Manchester United will again be led by caretaker boss Michael Carrick in Thursday s game against Arsenal as the club wait for Ralf Rangnick to receive a work visa.

It means Carrick will be in charge for a third successive game, having already led the team to a 2-0 win at Villarreal in the Champions League and a 1-1 draw away to Premier League leaders Chelsea.

United s hopes of upgrading from caretaker Carrick to interim boss Rangnick in time for the Old Trafford clash with the Gunners have been hit by red tape.

As the team went through their preparations for the game at the Carrington training base, Carrick told United s players he would be giving out the orders once more.

In a statement on their official website, United said: Ralf Rangnick was announced…

It will be difficult for Napoli to take the next step in their development after allowing another star player in Gonzalo Higuain to leave, according to Fabio Cannavaro.

The Argentine striker, last season s top scorer in Serie A, departed for Juventus in the off-season, the latest high-profile attacker to leave Stadio San Paolo, following Ezequiel Lavezzi and Edinson Cavani, the star forwards having moved to Paris Saint-Germain in 2012 and 2013 respectively. 

Cannavaro, who began his career with Napoli before later playing for Serie A rivals Parma, Inter and Juventus, as well as Real Madrid in Spain, knows the Partenopei faithful will suffer when they see former fan favourite Higuain in a Bianconeri strip.

It won t be easy, he told Gazzetta dello Sport.

<…

German newspaper Bild has learned that Ghanaian defender Baba Rahman is set to rejoin Bundesliga outfit Schalke.

The Miners have agreed a loan deal with Chelsea that will see the 23-year-old return to Veltins Arena in the coming days.

Baba Rahman already spent last season on loan with Schalke, making a total of 13 league appearances for the club.

The Ghana international had joined Chelsea from Augsburg in August 2015, but he never managed to prove his worth at Stamford Bridge.

Rahman made 15 Premier League appearances in his debut season in England, but he does not seem to have a long-term future in London.

…

AC Milan coach Vincenzo Montella has called on the crowd to play their part when Juventus visit San Siro in Serie A on Saturday.

The Rossoneri, unbeaten in five league games, have moved within five points of the champions, who lead the table.

Milan s last league victory over Juve came back in November 2012, when a Robinho penalty sealed a 1-0 win in front of a packed stadium.

Although Montella feels next Tuesday s trip to Genoa will give a better indication of his side s progress, he is keen for another full house on Saturday to help Milan earn a positive result.

I d love to see a big crowd, involved in the game, as I ve heard as a player before, he told a media conference. I m curious to see a full San Siro, but you need to have concentration.

…

Thomas Muller believes he has shown himself to be worthy of a Germany recall but will for now take it easy as he continues to star for Bayern Munich.

Muller along with Jerome Boateng and Mats Hummels was dropped by Joachim Low following Germany s disappointing 2018 World Cup campaign.

The Bayern forward has not featured for his country since, with Low standing by his decision.

The Germany coach said last month Muller is a great player, no question but the future belongs to the young players .

Those comments have done little to quell speculation about a potential return for the 31-year-old ahead of the European Championships at the end of the season, however.

Hopefully the tournament will take place next year, Muller told ZDF after Bayern s 4-0 wi…

Serie A leaders Napoli were knocked out of the Europa League on Thursday despite a 2-0 win at RB Leipzig, while Ciro Immobile s hat-trick sent Lazio into the last 16.

A 3-1 home defeat to the Bundesliga outfit last week left Napoli on the brink of elimination, goals from Piotr Zielinski and Lorenzo Insigne setting up a grandstand finish in the return fixture.

But it was not to be, Timo Werner s brace in the first leg proving enough to see RB Leipzig into the last 16 of the Europa League in what is the club s maiden European campaign.

There was better news for Napoli s Serie A rivals Lazio, though, as an Immobile treble his third of the season saw them emphatically overturn a first-leg deficit against Romanian side Steaua Bucharest.

Immobile. Again.

<…

Barcelona head coach Xavi has told the club what he wants from the January transfer window and is optimistic that signings will arrive next month.

The Catalan giants crashed out of the Champions League group stage for the first time in 21 years on Wednesday after a 3-0 defeat at Bayern Munich, adding another dark day to a tumultuous period in the club s history.

Barca sit seventh in LaLiga ahead of a trip to Osasuna on Sunday, 16 points behind leaders Real Madrid, and at a media conference ahead of that game, Xavi was asked about plans for the January transfer window, with plenty of rumours circulating that the club will look to sign players, despite well-documented financial issues.

We are working hard on this, that s the reality, the former Barca and Spain mi…

Barcelona will face Napoli in the pick of the ties for the Europa League knockout round play-off.

Beleaguered European giants Barca crashed out of the Champions League group stages following a 3-0 loss to Bayern Munich.

It is the first time since 2003-04 that the Camp Nou club will not appear in the knockout stages of Europe s premier club competition.

Instead, the Europa League offers Xavi s side some hope of continental redemption, although Napoli – fourth in Serie A – represent tough opponents for a side languishing eighth in LaLiga.

Sevilla, six-time winners, will take on Dinamo Zagreb, while Scottish champions Rangers were handed a stern test after being drawn to meet Borrusia Dortmund.

Elsewhere, Porto and Lazio go head-to-head, wh…

Louis van Gaal does not believe he has placed added pressure on his Netherlands squad by targeting World Cup glory, instead suggesting the players are on board with his ambitious aims.

Van Gaal talked up Oranje s chances right from the start of this tournament and has continued to do so, even if their performances in beating Senegal and drawing with Ecuador have not been entirely convincing.

The Netherlands still have work to do in their third match against Qatar to book a last-16 place, but the coach does not regret being so open with his goals for the finals.

I hope this is no pressure at all, because I think you always have to identify the goal, the purpose for which you are here, he said. Then you can work towards that purpose.

If you don t identify…

Manchester City have recalled Dedryck Boyata from his loan spell at FC Twente after failing to secure regular first-team football at the club.

The one-cap Belgium international moved to Steve McClaren s team on a season-long deal on transfer deadline day in the summer, but went on to make just eight appearances, including one league start.

A statement on City s official website hinted that Boyata may soon find himself farmed out again.

The Belgian defender could well continue his education at another club in the coming weeks, the statement read.

The 22-year-old has made 23 appearances for Roberto Mancini s side since signing from FC Brussels academy in 2009.

He also featured 17 times on loan for Bolton last season, but was unable to prevent the …