Golden Soccer 360

Manchester United's Andreas Pereira has been called up to the Brazil squad for the first time - but Man City rivals Gabriel Jesus, Fernandinho, Danilo and Ederson have all been dropped. It will come as a further boost to United academy star Pereira, who started the first game of the season against Leicester last week, and he is in the squad with new signing Fred, who also started the 2-1 win. Brazil head coach Tite has named a 24-man group for the upcoming friendlies against United States and El Salvador in the US next month, and he has omitted eight of his World Cup squad. There is no place for Real Madrid's veteran left-back Marcelo, while other seasoned pros such as Miranda and Paulinho have also been left out, as well as Cassio, Geromel and Taison. Tite says he wants to give opportunities to new young players ahead of next year's Copa America, which will be played in Brazil, and gives six players their first senior call-ups. Barcelona's new signing Arth...

Jose Mourinho has denied ever having a bust-up with Paul Pogba, insisting he has never been so happy with the player as he is now. The Manchester United manager revealed he "does not care" that Pogba said he "will be fined" if he said what he really wanted, despite captaining the side and scoring in their opening weekend win over Leicester. Newspaper reports claimed Mourinho had warned the France World Cup winner not to speak out to the media and he should ask for a transfer if he wanted to quit the club. But Mourinho confirmed Pogba will continue as captain against Brighton on Sunday,  live on Sky Sports Premier League,  in the absence of Antonio Valencia. "The truth is we are together for two years and a couple of weeks, I've never been so happy with him as I am now," said Mourinho, who played Pogba for 83 minutes against Leicester just days after the player returned to training with the club. "I cannot demand more from him, I can...

Arsenal goalkeeper David Ospina has left the Emirates to join Napoli on a season-long loan. The 29-year-old Colombian is the third 'keeper to move to Napoli, who are now coached by former Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti, this summer. Alex Meret and Orestis Karnezis have both joined from Udinese, also on loan, as Napoli sought to replace the departing Pepe Reina, Rafael and Luigi Sepe. Ospina, who joined the Gunners in 2014 from French side Nice, had slipped down the pecking order at Arsenal following the arrival of Bernd Leno. The Colombian international, who has 90 caps for his country, won two FA Cups during his time at the Emirates. A statement from Arsenal said: "We would like to wish David the very best for the season." via Sky Sports

Naby Keita can add a new dimension to Liverpool’s attacking play this season, according to Danny Higginbotham. The former RB Leipzig midfielder made an impressive Premier League debut in Liverpool's 4-0 win over West Ham and Higginbotham believes Keita can play a key role in helping Jurgen Klopp's side break down deep-lying defences. Higginbotham says Keita will not only provide a threat of his own but can also draw defenders away from Liverpool's much-vaunted front three of Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah. "It's brilliant watching him because I think a lot of people looked at Keita and thought he was a defensive midfielder," he told  Sky Sports News . "He's not, he's anything but that, he loves to get forward and he is a real threat. At times it is going to be difficult to unsettle back fours and actually get in behind them but he creates space for others. "Where Keita comes into his own is that teams are pushed...

Mauricio Pochettino is anticipating players leaving Tottenham before the European transfer deadline and insists he is happy to let anyone go that is not committed to his plans. Despite not signing a single player before the domestic deadline last week, the futures of a number of players remain uncertain ahead of August 31 including Toby Alderweireld, Danny Rose, Georges-Kevin N'Koudou and Vincent Janssen. Sky sources reported on Wednesday that N'Koudou is the subject of a loan offer from Mainz in Germany, while reports suggest Paris Saint-Germain want Rose and Bayern Munich want Alderweireld. And Pochettino has promised any unhappy players that he will help try to "fix" them a move to another club because he must have every squad member focused on the season at hand. Ahead of their first 'home' clash of the season against Fulham at Wembley he said: "Maybe, yes, we are going to see if some players believe that they can achieve their goals in...

Juventus are closing in on a deal to sign Arsenal striker Stephy Mavididi, according to Sky sources. It is understood the deal for the 20-year-old could be completed in the next 24 hours with the player having flown to Italy to undergo a medical. Mavididi, who has never made a senior appearance for Arsenal, has previously spent time on loan at Charlton and Preston. He has represented England at U17, U18, U19 and U20 level. Mavididi joined Arsenal as a youth player and turned professional with the north London club in July 2015. via Sky Sports

Atletico Madrid came out on top in extra time in the all-Madrid UEFA Super Cup final, beating rivals Real 4-2 in a thrilling encounter in Tallinn. Diego Costa put Atletico ahead after just 52 seconds with a fine effort on the half volley from an acute angle, but Gareth Bale's superb right-footed cross was finished off by Karim Benzema's header on 27 minutes to level things up. In Julen Lopetegui's first competitive game in charge of Real, Sergio Ramos put his side 2-1 up from the spot on 63 minutes after Juanfran's handball from a corner, but Costa got his second of the game 11 minutes from time, turning home from close range from Angel Correa's centre. Atletico turned it on in extra-time, with two world-class finishes from Saul Niguez (98) and Koke (104), meaning Real conceded four for the first time since Rafa Benitez was in charge of the club in 2015. With Diego Simeone in the stands serving a touchline ban, last season's Europa League winners...

Manchester City have confirmed midfielder Kevin De Bruyne has injured his right knee in training and sources close to the player understand he could be out for between two to four months. Sky sources understand the injury, which is believed to be a twisted knee, was sustained during a training session on Wednesday morning. The 27-year-old is currently undergoing tests to discover the full extent of the injury. A statement released by City read: "Kevin De Bruyne is undergoing tests on his right knee after sustaining an injury at training on Wednesday. "The extent of the problem is not yet known and we will bring you further updates on Kevin's condition in due course." De Bruyne returned to Manchester City last week after being allowed extended time away from the squad following his involvement at the World Cup with Belgium. The former Chelsea and Wolfsburg midfielder missed more than two months of the 2016-17 season after injuring his knee against Eve...

Arsenal's 2-0 loss to Manchester City highlighted the work ahead for Unai Emery, writes Nick Wright, but there were positive signs too… "To the next chapter," read the banner on display at Emirates Stadium. Arsenal supporters had been in excited mood ahead of Unai Emery's first Premier League game in charge, but for all the optimism in the build-up, the new era began with a defeat which showed the size of the task facing the new head coach. Of course, the scoreline should not come as much of a surprise. There were 37 points between Manchester City and Arsenal last season. Pep Guardiola's starting line-up may have been without Kevin De Bruyne, but his squad has a far greater depth of talent than Arsenal's. Guardiola has had two years to get his ideas across. Emery has had two months. That difference was clear in a one-sided first-half. Injuries to Sead Kolasinac and Nacho Monreal forced Emery to call on Ainsley Maitland-Niles at left-back, and th...

Benjamin Mendy has taken to Twitter to promise Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola he will cut back on social media. The France international left-back impressed in City's 2-0 win over Arsenal on Sunday, as he set up both goals for Raheem Sterling and Bernardo Silva. Mendy, who joined City from Monaco in July, 2017 for £49.2m, was limited to seven Premier League appearances last season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. Guardiola is pleased to have Mendy back at full health but warned the colourful 24-year-old he still has strides to make on and off the pitch. When asked about Mendy's performance against Arsenal, Guardiola replied: "Mendy is Mendy. Sometimes we want to kill him and sometimes you think wow what a player we have. He gives us energy. "Mendy has a lot of things to improve and hopefully we can convince him to forget a little bit the social media and improve a few things." That quote was posted on Man Cit...

Mario Balotelli looks set to leave Nice after head coach Patrick Vieira revealed the French club will "do whatever it takes" to help the Italy international secure a move away. Balotelli did not feature as Vieira's side lost 1-0 to newly promoted Reims in their Ligue 1 opener. Asked about the 28-year-old's future after the game, the former Arsenal midfielder confirmed the striker wants to leave the Allianz Riviera after two season at the club. "The player wants to leave, so it's unlikely he'll remain here," the new Nice boss said in an interview with Canal+. "We want players whose desire it is to go forward with the club. "It's a very complicated and difficult situation, so the club will try to do whatever is possible to help him leave." Balotelli was unavailable for Nice's Ligue 1 opener after he failed to report for pre-season training. The former Manchester City and Liverpool striker has been...

Thibaut Courtois would have stayed at Chelsea if his family lived in London, his agent has said. The Belgium goalkeeper joined Real Madrid earlier this week in a £35m move, with the Premier League club going on to break the world record in bringing in his replacement Kepa Arrizabalaga. Courtois did not turn up to training in the days leading up to his departure but with his family residing in Madrid, his agent Christophe Henrotay insists there were honest reasons for forcing his sale. "There has been a misunderstanding that he wanted to get a move for the wrong reasons, but he was pushing to go out of Chelsea because of his child," Henrotay told  BBC's Sportsweek . "If the family were in London it would have been totally different. He would have stayed, there is no reason to leave a club like Chelsea, he could have won trophies. "Unfortunately his kids are living with the mother in Madrid. "He had the contract and it depended on Chelsea, but ...