Rashford rivals Haaland for Player of the Month award amid Man Utd revival

Michael Owen received a public apology and undisclosed damages Wednesday from a British newspaper which had claimed that his career was over.

Owen launched a libel action at London s High Court against the Daily Express newspaper after it published an article last month headlined: Unwanted Toon striker at a cross roads, Finished at 29?

That was accompanied by another piece which said: Owen ready for sad finale .

Owen s lawyer John Kelly told the court: These incredulous allegations are entirely without foundation and were obviously extremely distressing, hurtful and damaging to the claimant.

Express Newspapers agreed to pay damages and Owen s legal costs, accepted that the claims were false and apologised.

Afterwards, a spokesman for Owen said:…

Mikel Arteta has made trimming Arsenal s squad his priority for the January transfer window, admitting the club cannot sustain the number of players currently on their books.

The Gunners brought in five new first-team players during the close season but only made one sale, with back-up goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez heading to Aston Villa.

A number of big names, such as Mesut Ozil, Shkodran Mustafi, Sead Kolasinac and Sokratis Papastathopoulos, have subsequently struggled for minutes this term or been frozen out.

And while Arsenal continue to be linked with the likes of Isco and Joan Jordan, Arteta is keen to offload before bringing in any more new faces.

We have a large squad. We knew that and a lot of things we wanted to do in the summer we couldn t acco…

Carlo Ancelotti admitted his Real Madrid side were not 100 per cent motivated as they fell to a 3-2 LaLiga defeat to Villarreal.

Samuel Chukwueze s inspired performance led the Yellow Submarine to a memorable win at the Santiago Bernabeu, marking the first time they have secured a LaLiga double against Los Blancos.

While Villarreal had everything to play for as they continue their charge to achieve a top-four finish and Champions League football, Madrid s attention is focused on other competitions.

Ancelotti s side swept Barcelona aside on Wednesday to secure a spot in the Copa del Rey final, while a Champions League quarter-final against Chelsea lies ahead.

Sitting 12 points behind leaders Barca, Ancelotti admitted it is difficult for his team to be moti…

Newly-crowned Serie A champions are said to have rejected a lucrative bid for defender Mattia Caldara.

The Italian media report that French heavyweights Paris Saint-Germain have lodged a bid in excess of €40 million offer for the 24-year-old defender who joined Bianconeri in January 2017 but ended up spending the last 18 months on loan at Atalanta.

The former Italy Under-21 international is expected to re-join Juventus this summer as Serie A champions think of him as a huge part of their future project.

The Italian press claim Juventus board will block any further advances for the defender who is expected to be given a pivotal role at the back, replacing the ageing Juventus duo – Giorgio Chiellini and Andrea Barzagli.

Caldara made 23 Serie A appearan…

Jurgen Klopp insisted Liverpool s 13-point lead atop the Premier League was not relevant after their thrashing of Leicester City.

The league leaders produced a fine display at King Power Stadium on Boxing Day, recording a 4-0 win over second-placed Leicester.

Roberto Firmino scored a brace, James Milner netted a penalty and Trent Alexander-Arnold struck late as Liverpool moved 13 points clear while holding a game in hand.

However, Klopp said the size of his side s lead at the top was irrelevant.

You only think what changes in the question is the number is different: it was 10, 11, now it s 13, the Liverpool manager told a news conference.

We actually don t feel it, we don t think about it, not at all. We didn t mention it once before the game be…

Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri thinks Denis Zakaria s exit to Chelsea was the best move for club and player, saying his Bianconeri squad is complete even after some deadline-day departures.

The Switzerland international was one of a handful of last-gasp exits from Turin, alongside fellow midfielders Arthur and Nicolo Rovella, who moved on to Liverpool and Monza respectively.

Allegri was only able to add one more player, in a loan deal for Paris Saint-Germain man Leandro Paredes, but nevertheless, he remains happy with the composition of his squad.

[It] is difficult to say [if I am satisfied with the market], he added. The club has worked very well with both incoming and outgoing moves. We held onto the young people who were the goal of the club.

…

AC Milan have secured the services of Poland Under-21 international Bartosz Salamon from Brescia for an undisclosed fee.

The towering defender signed a contract until 2017 at San Siro on Thursday as Massimiliano Allegri continued strengthening his squad.

AC Milan were in the market for defensive reinforcements following the departure of Francesco Acerbi, and they see Salamon as a valuable long-term addition to their squad.

Salamon, 21, joined Brescia from Lech Poznan at the age of 16, and had developed into an important first-team member at the Serie B outfit after a loan spell at Foggia in 2010/11.

The youngster had also caught the attention of several other Serie A sides, but has decided to continue his career at AC Milan.

Meanwhile, AC Milan h…

Malaga boss Manuel Pellegrini s agent says he has fielded enquiries about the availability of his client from Chelsea.

Malaga boss Manuel Pellegrini s agent says he has fielded enquiries about the availability of his client from Chelsea.

The Premier League club are looking to find a successor to interim manager Rafael Benitez and long-term replacement for Roberto Di Matteo.

Pellegrini has built his reputation in Europe over the last nine years at Villarreal, Real Madrid and since 2010 with Malaga, who have been forced to sell their main stars to help repay their debts, but are excelling so far in the Champions League in their debut season.

Manuel has a contract with Malaga. I think that in April and May we will be clear about what will happen with hi…

Crystal Palace boss Alan Pardew can t shake his side s relegation form.

Unrest is growing with Crystal Palace following their second notable slump in form of the season already, coupled with the ignominious tag of being named the worst team in England in 2016.

The Eagles are coming off the back of four consecutive Premier League defeats and a five-game winless run, but have considerably underperformed this year with just five wins in the last 11 months.

Currently a point above the drop zone, are Crystal Palace in danger of relegation as things stand?

Alan Pardew’s attacking style costing Palace cheap goals

Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew has stuck with his attacking philosophy upon his arrival at Selhurst Park and the side are greatly suffer…

Nottingham Forest have completed the signing of former Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner on a two-year deal, owner Fawaz Al Hasawi has confirmed.

Bendtner spent nine years at Arsenal between 2005 and 2014, but struggled to establish himself as a first-team regular and was shipped out on loan to Birmingham City, Sunderland and Juventus during that time.

The Denmark striker moved to the Bundesliga to join Wolfsburg ahead of the 2014-15 campaign, but managed just three goals in 31 league appearances and left at the end of last term.

Bendtner has now returned to England with Championship club Forest in a bid to get his career back on track, with Al Hasawi announcing the deal on his official Twitter account.

Please welcome Nicklas Bendtner who has joined #NFF…