Manchester United Defenders Yoro, Maguire Fit to Return

Soccer Football - FA Cup - Third Round - Arsenal v Manchester United - Emirates Stadium, London, Britain - January 12, 2025 Manchester United's Leny Yoro comes on as a substitute to replace Harry Maguire REUTERS/David Klein/File Photo
Soccer Football - FA Cup - Third Round - Arsenal v Manchester United - Emirates Stadium, London, Britain - January 12, 2025 Manchester United's Leny Yoro comes on as a substitute to replace Harry Maguire REUTERS/David Klein/File Photo
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Manchester United Defenders Yoro, Maguire Fit to Return

Soccer Football - FA Cup - Third Round - Arsenal v Manchester United - Emirates Stadium, London, Britain - January 12, 2025 Manchester United's Leny Yoro comes on as a substitute to replace Harry Maguire REUTERS/David Klein/File Photo
Soccer Football - FA Cup - Third Round - Arsenal v Manchester United - Emirates Stadium, London, Britain - January 12, 2025 Manchester United's Leny Yoro comes on as a substitute to replace Harry Maguire REUTERS/David Klein/File Photo

Manchester United defenders Harry Maguire and Leny Yoro will be back in the squad when the club's Premier League campaign resumes at high-flying Nottingham Forest on Tuesday.

England's Maguire missed United's last two league matches with a calf problem ahead of the international break and French teenager Yoro had a foot injury.

"Maguire is ready to go to the game and Yoro," manager Ruben Amorim told reporters on Monday.

The Portuguese also delivered good news on defender Ayden Heaven, who joined United from Arsenal in January but was carried off during his first start two weeks ago, according to Reuters.

"It is not so serious. (Heaven) is recovering. He is not yet ready to play but he will return this season, for sure," Amorim said.

Luke Shaw and Kobbie Mainoo have returned to training but are not fit enough to play.

"(Shaw is) starting to do some drills with the team but we are building Luke," the coach said. "Kobbie is almost ready, Jonny (Evans) is recovering."

STIFF TEST

United, 13th in the table, are unbeaten in their last four league games, but face a stiff test against third-placed Forest who are within sight of a Champions League spot with a return to Europe's top club competition for the first time in 45 years.

Forest played 120 minutes in an FA Cup quarter-final win over Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday while United are coming off a 15-day break.

"Of course, Nuno (Espirito Santo, Forest's manager) will say that it was better to have more time to prepare the game, and I can say that that's a long, long time in the good moment without games," Amorim said.

"But they played that cup stage, they won, and that is really important to recover players. So the environment will be really nice, they are doing amazing."

Amorim had little to say about Marcus Rashford's performance since joining Aston Villa on loan from United, and scoring his first two goals for his new team in a 3-0 win over second-tier Preston North End to reach the FA Cup semi-finals.

"We have a lot of games to play and I am focused on my team and my players and Rashford is not my player at the moment," Amorim said.

"But every player that performs well on loan is good news for my club so we are happy with that."

FERNANDES STAYING

The Portuguese coach also United captain Bruno Fernandes will not be allowed to leave the club at the end of the season.

The 30-year-old Fernandes, who last year signed a contract extension until 2027, has recently been linked with a move to Spanish giants Real Madrid.

"No, it's not going to happen. He's not going anywhere because I've already told him," Amorim said of the midfielder.

"We want the best players to continue with us. He's (30) ... but he's still so young because he plays 50, 55 games every season.

"Between assists and goals, he's there for 30 (of them), at least. So he's the type of player that we want here, he's not going anywhere."

Fernandes has scored 16 goals and registered 15 assists in 44 appearances across all competitions for United this season.



Man City's Rodri Keeps Door Open to Real Madrid Move

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - FA Cup - Third Round - Manchester City v Exeter City - Etihad Stadium, Manchester, Britain - January 10, 2026 Manchester City's Rodri celebrates scoring their second goal REUTERS/Peter Powell/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - FA Cup - Third Round - Manchester City v Exeter City - Etihad Stadium, Manchester, Britain - January 10, 2026 Manchester City's Rodri celebrates scoring their second goal REUTERS/Peter Powell/File Photo
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Man City's Rodri Keeps Door Open to Real Madrid Move

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - FA Cup - Third Round - Manchester City v Exeter City - Etihad Stadium, Manchester, Britain - January 10, 2026 Manchester City's Rodri celebrates scoring their second goal REUTERS/Peter Powell/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - FA Cup - Third Round - Manchester City v Exeter City - Etihad Stadium, Manchester, Britain - January 10, 2026 Manchester City's Rodri celebrates scoring their second goal REUTERS/Peter Powell/File Photo

Manchester City midfielder Rodri has kept the door open to a possible move to Real Madrid as he enters the final year of his contract with the Premier League club, saying he cannot turn down the world's top teams and that a return to LaLiga would appeal to him.

The 29-year-old Madrid native began his senior career at Villarreal before signing for Atletico Madrid in 2018. He moved to City a year later ⁠and has since ⁠enjoyed a highly successful spell in England, winning the Champions League once and four Premier League titles among a host of major honors.

"Would I like to play in Spain again, in LaLiga, in Madrid? I'd like to return, yes, obviously," Rodri told Onda Cero's Radioestadio Noche program ahead of ⁠Spain's friendly against Serbia on Friday.

"I have a year left on my contract; there will come a point when we'll have to sit down and talk."

Rodri, who is working his way back to top form after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament in 2024, said having played for Atletico would not prevent him from making a move to their city rivals.

Former Atletico players to have made that switch include goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and forward Alvaro Morata.

"There are other players who have gone ⁠down that ⁠path - not straight away, but in time. You can't turn down the best clubs in the world," Rodri added, according to Reuters.

Rodri also played down any suggestion of rivalry with Vinicius Jr after Real boycotted the 2024 Ballon d'Or ceremony, when the City midfielder won the award ahead of the Brazilian winger.

"I think they wanted to pit Vinicius and me against each other, but not at all," Rodri said. "I have great respect for him and for everything he did that year too. In the end, it's other people - third parties - who decide who wins the Ballon d'Or."


PSG's Ligue 1 Visit to Lens Postponed to Aid Champions League Preparations

FILED - 26 November 2024, Bavaria, Munich: Paris Saint-Germain's Achraf Hakimi in action during the UEFA Champions League soccer match between PSG and Bayern Munich at Allianz Arena. Photo: Tom Weller/dpa
FILED - 26 November 2024, Bavaria, Munich: Paris Saint-Germain's Achraf Hakimi in action during the UEFA Champions League soccer match between PSG and Bayern Munich at Allianz Arena. Photo: Tom Weller/dpa
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PSG's Ligue 1 Visit to Lens Postponed to Aid Champions League Preparations

FILED - 26 November 2024, Bavaria, Munich: Paris Saint-Germain's Achraf Hakimi in action during the UEFA Champions League soccer match between PSG and Bayern Munich at Allianz Arena. Photo: Tom Weller/dpa
FILED - 26 November 2024, Bavaria, Munich: Paris Saint-Germain's Achraf Hakimi in action during the UEFA Champions League soccer match between PSG and Bayern Munich at Allianz Arena. Photo: Tom Weller/dpa

Ligue 1 leaders Paris St Germain's visit to second-placed Lens, set for April 11, has been postponed to May 13 to allow them more time to prepare for their Champions League quarter-final against Liverpool, the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) said on Thursday.

Strasbourg's visit to Brest, scheduled for April 12, has also been moved to May 13 to help them prepare for ⁠their Europa Conference League ⁠last-eight clashes with Mainz, Reuters quoted the LFP as saying in a statement.

"These decisions are in line with the board of directors’ clear strategic aim of enabling France to retain its fifth place in ⁠the UEFA coefficient rankings, which secures four places in the UEFA Champions League," the LFP said.

PSG, the reigning European champions, host Liverpool three days before the Lens fixture and travel to Anfield for the second leg on April 14.

PSG and Lens are separated by one point in Ligue 1, with ⁠PSG ⁠having a game in hand. Lens had earlier pushed back against PSG's request.

"It seems to us, in fact, that a worrying sentiment is taking hold: that of a French league gradually being relegated to the status of an adjustment variable at the whim of certain parties' European imperatives," Lens said in a statement on Monday.


Asian Cup Draw Postponed

The draw for January's Asian Cup finals has been postponed (AFC)
The draw for January's Asian Cup finals has been postponed (AFC)
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Asian Cup Draw Postponed

The draw for January's Asian Cup finals has been postponed (AFC)
The draw for January's Asian Cup finals has been postponed (AFC)

The draw for January's Asian Cup finals, which was due to be held in Riyadh on April 11, has been postponed, the Asian Football Confederation announced on Thursday.

Officials have rescheduled the event to a later date "to ensure the undisrupted attendance of all stakeholders at the final draw ceremony," the governing ⁠body said in ⁠a statement.

"The AFC expressed its appreciation to the Local Organizing Committee for the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ for their full readiness to host the draw as planned, and it appreciates the understanding and continued cooperation of its Participating Member Associations, fans and stakeholders," the statement added.

Saudi Arabia is due to host the 24-team quadrennial continental championship for the first time with the last remaining round of qualifiers taking place on Tuesday.

Qatar are the defending champions and have already secured their ⁠berth ⁠at the finals alongside four-times winners Japan, plus fellow World Cup qualifiers South Korea, Iran, Jordan, Australia and Uzbekistan.

The AFC announced on Tuesday that the latter stages of the Asian Champions League Elite would go ahead as planned in Jeddah, with matches running from April 13 to 26.