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Santos have been dealt a huge blow, as Neymar has been ruled out for the rest of the year with a knee injury. Santos, who are languishing in the Brazilian Serie A relegation zone, will miss their star forward at a very crucial juncture in the season. Neymar's return to his boyhood club has not gone to plan because the 33-year-old has been constantly rocked by injuries throughout the year.

• Neymar's injury crisis worsens

  Neymar spent nearly one and a half years on the sidelines at Al-Hilal after rupturing his ACL while playing for Brazil in September 2023. His much-hyped move from Paris Saint-Germain to the Saudi Pro League turned into a nightmare and he finally left the Middle East in January 2025 to return to his boyhood club Santos.

  The plan was to elevate Santos' status upon their return to the top division in Brazilian football. At the same time, the Selecao star would get some much-needed game time to regain his match fitness and form to make a comeback to the national team. However, things did not go as planned. While Neymar has scored seven goals in 25 appearances across all competitions, he has been out injured repeatedly during his second spell at Santos. The forward's constant injury setbacks have also delayed his comeback to the Brazil national team and with only one international break left in March before the 2026 World Cup kicks off, he is facing a race against time to prove himself to Carlo Ancelotti.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Neymar's latest injury setback

  After holding Internacional to a 1-1 draw on Monday without the Brazilian forward, Santos boss Vojvoda told reporters about Neymar's latest setback: "The plan is for him to be in the match against Sport. I have to talk to him, I'm not in his physical presence and I will respect Neymar's decisions. But his commitment is to be there, he always wants to be there. Before the Mirassol game, he felt discomfort in his knee. He also felt it during the game. The following day, he was experiencing significant discomfort in that knee. We know we have games every three days. With travel, we'll arrive in Santos tomorrow afternoon… He's a player we need for all three rounds and he'll help us. He's our leader on the field. He'll be there. He felt he wouldn't be able to meet the demands of today's game."

• Neymar out of action for rest of 2025

  Now, reports that Neymar suffered a meniscus injury in his left knee, which will keep him out of action for the remainder of the year. It all started during his last appearance against Mirassol, when the 33-year-old went down in pain after trying to dribble past a defender. Although Neymar completed the full 90 minutes in the game, it raised doubts over his condition, which has now been confirmed as a serious injury. 

  The injury comes as a huge blow for Santos, who have only three matches left in the 2025-26 campaign and are still struggling in the relegation zone. 

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  Neymar's participation in World Cup uncertain

  At this point, it is very difficult to predict whether Neymar will be able to participate in his fourth World Cup in North America next year. He is out of action for the rest of 2025 and there will be hardly any action for him in the New Year, as the new Brazilian football season only kicks off in late March. His only option may be to head back to Europe to get game time ahead of the World Cup.

  Without playing enough matches, it is unlikely that Ancelotti will call him up to the national team, although the Italian remains hopeful that Neymar will return to top condition soon. Ancelotti said during Brazil's November camp: "Neymar is on the list of players who can go to the World Cup. He has six months to make the final list. Neymar has recovered, but he needs to show performance. When the Brazilian league ends, he’ll have some vacation time, and then he must show his quality and physical condition again." 

  The Selecao boss also offered some words of advice for the Brazilian great, as he added: "The truth is that soccer today asks for many things, not just talent. Also, physical condition, intensity. Hopefully, Neymar can be at his best level. He needs to play more centrally, not as a winger. Wingers in today’s soccer are players you need to help also defensively. When you play a little bit more inside the defensive work is much less than if you play as a winger."

Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan have not been selected in Pakistan’s T20I squad for the upcoming Asia Cup in the UAE. Fakhar Zaman, who suffered a hamstring injury in the first week of August, has recovered and is part of the side.Salman Agha will lead the 17-member squad, which will also participate in the tri-series against UAE and Afghanistan in the lead-up to the Asia Cup.Babar last played a T20I in December 2024. In PSL 2025, he scored 288 runs in ten innings for Peshawar Zalmi. It included knocks of 56*, 53* and 94 but his overall strike rate was 128.57. He was part of the recent ODI series against West Indies where he had scores of 47, 0 and 9.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Rizwan, like Babar, has not been part of Pakistan’s recent T20I squads for the home and subsequent away series against Bangladesh, followed by the T20Is in the West Indies. He made 53 in the opening game of the ODI series against West Indies, followed by scores of 16 and 0.Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson said Babar had been challenged with improving his T20 game. I think it’s really harsh to challenge a player on their form on three games,” he said at a press conference. “Babar played nicely in the first ODI but missed out on the next two. There’s no doubt Babar’s been asked to improve in some areas around taking on spin and in terms of his strike rate. Those are things he’s working really hard on.”But at the moment, the players we have have done exceptionally well. Sahibzada Farhan has played six games and won three Player of the Match awards. A player like Babar has an opportunity to play in the BBL and show he’s improving in those areas in T20s. He’s too good a player not to consider.”Shaheen Afridi, who had also found himself out of favour in T20 cricket of late, retained his place for the tri-series and the Asia Cup, though Naseem Shah missed out once again. Naseem is currently in action in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).Lahore Qalandars fast bowler Salman Mirza, who was Pakistan’s leading wicket-taker with eight against Bangladesh in the away T20I series, was included in the side. Ahmed Daniyal, who also impressed briefly, though was not part of the squad. Both specialist wristspinners – Abrar Ahmed and Sufiyan Muqeem, kept their place.The squad is something of an amalgamation of the sides that have played T20I cricket under Hesson in the three T20I series over the summer. The recent ODI series – which Pakistan lost 2-1 in the Caribbean – appears not to have influenced decision making either way. Hesson said he intended to stick to the aggressive top-heavy approach he has championed in the format, and repeated that Pakistan’s game was suited to such a style.”We were challenged with three different surfaces [in each of the three series]” Hesson said. “In Lahore, the surfaces were flat and the batting excelled. We went to Bangladesh where they were incredibly challenging and low-scoring games. Our top order sets the game up. All the games we won the top order performed really well. The third game in the West Indies, our openers put on 140 [138]. We need that at a run rate that gets us ahead of the game. T20 is all about setting the game up and being ahead of the game all the time in case you get yourself out. From a batting point of view we’ve got a line-up that can continue to do that.”The tri-series in the UAE between the hosts, Afghanistan and Pakistan will serve as a warm-up to the T20 Asia Cup, which will begin on September 9. Pakistan have never won the T20 version of that tournament; they reached the final when it was last played in 2022.

Pakistan squad for the UAE tri-series and Asia Cup

Salman Agha (capt), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem

Stats highlights from DC’s first win against CSK at Chepauk since 2010

Sampath Bandarupalli05-Apr-20252:46

Jaffer: ‘If top order doesn’t fire, CSK shut shop early’

2010 – Delhi Capitals (DC) defeated Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at Chepauk for the first time since their six-wicket win in 2010. The Delhi franchise won the first two matches against CSK at this venue in 2008 and 2010 but had lost seven in a row before Saturday.The seven-match winning streak for CSK against this opponent in Chennai is the joint-second-longest for any team against an opponent at a particular venue in the IPL. CSK’s eight-match winning streak against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at Chepauk is the longest, which also came to a halt earlier this season.10 – CSK have failed to chase a target of 180-plus in their last ten attempts, dating back to 2020. Three teams have had a longer streak of failing to chase 180-plus targets in the IPL – 15 by Punjab Kings (2015 to 2021), 12 by RCB (2019 to 2023) and 11 by Sunrisers Hyderabad (2020 to 2023).Related

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KL Rahul shines as DC outclass CSK in Chennai

25 – The run margin of CSK’s defeat on Saturday. Only four teams have suffered a heavier loss despite losing only five or fewer wickets in 20 overs while chasing a target of 200 or less in the IPL.2018 – Previous instance of CSK chasing down a target of 180 or more runs in the IPL – against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Pune, where they hunted down 180 with eight wickets in hand. CSK had a win-loss record of 9-9 while chasing 180-plus targets until that point.ESPNcricinfo Ltd9.2 – Overs batted by Vijay Shankar and MS Dhoni during their sixth-wicket stand. It is the second-longest unbeaten partnership to end up on the losing side in an IPL chase, behind the 9.4 overs of partnership by Kedar Jadhav and Saurabh Tiwary in 2015. The duo added 91 runs for Delhi Daredevils’ fifth wicket against SRH but fell seven runs short of the 164-run chase.84* – The 84-run unbroken stand between Vijay and Dhoni is the highest for CSK in the IPL for the sixth wicket or lower.120.74 – Strike rate of the CSK’s top three batters in 180-plus chases since 2020. It is by far the lowest among all ten teams, with the next worst being 139.09 by SRH. CSK’s top order averages 17.86 in the 180-plus chases since 2020, also the lowest.20.23 – Percentage of Dhoni’s runs in CSK’s wins since the start of IPL 2023. In this period, Dhoni has batted 13 times in the wins and scored 69 runs at an average of 13.80, but in defeats, he has 272 runs in 14 innings, at an average of 90.66.

Newcastle United will be hoping for a smoother January transfer window than the one they experienced in the summer. Eddie Howe’s side were embroiled in several sagas, including Alexander Isak’s move to Liverpool, which was the talk of the entire transfer window.

They did make some pretty big signings, too. Malick Thiaw joined the club from AC Milan and has gone on to become a key player for Howe’s side.

They also managed to replace Isak with Nick Woltemade, who has impressed in the four months he has been at St. James’ Park, following his club-record £69m switch.

It seems as though the Magpies are lining up some more moves with the next window around the corner.

Newcastle’s latest transfer target

The Magpies are already linked with a couple of midfield targets. Former academy star Elliot Anderson is one man on their shopping list, as is ex-Manchester United and Napoli man Scott McTominay.

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However, according to a recent report from The Athletic, there is another midfielder on their list of targets.

That man is Stuttgart star Bilal El Khannouss, and the report explains he is a player whom the higher-ups at St. James’ Park have already held ‘internal conversations’ about in recent weeks.

This would not necessarily be an easy deal for the North Eastern giants to complete.

The Moroccan star only joined the Bundesliga side on loan this summer from Leicester City. However, he has a buy option in the deal, which may add complications.

As for a price, El Khannouss’ buy clause is worth £21m, so the Magpies may well have to pay a similar fee.

Why El Khannouss would be a good signing

Adding a player with the attacking quality of El Khannouss to their squad would certainly enhance the final third quality that Howe has at his disposal.

As football scout Antonio Mango said, the 21-year-old is a “magician” on the ball.

Indeed, he has shone for German outfit Stuttgart this season. In just 16 appearances across all competitions for the club, he’s managed to score five times and assist four, operating as a number ten.

In the top flight of Germany, the attacker has five goals and assists in ten games.

Let’s not forget that the former Leicester star shone for the Foxes in the Premier League last season. In a tough campaign for the club in which they got relegated, he grabbed five top-flight goal involvements, including this sublime strike against Tottenham Hotspur.

The attacking midfielder’s stats from the Bundesliga season so far show the sort of quality he can add to Newcastle’s attack.

For example, he’s averaging 6.52 progressive passes and 2.81 key passes per 90 minutes, which both rank him in the top 5% of attackers.

Key passes

2.81

95th

Passes into final third

4.5

95th

Passes into penalty box

1.8

85th

Progressive passes

6.52

95th

Shot-creating actions

4.5

85th

This signing certainly has shades of the addition of Woltemade this summer.

As El Khannouss is doing now, the German striker shone in what proved to be his solitary season at Stuttgart and impressed with 18 goals and three assists in just 36 appearances for the Bundesliga side.

Since moving to the North East of England, Woltemade has continued that good form.

He already has seven goals to his name in that famous Black and White shirt, with his most recent effort being this exquisite chip against Everton last weekend.

It is easy to see how the potential move for El Khannouss has shades of the Woltemade deal. It seems like the Moroccan star will also spend just one season at the club, and Newcastle could well be his destination.

That is certainly one parallel, but the form which both players have, or did, showcase in the Bundesliga is another interesting dynamic.

Newcastle bought Woltemade based on his sensational 2024/25 campaign, and it feels as though that was some of the logic behind signing the Morocco international too.

If they do only have to pay £21m, that is an extraordinarily cheap fee for a player who could instantly improve their attacking quality.

Outscoring Woltemade: Newcastle preparing move for one of the PL's best strikers

He’s been in excellent form.

ByTom Cunningham Dec 3, 2025

Sydney Sixers rising star Caoimhe Bray needed to be told she’d taken a hat-trick as the 16-year-old added another WBBL highlight in a thumping derby defeat of Sydney Thunder.Bray took a wicket on the last ball of her second over and the first two of her next over in Sydney on Saturday, the third thanks to a fantastic diving catch at point from Erin Burns. The excitement of that wicket may have been to blame for Bray and her team-mates’ poor maths, who were all shocked to hear of the feat when the ground announcer informed them over the speakers.Bray is also the Junior Matildas goalkeeper and hit the winning runs as a 15-year-old in her WBBL debut last year. She took a classic catch earlier in this tournament and on Saturday finished with 4 for 15 from her four overs and Thunder were restricted to 118 for 8 chasing Sixers’ 142 for 9.”It’s pretty crazy. I didn’t realise; one of those weird ones that was at the end of the over,” Bray said. “I want to play sport professionally for as long as I can (but) oh yeah, it’ll definitely have to come [to a decision between football and cricket].”Women’s sport is getting more and more professional. If you want to go to the highest level, you can’t be doing that forever.”Maitlan Brown was also effective on a night that favoured the bowlers but Sixers will wait on scans for New Zealand allrounder Amelia Kerr, who injured her quad in the warm-up and was forced out of the game.Sixers had Sophia Dunkley (43 off 35) and Mady Villiers (24 not out) to thank for scraping together their total, while Alyssa Healy (26 off 15) threatened to explode.But Thunder’s star-studded batting order failed to fire in reply, with 18-year-old debutant Lucy Finn (49 not out off 34 balls) valiant in a losing cause after they had slipped to 49 for 7.Finn (1 for 27) also picked up Ashleigh Gardner’s wicket but Thunder joined Brisbane Heat at three defeats in three outings.

Batter Antum Naqvi is in line for a Zimbabwe debut in their upcoming one-off Test against Afghanistan after being named in their 16-man squad. Fast bowler Tinotenda Maposa, who has played 14 white-ball internationals for Zimbabwe, is another potential debutant.Left-arm seamer Richard Ngarava and allrounder Brad Evans, both of whom were not part of Zimbabwe’s most recent Test series against New Zealand in July-August earlier this year, returned to the squad. Evans, 28, has played a solitary Test so far, which came in February 2023.Of Indian and Pakistani descent, Naqvi was born in Brussels, Belgium and moved to Australia when he was four, where he earned a commercial airline pilot’s license. He put his aviation career on hold, as per BBC Sport, to pursue cricket. He has recently qualified to represent Zimbabwe, according to a statement from Zimbabwe Cricket.Related

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Naqvi is one of the brightest emerging talents in Zimbabwe, boasting an average of over 60 in both first-class and List A cricket. In January 2024, he became the the first player from a Zimbabwean team to hit a triple-century at any level of representative cricket. Overall, he has racked up 1626 runs in 26 first-class innings at an average of 67.75 and strike rate of 72.65.In his most recent first-class fixture, he scored 68 and 108, his sixth hundred in the format, for Zimbabwe A against MCC in Harare last week.Sean Williams, Trevor Gwandu, Newman Nyamhuri, Clive Madande and Vincent Masekesa all were left out from the previous Test squad. It is understood that Williams missed out due to personal reasons.Craig Ervine will captain the team, with Brendan Taylor, Sikandar Raza and Blessing Muzarabani lending more experience to the team.Harare will host the one-off Test against Afghanistan from October 20 to 24. This will be Zimbabwe’s first international assignment since they secured qualification for the 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.

Zimbabwe squad

Craig Ervine (capt), Brian Bennett, Tanaka Chivanga, Ben Curran, Brad Evans, Roy Kaia, Tanunurwa Makoni, Wellington Masakadza, Tinotenda Maposa, Blessing Muzarabani, Antum Naqvi, Richard Ngarava, Sikandar Raza, Tafadzwa Tsiga, Brendan Taylor, Nick Welch

The Detroit Tigers made a splash ahead of Thursday's trade deadline, shoring up the bullpen in a deal with the Washington Nationals.

The Tigers are finalizing a trade to acquire closer Kyle Finnegan from the Nationals, according to multiple reports.

Finnegan, 33, has 20 saves this season and owns a 4.38 ERA, though his underlying metrics suggest he's been unlucky in that regard as his 3.60 FIP is considerably lower. He's struck out 32 batters in 39 innings, surrendering just three home runs on the year.

Finnegan didn't make his MLB debut until age 28, but he's in his sixth season with Washington and has racked up 20 or more saves in each of the last three years.

In exchange for Finnegan, the Tigers are reportedly sending a pair of right-handed pitching prospects to the Nationals; Josh Randall, who ranks as the team's No. 15 prospect, and R.J. Sales.

It's an important addition for Detroit, who was needing some fortifications to the back end of its bullpen. Finnegan can help handle late innings duties with Will Vest, who leads the Tigers with 16 saves.

He will work in cricket as an independent contractor going forward

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Aug-2025Former New Zealand Women head coach Bob Carter will be stepping away from his role as the high-performance coach, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) announced on Friday. That will bring down curtains on a 21-year career in which he oversaw progress of New Zealand’s men’s and women’s teams.”I feel like I’ve lived the dream,” Carter said in an NZC release. “I’ve very much enjoyed offering support and contributing and, if that’s helped players or teams go on and achieve success, then that’s terrific – I’m delighted.”But I think what’s worked best at NZC has been the combinations, the teamwork, and the cooperation.”Born in Norfolk in east England, Carter played 60 first-class and 55 List-A matches for Northamptonshire and Canterbury before getting into coaching. He joined New Zealand men’s set-up in 2004 as an assistant coach to John Bracewell. After a five-year tenure, he was again appointed assistant coach to Mike Hesson from 2012 to 2014 before taking over from Haidee Tiffen as New Zealand Women’s head coach in 2019. He coached them in the 2020 T20 World Cup and the 2022 ODI World Cup that New Zealand hosted, before stepping down.”We’ve been able to create sides that have been greater than their sum of parts, and that’s a key ingredient in team sport,” Carter, who will work in cricket as an independent contractor, said. “Sure, the individual performance is important, but it’s the collective that has the greater potential. That’s where the magic is.”Bob Carter: ‘The reason the Black Caps have continued to produce great batters and bowlers is because we have a strong, underlying domestic system’•Kai Schwoerer/Getty Images

Carter, 65, said he was pleased to leave the role in Lincoln at a time New Zealand are doing well in international cricket. The women’s team won the T20 World Cup for the first time last year while the men whitewashed India in India in a Test series; no team had defeated India at home in a Test series since 2012, let alone returning a clean sweep.”It’s true that the game has evolved a great deal over the past twenty years,” he said. “But the flipside is that the basics and fundamentals of batting and bowling have never really changed.”Sure, the batters are playing shots we wouldn’t have dreamed of in the nineties, and the bowlers are producing options and change-ups with an incredible degree of difficulty. But within all that, the framework that allows the players to execute so successfully, is still the same as it was 50 years ago.”Our domestic cricket is very strong. I’m not sure that’s widely recognised. The reason the Black Caps have continued to produce great batters and bowlers is because we have a strong, underlying domestic system. The White Ferns have been in transition over the past couple of years, but the domestic competitions have brought new players through and invigorated the established ones.”The World Cup win last year was a great example of what that team is capable of.”Playing tribute to Carter, NZC chief high performance officer Daryl Gibson said, “Bob has been the voice of experience at Lincoln and has been involved in much of the success we’ve seen in the men’s and women’s games over the past decade or more. He’s part of a wider high-performance team that underpinned and supported one of New Zealand cricket’s golden periods – the legacy he leaves in terms of his contribution to NZC is enormous.”

Aston Villa are now very interested in signing a “magnificent” striker, amid a major update on his future ahead of the January transfer window.

Villa eyeing striker as Emery drops Watkins update

Ollie Watkins got off to a slow start to the campaign, scoring just one goal in the Premier League prior to the brace against Brighton, and Unai Emery has now opened up about a potential reason for the dip in form, stating the striker has been struggling injury-wise.

Emery said: ‘He has a small pain in his knee from last year when we started the season in August,’

“Now he is feeling the same pain. He is not feeling 100 per cent and we are trying to manage it with him. We are trying to get to the stage where he is completely without pain – and through this, to feel better again and have the confidence to score.”

The England international may be under pressure to continue performing ahead of January, however, given that the Villans are now lining up a move for a new striker, with it recently being revealed that Emery is a huge fan of Brentford striker Igor Thiago.

There has now been a new update on Aston Villa’s pursuit of Thiago, with a report from Caught Offside revealing they are very interested in signing the centre-forward, who is highly likely to leave Brentford during the upcoming transfer window.

There could be competition for the Brazilian’s signature, however, with Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United also particularly keen to snap him up, after scouting him closely.

A deal may not break the bank either, with the interested clubs looking in to getting a deal done for a fee of around €35m – €40m (£31m – £35m).

Related Aston Villa now make contact to sign "wonderful" midfielder who would cost £0

The Villans have made an approach to sign a highly sought-after central midfielder.

Posts ByDominic Lund Dec 2, 2025 Thiago could be "magnificent" signing for Aston Villa

The 24-year-old continued his fine form as Brentford defeated Burnley 3-1 at the weekend, bagging a brace, and manager Keith Andrews was very impressed with his performance, saying: “[Igor] has been magnificent. He was quiet in the first half. It was down to us too, not giving him enough service, and the opposition was denying him the space and opportunity.”

“But I felt he could impose himself a little more in the game, and he did exactly that in the second half.”

The Brentford star now has 11 goals to his name in the Premier League this season, the second-highest number behind Erling Haaland.

As such, a fee of around £35m could be an absolute steal for Thiago, and Villa should definitely make a January move.

There's a familiarity to the version of domestic bliss enjoyed by the Premier League's top scorer and his other half after Erling Haaland revealed details of a conversation about watching live football at home on a Sunday afternoon. Haaland spotted a tasty live match was on and wanted to put it on, but his girlfriend Isabel Haugseng Johansen was, to put it kindly, not so keen.

• Red-hot Haaland loving life in EPL

  Since arriving at at Manchester City in 2022, Haaland has been nothing short of sensational, firmly establishing himself as one of the world's elite strikers. The Norwegian star has been central to City's success, winning numerous titles including two Premier League trophies, the Champions League, and the FA Cup as part of a historic treble in his debut season. Individually, his scoring records are remarkable. Haaland set the Premier League single-season goal record with 36 goals in 35 games and achieved the most goals by a Premier League player in all competitions in one season with 52. He recently became the fastest player to reach 100 Premier League goals, doing so in just 111 appearances. 

  And away from the pitch, Haaland is in a long-term relationship with Johansen. They met as youngsters playing football at the Bryne academy in Norway, with Haaland revealing she made the first move. Isabel is also a footballer and has been a steady presence supporting him. The couple welcomed their first child, a son, in December 2024. And while everything may seem rosy in their household, the striker has revealed they exchanged a few words over watching a Premier League match on TV.

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  Haaland: 'We watched it, obviously'

  Haaland told the Rest is Football podcast: "Yeah, I'm a football fan, so I watch all kinds of football. Actually, yesterday, we were eating dinner and I checked if there were any games. Man Utd-West Ham's on, let's put it on. My missus said, 'I'm so sick of football. We watch it all the time'. I’m like 'yeah, that’s the reason we are sitting here!'. So we watched it, obviously."

• Haaland hails 'hard-worker' Guardiola

  The Norway superstar was also asked about what it’s like to work for Pep Guardiola, and he was full of praise for the Catalan. Haaland said: "Yeah intense but for me people speak about genius and all these kinds of things. I think it's kind of genius. But for me the thing that surprised me, or not only surprised, but his hard work. He works harder than everyone. He's the hardest working in the club. He's the first one to come, the last one to leave and I think that also is what’s been taking him so far because of his hard work every single day. It's dedication. It’s motivation and also it's an intense way of seeing football and working with football I think. That’s the main thing."

  Haaland added: "That's the reason that I also signed it because of conversations that I've had with the bosses and also the plan in the next few years, and that was something I wanted to be a part of. And yeah, I'm calm, I'm focused, and I'm really happy here, so it's a really good place to be for development. Also in the end, England, it's a football country, and I think it's the best place to play football."

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  City bid to cut Gunners' lead

  Guardiola’s side travel to south London on Sunday afternoon to face in-form Crystal Palace, hoping league leaders Arsenal have dropped points at home to Wolves on Saturday evening. Palace have won 26 points after 15 Premier League matches this season which is their best-ever start to a campaign and double the total they had at this stage last season, but City have an excellent record at Selhurst Park – they’ve lost just two of their last 20 Premier League games against the Eagles, both coming at the Etihad.