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AGUERO IS IRREPLACEABLE – GUARDIOLA

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola insists Sergio Aguero is “irreplaceable” and “helped to put the club in a higher level”, as the striker prepares to leave the Etihad Stadium at the end of the season.

City’s all-time record goalscorer will leave when his contract expires this summer and Guardiola has paid a glowing tribute to the 32-year-old, who has won four Premier League titles, an FA Cup, and five League Cups during his decade-long stay.

Guardiola believes Aguero was one of the players who established the club as a force in the Premier League and has backed him to score some important goals in what remains of this season, with City chasing an unprecedented quadruple.

“Sergio is irreplaceable,” the City boss told Sky Sports. “I could say in terms of numbers he can be replaceable, it’s not easy when you see more than 360 games played and more than 250 goals, the amount of titles…

“So it’s the legend, the best striker this club has ever had for this century through the years, but is irreplaceable in the souls, in the hearts, in the minds of our fans, of our people, of the players that played alongside him and all the managers who worked with him.

“We were so lucky, the guys who came after him – me as a manager for example. We took over the club and he was one of the guys like Joe Hart, Pablo Zabaleta, Vincent Kompany, David Silva, many players helped this club make a step forward and of course he was one of them.

“He helped us find a club organisation in a higher level. When he came here the club was in one level, and he helped to put the club in a higher level. And that’s why all the people are still here, and of course the fans always will be grateful.

“Without them, what we achieved in the past four or five years would not be possible, that’s for sure.

“I think he still has interesting goals to score this season.”

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MANCITY CLUB LEGEND, SERGIO AGUERO TO LEAVE CLUB IN SUMMER

Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero will leave the club this summer when his contract expires, the Premier League outfit have confirmed.

The Argentina international is City’s record goal-scorer having amassed 257 goals in 384 appearances since arriving from Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2011 and is the highest-scoring overseas player in Premier League history.

Aguero, who turns 33 in June, is most famous for his added-time goal in the final league match of the 2011-12 season against QPR which secured the club’s first Premier League title.

“Sergio’s contribution to Manchester City over the last 10 years cannot be overstated,” said City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak.

“His legend will be indelibly etched into the memories of everyone who loves the club and maybe even in those who simply love football.

“This is not yet the moment for farewell words and speeches. There is still much to achieve in the remainder of the time we have with Sergio, and we look forward to his contributions to the challenges which lay ahead.

“In the meantime, it gives me great pleasure to announce that we will be commissioning an artist to create a statue of Sergio to live at the Etihad Stadium alongside the ones under construction for Vincent (Kompany) and David (Silva).

“And we look forward to the opportunity to bid Sergio a fitting farewell at the end of the season.”

City are working on plans to mark his departure on the final home game of the season against Everton and they are hopeful thousands of supporters will be permitted to attend Etihad Stadium when lockdown measures are eased further.

In addition to becoming the club’s record goal-scorer – which he achieved by overtaking Eric Brook’s 78-year record with a goal in the 4-2 win at Napoli in 2017 – he also has a Premier League high 12 hat-tricks which he achieved with a treble against Aston Villa in January 2020 to surpass Alan Shearer’s landmark.

Aguero has won four Premier League titles – with a fifth looking likely in his final season. He could also still add to his tally of one FA Cup and five League Cups before his departure.

“When a cycle comes to an end, many sensations arise,” Aguero, who has struggled with injuries and Covid-19 this season, wrote on Twitter.

“A huge sense of satisfaction and pride remains in me for having played with Manchester City for a whole 10 seasons – unusual for a professional player in this day and age.

“Ten seasons with major achievement, throughout which I was able to become the top historic goalscorer and forging an indestructible bond with all those who love this club – people who will always be in my heart.”

He added: “I was to join during the reconstruction era of 2011, and with the guidance of the owners and the contribution of many players, we earned a place among the greatest in the world.

“The task to maintain this well-deserved privileged position will remain on others.

“As for myself, I will continue to give it my utmost for the rest of the season to win more titles and bring more joy to the fans.

“Then, a new stage with new challenges will begin and I am fully ready to face them with the same passion and professionalism that I have always dedicated to continue competing at the highest level.”

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PULISIC, REYNA FIRES USA TO 2-1 WIN OVER NORTHERN IRELAND

Goals from Christian Pulisic and Giovanni Reyna fired the United States to a 2-1 win over Northern Ireland in Sunday’s friendly.

Gregg Berhalter’s side took control of the game early on but found Northern Ireland’s stubborn defence tough to break down, and the hosts actually enjoyed more shots on goal in a tricky opening 45 minutes.

However, despite being behind on the stats sheet, it was the US who were in charge at the break as Borussia Dortmund starlet Reyna fired in an effort from long range that found the back of the net after a wicked deflection off Ciaron Brown and into the back of the net.

Pulisic, who was handed the captain’s armband for the game, made it two after the break as he tapped home from the penalty spot, bagging the goal the Chelsea man’s excellent performance deserved.

Perhaps the best highlight of the game came from Northern Ireland’s Niall McGinn, whose outstanding strike in the 88th minute created a nervy atmosphere towards the end of the match, but the US were too strong and held on for the victory.

“What I say about Christian is to forget about all the great stuff he does on the ball,” Berhalter said of Pulisic’s performance. “He just competed today, and, when he’s in that type of mode, he’s just an unbelievable player.

“That’s what I was most happy with today: the relentless pressing. He just kept going and going and going, and then he’s so good on the ball, he can unbalance a team. To me, he had an overall really strong performance.

“In my opinion, that’s the next level for Christian: just that type of performance all the time. When he does that, the rest speaks for itself.

“He’s such a creative player, he’s such a good player and I was really impressed with his performance, really impressed with how he handled himself today before the game, during the game and after the game. So overall, I really liked his performance.”

The match was the USMNT’s last until May, when they’ll face Switzerland ahead of the CONCACAF Nations League semi-final against Honduras.

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Joshua Kimmich says calls to boycott FIFA World Cup in Qatar are ’10 years too late’

Germany midfielder Joshua Kimmich said calls to boycott the 2022 World Cup in Qatar over the Gulf state’s alleged treatment of migrant workers building stadiums have come “10 years too late”.

Britain’s Guardian reported last month that at least 6,500 migrant workers – many working on World Cup projects – had died in Qatar since it won the right 10 years ago to stage the event, according to the newspaper’s calculations from official records.

Players of Germany, Norway and the Netherlands wore shirts before their World Cup qualifiers voicing concern over human rights in Qatar following the report.

“I think we’re 10 years too late to boycott the World Cup,” Kimmich said before Germany’s Group J World Cup qualifier away to Romania later on Sunday.

“It wasn’t allocated this year, but a couple of years ago. One should have thought about boycotting back then.

“Now we need to take the opportunity and use our publicity to raise awareness about things. But it’s not just down to us footballers … we should work together.”

The German Football Association (DFB) said on Friday it is opposed to boycotting the World Cup but will get behind the national team’s protest.

The German government also supported the players’ move, saying it reflected their commitment to democratic values.

“As footballers we have a certain responsibility,” Kimmich added. “We have the responsibility to talk about things. Regarding this topic, we tried that with a very spontaneous shirt activity.

“In football, you have the chance to point things out and we should continue doing that.”

Earlier, Belgium coach Roberto Martinez said it would be a mistake for teams to boycott the World Cup in the wake of player protests.

On Thursday, a representative of the Qatari World Cup organisers said they had “always been transparent about the health and safety of workers”.

“Since construction (of stadiums) began in 2014, there have been three work-related fatalities and 35 non-work-related deaths,” the representative added.

“The SC has investigated each case, learning lessons to avoid any repeat in the future.”

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Cristiano Ronaldo rages after no goal and no VAR in 2-2 draw at Serbia

Cristiano Ronaldo had gone from savoring a last-gasp winner for his country to protesting what he considered a clear refereeing oversight with no video review available.

Cristiano Ronaldo ripped off his captain’s armband and tossed it onto the field as he stomped off in disgust after Portugal’s 2-2 draw at Serbia in World Cup qualifying on Saturday.

In a split second, Ronaldo had gone from savoring a last-gasp winner for his country to protesting what he considered a clear refereeing oversight with no video review available.

The Portugal star came oh-so-close to scoring a stoppage-time goal when Serbia defender Stefan Mitrovic slid and swept the ball to apparent safety though TV replays indicated it was a goal.

For Ronaldo, the ball had completely crossed the line. For Dutch referee Danny Makkelie it had not, and he rewarded Ronaldo’s complaints with a yellow card.

The incident will no doubt be used by fans of video review to argue for the use of VAR in qualifying matches for the world’s most important soccer tournament.

Juventus forward Ronaldo made a veiled reference to the incident in a social media posting after the match.

“Being captain of the Portugal team is one of the greatest sources of pride and privileges of my life. I always give and will give everything for my country, that will never change. But there are difficult times to deal with, especially when we feel that an entire nation is being harmed. Lift your head and face the next challenge now!” Ronaldo wrote in Portuguese on his Instagram account.

For 10-man Serbia, it was the perfect ending to an inspired fightback from a two-goal deficit.

For Diogo Jota, Portugal should have done more with the two goals he scored in the first half.

“It looked like the hard part was done, but then they changed the system in the second half, scored quickly, and built on from there,” Jota said. “At 15 minutes into the second half, we have already let Serbia draw. We had to kill the game.”

Serbia and Portugal were left with four points each atop Group A.

Luxembourg is next with three points after it stunned Ireland with a 1-0 victory in Dublin. That left Ireland and Azerbaijan with zero points.

Portugal looked ready to roll to a convincing win after Jota scored with two headers.

The Liverpool forward got Portugal going in the 11th with a run to the left post where Bernardo Silva found him with a perfectly placed cross. Ronaldo helped by drawing in three Serbia defenders before laying off for the unmarked Silva on the right side of the box.

Serbia tried to respond through runs by left back Filip Kostic and the playmaking of midfielder Dusan Tadic. But the hosts never seriously threatened Anthony Lopes’ net before Jota made it 2-0.

This time it was for right back Cédric to send a cross to the heart of the box where Jota separated from Nikola Milenkovic and sliced a glancing header off the post and into the net in the 36th.

The double gave Jota five goals in 11 international appearances.

But Serbia got back into the match after coach Dragan Stojkovic made two changes at halftime.

Substitute Nemanja Radonjic needed less than a minute to pass for Aleksandar Mitrovic to head home and set a Serbia national team record with his 39th international goal.

On Wednesday, Mitrovic came off the bench to score a pair of second-half goals to rally Serbia for a 3-2 win over Ireland.

Serbia pressed for an equalizer, and Lopes had to stretch to palm Tadic’s strike over his bar in the 54th.

But Lopes was beaten in the 60th when Serbia mounted a counterattack, with the ball flowing forward from Tadic to Radonjic, who played Filip Kostic clear to slot the ball home.

Ronaldo was denied his chance to be the hero shortly after Serbia defender Nikola Milenkovic saw a direct red card for a dangerous studs-first tackle of Danilo.

KENNY QUESTIONS

Gerson Rodrigues sunk the Irish in the 85th minute when the Luxembourg midfielder rifled in a shot from outside the area into the corner of the net.

The embarrassing defeat will put more pressure on coach Stephen Kenny, who has yet to steer Ireland to a victory in 10 games in charge.

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Jose Mourinho brushes off critics, says he’s still one of most important managers

Tottenham Hotspur boss Jose Mourinho said he had learnt to turn a deaf ear to the criticism of his coaching methods and that he remains “one of the most important managers” in the game.

Mourinho started his managerial career with Benfica in 2000 and has since managed trophy-winning sides at Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and Manchester United.

The Portuguese boss was hired to replace Mauricio Pochettino at Spurs because of his record of claiming trophies but finds himself under pressure with his team slipping to sixth in the Premier League after leading the table in November.

The north London club were also knocked out of the Europa League this month after losing 3-2 on aggregate to Croatian side Dinamo Zagreb in the round of 16.

“I don’t think anybody is going to discuss rocket science with the guys from NASA, with everybody around the world,” Mourinho said in a virtual event organised by the club’s sponsor.

“They think they can discuss football with one of the most important managers in the game. That’s the beauty of football.

“I got used to it. I appreciate that. So that’s fine for me.”

The 58-year-old said his supporters, whom he labelled ‘Mourinistas’, motivate him to bounce back from a difficult spell.

“I used to call them the Mourinistas, because in Portugal we use ‘ista’ in the end of the name of the club that we love, to express the support,” he said.

“I have so many Mourinistas around the world that I play for them.”

Spurs play away to Newcastle United in the English top-flight on April 4 after the international break.

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NGOLO KANTE SENT BACK TO CHELSEA FROM FRANCE CAMP DUE TO INJURY

Chelsea have suffered a big injury setback with N’Golo Kante sent home from the France camp after sustaining a hamstring injury on international duty.

The 29-year-old played the full 90 minutes of France France’s 1-1 draw with Ukraine on Wednesday but reported discomfort following the 2022 World Cup qualifier.

He underwent tests on Thursday, which revealed a minor hamstring injury and will now miss France’s matches against Kazakhstan and Bosnia on Sunday and Wednesday.

The French FA said in a statement that head coach Didier Deschamps had decided to send Kante back to Chelsea after consulting with medical staff.

“Kante will not be replaced,” the FFF added. “It is therefore a group of 25 players who will fly to Kazakhstan on Friday morning.”

Kante has started four of Chelsea’s last five league games and manager Thomas Tuchel will hope to have him fit in time for their Premier League match against West Brom on April 3.

A statement from Chelsea added: “Kante had clinical and radiological examinations on Thursday which revealed a small lesion, and he is heading back to Chelsea today.”

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GERMANY PLAYERS WEAR T-SHIRTS IN PROTEST AGAINST QATAR’S HUMAN RIGHTS RECORD

Germany players wore T-shirts to show support for Qatar migrant workers before their 2022 World Cup qualifying win over Iceland on Thursday.

The starting side each wore a black shirt with one letter in white on it that spelled out ‘Human rights’.

It follows Norway players wearing T-shirts bearing the message ‘Human rights on and off the pitch’ before facing Gibraltar on Wednesday.

The World Cup is scheduled to get under way in Qatar on 21 November next year.

“We have the World Cup coming up and there will be discussions about it,” said Germany midfielder Leon Goretzka, who scored his side’s opening goal in a 3-0 win in Duisburg.

“We wanted to show we are not ignoring that.

“We have a large reach and we can use it to set an example for the values we want to stand for.”

After Wednesday’s protest, football’s world governing body, Fifa, said Norway will not face “disciplinary proceedings”, adding that it “believes in the freedom of speech, and in the power of football as a force for good”.

A report in the Guardian last month

said 6,500 migrant workers have died in Qatar since the World Cup was awarded in 2010.

In response to that report, the Qatar organising committee said: “We deeply regret all of these tragedies and investigated each incident to ensure lessons were learned. We have always maintained transparency around this issue and dispute inaccurate claims around the number of workers who have died on our projects.”

The Qatari government said the “mortality rate among these communities is within the expected range for the size and demographics of the population”.

The country controversially beat rival bids from the United States, Australia, South Korea and Japan to host the tournament, with hundreds of thousands of construction workers arriving from overseas.

Qatar has been building seven new stadiums to stage the tournament, which has been moved to winter to avoid the country’s extreme summer heat.

Earlier this week, Amnesty International called on Fifa to press Qatar to honour promised labour reforms before the tournament.

In a four-page letter to Fifa president Gianni Infantino, the human rights organisation said “urgent and concrete action” was needed.

In response, the Qatar government said it “is committed to working closely with its international partners, including Amnesty International, to protect all workers and ensure the new laws are effectively implemented and enforced”.

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KEVIN DE BRUYNE STARS AS BELGIUM SEE OF WALES

Wales suffered an opening defeat in their 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign as Kevin De Bruyne’s brilliance proved the difference in a 3-1 win for Belgium in Leuven.

Harry Wilson stunned Belgium with a superbly-crafted 10th-minute goal, but the star-studded hosts were soon ahead as De Bruyne fired home from distance and then played a major part as Thorgan Hazard’s header gave them the lead.

Romelu Lukaku sealed victory for Group E favourites Belgium with a 73rd-minute penalty after Chris Mepham had needlessly brought down Dries Mertens.

Without manager Ryan Giggs, who has denied an allegation of assault, Wales faced what is on paper the most difficult challenge in international football – an away game with Belgium.

The Red Devils top the FIFA world rankings and entered World Cup qualifying unbeaten in competitive home matches since losing to Germany in September 2010.

Belgium also had the incentive of avenging their Euro 2016 quarter-final loss to Wales, a defeat which cost Roberto Martinez’s predecessor Marc Wilmots his job.

Seven players remained from that game in Lille – Thibaut Courtois, Thomas Meunier, Toby Alderweireld, De Bruyne and Lukaku for Belgium and Wales pair Joe Allen and Gareth Bale – as the two countries met for the sixth time in the last decade.

Wales were unbeaten in the last four meetings and caretaker boss Robert Page welcomed Allen back into the international fold.

The Stoke midfielder ruptured an Achilles tendon 12 months ago and had not played for Wales since November 2019.

Liverpool teenager Neco Williams also came into the side following November’s Nations League win over Finland, while Belgium’s major team news centred around Lukaku.

The former Manchester United striker had arrived late in camp following a coronavirus outbreak at his club Inter Milan. But Lukaku started and his presence encapsulated the size of the visitors’ task with his 57 international goals from 89 games being one more than the entire Wales squad.

Both sides took the knee before kick-off and Wales suffered an early blow as Allen’s international return lasted only seven minutes, an apparent hamstring injury ending his night prematurely.

But Wales were quickly ahead as a slick one-touch passing move opened up the Belgium defence. Bale fed the final pass into the stride of Wilson, who claimed his fifth international goal with aplomb.

Youri Tielemans’ shot was deflected wide and Lukaku somehow steered De Bruyne’s brilliant cross over the bar from two yards out as Belgium settled to their task.

De Bruyne continually drifted into dangerous positions and Wales were punished after 22 minutes when the Manchester City midfielder was allowed space to unleash a 25-yard shot, which flew in off a post.

Belgium continued to press and took the lead six minutes later as De Bruyne set up Meunier to cross from the right.

Connor Roberts slipped on the difficult surface and Hazard sent a powerful header past Danny Ward in the Wales goal.

Hazard sent another shot over and Wales were relieved to hear the half-time whistle still in the contest.

There was more intent about Wales after the interval as Bale almost tricked his way through a packed home defence before the Wales captain’s audacious overhead kick fell wide.

Daniel James was also off-target twice as Belgium sat back with almost half an eye on Saturday’s trip to the Czech Republic.

But the result was put beyond doubt as Lukaku’s spot-kick confirmed Wales’ first defeat in 12 competitive matches and left the Dragons playing catch-up in World Cup qualification.

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NICKY BUTT TO LEAVE MANCHESTER UNITED ROLE

Former Manchester United midfielder Nicky Butt is to step down as the club’s head of first-team development to pursue “a new professional challenge”.

Butt has spent nine years in coaching and player development positions at the club’s academy, playing a key role in overseeing the progress of the likes of Marcus Rashford, Scott McTominay, Axel Tuanzebe, Dean Henderson and Mason Greenwood into the first team.

“Having come through the academy myself to play almost 400 games for Manchester United, it has been an absolute privilege to come back and work with a new generation of talent making that same journey,” Butt told manutd.com.

“I’m proud of the role everyone on the staff plays in giving our young footballers the best possible chance of fulfilling their potential, and the results are clear to see in the increased number of homegrown players reaching the first team.

“I already know from my playing days how difficult it is to leave Manchester United, but it feels like the right moment for a new professional challenge and I look forward to exploring opportunities that build on the great experiences I’ve had here over the past nine years.”

Butt’s former United team-mate and current first-team manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer paid tribute to the work of the 46-year-old.

“Nicky will always be a legend of Manchester United as a six-time Premier League winner and, of course, an integral part of our treble-winning team,” he said.

“That pedigree has made him a great source of guidance and inspiration to our academy players since he returned to the club.

“We are all going to miss him around the Aon Training Complex but Nicky knows he will always be welcome back.”

Earlier this month United revamped their backroom set-up with John Murtough appointed to a new role of football director with former midfielder Darren Fletcher promoted to technical director.