Arsenal begin a pivotal week in their challenge for the Premier League title against Swansea City on Wednesday with goalkeeper Petr Cech still upbeat they can lift the trophy despite a disappointing weekend defeat to Manchester United.

Having seen off league leaders Leicester City in their previous encounter, Arsenal failed to maintain the pressure on the Midlands club as Arsene Wenger s men slumped to a 3-2 defeat at Old Trafford, 18-year-old Marcus Rashford putting the Gunners to the sword with two goals.

Though Arsenal are winless in three games across all competitions, they have not lost back-to-back Premier League fixtures all season.

They ought to treat Swansea with caution, however. The Welsh side have emerged victorious from as many meetings (four) as Ars…

Alex Ferguson threatened to quit Manchester United the year before leading the club to an unprecedented treble.

Former United chairman Martin Edwards revealed Ferguson was close to walking away after finishing second behind Arsenal in the 1997-98 Premier League season.

Edwards, who was chief executive at the time, says talks with then-chairman Roland Smith led to the Scot saying he would quit United, but he later changed his mind and the club went on to win the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League in the following campaign.

We hadn t won anything and to be honest we were dissatisfied,  Edwards told the Daily Mail. We wondered if Alex had taken his eye off the ball a little and if his celebrity status and interest in horses had maybe not helped.

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Juventus director Giuseppe Marotta said the Italian champions have already had to knock back an approach from Manchester City to sign Paul Pogba.

Marotta revealed the Premier League outfit made an effort to lure former Manchester United midfielder Pogba back to England, having arrived at Juventus on a free transfer from Old Trafford in 2011.

Pogba s former club have been linked with the France international, but Marotta said it was City who had made the most serious play for the dynamic midfielder.

City asked for Pogba last year, but we politely said no, Marotta told Mediaset Premium.

Along with [Paulo] Dybala, Pogba is one of the most popular players [for interest from other clubs].

But it is in Juventus DNA not to give in.

However, M…

Former Russia and Netherlands boss Guus Hiddink has been appointed coach of China s Under-21 side after returning to work in Asia for the first time since 2002.

Hiddink, 71, led South Korea to the World Cup semi-finals at their home tournament in 2002 and he has now been tasked with ensuring China s young players qualify for the 2020 AFC Under-23 Championship to give them a chance of reaching the 2020 Olympic Games.

The Dutchman s last job in football was as interim manager of Chelsea during 2015-16, when he helped the club finish 10th in the Premier League after a poor start to the season under Jose Mourinho.

A statement on the China Football Association s official website said: The team will be prepared for the 2020 AFC U-23 Championship qualification with t…

Borussia Dortmund head coach Peter Bosz acknowledged Champions League titleholders Real Madrid are the greatest test in football at the moment but he is ready for the challenge.

There was a sense of déjà vu during Thursday s Champions League draw as Dortmund and Madrid were drawn together again in Group H.

Dortmund and Madrid shared a pair of 2-2 draws in the group stage last season – Zinedine Zidane s men finishing runners-up before going on to claim back-to-back Champions League titles.

Bosz – who replaced Thomas Tuchel in the off-season – is braced for the challenge ahead, which also includes Tottenham and APOEL.

I watched Real s recent matches against Barcelona and I must admit: This is the absolute highest level in football at the moment. We…

Tottenham star Son Heung-min is challenging himself to be sharper in front of goal next season.

The 28-year-old is heading into his sixth season in the Premier League and has been largely consistent over the past four.

His haul of 14 Premier League goals in 2016-17 remains Son s best return, as he has since followed that up with 12, 12 and, most recently, 11 goals in 2019-20.

Spurs could only finish sixth last term, with their apparent lack of attacking cohesion a frequent source of frustration for fans.

Pre-season, although shortened as a consequence of the coronavirus pandemic enforcing a later finish to 2019-20, gives Jose Mourinho a prolonged period to work with his players without the pressure of results.

They defeated Ipswich Town 3-0 in a …

Jose Mourinho heaped praise on Paul Pogba after the midfielder dazzled on his return from injury for Manchester United.

The France international hadn t played since suffering a hamstring injury in September but there were no signs of rust as he ran the show in United s 4-1 triumph over Newcastle United at Old Trafford.

Pogba provided the assist for Anthony Martial s equaliser before tapping in his side s third goal, helping United to leapfrog Chelsea and reclaim second place in the Premier League.

Mourinho who revealed he allowed Pogba to decide how many minutes he played feels the presence of the 24-year-old made a telling difference to the way the team performed, particularly in attack.

[Pogba was] different class. [It was] what we had in the b…

The heads of FIFA and UEFA have lent their voices to the ongoing tributes for Leicester City owner and chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha.

The 60-year-old Thai billionaire died along with the four other people on board his helicopter, which crashed outside the King Power Stadium on Saturday around an hour after Leicester s 1-1 Premier League draw against West Ham.

In a tweet from the FIFA Media account, attributed to Gianni Infantino, the president of football s world governing body said: FIFA extends its deepest sympathies to the families and friends [of the victims] and to the many football fans for whom Vichai was an integral member of the Foxes family.

FIFA secretary general Fatma Samoura added: Our sympathies to all affected by this tragic accident. Vichai …

Inter coach Frank de Boer has questioned whether Juventus have genuinely strengthened their squad ahead of the 2016-17 campaign, despite the arrival of a number of high-profile names.

The Serie A champions have secured the services of Gonzalo Higuain, Miralem Pjanic and Dani Alves among others, but De Boer has stressed there is no guarantee the new signings will fit in and improve the team.

Juventus are a great team and have an exceptional squad, De Boer told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

They have brought in Higuain, but they have lost [Paul] Pogba at the same time. We will have to wait and see how they cope with these changes in midfield.

I don t think it s a certainty that they are stronger than last season. Yes, they have a lot of big names, but we don…

Tottenham s search for a new head coach is finally over after Nuno Espirito Santo was appointed as Jose Mourinho s successor.

Ryan Mason filled in as caretaker boss following Mourinho s sacking in April, steering the club through to the end of the 2020-21 season.

Former Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino was linked with a sensational return, while Antonio Conte, Paulo Fonseca and Gennaro Gattuso were all rumoured to be on the verge of filling the vacancy at different stages in the process.

However, the London club have instead turned to Nuno after his four-year spell with Wolves came to an end in May.

The 47-year-old Portuguese has signed a deal until 2023 with Tottenham, where he will work alongside new director of football Fabio Paratici.

When …