Bruno Fernandes has urged Manchester United s emerging stars to seize their moment as they seek to make an impression at Old Trafford.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer confirmed ahead of Sunday s trip to West Brom that teenage trio Shola Shoretire, Hannibal Mejbr and Amad Diallo would all be involved with the senior side.

Fernandes has been a leading light for United this season, helping to propel the Red Devils into possible Premier League title contention.

The Portuguese playmaker hopes the injection of youth into the United first-team fold will provide a boost, though he urged those making the step up to work hard and stay humble.

 FT — U23s: 3 Arsenal 0

Joe Hugill and Shola Shoretire continued their fine goalscoring form in the second half, as our yo…

David Moyes was appointed as Manchester United boss seven years ago on Saturday and Kerry Packer shook up the cricketing establishment back in 1977.

A day on from Alex Ferguson announcing his retirement after a long, glorious reign at Old Trafford, Everton manager Moyes was introduced as his successor.

Australian media mogul Packer was making waves 43 years ago with the birth of the World Series Cricket.

Free-scoring Manchester City s record-breaking Premier League exploits are fresher in the memory, while Michael Schumacher claimed a record-equalling victory on May 9, 2004.

We look back at those most memorable sporting moments.

1977 Packer starts a revolution

The impact Packer s intervention had upon cricket at the highest le…

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Bulgaria hosts Northern Ireland in the 2nd game of the UEFA Nations League C, aiming to improve their poor start that returned a goalless stalemate in Belarus earlier in the week. The game will be played in Plovdiv at Hristo Botev Stadium where over 18, 000 fans will attend the 10th battle between Bulgaria and Northern Ireland.

Bulgaria

From a 4th place finish at the 1994 World Cup achieved in the golden era of Bulgarian football led by the legendary Ballon d Or winner Hristov Stoickov to missing on embracing a major tournament in the last 20 years, the hosts failure to compete against Europe s best is a scenario unlikely to change anytime soon.

While producing a major upset in 1994 by defeating…

Thiago Alcantara hinted he has not entirely ruled out staying with Bayern Munich.

The Spain playmaker excelled under Hansi Flick as Bayern won the Champions League to complete a treble in 2019-20.

Thiago, 29, is out of contract next June and has been heavily linked with a switch to Liverpool.

But after a typically imperious showing – he completed 97 of 104 passes – during Spain s last-gasp 1-1 Nations League draw against Germany in Stuttgart, the former Barcelona man seemingly left the door ajar to a stay in Bavaria.

Asked whether there was no chance of him remaining at Bayern next season, he replied: Bayern is my home and I am happy to be there.

I only think about [Spain s] game against Ukraine. Afterwards we will see.

Since signing…

Even when you consider the well-reported exit clause in his contract, until recently the idea of Lionel Messi leaving Barcelona for another club was virtually unthinkable.

But this week friction has started to appear, with Messi publicly calling out Barca director of football Eric Abidal for bad-mouthing players in an interview, saying that many players weren t satisfied nor working hard and there was also an internal communication problem before Ernesto Valverde s sacking.

Messi s forthright response on Instagram said the sports management must also assume their responsibilities and suggested Abidal should name specific players if he is willing to criticise them, otherwise we are all getting dirtied and feeding things that are said but aren t true .

Barca have …

Although there might not be any Premier League action on the cards this weekend, the rest of Europe’s elite offer a stacked Sunday schedule.

For those of you who are looking to stick on a Sunday flutter, we have found a pair of eye-catching betting markets from Serie A and Ligue 1.

14:00 Reims vs Nantes

While Reims might have eventually fallen short in their bid to punch a top-half finish finish last season, Sunday’s hosts have continued to shine this time around. Opening this weekend’s fixtures battling it out in the top-six chase, Will Still’s men suddenly have their sights set on booking a famous European ticket.

Although Les Rouges might have watched their Coupe de France adventure come to an end last week as they suffered penalties heartbr…

Bruno Fernandes scored twice and Edinson Cavani opened his Manchester United account in a 3-1 win at Everton that will ease the pressure on manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

After back-to-back losses to Arsenal and Istanbul Basaksehir, Saturday s Premier League clash at Goodison Park was viewed by some as a must-win match for Solskjaer amid increasing speculation over his future.

Things looked worrying for the Red Devils boss when Bernard put Carlo Ancelotti s side ahead, but Fernandes scored twice before half-time and Cavani struck at the death to deliver three valuable points.

Anthony Martial, back from a three-game domestic suspension, dragged a shot wide from a promising position as United sought a positive start.

The visitors were behind 19 minutes in…

As Manchester United attempt to pick up the pieces from a shocker against Istanbul Basaksehir, so Everton are preparing to pick them apart.

Before United travelled to Istanbul, a glance at their previous 10 away results gave the impression that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had produced a miracle of a team.

Teams typically achieve their better results with the benefits of home comfort, so to string together 10 successive wins on the road looked like a striking achievement.

As it happens, the Old Trafford performances have been frequently humdrum and at times wretched (W4 D3 L3 in their last 10 home games), and there are compelling reasons for the away record being not quite all that, either.

And after a calamitous showing in Europe, it is worth looking at quit…

Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde believes voting for the Ballon d Or should be easy, saying Lionel Messi deserved to win the award.

Messi, 32, is tipped to win a record sixth Ballon d Or in Paris on Monday after enjoying another stellar year.

Valverde, whose team visit Atletico Madrid in LaLiga on Sunday, said voting should be no problem as Messi is the world s best player.

I don t follow these awards galas because they are too long. My vote, well, I guess, is the same as yours, he told a news conference.

I would vote for the best, obviously. Ever year you always vote depending on how the seasons have gone for the players.

But if you have to give it to the best, let s just give it to Messi and the problem is solved.

Ahead of their trip…

Ordinarily, Burnley v Manchester United wouldn t be the sort of match that receives much attention from those without a vested interest in either team.

A somewhat local encounter it may be, Burnley perhaps aren t – with all due respect – the sort of team that attracts swathes of neutrals.

Nevertheless, Tuesday s fixture at Turf Moor holds genuine significance for United as it provides them with the opportunity to go top of the Premier League.

Granted, it may only be January 12 and we aren t quite at the halfway point of the season, but such an opportunity represents real progress.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer s men go into the match – which was postponed at the start of the campaign due to United s run to the Europa League semi-finals – level on points w…