ONE WORD

Cristiano Ronaldo is reported to have held talks with new Juventus manager Maurizio Sarri over his role in the Old Lady's side going forward, with Italian media reporting that he is set to be deployed as the Italian's false nine. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner joined Juventus from Real Madrid last summer, but after being converted into a central striker to much success in his later years under Zinedine Zidane, he has found himself playing on the left of a front three for much of his time in Turin. He still managed to net an impressive 28 goals in 42 appearances in all competitions, but the general feeling is that the 34-year-old didn't play to the best of his abilities in his first season in Italy. In an effort to amend that, the incoming Sarri is reported by ​Football Italia to be keen on moving him into a more central role on a permanent basis. The speculation has led to outlets such as La Stampa, Corriere della Sera and Gazzetta dello Sport nicknaming hi

Former Nigeria captain, Joseph Yobo, has said that Ahmed Musa and Odion Ighalo, should have been included in the starting XI against Burundi on Saturday. The introduction of the two players by Gernot Rohr in the second half proved to be a masterstroke, as the Super Eagles went on to win 1-0 in Alexandria. With the score tied at 0-0, Musa was introduced for captain John Obi Mikel in the 58th minute, while Ighalo replaced Paul Onuachu in the 73rd minute. Four minutes after his introduction, Ighalo netted the winner. In his reaction to the result, Yobo identified Musa and Ighalo as important players in Gernot Rohr’s squad, who would have given the team a strong start in the first half. “The two players who came on [in the second half] should have started the game because they have the experience, Ighalo and Musa. Ighalo with his experience at the World Cup and everything. “These are new players coming in, sometimes they don’t have the structure. The structure that is there whe