Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho deserves his title of “The Special One” as he can make challenging decisions to get wins and has won three trophies in his debut campaign at the Premier League club, midfielder Paul Pogba said.
Mourinho won the Community Shield, Europa League and League Cup titles but drew criticism after an abject league performance, where United finished sixth in the English Premier League.
“He is the Special One because he wins,” Pogba told Sky Sports. “Sometimes he does some extreme things. Against Chelsea, he changed our tactical formation just before the game.
“We had never trained it before but it worked out well. That was special. He won three trophies in his first year, that’s special as well. He deserves his name.”
Gomez to stay on at Wolfsburg
Germany forward Mario Gomez will stay on at VfL Wolfsburg despite their disappointing season where they managed to stay up only after winning a relegation playoff, the Bundesliga club said.
The 31-year-old scored 16 league goals in his first season at Wolfsburg but the big-spending club finished in 16th place and needed to beat second-tier Eintracht Braunschweig in the playoff.
“Despite the difficult season where we missed out on our targets, I have the full trust in our team, the club and the fans,” Gomez said.
“So I decided to play on here next season. The entire environment here will also offer me the best possible preparation for the World Cup (in 2018),” he said.
Stoke not selling Butland, says club
Stoke City goalkeeper Jack Butland is not going to be sold in the transfer window and will be at the Premier League club for “years to come”, chairman Peter Coates has said.
The England international kept two clean sheets in five league games last season after returning from a 13-month injury layoff and was called up to Gareth Southgate’s squad for the June matches against Scotland and France.
“We don’t have the slightest intention of selling him. We want him to be playing for Stoke City for many years to come,” the chairman said.
Porto name Conceiçao as coach
Porto appointed Sergio Conceiçao as their new coach with the ex-Portugal winger becoming the fifth man in the last four years to manage the former European champions.
The 42-year-old, who resigned from French Ligue 1 club Nantes on Tuesday, has replaced Nuno Espirito Santo, who left one day after the end of the season by mutual consent.
Porto, who have qualified for next season’s Champions League group stage, have seen arch-rivals Benfica win the domestic league title for the last four seasons and Conceiçao will be expected to immediately end that run.
Herrlich takes over Leverkusen
Bayer Leverkusen have appointed former Germany international Heiko Herrlich as their new coach after the departure of Tayfun Korkut at the end of the season, the club said yesterday.
Herrlich, 45, who played for Leverkusen from 1989 to 1993, coached Jahn Regensburg to consecutive promotions from the regional division into the second Bundesliga in his two seasons in charge.
“First as a player and now as a coach, welcome back to Leverkusen, Heiko Herrlich,” the club said on Twitter.
Russian Slutsky handed Hull job
Championship side Hull City said yesterday they have appointed Russian Leonid Slutsky as manager after the departure of Marco Silva following their relegation from the Premier League.
Slutsky led Russian side CSKA Moscow to three Russian league titles between 2009-16 and also became the head coach of the national team in 2015, leading them to the 2016 European Championships before stepping down last December.
“I am delighted to welcome Leonid as our new head coach. After a thorough recruitment process, Leonid’s attention to detail, thoughts on playing style and his ambition made him the stand-out candidate,” vice chairman Ehab Allam said.