Fernando Santos may take the opportunity to utilise the depth of his Portugal squad in Tuesday s friendly against Cape Verde.

Fabio Coentrao s 63rd-minute strike was enough to earn Portugal a 2-1 victory over Serbia in Lisbon on Sunday.

That result lifted Portugal to the top of Euro 2016 qualifying Group I, with nine points from their four matches.

Portugal will round off their international week by hosting Cape Verde in Estoril, and the likes of Sporting s Paulo Oliveira and Vitoria Guimaraes Andre Andre are hoping to make their international bow.

It s a dream come true and it is a source of pride being here, Oliveira said.

Being here is a remarkable moment in my career.

Andre echoed those sentiments, saying: I m very happy.

…

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is ready to take Manchester United youngster Marcus Rashford under his wing and believes the 18-year-old has a bright future ahead of him.

Rashford broke into the first team under Louis van Gaal last campaign and impressed with a string of fine performances, earning a spot in England s squad for Euro 2016.

The young forward – who scored five goals in 11 league starts in 2015-16 will be teaming up with Ibrahimovic this term and the Swede is keen to help his team-mate get the best out of himself.

I can do a lot for the young players, Ibrahimovic told Sky Sports.

I have been at the top for 10-15 years, I have played for clubs that players could only dream about and I have won with every club I have been at. I have played with big champ…

The independent commission investigating Rangers alleged use of dual contracts will continue its inquiry despite a boycott.

The former Scottish Premier League giants did not attend the initial meeting of the commission, appointed by the SPL, but the commission plans to press ahead.

Rangers are able to be represented at the next hearing set for November 13 should they wish.

The allegations relate to alleged employee benefit trusts being used by Rangers former company from 2001-2010.

The club s use of the scheme was the subject of a long-running tax tribunal with the verdict on the matter to be announced in October.

The Scottish Football Association requires all payments made to players in terms of their earnings to be declared, with the SPL s inve…

Brendan Rodgers has hailed his youthful Liverpool side after their 5-3 Europa League win over Young Boys on Thursday.

Jonjo Shelvey s late double sealed the win after both sides had held the lead and the Ulsterman praised his youngsters determination to fight back from a losing position to win, citing Tottenham s 3-2 Champions League defeat in 2010 as evidence that victory over the Swiss side was a fine achievement.

He told ITV Sport: I ve got to give credit to the players, I thought they were absolutely magnificent.

We had a very, very young side and I think everyone saw when Tottenham came here a couple of years ago in the Champions League, how difficult a game they had but as I said I thought the boys were brilliant.

It was a real tough game tonight…

Jose Mourinho says he is worried about an injury Nicolo Zaniolo sustained in the win over Cremonese, but crying about it does not help .

Attacking midfielder Zaniolo damaged his shoulder in the 1-0 Serie A victory at the Stadio Olimpico and had to be replaced just before half-time.

Another injury setback for the luckless Giallorossi came just a day after new signing Georginio Wijnaldum sustained a broken leg in training.

Roma boss Mourinho is concerned that Zaniolo could similarly be facing a lengthy absence, but he says they must not feel sorry for themselves.

I am worried, but that is life, Mourinho said.  Crying about it does not help.

Obviously, you have ideas and plans in place for how you want to play – and then you immediately f…

Pep Guardiola has not ruled out the possibility of Bernardo Silva joining Barcelona – a club he likes very much – but acknowledged a deal would be tricky at this stage of the transfer window.

Silva remains a key man for Guardiola s Manchester City, excelling and scoring the equaliser in Sunday s 3-3 draw at Newcastle United, yet he also continues to be linked to Barca.

The Blaugrana have invested heavily in this window, with Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Jules Kounde among their eye-catching signings.

However, Barca coach Xavi is said to still be eager to add to his squad, with Silva seen as a potentially key capture.

City visited Camp Nou on Wednesday for a friendly – another 3-3 draw – and both Xavi and Guardiola were predictably asked to dis…

Andres Iniesta was one of a plethora of stars to emerge from Barcelona s famed La Masia production line.

But on Friday, the Spain great announced that his 22-year stay at Camp Nou is to come to an end at the culmination of the 2017-18 season, with a lucrative move to the Chinese Super League reportedly agreed.

Iniesta has amassed over 350 appearances for club and country, winning a combined 34 trophies for Barca and Spain thus far with a 35th surely in line with the Catalans on the cusp of LaLiga glory.

He emerged from a golden era for La Masia, following in the footsteps of Xavi and paving the way for the likes of Sergio Busquets and Lionel Messi.

But with Iniesta and Xavi now gone, it remains to be seen how Barca, who named an XI without a graduate of L…

Borussia Dortmund aren t prepared to let Achraf Hakimi return to Real Madrid after his two-year loan spell without a fight, according to .

Real have apparently decided to give the fullback a chance of making room for himself in their squad next season, and they see him as the most feasible option to offer some competition to Dani Carvajal on the right defensive flank. They ve been impressed with what he has done in the Bundesliga so far. But so have Dortmund, and that s exactly why they want to keep the player on a permanent basis. The 21-year-old has six goals (four in the Champions League) and five assists in 25 appearances in all competitions this season in the black-and-yellow shirt.

Dortmund sporting director pointed out that their intention of keeping Hakimi at t…

Roberto Mancini has been named the new head coach of Italy, the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) has confirmed.

The former Zenit boss, who has agreed to a contract of undisclosed length, will be officially presented at a news conference in Florence on Tuesday.
 
The news brings to an end Italy s exhaustive search for a permanent replacement for Gian Piero Ventura, who left his role after the World Cup play-off defeat to Sweden in November.

Luigi Di Biagio had been in interim charge of the senior side during the hunt for a long-term successor, with Carlo Ancelotti and Chelsea boss Antonio Conte among the other leading candidates.

Mancini has spent the last year with Zenit after concluding his second spell at Inter in 2016, but he left his post on Sunday after…

Christian Benteke scored the fastest goal in World Cup qualifying history by netting the first strike of his hat-trick after seven seconds as Belgium won 6-0 against Gibraltar in Group H.

Belgium remain top of the section after their emphatic victory in Faro, with Crystal Palace striker Benteke scoring his first international goals since March 2015.

Despite Gibraltar kicking off, they lost possession rapidly and Benteke ran through on goal to score the record-breaking opener, adding his team s third before half-time after Axel Witsel s deflected drive made it 2-0.

Dries Mertens scored Belgium s fourth after 51 minutes, beating helpless goalkeeper Deren Ibrahim with a lofted finish, before Benteke completed his treble with a neat backheel from Eden Hazard s pas…