Manchester United legend Wes Brown is confident that defender Harry Maguire will be offered a new contract at Old Trafford. The defender's existing deal expires at the end of the 2025-26 season but Brown says that current boss Michael Carrick will want to keep the 32-year-old centre-back at the club. Brown is also backing Maguire to continue in the starting XI after returning to fitness.

Kevin De Bruyne is reportedly looking to reunite with Raheem Sterling at Napoli. The duo won numerous trophies together at Manchester City, where they formed a close friendship and remain in touch to this day. Now, it is being claimed that Sterling could join De Bruyne at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona after leaving Chelsea.

Arsenal midfielder Martin Zubimendi has responded to speculation that he is the one player Real Madrid need right now amid a difficult season for Los Blancos. The Spanish giants have already sacked manager Xabi Alonso and brought in Alvaro Arbeloa but sit second in La Liga, are out of the Copa del Rey and face a play-off against Benfica to secure a place in the last 16 of the Champions League.

Much-maligned Manchester United midfielder Manuel Ugarte has been spotting putting his worries on the pitch aside and heading out for an evening with team-mates Leny Yoro and Senne Lammens. The Red Devils stars and their partners were spotted dining together at The Ivy in Manchester at the weekend, following a third-straight Premier League win under new boss Michael Carrick.

Michael Carrick welcomed 15-year-old attacker JJ Gabriel into Manchester United's first-team training sessions twice this week. Gabriel, nicknamed 'Kid Messi' is renowned as a social media sensation and is already exciting Red Devils fans all over the world with his highlight reels and future potential.

Former Liverpool and England striker Andy Carroll has appeared in court and pleaded non-guilty to breaching a non-molestation order against his ex-wife Billi Mucklow. The 37-year-old, who currently plies his trade for National League South side Dagenham & Redbridge, was placed on conditional bail and is due to appear at Chelmsford Crown Court on 4 March.

Kazakhstan isn't a nation known for its love of football. That doesn't mean it's non-existent, however, and with a new teenage sensation emerging as one of the country's best players already, the nation sandwiched between Europe and Asia could be on the verge of a golden generation.

Darren Fletcher played alongside twin brothers Rafael and Fabio da Silva while at Manchester United, but little did he know that many years later, his own twin sons would be vying for a place in the Red Devils' first team. Fletcher opted against playing either of his sons, Jack or Tyler, during his brief spell as interim coach, perhaps out of fear of accusations of nepotism.

Hertha Berlin fans haven't had much to cheer about in recent years. Their decade-long stay in the Bundesliga ended after the team slumped to an 18th-placed finish in the 2022-23 season, just four years on from Lars Windhorst's €224 million minority takeover that came with the billionaire's promise to build a "true ‘big-city club’, like those in London or Madrid."

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It is a major task to fulfil, which is why so relatively few teams have managed it, but the quadruple remains a target for many

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.

Romario moved around the penalty area with the stealthy gait and sly gaze of a panther, ready to suddenly accelerate as soon as the ball came his way, to disorient the opposing defenders with a couple of feints, to pounce on the ball, which inevitably ended up at his feet, as if magnetised, and finish with an unstoppable shot of pure technique or power, or alternatively serve up a perfect assist for one of his team-mates. He was a Hall of Fame striker if ever there was one.

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...

"La France, c'est vous." Translated as 'France, is you', that was what French president Charles de Gaulle told footballer Rachid Mekhloufi in 1968. Mekhloufi had just led his Saint-Etienne side to the double, and the reward was an audience with the most powerful man in the country. For Mekhloufi, this sentence brought things full circle. Now he was both Algerian and French; 10 years earlier, he had - in a sense - been neither.

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.

Player development in football follows many different paths. Some exceptional talents, such as Lamine Yamal and Estevao, make an impact at the highest level at a very young age. At the same time, countless players need more time before their qualities fully emerge.