..::Football III::..

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Shakhtar confirm Teixeira to join Chinese club Jiangsu Suning

Shakhtar Donetsk have confirmed that they have agreed to sell Alex Teixeira to Chinese Super League side Jiangsu Suning for a reported fee of €50 million (£38.4m).

Teixeira was heavily linked with a move to Liverpool during the January transfer window but the Reds were unwilling to meet the Ukrainian club's asking price.

The 26-year-old now appears set to follow in the footsteps of Ramires, Jackson Martinez and Gervinho by making the move to China this winter.

"We have agreed the sale of Alex Teixeira to China but we will have to wait a bit to finalise the move because of [Luiz] Adriano's situation," coach Mircea Lucescu told ESPN Brasil, "but it is closed from our side, yes."

Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp had earlier explained why his side opted against signing the Brazilian, who has scored 22 goals already this season.

"It’s very, very important that, yes, you can trust us," the German told reporters.

"It was a common decision [on Teixeira]. We said: 'We can't play this game until the end.'

"We made offers. I won't say too much about that but they were realistic, absolutely, with the premium of it being January, the Premier League, all the plusses you have when you make negotiations.

"But it was a case of 'if you don't want it, OK, we can't change the situation, both for now and the future'."

 

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Sevilla 4-0 Celta: Gameiro double puts hosts on the brink of Barca date

Kevin Gameiro recovered from a saved penalty to score twice as Sevilla took a huge step towards the Copa del Rey final with a 4-0 first-leg victory over Celta Vigo on Thursday.

Barcelona all-but secured their progression to the final with Wednesday's 7-0 hammering of Valencia and, despite seeing a first-half penalty saved, Gameiro's brace after the break ensured five-time winners Sevilla look set to meet the holdersin the end-of-season showpiece.

Unai Emery's men dominated the early stages before Gameiro's spot-kick was saved by Ruben Blanco 28 minutes in.Sergi Gomez's header struck the Sevilla woodwork soon after but the hosts recovered and led at the break courtesy of Adil Rami's powerful header.

Gameiro then made amends for his penalty miss with two calm finishes in three second-half minutes either side of the hour before Michael Krohn-Dehli scored in similar fashion against his former club late on to bolster Sevilla's hopes of a first Copa final appearance since winning the competition in 2010.

Amid a frenetic start in Seville, Timothee Kolodziejczak twice went close with early headers before Steven N'Zonzi's looping header evaded Celta goalkeeper Blanco only to roll wide.The hosts remained on top but spurned an opportunity to open the scoring when Gomez dragged Vitolo to the ground inside the area.

But Blanco saved Gameiro's penalty down to his left and Celta almost punished the missed opportunity when Gomez's header rattled the Sevilla crossbar soon after.
Fabian Orellana also went close with a driven effort from inside the area before Rami eventually broke the deadlock.Ever Banega's corner was swung in from the right and Rami brushed off two Celta defenders to head past Blanco in the last action of the half.

Celta had a glorious opportunity to level shortly after the restart when Gustavo Cabral tamely prodded the ball at Sergio Rico from close range following Iago Aspas' hooked delivery.Rami - seeking a second before the hour mark - was cautioned for using his hand to try and score before the lively Banega saw a free-kick saved by Blanco.

But Gameiro fully atoned for his penalty error to put Sevilla firmly in control of the tie with a quickfire brace either side of the hour.Having latched on to Krohn-Dehli's lofted pass, the Frenchman finished one-on-one past Blanco before coolly beating the Celta goalkeeper again soon after.

Banega was the provider for Gameiro's second, this time finished through Blanco's legs, before Krohn-Dehli took advantage of Celta's eagerness to claim an away goal by slotting home Vitolo's pass in a late breakaway.

 

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Depay has the potential to be the best winger in the world - Kanchelskis

Former Manchester United star Andrei Kanchelskis says misfiring forward Memphis Depay has the potential to become the best winger in the world.

Netherlands international Depay has endured a difficult first campaign at Old Trafford after moving to the Premier League from PSV, failing to hold down a first-team berth after initially impressing during the early weeks of the season.

Kanchelskis excelled on the flanks and won the Premier League twice as well as the FA Cup and League Cup during a four-year spell with United between 1991 and 1995.And the former Soviet Union and Russia international believes fellow wide man Depay has what it takes to prove his critics wrong and fulfil his considerable potential.

"He [Depay] is a very good player," Kanchelskis told 888Sport.com."He's a skilful winger with good crossing ability and a great change of pace."He has the potential to become the best winger in the world."

Depay was followed into Old Trafford by Anthony Martial, the young French forward joining from Monaco in September for a fee potentially set to rise to as much as £58 million.The 20-year-old has not let that hefty price tag weigh him down, with his performances so far making him one of the club's better acquisitions under manager Louis van Gaal.

And while the former Lyon academy player has largely operated in a wide role to date, Kanchelskis expects him to become a central striker in the years to come.
"Martial is no out and out winger like Ryan Giggs was in his early days. His best position is attacking down the middle, that is where his future will be," he added.

 

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Dani Alves: I almost joined Real Madrid

Barcelona full-back Dani Alves has revealed he almost joined Real Madrid instead of the Catalan giants.

Alves signed for the La Liga champions in 2008 for a then-record fee for a full-back when Barcelona paid Sevilla €30million.

But Alves said his fate might have been different had he seen through a move to Real Madrid which he says was almost done.

The revelation came during a Spanish radio interview in which Alves discussed Neymar's future at the club.

"People should know Neymar and his family better before they give their opinion," Alves told Spanish radio station Onda Cero.

"In life, people move on their interests and even more when money is an issue.

"I never hid my move to Real Madrid was almost done ... my fate changed and I arrived at Barcelona instead."

In his first season at the Camp Nou, Alves won a remarkable treble of trophies in Pep Guardiola's famous side which captured La Liga, Champions League and Copa del Rey triumphs during the 2008-09 campaign.

Since, he has won a further four league titles, two Champions Leagues and two Copa del Rey winners' medals.

A central figure in those successes was Guardiola, and Alves believes the Spaniard was attracted to Manchester City because of the size of the project.

"Barcelona happened to be a reference when the collective worked and individuals made the difference ... Pep Guardiola rescued that and now we have developed the idea," he said.

"Pep will be whatever he wants to be. He is able to re-make himself, has dedication, study... he has a gift to manage.

"I think he did not like Bayern [Munich] because he wants a revolution from the very beginning ... he will do that at Man City.

"Let the rest prepare for that."

 

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Alex Teixeira completes €50m Jiangsu Suning move

Alex Teixeira has completed his move from Shakhtar Donetsk to Jiangsu Suning for a transfer fee of €50 million.

The Brazilian attacker previously appeared to be on his way to Liverpool, but the move eventually fell through as the Premier League side refused to meet Shakhtar's valuation of the player.Jiangsu quickly moved in to lure the 26-year-old to China instead and the deal has now been completed.

"Shakhtar Donetsk and Jiangsu Suning have agreed on all the necessary formalities for the transfer of Alex Teixeira to the Chinese club," read a statement on Shakhtar's official website.

"The transfer fee for the Brazilian midfielder is €50 million. "Shakhtar thank Alex for the time spent with the team and wish him success at his new club."

Teixeira came through the ranks of the Vasco da Gama youth academy and joined Shakhtar in December 2009.The versatile attacker developed into a key figure at the Ukrainian outfit, and he teams up with fellow Brazilian Ramires at Jiangsu, who arrived at the club from Chelsea in January.

 

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'Killer' Aguero gives Manchester City edge - Hart

Leicester City have plenty to worry about in the form of Sergio Aguero, according to Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart.

The two teams meet on Saturday in a top-of-the-table Premier League clash, days after the Argentina international scored in his side's 1-0 win over Sunderland.And Hart believes Aguero could tip the title balance in City's favour.

"He’s a phenomenal player, he’s a killer. He got one chance, stuck it in the corner and won us the game," he said.Aguero has scored six times in his last five games in all competitions, and has 13 league goals from 17 appearances.

England No.1 Hart added that he was confident his side could contain the threat of Leicester's leading marksman Jamie Vardy, the Premier League's top goalscorer.

The two teams played out a scoreless draw in their last league encounter in December."[We will deal with him] the same way we dealt with him when we played at their place," Hart said.

"He’s a top player and he’s really on top of his game at the moment, but we’ve got the same and we look forward to the challenge."He’s doing well, but we’re going to look to stop him."But Hart's confidence in containing Vardy does not extend to Leicester as a whole, with the 28-year-old well aware that Claudio Ranieri's men are a threat to City's title chances.

"We’ve got to be aware of what’s around us, especially Leicester, because we play them on Saturday," Hart said."We know if we win our games, we’ll win this league. We’re three points behind Leicester with not a bad goal difference compared to them.

"Arsenal dropping points helped us, but there’s a long way to go, there’s all sorts that can happen. We’re in a lot of competitions, we need people coming back fit, which is happening, and we’re going to be in a good place."

 

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Man Utd Europa League squad: Regan Poole IN, Januzaj cup-tied

Regan Poole could be set to make his Manchester United first-team debut later this month after being included in the club’s Europa League squad.

The 17-year-old defender signed for the 20-time English champions from Newport County in the summer of 2015, but a significant delay to his international clearance led to an enforced spell on the sidelines.Poole eventually appeared in a United shirt for the first time in Monday’s Under-21 defeat to Everton at Finch Farm after receiving the green light to play.

And now he could line up for the senior side against FC Midtjylland on February 18 after being selected in United’s 24-man Europa League squad submitted to Uefa.

United have not selected a number of their youth products, including recent first-team regulars Cameron Borthwick-Jackson and Andreas Pereira, but under Uefa rules they can add a further eight locally-trained players to their original squad.

One notable absentee from Louis van Gaal’s squad is Adnan Januzaj, who is cup-tied after playing six times for Borussia Dortmund in the Europa League during his curtailed loan spell with the Bundesliga outfit.United’s play the first leg of the Midtjylland tie in Denmark on February 18, before the return fixture at Old Trafford seven days later.

Manchester United Europa League squad:

Goalkeepers: David de Gea, Sergio Romero, Sam Johnstone.

Defenders: Phil Jones, Marcos Rojo, Chris Smalling, Luke Shaw, Guillermo Varela, Matteo Darmian, Regan Poole.

Midfielders: Juan Mata, Michael Carrick, Daley Blind, Ashley Young, Ander Herrera, Antonio Valencia, Marouane Fellaini, Morgan Schneiderlin, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Jesse Lingard.

Forwards: Wayne Rooney, Anthony Martial, Memphis Depay, Will Keane.

 

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Wenger: Arsenal in shock over Rosicky injury

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has revealed the club are “shocked” by the thigh injury that could signal the end of Tomas Rosicky’s career in north London.

The 35-year-old midfielder suffered the injury against Burnley last weekend on his first appearance following a seventh-month absence.

Rosicky is out of contract at the end of the season and, with Arsenal highly unlikely to renew is deal, may have played his last game for the club after scans revealed the damage to his muscle was worse than anticipated.

“How long will it take? Two to three months,” Wenger said. “At the moment we are all shocked and he’s the most shocked.

“His injury is quite a serious muscle injury. The good news is that apparently he will not need surgery. It’s a partial rupture.

“We have to be patient and hope that it was not his last game. I don’t want to be dramatic, he suffers enough at the moment. I’m more in a support attitude than dramatic.”

Meanwhile, Wenger revealed that Danny Welbeck will continue his comeback from knee surgery by playing for the under-21 side against Brighton at London Colney on Friday.

Welbeck is back in first-team training but has not played since last April - and Wenger believes he will need another three weeks before he can return to action.

Wenger added: “I believe he needs to play two or three games before thinking of coming back into the first team. He hasn’t played for 10 months. He has a good basic fitness but he has to get competitiveness and decision-making.

“We can organise games internally without being official games. In the next three weeks he should be available.”

 

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Guardiola on Bayern balancing act: I can multitask like a woman

Pep Guardiola says he will have no problem preparing for life at Manchester City while continuing to coach Bayern Munich - because he can "multitask like a woman."

The Bayern head coach will take over at the Etihad Stadium this summer, it was announced by the Premier League club on February 1.

It has been suggested in the German media that the announcement could disrupt the second half of Bayern's season, but Guardiola insists he has a "big talent" for multitasking.

"I am like a woman, I can multitask, I can control both situations, I can think about both situations," he told reporters. "It's not a problem, I have a big talent for this."

When asked if it would be harder to focus now that the move to City had been made public, Guardiola replied: "Why would it [be]?"

Guardiola also called for an end to questions regarding his decision to move to City at the end of the season.

He said: "I've already told you why I'm going to England, you've got to trust me. I can't come here every day and talk about it."
The Spaniard also admitted the move has been long in the making, as he revealed that discussions started close to a year ago.

"I held talks with the club for the first time in May or June," he said. "I will say more about it when I'm in Manchester."

 

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Valdes: I’ll always be grateful to Van Gaal

Victor Valdes might have left Manchester United under a cloud to join Standard on loan, but the Spain international goalkeeper insists that he will always be thankful to Louis van Gaal.

The Red Devils’ boss launched the career of the shot-stopper at Barcelona, and though he ultimately refused to give him a squad number at Old Trafford, the 34-year-old declined the opportunity to criticise the Dutchman.

“He discovered me when I was 20,” Valdes told the press. “After my injury he called me and asked me to join United. I must be grateful.”

Nevertheless, the Spaniard admitted he was eager to leave Manchester, even on a temporary basis.

“When I had the chance to play for Standard, I did not hesitate,” he explained. “I had two options: remain at United without playing or come here and have fun again on the field. I had no other really serious proposals.

“I made the decision to come here in four days. I left Manchester quickly and I have not had the opportunity to talk about the city or the club with [Marouane] Fellaini.

“I wanted to be a footballer again. On a personal level, I want to play until I’m 40.

“Could I stay after my loan? I live day to day, and at the moment I’ve got two objectives, the league and the cup.”

 

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Alex Teixeira: I wanted Premier League move

Alex Teixeira has admitted he would have preferred a move to the Premier League after completing his €50million switch from Shakhtar Donetsk to Jiangsu Suning.

The Brazilian attacker was heavily linked with Chelsea and Liverpool in recent months, with the latter believed to be close to signing him in the January transfer window.

However, Liverpool ultimately refused to meet Shakhtar's asking price, allowing Jiangsu to jump in and lure him to China.

Teixeira joins former Chelsea midfielder Ramires at Jiangsu, with Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao completing the capture of Jackson Martinez from Atletico Madrid as Chinese Super League clubs spent big during the window.

"Everyone always knew that I wanted to stay in Europe and move to an English Premier League club," Teixeira told the official Shakhtar website."I wanted to make it to the Premier League one day. But, unfortunately, all the proposals that came from them were somewhat unsubstantial and did not contain anything concrete.

"I received a serious offer from China, so of course I took it. I discussed it with my family and the people that are close to me. I consulted with my wife the most and she supported my decision."Despite the fact that it all took place at a lightning speed, I would not say that it was an easy decision. I just had to respond quickly.

"But leaving the people with whom I have worked for so many years and who helped me grow, with whom I made friends is, of course, difficult."

 

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Di Maria desperate to banish Manchester United memories

Angel Di Maria is desperate to banish the memories of his one-season stay at Manchester United and described his spell in the Premier League as a "sad experience".

The Argentina international arrived at Old Trafford amid much fanfare from Real Madrid in August 2014, but the attacker managed just three goals in 27 Premier League appearances, having struggled to adapt to the English game.

Di Maria subsequently cut short his stay in Manchester and joined Paris Saint-Germain at the start of the season, where he has become a key figure for the Ligue 1 champions.The 27-year-old says he could have moved to the French capital earlier in his career and is loving life at the Parc des Princes.

"My time at Manchester was a sad experience," Di Maria told L'Equipe .
"Things did not go as I hoped. I was disappointed and that did not help me get over my struggles.

"To be honest, I don't even remember everything that happened and I do not want to remember it."I am happy at PSG and that is what matters most. I had the chance to join PSG on more than one occasion, but it never happened.

"It did not happen in 2014 due to financial reasons. It could very well have happened, but things dragged on and I feared it would not go through. So I decided to walk another path and joined Manchester United.

"But I have always had the beautiful prospect of coming here."PSG are well on their way to retaining the domestic title having amassed a huge 24-point lead over second-placed Monaco, but Di Maria has laughed off claims Ligue 1 is a one-horse race.

"The game in England is very physical. The intensity is crazy, loads of duels and anything can happen until the final whistle. But it's similar in France," he added."A lot of people say Ligue 1 is not of a high quality, but this is not an easy league.

"Barcelona and Real Madrid regularly win by four goals in La Liga, but that's quite rare in Ligue 1. Even the teams lower in the table can cause you problems."

 

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Jackson Martinez’s failure is my fault – Simeone


Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone has said that he must shoulder the blame for Jackson Martinez’s disappointing form at the Vicente Calderon.

The Colombia international striker was signed in the summer of 2015 from Porto for €35 million but struggled to make an impression in Spain and made a shock move to Guangzhou Evergrande last week for a fee of €42m.

With the Liga side he found the net only three times in 22 outings – a stark contrast to the level he had previously displayed in Portugal.

“Without doubt when a player does not play well that I am responsible,” the coach told the media. “Jackson didn't have either the luck or the chances to give his best and I feel to blame.

“It is part of the game, and I will not change my tactics.

“His move was the best decision for both sides. We just hope Jackson can be the player we expect again.”

Meanwhile, the coach stated that he feels he has enough firepower in his ranks to continue to compete for major honours, despite the loss of the 29-year-old. His arsenal currently includes Antoine Griezmann, Fernando Torres, Luciano Vietto and Angel Correa.

 

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Van Gaal: Beating Chelsea will keep title hopes alive

Louis van Gaal says a win over Chelsea on Sunday would reignite Manchester United's Premier League title hopes after their "sparkling" wins over the past week.

United followed up a 3-1 FA Cup victory away to Derby County with a commanding 3-0 win over Stoke City at Old Trafford, in which they scored in the first half at home for the first time since September.

Van Gaal's side are 10 points behind leaders Leicester City ahead of their trip to Stamford Bridge, yet the manager is confident that a win over Guus Hiddink's Chelsea will give their title aspirations a shot in the arm given their recent improvement.

"It's always better when you win and certainly when it's with a very good performance and three goals," he told the media on Friday. "It shall give a big boost to the players. You can see that in the training sessions.

"I have the feeling that if we beat Chelsea - and that's difficult, since Hiddink is there, they don't lose any more - then our league is starting again, so that's very important.

"The competition is not finished, for Manchester United or anyone else."We have the feeling and that's because we won two times in a row with sparkling football, with goals, clean sheets against opponents in great form."

Van Gaal believes United's form will continue to get better as a number of injured players edge closer to a return to first-team football, with Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo nearing fitness."You have to solve problems that you cannot solve. And we had that period in December," he added.

"Now the players are coming back, they are fit again, so I can continue how I started the season. And maybe you remember we were first."Of course [December could cost us], I said at the time that you have to analyse the circumstances. Maybe you remember that. I mean what I said.

"You cannot prevent contact injuries and we were very unlucky. We don't have muscle injuries, only contact injuries, and when you don't have full-backs any more you have problems."

Luke Shaw was named in United's Europa League squad this week, and Van Gaal says the full-back can aim to be fit for the final in Basel in May, as he continues his recovery from a broken leg.

"He can play the [Europa League] final - I've said that to him. It's a goal he has to live for. It's not impossible," the Dutchman continued.

 

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Wenger trolls under-fire Neville: He has no credibility as a manager

Arsene Wenger has suggested Gary Neville must battle for his job at Valencia because he has no credibility as a manager.

The former Manchester United defender is struggling in his first role as a head coach and he is yet to win a league game with the Spanish club.

Neville is said to be clinging onto his job at the Mestalla, despite only taking over in early December, and Wenger feels he is under extra pressure because of his lack of experience.

“I believe that most of the time the reputation of a big player gets you a big club early," he told reporters.

“You gain a few years. You do not start at Fleetwood. When you are Pep Guardiola you start at Barcelona.“When you are not a big name you have first to battle. That is a disadvantage because you do not start as high. But, on the other hand, you learn your job.

“I believe experience plays a big part when you don’t start well. When you have a difficult start you have no credibility through your history because you haven’t shown you can do it.

“So it becomes more difficult when you have a bad start. At some stage, if you have a good team, they always find their way. I think Valencia will get out of it.”
Los Che currently sit 12th in La Liga and take on Real Betis on Sunday.

 

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Klopp has 'no problem' with Liverpool target Teixeira moving to China

Jurgen Klopp has weighed in on Alex Teixeira's £38.4 million move to Jiangsu Suning, saying it was a difficult offer for the midfielder to refuse with the Chinese Super League emerging as a competitor to European football.

The Brazilian was Liverpool's priority target in the January window and with Shakhtar Donetsk having rejected the Reds' offer of £24m with £3m in add ons, ongoing talks over a deal ended when the Ukrainian club insisted he was not for sale until the summer unless a £53m fee was paid.

However, Teixeira's switch to the Far East was confirmed on Friday as he became Chinese football's record transfer.

The 26-year-old, who had previously stated "it would be an honour to pull on the Liverpool shirt" while highlighting his desire to play in the Premier League and push for a Brazil place, is reportedly now the 10th highest-paid footballer in the world.

When asked about Teixeira's decision, Klopp said: "First of all I think we should respect we can all make our own decisions, and not all our decisions are a sign for a new development in the world.

"In a lot of parts of Europe, people in football talk about the financial power of England because of the TV contract and things. Now maybe it's another competitor, maybe there's China.

"For a few years I've known about the financial situation in China. If you want to go there, if you are 26 and you get an offer like he got - everybody would think about it!

"There are a few problems less for the next generation of Teixeiras. That's good news for the whole family. I have no problem with this. It's absolutely normal.

"I don't think it's a sign in general, if you want to change your situation and there's an offer from a club from China, everybody would think about it."

 

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Pato a few weeks away from Chelsea debut - Hiddink


Guus Hiddink says Alexandre Pato is a few weeks away from making his Chelsea debut because he is still unfit.

The Brazil international moved to Stamford Bridge on loan for the remainder of the season from Corinthians last month after his temporary spell at Sao Paulo ended in December.

Pato has not played competitive football since late November and Hiddink says he does not want to take risks with the 26-year-old.

"Pato is in his pre-season," he said, ahead of Sunday's Premier League game against Manchester United. "We have made a training plan which he is doing now, training at least once but most days twice, which means he is getting his fitness back but not at full fitness yet.

"He will not be in for the upcoming few games because we want to have him fit and we don't want to run the risk of injury in this tough league."Of course we know he is skilful, technically he is very good and he is ambitious. This is normal for me but he needs more physical fitness.

"He played his last game in November then had a holiday because it is a different season. So this is kind of a pre-season for him. We like to pressure him but we must be careful not to go over the top."

Pato was one of Brazil's most promising talents prior to joining AC Milan in 2007 but, after a positive start to life in Italy, he returned to Brazil following a string of injuries.

Interim boss Hiddink has previously encouraged Pato to make the most of his chance with Chelsea and reiterated the positives of the loan move.

"It is good to have him on loan and not in a situation where the club has offered him a longer term," the Dutchman added."It's good for both parties. They can see whether they fit well with each other."

 

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Herrera: Man Utd can benefit from Guardiola's City move

Manchester United can benefit from Pep Guardiola's appointment at Manchester City, according to Ander Herrera, who has warned the coach to expect significant pressure to succeed when he takes over.

City confirmed this week that Guardiola has agreed a three-year deal to replace Manuel Pellegrini at the Etihad Stadium from the start of next season, bringing an end to immense speculation surrounding his next club.

And despite the Bayern Munich coach's formidable record at his current club and Barcelona, Herrera believes even United can improve due to his appointment at their city rivals."I see it as a positive from our point of view. We're going to get better," the Spanish midfielder told Marca.

"City have always historically been below United, and that gives them a psychological advantage as they're coming from behind.

"With Pep, with the multi-million spending, I hope there will be more pressure for them. The fans expect a lot: to win the league by 10 points, to reach the Champions League final..."Pep seems to be a phenomenon. I've always enjoyed watching his teams, but the expectations at City will be very big."

United boss Louis van Gaal's future remains uncertain, with rumours that Jose Mourinho will replace him at Old Trafford refusing to go away despite their upturn in form over the past week.

Herrera has rejected the idea that Mourinho's style of play would not meet the demands of the United fanbase and sees no reason as to why he could not succeed the Dutchman when his contract runs out in 2017.

"Mourinho played with Cesc Fabregas, Willian, Oscar, Eden Hazard and Diego Costa at Chelsea. He only had Nemanja Matic as a defensive pivot. Isn't that an attractive style? Or his Real Madrid who got a record amount of goals in a year?" he continued.

"Van Gaal has another year on his contract and he can follow him. Why not?"
The 26-year-old insists it would be unjust to sack Van Gaal given that United are still in the hunt for three trophies.

"There's more patience in England but not only with Van Gaal. Mourinho was three points from the drop and they didn't get rid of him. Arsene Wenger has gone nine years without the title and he's still at Arsenal. City go three weeks without a win and there are no doubts about Pellegrini," he said.

"I think it would be unfair to sack Van Gaal. We still have the chance to win three titles: the FA Cup, the Europa League and the Premier League, even though we're 10 points behind Leicester City."