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Anthony Martial is said to be in serious doubt for Manchester United’s key Champions League tie with Paris Saint-Germain, after he was sent home from the club’s training ground due to illness on Monday.

The French striker travelled with the club to face Southampton, but he was absent from the squad, and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer confirmed after the dramatic 3-2 win that he was told to remain in the hotel due to his condition.

The Manchester Evening News say that he turned up for training along with the rest of the squad on Monday, but was assessed by medical staff, and sent home within 11 minutes of his arrival. It should be noted there has been no suggestion he is showing symptoms of COVID-19.

Martial could return to the fold between now and Wednesday evening, but having not trained with the club since late last week, it seems unlikely that he will be thrown straight back into the picture.

Especially while Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani is in the form of his life.

Cavani emerged from the bench to turn in a match-winning performance against the Saints, as United came back from two goals down to emerge with all three points. Solskjaer said after the match that he provides them with a different dimension, the likes of which they haven’t seen since Romelu Lukaku.

“He is one of the best because of his experience and qualities, that movement,” the manager said. “He is one of the best movers you can see.

“He can peel off the shoulder, he can get in front of you, he can pin you. He wants to be in between the two posts, which I love. I love a centre-forward who gets in there.

Edinson Cavani. Still got it, never lost it. ?

— 90min (@90min_Football) November 30, 2020

“It might hurt sometimes but, when you’re there and you get the ball there, you’ve gambled and the ball’s been delivered, it’s a goal. Two goals!

“To have a focal point in the box, that’s important for us. We’ve not really had that since Romelu Lukaku left. Anthony, Marcus, and Mason are different types of forwards. It gives us a great balance and mix and we wanted to mix it up and Edinson had a great impact.”

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It’s been a slightly shaky return to life in the Premier League after a 16 year absence for Leeds, but by no means has it been a bad one.

Marcelo Bielsa’s all or nothing approach to games and desire to hang with the big guns has made for some entertaining football during the first stretch of the season. They made a decent account for themselves in their opening fixture, narrowly losing 4-3 away to Liverpool, and have since fought for draws against both Manchester City and Arsenal.

The whacky scorelines have started to settle down now as teams finally find their groove despite the lack of a true pre-season for many, with United finally managing to showcase their best football in a 1-0 victory away to Everton.

Raphinha scoring his first goal for Leeds. ??pic.twitter.com/ovxJKjqHu3

— 90min (@90min_Football) November 29, 2020

It was Leeds looking much closer to their best. The same intensity, tirelessness and tactical prowess that was on show last season was there, but gone were the silly mistakes at the back and general disregard for defending. Leeds controlled play and never looked uncomfortable against the Toffees, who have been one of the teams to beat so far this season.

Win or lose, they’re incredibly fun to watch and it’s testament to Bielsa’s knowledge and ability to develop a team that creates chances for breakfast, dinner and tea. They’ve created 103 chances from open play so far this season, leading the way in the Premier League, which is seriously impressive for a team who have just been promoted.

It’s important to get the balance right, though. Bolstered and overloaded attacks must be matched with disciplined defending – enter Mateusz Klich.

Klich has quietly been one of the most solid midfielders in the English top flight this season, and was at it again against Everton. Granted the four shots off target wasn’t exactly one to be proud of – something he mocked himself on social media afterwards – the rest of his game was inch-perfect.

Mateusz Klich v Everton:

? Shots – 4
❌ Shots on target – 0

? His reaction… pic.twitter.com/K30C3Hbhrj

— Amazon Prime Video Sport (@primevideosport) November 29, 2020

The Polish midfielder enjoyed 93 touches, making three successful long passes, three crosses, created two chances and made 22 successful final third passes. Those stats are impressive enough on their own, so adding his four tackles and nine ball recoveries to that makes it even more eye catching. Klich was all over the pitch and epitomised Leeds’ tireless yet wildly complex style of play under Bielsa.

A combative presence with an eye for a pass, he’s the type of midfielder every manager wants in their starting XI. Klich allows the likes of Luke Ayling and Raphinha to bomb forward so freely and pick up positions in different pockets of space, sweeping up any danger in the transition and churning the ball into another attacking play afterwards. That – combined with a fierce skin fade and beard combination – makes him one of the most attractive midfielders in the Premier League right now.

The sweetest part about the story for fans of the Whites is that this is a completely different Klich to the one they signed in 2017 and shipped out on loan twice.

Klich looked done at Leeds until Bielsa took charge; tweaking him into a deeper-lying playmaker and giving him a much needed confidence boost was the making of the now 30-year-old, who suddenly felt like a new signing in the 2018/19 campaign.

His revival in Yorkshire has been nothing short of spectacular and it’s even more exciting to see how seamlessly he has adjusted to life as a Premier League footballer. Klich’s influence on the squad will only become greater as the season progresses, too. His experience in going from zero to hero will be key in helping the squad dig in deep when times are tough, in order to successfully get out alive.

It’s easy to get caught up in the romance of Leeds’ return to the Premier League and the reputation of Marcelo Bielsa, but they still have a lot of work to do in order to maintain top flight status. Klich will be key to that this season, and has the tools to earn a respected reputation in the Premier League should his side stay up.

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Former Fulham, Portsmouth and Senegal midfielder Papa Bouba Diop sadly passed away at the age of just 42 over the weekend.

His untimely death shocked the football community, having become something a cult figure in mid-2000s Premier League fandom, while his legacy will live on strong thanks to the historic goal he scored in the opening game of the 2002 World Cup.

Rather like most of Senegal’s golden generation, Diop was largely unknown to an international audience prior to that World Cup in the Far East. Most played to a top flight level in France, but few had much international experience prior to 1999.

Senegal began 2002 by reaching the final of the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time, while Diop was transferred from Grasshoppers in Switzerland to Lens, joining international colleague El-Hadji Diouf, Ferdinand Coly and Pape Sarr at the strong French side.

Facing France, the reigning world and European champions, to kick off the whole tournament was a daunting task for the first time qualifiers. But that day, Diop and Senegal upstaged a French team packed full of star names, who were surprised by the tempo of the game.

Diouf in particular gave an ageing France defence endless nightmares, with a cross of his leading to Diop’s famous goal on the half hour mark.

The man who would later go on to become known as ‘The Wardrobe’ at Fulham and Portsmouth thanks to his enormous physical frame strode forward from midfield to meet the ball. His first effort ricocheted back off Fabien Barthez, but Diop had enough about him to poke in the rebound.

The celebration is almost as famous as the goal itself, with Diop removing his shirt and placing it by the corner flag, where he was joined by his jubilant teammates dancing around it.

France had no response and Senegal’s momentum from that opening win, which stunned the world when many expected the holders to dish out an annihilation, produced draws against Denmark and Uruguay to become the fifth African nation to reach the knockout rounds.

Diop himself scored twice more in the 3-3 clash with Uruguay. Overall, he outscored Ronaldinho and Michael Owen at that World Cup and was level with Germany talisman Michael Ballack, a remarkable feat for a player usually known for his defensive midfield role.

After two more years with Lens, Diop moved to the Premier League in 2004 when Fulham paid around £6m for his services. He scored his first goal in English football in a drubbing by Chelsea, but his second was almost as memorable as that which he netted against France, for different reasons.

Fulham were trailing Manchester United 1-0 at Craven Cottage when the ball was rolled into Diop’s path 30 yards from goal. Not even taking a touch to set himself and slipping as he struck his first-time effort, the ball rifled into the back of the net to rescue a late draw.

By the end of that debut Premier League season, Diop had six goals to his name. Winning goals in consecutive games against West Brom and Birmingham in January ultimately played a critical part in keeping Fulham out of the relegation zone and in the top flight.

By 2007, Portsmouth wanted Diop. He was part of the Pompey side that won the FA Cup in 2008, while he also briefly played for West Ham and Birmingham in the Championship later on.

For more from Jamie Spencer, follow him on Twitter and Facebook!

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Manchester United could use Eric Bailly in order to land defensive target Pau Torres from Villarreal, according to one report.

Despite a recent upturn in results, United’s defence instability has been a cause for concern for some time.

Though the Red Devils currently have as many as six first-team centre-backs, only Harry Maguire (the club captain) and Victor Lindelof look assured of their squad places – though both have also gone through difficult spells in recent months.

90min understands that finding a new centre-back is a United priority for 2021, while Villarreal’s 23-year-old Torres is known to be high up on the club’s wish list.

However, Torres has a contract that runs until 2024, while his release clause reportedly sits at around £60m, making him an expensive option for United or any other suitor.

In order to reduce their outlay, a report from TEAMtalk claims that United could use out-of-favour Eric Bailly to help lower the price of the Spain international.

26-year-old Bailly, who has made 89 appearances for the Red Devils, joined United from Villarreal back in 2016 for around £30m but has struggled with fitness issues and form in recent years.

TEAMtalk’s report does not speculate as to whether Villarreal would be even interested in a return for the defender who spent 18 months at La Ceramica prior to his big-money move to England.

Bailly has made just four appearances in all competitions for United in 2020/21 and is seemingly behind Axel Tuanzebe in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s pecking order for now.

Torres, who has been linked with a host of top European clubs, emerged from the youth ranks at Villarreal and became a first-team regular last season after an initial breakthrough loan at Malaga in the Spanish second tier in 2018/19. He has seven senior Spain caps to date.

In addition to Torres, 90min understands that United are interested in RB Leipzig’s Dayot Upamecano, Sevilla’s Jules Kounde and Brighton’s Ben White.

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UEFA has appointed Stephanie Frappart as referee for this week’s Champions League clash between Juventus and Dynamo Kyiv, making her the first ever woman to officiate in the men’s competition.

Frappart is the world’s leading female official and has already been the first woman in charge of a major UEFA men’s match when she was appointed to referee the 2019 UEFA Super Cup between Chelsea and Liverpool in Istanbul.

So far this season, the Frenchwoman has refereed two Europa League group stage games between Leicester and Zorya Luhansk, and Granada and Omonia.

Frappart refereed the 2019 Women’s World Cup final in her native France when the United States took on the Netherlands. That year, the 36-year-old from suburban Paris was also the first female referee in Ligue 1 history when she took charge of a game between Amiens and Strasbourg.

Towards the end of 2019, Frappart was additionally asked to referee Ireland’s inaugural Champions Cup between Republic champions Dundalk and Northern champions Linfield.

Frappart will be joined on the pitch in Turin this week by assistants Hicham Zakrani and Mehdi Rahmouni, while Karim Abed is down as the fourth official.

Switzerland’s Nicole Petignat has previously been a trailblazer for female officials in European competition, having taken charge of UEFA Cup qualifying games between 2004 and 2009.

German official Bibiana Steinhaus was later the first woman to referee a game in one of Europe’s top five leagues when she made her Bundesliga debut in 2017.

Roberto Rossetti, UEFA’s chief refereeing officer, said last year of Frappart’s appointment for the UEFA Super Cup that she will inspire ‘inspire thousands and thousands of young female referees around the world’.

For more from Jamie Spencer, follow him on Twitter and Facebook!

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