Mane beats Salah, Mahrez to CAF African Player of the Year award

Karim Benzema will do everything he can to be 100 per cent fit for the World Cup after making France s squad for the tournament amid an injury-hit season, says Didier Deschamps.

Benzema won his first Ballon d Or after leading Real Madrid to glory in LaLiga and the Champions League by scoring 44 goals last term, but has endured a frustrating 2022-23 campaign to date.

The striker has started just 11 games in all competitions this season, hitting the net six times, and Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti said the 34-year-old was struggling on Sunday after he suffered from muscular fatigue in his left quadriceps.

However, Benzema will join the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann and Olivier Giroud among France s attacking options in Qatar, and Deschamps hopes he will …

Over eight years after the controversial launch of No Man’s Sky, Steam user reviews have steadily climbed for Hello Games’ magnum opus. It recently reached a new milestone, with All Reviews turning “Very Positive” for the first time. At this time of writing, 248,701 user reviews give the space-faring title a thumbs-up.

Of course, it wasn’t just time and forgiveness that resulted in this shift, as Hello Games has released one major update after another. Engine programmer Martin Griffiths reflected on this in a new tweet, noting the importance of reSA Lottosilience and “to try and try again if you initially fail.”

Studio founder Sean Murray post-launch …

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer claims Donny van de Beek will soon reap his rewards at Manchester United.

Van de Beek joined from Ajax for a reported £40million last season, but chances have been sparse for the 24-year-old at Old Trafford.

The midfielder has started just four games for United in the Premier League, his last coming against Wolves in May, while appearing just 21 times in the top-flight for his 528 minutes.

United supporters greeted Van de Beek s introduction off the bench against Manchester City two weeks ago with rapturous applause, highlighting the faith they have in the Netherlands international.

Solskjaer joined in with the praise for Van de Beek as the Norwegian pinpointed his work ethic ahead of Saturday s clash with Watford.

I think …

Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has admitted he would like to be England captain.

But the star striker reckons Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard is the perfect choice for the job.

The Three Lions are currently searching for a new skipper following the FA s decision to strip John Terry of the armband after it was revealed that his court case for allegedly racially abusing Anton Ferdinand had been adjourned until after Euro 2012.

For everyone asking i would love to be england (sic) captain. But thats (sic) up to new manager to decide. Gerrard is perfect choice for me, Rooney wrote on Twitter.

The 26-year-old has captained his country on one occasion before, leading an injury-hit side to a 1-0 friendly defeat against Brazil in Doha in November 200…

Inter Milan go in search of the first of successive wins they need to wrap up the Serie A title on Sunday.

Cagliari are the visitors to San Siro and victory will mean Simone Inzaghi’s men can wrap up their first Scudetto in three years with a three-point return against their city rivals AC Milan in their following match on April 22.

Inter maintained their 14-point advantage over second-placed Milan on Monday, with Davide Frattesi’s late winner completing a come-from-behind victory at an Udinese side who had won just once at home all season.

Catch them if you can

— Inter (@Inter_en)

Inzaghi had an eye on the remaining seven fixtures after that match when he said: “We’re playing clubs fighting against relegation or for the top spots… …

Leicester City signing Ahmed Musa believes he is similar to team-mate Jamie Vardy with his speed and work ethic.

The Nigeria international joined the Premier League champions from CSKA Moscow in a deal reportedly worth a club-record £16.6million.

Musa scored 13 league goals in Russia last season and compared his style to that of Vardy, the 2015-16 player of the season after netting 24 times.

I was a goalie between 10 and 12, but changing was the best decision of my life because I would never have been good enough to become a professional goalkeeper, he said.

It was difficult at first but then you get used to the fact you are not very big. A lot of people used to tell me, Musa, you are too small to be a striker.

But I said: It doesn t matter w…

Argentina, Brazil and hosts Chile are viewed as the leading contenders to win the Copa America. Here we take a look at the three groups of four nations for the tournament.

Group A: Chile, Mexico, Ecuador and Bolivia

Chile made their presence felt with an impressive showing in the FIFA World Cup last year before losing on penalties to Brazil in the last 16. They will have to cope with the expectation of being host nation in the Copa, but the likes of Alexis Sanchez and Arturo Vidal are capable of inspiring Jorge Sampaoli s well-drilled side. 

Mexico lost at the same stage in Brazil when late goals from Wesley Sneijder and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar consigned them to a heartbreaking 2-1 defeat. Ecuador and Bolivia will have their work cut out in order to qualify for…

Jurgen Klopp believes Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa is an inspiration to the football world as the fabled coach prepares to make his Premier League bow.

Former Argentina, Chile and Athletic Bilbao boss Bielsa has transformed Leeds fortunes since arriving at Elland Road in 2018, leading them to the Championship title last season after falling short in the 2018-19 play-offs.

His famed high-pressing style has earned admirers across the globe and Klopp certainly counts himself among them ahead of Leeds trip to Anfield on the opening Saturday of the new season.

I admire him, but I was never close enough to him to really follow up, he said.

I ve watched his teams playing and that s pretty exceptional. The rest I got from newspapers and the rest.

…

The Mirror understands that Martin Demichelis is set to remain at Manchester City after Manuel Pellegrini demanded a new contract for the Argentina international.

The defender is ready to put pen to paper on a new twelve month contract with the club, with his current deal set to expire in the summer.

The 34 year old moved to the Etihad Stadium in the summer of 2013, and has since racked up sixty-four appearances in all competitions, scoring three goals, while he was part of the squad that won both the Premier League and the League Cup last season.

Prior to his switch to England, Demichelis played for River Plate, Bayern Munich and Malaga, winning a host of major honours on the way.

Internationally, he has been capped forty-four times for his countr…

Wellington Phoenix striker Benjamin Totori is confident he will be able to cope with the physicality of the A-League.

The diminutive Solomon Island s front-man has spent much of his football career playing in New Zealand s domestic competition or in his homeland, aside from an injury-plagued stint with MLS club the Portland Timbers in 2008.

But the fast striker is undaunted about making the step up to the A-League and was one of the standout players at the recent OFC Nations Cup in Honiara, where he scored three times in matches against New Zealand.

My strength is just my speed and I have to play the ball early before the tackles come in, he said.

I ve got a game that I can beat the physicality of the other teams.

Training every day will also …