WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2017 SPORTS Owen urges Rashford to bide time at Man United LONDON: Former Manchester United Ibrahimovic’s arrival has seen him Star Sixes tournament in London on United for years to come, once his turn Fortunately for him, he’s at a place striker Michael Owen believes Marcus used either on the flanks or on the Tuesday. “As soon as those two players comes.” where he’s going to be playing and Rashford can be the club’s first-choice bench and he has scored only three are no longer at the forefront for Owen, who spent three years at honing his skills with the best, so centre-forward for “years to come”, but Premier League goals, but Owen Manchester United, which isn’t going United, believes training alongside you’d think that that would help him.” told AFP he will have to be patient. believes he is in exactly the right to be very long, then it’ll be really players like Ibrahimovic, Rooney and Owen is due to play in an England Rashford, 19, exploded onto the place. “Wayne (Rooney) and interesting to see who’s the next per- Anthony Martial will prove beneficial team captained by Steven Gerrard at scene with United last season, scoring Ibrahimovic at some point are going son to carry the can. “One of those in to Rashford in the long-run. “It Star Sixes, a six-a-side indoor tourna- eight goals in his first 18 appearances to retire and it’s who’s going to take line for it is Rashford. I’d say he’d be depends how you look at it,” said the ment for former international players and breaking into England’s Euro 2016 the mantle on as the regular number foolish to move now because he could former England striker. “Unfortunately, taking place at London’s O2 Arena in squad. This season, Zlatan nine?” Owen said at the launch of the be the number nine for Manchester he’s got a load of traffic in front of him. July. —AFP Barcelona chief relaxed despite Messi speculation BARCELONA: Barcelona sporting director deals to Neymar, Sergio Busquets and Robert Fernandez insists he is sure Lionel Javier Mascherano in the past year. Messi will sign a new deal with the Catalan And Fernandez is hopeful of also pining giants despite continued speculation over down captain Andres Iniesta, Ivan Rakitic the five-time World Player of the Year’s and Marc-Andre ter Stegen in the coming future. Messi has just 18 months left on his months. current contract and would have no short- “I am very calm, but I was very calm in age of lucrative offers should he decide to the case of Mascherano, Neymar, Busi leave the club where he has spent the (Busquets), and I am very calm with the entirety of his glittering career. subject of Andres, Ivan, Marc and Leo However, Fernandez believes negotia- because I have a lot of confidence that they tions over a new deal are progressing “very are going to remain with us,” he added. well.” “There were many comments and “I am totally convinced that the four people who want to intoxicate this situa- players will continue at Barcelona.” —AFP tion, but we have been working on it for a long time and we are calm,” he told Catalan radio station Rac1. Simmering tensions between the Barca Matches on TV board and squad boiled over a fortnight ago when the club’s CEO Oscar Grau (Local Timings) claimed Barca had to negotiate any new contracts with “common sense” given their Spain Copa del Rey spiralling wage budget. Eibar v Madrid 21:15 However, star striker Luis Suarez, who beIN SPORTS recently signed a new deal to 2021, Vigo v Real Madrid 23:15 responded angrily to those comments. beIN SPORTS “With Messi what you have to do is give him a new contract, not have common Italian Cup sense,” said the Uruguayan. Juventus v Milan 22:45 Messi, who will turn 30 in June, has been beIN SPORTS in spectacular form this season, scoring 28 times in just 26 appearances. French Cup “Leo has got to the stage where he Monaco v Lorraine 23:00 IBARRA: Argentina’s player Juan Marcos Foyth vies for the ball with Bolivia’s player Carlos Abelardo Ribera during their South American seems he is better now than he was two, beIN SPORTS Championship U-20 football match at the Olimpico stadium in Ibarra, Ecuador on Monday. —AFP three, four or five years ago. That is the feel- ing he gives us, that he gets better all the African Nations Cup time and plays as he wants,” added Egypt v Ghana 22:00 Fernandez. beIN SPORTS Injury-hit Real wait on “There is no doubt that Leo is the best Uganda v Mali 22:00 player in the world. That is the reality.” As beIN SPORTS well as Suarez, Barca have handed new Ronaldo for Cup comeback MADRID: Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane hopes Cristiano Ronaldo will shrug off a foot problem in time to lead the European champi- ons’ bid to overcome a Copa del Rey deficit at Christian cross dropped Celta Vigo today. Zidane’s squad, down 2-1 from the quarter-final first leg at home, has been hit from Real logo in ME by a series of injuries with Marcelo and Luka Modric joining Gareth Bale, James Rodriguez, Dani Carvajal and Pepe on the sidelines after DUBAI: The club crest of Spanish soccer team limping off in Saturday’s 2-1 win over Malaga. Real Madrid will be altered to remove the tra- Ronaldo also suffered a blow to his right foot ditional Christian cross from clothing apparel at the weekend, but Zidane expects the World sold in some Middle East countries under a Player of the Year to feature as Real aim to keep regional deal. their quest for a first ever treble on course in Marka, a retailing group in the United Arab Galicia. Emirates, has been granted exclusive rights to “It is something that has bothered him until “manufacture, distribute and sell Real Madrid now, but he is fine. It is just a knock,” said Zidane products” in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, yesterday. “He will be with us tomorrow.” After a Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman, the company said glorious 2016 for club and country, Ronaldo has in a statement yesterday. endured a frustrating start to the new year. The But Marka Vice Chairman Khaled al-Mheiri Portuguese has scored just once from open play told Reuters by phone the crest would be and was even jeered by sections of the Santiago altered due to cultural sensitivities. “We have Granit Xhaka Bernabeu crowd on Saturday. “We all want the to be sensitive to parts of the Gulf that are and crest. Sales will start by March, al-Mheiri same thing, which is to do our best to win sensitive to products that hold the cross,” said said. The deal does not cover replica jerseys, things,” added Zidane. al-Mheiri, who owns a Real Madrid cafe in which are sold in Dubai featuring the cross. “Whistles have always been heard in this sta- Dubai. The six Gulf Arab countries Marka will Real Madrid did not immediately respond to Arsenal’s Xhaka dium and others, and that isn’t going to change. sell and distribute Real Madrid products in are an emailed request for comment. But it is not The only thing I will say is that we need the fans all Muslim-majority The redesigning of the the first time the symbol has been altered. interviewed by cops on our side.” Zidane admitted his annoyance at crest would require only a minor change with In 2014, Real Madrid removed the Christian the crowd’s reaction and the number of injuries the original featuring a very small Christian cross from its crest when used by its sponsor that have blighted Madrid throughout the sea- cross at the top of a crown on the crest. the National Bank of Abu Dhabi. Dubai-based LONDON: Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka staff in German. “Police were called at son, despite tasting defeat for the first time in The agreement allows Marka to sell cloth- airline Emirates is Real Madrid’s main shirt was interviewed by police after allegedly 19:29hrs on Monday, 23 January following the campaign just nine days ago at Sevilla. ing apparel such as t-shirts, polo shirts and sponsor, whilst the club is also sponspored by racially abusing a worker at Heathrow air- an allegation that a member of staff had However, the Frenchman challenged the less swim wear featuring the Real Madrid name Abu Dhabi investment fund IPIC. — Reuters port, British media reported yesterday. been racially abused at Heathrow Airport, heralded members of the Madrid squad to take The incident happened on Monday, lit- Terminal Five,” a Metropolitan Police their chance to shine at Celta Vigo. “It does tle more than 24 hours after Xhaka was spokesman said. annoy me that some players are out, but we sent off in a Premier League match against “The allegation was made by a third par- can’t do anything about it,” he said. Burnley, a dismissal that will probably incur ty. Officers attended and spoke with a man “Throughout the season players will get a four-game ban. in his 20s. He was not arrested. He voluntar- injured and now we have to continue with those Xhaka had travelled to the airport to see ily attended a west London police station that are ready.