..::Football IV::..

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Chelsea dealt major blow in Nainggolan race as midfielder vows to stay at Roma

Chelsea have been dealt a major blow in their pursuit of Radja Nainggolan after the midfielder declared that he has no intentions of leaving Roma.

Goal understands that Chelsea have offered £28 million for the Belgium international, who is one of Antonio Conte’s priority signings this summer.

But the 28-year-old is adamant that he will not be departing the Serie A club this summer.

"I will stay, I'm not moving from here,” Nainggolan told fans at a Sky Italia event. “I’m happy in Rome, I don't want to leave.”

Meanwhile, Chelsea have confirmed that John Terry has been offered a new one-year contract, although the former England captain has yet to confirm whether he has accepted the deal.

 

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I didn't join Bayern to change German football - Guardiola

Pep Guardiola has played down suggestions he has changed German football during his time at Bayern Munich.

The Spaniard will take charge of his final Bundesliga game as Bayern manager when the champions host Hannover on Saturday.

Guardiola, who will join Manchester City in the summer, may have won three straight league titles with the Bavarians, but was unwilling to comment on claims his style has altered German football."I'm not the right person to say how great my influence on German football was," he said on Friday.

"I didn't come here to change German football. I'm arrogant, but not that arrogant.
"I came here to learn, the same reason I'm going to England."What can I learn from the players and English football? The reason is to live in other countries and experience different ways of playing."

Guardiola joined Bayern after they had won just their second league crown in five years in 2012/13, but has since turned them into serial title winners
The former Barcelona coach feels his side's achievements during his spell in charge have been “outstanding”."We lost nine games in three years and five came when we were already champions," Guardiola said. "That is outstanding."

Midfielder Xabi Alonso will miss Hannover's trip to the Allianz Arena through a rib complaint, while Javi Martinez is also out with an ankle injury.Guardiola is hopeful Martinez will be fit for the DFB-Pokal final against Borussia Dortmund on May 21.

However, he ruled Arjen Robben out of the clash with Dortmund as the winger continues to struggle with a hamstring problem.

 

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Hummels impossible to replace - Tuchel


Borussia Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel knows the difficulties awaiting him in trying to replace departing captain Mats Hummels.

Hummels, 27, confirmed on Tuesday he will join Dortmund's Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich at the end of the season.Tuchel says it will be hard to fill the defender's void, but is confident he can find a suitable successor.

"It's not possible to find a like-for-like replacement for Mats," he told a news conference on Friday."Mats' successor will have other strengths. I am sure they will succeed."Dortmund are preparing for their final league game of the season against Cologne on Saturday.

However, Tuchel insists he has no plans to rest players ahead of his side's DFB-Pokal final against Bayern on May 21.While Hummels is leaving, one player who has agreed to come the other way is highly-rated Rennes forward Ousmane Dembele, signing a five-year deal at Signal Iduna Park.

Tuchel says he is thrilled with the signing and hopes the 18-year-old shines in Germany."I'm over the moon with the signing of Dembele and I can't wait to work with him," he said. "We're very excited for his arrival.

"He is a very technically gifted player and a big goal threat. We worked very hard to get him."

 

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Ibrahimovic changed PSG - Blanc

Laurent Blanc admitted he is sad to see Zlatan Ibrahimovic leave Paris Saint-Germain, hailing the influence the striker has had on the club.The 34-year-old announced on Friday he was leaving the club at the end of the season, ending a four-year stint in the French capital.

Ibrahimovic has won four Ligue 1 titles and three Coupe de la Ligue crowns at PSG and will attempt to add a second Coupe de France to his list of honours in the final with Marseille on May 21.

The Sweden striker has scored 36 league goals this season and news of his departure will have put many clubs on alert.

And Blanc says the impact Ibra has had on the club is huge and says the club held talks with him over a new deal."Zlatan has greatly moved the club," Blanc told a media conference ahead of Ibrahimovic's final game at Parc des Princes against Nantes this weekend."Now, we have to think about the future.

"There have been talks. Personally I am sad because we lost our best player, but sad in the sense that this time had to come."At the same time I'm hopeful – for him first. And I think the club have to start on something else."

Ibrahimovic is battling a calf injury but - while Blanc has advised him not to play against Nantes - the PSG boss expects the former Barcelona striker to feature and try to break Carlos Bianchi's French top-flight record of 37 goals set in 1977-78.

"I hope he can participate in this game," Blanc said."I advised him not to do anything. There is an important match against Marseille in the final of the Coupe de France, and the Euros with his national team.

"But I think he will not listen to me and he will want to play the game at all costs. He'll want to beat the record of Bianchi. It makes sense."

 

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'Leicester winning race to sign Lapadula' - Pescara president

Leicester City are winning the race to sign Pescara striker Gianluca Lapadula, according to the Serie B outfit's president.

The former Parma forward has scored 24 goals in 38 league games this season, leading to interest from Lazio and Napoli in the 26-year-old.

But Daniele Sebastiani has revealed the Premier League champions are in pole position to secure his signature this summer despite being feaful of a repeat of Marco Verratti's situation, who left the club in 2012 to join Paris Saint-Germain.

"[Lazio President Claudio] Lotito and [sporting director Igli] Tare made their interest in Lapadula clear to me in a recent meeting," he told Radio Incontro Olmypia.

"Lazio are very much interested. They have been monitoring him for some time and they want [to buy] him. However the competition is fierce, both in Italy and abroad.

"Juventus, who have already acquired [Pescara’s Rolando] Mandragora, Napoli and above all Leicester are on the hunt for our striker.

"At the moment [Claudio] Ranieri’s side are decisively ahead, even if, as has happened with Verratti in the past, I would not like to see Lapadula play and succeed in a top European club rather than in a top Italian club.

"In any case we will go over it with the president and sporting director of Lazio."

 

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Woodward avoids mention of Van Gaal in Man Utd quarterly

Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward insists the club will continue to invest in their squad in order to challenge for titles but made no mention of manager Louis van Gaal in his latest quarterly conference call.

United released financial results for the 2016 fiscal third quarter and nine months ending March 31 on Friday, with total revenue up 31.6 per cent to £380.8million on account of significant increases in commercial, broadcasting and matchday income.

Woodward spoke in glowing terms of United's record of promoting young talent into the first-team this season and the club's ambition of winning a record-equalling 12th FA Cup against Crystal Palace next weekend, without making a specific mention of Van Gaal or the prospects of a top-four finish.

United surrendered the initiative to neighbours Manchester City in the race for Champions League qualification as they fell to a 3-2 defeat at West Ham on Tuesday, heightening speculation over the Dutchman's future, with former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho again linked with the post.

Manuel Pellegrini's team realistically only require a draw at Swansea City in Sunday's final match to finish above Van Gaal's men due to a vastly superior goal difference.

Woodward reported broadcasting revenue, which was up by 38.6 per cent to £92.7m in the latest figures, would be hit by around £30m if United participated in the Europa League as opposed to the Champions League.

A clause in United's kit deal with Adidas, meaning a 30 per cent reduction in payments from the German sports giant, will only kick in if they miss out on reaching the group stages of the Champions League for two consecutive seasons - meaning the earliest it can now come into play is the 2017-18 campaign
"We will always invest in the squad so we are challenging for titles," said Woodward, who credited the Old Trafford youth system for helping with the effort of "re-tooling" the first-team squad over recent years.He added: "This Premier League season has demonstrated once again why this is the most compelling sporting completion in the world.

"I'm delighted by the development of our young players. Marcus Rashford made an immediate impact with goals on his debuts in the Europa League and then the Premier League."Rashford, Cameron Borthwick-Jackson and Jesse Lingard are now first-team regulars and Manchester-born.

"We have won three of the last four Under-21 Premier League titles, which is an impressive achievement given the number of players who have moved up to the first team."We are continuing a long Manchester United tradition of bringing through our own talent."

 

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Van Gaal: Manchester United being trained to attack

Louis van Gaal claims he is training Manchester United to become a more potent attacking force.

Anthony Martial is the only player in the squad to have reached double-figures in terms of top-flight goals this season, and Van Gaal knows their struggles in the attacking third are their greatest challenge to overcome.

The manager has been criticised for a dull brand of football during his time at the helm but has assured work is being done to make United more formidable in front of goal.

Asked whether United need to become more adept at killing opponents off, Van Gaal replied: "We train to overcome this problem, training in the situations that are ahead and making the pitch bigger and keeping the ball better."When you make the pitch big the opponent has to run more metres and it is easier to do that.

"I can say what we still have to improve. I don't think we have to improve much in our defensive organisation because we are doing well."We have to score more in our attacking organisation which is something I have said at the start of this season.

"We need creative, fast players in attack. We have to change that and that is very important."

 

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Euro 2016 hopes dashed with Shaw to miss FA Cup final

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has confirmed that Luke Shaw will not play in next weekend’s FA Cup Final with Crystal Palace.

Shaw has not played a single minute of first-team football since suffering a double fracture to his right leg in a Champions League defeat to PSV in September.There had been rumours suggesting that Shaw would make his return for United at next week's final, but Van Gaal's announcement confirmed otherwise, with any slim hopes the left-back had of being in contention for England's Euro 2016 squad seemingly over.

"It is a pity because he cannot reach that level to play. He needs more time to play but it keeps his motivation very high," Van Gaal said."I have always said to Luke that he can play in the final to keep his motivation high, but now I cannot say that anymore because we are in the final!

"It is still high and I have to give compliments to him because it is not easy to be away for such a long time. He is coming back, but he is coming back next season."
The former Southampton full-back has won six international caps for the Three Lions since making his debut in 2014.

 

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Real Madrid to honour victims of cafe terror attack

Real Madrid will honour members of one their supporters clubs who died in an attack in Iraq when the play their final match of the season on Saturday.

The tragedy comes just weeks after 26 people were killed and a further 71 injured at a football stadium in Baghdad after a suicide bomber attacked an amateur football match.

16 members of a Real supporters club were killed in the attack in the town of Balad, near the city of Samarra on Friday.Madrid face Deportivo La Coruna at the Estadio Riazor and will wear black armbands in memory of their fans that lost their lives.

"Real Madrid deeply regrets the terrible attack in Iraq which today saw 16 members of a Real Madrid supporters club lose their lives and which has also left over 20 injured," a statement read.

"The club expresses its great sadness and offers its regards and condolences to the families and friends of the victims.

"Real Madrid extends all of its solidarity to the people of Iraq, who suffer the excessive injustices of extreme violence.

"The Real Madrid players will tomorrow wear symbolic black armbands as a sign of their mourning and respect.

"Football and sport shall always be spaces in which to come together and in which harmony and peace reign and with which no form of barbaric terrorism will be able to compete.


"Today Madridismo [supporters club] across the whole world cries for its supporters, who shall never be forgotten."

 

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AC Milan goalkeeper Abbiati to retire

Christian Abbiati will retire from football at the end of the season and is set to make a farewell appearance for AC Milan against Roma at San Siro on Saturday.

The 38-year-old goalkeeper signed for Milan in 1998, winning three Serie A titles and the Champions League in 2003 when he was an unused substitute in the final against Juventus at Old Trafford.Abbiati also had loan spells with Juventus, Torino and Atletico Madrid during his long Milan career having started his career with Monza and Borgosesia.

The shot stopper was a Milan regular until the last two seasons when the signing of Diego Lopez from Real Madrid – and emergence of Gianluigi Donnarumma moved him down the pecking order.

He only made four appearances for Italy – all in friendlies – with his last appearance coming in 2005."Abbiati says goodbye to football after 15 years at the club," Milan posted on Twitter. "Tomorrow [Saturday] come to the San Siro to give him a special send-off!"

Abbiati has only played six times this season – five of those appearances coming in the Coppa Italia – but will be given the chance to play and say goodbye to supporters by interim boss Cristian Brocchi, with Donnarumma kept fresh for the Coppa Italia final against Juventus on May 21.

 

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Sprint star Bolt admits he wants to play for United - as long as Van Gaal isn't manager

Olympic sprint champion and the world's fastest man Usain Bolt has always dreamed of playing for Manchester United, but he would only do so if manager Louis van Gaal departed the club.

Van Gaal faces an uncertain future at Old Trafford, with United fifth in the Premier League heading into the final game of the season and reliant on a Manchester City slip-up to secure a Champions League return.

The Dutchman's stock at United has dropped so low that even life-long fan and Jamaican athletics star Bolt - a six-time Olympic gold medallist - would pass on his dream amid the team's stagnant style of play."I supported Manchester United for years," Bolt said as he gears up for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro this August.

"I would still love to play for them, but if Louis Van Gaal is the coach, not so much."Bolt's comments come a week after he told TV2 Norway: "It has been up and down. I wouldn't say I'm happy. I think a lot of players don't want to come to the team under Van Gaal. I think players don't want to play for him."He plays a different style of football which Manchester United doesn't really play.

We are more of an attacking team and he likes to pass the ball. I'm not saying he's not a good coach but, personally, I just think he's not right for Manchester United."
While United are in the FA Cup final, they are set to miss out on Champions League qualification, with fourth-placed City holding a two-point advantage after 37 matches.

United host AFC Bournemouth on Sunday and require City to lose at Swansea City.

 

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LVG ge Manchester United future 1katath mona weida manda​

 

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Pellegrini warns Guardiola of Premier League pitfalls

Outgoing Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini warned his replacement Pep Guardiola not to expect a dream debut in the Premier League next season.

Guardiola will depart his Bayern Munich post at the end of the season to take the reins at City with the objective of transforming the club into a European powerhouse.

Pellegrini exits having won a Premier League title, an FA Cup and a League Cup, as well as taking City to their first Champions League semi-final this season, where they were eliminated by Real Madrid.

But the Chilean insisted nothing comes easily in England ahead of his final match in charge of City at Swansea City on Sunday and said Guardiola is in for the biggest test of his career."Of course it's a new challenge if it's your first time in the Premier League," said Pellegrini.

"I'm not just talking about Guardiola, I'm also talking about myself, in the first year I arrived here.

"But when you've worked in Europe for so many years as a manager, you're prepared to win that challenge."I'm sure that, being in a difficult league, Guardiola will be prepared to do well in it."

Pellegrini recalled his own experience of preparing for life with City in the Premier League and said he had no doubts that despite the size of the challenge, Guardiola would be prepared.But Pellegrini said the demands of playing across three competitions was intensified in England as opposed to other countries due to the competitive nature of every game.

"The reasons that we couldn't get near the winners was firstly because Leicester were the best team and played very well, and secondly because we played a lot more games," said Pellegrini."A third reason is that we continued in the Champions League to the semi-final and had a disadvantage against Manchester United, Arsenal and Tottenham.

"That makes it more difficult to reach the first four places and that’s why it will be more difficult in years to come to reach the top four."

 

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LA Liga Fixtures 2016.05.14

LA Liga Fixtures 2016.05.14

Deportivo Vs Real Madrid

Granada Vs Barcelona

Athletic Bilbao Vs Sevilla

Atletico Madrid Vs Celta Vigo​

 

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Serie A Fixtures 2016.05.14

Serie A Fixtures 2016.05.14

Juventus Vs Sampdoria

AC Milan Vs Roma

Napoli Vs Frosione

Sassuolo Vs Inter​

 

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Van Gaal: Premier League title expectations were unrealistic

Louis van Gaal has declared it was unrealistic for Manchester United's fans to expect his side to be Premier League champions this season, though he is still hoping to seal an unlikely Champions League place.

As the 2016-17 campaign reaches its conclusion on Sunday, United are fifth in the standings and a remarkable 17 points adrift of unlikely champions Leicester City.

United's faint Champions League qualification hopes rest squarely on fourth-placed Manchester City, who must lose to Swansea City, if Van Gaal's men are to contend for a place in Europe's elite club competition.

But Van Gaal - facing an uncertain future amid constant speculation linking Jose Mourinho to Old Trafford - insisted their campaign cannot be deemed a total failure, even though it was always unlikely that United would win the league.

"We can win the FA Cup. How many are still in the race? How many? Of course, when we don't qualify ourselves [for the top four] then we don't reach our aim," he told reporters.

"That is true, because our aim was to qualify, but we are in the final of the FA Cup and we are in the race [for fourth] going into the last match, so mathematically we can qualify still.

"How many teams can say that? Not many. Of course you can say Manchester United need to be champions. Yes, I know the expectations are like that, but I don't think that is realistic."

United host AFC Bournemouth in their final game of the Premier League season on Sunday, before facing Crystal Palace in the FA Cup decider on May 21.

 

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Begovic wants Champions League football at Chelsea under Conte

Antonio Conte has left a good first impression on Chelsea goalkeeper Asmir Begovic, who wants to bring Champions League football back to the club.

The Italy coach will be hoping to lead Chelsea's charge back up the Premier League table after a nightmare season, which saw the Londoners transform from champions to merely a top-half side.Jose Mourinho departed in the midst of terrible league form, with Guus Hiddink temporarily taking control until the end of the season.

But Conte is ready to bring success back to Stamford Bridge according to Begovic, who has been convinced of the Italian's ability to lead them back to the Champions League.

"He seems like a good man – his managerial skills, he is one of the world's best. He spoke in English. The chat we had was good English," the custodian said after Conte held meetings with the squad.

"With the club and everything going forward it is a big summer. We need to recharge for next season."We have goalkeeper Marco Amelia at Chelsea, who knows him and he says he is a hard worker with discipline and structure.

"The Champions League is very important. That’s one of the reasons I came here.
"Our goal has to be to get back into a completion where we belong. I came here to help be part of a successful team and win trophies.

"That's what I want to do and we will see what the new manager brings and the decisions he makes."Plenty of changes are expected at Chelsea during the transfer window, but Begovic is keen to remain at the club.

"It will be an interesting summer. I am not thinking about moving on. When the new manager comes then I hope decisions will be made and then we can go from there," the Bosnian added.

"What the options are and what will happen, I don't know. My goal is to be playing at the club and to help contribute. I would love to stay, but sometimes the decision is out of your hands."

 

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Bosnich: Van Gaal's exit at Man Utd is already sealed

Manchester United have decided on manager Louis van Gaal's future as the club stand on the brink of failure to qualify for next season's Champions League, says former goalkeeper Mark Bosnich.

The Old Trafford outfit are likely to be without Champions League football next term - the second time in three campaigns - as Van Gaal's men sit two points adrift of fourth-placed Manchester City heading into the final round of the Premier League season on Sunday.

To make matters worse for Red Devils supporters, the club are 17 points adrift of champions Leicester City following another season of stagnant football, which has been criticised by fans and pundits alike.

United, though, could still end the season as FA Cup winners, as well as sneaking into the top four if City lose at Swansea, but Bosnich - a Premier League winner with the club in 2000 - feels Van Gaal's time is up with Jose Mourinho waiting in the wings.

Asked if winning the FA Cup against Crystal Palace at Wembley on May 21 would be enough to save Van Gaal, Bosnich told Omnisport: "I think United have made their mind up."I think they made their mind up quite some time ago. The only thing that could save him is if City slip up at Swansea."

Of United's style of play under Van Gaal, Bosnich added: "It's not something that Manchester United fans are accustomed to. I think slowly but surely, well I hope, Van Gaal is realising that.

"Growing up at Manchester United, when we played in the young team, in the A team and B team, Alex Ferguson used to come around and say winning wasn't enough in this shirt. We had to play in a certain way.

"The only thing is, going forward today, results are obviously everything. Playing good football means a lot as well but that, in my opinion, it is the icing on the cake.

"The pressure on a United manager is to get results but finishing fifth is not going to be good enough. Then you have the quandary of not playing attractive football and finishing outside of the top four. So it's a kind of double blow."Surely the aim is to balance in between but right in this moment of time, it's not quite there."

Speculation is rife that United have an agreement in place with former Chelsea boss Mourinho, though nothing has been confirmed.

Assistant manager and club legend Ryan Giggs is also believed to be a contender should Van Gaal depart, and Bosnich believes United will be in good hands either way, pointing to Pep Guardiola's promotion from Barcelona's youth team as an example for the Welshman.

"I thought Mourinho should have got the job after Ferguson," the 44-year-old Australian said. "His pedigree is second to none. He is one of the top managers in the world.

"The only thing that is going to weigh against Giggs is United haven't had success since Ferguson. [But] sometimes it's better when things are going exactly to plan. There is scope for them to improve. I don't think they will lose out either way."

 

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Wenger cautions Welbeck over mental scars of injury

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes Danny Welbeck will have his mentality tested as he faces the prospect of another lengthy injury lay-off.

The England international had his Euro 2016 dreams left in tatters when he suffered a knee injury during last weekend's 2-2 Premier League draw at Manchester City.Welbeck underwent surgery this week due to "significant cartilage damage" and will be sidelined for around nine months.

The 25-year-old only returned in February from a similarly lengthy absence due to an injury to his left knee, and Wenger feels the forward's latest setback will be tough for him to stomach."Will it cause some psychological damage in his commitment? I don't know,"

Wenger told reporters. "It certainly will take him some time to get back to feeling free."He's a player who is explosive and committed. He'll certainly need to get over a psychological hurdle when he comes back.

"I don't think that he will suffer physically. The first period is the worst one. In Danny's case, I believe it will be 12 weeks on crutches."Once the player can work again and feels it's going upwards then you have done the job, but the first period is very depressing."

Welbeck is the latest member of Wenger's playing staff to be hit by long-term fitness problems.

England colleague Jack Wilshere has pledged not to change his playing style despite missing the majority of the season with a fractured ankle, while Aaron Ramsey and former team-mate Abou Diaby had different responses to their own lengthy absences.

"You have different types of players," Wenger explained. "I had the experience with Diaby, he would always come back after a year out and in the first training session you had to tell him 'be cautious.'

"And with some others, there's longer-term damage [mentally]. Ramsey, it took him a while, yes."Most of the time, what you avoid is the specific position in which you have been injured.

"Players they go in completely normally committed, but when they get into that position, it's like an alert in the brain that says 'don't do that.' "

 

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Guardiola would reject Man City now - Scholes

Pep Guardiola would have rejected the offer to take over at Manchester City had he known the club would be in danger of missing out on a spot in next season's Champions League.

It was announced in February that Guardiola would replace Manuel Pellegrini at the helm of the Premier League side at the end of the season. Since then, City have suffered a dip in form, having gone from second in the table to fourth.

Defeat to Swansea City in Sunday's final match of the season and a win for Manchester United would see Louis van Gaal's side leapfrog their rivals and ensure Pellegrini's men feature in the Europa League next term.

And Scholes believes that the club's current position would be enough to turn Guardiola off of accepting the job had he not already agreed, insisting that the announcement has led to City's downfall.

"It is going to be tricky for Pep coming to a club without the Champions League," the ex-Manchester United player told The Times. "If the job offer had been nearer the time, I don't think he would have come.

"The Guardiola thing didn't help City at all. It undervalued Pellegrini and the City players packed up. They should be trying to impress the new manager."

Scholes also suggested City will need to reinvest in their first team for next term, stressing that backup for Vincent Kompany is required, with the Belgium international having made just 14 Premier League appearances this term.

"They possibly need another centre-half because Vincent Kompany looks as though he can't stay fit," he added.