Sports

Cameroonian striker, Vincent Abubakar on Man United radar to replace Ronaldo

Published

4 weeks ago

January 3, 2023

Following the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo to Saudi Arabian club, Al-Nassr, Manchester United is reportedly placing Cameroonian striker, Vincent Abubakar on its radar as a replacement for the Portuguese star.

Abubakar who also plays for Al-Nassr, according to numerous reports on Tuesday, has supposedly emerged as a possible January loan option for the Red Devils who are on the lookout for a new number nine in the winter transfer window following the termination of Ronaldo’s contract after a fallout with coach Erik ten Hag and the club’s board.

According to a report in English sporting media, Ronaldo’s arrival in Saudi Arabia could trigger a loan exit for Aboubakar, who would therefore be a winter option for Man United.

Aboubakar caught the eyes at the recently concluded FIFA World Cup in Qatar where he scored three goals including a stunning header against Brazil in Cameroon’s last group match.

When asked about Man United’s interest in Abubakar, Ten Hag said:

“It’s always difficult. Strikers are expensive, especially in the winter. But you have to set the limits high. We’re looking for it. We need to be creative and do everything we have in our power to get the right players in, who are fitting in the balance.”

“It’s about timing and availability. It’s about so many circumstances playing a role in that. It’s a long period and the window hasn’t even started.”

‘We need good players, not just the numbers. We need quality players to cover. And also we need competition and we need to know also that we can make different choices.”

‘So we are looking for the right player for our squad, but it has to match our sporting criteria, definitely, but also some financial criteria.”

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Sports

Jose Mourinho extols Nigerian forward, Victor Osimhen, after wonder goal

Published

24 hours ago

January 30, 2023

Akanimoh Etim

Roma manager, Jose Mourinho, has heaped praises on Nigerian forward, Victor Osimhen, after the striker scored a wonder goal which can potentially compete for the goal of the season in the Italian Serie A.

The former Chelsea boss said Osimhen, who is a target of one of his former clubs, Manchester United, can compare favourably with former Ivorian striker, Didier Drogba who terrorised defences in the English Premier League.

However, Mourinho said the only hindrance to the Napoli striker reaching legendary status is if he desists from “diving” to gain favours from referees.

“He is of the same level as Drogba, but Didier didn’t dive,” Mourinho told reporters after the game when asked to access the Super Eagles forward’s performance.

“If Victor changes, then OK. I’d buy him if I was at a club with a lot of money.”

“However, if he does go to England one day, he needs to change, because in Italy they put up with this sort of behaviour, whereas in the Premier League, they’d come down hard on him.”

“I told him that he scored a wonderful goal and needs to stop diving so much. His goal was fantastic, he did the same thing when we met earlier this season, so he’s a fantastic player. But he mustn’t dive,” the Portuguese coach said.

The red hot Osimhen, has scored 14 goals in 16 league matches, propelling Napoli to a healthy 13 point lead at the top of thr Serie A.

Watch Osimhen’s wonder goal against Roma here:

Sports

CHAN 2023: Niger, Madagascar make history, beat Ghana, Mozambique, to reach semi-finals

Published

2 days ago

January 29, 2023

Akanimoh Etim

It was a night of shocks and history on Saturday at the ongoing African Nations Championship (CHAN) in Algeria when one of the tournament’s favourites, Ghana, was knocked out by outsiders, Niger Republic in a 2-0 defeat which saw the Nigeriens qualify for the semi-finals.

As if the shock was not enough, first-time qualifiers, Madagascar, thumped Mozambique 3-1 to also qualify for the semi-final in some style.

While Madagascar was dealing with Mozambique in Constantine, Niger shocked two-time runners-up, Ghana, in Oran to complete the last-four line-up alongside host, Algeria and Senegal.

Niger’s reward is a date with Algeria while Madagascar will square up against Senegal, both on Tuesday.

Though Algeria and Senegal are outright favourites to win the tournament meant for African footballers playing in their country of birth, pundits believe underating the so called minnows could spell doom as Ghana, Cameroon, DR Congo and other top playing nations found out the hard way.

Madagascar had earlier shocked Ghana and hammered Sudan to win Group C, while Niger had pulled up the shock of the group stages by sending Cameroon packing with a 1-0 victory in their last group D match.