09102019 - 2020: Buhari presents N10.33trn job creation budget to NASS

46 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2019
Man Utd to sack
Solskjaer if he
loses at Norwich,
Liverpool
MANCHESTER UNITED are set
to sack Ole Gunnar Solskjaer if
he loses to Norwich at the end of the
month.
The under-fire Red Devils boss has
been given a stay of execution during
the international break.
But his fate will be decided once 12thplaced
United have played Liverpool,
Partizan Belgrade (in the Europa
League) and the Canaries.
The club’s hierarchy understands the
need for Solskjaer to be given time and
to stick to their “plan”.
Defeat by Liverpool on October 20,
although not ideal, is widely expected,
and will not be the one that finishes
Solskjaer off — as long as it’s not a
complete capitulation.
United are instead looking at the trip
to Carrow Road on Sunday October
27 as the acid test.
That result looks set to decide if they
want to persist with the club legend,
who was only appointed full-time boss
in March, or start the search for their
fifth mamager in six years.
United have already lost this season
to West Ham, Crystal Palace and the
struggling Newcastle.
Defeat against a newly-promoted
side might make supporters and the
board believe that United are
genuinely in a relegation fight, when
they were tipped to be battling for a
top-four place.
After a disappointing end to last
season, pre-season actually went well,
the players worked hard and Solskjaer
developed a particular style.
I fought against closure of Chelsea
Academy – Emenalo
Former Chelsea technical director Michael
Emenalo has revealed that one of the
club’s ex-managers urged Roman
Abramovich to scrap the club’s academy.
Emenalo, who spent a decade in various
roles at Stamford Bridge before leaving in
2017, took responsibility for developing
the club’s young players under bosses
including Jose Mourinho, Andre Villas-
Boas and Antonio Conte.
The manager in question claimed that
Chelsea’s academy was too expensive to
run and that it should only be used to
‘make some money here and there’.
However, with the help of Abramovich,
who has always wanted the club to
produce its own first-team players, the ex-
Nigeria international ensured that the
manager’s plans were ignored.
Speaking to The Telegraph, Emenalo,
who also worked at the club during the
reigns of Carlo Ancelotti and Roberto Di
Matteo, said: ‘I defended the academy when
there was pressure and doubt and pessimism.
‘There was a time when there was a clamour
to do more and a manager came in to make a
presentation to say the academy was not
Allegri is best possible man to rebuild United — Fergie
ormer Juventus manager
FMassimiliano Allegri would be
the perfect coach for the Premier
League.
The Italian, who was recently in
England to watch Tottenham’s 7-2
humbling by Bayern Munich, is the
most in-demand manager for
leading Premier League clubs.
Manchester United have always
been the one that most fascinated
Allegri, who stepped down as
Juventus boss in the summer after
cementing their reputation as one of
the most dominant domestic forces
in Europe.
And he seems to have huge
admirers himself at Old Trafford
with legendary manager Sir Alex
Ferguson suggesting Allegri is the
best possible man to rebuild United
following the underwhelming spells
of David Moyes, Louis van Gaal and
necessary. The argument was it takes too
long, we don’t have time, we should use it to
make some money here and there, and that
the owner should stop pumping money into
it because it seemed like a waste.
‘But that wasn’t my idea and I had to fight
against it. This is where I am very, very proud
of the owner Roman Abramovich because of
the trust he had in me and the willingness to
listen to me and give the academy time. He
would not abandon it. He believed in it and
in me, and I can’t thank him enough for that.’
Brazil/Nigeria friendly
may not hold
The anticipated match between Brazil and
Nigeria slated for Sunday may not hold.
Reports have it that the match may be
cancelled as the Nigerian delegation had not
been given entry visas to attend the match
which is part of the widely acclaimed “Brazil
Global Tour”.
The two other teams, Brazil and Senegal
are already in Singapore. The Brazilian
delegations arrived in two batches on
Monday and Tuesday while the 23-man
delegation of Senegal arrived on Tuesday.
Spokesman for the Nigeria Football
Federation, NFF, Ademola Olajire confirmed
the development.
City consider
Mbappe swoop
Manchester City have resolved to launch
an approach for Paris Saint-Germain
forward Kylian Mbappe ahead of next summer.
The Frenchman, who has 62 goals in 92 games
for the Ligue 1 champions, is reportedly open to
the possibility of leaving the Parc des Princes if
PSG once again fail to succeed in the Champions
League this term.
City, on the other hand, need to consider
securing replacements for David Silva, who is
guaranteed to leave next summer, along with
strike duo Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus, with
both tipped to find new clubs following the 2019-
20 campaign.
According to a report from Spain, the Premier
League champions are keen to
fill this potential void with
Mbappe, who is valued at
around £268m by PSG.
City’s hierarchy are
said to believe that
Mbappe is a
player whose
talent Pep
Guardiola can
build a new
t e a m
around.
R e a l
Madrid
have been
credited with an interest in Mbappe, but recent
reports suggest that their focus has shifted to
Mohamed Salah.
Jose Mourinho.
Ferguson is an admirer of Ole
Gunnar Solskjaer but is also a fan
of the work done by Allegri, who
won five Serie A titles in a row with
Italian giants Juve.
With United in 12th place in the
Premier League - two points above
the relegation zone - after just two
wins in eight games, Solskjaer fears
that a heavy defeat in his next game
at home to fierce rivals Liverpool
could put his job in jeopardy.
The Norwegian is secondfavourite,
behind Everton’s Marco
Silva, to be the next top-flight
manager out of a job.
Allegri - a pragmatic coach -
would help shape United in the
same mould as Ferguson did after
acquiring a great defence that
helped them become England’s
biggest powerhouse.
Schweinsteiger
retires
Bastian Schweinsteiger has
announced his retirement
from professional football.
The German midfielder, who
represented Bayern Munich,
Manchester United and
Chicago Fire in the MLS, broke
the news on social media on
Tuesday afternoon.
Schweinsteiger’s decision
brings to a close his richly
successful 17-year career
which saw him win eight
Bundesliga titles, the FA Cup
while at United and the World
Cup in 2014 as Germany
captain.
Time to Bale out!
Gareth Bale wants to quit Real
Madrid after being upset by
Champions League snub.
Spanish newspaper AS claims
that the 30-year-old winger has
had enough and wants to leave in
the summer.
Bale was upset at being excluded
from the squad in the Champions
League draw against Club Brugge
last week.
Bale had not been named in
Madrid’s squad for the fixture but
the Wales international was still
required to be at the game.
And Spanish TV show Deportes
Cuatro filmed Bale arriving at the
Bernabeu at 5.59pm, four minutes
after the match had kicked off in
Madrid.
Bale, who has endured a
fractious relationship with
Zinedine Zidane during his time
at the Bernabeu, was left out of
the matchday squad despite being
fit.
Madrid hand
Benzema new
£190k-a-week
contract
Real Madrid have looked to
reward star striker Karim
Benzema with a new contract
until 2022 worth £190,000 a
week, according to reports in
Spain.
The 31-year-old looked set to
take a peripheral role following
the £62million arrival of Luka
Jovic in the summer transfer
window.
But Jovic has yet to find the net
for the club and Benzema’s sixgoal
haul has helped send
Zinedine Zidane’s side to the top
of La Liga.