Sports
Mourinho Warns Ndombele To Step Up For Tottenham
By Augustine Akhilomen
Tottenham manager, Jose Mourinho has warned record-signing Tanguy Ndombele to improve his standard of football if he wants to remain a regular player.
Ndombele, who is still a doubt for Spurs as the team face Southampton in FA Cup replay today (Wednesday), managed just 20 minutes in the team’s 2-0 win over Manchester City at the weekend.
Mourinho has been left frustrated by the £53.8million signing’s fitness problems but revealed he could start tonight’s FA Cup third-round replay ahead of Dele Alli, who will have a fitness test on an ankle problem after Raheem Sterling’s reckless challenge on Sunday.
“He didn’t have a proper pre-season, then he had injuries in Mauricio’s time and then I arrived and he has had injuries again,” Mourinho said of Ndombele, who has completed 90 minutes just once since August.
“Not big things but small things which stop him and break his evolution. He played with me the first match against Norwich and it was the only match where he played for 90 [with me]. Then he breaks again.
“We are trying to give him the best possible condition to not have another stop.
“We are taking care of him at every level. We did a ‘global program’ with him to try to take care of him. We are talking about his work with the group, his individual work, his sports science, his nutrition, everything. It’s like a full package to try to give him the best condition.
“He played well when he came on [against City]. He is not with [injury] problems now, he is training normally and now it is time, instead of playing 15 or 20 minutes, to play more. So, yes [it is time for him to step up].
“He is a player with amazing quality. I don’t think he can play 90 minutes. Can he start, and we take him [off] later? Can we see how Dele Alli is? Let’s see.”
Former Al-Ittihad star Mohammed Noor has slammed Karim Benzema over his move to Al-Hilal.
The Ballon d’Or winner quit Al-Ittihad after being left unhappy with their new contract offer.
An unimpressed Noor snapped: “Karim Benzema’s contract was set to expire on June 30, 2026, and he received two offers from Al-Ittihad to renew it, but he stalled.
“Benzema had already reached an agreement with Al-Hilal without the knowledge of the Al-Ittihad board. Then he came to pressure the club’s management, who had made him offers, but he didn’t respond because he had already agreed everything with the Al-Hilal board.
“He reached an agreement with Al-Hilal and had a bad exit from Al-Ittihad. Didn’t the fans who supported him and chanted his name for so long deserve a thank you before he left?
“He’s the loser, not Al-Ittihad.”
Manchester United Champions League winner Owen Hargreaves has praised manager Michael Carrick for fixing the balance of their midfield.
Hargreaves believes the rejigging from Carrick has brought out the best in Bruno Fernandes, who struck in Saturday’s 2-0 win against Tottenham.
Speaking on TNT Sports, he said: “Let’s be honest, 200 goal involvements is ridiculous. They’re Playstation numbers. He plays with risk but it’s risk that the team benefits from.
“Kobbie (Mainoo) in behind was fantastic again and Casemiro… those three were probably the three best players in the game, in my opinion.
“We said beforehand, under Ruben Amorim, that midfield was a weakness but that midfield three is really good.
“Obviously Bruno is the best player by a country mile and I just think they look so much stronger now as a midfield three.”
Man United are reportedly looking to sign AC Milan and USMNT star Christian Pulisic in the summer.
The 27-year-old has been a key player for AC Milan since joining from Chelsea back in 2023, scoring 43 goals and providing 22 assists in his 121 games.
According to Calcio Mercato via GiveMeSport, Pulisic’s fine form in Italy has caught the attention of Man United, who are keen on bringing him back to the Premier League.
It’s understood that AC Milan are reluctant to sell Pulisic, but a deal could be sanction for a fee of around £48 million.
Pulisic’s contract with the Serie A giants is set to expire in the summer of 2027 with talks over a new deal yet to progress.
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