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Jadon Sancho still not close to returning for Manchester United

Mauricio Pochettino says Reece James’ “leadership” is why he handed him the Chelsea captaincy and defended the full-back after he picked up a suspension during his side’s 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa last month. James, who did not play the match through injury, was suspended for Chelsea’s win over Burnley for aiming “abusive words” at a match official in the tunnel during the clash at Stamford Bridge and was ordered to pay a £90,000 fine. But Pochettino has seen James’ leadership attributes and believes his actions were a mistake fuelled by frustration after he sustained a hamstring injury in August. “Why did I choose him as captain? Because of his personality, his leadership, the respect he has from the club and his team-mates and he has my full respect also,” Pochettino said. “Chelsea is in his DNA and when you see the squad he is not only for the present, he is for the future and in this moment Chelsea need someone like that. “I think he was upset with the situation. He was so committed with this project from the beginning, he felt really bad because he could not help the team. “He made a mistake but he’s young and he can make mistakes. He was really sorry about that situation and I don’t think it will be repeated. “Even myself at Burnley I got a yellow card at half-time and I’m 51 years old; sometimes a young guy can make a mistake, he was frustrated because he could not help the team.” Pochettino said that James’ fitness “will be assessed” ahead of Saturday’s clash against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge, quashing reports the full-back suffered a setback in his recovery. James has only started 22 times in the Premier League since January 2022 after a raft of injury issues. Pochettino added: “He is much better, he’s doing well and he’s progressing. He’s not at his best and is not 100 per cent, but he is in a position to help the team at some point and he is close. “What we are going to do is to avoid that (surgery) and we are building a strategy for him, to put him at his best and keep him at his best. “We are confident (of this). Always confident.” Mykhailo Mudryk scored his first competitive goal for Chelsea during their 2-0 victory over Fulham and he opened his account for Ukraine when he netted against Malta in a Euro 2024 qualifier on Tuesday. Pochettino is happy with the winger’s progress after the 22-year-old struggled to adapt to life in west London following his big-money move from Shakhtar Donetsk in January. He said: “We are so happy with him. He’s changed a lot in the last three months since we first met him and he’s a completely different person and we can see how lovely, sensitive, smart and clever he is. “It is so important to give confidence and when people trust they can be open and express their talent and Misha (Mudryk) is doing really well with his relationships with the team and club.” Read More I don’t remember – Pep Guardiola denies tipping Roberto De Zerbi as successor Luke Shaw not expected to be fit until after November’s international break FIFA hands two-year doping ban to World Cup winner Papu Gomez Rotherham’s game with Ipswich off and Scottish matches postponed due to storm It is bad news – Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi expects Man City to bounce back Kevin Sinfield calls on England to empty tanks against South Africa

Pep Guardiola says he cannot recall telling anybody he believes Roberto De Zerbi will succeed him as Manchester City manager. A story has emerged claiming the Catalan privately tipped the Brighton boss to succeed him after City drew at the Amex Stadium in May. Yet, while Guardiola may have cast doubt over whether that occurred, he has repeatedly been effusive in his praise of the Italian and remains so ahead of Saturday’s meeting between their two clubs. Guardiola, whose future beyond the expiry of his contract in 2025 is unclear, said: “I don’t remember that. “Maybe I have bad memory but I’m sure Roberto can train in any team around the world. I don’t have any doubt. “I don’t remember saying that to the players. I remember saying before he arrived, one or two games in, about sustaining the manager, but I don’t remember saying that honestly. “It’s none of my business. If the chairman asks my opinion I will give my opinion but it’s none of my business. “I’m not the sporting director. It’s not my responsibility to say what’s going right or wrong.” Former Sassuolo and Shakhtar Donetsk boss De Zerbi has made a big impression since taking over at Brighton just over a year ago. He guided the club into European competition for the first time with a sixth-placed finish in the Premier League last season and they have started the current campaign strongly. Guardiola feels this proves a manager need not have had experience at the highest level to land the biggest jobs. He said: “It doesn’t mean you have to be at the top clubs to be manager of the top clubs. I was appointed Barcelona first-team (manager) coming from the fourth division with no experience at the top level. “You have the idea of the club, the sporting director follows the idea, they hire the manager for this idea, they hire players to follow the idea. When that happens it’s going well. “Man City have done this, Liverpool with Jurgen (Klopp) for many years – winning titles with the same process and same ideas.” Guardiola, 52, is widely considered the greatest coach of his generation having last year added a third Champions League title to a glittering CV that also includes five Premier League wins. His players are always in the perfect body-shape position. Pep Guardiola on Roberto De Zerbi Yet even he feels like he can learn from a relative youngster like 44-year-old De Zerbi. He said: “His players are always in the perfect body-shape position to get the ball. “It’s a stupid thing to say but one of the key points. Everyone moves in the right moment, tempo. “Football is not ‘you have to move’, it’s when. It’s body shape in the perfect shape. It’s really good. “Everything he does makes sense and I learn.” Read More Mauricio Pochettino hails Reece James’ leadership and defends captain after ban Luke Shaw not expected to be fit until after November’s international break FIFA hands two-year doping ban to World Cup winner Papu Gomez Rotherham’s game with Ipswich off and Scottish matches postponed due to storm It is bad news – Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi expects Man City to bounce back Kevin Sinfield calls on England to empty tanks against South Africa

World Cup winner Papu Gomez has been given a two-year ban by FIFA after testing positive for a banned substance, his Italian club Monza have said. The Serie A club said terbutaline was found in the 35-year-old Argentina midfielder’s “biological samples” when he played for Sevilla in 2022. “FIFA has notified the Spanish Anti-Doping Commission of the first instance ruling of the Spanish Anti-Doping Commission against the player Alejandro Dario Gomez,” read a Monza statement on Friday. “The sentence provides for a two-year disqualification from sporting activities. “The presence of terbutaline was found in the footballer’s biological samples. It is a drug taken to calm a bronchospasm crisis, in October 2022, when the footballer was registered for Sevilla FC. “AC Monza reserves the right to evaluate the next procedural steps.” Buenos Aires-born Gomez played in Argentina, Italy and Ukraine before spending over six years at Atalanta until January 2021. He then moved to Sevilla before joining Monza in September, where he has made only two substitute appearances. Gomez has won 17 caps for Argentina and started twice at the 2022 World Cup, including the round of 16 victory over Australia, as the South Americans won the trophy for a third time in Qatar. Read More New Zealand ease past Argentina to book yet another World Cup final appearance Rotherham’s game with Ipswich off and Scottish matches postponed due to storm It is bad news – Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi expects Man City to bounce back

Julian Brandt has celebrated his 300th Bundesliga appearance with a goal to lead Borussia Dortmund to a hard-fought 1-0 win over Werder Bremen

New Zealand has bulldozed through Argentina 44-6 in Paris to reach the Rugby World Cup final for a record fifth time

So far, the feeling of the 2023 ALCS against the Texas Rangers is matching the vibes from the 2019 World Series, and Jose Altuve and the Houston Astros want to put an end to that.

Bears quarterback Justin Fields is not expected to need surgery for his dislocated right thumb

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth will miss his second straight game after aggravating a hamstring injury

Rotherham’s Championship game with Ipswich on Friday has been postponed due to Storm Babet. The area has been hit with torrential rain over the last 24 hours and the River Don, which runs behind the AESSEAL New York Stadium has burst its banks. That has left areas around the stadium flooded and after discussions with the Safety Advisory Group and the English Football League, the game has been called off. There was no problem with the pitch at the stadium, with the game due to have been shown on Sky Sports. A club statement read: “Rotherham United’s Sky Bet Championship fixture against Ipswich Town has been postponed on the grounds of supporter safety following discussions with representatives from the Safety Advisory Group and the EFL which took place shortly after 4:30pm on Friday. “After the River Don – which courses around the perimeter of AESSEAL New York Stadium – burst its banks, urgent discussions between representatives from the Safety Advisory Group/Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council and club safety personnel and the EFL – were held with the conclusion deeming the weather conditions and their subsequent effect on the surrounding area a danger to supporters. “This coupled with continued rainfall resulting in the flood waters rising and Don Street being closed to the public left the authorities with no choice but to postpone the game. “Throughout the day the pitch at AESSEAL New York Stadium has remained playable but with the safety of everyone attending the match at the height of our priorities, the difficult decision to postpone the fixture has been taken. “The decision was relayed to the EFL and our counterparts at Ipswich Town with all parties in agreement that postponing the fixture was the only possible way to ensure the safety of players, staff and supporters. “It goes without saying that we are obviously disappointed for supporters due to attend and those set to watch at home given the game was being broadcast live on Sky Sports.” Two cinch Premiership matches are among six Scottish league games which have been postponed amid severe weather warnings. Aberdeen’s home match against Dundee and Motherwell’s trip to face St Johnstone have fallen foul of the storm. The news came after a second person died in Angus as a result of the storm, which has brought floods and high winds, and after warnings of a risk to life were extended to all day Saturday as more heavy rain is forecast. The Championship game between Arbroath and Raith Rovers, in the worst-hit area of Angus, has been called off as has Greenock’s match against Inverness. Cove Rangers against Montrose has been postponed along with two games in League 2 – Elgin versus Forfar and Stenhousemuir against Peterhead. The games all involve teams in the north east of the country and Perth and were all due to take place on Saturday. The Scottish Professional Football League called off the games on safety grounds following discussions with police, clubs and other authorities with people being advised not to travel in large areas of the country. SPFL chief operating officer Calum Beattie said: “We have been in close contact with Police Scotland and our clubs and it’s clear that we continue to face very severe weather, particularly in the north east, in the coming days. “We never postpone any matches lightly, but our discussions with the emergency services left us in no doubt that this was the correct decision.” The SPFL added that it would continue to monitor the situation involving the remaining fixtures across the country. St Johnstone had told supporters their game was going ahead as it stood less than three hours before the wider decision was taken. A club statement early on Friday afternoon said: “Whilst heavy rain has affected the local area, our dedicated ground staff and officials have been working tirelessly to ensure the pitch is in optimal condition, and we’ve taken all necessary precautions to ensure the safety of both players and spectators.” Altrincham’s home game against Dorking in the Vanarama National League on Saturday has also been postponed. Friday’s jumps fixtures at Fakenham and Uttoxeter were called off as Storm Babet continues to bring heavy rain and strong winds across the country. Both tracks had called inspections for 7.30am but neither venue held their respective cards due to the weather conditions. Uttoxeter had 12mm of rain overnight, with clerk of the course Richard Fothergill anticipating a further 20mm at least over the day. Saturday’s National Hunt card at Stratford has been cancelled due to a waterlogged track, with 31mm of rain overnight and more forecast, while Market Rasen have also called off their meeting. Catterick, Newton Abbot and Leopardstown have all called precautionary morning checks to assess conditions. Read More It is bad news – Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi expects Man City to bounce back Kevin Sinfield calls on England to empty tanks against South Africa Jurgen Klopp knows Liverpool must shoulder the burden of Andy Robertson’s injury Roy Hodgson sympathises with Newcastle over Sandro Tonali betting investigation Mauricio Pochettino believes Mikel Arteta is ‘one of the best’ ahead of London derby New state-of-the-art Bradford venue can help take barriers down, says ECB chief

No. 2 Michigan has suspended a low-level football program employee a day after disclosing that it is under NCAA investigation for allegedly stealing the play-calling signals used by its opponents

The Trail Blazers are in rebuilding mode without seven-time All-Star Damian Lillard, who was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks just before the start of training camp