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Haaland Never Lets Us Down – Guardiola

MANCHESTER, England: Pep Guardiola praised Manchester City’s excellent performance in defeating Manchester United, describing sensational striker Erling Haaland as a special player after scoring two goals.

Haaland, who has now scored six and seven goals in a remarkable week for club and country, was the star of City’s 3-0 win over their neighbours in their 197th game.

His two goals in the second half ensured that the match seemed to be over after the 68th minute.

“Erling has never disappointed since he arrived,” said Guardiola.

“Erling’s commitment is high, which is why he signed a long-term contract. He’s a special player.”

Guardiola also praised the actions of right-back Abdukodir Khusanov, who appeared calm when absorbing United’s attacks.

“We have a tight schedule of playing every three days for the next 11 months. No human being can do it easily.

“I know he’s incredibly physical, fast and covers space well in that area. He doesn’t lose the ball much although sometimes his energy makes him miscalculate.

“(Patrick) Dorgu is fast, but today (Khusanov) was really good,” said Guardiola.

The Catalan manager was also thrilled with the energetic performance of Phil Foden, who returned to his best form in the 2023-24 season with stylish runs in midfield and opened the scoring with a beautiful header.

Yamal Almost Join Bayern Munich

BARCELONA: Barcelona star Lamine Yamal was reportedly almost snapped up by another European football giant when he was 14 years old, but famous agent Jorge Mendes blocked the move.

Despite only turning 18 last summer, Yamal has already made over 100 appearances for Barcelona’s first team and scored 27 goals.

Yamal has won two LaLiga titles with the Catalan club and was a key player in the Spanish squad that won the 2024 European Championship.

Among the individual awards he won were the ‘Golden Boy’ and the ‘Kopa Trophy’ which recognises the best young talent in world football.

According to German newspaper Bild, Bayern Munich once tried to sign the winger after their scouts presented footage of Yamal in action to the club’s management.

At that time, Bayern’s sporting director, Hasan Salihamidzic, and technical director, Marco Neppe, reportedly expressed their interest to Yamal’s agent, Ivan de la Pena.

De la Pena reportedly told Bayern officials that he would inform Yamal’s family of the interest and his willingness to discuss a transfer that could only happen when Yamal turns 16 in July 2023.

However, the deal fell through when Yamal changed his agent to Jorge Mendes, Cristiano Ronaldo’s agent, who signed him as a client.

However, Bayern management is reportedly delaying the decision to pay a large transfer fee for the 14-year-old.

Yamal finally made his debut with the Barcelona senior squad at the age of 15 years, 9 months and 16 days when he came on as a substitute for Gavi at the end of a LaLiga match in April 2023.

Barcelona then extended Yamal’s contract until 2026 when the winger became a regular in the first squad.

De Bruyne Admits It’s Strange Returning To Man City

BRUSSELS: Belgium midfielder Kevin De Bruyne said yesterday returning to Manchester City this month with his new club Napoli would be an awkward experience.

De Bruyne, 34, left City at the end of last season after his contract was not renewed and joined Napoli, who will travel to the Etihad Stadium for their Champions League group opener on September 18.

“I’ve only played two Serie A games so far. It’s different under coach (Antonio) Conte compared to the years with Pep Guardiola,” De Bruyne told reporters ahead of the World Cup Group J qualifier against Kazakhstan in Brussels.

“My first impression was that football in Italy is more tactical and the game moves a little slower. But it’s still football.

“I played in a different system at Manchester City,” he said, answering more questions about his club career than World Cup matches.

“We’re playing City in Manchester with Napoli soon. It’s going to be awkward. City is my club and that’s not going to change,” De Bruyne said.

Liverpool Break Transfer Record For Isak

LONDON: Liverpool have agreed to sign Swedish striker Alexander Isak from Newcastle United for a British record fee of around £130 million, according to media reports today.

Reports from The Athletic and The Telegraph state that Isak will undergo a medical today before completing a six-year contract with the English Premier League champions.

Isak, 25, scored 23 league goals last season — behind only Liverpool star Mohamed Salah — and helped Newcastle qualify for the Champions League.

However, speculation about this transfer continued throughout the summer when Isak trained separately from the Newcastle first-team squad after expressing his desire to move to Anfield.

Last Saturday, Newcastle brought in German international striker Nick Woltemade for a club record fee of up to 69 million pounds, a move seen as paving the way for Isak’s move to Liverpool.

Fulham Bounce Back To Draw With Man United

LONDON: Manchester United are still searching for their first Premier League win of the season after only drawing 1-1 against Fulham at Craven Cottage.

United took the lead in the 58th minute when Leny Yoro’s header was blocked by Rodrigo Muniz before the ball raced into the home team’s goal.

However, the advantage did not last long when substitute Emile Smith Rowe scored the equalizer in the 73rd minute, just seconds after being introduced.

The first half saw several chances squandered, including Bruno Fernandes’ penalty kick that went high over the bar after VAR confirmed Calvin Bassey’s tackle on Mason Mount.

Matheus Cunha also came close to opening the scoring when his shot was parried by Bernd Leno before another attempt hit the post.

The draw adds pressure to Ruben Amorim’s side who have yet to collect all three points from their first two games of the season, while Fulham maintain their unbeaten record.