The Red Devils legend admits recent recruitment has not been good enough, with more funds required in order to close the gap on the title chasers

Manchester United “have to match the spending of City”, says Bryan Robson, with Jose Mourinho “three excellent additions” away from being competitive.

The Red Devils have continued to invest heavily over recent years, with big money splashed out on the likes of Paul Pogba, Victor Lindelof, Eric Bailly, Nemanja Matic, Romelu Lukaku and Fred.

Mourinho has, however, claimed to have been handed a rebuilding project at Old Trafford, with more fresh faces required in order to bridge the gap in Premier League title races.

Robson agrees with that assessment, with the United legend conceding that more quality needs to be drafted in if arch-rivals City are to be chased down and more major silverware delivered.

He told the Daily Mail: “Manchester United have to really improve their recruitment.

“Though the gap between them and Manchester City seems large, I still believe two or three excellent additions will make them competitive.

“During my time in management it was always proved that if you buy average players you end up with an average team.

The club can still attract players but they will have to match the spending of City to give Jose Mourinho a better chance.

“They should allow him to identify who he wants and then go out and get them. Then it’s up to Jose to deliver a title-chasing squad and I still believe he is the man who can take them forward.”

United’s struggles for consistency with their current squad have them sat eighth in the English top-flight, with 12 points separating them from the summit and seven from the top four.

Robson believes Champions League football can be secured, with a challenge for the crown “never realistic”.

He added: “The World Cup took its toll on United’s start to the campaign but there have been signs of recovery up until Sunday [against City]. Now it’s a case of recharging and going again.

“United fans shouldn’t be too despondent. It’s a long, hard season and there’s plenty of twists to come.

“A league title was never realistic but, with a couple of additions, it is realistic to think they can make the top four and Champions League, then look to step up next season. City have set a high standard but it’s not insurmountable.”

United suffered a 3-1 derby defeat to City in their latest outing, with Mourinho’s men struggling to counter the loss of Paul Pogba to injury and ultimately paying the price for a slow start to a crunch clash.

“There are mitigating circumstances for United’s performance against City on Sunday,” said Robson.

“The squad didn’t get back from Turin until 3.30am on Thursday [following a Champions League clash with Juventus] and that saps your energy ahead of a derby game — plus they were without Paul Pogba. 

“He has plenty of critics but I’m not one of them. He’s a big-game player and the team sorely missed his dynamism across the park.”

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The pair meet for the first time in the Premier League and both will be hoping to bounce back form disappointing defeats last weekend

Cardiff City could climb out of the relegation zone with a victory against Brighton in the weekend’s early kick-off.

The Bluebirds are currently 19th in the table, with a meagre five points from their opening 11 games.

Brighton, on the other hand, sit 12th having won four Premier League matches so far this season, the last of which came two weeks ago against Wolves.

Chris Hughton’s men will be aiming to make it five when they travel to the Welsh capital, a result which could move them into the top half off the table.

In the United States (US), the game can be watched live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial).

New users can sign up for a free seven-day trial of the live sports streaming service, which can be accessed via iOS, Android, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV as well as on a web browser.

In the United Kingdom (UK), the game can be watched live on TV on Sky Sports Main Event and Premier League, and it can be streamed online via the Sky Go app.

Joe Ralls returns from suspension at the perfect time, as Harry After misses Saturday’s game after picking up five yellow cards last week. Jazz Richards, Nathaniel Mendez-Laing and Kenneth Zohore misses out through injury.

Cardiff City XI: Etheridge, Manga, Morrison, Bamba, Cunnigham, Camarasa, Gunnarsson, Ralls, Murphy, Harris, Paterson

Alireza Jahanbakhsh misses the game with a hamstring injury, and has been replaced by Anthony Knockhaert. Davy Propper and Pascal Gross will not return to the side until after the international break.

Brighton XI: Ryan, Montoya, Duffy, Dunk, Bong, Knockhaert, Kayal, Stephens, Izquierdo, March, Murray

The away side are slight favourites for this one and are priced at 11/5 by bet365. You could back Cardiff at 31/20, while a draw is 21/10.

Click here to see all of bet 365’s offers for the game, including goalscoring markets, correct score predictions and more.

If Cardiff are to avoid the drop it’s game like these where they must start picking up three points.

Neil Warnock’s men have been victorious just once in the Premier League this season, when they beat Fulham 4-2 a few weeks ago.

Since then, they have suffered back-to-back defeats against Liverpool and Leicester City, and with Newcastle United and Huddersfield Town winning their first games of the campaign last week the pressure has been ramped up on the Bluebirds.

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For the visitors, they are aiming to make it four wins from five ahead of the international break. Last week Brighton suffered a 3-1 defeat to an in-form Everton side and they will be hoping to bounce back at the Cardiff City Stadium.

The Seagulls will again look to Glenn Murray to supply the goals for the side. Having netted six times so far this season he is one of the league’s top scorers – in fact, only three players (Eden Hazard, Sergio Aguero and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang) have scored more than him in the Premier League in 2018-19.

The 2005 Ballon d’Or winner has picked out a strike that played a big role in leading his country to glory in Japan and South Korea

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Ronaldinho has picked the goal he scored against England at World Cup 2002 as the greatest of his illustrious career.

With the quarter-final between Brazil and the Three Lions locked at 1-1 after Michael Owen’s opener was cancelled out by Rivaldo, the Selecao were given a free kick around 40 yards from goal in a seemingly impossible position to score from.

However, the former Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona and AC Milan star spotted that goalkeeper David Seaman had strayed from his line and sent a looping shot over his head and into the net. 

It proved the winner in the tie and sent the South American side on course to the final, where a couple of goals from Ronaldo saw them secure a 2-0 win over Germany.

And Ronaldinho, whose career was marked by many memorable strikes, including a stunning scissor kick against Osasuna in 2004 and a brilliant toepoke against Chelsea in the Champions League 12 months later, considers his effort against England to be a personal best.

“I scored some great goals, some over kick goals and from open play in my career and I would admit it is very hard picking my favourite,” Ronaldinho, who is on a three-day tour of Kenya told Goal.

“But scoring for the national team and against England in the quarter-finals was quite something. For that reason, I will pick the one against England just because I scored it for Brazil.”

The 2002 World Cup proved the highlight of a career that saw him twice claim the FIFPro World Player of the Year, the 2005 Ballon d’Or and, on a team level, two Spanish league titles, an Italian crown and the 2006 Champions League while with Barca.

During his career, which began in 1998 at Gremio, he played 728 senior club matches and scored 280 goals, while he enjoyed cult status at many of the teams he graced.

He confirmed his retirement from the game on January 16, 2018.

The Spanish striker has been back among the goals of late, with it considered that a new approach at Stamford Bridge is better suited to his game

Alvaro Morata considers Maurizio Sarri to be the “perfect” Chelsea boss for him, after suggestions that Antonio Conte’s tactics were responsible for his testing debut season in England.

The Spanish striker arrived at Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2017 and was charged with the task of filling Diego Costa’s boots and leading the line for the Blues.

He did find the target 15 times in all competitions, but endured struggles for form and has admitted to suffering from a lack of confidence.

That is now being rebuilt under Sarri, with six goals recorded this term, and the 26-year-old is enjoying life under a popular coach whose approach is better suited to his game.

Morata told Gazzetta Dello Sport about his experience with the new Italian boss in west London and the benefits of ‘Sarriball’: “I was told that he’s a coach who plays very well with the ball and loves tactical work, but he also has a good personal relationship with the players.

“Sarri knows perfectly the difference between the various moments in the life of a squad: when you need to work he’s like a general and is the first to set the example when it’s time to joke he can have you dying of laughter.

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“That’s all reflected in the group, we’re getting on well together and we’re playing good football. The only reason we’re a little behind in the table is that we’ve had some draws.

“We haven’t been with Sarri for a long time though, we haven’t lost yet and that’s good because the competition is very tough in the Premier League. And we’ll improve.

“I was surprised that to talk to him you don’t need something to have happened, you’re injured or playing badly, or well.

“He’s always available and interested, he wants to know how you are, how your life is. Football issues, sure but also, I don’t know… the political situation in your country.

“One of the first times I met him, he asked me what I thought of Basque independence. I gasped, I didn’t expect that! We then talked about it passionately, and that’s something about him that’s not so obvious.

“His system is perfect for me, almost all the balls come to me when I’m in front of goal, and it’s much better than when I was playing with my back to goal and had to turn around – that’s not my game.

“One of the places I played best was Juventus, and there too I didn’t have to turn around, I just had to attack the space and run forward with the ball.

“That’s the same as now, and I’d have been able to score a few more goals if I’d been more precise.”

Morata opened the 2018-19 campaign with just one goal in nine appearances but has now netted five times in his last seven outings.

He has also returned to the Spain squad after seeing his struggles last season cost him a place in La Roja’s World Cup plans.

The executive vice-chair was speaking in an investors’ call as United reported a £7.1m rise in wages following Alexis Sanchez’s arrival

Jose Mourinho and his Manchester United players are ‘fully united’ in their determination to get their season back on course, the club’s executive vice-chair Ed Woodward said on Thursday.

United headed into the international break sitting in eighth place in the Premier League following their 3-1 derby loss to Manchester City on Sunday, and they are now 12 points adrift of their league-leading neighbours.

But Woodward insisted that, despite talk of rifts between players and manager which have dogged their progress so far, the playing staff are unified in their hope to get their league campaign back on track.

“On the pitch we remain well positioned in the Champions League, and although we’ve had a mixed start to our domestic campaign the squad and the manager are fully united in their determination to regain our momentum in the Premier League,” Woodward told investors.

He was speaking after the release of the club’s financial results for the first quarter of 2018-19, which detailed a significant raise in salary costs following the arrival of Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal in January.

United’s total wage bill for the quarter ending September 30, 2018 was £77 million, an increase of £7.1m (10.2 per cent) on the same period in 2017-18 before the winter signing of the Chilean attacker.

The club have also handed new contracts to Marouane Fellaini and Luke Shaw since the spring, but it is the £390,000 weekly wage of Sanchez which has seemingly had the biggest impact on the club’s costs.

There was also some regression in revenues, with commercial incomings being down 5.7% year-on-year and matchday revenues having dropped 27.2%. However, the club reported that the reduction in commercial money is in large part due to them having undergone a shorter summer tour in 2018.

Meanwhile, managing director Richard Arnold added that the £6.1m drop in matchday revenue was entirely foreseen due to the one-game reduction in both Premier League and Champions League home fixtures before the end of September compared to last season.

As a result, the total revenue loss of £8.7m is expected to be made up during the current financial quarter, which ends on December 31, 2018.

La Roja hammered the World Cup finalists 6-0 back in September, but the head coach and Luka Modric are not hunting for revenge in Zagreb

Zlatko Dalic and Luka Modric are not looking for revenge when Croatia meet Spain again in the UEFA Nations League.

Spain thrashed Croatia 6-0 in September and the sides face off in Zagreb on Thursday with top spot in League A’s Group 4 still up for grabs.

World Cup runners-up Croatia will qualify for the Nations League finals if they beat Spain and follow that up with another three points against England on Sunday.

And Croatia coach Dalic is focused on the task at hand rather than looking back at his side’s humiliation against Spain in the competition two months ago.

“In Elche, Croatia performed excellently for the first 20 minutes but failed to convert chances,” Dalic told reporters. “Now, we do not seek revenge, but a really important victory.

“If we win, we can decide who tops the group against England at Wembley, and what an encounter that would be, just like the World Cup semi-finals.

“Spain do not focus on possession anymore, but on quick, direct moves, and we have to be careful – they were brilliant against us and we have to respect this.”

Real Madrid midfielder Modric, familiar with many Spain players from club level, agrees with Dalic’s assessment of the encounter.

“As always, we enjoy good team spirit on the eve of a really difficult match,” Croatia’s captain said. “We do not think about revenge, this will be an entirely new match, in front of our fans, and Croatia have to be patient and wise, staying true to our style until the end.

“We will give our best, supported by the cheers from the stands, and I believe we can achieve a positive result. Back in September, we were emotionally and physically empty, and that’s normal in football. However, now we are in a better shape, and we need to show this on the pitch.

“Playing for Croatia is our main driving force, regardless of the competition or the opponent. Spain are full of great players, and their new manager [Luis Enrique] has brought new energy and created a compact team that knows what to do. Still, we are not afraid, and we can win.”

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The former Red Devils midfielder believes the exploits of Jadon Sancho at Borussia Dortmund should be edging another young star towards a move

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Marcus Rashford has been urged to consider a move away from Manchester United, with Paul Ince of the opinion that a “naive” 21-year-old may be “jealous” of fellow youngsters such as Jadon Sancho.

A highly-rated Old Trafford academy graduate remains an important part of Jose Mourinho’s plans, but is not guaranteed regular starts and can often find himself frustrated on the bench.

England recognition continues to come his way, but there is a sense that he needs more minutes and greater support in order to fulfil his true potential.

Ince feels a transfer may be required in order for Rashford to hit those heights, with international team-mate Sancho having shown at Borussia Dortmund what can be achieved when taking the brave decision to leave Manchester.

“Yes, he’s naïve at times, but he’s got bags of talent and he’s still young,” former United star Ince told Paddy Power of Rashford’s situation.

“He always looks fantastic for England. His main issue is that at the minute it’s not clear what his best position is.

“He’s at the age now where he needs to decide whether he wants to play every so often for Man United, or all the time for another club.

“There are some players out there who are happy to train and not play on a Saturday, but I don’t think he’s one of those.

“If he doesn’t want to move permanently, he should be considering a loan move to another English club. Because he should be playing every week. He shouldn’t be a bit-part player.

“A part of me wonders whether he sees young players like Jadon Sancho, flying at Dortmund and playing every week, and feels a bit jealous. Everyone’s talking about these incredible youngsters, who play all the time and score goals.

“It’s worrying that, at the end of Mourinho’s time at Chelsea, players stop wanting to play for him and we’re potentially seeing that here at United now too.

“Personally, I don’t understand the attitude of refusing to play for a manager when you have thousands of fans who want to see you play, too.”

Rashford has been handed just five Premier League starts this season, with only two goals recorded in those outings.

He has managed more efforts for his country, with the target found three times for England – although he did draw a blank during the recent international break during outings against the United States and Croatia.

The Gabon international’s impressive equaliser left many in the stadium stunned, but his team-mate says it’s all second nature to him

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang showed he is similar to Thierry Henry with his second goal in Arsenal’s 4-2 win over Tottenham, Aaron Ramsey says.

The striker gave the home side the lead 10 minutes into Sunday’s north London derby as he converted a penalty, but saw his side fall behind after Eric Dier and Harry Kane found the net later in the half.

The Gabon international levelled the score with an impressive first-time finish from the edge of the box that left Hugo Lloris rooted to his spot. 

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Ramsey, who set Aubameyang up for his 10th Premier League goal of the season, said the 29-year-old pulls off such fine strikes for fun during the week and resembles the club’s all-time top scorer.

“He does that in training all the time. It reminds me of Thierry Henry’s finishes,” the midfielder told BBC Sport. “He’s been fabulous for us.”

Arsenal then took the initiative with goals from from Alexandre Lacazette and Lucas Torreira to seal an important win over their local rivals, and Ramsey felt they had been spurred on by Aubameyang’s effort.

“I think that was important for us to score that goal. Then you could really feel that the atmosphere was electric. That really helped us to get over the line and win convincingly in the end. 

“I have been here for many many years, it means an awful lot to me and to the fans as well. I am glad I played my part and we can all go home happy tonight. They could have gone six points in front of us but instead we’ve gone above them. The atmosphere was electric, that really helped us over the line in the end.”

Dier’s celebration for Tottenham’s first-half equaliser ended in a scrap between several players from both sides, but Ramsey says the disruption had no effect on the game.

“I’m not sure what went on on the touchline, something was said and the two teams came together,” he said. “What happens on the pitch stays on the pitch. Afterwards we were fully concentrated on coming back to win the game.”

Photographed by Jake Terrey, styled by Philippa Moroney, Vogue Australia, April 2019.

It’s awkward to talk about someone else’s beauty, but when faced with Jessica Gomes, it’s hard not to. And her good looks are what has kept her modelling for two decades. In person, pared back and natural, her beauty is especially apparent. Now 34, Gomes is also more at ease with herself, which also helps. “I feel like I know who I am now,” she says, today dressed in vintage Levi’s, which make an appearance in this Vogue shoot. “I know what I like and I know what looks good on me.”

Gomes as her authentic self is typically dressed in jeans, T-shirt and flats – currently Balenciaga boots or sneakers, Spring Court sneakers, or her most recent purchase, Chanel Velcro sandals. “I’m a size 40 but they only had a size 41 left at the Sydney David Jones” – the department store she has been an ambassador for since 2013.

“I look better natural. I feel so uncomfortable in a dress. I look at photos of dresses and think: ‘I want to look pretty and girlie’, but it’s just not me.”

As her sisters tell her, she always had her own distinct sense of style. Recently she found photographs of herself as a teenager wearing Doc Martens, short denim skirts and chokers. “I had forgotten, so I was like: ‘Wow, I really did kind of have that style when I was a kid.’” Her 20s were when she experimented. “As a model, people want to see you. But I was getting bored and wanted to rebel and wear a dress, or a colour, or a top with interesting detail … something a bit different. But now I’m back to where I was originally, what I really like, what is authentic to me. And honestly, I look and feel better in jeans and a T-shirt.”

Like her personal style, her beauty routine is also straightforward. “I’m pretty easygoing and laidback, and I don’t like to look intimidating – I don’t want people to notice my make-up. I like a nude lip, nothing too severe.”

One of her sisters is a beautician, and had Gomes not become a model, she would have followed in her footsteps. “I would have loved to have my own salon. I was always interested in beauty – I did my high school work experience placement in a beauty salon.” It’s a passion that led to the model launching her own beauty line, Equal Beauty, which is stocked at David Jones, at Los Angeles’s cult beauty destination Violet Grey, and by various beauticians in Western Australia.

Although she’s back in Australia for a few weeks, Gomes is now based in Los Angeles and her home, a cottage in Beverly Hills, is filled with art. “I like to have a neutral base, but the art in my house is colourful. I feel accomplished when I buy art, too – it’s grown up!” she says. “But do we ever grow up?” she asks, mentioning her latest read, Michelle Obama’s Becoming. “She [Michelle] talks about how we don’t ever get to a place where we feel grown up. To me, being grown up is getting married, buying a house, having kids – then I’d really feel grown up,” she says, laughing.

Art in her LA home ranges from pieces by Australian collage artist Dina Broadhurst to a treasured hand-woven tapestry she bought in Guilin, China, while on location for a Sports Illustrated shoot. “Next door to the hotel was a guy making tapestries, and I would see his progress on this every day,” she recalls.

It is only recently that she has had a rediscovered appreciation for Perth, the city where she grew up. “Now, at this time of my life, I have to say I really love Los Angeles and I really love Perth. I would never have thought that’s what I would say about Perth, but it really is so special – it’s so Aussie and salt of the earth. I realised how much I loved Perth over this past summer holiday.”

Gomes’s parents and siblings live in Perth – her father is Portuguese, her mother Singaporean Chinese, giving the model her otherworldly beauty.

Her mother enrolled her into modelling classes as an adolescent after she struggled with a change of school. The activity allowed her to meet other children her age. “We would learn parades and it was a fun hobby, but then suddenly I started to work as well, so I’ve been modelling for a really long time … since I was 10. It’s always been a part of my life.

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It’s a career that has taken her around the world. Living in LA for the past seven years has influenced her style. Denim, the LA uniform, dominates her wardrobe. “It’s definitely made my style more relaxed.” She owns 50 pairs of jeans, at an approximate estimate, and this is after she culled more than 100 items – over half of wardrobe – by selling them on TheRealReal. “It was very cleansing,” she says.

She’ll be wearing those jeans with her new handbag, the Dior Saddle. “With the monogram pattern … it’s a bit different but in the blue denim colour – it’s almost a neutral colour,” she says. “For me, I feel best when I’m comfortable and effortless. When I’m in jeans, a T-shirt and a blazer – I feel like I can move and I just feel me.”

This article originally appeared in Vogue Australia’s April 2019 issue.

Air travel is exhausting and draining at the best of times. Testing patience and family bonds, travelling might enrich lives and expand horizons, but the journey often comes at an emotional toll—a more than valid reason to explain why airport lounges have become the golden ticket to comfortable travel. 

Known for their airport lounges the world over, American Express has now opened their revamped and renovated Sydney lounge. Located in the international terminal, the brand new American Express space is three times the size of the previous lounge and proves the perfect place to unwind before a flight or during a layover. 

The lounge features freshly made meals prepared by a team of chefs, a fully stocked bar and plenty of comfortable places to sit. Comfort aside, wellness is also a key priority for the lounge, with a selection of vegan and vegetarian dishes on offer to order. A suite of three showers is also available to use, complete with products from L’Occitane—because we all know feeling fresh before a flight can make all the difference. 

“Airport lounge access continues to be one of the most valued benefits for our card members and we know from the success of our lounges around the world that travellers appreciate the  stress-free environment, complimentary dining, and luxury amenities that our American Express Lounges offer,” Naysla Edwards, vice president of brand, charge cards and experiences at American Express ANZ said of the opening. 

Airport lounges have become something of a design mainstay for seasoned air travellers, with many frequent flyers choosing airlines based on the quality of their lounges. This latest opening from American Express sees the traveller-focused card company join the luxury leagues of Qantas, Singapore Airlines and Emirates, who all operate world class lounges out of Sydney airport. And with travel plans getting more frequent and seats getting smaller, it only makes sense that there’s more of a market for stretching out and enjoying a cocktail pre-flight. Chin chin! 

Open to select American Express cardholders, the international lounge is open now. Visit: AmericanExpress.com

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