Ronaldo won't face Manchester United, confirms Ancelotti

The 29-year-old has been struggling with fitness in the past few months and his coach has revealed that he will not be playing against his former club on Saturday

Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo will not face his former club Manchester United on Saturday, his coach Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed.

The Portuguese, who won 2014's Goal 50 on Monday, has been training with the Blancos squad in pre-season and there were suspicions he could be fit enough to face the Red Devils in the International Champions Cup clash this weekend.

However, Ancelotti has poured cold water on the notion by insisting that the 29-year-old, who has been struggling with fitness since April and did not look fully fit at the World Cup, would stay on the sidelines in the tie with Louis van Gaal's men.

"Ronaldo has been working individually, separate from the team, and he is continuing to work," he told reporters.

"We will not put him out tomorrow, as he has not trained with the full squad. He will train with the squad in Madrid, as we plan to play him in the Super Cup final.

"The plan for Cristiano was right. We programmed a good rest for him. For one month, which started on June 26. We didn't want to take any risks with him, so he will start training with the rest of the squad on August 5."

Ronaldo missed much of the end of Madrid's 2013-14 campaign, including the Copa del Rey final, but did come back in the Champions League showdown with Atletico Madrid to help them to extra-time Decima glory.

Portugal revealed that their captain had tendinitis ahead of the World Cup in Brazil and he failed to shine as his team crashed out at the group stage.

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Falcao will return this weekend

The Real Madrid target will make his long-awaited comeback from a cruciate ligament injury against Valencia in a pre-season friendly, according to his new Monaco manager

Monaco striker Radamel Falcao will return from his lengthy injury lay-off in Saturday's Emirates Cup clash with Valencia, coach Leonardo Jardim has revealed, but will only play a fleeting role as he eases 
back into action.

The Colombia international has been sidelined since suffering damage to his cruciate knee ligament in a Coupe de France tie against Monts d'Or Azergues in January.

Falcao, 28, was forced to miss his country's World Cup campaign because of the injury but his new Monaco coach confirmed that the striker will make his long-awaited comeback at the pre-season tournament at the Emirates Stadium.

"Falcao will play this weekend," Jardim told reporters. "Not the entire game but at least 15 to 20 minutes on Saturday and perhaps more on Sunday against Arsenal.

"He is anxious to play again. He is close to having recovered 100 per cent of his physical fitness.

"This will be a very good test for him before the resumption of Ligue 1."

Although Falcao has publicly stressed he wants to stay at Monaco, Real Madrid are prepared to sell Angel Di Maria in order to fund a summer bid for the Colombia international.

Monaco begin their Ligue 1 season with a home game against Lorient at the Stade Louis II on Sunday August 10.

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Should World Cup star Ochoa have joined a bigger club than Malaga?

After Guillermo Ochoa's exploits at the World Cup in Brazil, perhaps Mexico fans will be disappointed that 'San Memo' won't be featuring at a higher profile club than La Liga's Malaga next season.
 
After all, Colombia's David Ospina moved from Ligue 1's Nice to Premier League giants Arsenal and Costa Rica star Keylor Navas looks to be on the verge of signing for Real Madrid.

Surely the 29-year-old Ochoa - who was a hit all over the globe after his performance in the group game against Brazil at the World Cup - would be in line for something similar, especially considering that the Mexican was available on a free transfer?
 
It isn't to be - at least, not yet.

Malaga – owned by Qatari Abdullah Al-Thani - have fallen from grace quickly. From a club that reached the Champions League quarter-finals under Manuel Pellegrini in 2013, to one that was then banned from Uefa competitions and forced to sell players like Santi Cazorla, Isco, Nacho Monreal and Jeremy Toulalan due to financial problems 12 months ago - the slide has been spectacular.

An 11th-placed finish last season points to a club that has at least managed to stabilize – even if they were only six points above the relegation zone - and the signings this off-season of Luis Alberto, Arthur Boka, Ricardo Horta, Roberto Rosales and now Ochoa point to them being able to maintain their position next term.
 
Yet despite the less-than-glamorous name Malaga has, it is an undoubted step-up for Ochoa.
 
The keeper is now at a mid-table outfit in arguably the best league in the world, where he will get to prove himself against the colossal forces of Real Madrid and Barcelona, reigning champions Atletico Madrid, and even fellow Mexicans Giovani Dos Santos at Villarreal and Carlos Vela at Real Sociedad. It promises to be intriguing.
 
Ochoa's former club Ajaccio was a legitimate minnow in a league that simply doesn't have the same weight as Spain's top division, despite the influx of money into Paris Saint-Germain and Monaco.
 
Ochoa deserves praise for boldly striking out and testing himself in European waters, taking the risk to move to Corsica in 2011. It's not easy as a Mexican goalkeeper. They don't exactly have a long track-record in Europe.
 
Ochoa obviously improved and his reward was the starting spot under Miguel Herrera at the World Cup. That was no guarantee even 10 days ahead of Brazil 2014. El Tri's coach had been impressed.


TRI-MENDOUS | Ochoa denies Thiago Silva in his greatest career performance to date
Nevertheless, doubts do remain about Ochoa's quality.  The fact he isn't signing for a bigger club than Malaga seems to highlight such concerns.
 
There is no doubt about his shot-stopping ability, but his decision-making, his alertness coming off his line remain issues to address.
 
Some will say that accusation is unfair, and perhaps they are right, but playing week-in, week-out in La Liga is where Ochoa can prove his doubters wrong - just as Navas with Levante and Argentine keeper Willy Caballero – who Ochoa will replace at Malaga following his move to Manchester City – have managed.
 
The real downside of the move is that European football in either the Champions League or Europa League – something Ochoa has stated previously is a priority – is still a distant dream. For him, Malaga have to be viewed as another stepping-stone to greater things. 

At 29, he still has time to achieve his career goals and the fact he is becoming the first Mexican goalkeeper in the modern era to play in La Liga is something that should be respected.
 
Once again, it's up to Memo to prove those residual doubters wrong. He now has the ideal platform to do it.

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Ibrahimovic is PSG's true captain & Thiago Silva has an attitude problem, says Leboeuf

Zlatan Ibrahimovic, not Thiago Silva, is Paris Saint-Germain's real leader, according to former France international Frank Leboeuf.

The Brazil international was firmly in the spotlight during the summer as he led the Selecao in their home World Cup, and was accused of showing weakness as captain when he sat apart and struggled to contain his emotions during the penalty shootout win over Colombia in the quarter-finals.

While ex-Chelsea centre-back Lebouef claims both players have significant influence within the PSG set-up, he believes that the Swedish striker offers more leadership on the field than his Brazilian counterpart - a defender he claims has an attitude problem.

"The real captain of PSG is Ibra," he is quoted as saying by Le10Sport.

"Put Ibra in Brazil's context during the World Cup, he'd keep a cool head. Sometimes attackers are less about the collective, but Ibrahimovic gives guidance to his team-mates.

"Thiago Silva? He would never have been captain of PSG. Even if, as a centre-back, he has the game in front of him and that's an advantage.

"Silva has an an attitude problem. You sense he's not invested, sometimes in a panic.

"Ibra and Silva have a real influence when they ask the club for something. They give them what they want."

The former France defender feels the Swede offers more leadership than his Brazilian team-mate and accused the centre-back of panicking under pressure on the field

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Cavani rules out Manchester United move: I'm staying at Paris Saint-Germain

The Uruguay international was on Louis van Gaal's shortlist this summer but insists he is happy to remain with the French champions
Edinson Cavani has ruled out a potential move to Manchester United this summer by insisting that he will stay at Paris Saint-Germain.

The Uruguayan only joined the French champions in a £55 million deal from Napoli last July but found himself playing in an unfamiliar wide role during his first season in Ligue 1.

As revealed by Goal, Cavani was on Louis van Gaal's transfer shortlist but the 27-year-old maintains he is happy to remain in France.

"I'm certain that I'll stay - why wouldn't I?" Cavani told L'Equipe.

"I feel very good in Paris, I have a contract to respect at PSG. I'd prefer to be here. I feel good here. 

"Like I've already said, that doesn't depend solely on the position of a player but also things that can happen at the club."

Cavani revealed that he has held talks with the coaching staff over his role at the club but claims all of his previous concerns over his position have now been addressed.

"The staff replied to what I had mentioned," the explained. "We had some small problem with respect to the position I wanted but I feel very good about that.

"I waited for the right moment to speak. It's important for a striker to play in a position which is natural for him. Now everyone knows by position and it's not worth talking about."

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What has made Strootman Van Gaal's No.1 Manchester United target?

ANALYSIS
By Kris Voakes | International Football Correspondent

He might still be recovering from the serious knee injury which ruled him out of the World Cup, but it is easy to see why Louis van Gaal and Manchester United are so hell-bent on making a serious bid for Kevin Strootman.

The 24-year-old has already developed quite a reputation on the Continent thanks to his performances for PSV and then Roma, and his former Netherlands boss has rightly identified the midfielder as the priority target for his new United squad.

Van Gaal knows exactly what difference Strootman makes to any team, having changed his tried and trusted 4-3-3 formation to a 3-5-2 on the eve of the World Cup solely because of his star midfielder's absence. Given his intention to implement the same shape at Old Trafford, it's little wonder there is just one man for the job.

It is easy to see why Strootman is that man. From the early days in the Netherlands to his first season in Rome, he has stood out throughout his short career, imposing his game wherever he has been.

Having started out in the junior ranks at Sparta Rotterdam, relegated in 2010, it quickly became obvious that he was too good for the second tier. He did not hang around, either. Halfway through the following season he was snapped up by Utrecht, and, after making his Netherlands debut a month later, he was soon on the move again as PSV came knocking.

It was in Eindhoven that he really began to build his profile as a first-class midfielder, dominating the centre of the park for the famous club. Even after the return of Mark van Bommel from AC Milan, a man who may have felt entitled to his old role following seven sparkling years away from the club, Strootman continued to boss matches for the Rood-witten, with the ex-Bayern Munich man forced to take up an unfamiliar role on the right of the midfield three.

Last summer his staggering early rise continued when he left PSV for Roma in a €17m (£13.4m) deal. So highly rated was he at Trigoria that the management handed him the No.6 shirt which had previously been retired for club legend Aldair. But rather than shrink under the expectation, Strootman quickly became a key feature of the new-look Giallorossi.


 *2013-14 Serie A stats

Rudi Garcia’s side hit the ground running with 10 successive Serie A wins as they launched a rather unlikely Scudetto bid, and the Dutchman was at the heart of the positivity which punctuated their season. In a side boasting the likes of Daniele De Rossi and Miralem Pjanic, quality ball-players in their own right, Strootman quickly became Roma’s star midfielder.

With great passing ability and the vision to pick out a killer ball, Strootman was always likely to be a hit in the eternal city, but his eye for goal and imposing figure when not in possession helped to make him an all-round success in no time at all.
In 25 Serie A matches last season he created 43 chances from open play alone. He laid on five clear-cut chances for team-mates and scored five himself. He does not dominate games in a Xavi mould - on average he completed just 59 passes per match - but an accuracy of 88 per cent is not to be sniffed at for somebody who tries so many adventurous options.

"For over €100m (£79m) we can sit around a table and think about it," said Garcia recently when asked about Strootman's availability, and while that was obviously in part to scare off suitors it also gave a reflection of the midfielder's impact. It may have also hinted at Ed Woodward's repeated insistence that Manchester United have money to burn.

The knee ligament damage which ended his season two months early and made him a spectator at this summer's World Cup looked likely to also keep him off the market this summer. But Van Gaal’s increasing insistence that United make him their No.1 target and build their new midfield around him is no surprise.

The Red Devils’ difficulties in the middle last season were significant, and the Dutch coach has been quick to address the shortage in quality. But after being frustrated in their enquiries for some of Europe's most established names - there have been varying degrees of talks over Arturo Vidal, Angel Di Maria and Bastian Schweinsteiger - United could be ready to wait.

It could be a risky approach. Van Gaal has been filling last season's more maligned players - including Tom Cleverley - with renewed confidence during pre-season, but with Michael Carrick injured and Marouane Fellaini on the way out, the Red Devils would certainly be light on numbers.

There is also concern over how Strootman will bounces back from his knee injury. Recovery from such serious ligament damage tends to go one of two ways, and as such it may pay for the 20-time English champions to wait and see how he fares. But while some have been ruined by knee complaints, United know only too well that things can work out for the best - the huge number of goals scored by Ruud van Nistelrooy can attest to that.

But considering Strootman's tremendous talent even when not stretched to his physical limit, holding off now may be fatal in the longer term. This would be the equivalent of signing Vidal from Bayer Leverkusen before he was snapped up by Juventus. 

Leaving themselves open to the possibility of missing out on a player of Strootman’s quality and relative youth would be nigh-on foolish for a club who have so often been out-flanked when shopping for the world's top midfield talent.

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Mazzarri tells Inter fans: Look beyond Roma result

Inter boss Walter Mazzarri has urged fans and pundits to look beyond the result of Saturday's International Champions Cup friendly with Roma.

The Nerazzurri finished a massive 25 points behind Rudi Garcia's men last season in Serie A but only three places adrift of the Scudetto runners-up, securing a return to Europa League football in 2014-15.

Inter have picked up respectable results in their pre-season trip to USA, beating Real Madrid on penalties before losing to Manchester United on spot kicks after both International Champions Cup fixtures ended in a draw.

"So far everything has worked well in the US," Mazzarri told Inter Channel. "Now we face Roma.

"It is worth a lot for us to beat Roma, but we must look beyond the result. They are a very strong side and we know it will be a good test, but this isn’t Serie A yet."

One player who has been absent during Inter's clashes in North America is Croatian midfielder Mateo Kovacic, who has been suffering from a calf problem, and Mazzarri confirmed that he will not start again on Saturday against the Giallorossi.

"We don’t want to lose Kovacic, so he’ll be on the bench and will possibly play a few minutes, but without running any risks," the former Napoli coach added. "I wanted to let him start this one, but in training I saw he’s still struggling a little.

"Everyone is motivated and I expect more confirmations of our form tomorrow. Inter must never settle for less than 100 per cent."

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