Michael Carrick has hinted that Manchester United may offer centre-back Harry Maguire a new deal at Old Trafford. Maguire's current contract expires at the end of the season, though the England international is keen to prolong his stay at the club. Maguire has come back into favour at United after Carrick succeeded Ruben Amorim at the United helm.

Chelsea have been advised to consider a transfer swoop for Darwin Nunez, with Marcel Desailly telling the Blues why the ex-Liverpool forward could end up being another Dennis Bergkamp. The mercurial Uruguayan striker endured a tough spell at Anfield, but a World Cup winner believes that he could thrive in the right surroundings - as Bergkamp once did at Arsenal.

Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool, among others, have been told how much it will cost to lure Newcastle's star players away from St. James' Park this summer. A host of key Magpies players have been linked with departures in recent months as Premier League rivals seek to exploit their sub-par season to boost their own respective squads.

Pep Guardiola has criticised the Leeds United supporters who booed the Muslim Manchester City players observing Ramadan when they broke their fast during Saturday's Premier League match. The City coach called for more tolerance and said that respecting other religions was part of living in the modern world, while Leeds' assistant boss Edmund Riemer said he was also disappointed with the reaction.

Arne Slot has revealed he does not expect Florian Wirtz to have recovered from his injury in time for Liverpool's next fixture against Wolves. The German playmaker was absent from the Reds squad on Saturday afternoon for the 5-2 win over West Ham United due to a back problem and his manager is not confident he will have the former Bayern Leverkusen star available for their next Premier League game on Tuesday.

Pedro Neto has set himself and Chelsea a specific target to achieve under new boss Liam Rosenior. The Portuguese winger has insisted that he believes his side are capable of achieving great things under the former Strasbourg head coach and is determined to match his own lofty expectations. Rosenior has made a promising start at Stamford Bridge and Neto is determined to keep it going.

Robinho Jr only turned 18 in December, but he has already broken into the senior team at Santos, where he is now rubbing shoulders with Brazil's all-time record goal-scorer, Neymar. The teenager is already attracting transfer interest from a host of top European clubs, partly because of his ability, but also due to the footballing legacy of his father.

Honest Ahanor is just 17 years old - and yet on Sunday he started his fifth successive game for Atalanta, against Como. Unfortunately, Ahanor's afternoon came to an abrupt end - and quite literally by his own hand. Just eight minutes into the game at Sinigaglia, the defender was involved in an innocuous, off-the-ball clash with Maxi Perrone, who shamelessly collapsed to the ground as if Ahanor had struck him in the face.

Another transfer window and another highly-rated prospect is on their way to Chelsea. The club's youth policy has struck again, with the west Londoners landing 17-year-old full-back Yisa Alao from financially troubled Sheffield Wednesday. Despite his very limited experience at senior level, the teenager provoked a transfer tug-of-war between three Premier League giants, but it is the Blues who have emerged victorious.

A referee in Spain has been arrested over alleged identity theft in a bid to obtain Villarreal season tickets and discounts. The referee in question was one of two men detained by police as part of an investigation into the fraudulent acquisition of season tickets and the falsification of tickets at the home of Villarreal, the Estadio de la Ceramica.

Bayer Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes has claimed that Arsenal are "among the top favourites" to win the Champions League after the Bundesliga side were paired with the Premier League leaders in the last-16 stage of the competition.

Benfica legend Luisao has launched a second scathing public attack on the club's hierarchy following their controversial handling of the recent racism allegations involving Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior and Argentine midfielder Gianluca Prestianni. The former Eagles captain expressed profound disappointment with the institutional response, explicitly accusing Prestianni of lying about the incident. Luisao warned that the Portuguese giants are currently navigating a severe "moral crisis" that threatens to permanently tarnish their historical legacy, demanding that the leadership face the uncomfortable truth rather than simply sweeping a serious societal issue under the rug.

Michel Platini is undoubtedly one of the greatest footballers of all time. Playmaker, assister, goal-scorer: Platini was a complete player, capable of leaving an indelible mark on world football between the late 1970s and mid-1980s. He was the perfect No.10, embodying the true essence of the shirt number both then and now.

Modernising the role of a full-back 30 years ago, Roberto Carlos undoubtedly set the benchmark. A tactical genius and a physical specimen, the Real Madrid and Brazil legend won countless trophies at club and international level, contributing bucket loads of goals and assists. No one in the past, present or future can ever claim to be his equal - he was that good.

One of the best midfielders of his era, perhaps the greatest crosser of a football ever and a free-kick taker to rival the best the game has ever produced, David Beckham was a special player to say the least. And yet due to his off-field impact, one of the sport's great champions of the past 30 years is generally forgotten when it comes to referencing the true legends of the game.

Teddy Sheringham. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. "Football, bloody hell!" The 1999 Champions League final is one of the greatest dramas in the history of Bayern Munich. The German giants led for a long time in Barcelona before Manchester United snatched the trophy they thought was theirs in stoppage time. But according to one member of the Bayern team, he actually won that final. "Actually, I'm a Champions League winner," claims the latest member of GOAL's Rebel United, Mario Basler.

In 1969, at the age of 23, George Best wanted to focus solely on the essentials. Just football, just his job. So he turned his back on his two other great passions, alcohol and women. His sobering conclusion: "It was the worst 20 minutes of my life." A Manchester United legend, that quote sums up Bet's rebellious attitude towards football, and life in general.

Rebel United introduces players who prefer to swim against the tide, such as Barcelona and Spain legend Gerard Pique, who has achieved great significance beyond the pitch thanks to his Catalan pride and innovative spirit...

Robin Roefs' story reads like a fairy tale. The 22-year-old goalkeeper is only in his second season as a first-choice shot-stopper, and yet he is already considered one of the better No.1s in the Premier League. A place in the Netherlands' starting line-up at the World Cup is now not out of the question for the latest of GOAL's Hidden Gems.

On September 15, 2018, N'Golo Kante walked off the Stamford Bridge pitch, satisfied. As was often the case, the Frenchman had just covered every blade of grass over the course of the 90 minutes. And, as was so often the case, he was not one of the major speaking points at full-time. Not right away, at least.

Anyone that manages to carve out a career for themselves in professional football is ridiculously talented. The standard at the highest level is just so high that it is simply impossible to 'fake it 'til you make it'. However, not everyone is as prodigiously gifted as Lionel Messi or Lamine Yamal. Your average player will require some time to get to grips with the rigours of the elite game.