in a rush to decide his future.

“The ultimate decision is for Manchester United and we have not yet heard from them that they want to sell Adnan,” Dirk De Vriese, the player’s agent, said.

  Zlatan Ibrahimovic best quotes

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Vincent Kompany in race against time to make Manchester City Champions League squad

Vincent Kompany is in contention to return for Manchester City against Everton on Sunday AFP or licensors

Vincent Kompany has 2½ weeks to prove his fitness to Pep Guardiola or risk being axed from Manchester City’s squad for the Champions League knockout stages.

The City captain could be included in Guardiola’s 18-man squad to face Everton at Goodison Park on Sunday after almost eight weeks out with knee-ligament damage, the 35th injury of his 8½ year career at the club.

Kompany has not played since Nov 19 in the 2-1 win at Crystal Palace but he returned to competitive training last week and stepped up his recovery this week to the point where he can be considered for selection.

But with Guardiola having until 11pm on Feb 1, following the close of European transfer windows, to name his updated Champions League squad, time is running out for Kompany to show he warrants inclusion. City play Monaco in the Round of 16.

Yaya Touré will replace Ilkay Gundogan in the squad after the Germany midfielder was ruled out for the remainder of the campaign with cruciate knee ligament damage.

Vincent Kompany suffered the 35th injury of his Man City career at Crystal Palace Credit: TGSPhoto/REX/Shutterstock

Yet with City restricted to naming a maximum of 17 overseas players and Brazil forward Gabriel Jesus, who has arrived from Palmeiras in a £27 million deal this month, expected to be named in the 21-man squad, one player seems likely to miss out, with Kompany’s place at serious risk.

If not included against Everton, Kompany, who has played just 339 minutes of football this season, would realistically have only the league match against Spurs and an FA Cup fourth-round tie against Crystal Palace or Bolton Wanderers to convince Guardiola of his fitness. City play West Ham United on Feb 1, with that game not due to finish until around an hour before the deadline.

City were still waiting for Jesus’s registration to be formally ratified by the Football Association on Thursday night in the hope of having the 19-year-old available for the trip to Everton. But while it is not certain the green light will be given in time, with the FA still delving through red tape to ensure all the third party elements around the player’s transfer were properly addressed, Jesus is almost certain to be available for the Spurs match.

City were waiting for Gabriel Jesus's registration to be formally ratified by the FA on Thursday night Credit: Andrey/AGIF/REX/Shutterstock

Guardiola is expected to rebuff any approaches for full-backs Aleksandar Kolarov or Bacary Sagna this month, both of whom have been linked with moves to Turkey. Kolarov, who is contracted until the end of next season, is reported to be wanted by Galatasaray while Sagna, who is out of contract this summer, is on Fenerbahce’s radar.

Sunderland and Aston Villa are monitoring Fabian Delph’s situation but the England midfielder is unlikely to depart City as things stand this month.

Meanwhile, it is understood that City’s three breaches of protocol that led to the club being charged by the FA for flouting their anti-doping regulations are for different administrative offences as opposed to the same, repeat mistakes. City, who have until next Thursday to respond, are expected to be fined but are examining why the breaches happened.

Champions League Round of 16 draw: Jason Burts verdict on each of the ties

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Gabriel Jesus ready to take the spotlight at Manchester City

Some(Gabriel Jesus - Gabriel Jesus ready to take the spotlight at Manchester City)

There may be as much a feeling of relief as a sense of anticipation and excitement at Manchester City should Gabriel Jesus make his long-awaited debut for the club against Everton at Goodison Park on Sunday.

For months in the lead up to City finally securing a £27 million deal with Palmeiras to sign the Brazilian wonderkid last August, Jesus had compatriot and idol Neymar in his ear badgering him to join Barcelona, not to mention Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Paris St-Germain all trying to muscle in on the action.

By the end, it took the personal intervention of Pep Guardiola to finally swing things City’s way, the manager’s persuasive charm offensive and selling of a vision ultimately outstripping the lure of Neymar’s million-dollar smile, playing with Lionel Messi and the Spanish lifestyle to ensure a process that had begun some two years earlier did not end in acute disappointment.

Faz frio em UK ! #alômãe�� #familia

A photo posted by Gabriel Jesus Oficial (@dejesusoficial) on Jan 6, 2017 at 10:59am PST

City watched Jesus in the flesh almost 50 times before signing the 19 year-old, committing hundreds of man hours to forensically chart the forward’s meteoric rise to prominence in Brazil in one of the most exhaustive recruitment drives since Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan transformed City’s fortunes nine years ago.

So what are City getting for their efforts and expensive outlay and have they finally found both a long-term replacement for Sergio Aguero and a player who, in the shorter-term, can help to ease the burden on the Argentina striker, whose relationship with Guardiola has been the source of much curiosity?

When Ronaldo, the legendary former Brazil, Barcelona and Real striker who won two World Cups, said “I look at Gabriel and see myself in the past”, he did not mean as a player per se but in the sense of “him being so young but already having achieved so much and having so much responsibility”.

Whereas Ronaldo was a one-man wrecking ball of a centre-forward, Brazil’s new No 9 is smaller, slighter, a versatile forward who can play wide, in the hole or up top. “He makes good movements, runs in behind,” Guardiola said. “You have to use him close to Sergio, close to our strikers.”

Gabriel Jesus playing in a charity match to raise money for the Chapecoense football team Credit: AFP

For all the success of Fernandinho at City, the club have not always had the easiest time with Brazilians. Jo and Glauber Berti quickly became figures of fun while Robinho and Elano briefly captured the imagination but, more often than not, flattered to deceive and were more trouble than they were worth.

Robinho attracted headlines for once doing a bunk from a City training camp in Tenerife but that was not much of a surprise given that the manager at the time, Mark Hughes, even had trouble persuading the Brazilian to put on club suit on European trips. Language barriers were often blamed, although City staff noted that Robinho seldom struggled to understand when told he had a day off.

Man Citys Brazilians

Respect and discipline should not be an issue where Jesus is concerned and, if it is, he will have his beloved mum close by to keep him in check. Vera Lucia Diniz de Jesus ended up raising her four siblings on her own after Jesus’s father reputedly ran off with another woman while she was pregnant and she has been instrumental in instilling the discipline and values that City insiders say have been abundantly apparent in the 10 days he has been at the club. “My son lowers his head when I speak,” she once said.

Vera would rarely watch Jesus play football growing up because of the demands of her cleaning job. Football never came at the expense of education, though. “I always told my children that being black and poor, you have to study hard,” she said.

Rabiscada em Manchesterpic.twitter.com/zpIJEXvHYr

— Gabriel Jesus (@jesusoficial9) January 5, 2017

Only last week, Jesus offered a snapshot of his close relationship with his mum when he posted a message on Instagram that read: “I’m going to be one of the favelados that will conquer the world, I’ll be my mother’s cause for so much pride”. Deeply religious, Jesus will wear the No 33 at City, a nod to the commonly-held belief among Christians that Jesus Christ was 33 when he was crucified.

Vou ser um dos favelados que vai conquistar o mundo , vou ser pra minha mãe motivo de tanto orgulho �� #NK #alômãe��

A photo posted by Gabriel Jesus Oficial (@dejesusoficial) on Jan 8, 2017 at 11:02am PST

Watching Jesus play now, it is hard to believe this favelado, who grew up in the Jardem Peri slum of Sao Paulo, actually started out as a centre-half.

“With me, he was a defender,” said Nilson Coelho Santos, Jesus’s coach at Pequeninos do Meio Ambiente, his first junior side in Sao Paulo. “He was small, but tough. Afterwards, we saw he had talent and put him up front.”

Gabriel Jesus started his career at the Clube Pequeninos do Meio Ambiente Credit: AFP

Jesus’s mum has few doubts her son will be able to cope with the physical side of English football. “He’s used to playing with bigger guys because, from a young age, he’d join his older brothers in street games,” she said. “He was never afraid.”

At 14, Jesus moved to Anhanguera. He caught the eye early on when he scored 29 goals in a local tournament but it was a friendly against Palmeiras, organised by the agents Fabio Caran and Cristiano Simeos who ran Anhanguera, eight months later that would prove the turning point. Invited for a trial after dominating the game, Palmeiras signed him after one session. From there, the progress was rapid. He scored 37 goals in 22 matches for Palmeiras Under-17s and, by early 2015, Oswaldo de Oliveira, then the club’s first-team coach, was convinced he was ready for the seniors.

“Everyone in the club was talking about him,” De Oliveira said. “He was very brave, he did not hide from challenges, he was very quick and could score goals.”

The pitch Gabriel Jesus played on as a boy with Clube Pequeninos Credit: AFP

After making his first-team debut that March, Jesus did not look back. He led Palmeiras to the Brazilian Cup and, last year, his 19 goals were instrumental in inspiring the club to their first championship for 22 years after City let him see out the Brazilian season.

In the midst of that, he played a starring role in helping Brazil to win an historic first Olympic gold medal in Rio de Janeiro, beating Germany on penalties two years after they were humbled 7-1 on home soil by the Germans in the World Cup semi-finals.

Gabriel Jesus won Olympic gold with Brazil Credit: REX FEATURES

“Even with everything that has happened to him, he remains humble,” said Odair Hellmann, a coach with the Brazilian Olympic side said.

Last weekend, Jesus was filmed by friends dancing to a saxophone player in a street in Manchester. City fans will hope their new signing soon has defenders singing to his tune.

pic.twitter.com/s4PF5X4lKo

— Gabriel Jesus (@jesusoficial9) January 7, 2017