Chelsea defender Kurt Zouma has thanked former manager Jose Mourinho for giving him the tools to succeed in English football.

Mourinho raided Saint-Etienne to sign the then-teenage centre-back during his second stint in charge at Stamford Bridge.

The pair spent 18 months together before Mourinho moved on in December 2015 and his departure led to a downturn in playing time for Zouma, who was sent to Stoke City and Everton for season-long loan spells.

The five-cap France international returned to Chelsea this term and credits Mourinho with laying the foundation for his development into a first-team regular.

Mourinho opened the door to England for me. I was only 19 when I arrived. I was young, Zouma told France Football.

He gave me confidence by pl…

United agree Hojlund s personal terms

While might have secured a crucial Champions League return last season and received plenty of praise, it is no secret that the Premier League giants are desperate to recruit a new striking superstar this summer.

After failing to strike what would have been a blockbuster swoop for England skipper last month, it appears that Erik ten Hag now has a new number-one target at the top of his summer wishlist.

Enjoying what was a breakout campaign with Italian outlet Atalanta last season, has quickly transformed into one of Europe’s brightest young striking stars.

Notching nine Serie A strikes and with growing comparisons to a certain record-breaking Erling Haaland, the 20-year-old has been vocal about his desire to make a mo…

Andrew Robertson described Liverpool s players as  devastated by their Champions League final loss to Real Madrid, as Vinicius Junior s winner condemned the Reds to a heartbreaking reverse in Paris.

The Brazil winger s 59th-minute goal ensured Madrid repeated their 2018 final win over Liverpool to earn their 14th European crown, while only Juventus (five) have now lost more Champions League finals than the Reds (three).

Meanwhile, Jurgen Klopp has now lost more finals in the competition than any other coach (three), and despite winning the EFL Cup and FA Cup after penalty shoot-outs, Liverpool have failed to score a single goal in five and a half hours of football in major finals this term.

Having threatened a quadruple after embarking on a brilliant four-…

Gennaro Gattuso might be crazy  but Nikola Kalinic expects the AC Milan head coach to deliver success.

Kalinic was at San Siro last season and, despite failing to produce his best form, the Atletico Madrid forward was impressed by Gattuso s methods.

Milan have not won the Serie A title since the 2010-11 season and they are already 12 points behind leaders Juventus this term, albeit with a game in hand.

But Kalinic – who was sent home from Croatia s World Cup campaign after refusing to come on as a substitute during his country s opening 2-0 win over Nigeria – is confident the club will make significant progress under Gattuso.

He is amazing. There were all types of jokes, a very good atmosphere, laughs, but when you start training or get on the …

Paolo Di Canio said he is not surprised by Mauro Icardi s move to Paris Saint-Germain as the Ligue 1 champions are the natural home of undisciplined players .

Former Inter captain Icardi joined PSG on an initial loan deal on transfer deadline day after being frozen out by Nerazzurri head coach Antonio Conte.

PSG have the option to buy Icardi – who was linked to Napoli and Juventus prior to the deadline – for a reported €70million at the end of the season.

Former Lazio, Juve, Napoli and AC Milan forward Di Canio hit out at Icardi following his switch to the French capital.

— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English)

Di Canio told Il Mattino: Why did Carlo Ancelotti want someone like Icardi at Napoli? Someone unable to apologise to his…

Having joined Manchester United from Fulham in 2010, Chris Smalling has entered his ninth season with the 20-time English champions, and it is the last one on his current deal. However, the centre-back has reportedly joined the list of players in line for a new deal.

Smalling has always been a very important player for United. He has never made less than 22 appearances in a single season, and that was in 2012/13 when he missed a large chunk of the campaign due to a broken metatarsal. In total, he has so far put on the United shirt 303 times and scored 18 goals.

However, he has had issues with manager Jose Mourinho since the Portuguese s appointment in 2016, and he has been linked with a move away from Old Trafford a few times. Arsenal and West Ham have been mentioned as…

What the papers say

Former Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea, 33, is keen on joining Newcastle United after first choice Nick Pope suffered a shoulder injury which will keep him out for four months, reports the Daily Telegraph. The Daily Mirror says Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsdale, 25, could be another option in January.

Manchester United are eyeing a move for AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan, 28, according to The Sun via Foot Mercato. Andre Onana, who replaced de Gea in the summer, has yet to convince as United’s first-choice stopper.

One player who could be staying at Manchester United is Raphael Varane. The Manchester Evening News says the 30-year-old France defender is keen to stay at Old Trafford beyond the January transfer window.

Juventus could make …

Cristiano Ronaldo has accepted a 23-month prison sentence and an €18.8million fine for tax fraud.

The Juventus star attended a court in Madrid on Tuesday to ratify an agreement already reached with Spanish prosecutors.

The 33-year-old was accused of committing four crimes against the Spanish treasury between 2011 and 2014 while he was playing for Real Madrid.

Ronaldo is alleged to have concealed income earned through image rights by using offshore companies.

The Portugal international told reporters that everything is perfect after his short appearance in court, during which he accepted the charges as part of a plea deal with the prosecution.

Under Spanish law, he will not be required to spend any time in jail as it is a first-time offence.

…

Crystal Palace cruised into the FA Cup quarter-finals with a clinical 2-0 victory over third-tier Doncaster Rovers at the Keepmoat Stadium on Sunday.

Jeffrey Schlupp and Max Meyer scored at either end of the first half to reward a professional performance and confirm Palace s passage into the last eight.

Doncaster were competitive throughout and managed to keep Michy Batshuayi goalless on his first Eagles start but lacked the attacking threat to maintain their best FA Cup run in over 60 years.

Roy Hodgson s men, now unbeaten in five matches, will enter Monday s draw as one of six Premier League teams left in the competition.

Palace struck early in their 2-0 fourth-round triumph over Tottenham and did likewise in South Yorkshire as Schlupp, sent through b…

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Two sides who will be looking to claim a crucial first-leg advantage on Wednesday night, Dynamo Kyiv and RB Salzburg will meet at the Arena Lublin in Poland.

Dynamo Kyiv

Starting with the hosts, while Dynamo Kyiv might have once again fell short last season in the chase to reclaim their domestic crown, the Ukrainian heavyweights have come flying out of the traps since opening up the new campaign. Making a real statement over in Scotland last week as they secured a 3-1 aggregate victory against Rangers, Oleksandr Shovkovskyi s men should find the mood in their camp at a real high. Picking up some perfect momentum over the weekend as they secured a routine 3-1 win away at Karpaty Lviv, Kyiv have won all of their previous three appearanc…