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Saints sign Van Dijk from Celtic

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Southampton have signed defender Virgil van Dijk from Celtic on a five-year contract, the Premier League club said.

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London - Southampton have signed defender Virgil van Dijk from Celtic on a five-year contract, the Premier League club said on Tuesday.

The 24-year-old Dutchman spent more than two years with Scottish champions Celtic, playing more than 100 times and scoring 15 goals.

Southampton did not disclose the financial terms of the deal but British media reports said the transfer fee was in the region of 11.5 million pounds ($17.63 million).

Van Dijk, who has represented Netherlands at the under-19 and under-21 level, becomes Southampton's second signing on transfer deadline day. They had earlier announced the signing of Harry Lewis from Shrewsbury Town.

The Saints, who sit in 10th place in the Premier League, have conceded five goals in their four matches. ($1 = 0.6523 pounds)

Reuters

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Blame game in failed De Gea transfer

Real Madrid have blamed Manchester United for their failure to sign Spain goalkeeper David De Gea before the transfer deadline.

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Madrid - Real Madrid have blamed Manchester United for their failure to sign Spain goalkeeper David De Gea before Monday's midnight transfer deadline and said they did everything needed to complete the transaction.

De Gea faces an uncertain future after the deal to join Real, which included Costa Rica keeper Keylor Navas moving to the English club, was scuppered when the paperwork did not arrive at the Spanish league in time and the data was not entered into Fifa's Transfer Matching System (TMS) as required.

Real said in a statement on their website (www.realmadrid.com) on Tuesday the bureaucratic snafu, which prompted widespread ridicule on social media, was not their fault and detailed exhaustively how and why the necessary documents were not ready until it was too late.

United had not initiated talks on a possible De Gea transfer until Monday morning, the statement said.

After initial agreement was reached, Real said they sent the contracts to United at 1:39 p.m. Spanish time (1139 GMT).

Eight hours later they were sent back with “small modifications”, which Real said they immediately accepted.

Real then sent the contracts signed by De Gea and Navas back to United for their signature at 2132 GMT, 28 minutes before the deadline.

United entered the details of De Gea's transfer into TMS at exactly midnight Spanish time but did not register the Navas deal and by then it was too late for Real to access the system.

TMS gave them a last chance to register the deal around half an hour later and Real also sent the documents to the Spanish league even though they knew the deadline had passed.

“Real Madrid did everything necessary, and at all times, to complete these two transfers,” Real's statement concluded.

The Spanish league did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A spokesman for United said they had no immediate response to Real's statement.

Fifa rules state that players can be registered only during one of two annual transfer periods - the other is in January - with the exception being if their contract has expired before the end of a registration period.

For a player to transfer to another country, their new club and his previous club have to submit certain information and documentation to the TMS.

The system then generates an International Transfer Certificate (ITC) which allows the player's registration to be switched from one country to another.

Asked on Tuesday about the failed transfer, a Fifa spokesperson said: “Up until now, we do not appear to have been contacted by either of the parties in this matter.

“Please understand that as a result we cannot comment on a hypothetical scenario.”

As things stand, De Gea, whose deal with United expires at the end of the season when he can leave for free, could find himself out in the cold, at least until the end of the year when the market opens again.

As the transfer saga rumbled on, United coach Louis van Gaal left the 24-year-old former Atletico Madrid keeper out of the squad for the Premier League club's opening games of the season, with Argentina international Sergio Romero playing instead.

Real want De Gea as a long-term replacement for his Spain team mate Iker Casillas, the former club captain who joined Porto in July.

De Gea was selected last week for Spain's forthcoming Euro 2016 qualifiers against Slovakia and Macedonia although coach Vicente del Bosque hinted that he could lose his place in the squad if his club situation remained unresolved.

Reuters

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De Sa - the toast of Ajax Cape Town

Ajax coach Roger de Sa has coaxed the best out of the club’s young players, and made the team a more competitive force.

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Cape Town - Coaches come and go, that’s the nature of football. There will, no doubt, also be a decision, sometime in the future, when Roger de Sa and Ajax Cape Town will feel that a parting of ways is needed.

But, for now, De Sa is the toast of the Cape club.

After Ajax won through to the final of the MTN8 over the weekend, after a draw and a win in the two-leg semi-final over Wits, there was unanimous praise for the job De Sa has done in the Mother City.

To think that, just a few seasons ago, Ajax were on the brink of relegation. Now, thanks to De Sa’s arrival, that horrible scenario is but a faint memory for the Capetonians.

The turnaround has been stunning. A few seasons ago, Ajax were in the doldrums. Season after season, they languished near the basement of the Premier Soccer League (PSL), having to constantly fight embarrassing battles to avoid relegation.

Recently, though, it’s been a different story. Last season, inspired by De Sa’s philosophy, Ajax finished fifth on the PSL standings, made it to the final of the Nedbank Cup in May this year – and now are also through to the final of the MTN8 competition.

“I think what has happened at Ajax over the last two years is that we have brought people into the club who are all rowing in the same direction,” said the club’s chief executive Ari Efstathiou.

“There’s unity, there’s a fantastic feeling at the club, and everybody has the same end-point in mind.

“For example, a few seasons ago, when Ajax went behind in a game, there was very little fightback. Now, if you look at our two recent league games, on both occasions we were down 1-0 and came back to win.

“On Sunday, it was again a backs-to-the-wall situation, but the players knuckled down, worked hard, and got the result.”

Efstathiou couldn’t say enough about De Sa’s influence on the squad.

“A great deal of the credit for the team’s improvement has to go to Roger (De Sa),” said Efstathiou. “His management style certainly suits the club. He is not an egomaniac and he makes the players feel comfortable. He just has that way about him that has been able to draw the squad together, and bring the best out of everybody.”

Assistant-coach Ian Taylor, who has been working very closely with De Sa, echoed his chief executive’s sentiments.

“Roger doesn’t put any pressure on players,” said Taylor. “There’s freedom, but also discipline… His great strength is his player management skills. He is able to get the best out of the youngsters.

“Importantly, though, it has been about opportunities. Right from when he first arrived, Roger wasn’t scared to give the youngsters opportunities in the PSL squad. And, on the back of that confidence, the players have blossomed. The squad all understands that what he wants to achieve is a process, they are along for the ride, and they all buy into the process.

“I think for what this club is all about, in terms of youth development, Roger is the right type of coach at the right time.”

Young Ajax skipper Travis Graham, 22, said: “Coach Roger has brought the confidence out of the youngsters. He has lots of experience in the PSL and knows what it takes to be in Cup finals… the work he has done with the team over the last two seasons has been fantastic. It’s a pleasure to work with him.”

Both Efstathiou and Taylor also referred to the fact that Ajax had not sold any of their leading players this season. Always known as a selling club, Efstathiou said: “We’ve kept this squad together for this campaign, which is a clear intention that we want to do well this season.”

In May this year, for the final of the Nedbank Cup, De Sa was suspended and had to watch from the stands. Taylor took charge of the squad that lost on penalties to Mamelodi Sundowns.

“I said then that the experience of that Cup final would be a great experience to prepare these youngsters for the way forward.” said Taylor. “I also said that qualifying for that Cup final would ensure that they know how to go about it next time… and that has now happened with us again qualifying for a final.

“But I also said back then that now that they know what losing a final feels like, it’s important that, next time, they feel what it’s like to win.”

And, with the MTN8 final, that opportunity is now upon this young Ajax squad.

Graham agreed: “The last time we were in the final (against Sundowns), we weren't successful. But I think we are better for that experience... the squad remains as hungry as ever for success – and, this time, we want to win it.”

Cape Times

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United centre of crazy tansfer deadline

Manchester United were the centre of attention as the Premier League's transfer deadline day dawned.

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London - Manchester United were the centre of attention as the Premier League's transfer deadline day dawned on Tuesday, with moves involving David de Gea and Anthony Martial awaiting completion.

Goalkeeper De Gea had appeared on the brink of a move to Real Madrid worth between 30 million ($33.8 million) and 40 million euros and involving Keylor Navas in part-exchange, only for the deal to collapse at the last minute.

A Spanish Professional League (LFP) spokesperson told AFP that De Gea had not been registered as a Madrid player, as sources close to both clubs reportedly blamed each other for the deal breaking down late on Monday.

Having pinpointed De Gea as a transfer target since the beginning of the transfer window, Madrid may now elect to appeal to world governing body Fifa to ratify the transfer.

Meanwhile, United are expected to confirm a staggering deal for 19-year-old Monaco striker Anthony Martial, who left France's training camp on Monday in order to sign a contract at Old Trafford.

With United struggling for goals, they have elected to take a gamble on the talented but inexperienced Martial, who has played only 52 Ligue 1 games for Monaco, scoring 11 goals.

British media reports said that United would pay around £36 million ($55.2 million, 49 million euros) for the uncapped former Lyon youngster, which would make him the most expensive teenager in the game's history.

But reports in France claimed the fee could eventually reach the dizzying sum of 80 million euros, on a par with what Madrid paid Monaco for Colombia star James Rodriguez a year ago.

Financial consultants Deloitte said that gross Premier League spending in the close-season window had already reached £790 million, just £45 million short of the record for a single window of £835 million, set last year.

“Last year we saw £85 million of spending on deadline day and with further business expected over the coming hours, it looks set to be another record summer of spending for the Premier League,” said Alex Thorpe from Deloitte's Sports Business Group.

“This level of spending continues to be driven in large part by the increases in domestic and overseas broadcast revenue in recent years.”

In early deadline-day business, Everton announced the signing of Argentine centre-back Ramiro Funes Mori from River Plate on a five-year contract for a fee of £9.5 million.

Having been rebuffed three times in their pursuit of Everton defender John Stones, Chelsea signed Senegal centre-back Papy Djilobodji from Nantes on a four-year deal, the French club announced.

Meanwhile, West Ham United have brought in Alex Song and Victor Moses on loan, from Barcelona and Chelsea respectively, and signed Croatian striker Nikica Jelavic from Hull City on a two-year deal.

AFP

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Loads of game time for Bafana

Shakes Mashaba has expressed happiness at what appears to be a hectic schedule for Bafana Bafana in the next three months.

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Shakes Mashaba has expressed happiness at what appears to be a hectic schedule for Bafana Bafana in the next three months.

In camp with the senior national team for the weekend’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Mauritania, Mashaba will return from the west central African country and immediately lead Bafana to another mach against Senegal.

Then there are four matches in October and two in November.

The Lions of Teranga – who play in Namibia this weekend – will provide opposition for the 21st Mandela Challenge match which will be played at Orlando Stadium next Tuesday (September 8, 7pm).

“Competition is about participation,” Mashaba said yesterday at Safa House where the governing body officially announced the 2002 World Cup quarter-finalists as the opposition for the annual fund-raising match for the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund. “We played back to back matches to qualify for the African Nations Cup and we prefer it this way.

“I am happy when we play matches close to one another. It gives us momentum; there’s no resting time so it keeps us on our toes.” It is for this reason that Mashaba will be retaining the same squad that he is taking to Mauritania for next week’s clash with a Senegal outfit he has promised to beat.

“CEO,” he addressed Safa chief executive officer Dennis Mumble, “We’re going to win this one. It is a good team to play against. They are one of the strong nations when it comes to football on the continent and we want revenge.”

It will be the third meeting between the two countries in the tournament that was first played as a celebration of the inauguration of Nelson Mandela as South Africa’s first black president back in 1994.

Back in 2002 the two teams drew 1-1 at Ellis Park before Senegal captured the trophy 4-1 via a penalty shoot-out after the sides agreed that there should be a winner in spite of the rules saying the trophy will be shared in case of a draw. Then in 2005 in Port Elizabeth, it was again the visitors who triumphed 3-2 so Mashaba is now eager to turn the tables. “There’s never been a friendly between nations. They will come here spitting fire. But we would love to win this one.”

Mumble said the choice of Senegal as opposition was precipitated by two factors.

“We obviously looked at different countries and there were even some who invited us to play them. But because Fifa say you cannot have a team travel for over five hours to these matches (the second game of a two-match Fifa week) we had to settle for African opposition. And we wanted a team that is above us in Fifa ranking so that we improve our own standing.”

Bafana’s Match Schedule

Saturday September 5 Away v Mauritania, African Cup of Nations qualifier

September 8 – Home v Senegal, Nelson Mandela Challenge

October 8 – Away – Costa Rica, Friendly

October 13 – Away – Honduras, Friendly

October 17 – Home v Angola, African Championships qualifier

October 24 – Away v Angola, African Championships qualifier

November 13 – Away v Angola, World Cup qualifier

November 17 – Home v Angola, World Cup qualifier - The Star

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Rooney clueless about Martial

Wayne Rooney did not have the faintest idea who Anthony Martial was when the Monaco forward was linked with a move to Old Trafford earlier this week.

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Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney did not have the faintest idea who Anthony Martial was when the Monaco forward was linked with a move to Old Trafford earlier this week, according to team mate Morgan Schneiderlin.

News of United's reported 36 million pound ($55 million) bid for the 19-year-old Frenchman broke as the squad were flying back to Manchester after their 2-1 defeat to Swansea on Sunday and the England captain approached Schneiderlin to get the low-down on the club's rumoured target.

“On the plane, Wayne Rooney came to speak to me and asked me who Martial was, because the English press had started to speak,” France international midfielder Schneiderlin was quoted as saying by the Manchester Evening News.

“I told him he's a great player with great potential, who has played some good matches with Monaco last season and the beginning of this.

“I told him he is technical and powerful. A little like Thierry Henry, even if it's the press who are making that comparison,” Schneiderlin added. – Reuters

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Mourinho settles for £3m-rated defender

Having lost out on Everton’s John Stones, Chelsea are poised to sign Senegal defender Papy Djilobodji from Nantes.

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Chelsea are poised to sign Senegal defender Papy Djilobodji from Nantes today in a £2.9million deal.

The transfer represents a surprise given the Premier League champions had bid £38m for Everton’s John Stones, tried to sign £18m-rated Aymen Abdennour from Monaco and lodged enquiries with Zenit St Petersburg for Ezequiel Garay and with Athletic Bilbao for Aymeric Laporte.

Each deal would have been complicated and expensive but, with the clock against them, they have banked on Djilobodji, 26, who had a year left on his contract and has been a target for Southampton, Newcastle, Celtic, Leicester and Sunderland this summer.

Djilobodji, who can also play as a defensive midfielder, is understood to have been recommended by technical director Michael Emenalo and was in talks with Trabzonspor in Turkey. He had a medical in France yesterday and his signing is due to be announced today.

Meanwhile, Victor Moses, 24, is expected to sign a two-year contract extension at Stamford Bridge before joining West Ham on loan, though they have late competition from West Brom and Tottenham.

Chelsea academy player Jeremie Boga, 18, has joined Rennes on a season-long loan while Reading have signed Lucas Piazon, 21, also on a season loan. – Daily Mail

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United’s £36m Martial gamble

Many pundits were shocked when it was revealed that Manchester United would pay Monaco £36m for Anthony Martial.

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When Manchester United signed Radamel Falcao from Monaco this time last year, they paid a £6m loan fee while covering his £265,000 per week wages. That gamble did not pay off, as Falcao struggled for form and fitness and scored just four goals for Louis van Gaal's side.

At the end of this window, in far greater need of striking reinforcements than they were last year, United have gone back to the Principality to take an even greater gamble. While Falcao was a proven striker, if past his peak following a knee injury, Anthony Martial is a very different prospect.

The £36m fee - more than United paid for Luke Shaw last year - makes Martial the most expensive teenager in the history of British football. It is a remarkable sum of money for a player who does not turn 20 until December and who has scored only 11 senior Ligue 1 goals. Martial is certainly talented and has been compared, in terms of his talents and his style, to a young Thierry Henry.

There is no doubt, from watching Manchester United this season, that they need a player with some of Martial's characteristics. He is quick and can play out wide or as a centre forward, always stretching opponents with his runs in behind. He is technically excellent, a dangerous dribbler, efficient in tight spaces and a good finisher.

After the departures of Falcao and Robin van Persie and Javier Hernandez's proposed deal to Bayer Leverkusen, United do need far more in their front line. Despite Wayne Rooney's hat-trick in Bruges last Wednesday, he has struggled for form in the Premier League and cannot be expected to lead the line - at least not very effectively - in all competitions all season.

How quickly Martial will settle, and how well he will develop, are the £36m questions. There are not many guaranteed strikers on the market and if United wanted Gonzalo Higuain, Karim Benzema or Edinson Cavani they would have had to pay a similar fee, and probably before 31 August. United, then, are left hoping that Martial will grow and develop into the role, becoming a world-class forward, justifying his fee or even worth more than it.

That is the calculation that Monaco made two years ago, which in this case has been emphatically rewarded. Back in the summer of 2013, when Monaco were spending more than £100m on Falcao, James Rodriguez, Joao Moutinho and the rest, they also spent smaller sums on talented youngsters. Among those was Martial, then a 17-year-old on the fringes of Lyon's first team, who they signed for £3m.

Martial made steady progress in his first year at Monaco under Claudio Ranieri, starting eight league games and scoring twice. In the summer of 2014, though, Ranieri was replaced by Leonardo Jardim, whose work with youngsters at Sporting Lisbon had impressed Monaco.

Jardim trusted Martial, a teenager of growing maturity since becoming a father, and Monaco's youngsters rewarded their coach with an impressive season. Martial scored nine league goals as Monaco finished third in Ligue 1. In Europe, Monaco reached the Champions League quarter-finals, and it was Martial's powerful run down the left wing which set up Dimitar Berbatov when Monaco famously won 3-1 at Arsenal in the last-16. Martial can drift out of games, but he is also capable of delivering decisive moments.

This summer Monaco lost their Champions League qualification game with Valencia, sending them into the Europa League and prompting another sale of their youngsters. Layvin Kurzawa, Geoffrey Kondogbia, Lucas Ocampos, Yannick Ferreira Carrasco and others have gone, but Monaco have brought in more than £100m in transfer fees. That Martial signed a contract extension in June, to deter £18m interest from Tottenham, has been long forgotten.

Martial leaves Monaco with just one full season of first-team senior football under his belt. He has performed well there, and those who know him best believe that he may well develop into one of the best strikers in Europe. Martial has the pace, strength and skill to do that, and if he learns the consistency and application required then soon enough he will be worth at least what Manchester United are paying for him.

But when it comes to teenagers there are few guarantees, and United have left themselves in a position, at the end of August, when a gamble is their only option.

Martial in numbers:

Goals since start of last season – most of any player under 20 in Europe’s top five leagues

Total goals scored for Monaco last season, from 48 appearances

Total goals scored for Monaco in 2013-14, from 15 games

Most expensive players bought by Premier League clubs:

1 Angel Di Maria, £59.7m

R Madrid to Man United, 2014

2 Kevin De Bruyne, £55m

Wolfsburg to Man City, 2015

3 Fernando Torres, £50m

Liverpool to Chelsea, 2011

4 Raheem Sterling, £49m

Liverpool to Man City, 2015

5 Mesut Özil, £42.5m

Real Madrid to Arsenal, 2013

6 Sergio Aguero, £38m

At Madrid to Man City, 2011

7 Juan Mata, £37.1m

Chelsea to Man United, 2014

8 Anthony Martial, £36m

Monaco to Man United, 2015

9 Andy Carroll, £35m

Newcastle to Liverpool, 2011

10 Alexis Sanchez, £35m

Barcelona to Arsenal, 2014 – The Independent

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Chelsea, Arsenal will bounce back - Kompany

Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany refuses to get carried away by their strong start to their Premier League campaign.

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Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany refuses to get carried away by his team's strong start to their Premier League campaign and expects usual contenders like Chelsea to bounce back after stuttering early in the season.

City have won all their four games this season, scoring 10 goals and conceding none, while champions Chelsea have four points from as many games, including a 3-0 loss to the Sky Blues.

“I'm trying generally not to care (about Chelsea's start). I'm focused on ourselves. Teams like Chelsea, Arsenal ... the big teams will always come back so it's a matter of time,” the 29-year-old Belgian said at BX Brussels, the football club he set up in 2013.

City finished eight points behind Chelsea last season, despite scoring 83 goals, the highest in the league.

“For me, to have a season like last season wasn't acceptable and I've done what I've always know when times were tough,” Kompany said.

“I just got back to basics, worked even harder and I've come back stronger. Right now, what I see in this team which I haven't seen - probably ever - is just a level of focus.

“It's probably because most of us have got so much to deal with in the past 12 months. Everyone knows we cannot afford ourselves a mental rest until we've finished the job,” the Belgium international skipper added.

Table-topper Manchester City travel to Selhurst Park to face second-placed Crystal Palace, who beat Chelsea 2-1 on Saturday, on September 12. – Reuters

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De Gea transfer hits stumbling block

Manchester United's Spain goalkeeper David De Gea was facing an uncertain future after his expected move to Real Madrid was apparently scuppered.

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Madrid - Manchester United's Spain goalkeeper David De Gea was facing an uncertain future on Tuesday after his expected move to Real Madrid was apparently scuppered when the paperwork did not arrive at the Spanish league on time.

As the clock ticked towards the midnight local time deadline on Monday, media reports said Real and United had reached a deal for De Gea to return to La Liga, with Real's Costa Rica keeper Keylor Navas going the other way.

However, when Spain's professional league (LaLiga) declared the transfer window shut there was still no official confirmation and reports later said that although De Gea had signed his new contract, the relevant documents had not arrived in time for him to be registered.

Fifa rules state that players can only be registered during one of two annual transfer periods - the other is in January - with the exception being if their contract has expired before the end of a registration period.

Sports daily As quoted unidentified Spanish league sources as saying the paperwork had not been delivered until 28 minutes past midnight, while rival paper Marca reported that Real had proof the paperwork arrived at one minute before midnight and were still expecting the transfer to go through.

As things stand, however, De Gea, whose deal with United expires at the end of the season, could find himself out in the cold, at least until the end of the year.

Real want De Gea as a long-term replacement for his Spain team mate Iker Casillas, the former club captain who joined Porto in July.

De Gea was selected last week for Spain's forthcoming Euro 2016 qualifiers against Slovakia and Macedonia although coach Vicente Del Bosque hinted he could lose his place in the squad if his club situation remained unresolved. – Reuters

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Hernandez makes Leverkusen switch

Bayer Leverkusen signed Mexico striker Javier Hernandez from Manchester United for a reported fee of £7.3 million.

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Bayer Leverkusen signed Mexico striker Javier Hernandez from Manchester United for a reported fee of £7.3 million ($11 million, 9.9 million euros) on Monday.

Hernandez, who spent last season on loan at Real Madrid, agreed a three-year contract with the Bundesliga club just in time to beat the deadline on the last day of the German transfer window.

The 27-year-old was on the bench for United's 2-1 defeat at Swansea City on Sunday, but he hadn't started for the Premier League team for more than a year.

He returned to United in the close-season after scoring nine goals during his spell with Real, including the winner in their Champions League quarter-final against rivals Atletico Madrid, but manager Louis van Gaal has allowed him to leave permanently this time.

“I know two of the biggest leagues in Europe in the English Premier League and the Primera Division in Spain and now I want to experience the Bundesliga,” Hernandez told Leverkusen's website.

“I've heard a lot about the fantastic stadia in Germany and about the unique fans they have there.

“The Bundesliga is an extremely attack-minded league and it's particularly enticing for me.

“It's fantastic that I can now play for a club like Leverkusen, who are obviously known to me from the Champions League.

“Bayer Leverkusen is a big opportunity for me and I can and want to achieve a lot here.”

Leverkusen were drawn alongside Barcelona, Roma and BATE Borisov in Group E of the Champions League last week and Hernandez is being relied on to help the his new side make an impact in Europe's elite club competition.

The club's general manager Michael Schade said: “After we finally secured our place in the Champions League, we wanted to send out a clear signal with our attack, and we've succeeded in doing this with Javier Hernandez.”

Hernandez scored 59 goals in 156 appearances for United after signing from Chivas in 2010 and won the Premier League title in 2011 and 2013. – AFP

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Bafana to face Senegal in Mandela Chellenge

Senegal will be South Africa's opponents in the annual Nelson Mandela Challenge on September 8.

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Senegal will be South Africa's opponents in the annual Nelson Mandela Challenge on September 8, the national football association announced Monday.

The friendly match is scheduled for Orlando Stadium, a Soweto ground where 1995 African club champions Orlando Pirates play and the apartheid-era home of South African football.

First staged in 1994, the year South Africa held its initial democratic elections, the Challenge commemorates the first black president of the republic and global political icon Mandela, who died in 2013 aged 95.

South Africa and Senegal meet three days after playing away in the second round of 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

Bafana Bafana (The Boys) face Mauritania in Nouakchott on Saturday a few hours after the Teranga Lions meet Namibia in Windhoek.

Senegal are ranked fifth in Africa and 39th in the world and South Africa 17th in Africa and 72nd in the world.

Among the Senegalese stars who could be on show in Soweto is Sadio Mane, a pacy goal-scoring winger from English Premier League club Southampton and a reported target for Manchester United. – AFP

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Monaco striker set to join United

Monaco forward Anthony Martial is poised to join Manchester United after being allowed to leave the France training camp.

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Paris - Monaco forward Anthony Martial is poised to join Manchester United after being allowed to leave the France training camp to sign his contract on deadline day, the French federation said on Monday.

“He asked Didier Deschamps the authorisation to travel to England to sign a contract with Manchester United. Given the exceptional circumstances, the coach has granted that authorisation to the player,” the FFF said in a statement.

British media reported that United have offered 36 million pounds ($55.49 million) for the 19-year-old, who scored nine goals in 35 Ligue 1 appearances last season.

The uncapped Martial was called up by Deschamps for friendlies against Portugal in Lisbon and Serbia in Bordeaux. – Reuters

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Disjointed United left exposed

As expected the threat to Manchester City's Premier League hegemony emerged in Swansea, and it wasn't Manchester United.

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As expected the threat to Manchester City's Premier League hegemony emerged in Swansea, and it wasn't Manchester United. An indifferent if unbeaten start to the season fed into a ramshackle display leaving Louis van Gaal seemingly no further forward than he was a year ago.

Indeed he may be further adrift - short in goal, short up front, and his talisman captain in no sort of form. A half-functioning Wayne Rooney of old would have buried the chance that fell to him with two minutes to go. The 2015 vintage allowed Ashley Williams to recover when clean through on goal.

It was not the first opportunity he squandered as the warm glow of that Bruges hat-trick dissipated in the frenzy of a Premier League afternoon. Swansea did not have to do that much to prosper. They were organised, had a plan and adapted quickly after falling behind.

Even when Van Gaal resorted to the nuclear option with 15 minutes to go, throwing Marouane Fellaini into the piece at the point of attack, Swansea did not miss a beat. It would be a disservice to Swansea and their enterprising young manager Garry Monk to focus on United's failings. Swansea had a purpose to their work that United did not. Yes they chased a lot of leather in the first half but they never lost sight of the demand or faith in each other.

United took the lead shortly after the break through Juan Mata, who hitherto had struggled to influence the game and later made way for the cavalry. This was his 50th goal in the Premier League, his 17th for United and should have been the catalyst to a performance of substance. It was, but not by United.

It was symptomatic of his display that Rooney should start the Swansea ball rolling, surrendering possession with a casual pass in the attacking third. The excellent Williams swept the ball wide to Gylfi Sigurdsson advancing into space down the right.

United were left flat-footed with Chris Smalling, one of the few positive contributors to United's season - along with Luke Shaw - caught out of position by Rooney's mistake. Sigurdsson crossed early, finding the head of the excellent André Ayew, who had no trouble guiding the ball past Sergio Romero.

Five minutes later Swansea were ahead. This time Ayew was the architect, picking out Bafétimbi Gomis with a smart diagonal ball that, as good as it was, still needed help from United to make it profitable. First Daley Blind failed to make a tackle, allowing Gomis a free swing. Even then there was no pace on the ball but that did not stop Romero diving over it.

The grand game of cat and mouse that Van Gaal has conducted with his first-choice goalkeeper David De Gea and suitors Real Madrid finally bore poisonous fruit. Romero was not even first-choice at Sampdoria, had barely kicked a ball since January, and here it showed.

There must be some concern, too, at the rate at which the heat is draining from Memphis Depay's boots. The Dutchman has a few nice touches and plenty of pace, but Van Gaal is nowhere near unlocking it in this system. Perhaps the two goals he fired against Bruges raised expectation beyond his capacity to deliver. Either that or he is a victim of Van Gaal's muddled thinking.

The selection of Bastian Schweinsteiger, who does not appear fully fit, at Michael Carrick's expense has not improved the team. And so United follow Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool into the false prophet's corner while Manchester City go marching on.

United had no problem dominating possession, and forced a couple of early saves from Lukasz Fabianski. Again the focus fell on Rooney, who was released in the 18th minute with a clear path to goal only to find the boot of Williams decisive, as it proved for most of the afternoon.

Two minutes later a nicely worked move involving Rooney, Ander Herrera and Memphis released Mata, who pulled his shot narrowly wide. None of this was discomfiting Swansea, who kept their shape, and for the most part the play in front of them.

The home side's first flourish came from a crunching tackle from Jonjo Shelvey on Schweinsteiger, with the ball falling to Ayew, who curled a beautiful pass into the path of Gomis with the outside of his right boot. Gomis was in the sweet shop now, and like a child he went for everything and ended up with nothing, his shot blasted wide.

Sigurdsson was inches wide seconds later, and then a poor clearance from Romero gave Shelvey a shooting chance that he wasted. Gomis did far better with a second attempt, turning Memphis, wriggling past Blind and firing narrowly wide.

Rooney wasted another opportunity shortly before the break, tamely attempting to lob Fabianski after Herrera split the Swansea defence with a neat pass through the middle. When United did break through three minutes after the break it came via Shaw's pace down the left. His cross was missed by Rooney, allowing the ball to reach the back post, where Mata arrived to squeeze the ball home.

The introduction of Ki Sung-yueng for Wayne Routledge in 58th minute proved masterful, changing Swansea's shape and the rhythm of the match. Within three minutes they were level. Rooney gave the ball away, Williams picked out Sigurdsson and Ayew did the rest.

Swansea go into the international break unbeaten, a point behind the equally enterprising Crystal Palace and four behind the leaders. Van Gaal must wait to see how the transfer window plays out before preparing for the visit of Liverpool. He continues to talk a good game, but there is as much diversion as truth in his commentary.

He can deny the validity of his accusers' questions all he likes but the evidence on the pitch does not lie. United are five points behind City after just four games and, on this display at least, that is a position that flatters them. – The Independent

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Komphela lauds Chiefs for adapting

Coach Steve Komphela says Kaizer Chiefs played more with their heads than with their feet in booking themselves a place in the MTN8 final.

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The gospel according to Steve Komphela, is that Kaizer Chiefs played more with their heads than with their feet in booking themselves a place in the MTN8 final at the weekend.

Amakhosi beat Bloemfontein Celtic 1-0 in Saturday’s semi-final, second leg clash at the FNB Sta-dium.

“Credit must go to the players for the way they managed the game,” Komphela said in the post match conference of a tie Chiefs won 2-1 on aggregate.

“It was one of those games where you could not say we had total dominance. But we played more with our heads than with our feet and we’re happy to have made the final.”

Congratulating Celtic for having “left everything on the field”, Komphela said their opposition made it a hard encounter for the defending champions.

“One thing they threw at us was the different approach tactically. We had to read and adjust quickly, which we did even though there were instances where we didn’t take advantage of the time we had.”

Winning via a well-taken first half goal by George Lebese, who persisted with an attack that twice looked to be thwarted, Chiefs were actually fortunate not to have conceded early in the match.

Celtic, pressing from the outset in search of the away goal that would have cancelled out the one Chiefs scored in Bloemfontein a fortnight ago, managed to find their way past the hosts’ defence.

And on 19 minutes, Musa Nyatama threaded a fantastic through ball for Keenan Buchanan to leave the midfielder one-on-one with Itumeleng Khune.

But with the goalkeeper leaving his line and making himself big, Buchanan got put off his stride and he rushed his shot and succeeded in only sending the ball wide.

That proved to be the match’s turning point, although Komphela believes Chiefs would have been stung into action had Buchanan converted the chance.

“Celtic could have scored and triggered something from us.

“I know this team can respond, so you choose whether you force us to react or you stay how you are and we stay how we are.”

Celtic coach Clinton Larsen admitted that their failure to score was their undoing. “In the first half we got behind the Chiefs but it was the final touch that let us down. I thought in the 19th minute there was a key moment in the match with Buchanan’s chance.

“Had we taken that, it could have changed the complexion of the game but we didn’t.

“We gave a good account of ourselves.

“I’ve said it before, we are a team that’s still in progress and that we are improving with each game that we play and hopefully it’s games like this that will help us improve into a better team.” - The Star

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