Oleksandr Zinchenko was hailed as an exceptional footballer by Mikel Arteta as the Ukraine international prepares to complete his move from Manchester City to Arsenal.
The left-back, who can also play in midfield, has joined up with the Gunners on their United States tour.
His switch from Premier League champions City is yet to be finalised, but it would take something unusual to derail the transfer now.
Zinchenko watched on as Arsenal beat Orlando City 3-1 on Wednesday night, with Gabriel Martinelli s heavily deflected first-half effort followed by goals after the interval from Eddie Nketiah and Reiss Nelson.
Manager Arteta must move on players to ensure Arsenal s squad for the new season is not overloaded, but he is delighted to have Zinchenko s arriv…
Erik ten Hag has warned Manchester United s board the club need to sign an attacker to be competitive this season, though he remains excited to integrate Cristiano Ronaldo into his plans.
United travelled to Thailand and Australia for the first part of their pre-season obligations with reserve left-back Tyrell Malacia the only new signing Ten Hag has been able to work with.
Christian Eriksen and Lisandro Martinez have since agreed switches to Old Trafford, while a move for Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong – who worked with Ten Hag at Ajax – is still in the works, albeit that deal is fraught with difficulties.
But Ten Hag wants attacking reinforcements to bolster a forward line including Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Jadon Sancho.
Superst…
Mauricio Pellegrino hopes the funds from the sale of Virgil van Dijk can help Southampton bolster their ranks when the transfer window opens.
Van Dijk will complete his long-awaited move to Liverpool on January 1 after the clubs agreed a reported £75million deal for the Netherlands international.
Such a huge transfer fee – a record outlay for the Reds – will boost Southampton s coffers and Pellegrino intends to use it to lure a number of players to St Mary s Stadium.
Without Virgil we have to try and think about the future and bring to the squad a couple of targets to improve and try to be stronger, he said.
We never know [how busy they will be] because I can t control the market. It depends the possibilities we will have.
It s not easy be…
Italy have been confirmed as hosts of next year s Nations League finals, with Roberto Mancini s team drawn against Spain in the first semi-final.
UEFA confirmed on Thursday what was already widely known as it declared that Group A1 winners Italy would put on the tournament.
Games will be played in Milan and Turin, with San Siro staging the final.
Italy and Spain will play the first semi-final at San Siro on October 6, followed a day later by FIFA s top-ranked team Belgium taking on World Cup holders France at the Allianz Stadium in Turin.
The third-place play-off in Turin and the final in Milan will both take place on Sunday, October 10.
Italy won their group without losing a game
This is the best side since ___________
— U…
Wayne Rooney hopes England can finally live up to the expectations of the country s long-suffering supporters as the team prepare for their Euro 2016 opener against Russia on Saturday.
Despite having had little cheer since their World Cup triumph on home soil in 1966, the Three Lions are always backed by a huge contingent of hopeful fans at home and abroad and it will be no different at the European Championship in France.
Rooney is set to captain his country at a major competition for the first time in what will be his sixth appearance at a finals, although he has never made it past the quarter-finals since making his tournament bow at Euro 2004 in Portugal.
I ve been excited for it, he told FATV when asked about leading the team.
The longest time in…