NATIONS LEAGUE
TROUBLED MANCHESTER UNITED MAY NOT RELEASE FERNANDES FOR PORTUGAL DUTY
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said he may not allow Bruno Fernandes to travel overseas for Portugal’s matches during the international break if the midfielder is required to quarantine on his return to England.
Fernandes could face 10 days in isolation on his return from international duty because Portugal falls under the United Kingdom’s Covid-19 travel “red list”.
World football governing body Fifa has said clubs can refuse to release players if they are required to quarantine for more than five days on their return.
“We have not sat down and made a proper call on that one but it doesn’t make sense if you lose your player for 10 days’ isolation,” Solskjaer said after their Premier League draw at Crystal Palace on Wednesday (March 3).
“We are the ones paying the players… Fifa have given the rule that they don’t have to be released, so it is going to be a hard call to make to let them play in red-list countries.”
Portugal are scheduled to face Azerbaijan, Serbia and Luxembourg on March 24, 27 and 30 respectively in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.
Fernandes could miss United’s Premier League home game against Brighton & Hove Albion (April 3) and away game at Tottenham Hotspur (April 10) if he has to isolate for 10 days on returning from Portugal.
“I want Bruno ready for Brighton and hopefully we will be through in Europe and against Tottenham after that break,” Solskjaer added.
Earlier, Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp echoed Solskjaer’s thoughts, with the Merseyside club likely to lose Brazilian players Alisson Becker, Fabinho and Roberto Firmino and Portugal forward Diogo Jota for the same reason.
“I think all the clubs agree that with the same problems we cannot just let the boys go and then sort the situation when they come back by placing our players in a 10-day quarantine in a hotel, it is just not possible,” Klopp said.
“I understand the needs of the different FAs (football associations) but this is a time where we cannot make everyone happy and we have to admit the players are paid by the clubs so it means we have to be first priority.”
-Reuters
Italy great Paolo Maldini’s son Daniel made his debut for the Azzurri in Monday’s 4-1 win over Israel, marking the first time three generations of a family have played for the country’s national team.
Former AC Milan defender Paolo Maldini earned 126 caps while Cesare Maldini, Daniel’s grandfather, played his last game for Italy 61 years ago.
Paolo Maldini attended the Nations League match in Udine and saw his son come on as a 74th-minute substitute.
“I’m happy that my parents came here, we’ll talk when I get home,” 23-year-old Monza forward Daniel Maldini said after the match.
“It was a strong, positive emotion, I am very happy to have played and that the match went well … I hope to bring some quality, even if there is already too much, I try to help as much as I can.”
Italy, who are top of their group with 10 points from four matches, visit Belgium and host France next month.
-Reuters
England winger Bukayo Saka has returned to Arsenal for further assessment of a leg injury and will miss Sunday’s Nations League match in Finland, the England team said on Saturday.
Saka was forced off in the 51st minute of England’s 2-1 loss to Greece at Wembley on Thursday. England interim manager Lee Carsley had said that Saka suffered a leg injury.
A 22-man squad will fly to Helsinki ahead of Sunday’s Nations League fixture as Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones has withdrawn due to personal reasons, the team statement added.
England are in second place in the GroupB2 standings, three points behind Greece after three games.
Saka’s injury is a blow for Arsenal with their captain Martin Odegaard also sidelined. Mikel Arteta’s side play Bournemouth away in the Premier League next Saturday
-Reuters
Greece beat England for the first time as Vangelis Pavlidis struck twice in a deserved 2-1 victory in Nations League Group B2 at Wembley on Thursday.
Pavlidis gave his side the lead early in the second half with a clinical finish and the visitors had three other goals ruled out against a disjointed England side.
Jude Bellingham looked to have rescued England when he fired in an 87th-minute equaliser through but there was another twist as the outstanding Pavlidis popped up in the fourth minute of stoppage time to shoot past Jordan Pickford from close range.
Victory put Greece top of the table with a maximum nine points while England’s first defeat under stand-in manager Lee Carsley left them second with six points.
-Reuters
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