..::Football III::..

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Tottenham 0-0 Everton: Kane and Spurs denied by Howard heroics

Harry Kane and Tottenham continued their troublesome start to the new campaign as Spurs and Everton played out a goalless draw at White Hart Lane.

The hosts had the better of the game, only to be frustrated by a mixture of wayward finishing and some superb shot-stopping from the visiting goalkeeper.Howard denied Harry Kane, Ryan Mason and Toby Alderweireld, while Nacer Chadli blasted a close-range effort over as Tottenham's winless start to the league season was stretched to four matches.

Everton, meanwhile, may count themselves fortunate to have escaped with a point, having failed to truly test Hugo Lloris, apart from an early effort from Tom Cleverley.

Both clubs endured a week of off-field distractions, with Chelsea target John Stones lining up for Everton after his rejected transfer request dominated the back pages, sharing space with Tottenham's failed pursuit of West Brom's Saido Berahino.

After a timid opening to proceedings it was Everton who fired the first warning shot, Cleverley pouncing on Kyle Walker's error before forcing a fine stop from Lloris in the 17th minute.

Mauricio Pochettino's men should have taken the lead midway through the half when Kane was sent racing clear, but Howard – left out of the 5-3 midweek League Cup win over Barnsley on Wednesday – stood tall and thwarted the England striker.

The experienced stopper came to the rescue again to deny Mason following an excellent throughball from Chadli as the hosts started to get on the front foot.

Alderweireld was next to call the American goalkeeper into action with a header from Mason's right-wing corner.

Cleverley's match came to a premature end just before the break after a crunching challenge from Eric Dier, with Roberto Martinez bringing on Kevin Mirallas in his place.

Tottenham looked to force the issue early in the second half and caused panic in Everton's six-yard box as Kane looked to get on the end of Mousa Dembele's cross.The Belgian midfielder stayed down injured after twisting awkwardly when providing the delivery and Dele Alli came on to replace him.

Howard reprised his role as Everton's saviour in the 55th minute, getting down low to his right to save from Mason.It was poor finishing that frustrated Tottenham 10 minutes later, Chadli blazing over the crossbar with Howard prone having dived early following a Kane shot that was blocked.

Pochettino's side, who did the double over Everton last term, were almost made to pay for their profligacy in the closing stage when Arouna Kone nodded Bryan Oviedo's cross narrowly wide.

Kane's day was summed up when he did finally find the back of the net, only to see a flag raised for offside as the Englishman's search for a first goal of the campaign continued.

 

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Official: Jonny Evans leaves Manchester United for West Brom

West Brom have announced the signing of defender Jonny Evans from Manchester United for an undisclosed fee.

The Northern Ireland international has agreed a four-year contract at the Hawthorns after falling out of favour with manager Louis van Gaal at Old Trafford.

Evans had undergone a medical at the Baggies' training ground on Friday and now becomes their fifth new recruit of the summer.

"I hope to push the Albion up the League," the centre-back told his new club's official website.

"It's a new, fresh challenge for me, one I'm looking forward to. I know a few of the lads already and I spoke to a couple, who highly recommended the club."

Evans's United career comes to an end just shy of making 200 appearances for the club in all competitions, his 18 games last season taking him to a total of 198.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Evans wa sell karapu 1kanam loku deyak

Good bye & good luck Evans!​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

AC Milan 2-1 Empoli: Luiz Adriano fires Rossoneri to victory

Luiz Adriano's thumping second-half headed goal gave AC Milan a much-needed 2-1 win over Empoli, but Sinisa Mihajlovic's side were made to work hard for their first three points of the Serie A season.

Carlos Bacca scored a superb breakaway goal to give Milan a first-half lead that lasted just four minutes, as Riccardo Saponara slotted home and equaliser that was no less than the lively visitors deserved at San Siro. Milan desperately needed a win to placate their supporters after a 2-0 opening day defeat to Fiorentina, but they looked vulnerable in defence throughout an encounter that gave Empoli more than enough chances to claim all three points.

The attacking combination of Saponara, Manuel Pucciarelli and veteran striker Massimo Maccarone caused Milan no end of problems, as Empoli sought to banish the memory of their own opening day setback, when they were beaten 3-1 at home by Chievo.

But Luiz Adriano connected with Giacomo Bonaventura's 69th-minute corner to crash home a winner, much to the relief of the home fans to give Mihajlovic his first league win in charge.

Mihajlovic named new signing Mario Balotelli amongst his substitutes following his return on a season-long loan from Liverpool, while Cristian Zapata was drafted into the hosts' defence in place of Rodrigo Ely, who was suspended following his red card last weekend.

Empoli started confidently, with Maccarone frequently dropping deep in the early stages to form a link between midfield and attack.

The first serious attempt on goal came from Milan striker Suso, who cracked a powerful shot from 25 yards, but he fell as he struck it and the ball was always rising over the crossbar.

Empoli continued to show real intent to attack, and only a timely block from Mattia De Sciglio stopped Maccarone from getting his shot away after the former Middlesbrough striker carved out a good early chance with a mazy dribble into the box.

But moments later, the home side took the lead when Bacca was sent clean through by Suso's perfectly weighted pass. And the Colombian striker fought off two chasing defenders and rounded goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski, before finishing a brilliant solo goal with a tidy finish from an acute angle, opening his Milan account following his big-money move from Sevilla.

The scores were level within two minutes, when an instinctive back-heeled pass from Maccarone slotted Saponara into the box and he made no mistake, slamming the ball hard and low into the corner of the net to restore parity.

Empoli might have taken the lead when a well-struck, 30-yard shot from Pucciarelli screamed just over the crossbar, and the game was wide open, swinging from end to end throughout the first half.

Maccarone looked certain to make it 2-1 when he found himself one-on-one with Milan goalkeeper Diego Lopez on the half-hour mark, but his shot was saved and the offside flag was raised.Pucciarelli went within a whisker of giving Empoli the lead on the stroke of half-time, shooting just wide of from the edge of the box with Milan's defence at sixes and sevens.

Mihajlovic sent on Juraj Kucka for Antonio Nocerino after the interval, as he sought to add creative flair to his stuttering side, but Empoli continued where they left off in the first half, launching incisive attacks and forcing Lopez into a good reaction save from Daniele Croce's stinging 25-yard shot.

Further golden chances fell to Pucciarelli and Maccarone as the visitors pressed for a winner, and as the home crowd grew increasingly impatient, Mihajlovic sent on Bonaventura for Suso as he tried to turn the tide in favour of his side.

The switch proved decisive, as it was Bonaventura's sweetly hit corner that provided Luiz Adriano with the opportunity to seal a morale-boosting win for Milan.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Barcelona 1-0 Malaga: Vermaelen bags revenge for Blaugrana

Patience was the key for Barcelona as they edged to a 1-0 Liga victory over Malaga on Saturday, with Thomas Vermaelen scoring the winner with his first goal for the club.Javi Garcia's side drew 0-0 with Barca on home soil last term before stunning the eventual champions with a 1-0 victory at Camp Nou back in February.

And Malaga looked set to pull off yet another impressive result against the Catalan giants in their first away fixture of the 2015-16 campaign, resisting a Barca onslaught to stay level for 73 minutes.

Barca had an early goal disallowed when Luis Suarez was penalised for a shove on his marker, before Javier Mascherano found the crossbar with a header.Malaga did have chances of their own – most notably Juan Carlos' optimistic long-range lob – but should probably have conceded two first-half penalties.

Fortune was shining on the visitors and Carlos Kameni pulled off a string of superb saves to keep hopes of an upset alive, but that luck ran dry when Vermaelen popped up 17 minutes from time to seal Barca's second 1-0 win in as many matches.

Neymar returned to the first-team fold following a bout of mumps and it was Barca's fearsome frontline that caused most problems early on, with Suarez heading home inside four minutes, only to see the effort ruled out for a push on Marcos Angeleri.Barca continued to dominate possession, with newly crowned Uefa Best Player in Europe Lionel Messi and Neymar both making dangerous runs at the Malaga defence, but Juan Carlos almost caught the home side off guard when he sent an audacious lob just over from inside his own half.

Mascherano came agonisingly close to breaking the deadlock when his headed effort bounced off the crossbar in the 25th minute, while Neymar's first shot at goal amounted to a tame effort that was fired straight at goalkeeper Kameni.

While Barca appeared firmly in control of the match for long spells, Malaga did continue to find the occasional hole in the home defence, but Duje Cop could not get enough purchase on his shot when he slid in to meet a low Nordin Amrabat cross from the right wing, allowing Claudio Bravo to collect with ease.

The visitors got off lightly when Miguel Torres appeared to handle in the area five minutes from half-time, halting Neymar's goalward momentum, and they continued to live dangerously, with Angeleri's clumsy tackle on Suarez in the box going unpunished moments later.

Messi had a glorious opportunity to open the scoring shortly after the interval, but Neymar's cutback was played just behind him and his shot from 12 yards failed to truly test Kameni.

The Argentinian pulled the trigger once again soon after, this time drawing a diving save from the Cameroon international, and the pair developed a fascinating duel as the match progressed – Kameni making another two big saves to keep his side on level terms.Kameni was finally beaten in the 73rd minute, though, when his parry from a Suarez cross fell kindly for former Arsenal defender Vermaelen, who rifled a half-volley into the back of the net.

With Malaga having offered little in the way of attacking threat for the most part, Barca's lead appeared safe, but they could have snatched a late draw had Charles managed to sort his feet out in the box deep into stoppage time – the Brazilian unable to apply the finish to Cop's inviting cross.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

ow machan walcott,giroud dennama clear chances miss kala.
anika Mitrovic ta red card.Newcastle la 10 men gen paly kale 70 minutes withra
score karapu 1kath own goal 1k

Ow bro 10men over 70 minutes play karalath goal 1kak witharak score karapu 1kanam madi thamai.Manchester United Vs Newcastle match 1ka Manchester United wechcha dema thamai ada Arsenal lata une.Final third 1kata wenakam yanawa ethanin passe Finishing anthimai

Wenger match 1ken passe kiyala thiyanawa Hari deal 1kak set unoth karagannawa kiyala bro

​

 

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'I know nothing!' - Stubborn Pellegrini plays dumb over De Bruyne arrival

Journalist: "Is there any news on Kevin De Bruyne? There's been a photo of him arriving in Manchester..."

Pellegrini: "I don’t have any news. Do you have any, do you have news?"

Journalist: There’s a photograph of him arriving in Manchester for his medical.

MP: "Really I don’t know, I was seeing the game, sorry."

Journalist 2: "What will Kevin De Bruyne bring you? Do you need De Bruyne?"

MP: "I will answer the same way I answer all the questions that the other journalists ask me about… rumours. I can’t talk about rumours."

Journalists: "It’s not a rumour!"

MP: "It’s not a rumour? We signed him? Contract? The press think that I know. I’ll repeat because he’s not signed."

Journalist: "He’s not signing?"

MP: "I don’t know, I never knew… I suppose that someone has contacted me to say we can talk about that player because we signed him. I can say what I want, I cannot say what you want, I can’t talk about a thing that nobody has ever told me, that he has signed his contract."

Journalist 2: "You must know he’s in Manchester…"

City press officer: "Gentlemen, sorry, sorry!"

MP: "What?"

Journalist 2: "You must know he’s in Manchester…"

MP: "I was involved in the game, I’m not thinking about what happens in Manchester. I was thinking about what happened in the 90 minutes against Watford."
"

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[rcccc]

Barcelona 1-0 Malaga: Vermaelen bags revenge for Blaugrana

http://www.elakiri.com//www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/

 

[rcccc]

Ow bro 10men over 70 minutes play karalath goal 1kak witharak score karapu 1kanam madi thamai.Manchester United Vs Newcastle match 1ka Manchester United wechcha dema thamai ada Arsenal lata une.Final third 1kata wenakam yanawa ethanin passe Finishing anthimai

Wenger match 1ken passe kiyala thiyanawa Hari deal 1kak set unoth karagannawa kiyala bro

​

ow.thawa 1ka player kenek wath gani kiyala hithenawa.monawa karannath thawa dawas 2i ne thiyenne
& De Gea to Real deal eka agree wela kiyala rumours thibba.M United la Cillessen gannawalu
http://www.elakiri.com//www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Shaqiri playing in the middle of nowhere - Degen

Xherdan Shaqiri has been mocked by his Switzerland team-mate Philipp Degen for choosing to leave Inter for "middle of nowhere" Stoke City.

Shaqiri's potential was evident to all when he sealed a €11.6 million move from Basel to Bayern Munich in 2012, but he failed to ever secure a regular spot in the first team - first under Jupp Heynckes and then under Pep Guardiola.

In January, plenty of major European clubs were still vying for the attacking midfielder's signature and it was Inter who secured him on a half-season loan with the obligation to purchase this summer.

Shaqiri rapidly fell out of coach Roberto Mancini's plans, however, and he completed a month-long gestated move to Premier League side Stoke City on August 11 for a club record fee of £12m.

Degen thinks the 23-year-old is better than midtable Premier League football and lays the blame for his international colleague playing at the Britannia Stadium at the feet of his brother and agent, Erdin Shaqiri.

"Xherdan joined a club in the middle of nowhere in England and is the fault of his brother," the Basel right-back, 32, told Nordwestschweiz.

"He knows as much about football as I know about tap dancing. He's an amateur who has suddenly changed to this industry and is improvising as he goes. His chronic inability harms to Xherdan."

Shaqiri started for Stoke on Saturday as they lost 1-0 at home to West Brom, leaving the Potters 17th in the Premier League standings midway through matchday four.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Martinez hails 'immense' Stones

Roberto Martinez described Chelsea target John Stones' display in Everton's 0-0 Premier League draw at Tottenham as "immense", believing the centre-half to be a future England captain.The defender saw a transfer request rejected this week, with champions Chelsea thus far coming up short in their pursuit of the 21-year-old.

Stones' clear desire to leave has attracted criticism from some Everton fans, but Martinez stood by his man.

"He was an immense influence on what we did defensively," the Spaniard told Sky Sports."That understanding with Phil Jagielka is important. His composure on the ball, the reading of the game.

"All that pressure, that speculation, he's taken it in an incredible way. Every single Evertonian will show that respect towards him because of how he has handled things. "It shows the potential he has. He's shown the signs of a future England captain."

Everton – 5-3 extra-time winners over Barnsley in the League Cup on Wednesday – were second best for the most part at White Hart Lane and relied heavily on Tim Howard to deny the hosts a first win of the season.

Martinez added: "We had to find character. It's about never giving in. In spells we looked like we didn't have that sharpness in possession in the opposing half.
"Probably playing extra time in the game on Wednesday didn't help and they looked fresher in that respect.

"Tim Howard was in an exceptional level of form, but as a team to come here and perform in the manner we did was very satisfying."

 

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Pochettino not concerned about goalless Kane

Mauricio Pochettino believes patience will pay dividends after Harry Kane drew another blank in Tottenham's goalless Premier League draw against Everton.
The England striker was prolific last season, netting 31 goals in all competitions, but he is yet to get off the mark in the early stages of the new campaign.

Tottenham are now winless in four after being held at White Hart Lane on Saturday, with Kane one of numerous players to be thwarted by the impressive Tim Howard and the Spurs coach could only rue the missed opportunities.

"We created a lot of chances. We were better, but in football you have to score. For us it was impossible [against Everton]," Pochettino told Sky Sports."But I'm happy with our performance because more is impossible. We are a team, a strong team."

Following the impending international break Tottenham head to Sunderland before kicking off their UEFA Europa League group stage with a home match against Qarabag and despite the lack of goals, the Argentine boss is pleased with Kane's contribution."We need to wait. I'm happy with him, his performance, he had two or three chances to score. He just needs to work hard and play.

"[My job] it's only to give the confidence and trusting him. We need to work hard for the next two weeks to prepare for the next game."

 

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Guardiola ecstatic at Leverkusen lashing

Pep Guardiola has revealed his jubilation at how easy Bayern Munich made it look to defeat Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 on Saturday.

The Bavarians made last season's fourth-placed side look distinctly average, with a double from Thomas Muller and a spot kick from Arjen Robben ensuring a third straight victory in this season's Bundesliga.

Guardiola was delighted with his team's performance at the Allianz Arena and is keeping his fingers crossed that all of his players come back in one piece from the upcoming international break.

"I am ecstatic, we played against extremely good competitors," the Spanish coach told reporters. "I see almost every game of Roger Schmidt's team, they usually have up to 10 clear-cut chances.

However, today they only had the free kick with which Hakan Calhanoglu hit the woodwork. Against Leverkusen it is very important to have good build-up play in the first third of the field.

"We urgently need to improve our final ball if we want to beat the best teams in Europe, though. Now I just hope the players will come back without any injuries from the international break."

Bayern sit top of the Bundesliga table after three games, but could be leapfrogged by Borussia Dortmund if Thomas Tuchel's men defeat Hertha Berlin at Signal Iduna Park on Sunday.

The reigning German champions will return to competitive action on September 12 at home to Augsburg, which will be followed four days later by a visit to Olympiakos in their first game o the Champions League group stage.

 

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Galliani rules out Ibrahimovic move & plays down Witsel hopes

AC Milan CEO Adriano Galliani has ruled out a move for Paris Saint-Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and says it would be "very difficult" to bring Axel Witsel to San Siro.

The Rossoneri have been linked with a move for Ibrahimovic throughout the summer, with the Sweden international reported to be open to leaving Parc des Princes following three seasons of silverware success.

But Galliani has ruled out a return to Milan for the 33-year-old, who spent two seasons with the club between 2010 and 2012 before joining PSG.

He told Mediaset Premium: “That chapter is closed, he will stay in Paris."

Belgium midfielder Axel Witsel appears set to leave Zenit St Petersburg this summer, with Juventus and Tottenham rumoured to be among the clubs chasing his signature, but again Galliani was keen to play down any speculation linking the 26-year-old with his club.

"I know the player would have wanted to join us but it is difficult for Milan to get him," he added.

Witsel played just over an hour as Zenit slumped to a 3-1 home defeat to Krylya Sovetov in the Russian Premier League on Saturday.

 

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Muller denies Van Gaal contact over Manchester United move

Bayern Munich forward Thomas Muller has denied reports that Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal has contacted him about a move to Old Trafford.

United have been linked with a big-money move for the Germany international all summer, despite his club vowing not to sell any more players to the Premier League side after they bought Bastian Schweinsteiger.

Speaking after scoring twice as Bayern beat Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday evening, Muller told reporters: "Louis van Gaal hasn't called me, so I don't know about any move."

United have started the season with Wayne Rooney, Javier Hernandez and James Wilson as their three senior strikers, although reports on Saturday suggest that Hernandez will be allowed to leave before Tuesday's transfer deadline.

Muller scored either side of half-time on his 200th Bundesliga appearance as Bayern eased to a 3-0 victory against Leverkusen at the Allianz Arena.

However, he gave up the chance to complete a hat-trick in his landmark game when he allowed Arjen Robben to convert Bayern's second penalty of the match.

"I'm a team player," he remarked of it. "Bayern is a shark tank. You have to throw fish to sharks, so there is no problem about the penalty."

 

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Muller told reporters: "Louis van Gaal hasn't called me, so I don't know about any move."

​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Luis Enrique: Barca knew we'd beat Malaga

Luis Enrique says Barcelona always had complete confidence they would defeat Malaga, despite needing 73 minutes to get the one and only goal of their 1-0 win on Saturday.

Centre-back Thomas Vermaelen was the unlikely hero for the Catalans, scoring his first goal for the club who he joined a year ago but only played a single goal for in 2014-15 due to an injury picked up during the World Cup.

Camp Nou coach Luis Enrique is relieved that the clash did not end the same way as the same fixture did last season, when Barca were beaten 1-0 in one of only two La Liga defeats they suffered after the winter break.

"These are the sort of games in which you usually despair," he told reporters. "We were very good and Camp Nou has been patient.

"We knew we were going to decide the game by the end, we were the superior side. We played a very complete match as we prepared during the week. I was always confident the team would win."

Luis Enrique also commented on the performance of Vermaelen, who he does not mind joining up with Belgium's national side in the upcoming international break to build on his form and fitness.

"We knew Thomas was a top player," he added. "Not even just at defending, he did many things very well. He is key to our strategy.

"He has lots of character and knows how to play. I'm happy to go join Belgium's squad. He will improve his work and have a chance to boost his physical condition."

Reigning Spanish champions Barca are back in action on September 12 when they travel to Atletico Madrid for their third Primera Division game of 2015-16.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Real Madrid 5-0 Real Betis: James Rodriguez stars with spectacular strikes

Rafa Benitez's Real Madrid rediscovered their attacking prowess in a 5-0 victory over Real Betis on Saturday - James Rodriguez, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema all on target at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Having been thwarted by Sporting Gijon last time out in a 0-0 draw, Benitez's men sent out a message on their first La Liga game back in the capital as Bale quietened his critics and Benzema made a goalscoring return from a thigh injury.

Bale gave Madrid the ideal start when he headed home with barely two minutes played, having been on the receiving end of boos from sections of the Bernabeu faithful in recent months.

He converted James' precise delivery before the Colombian curled home a wonderful free kick to double the advantage.

Benzema was the beneficiary of neat interplay between the pair early in the second half, with James then reiterating his claim for a starting berth with an acrobatic second.

Despite having chances, Cristiano Ronaldo failed to open his account for the season, while Ruben Castro's missed penalty shortly after the hour summed up a fruitless evening for Pepe Mel's men, who conceded again late on when Bale scored his second of the night to give Benitez an emphatic first competitive win in charge.

Bale - who again occupied the number 10 position, this time behind Benzema - nodded the hosts in front after just a minute.

The Welshman glanced in James' inch-perfect cross to delight the Bernabeu crowd, and it should have been two soon after, but Benzema saw an effort saved by Antonio Adan.

Clearly having found their groove, Madrid saw Ronaldo threaten with a fierce free-kick before Danilo whistled a shot into the side-netting amid early Madrid pressure.

The home side endured a penalty scare when Marcelo slid in to deny Ruben Castro on the left-hand side as Betis began to grow into the game.

However, Benitez's men composed themselves after the half-hour mark - Ronaldo and Marcelo threatening down the left – prior to James' stunning free kick.

The foul on Ronaldo seemed soft, but James produced a sublime effort as he curled in from the right and past Adan to make the most of his start ahead of Isco.

At the other end, last-ditch goalkeeping from Keylor Navas denied Castro a tap-in.

Having each been on target in the first half, Bale and Rodriguez combined to provide Benzema for the third.

Following slick passing between the pair, Bale crossed for an unmarked Benzema to head home on his return from injury before Rodriguez punished more hapless Betis defending.

Having twice failed to clear from inside their own box, Toni Kroos' shot from the edge of the area found James, who set himself up for a wonderful bicycle kick.

Betis were handed an opportunity reduce the deficit when Raphael Varane bundled over Jorge Molina in the area, but Navas again proved his worth with a smart save to deny Castro a consolation.

Sergio Ramos' overhead kick struck Adan's right-hand post late on before Bale added a fifth with an impressive long-range drive that diverted in off the upright.

His second added further gloss to a convincing scoreline, suggesting a growing cohesion within Benitez's 4-2-3-1 system.

 

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Van Gaal: I discuss everything with Rooney

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has revealed his close relationship with striker Wayne Rooney, insisting that he listens to his captain's advice on everything.

The experienced Dutchman is well known for his stubborn and inflexible tendencies but he believes that he has an honest and impartial approach.

Van Gaal says that the pair talk about every conceivable issue and is happy to change his mind if the England star has better ideas.

"I know what I want but I am an open guy," he told the press. "I trust Wayne and I think he trusts me so, when he comes in to talk, I always pay attention.

"He has the confidence to say things that other players won't say but that is good for the atmosphere in the dressing room.

"We speak about the selection of the team, the kitchen and the other staff. Everything."

The 64-year-old, who had a public falling out with backup goalkeeper Victor Valdes this summer, denies that he is a difficult manager under whom to work.

"I am more open than other coaches with all of my players," he declared. "I am open with the players, with my media officer and also the media.

"I am amazed when people say I am single-minded. Yes, I have a philosophy and you have to come with good arguments to change that philosophy, but, if someone has a better argument than me, then I will change."

 

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Valencia seal €30m Abdennour deal

Valencia have confirmed the signing of centre-back Aymen Abdennour from Monaco.

Abdennour had been linked with a move to Barcelona earlier in the summer but has now joined los Che for an estimated €25 million, plus €5m in add-ons.

The Tunisia international, 26, passed a medical on Saturday and signed a contract until 2020 at Mestalla, with Valencia having coincidentally qualified for the Champions League group stage at the expense of Monaco on Tuesday.

"Valencia are a great club in Spain and in Europe, I had no doubts," Abdennour told his new side's official website. "I am happy to be here in a serious and ambitious project, I want to thank the technical staff, president Lay Hoon and owner Peter Lim.

"I am going to give anything to have a good season with my new team-mates and I hope to win a lot of games.

"I know the club and the players well, everybody knows Valencia because they have a lot of trophies and are a great football club. I'm very happy to come to the best league in the world and I hope to do well with the team."

Lay Hoon added: "Aymen is one of the best defenders in Europe; strong, young and with great potential. I am happy because he has shown his interest in and committment to our project from the first moment."

Abdennour started his career with Etoile du Sahel and moved to Europe with a loan spell at Werder Bremen in 2010, before joining Toulouse a year later and moving to Monaco - initially on loan - in 2014.