Football news LIVE: Liverpool confident of Salah contract agreement, Saka hints at imminent return, FA Cup quarter-final build-up

Salah saga

Mohamed Salah wants to stay at Liverpool even though he hasn't yet agreed a new deal.

That's according to Reds legend Michael Owen, who believes that the club should alter their contract policy to keep hold of the Egyptian.

As it stands, Salah will leave Liverpool at the end of the season once his current deal at Anfield expires on June 30.

He is yet to agree to new terms amid a potential final season at the club in which he has scored a stunning 32 goals in 43 matches.

However, ex-Liverpool striker Owen believes the 32-year-old wants to extend his stay, as long as Liverpool make one key change.

"Mo Salah's an interesting one. I think Mo Salah wants to stay, in fact I'm pretty sure he wants to stay," he told talkSPORT.

"I think Liverpool are going to have to bend the rules slightly, they might say, 'Oh right, only two years for players of this age.'

"But he's no normal player, he's as fit as a flea, he's dedicated, he lives in the gym, he's so profeSsional. You can't tell me that he's not going to be at the same level in three, four years.

"I mean, he's just unbelievable, so I would bend the rules, I would give him the contract, the length of contract.

"I'm also not that type of person, a fan that says, 'Just give him what he wants, he's brilliant, we'll win the league with him.' No, because you can't put your club at risk, but I don't think it's got to that stage.

"To replace him, it's going to cost an awful lot more, you're not going to pay a transfer fee for him.

"So I would do whatever it takes to keep him, and I think he wants to stay, but sources tell me that they're still quite a way apart."

Down

Scotland were relegated from Nations League A after a 3-0 home defeat by Greece.

Steve Clarke's side made a decent start but goals from Giannis Konstantelias, Konstantinos Karetsas and Christos Tzolis had the visitors 3-1 up on aggregate with just 15 seconds of the second half played.

The Hampden crowd expressed their dissent on several occasions as Scotland never really looked like getting back into the game.

They now drop down to the second tier of the competition ahead of the next set of group games in the autumn of 2026.

Scotland had Ryan Christie back in the team after suspension with Lewis Ferguson the only player to drop out following the 1-0 first-leg win.

Diplomatic

Who does former Manchester United and Tottenham striker Dimitar Berbatov want to win the Europa League?

The Bulgarian issued the safe response of insisting he's getting behind both teams in their respective campaigns.

The Premier League clubs are both in the competition and would stand to meet each other in the final in Bilbao should they get there.

And if that happens then Berbatov will have split loyalties indeed.

He said after the Tottenham Legends clash with AC Milan: "It's difficult. As long as one of them are winning it, I'll be fine, to be honest.

"But I support both of them because I want to see success ultimately for both of them and basically for all my team I used to play, which Spurs is important to win trophies, United as well, because both teams are going up and down, up and down. So I'm rooting for them."

Spurs take on Eintracht Frankfurt in the quarter-finals with the first leg taking place at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on April 10.

Meanwhile, the Red Devils lock horns with Lyon with the first leg taking place in France on the same night.

Preparation

The England players have been on the training pitch ahead of their World Cup qualifier tomorrow night.

Thomas Tuchel's side take on Latvia on Monday night, live on talkSPORT, following their 2-0 win over Albania on Friday.

Goals from Myles Lewis-Skelly and Harry Kane sealed the victory at Wembley Stadium.

They will be without Anthony Gordon though, however, with the Newcastle star sustaining an injury late in the game.

Sacked

Thiago Motta has been sacked as Juventus head coach.

Motta is believed to have been informed over the phone of the club's decision to let him go.

One shock report from Gazzetta dello Sport claim Juve director Cristiano Giuntoli told Motta 'ashamed at having chosen you' for the job.

Igor Tudor is expected to take over as his replacement.

Utter Bloke Nonsense

Sean Dyche joined talkSPORT on Sunday afternoon and FINALLY talked about the now infamous ‘Utter Woke Nonsense’ viral meme.

The Everton gaffer said: “I was at Northampton Town yesterday watching my lad play and this young kid in the corporate area came up to me and said ‘Sean, can I ask you something? Can you just say ‘Utter Woke Nonsense’.

“I said to him ‘Absolutely not, son’. All his mates were laughing. Deadpanned him, he was gutted.

“Utter Woke Nonsense, there you go if you’re listening.

“I didn’t actually say it by the way.”

Just minutes after denying being the original man behind the meme, he went into peak Utter Woke Nonsense mode.

Players not celebrating against their old clubs were in his firing line.

"What about now when they do that? Oh, I'm not going to celebrate," he said.

"What is that all about? Well, if you have been at a club for ten years or something then I get it.

“You've been at a club for two years and played forty games and they're going, oh, I'm not going to celebrate. 

"Come on. Just celebrate. Just run around. Don't do a dance, either. Ah, it wrecks my head, that. Just celebrate.”

Tuch of class

Thomas Tuchel has revealed he will not drop players based on performances in the early days of his tenure as England manager.

The German wasn't shy in highlighting the lack of impact made by Marcus Rashford and Phil Foden after the 2-0 win over Albania.

The pair were replaced by Jarrod Bowen and Anthony Gordon after 74 minutes of Friday's Wembley win.

"I've spoken to both of them, also in front of the group. They know that I appreciate the effort, especially off the ball," Tuchel said.

"We can see in the numbers and when we watch the match again how much effort they put into defending high and into the counter-press, also in their sprinting numbers.

"Marcus had a lot of runs when we had the ball, where we did not see him, where we did not use him. He was a little bit unlucky maybe with the timing. From time to time we oversaw him. Phil is just maybe not finding the momentum at the moment that he can have.

"But both of them are very positive, have every right to be positive and know exactly what we want from them. Ideally we try to bring them in more one-on-one situations and ideally they have the confidence to take the one-on-ones.

"Phil needs maybe a little bit closer connections to a No 10 than we could provide in this match. And Marcus created one big chance for Jude Bellingham, and, like I said, had some runs off the ball where we did not use him.

"But, off the ball, the effort was there and that's what counts."

"It could help and I think it's not a problem to do exactly that and start with the same line-up," Tuchel added.

"But it's also not a problem to change because we have some players who really deserve to play and it would be also nice to see them perform and to give them the confidence.

"At the moment, no one will be dropped from a performance point of view. We did what was needed. We can do better and have stuff to improve and we will focus on that. If we think some fresh legs can help then we're not shy to do it. But no one needs to be dropped because he's not good enough."

Toffee pudding

More from Sean Dyche on Everton and his successor David Moyes, live on talkSPORT: “I left it in good hands. I've left it in good shape. I said that and I got batted for that as well. I said it was in good shape.

“Moysey has taken over and he knows it and he gave me a shout out about it.

“I said to him they’re in good shape. They're fit, but the weight of a club sometimes gets too much.

“I think for the players it got too much. You know I was okay with it. I learnt about the size of the club and the feel and the weight of it.”

“Sometimes you just need a new voice. You know small details can change with a new manager going in. And Moysey, who I admire a lot, I think he's a fantastic manager and a good bloke as well.

“I spoke to him as well and I was very open about that. I told him they're in good shape. Told him there's a lot of good there. I'm delighted for him. I'm delighted they're going well.

Got off on the Ron foot

Cristiano Ronaldo also told Rasmus Hojlund he aims to celebrate in front of the Denmark striker in Sunday's crunch Nations League tie.

Hojlund copied the 40-year-old's iconic 'Siu' celebration after scoring the winner in Portugal's 1-0 loss to the Danes last week.

Speaking ahead of Sunday night's tie at the home of Sporting Lisbon, Ronaldo commented on Hojlund's antics - insisting he hopes the roles are reversed in their upcoming meeting.

Keen to stress he has no issue with the ex-Atalanta centre-forward, the Portugal skipper said: "It's no problem for me.

"I know it wasn't out of disrespect. It is not only him who does my celebration around the world.

"I'm smart enough to understand that. For me, it is an honour.

"I hope to do it in front of him tomorrow [on Sunday].

"It will be good. I'm glad he likes my celebration."

Right or Ron?

Cristiano Ronaldo has hit back at the negativity around Portugal by calling out 'disrespectful' questions during his press conference.

The 40-year-old has found himself under renewed scrutiny following his struggles in his country's 1-0 Nations League defeat to Denmark.

Ahead of the second leg, Ronaldo took umbrage with the topics he and his manager were faced with.

Journalists questioned whether there is a lack of demand to win and play nice football and whether Ronaldo can still manage 90 minutes, as well as detailing overall criticisms of both the team and Martinez.

Here's how the Al Nassr star responded below...

Marry me, Madsen?

There was barely a dry eye in the house at Walton Park after Everton's Rikke Madsen was proposed to by her boyfriend following the Toffees' 3-0 win over Crystal Palace on Sautrday.

It was also Madsen's first appearance since she gave birth to her daughter, Fritsen, last October.

She came on in the second half but it was what happened after the match that dominated the headlines.

Madsen's teammates were overjoyed for the Danish international and rightly so.

Congratulations to the happy couple!

Laters, Luke?

Manchester United great Jaap Stam believes Red Devils boss Ruben Amorim may have to start planning ahead without Luke Shaw.

The left-back has been crippled by injuries in recent years and has played a total of 98 minutes this season.

In fact, his last start for United came in a 2-1 win over Luton Town on February 18 last year.

With Shaw unable to remain fit, Stam believes United must contemplate whether it is worth keeping the left-back going forward.

"Football clubs need to always look forward," Stam told Makthavare.se.

"You have to move forward with a team you can trust and players that are going to be available and perform week in and week out.

"I like Luke Shaw as a player, he has a lot of ability, but he is injured so often that as a manager you need to make a choice when it comes to recruitment and build a team that are fit the majority of the time and can handle the load that comes with intense football.

"I don’t want to be disrespectful to Shaw but the club has to make choices about what is right going forward and that might be to look at a team without him."

Wrexham vs Stockport on talkSPORT

Wrexham are involved in just one of six League One fixtures this afternoon following a series of postponements.

No games across the Premier League and Championship are taking place this weekend due to the international break.

Half the fixtures in League One have also been rescheduled, with

The only match in League Two to have been called off is Doncaster Rovers' trip to face Manchester United's Class of '92-backed Salford.

Wrexham's clash with Stockport County is among the League One games that will go ahead.

talkSPORT 2 will bring you live and exclusive coverage of that meeting at the Racecourse Ground at 3pm.

Commentary will come from Ian Danter and former England defender Micky Gray.

To tune in to talkSPORT 2 through the website, click HERE for the live stream.

Listen via the talkSPORT app here, or on DAB digital radio, through your smart speaker and on 1089 or 1053 AM.

• Lincoln City vs Exeter City
• Peterborough United vs Charlton Athletic
• Wrexham vs Stockport County - talkSPORT 2
• Barnsley vs Cambridge United
• Northampton Town vs Blackpool
• Crawley Town vs Bristol Rovers

To the Max

John Terry told talkSPORT that he believes there are ‘three or four’ special talents at Chelsea who can become first-team stars – while also heaping praise on Arsenal’s Max Dowman.

"There are these three or four [Chelsea] boys playing up at the 18s already, playing there at the age of 14 and 15," Terry told talkSPORT.

"That is a different level and they are standing out at that level.

"What I love about a couple of them, they have got a little bit of personality.

"We were playing against Arsenal recently and Max Dowman was playing. Have you seen him play? He is a top, top player.

"He was taking the ball on the half turn, drifting away from players, looking back and a couple of our boys went and put it on him a little bit. It was good to see. But Dowman is a very, very good player."

"We have got a really good academy," Terry continued. "At 15s, we have got three or four really good boys who are already showing good signs already.

"They are training with the first team more than ever, Maresca has them over getting involved which is great for the boys to see what it is like over there.

"We have already seen some boys come in and make their debut this year, so it’s great in terms of where we are at as an academy."

Devil may care

Victor Osimhen let a telling reaction slip according to fans when asked if he's joining Manchester United or Chelsea this summer.

Osimhen enters the final year of his Napoli deal this summer, two years on from winning the Serie A Golden Boot.

The Nigerian is currently on loan at Galatasaray, where he has scored 26 goals in 30 appearances across all competitions.

talkSPORT understands that Man United have already sent scouts to watch him last month, meanwhile, Chelsea have been long-term admirers.

Liverpool, Arsenal, and Tottenham will all likely be in the market for a striker this summer too.

The 26-year-old scored both goals to fire Nigeria to a 2-0 win against Rwanda at the Amahoro Stadium in Kigali and was quizzed on his future in the mixed-zone afterwards.

After swapping shirts with Rwanda defender Ange Mutsinzi, Osimhen was asked: "Victor, can you come to Manchester, please?"

Victor Osimhen 'will be a Premier League player next season' as talks revealed

Pros and cons

England boss Thomas Tuchel has also given his thoughts on some individual performances tonight.

On opening goalscorer Myles Lewis-Skelly, he told ITV: "Amazing player. Amazing personality.

"He came into camp and showed straight away that it's normal to fall in love with him. It is well deserved."

The on Jude Bellingham, Tuchel continued: "No doubt he is a key player for us. Fantastic pass to assist the first goal.

"I expect special things from Jude. He is ready to take the responsibility and we have to create an environment and structure where we can see more of it."

The German then admitted he wanted to see more from Phil Foden and Marcus Rashford out wide for England.

"We hope for more impact in these positions," he said.

"More dribbling and more aggressive runs towards the box. In general, that was missing. The chances come from the little runs behind the line.

"There was a bit missing they were not as decisive as they can be."

Tuchel of class

Thomas Tuchel believes his England side weren't at their best this evening, despite a 2-0 win.

Tuchel promised attacking football and at times, the Three Lions seemed to lack some threat and tempo on the ball.

Speaking to ITV post-match, he said: "We can do better, we have to do better. We started well, we had seven/eight minutes with 100% ball possession, with a lot of passes and high energy.

"The opponent is hard to break down as they defend in a deep block. In the Euros they managed to not concede chances.

"Second half, I felt we were too slow and in general not enough runs off the ball to get behind the line."

Doesn't Fode well

Roy Keane believes an underperforming Phil Foden is in danger of losing his England place.

The Manchester City playmaker, who has said his preference is to play as a number 10, was posted on the right wing for the 2-0 World Cup qualifying win over Albania but struggled to make much of an impression.

It was a similar story for Marcus Rashford, whose career had been in the doldrums before his loan move to Aston Villa from Manchester United, on the opposite flank but Keane believes the 24-year-old Foden has more to lose.

"I think he might be lacking in confidence. His club form isn't great," Keane told ITV1.

"Every time he gets the ball I'm looking at him and not expecting anything from Foden.

"You can affect the game in different ways and he didn't do that tonight. Foden won't have that problem coming up of where he wants to play because he won't be playing.

"If you are one of the attacking players and you have dominated the opponents and not had a shot on target or tested the goalkeeper you would be disappointed.

"You have to make an impression and Rashford and Foden didn't do that certainly."

Keane was, however, impressed with new England manager Thomas Tuchel's plain speaking after he said he had hoped for better from his wider players, wanting more dribbling and less passing and thought his team was too slow in the second half.

"I think he has come across really well and his assessment of the game was pretty honest and spot on," he added.

Full time

Thomas Tuchel has won his first match in charge of England, with the Three Lions sealing a comfortable 2-0 win over Albania.

Goals from Myles Lewis-Skelly and Harry Kane secured a comfortable three points at Wembley in what was the first qualifying match for England as they look to seal a place at the 2026 World Cup.

Lewis-Skelly's opener on 20 minutes was a history-making goal as he became the youngest player to score on his England debut at 18 years and 176 days old.

It was a fairly uneventful game with England largely struggling to get past their opponents' low block.

But it's job done for the Three Lions, who face Latvia in their next World Cup qualifier on Monday night.

You can listen to full commentary of England vs Latvia live on talkSPORT, kick-off 7:45pm.

"Long way off"

Former Manchester United midfielder Nicky Butt has dismissed Sir Jim Ratcliffe's ambitious plan to win the Premier League by 2028.

Project 150 is the co-owner's blueprint which involves, among other things, bringing the title back to Old Trafford within three years to celebrate the club's 150th anniversary.

However, Butt said after a "disaster" of a season - United are currently 13th having lost 12 times in the league - such lofty ambitions were fanciful.

"That ain't going to happen. It's going to be a long way off," he said in an interview with the Daily Mail.

"I think even if you got David Gill (former chief executive) and Sir Alex (Ferguson) back there, it's going to be a struggle for a long time. We're at the bottom of the mountain and there's a massive climb to get up."

United last won the Premier League in 2013 and Butt, a former United Under-19 coach, said there was a chance that drought could easily extend into a second decade.

He added: "Big clubs like Man United have done it before where they've had to wait so long. I don't think anyone's got a given right to win the Premier League."

Butt's former team-mate Ryan Giggs was not quite as downbeat but accepts a lot needs to go right for things to turn around quickly.

"You don't believe it but it does happen," he said. "It happened to us before we won the league (in 1992 after 26 years) and it happened to Liverpool (who had to wait 30).

"We do need lots and lots of players but you never know. It can happen in a short space of time, but you need a lot of things to go for you."

Butt said the club's controversial price hikes and plans to move season ticket holders from seats near the dugout in order to sell more lucrative corporate packages were 'punishing the wrong people.'

Butt added: "There are a lot of things I think they're doing wrong and it's sad to see. It's not the Man United that I know and loved."