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Cantona believes United can be champs under Mourinho
LISBON: Former Manchester United great Eric Cantona has backed Jose Mourinho’s squad to get back to challenging for top honours, three years since they last won
LISBON: Former Manchester United great Eric Cantona has backed Jose Mourinho’s squad to get back to challenging for top honours, three years since they last won the Premier League.
“It’s just the beginning. Manchester can still be champions. Jose Mourinho is a successful manager at a successful club which this year has successful players,” the former French international said in an interview published on Wednesday in Portuguese daily newspaper Publico.
“But this is an extremely difficult championship, full of great teams and great managers like (Manchester City coach) Pep Guardiola,” he added.
Since Alex Ferguson retired after winning the league in 2013, Manchester United have finished seventh, fourth and fifth, their only major trophy during that time being last season’s FA Cup.
The club kicked off their league campaign this season with three straight wins under Mourinho, but slumped to back-to-back defeats against Manchester City and Watford.
They are in sixth place in the English Premier League table with 12 points after seven matches.
FALCAO TO UNDERGO NEUROLOGICAL TEST
MONACO: Colombia forward Radamel Falcao will undergo a neurological test on Thursday to see if he can return to action for Monaco, the Principality club said on Wednesday.
Falcao, 30, hasn’t played for the Ligue 1 outfit since suffering concussion in the 4-0 defeat to Nice three weeks ago.
Concussion protocol means that players must be given the all-clear by a neurological expert before returning to the pitch.
Monaco coach Leonardo Jardim said in a press conference that should he be cleared, Falcao will be in the squad for Friday night’s trip to Toulouse.
MALDINI TURNS DOWN AC MILAN’S OFFER
MILAN: AC Milan great Paolo Maldini has rejected an offer to be technical director of the Serie A club, he said on Tuesday.
The 48-year-old said he would have had to share the role with Massimiliano Mirabelli, who has been appointed sporting director, but has yet to take up the role.
In case of disagreement with Mirabelli, Maldini said Marco Fassone, who will become CEO following the club’s takeover by Chinese investors, would have had the last word. “I did not believe there was the basis for a winning team,” said Maldini.
OLIC SUSPENDED FOR BETTING ON MATCHES
BERLIN: Striker Ivica Olic has been suspended for two matches and fined 20,000 euros by the German Football Association for betting on football matches.
Olic, who plays for secondtier 1860 Munich, made online bets of three-figure amounts on a number of games in August and September, including nine in his own division, the DFB said.
“He did not bet on games of 1860 Munich,” it added. Players are not allowed to bet on matches during their active career or use third parties to do so, according to DFB regulations.
