The Blancos may be struggling in La Liga, but a club legend does not want to see a fellow Brazilian prematurely thrust into the limelight

Roberto Carlos has called for patience with Vinicius Junior at Real Madrid but believes the teenager will develop into a “superstar”.

Vinicius joined Madrid from Flamengo in a reported €45 million (£40m/$52m) deal in July, with Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure from the Santiago Bernabeu leading some to suggest the Brazilian would become an instant fixture in the first team.

The 18-year-old has played only twice in La Liga, though, appearing briefly from the bench on each occasion during what has been a difficult start to the season under Julen Lopetegui.

Further calls for Vinicius’ inclusion in the side have unsurprisingly followed, but compatriot Roberto Carlos does not want to see the new man rushed into the senior fold.

“[Vinicius] will be a superstar but he has to be given time because he is still very young,” the World Cup winner said, as quoted by AS.

“He is acquiring a lot of experience at Real Madrid.

“It might seem that he is ready to play in the first team but, for the moment, he is going through the affiliated teams. I am sure that in a few years he will be demonstrating the great promise he has.”

Carlos’ comments echo those of fellow Blancos legend Michel Salgado, who has suggested that a loan move should form part of Vinicius’ immediate future.

He told UOL: “We have to think about what we should do with him now.

“There’s exaggerated pressure on the coach and the player. You have to stay calm and wait for your chance little by little. And maybe he should look for a strong team in Spain where he can play without so much pressure but with more minutes.

“The boy cost €45m when nobody knew him and is a player who has done well for the second team by showing something different from the others. He’s spectacular at dribbling and in terms of his speed. There’s no doubt he’s a great investment for the future.”

Madrid are fourth in La Liga and have scored 12 goals from eight games – seven fewer than champions Barcelona.

 

The Queen of the South striker has netted 24 times in 16 games this season, and has put pen to paper on a new deal with the club this month

If asked to make an educated guess at who Europe’s hottest striker is right now, almost two months into the new season across the continent, the usual names of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar would likely spring to mind.

Indeed, the latter sits atop the Ligue 1 goalscoring charts, tied with PSG team-mate Kylian Mbappe on eight and only beaten in the top leagues by Genoa’s Krzysztof Piatek in Serie A, with nine.

But one man can trump all that. In eight league appearances, he’s found the net a stunning 12 times so far in the 2018-19 campaign. Factor in additional competitions and it’s 24 goals in 16 showings.

The division? The Scottish Championship. The club? Mid-table Queen of the South. And the man? Thirty-five-year-old journeyman striker Stephen Dobbie.

For a 15-year veteran without a major honour or international cap to his name to be the most prolific individual across Europe right now is nothing short of extraordinary – and he has been rewarded with a contract extension to tie him down until 2020 at the Dumfries club, with whom he has revitalised his career in his second spell with.

Having netted 27 times in 42 games last season, he is only three shy of equalling his 2017-18 record with over two months still to go until Christmas.

He has already scored four hat-tricks this campaign, against Clyde in the Scottish League Cup and subsequently against Falkirk, Ayr United and Alloa Athletic, to produce a strike rate of 1.5 goals per game.

Last month, Dobbie told the BBC that only the chance to play for boyhood club Rangers could tempt him away from Palmerston, admitting that he has no desire to go anywhere else.

“I’ve had people interested in signing me but the point at this time in my career is just to play football and enjoy myself” the Glaswegian said.

Beginning his career in 2003 at Hibernian, Dobbie has played for 10 clubs since making his debut, setting up shop in virtually all four corners of the United Kingdom across his career.

A brief loan spell in the Highlands at St Johnstone became a permanent move in 2005 before he made another temporary swap to Dumbarton the following year.

Queen of the South became his permanent home in January 2007 and he subsequently helped them to the 2008 Scottish Cup Final where they were defeated by Rangers, through which they also qualified for the UEFA Cup.

Twenty-three goals in 40 matches during the 2008-09 season caught the eye of Swansea City, whom he moved to ahead of the 2009-10 campaign. However, he was initially unable to hold down a regular berth and spent a subsequent spell on loan with Blackpool, for whom he played in the first of three consecutive Championship play-off final appearances at Wembley, helping the Tangerines win promotion to the Premier League.

Dobbie returned to Swansea to help them chase down play-off success too in 2010-2011 before he returned to Blackpool again on loan following their relegation and helped them to another play-off final, where they were defeated by West Ham in 2012. A subsequent move to Brighton never really took off for him and he once again was loaned out, this time to Crystal Palace who he helped secure promotion again.

A third loan spell at Blackpool and a brief sojourn to Fleetwood Town preceded a final season in England with Bolton Wanderers before he returned to Queen of the South in 2016 where he has been since.

The Three Lions were beaten by the Spanish at Wembley and will be aiming to improve after their goalless draw with Croatia last time out

England travel to Seville to face Spain in their third UEFA Nations League game.

The Spanish sit comfortably atop Group A4 with six points and a plus seven goal difference after beating England and Croatia 2-1 and 6-0, respectively. 

Meanwhile, the Three Lions picked up their first Nations League point in Croatia on Friday night in a goalless game played behind closed doors.

Gareth Southgate employed a 4-3-3 formation in that game, having utilised a 3-5-2 system for the entirety of the World Cup, and could be set to continue that experiment against Luis Enrique’s side.

Game	Spain vs England
Date	Monday, October 15
Time	7:45pm BST / 2:45pm EST

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In the United States (US), the game can be watched live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial) .

New users can sign up for a free seven-day trial of the live sports streaming service, which can be accessed via iOS, Android, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV as well as on a web browser.

US TV channel	Online stream
Univision Deportes/UniMas	fubo TV (7-day free trial)

In the United Kingdom (UK), the game can be watched live on TV on Sky Sports Main Event and it can be streamed live online using Sky Go. The game can also be followed live on Goal here .

UK TV channel	Online stream
Sky Sports Main Event	Sky Go

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Position	Spain squad
Goalkeepers	De Gea, Kepa, Lopez
Defenders	Azpilicueta, Jonny, Alonso, Gaya, Nacho, Ramos, Albiol, Bartra
Midfielders	Saul, Koke, Thiago, Rodri, Ceballos, Suso, Asensio, Busquets
Forwards	Alcacer, Aspas, Rodrigo, Morata

Spain head coach Luis Enrique is missing Real Madrid pair Isco and Dani Carvajal through injury, as well Atletico Madrid striker Diego Costa.

Barcelona left-back Jordi Alba continues to be frozen out of the national team by his former club coach, with three left-backs named ahead of him in the squad.

Potential Spain XI: De Gea; Otto, Ramos, Nacho, Alonso; Busquets, Saul, Thiago; Asensio, Aspas, Rodrigo.

Position	England squad
Goalkeepers	Pickford, Butland, Bettinelli
Defenders	Chilwell, Stones, Maguire, Gomez, Dunk, Walker, Trippier, Alexander-Arnold
Midfielders	Dier, Winks, Maddison, Mount, Chalobah, Barkley
Forwards	Kane, Welbeck, Rashford, Sancho, Sterling

Goalkeeper Alex McCarthy and left-back Danny Rose were both forced to withdraw from the squad ahead of the Croatia game due to injury concerns, meaning that Southgate is notably light on left-back options outside of Leicester City’s Ben Chilwell, with Luke Shaw also sidelined.

Several young players will be hoping for their full debuts against Spain, with the likes of Jadon Sancho, James Maddison and Mason Mount called up to the senior squad for the first time, with Dele Alli and Jesse Lingard absent through injury.

Jordan Henderson is suspended after his yellow card against Croatia, with Harry Winks stepping in as his replacement.

Potential England XI: Pickford; Trippier, Gomez, Maguire, Chilwell; Dier, Winks, Barkley; Rashford, Kane, Sterling.

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Spain are favourites to win the match according to bet365 , who price them at 3/5. England are considered a 9/2 bet to win away from home and a draw is available at 29/10.

Click here to see more offers for the game, including goalscoring markets, correct score predictions and more.

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England were beaten 2-1 by Spain at Wembley in September’s maiden round of Nations League fixtures.

Marcus Rashford’s 11th-minute opener was swiftly cancelled out by Saul Niguez, before a Rodrigo goal just after the half-hour mark proved decisive. 

The Three Lions will be hoping for better this time around, as any result for Spain effectively clinches them top spot in the group, and leaves England and Croatia battling each other to avoid relegation. 

And La Roja have been in fine form of late, dismantling Wales 4-1 in their recent friendly despite their injuries and with a handful of key names rested. 

England, however, have laboured since exiting the World Cup and losing the third-place playoff, with their only win since then coming in narrow 1-0 victory over Switzerland at home. 

Both squads are much-changed since the showpiece event in Russia, and both are missing key players, but Luis Enrique’s men will perhaps feel confident of a result at home against an inexperienced English midfield.

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The Chelsea star considers himself to be the best player in the world at the moment and feels he may need to be in Spain to see that form recognised

Eden Hazard has ruled out a January move away from Chelsea, but has admitted that he may need to join Real Madrid in order to win the Ballon d’Or.

The Belgium international has been in stunning form at the start of the 2018-19 campaign, netting seven times in the Premier League to lead the hunt for the Golden Boot.

His form has earned him a billing as the finest player in Europe from Blues boss Maurizio Sarri, with it widely acknowledged that the 27-year-old is performing at a level few players can match.

Having positioned himself among the elite, and with no fresh terms agreed at Stamford Bridge as yet, talk of a big-money move away from west London continues to rage.

Madrid have been heavily linked with a swoop for some time and Hazard acknowledges that, with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo having dominated the global game while turning out in La Liga, he may need to head for Spain in order to see his achievements recognised.

“That’s why I want to go, maybe,” a man who is on the 30-man shortlist for the 2018 Ballon d’Or told Sky Sports.

Quizzed on whether such a switch could be made in the next transfer window, Hazard said: “Nope.”

He is happy to see out the current campaign at Chelsea, with familiar surroundings allowing him to flourish at present.

Hazard believes he is producing the best performances of his career to date and feels that the consistency he has achieved makes him deserving of a standing alongside the finest talent on the planet.

Asked he considers himself to be the best player in the world, Hazard said: “Yes.”

He is, however, prepared to acknowledge that he still has room for improvement, adding: “Of course. You can always improve in football – more goals, more assists.

“The team is helping me a lot but I can improve for sure.”

Hazard’s current contract at Chelsea is set to expire in 2020, so the Blues will have a big decision to make next summer if no extension is agreed.

Their hand may be forced when it comes to the sale of a prized asset, with 2019 set to present them with a final opportunity to generate a sizeable fee before a star turn begins to decrease in value as he heads towards free agency.

The Manor’s Danny Graft and Jonny Dutch sat down with Goal to talk about the fortunes of the Three Lions and the Gunners

The Red Devils manager was in the stands for the country’s historic UEFA Nations League win over Montenegro, but was he doing some research?

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho was spotted watching Serbia’s clash with Montenegro in midweek, and may well have been completing a scouting mission.

United have been heavily linked with Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, the Lazio midfielder who has also reportedly attracted interest from Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Despite performing somewhat poorly thus far this season , Milinkovic-Savic featured as a substitute against Montenegro in the UEFA Nations League clash, with Serbia running out 2-0 winners.

A brace from Aleksandar Mitrovic, himself in fine form for Fulham, handed Serbia a historic win, in a game that marked the first time the two nations, who competed as one in the 2006 World Cup, have met competitively.

Alongside Milinkovic-Savic, Mourinho is also a reported admirer of Fiorentina defender Nikola Milenkovic, as he seeks to bolster his backline.

The 21-year-old, a centre-back who has scored twice already this season, played 90 minutes as Serbia kept a clean sheet, and Mourinho may well be tempted into the market.

It has been widely reported that the Portuguese was disappointed with the manner in which United’s transfer business was conducted over the summer as they failed to acquire a new centre-back.

Mourinho is said to have earmarked Tottenham’s Toby Alderweireld, Leicester City’s Harry Maguire and Bayern Munich’s Jerome Boateng as potential targets, but no such deal was completed.

United have undergone a difficult start to the season after an indecisive window, losing three of their opening eight games, taking a total of 13 points, meaning they currently trail Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea by seven points.

Many ex-United players have had their say on this season’s woes, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic, a trusted Mourinho lieutenant, insisting that the former Chelsea and Real Madrid manager is not the problem at Old Trafford.

“I think he has the ability to win [the Premier League],” he said. “I think he is the right coach for that club, for that team.

“But a coach is only as good as his team, so it’s not like he can do miracles if the team is not good enough.

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The Portuguese saw his side head into the international break on the back of a 3-2 win over Newcastle, but his actions that day have come at a cost

The Football Association (FA) has charged Jose Mourinho for alleged comments made in the immediate aftermath of Manchester United’s dramatic win over Newcastle United.

Television cameras captured Mourinho muttering what are purported to have been “abusive and/or insulting and/or improper” remarks.

The United manager had been the subject of intense speculation in the build-up to the stirring late 3-2 victory, with a report in The Mirror claiming he would be sacked regardless of the result.

Second-half goals from Juan Mata, Anthony Martial and Alexis Sanchez ensured United avoided a fourth Premier League loss of the season and Mourinho spoke afterwards about the impact of “the pressure of man-hunting” on his players.

But it is his touchline comments that have brought the under-pressure manager to the FA’s attention.

“Jose Mourinho has been charged following Manchester United’s game against Newcastle United on October 6, 2018,” read an FA statement.

“It is alleged that his language at the end of the fixture, as captured by the broadcast footage, was abusive and/or insulting and/or improper.”

Mourinho has until 18:00 local time (17:00 GMT) on October 19 to respond to the charge.

The Chelsea winger insists that one of his only regrets is not playing under the Portuguese for as long as he would have liked

Eden Hazard has revealed that he wants to work under Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho again.

Hazard played for the Portuguese for two years at Chelsea, between 2013 and 2015, before Mourinho was sacked.

Nevertheless, he won the Premier League title and the League Cup in his second spell at Stamford Bridge, with Hazard a key member of the title-winning side, scoring 14 league goals and providing 10 assists.

A poor second season led to Mourinho’s sacking, however, with his Belgian star struggling for form – he scored just four goals in the league.

Mourinho is again under the microscope, this time at Manchester United, with the club already seven points behind the Blues and Manchester City.

Hazard, though, maintains that he regrets how their professional ties ended, and would like to play for him again.

“The last season under Mourinho was not pleasant anymore. We didn’t win, we got into a sort of routine, training-training without having fun, it was better for all parties that the collaboration came to an end,” he told Belgian newspaper HLN.

“If I’m now asked one coach with whom I want to work again, then I say: Mourinho.”

Hazard admits that Mourinho can lash out at his players if results begin to slide, and he believes there is one easy way to get him on side: by winning.

“If the results are poor, he starts criticising his players – you know that, but afterwards I’ve been able to accept that, it’s part of his character,” he added.

“If you win, Mourinho is the best coach you can imagine. Then he is a friend of yours – you can do whatever you want. Want one day off? He gives you two. If everything goes well, Mourinho will experience football like me: with ease. Even his own image of an extremely defensive coach was not too bad. He is far from adventurous like [Pep] Guardiola, but the year in which we became champions, we scored a lot of goals and played good games.

“I do not regret many things in my career, but that I have not been able to work with Mourinho at Chelsea anymore [is one]. We had a team to get a lot of prizes, but we just ended up in a negative spiral.”

During Mourinho’s final months at Chelsea, Hazard’s form was held up as emblematic that he struggles to bring the best out of players who are creative, but the Belgian has taken responsibility for his own shortcomings.

“In those twelve years of professional career, I have had one bad year – the last six months under Mourinho, and it was partly my own fault,” he said.

“After the title, we had asked Mourinho for extra holidays. I was totally out of shape at the start of the season, I remembered that lesson this summer – four weeks after the World Cup I was back in training at Chelsea.”