Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler has ‘laughed’ off Gary Neville’s choice for the permanent Manchester United managerial role.

United legend Neville called for Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone to succeed current interim manager Ralf Rangnick, who will move into an advisory role once a long-term solution is found.

But Fowler says the “horrible stuff” and tactics Simeone’s Atletico side are known for should not be implemented at Old Trafford.

Writing for the Mirror, Fowler said: “I laughed this week when I heard Gary Neville shouting that his former club should make Diego Simeone their next manager.

“Honestly. C’mon. I’m not saying he’s anti-football, but some of the antics his team get up to, some of the horrible stuff they do, and the tactics they pursue. Not at Manchester United.

“The fans would be calling it out within weeks, and even if he actually won things with it, they wouldn’t put up with it for long.

“United have a certain expectation about how they should be playing, which was laid down by Sir Matt Busby and [Alex] Ferguson.”

Fowler says Simeone “exists to stop opponents playing football”, something “no one should welcome”.

He continued: “Simeone doesn’t fit with that [playing style expectation].

“He doesn’t fit with anyone who loves football, he essentially exists to stop opponents playing football. Which no one should welcome.

“And that’s what I mean by identity. It’s not enough to be simply winning – even if it helps, obviously.”

Fowler has also thrown a candidate of his own into the mix.

Instead of selecting the Thomas Tuchels or the Simeones, Fowler has put forward Inter Milan boss Simone Inzaghi, younger brother of legendary Italian striker Filippo.

He said: “I have a shout for them though. Simone Inzaghi, the younger brother of Filippo.

“You can see with Inter he has taken them on beyond the dour football of Antonio Conte, despite the club having financial problems.

“They are in contention for the title, performed well – and I think above their level – against Liverpool in the Champions League, and all with budget constraints.

“Before that he was at Lazio, where he won three trophies and was hugely popular with the fans. Would it be a gamble? Of course.

“But United need someone with an ability to build something now, not simply a ‘name.'”

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang took a swipe at his Arsenal critics after leading Barcelona to a barnstorming El Clasico victory.

The former Arsenal captain scored twice in a 4-0 win at the Bernabeu last night, moving Barca within 12 points of the LaLiga leaders.

And Aubameyang now has nine goals for his new side, less than two months after Mikel Arteta booted him out of the Emirates on a free transfer.

The Spanish tactician axed Aubameyang from his first-team set-up towards the end of 2021 after a reported bust-up.

And that led to some fans calling the Gabon international a ‘finished’ player.

Aubameyang has already found a loyal defender in die-hard Gunners fan Piers Morgan.

And the striker continues to have the final laugh as he spearheads Barca’s revival under Xavi Hernandez.

Aubameyang took to Twitter after El Clasico with a stark reminder to his naysayers.

Posting a picture of himself doing his iconic Dragon Ball Z celebration, Aubameyang tweeted: “Hello from the finished player.”

Reflecting on his stunning performance in the Spanish capital, Auba said: “We’ll see where we can go from here after this big victory.

“I was very excited to come to Barcelona and do well.

“It’s very easy when you play with such good players.

Boss Xavi added: “I don’t know if we can win the title, we can’t rule out anything.

“Maybe we’re a bit late, but this is a very big win for us.

“We were much better than Real Madrid. We played almost as a home team in the ground.

“It’s a day to enjoy, not only as a Barca manager but also a fan.

“We could easily have scored five or six. We changed our negative dynamic of losing the last few Clasicos.”

Photo Credit: FCBarcelona/Twitter

TORY MP Julian Knight has claimed there is “no excuse” for not letting Chelsea fans attend their FA Cup semi-final at Wembley.

The Blues are scheduled to face London rivals Crystal Palace next month, but the stadium could only be half-full with just Palace fans.

Crippling sanctions placed on Russian owner Roman Abramovich mean the club are BANNED from selling tickets to games.

Chelsea are currently waiting to see if they will be allowed to sell tickets for the Palace match, with the final decision resting with the government as the sanctions imposed on Abramovich are from Downing Street.

But the idea of no Blues fans in the stands has been slammed as ‘ridiculous’ by Knight, Chair of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, and MP for Solihull.

He demanded for Boris Johnson’s government to allow Chelsea fans into the ground for the crunch tie.

In a meeting with the FA and the Premier League, Knight said: “It is ridiculous that we face the prospect of a half full Wembley for the Chelsea vs Palace FA cup semi-final.

“Chelsea is more than just its owner, it’s a living organism with huge importance to its fans and community.”

“It was understandable that, at short notice, last week’s game against Middlesbrough went ahead without Chelsea fans but, with this much notice, the FA have no excuse for excluding them.”

Knight instead suggested that all proceeds earned from selling tickets to Chelsea fans for the game are donated to Ukrainian victims of Russia’s invasion, ensuring no profits end up in Abramovich’s pocket.

He concluded: “The FA must be allowed to sell tickets to Chelsea fans so long as all money goes to the people of Ukraine.”

The Sun reveals that a decision on Chelsea’s ticket allocation will be made during the international break.

Only 600 Chelsea fans were present for their quarter-final tie away at Middlesbrough on Saturday after the sanctions were placed upon them.

The remaining 3,200 tickets initially allocated to the Blues were returned and put on sale to Boro fans.

Romelu Lukaku and Hakim Ziyech’s goals were all that Chelsea needed to seal their return to Wembley Stadium for FA Cup semi-finals.

Championship side Boro had been one of the stories of the competition this season, having already eliminated Manchester United and Tottenham on their way to the last eight, and more than 30,000 home fans were hoping to see the world and European champions added to that list.

But Chelsea had other ideas and came flying out of the blocks, despite having less than 700 of their own supporters at the game after the club were prevented from selling any more tickets as part of the sanctions placed on owner Roman Abramovich.

But the Blues fans who were able to take their place in the away end would have been delighted with the way their side approached their task, with Mason Mount giving them a taste of what was to come when his whipped cross after a clever run down the right was just missed by both Romelu Lukaku and Christian Pulisic.

The Chelsea academy product was again released down the right after 15 minutes after some composed defending by Cesar Azpilicueta and Thiago Silva, and this time his ball in was turned home by Lukaku.

Boro responded well to the early blow and created an opening when Jonny Howson dispossessed Ruben Loftus-Cheek in a dangerous area, while Marcus Tavernier caused problems with his deliveries from set-pieces.

But Hakim Ziyech then celebrated his 29th birthday in ideal fashion by doubling the Blues’ advantage on 31 minutes. The Moroccan was granted too much time to cut in on his favoured left foot, and while his strike from the edge of the area arrowed into the bottom corner, Boro goalkeeper Joe Lumley may feel he should have got down quicker to turn away the strike.

Chelsea should have made it three shortly after when a lucky bounce allowed Lukaku to round Lumley, but Anfernee Dijksteel produced an excellent clearance on the goal line to keep his side in the game.

Boro improved in the second half, with Isaiah Jones’ forays from his right wing-back position catching the eye, but – while Thomas Tuchel’s side failed to maintain their first-half intensity – they never really looked like giving up their advantage, with the imperious Thiago Silva, in particular, ensuring their hosts were kept at arm’s length.

Boro ended the game without a shot on target, such was Chelsea’s comfort, while the visitors even spurned a late chance to put the game beyond doubt when Timo Werner saw his short-range effort blocked by Sol Bamba with the goal gaping.

The result means Chelsea have now reached the FA Cup semi-finals in five of the last six seasons, and they will discover who they face at Wembley next month when the draw takes place on Sunday at 5.30pm, while Boro will turn their attention to securing a play-off spot as they bid to return to the Premier League.

Photo Credit: ChelseaFC/Twitter

Thomas Tuchel described himself as “impressed” with the performance of his team win over Middlesbrough, both with their ability to switch their attentions to the FA Cup just three days after their Champions League win in Lille, and to put events off the field to the back of their minds.

“It was a deserved win,” the head coach told BBC Sport. “We’ve come through a period of lots of matches.

“Just three days after a Champions League tie you have to play a completely different competition with a totally different approach, but we were focused and got a deserved win. Full credit to the team. I’m very impressed.

“We accepted the situation as we didn’t cause it. Nothing we can do can change the situation, it’s not in our hands. But what is in our hands is to stay focused and set an example as I’m sure many people who work at Chelsea not in the spotlight are more concerned than us about the situation and what will happen. For them it’s also important we take the responsibility to show the right spirit and attitude. This is very, very good.

“We have a responsibility too with our talent. If you are gifted and privileged to play football as a profession then you have to push yourself to the limit. This is what we do and the culture of the club helps.”

A number of offers to buy Chelsea were submitted by the deadline on Friday night, and Tuchel emphasised the need for the club’s ownership to be resolved as soon as possible.

“I hope the process goes through as soon as possible to clear the situation and calm the situation down so we can have an outlook on the near future.

“As far as I know things will be pushed as fast as possible so we can see ourselves in a calmer situation.”

Photo Credit: EmiratesFACup/Twitter

There are reports that John Terry is at the forefront of a consortium that is looking to purchase a 10 per cent stake in Chelsea for £250million.

Goal claim the Chelsea legend – along with former women’s star Claire Rafferty – are heading up the consortium called True Blue.

The report claims the bid will also allow supporters, players and ex-staff to buy fan tokens for more than £100, with voting rights coming in return.

Terry has been extremely active in promoting his Non-Fungible Tokens collection of ‘Ape Kids Football Club’ in recent months, though its value is said to have plummeted in value by 90 per cent.

However, the ex-Blues captain cannot fund a full bid to try and compete for total ownership of the club with Roman Abramovich looking to sell.

It comes with the Blues set to close their bidding window for control of the club at 9pm on Friday evening, after which offers will be whittled down to a shortlist of four potential new owners.

Goal claim another figure behind the consortium is Conservative party donor David Meller, a Chelsea fan who is invested in the idea along with his son Jonathan.

However, Meller’s involvement could attract controversy after it was claimed he benefitted from the government’s fast-track VIP lane for friends and donors of the Conservative Party to get PPE contracts at the height of the pandemic.

Cristiano Ronaldo now seems likely to stay at Manchester United next season because interim manager Ralf Rangnick will not remain at Old Trafford, according to AS.

The Spanish newspaper says there is a bad relationship between the 37-year-old and Rangnick, and the German’s short tenure has been so disappointing he may no longer take up the sporting director role in the summer.

Ronaldo will commit to stay at United next season to see out the two-year contract he signed at the start of this campaign.

Barcelona are interested in a move for Marcus Rashford amid his ongoing struggles this season for Manchester United, according to the Manchester Evening News.

The 24-year-old’s form has led him to being dropped to the bench for the Red Devils as well as being dropped by England. This has led to the player reportedly considering his future at the club, with only one year remaining on his contract.

It comes as the Blaugrana are in need of a potential long-term forward option, with Ousmane Dembele set to leave as a free agent in the summer

New manager Xavi Hernandez has impressed in his short tenure so far, taking the club up to third in LaLiga and booking their place in the Europa League quarterfinals.

Signings of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Ferran Torres and Adama Traore have also helped bolster the side, with more signings to come in the summer to help build the manager’s vision.

Rashford played 19 Premier League games this season, scoring four goals and assisting twice.

Ex-Manchester United defender Patrice Evra will take part in a boxing match with social media star Adam Saleh.

The former France international has been enjoying retirement since hanging up his boots in 2019.

But the retired full-back will spend the next few weeks whipping himself into fighting shape for an April dust-up with American Saleh.

Evra said of the bout on Instagram: “This fight will be April 30 at The O2 Arena in London.

“So I’m going to need my whole UK family to pull up and show their love, from not just London but all over the UK I need you guys because this is going to be really crazy.”

Fight and footy fans were quick to react to the news, with one tweeting: “Best chance of United player finishing as high as runner up this season.”

Another said: “Boxing is a joke now.”

And another said: “No way it’s actually real this is so random.”

Chelsea have been handed a nightmare Champions League quarter-final draw against Real Madrid.

Though thankfully for Blues supporters, it was just on a simulator ahead of Friday’s real draw for the next round of the European Cup.

Three English teams are in the pot for the quarter-final, with Chelsea beating Lille in the last-16, while Liverpool and Manchester City triumphed over Inter Milan and Sporting Lisbon respectively.

And ahead of Friday’s draw, SunSport simulated how it could play out, throwing up what would surely be classic encounters.

First up was Chelsea against Real in a repeat of last season’s semi-final, which the West London outfit won.

A 1-1 draw in Madrid was followed up by Thomas Tuchel’s side winning 2-0 at Stamford Bridge with Timo Werner and Mason Mount getting on the score sheet.

But with Los Blancos top of LaLiga by ten points and winning their last five matches in all competitions, Chelsea will be keen to avoid them.

Next up in the draw was a mouthwatering tie between Liverpool and Manchester City.

The two teams are embroiled in a race for the Premier League title, with the Citizens just a point clear of Jurgen Klopp’s men ahead of their clash at the Etihad next month.

City and Liverpool have only faced each other twice in the Champions League, though it came at this stage in the 2017-18 campaign.

Liverpool won the first leg away at City 2-1, before smashing them 3-0 at Anfield thanks to first half goals from Mohamed Salah, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Sadio Mane.

Villarreal were the next team drawn, with Unai Emery’s side handed a horror tie against Julian Nagelsmann’s free-scoring Bayern.

And Atletico’s reward for knocking out the Red Devils was a favourable tie to face Portuguese giants Benfica.