ONE WORD

  The Tottenham Hotspur striker has been heavily linked with Man Utd in the past but Solskjaer now has an answer. There is a fair amount of symmetry in the plights of Anthony Martial and Harry Kane right now and it doesn't reflect overly well on Jose Mourinho. In fact, a simple exchange between two former  Manchester United  players in the BT Sport studio, following  the 1-0 win  over FC Copenhagen, summed up the situation succinctly. Robin Van Persie,  asked about Martial and how far he has come  under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, turned to  Paul Scholes  and remarked innocently: "He was struggling under Mourinho right?" Scholes' reply was typically deadpan: "Who wasn't?" The transformation of Martial under Solskjaer is simply incredible. This is a player who announced himself to Old Trafford with an outrageous solo effort against Liverpool as a 19-year-old; someone whose talent has never in doubt, but who stagnated during two-and-a-half crucial years of his c

  As Nigeria’s  COVID-19 death toll nears 1000, the Federal Government has asked Nigerians to prepare for societal changes that will arise due to the reopening of the economy. This is in view of increased transportation, trade and human interaction, including the possible reopening of international air travelling. Speaking during the joint national briefing of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 on Monday in Abuja, the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, said the situation requires efforts in order to perfectly balance the benefits of a reactivated economy with the need to keep citizens safe. Ehanire said that Nigeria joined the rest of the world to commemorate World Mask Week since Friday, August 7, and emphasised the importance of wearing face masks to reduce the risk of COVID-19 spread in the absence of a vaccine. Our focus is still to reduce fatality to less than 1%, not only with preventive measures but also with a strategy that encourages citizens to report early fo

  Man United needed extra-time and another Bruno Fernandes penalty to beat Copenhagen in their Europa League quarter-final but Juan Mata made the difference. Manchester United cannot fully concentrate on Jadon Sancho just yet in this neverending season. Their exhausting defeat of Copenhagen was so long it almost ticked over to the date that their season started and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's Reds will go marching on beyond a 60th game. This was a nervier night than even the Copenhagen coach Stale Solbakken envisaged and  United  suffered some ominous harbingers. A penalty was overruled, the Video Assistant Referee denied them, Mason Greenwood and Bruno Fernandes pinged both uprights, Anthony Martial was ostentatiously denied by the goalkeeper and there was extra-time. Harry Maguire was piqued by the French official, Scott McTominay smacked his seat in anger and the United players and staff raised their hands in disbelief at an errant Fernandes pass. If anything summarised the ramshackl

  The World Cup winner could be in line for a new deal at Old Trafford, despite speculation linking him with Real Madrid Manchester United  manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has hinted that Paul Pogba is set for a prolonged stay at the club. The central midfielder has endured a torrid 2019-20 campaign, which has been punctuated by injury problems, and with the rise of January signing Bruno Fernandes, it had been suggested that the Frenchman might be surplus to requirements in Solskjaer’s regime. The World Cup winner’s future has been clouded for months, with reports suggesting that he was in line for a return to  Juventus , while there have also been close links with  Real Madrid , where head coach Zinedine Zidane is said to have placed him right at the top of his transfer shortlist for the summer. With a contract that is set to expire in under a year, United are faced with the possibility of losing a player they paid a world-record fee for in 2016 for absolutely nothing, albeit there is an

Christiano Ronaldo  has been linked with a move to  Paris Saint-Germain  this summer but sources have told ESPN that the club prefer to extend  Kylian Mbappe  and  Neymar 's contracts rather than finally sign a player they have coveted for years. Both Mbappe and Neymar have contracts in Paris until 2022 and the club's priority is to extend both deals before they focus on incoming transfers. The  Juventus  forward could have joined PSG numerous times since the club were taken over by Qatar Sports Investments in 2011 and there was strong interest on both sides after  Real Madrid  won  La Decima , the club's 10th European Cup, in 2014. QSI's big dream upon taking control in Paris nine years ago was to attract Ronaldo to the French capital and they've tried many times, with big offers on the table. Jorge Mendes, Ronaldo's long-time agent, has been involved in discussions but Real Madrid's all-time leading scorer has yet to say yes to a move. It was claimed in Fr