The Times Sport - UK (2020-09-12)

Sport Football

6 2GS Saturday September 12 2020 | the times

Ole Gunnar

Solskjaer has

cast doubt on Paul

Pogba’s participation

in Manchester

United’s first match of

the season because he

is lacking fitness after

contracting Covid-19.

Pogba, 27, was left

out of the France

squad two weeks ago

after he tested positive

and could miss the

game against Crystal

Palace in a week.

“Paul worked

really hard to get

back after

lockdown” he said.

“Hopefully, he’ll

be ready for next

weekend. I am not 100

percent sure though.”

Nanny goats (quotes) from the managers

THE NANNIES

José Mourinho has

confirmed he wants to

sign a new striker for

Tottenham Hotspur

and has promised they

will not just warm the

substitutes’ bench

behind Harry Kane.

Mourinho said he

might play two strikers

at times and there

would be rotation

because of the

congested season.

He wants Napoli’s

Arkadiusz Milik,

above, who scored 11

goals last season and

is valued at £30 million

despite being in the

final year of his

contract. “I want,

I need a striker,”

Mourinho said.

“I want to make it very

clear that the club

knows that I need a

striker. Are we going

to get one? I honestly

believe so.

“A striker can play

with Harry Kane. A

striker that comes

here is not to feel that

he is just in a back-up

situation.”

Pogba’s not

fully fit yet

after Covid

Carlo Ancelotti,

below, has

demanded that his

remodelled Everton

squad embrace the

pressure of qualifying

for Europe this

season. “The target is

clear: we have to fight

for the European

positions,” he said.

Ancelotti

expects tilt

at Europe

Nuno Espírito

Santo, the

Wolverhampton

Wanderers head

coach, is not

concerned that he has

yet to sign a new

contract.

Nuno, who has only

ten months left on his

contract, is understood

to have agreed a three-

year deal worth

£2 million a year. “I

don’t have to worry

because it’s not my

job,” Nuno said. “I

don’t negotiate

contracts — I just

wait for an email or a

call to say ‘go ahead’. I

have a contract and I

work, and we have

been working a lot.”

Nuno happy

to wait for

new contract

e

0

ye

£

do

be

jo

d

c

w

ca

ha

wo

be

Emiliano

Martinez is

expected to be omitted

from the Arsenal

squad today after

being the subject of

interest from Aston

Villa and Brighton &

Hove Albion.

It is understood that

the goalkeeper asked

not to travel after

being told he would be

on the bench. He had

already been told he is

not assured of being

first choice in front of

Bernd Leno. Villa have

offered £15 million plus

bonuses for the 28-

year-old. Brighton are

thought to have made

a better offer. Arsenal’s

valuation was thought

to have been about

£20 million.

Martinez has

impressed after the

restart in July and was

favoured over Leno in

the Community Shield

last month. Mikel

Arteta, the Arsenal

manager, has said that

neither goalkeeper

was superior and he

wants to rotate the

two. Arteta said

players need to accept

competition.

“Well they want

(me) to know their

role and it is one

position to fill in and

the other one has to

support the No 1 and

the one who is playing

100 per cent,” he said.

“If you are not able

to do that you cannot

be part of our top

squad and you should

not be here. For me it

is a good problem.”

Martinez edges towards exit from Arsenal

Mourinho: Spurs know I want, I need a striker

The Premier League has warned that it

will defer test events for fans after the

government’s decision to cap the

amount of spectators inside venues at

1,000, increasing doubts over whether

stadiums will be able to host supporters

in significant numbers from October 1.

The government is reviewing that

date, intended to be the point from

which stadiums could be partially

populated, with fans socially distanced.

But it is looking increasingly unlikely

that the timetable will be maintained

Test events threatened by 1,000-fan cap

Martyn Ziegler

Chief Sports Reporter

given the recent rise in Covid-

infection rates.

In a letter to the government, the

Premier League states: “With test

events now capped at 1,000 supporters,

we believe they will not provide any

opportunity to properly test and

evaluate measures designed to

maximise fan safety.

“Therefore, Premier League clubs

will defer holding test events until a

sufficient number of fans are allowed

back to enable thorough trials to take

place. At 1,000 supporters, not only

would there be little to learn from a test

event, but each match would be heavily

loss-making.”

This week the Premier League chief

executive, Richard Masters, said it was

“absolutely critical” for fans to return.

He predicted that the 20 top-flight

clubs would lose up to £1.25 billion if

fans are not let back into stadiums this

season. Brighton & Hove Albion

allowed 2,500 supporters into their

pre-season friendly against Chelsea at

the Amex Stadium last month, and the

Premier League added in its letter: “We

believe measures are already available

which would allow the safe return of

fans and should also be activated now.”

The FA has scrapped plans to allow

10,000 fans to attend the non-League

finals day at Wembley on September 27.