Here, Sports Mole rounds up the latest news snippets from across the footballing world, including Lee Sharpe's brutal assessment of Manchester United, Lionel Messi's admission over Neymar and Ronald Koeman's praise for Virgil van Dijk. Scroll down for more!
Sharpe: 'United rebuild will cost big'
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Former Manchester United winger Lee Sharpe has predicted that manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could need as much as £300m in transfer funds in order to rebuild the squad. The Red Devils have struggled following the departure of legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013 and have had a poor start to the current season with a return of just nine points from their first eight league games.
"The last three managers, and the last three ways of doing things, have all not worked, so I don't think it is just the managers," Sharpe told talkSPORT. "You've got to look at who is appointing the managers and who's running the club from the top. Otherwise it's another change at Christmas and it all starts from the beginning again.
"I think you are looking at least £300m [to fix things]. You need someone like a Harry Kane for £200m/£220m that is going to score you 25 goals a season and you've got a different outlook in the team. So it is not going to be a cheap one. It's difficult to keep up with the likes of Man City and Liverpool when they've set such high standards.
"You've got to stop comparing this team to Liverpool and City and great United teams of the past and give them the chance to grow and educate themselves and become potentially what they could be in a year or 18 months' time."
Cahill vows he has "many years left"
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Former Chelsea skipper Gary Cahill has insisted that his playing career is far from done as he plots a new course with Crystal Palace. The 33-year-old moved to Selhurst Park over the summer after a season where he was largely frozen out by Maurizio Sarri.
"There's many years left in me yet," Cahill is quoted as saying by football.london. "Over the last seven or eight years I think I averaged around 50 games a season. After not playing that much last season, I never want to have a season like that again. But, on the flip side, I trained hard and got the chance to recover my body before pre-season even though I ended up missing it. I was ready to play when the season started. Hopefully I can keep it going and help the team to play well. My body is where I expect it to be at my age."
Sobolev confirms Arsenal interest
Russian striker Aleksandr Sobolev has confirmed that Arsenal scouted him during a recent appearance for Krylia Sovetov. The 22-year-old is said to be of interest to both the Gunners and Manchester United in what could turn out to be a £15m battle for his signature.
"I was told after the Sochi game that Arsenal scouts came to see me. In my opinion this is true. I am not 100%, but this is what I was told," Sobolev told Sport Express. "They said that the scouts were sitting in the stand. Manchester United's interest? I can't even imagine how this could be. Where am I [in my career], and where are United? It is my dream to play in England. But in order to do so I have to keep on scoring goals, training and working hard."
Messi admits Neymar fears
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Lionel Messi has admitted that he worried Neymar might move to Real Madrid rather than rejoin Barcelona over the summer. The PSG striker was linked with both El Clasico rivals after admitting he wanted to leave the French capital.
"Honestly, I thought that Neymar would go to Madrid if he didn't come here," Messi told RAC1. "He really wanted to leave Paris and had said so. And I thought Florentino and Real Madrid were going to do something to take it away."
Kevin Phillips keen on Sunderland job?
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Kevin Phillips is keen on taking the Sunderland job after Jack Ross was sacked earlier this week, according to the Daily Star. The 46-year-old former Black Cats striker is said to be the early frontrunner for the job and could appoint former teammate Alex Rae as his assistant.
Gattuso in Sampdoria talks?
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Gennaro Gattuso is said to be in "advanced discussions" over the managerial vacancy at Sampdoria months after he left AC Milan. Football Italia says that the 41-year-old - also linked with Genoa - has held a meeting with the club's president but faces fierce competition for the role from former Leicester City boss Claudio Ranieri.
Diaz closing in on Madrid return
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Brahim Diaz is thought to be inching closer to a Real Madrid comeback after being sidelined by an injury over the summer. The youngster was injured in the final game of last season and spent the summer recovering but went on to suffer a fresh injury as the new season started. According to Marca, Diaz will be "put to the test" during the current international break although Los Blancos are wary of rushing him back.
Koeman talks up Van Dijk
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Netherlands boss Ronald Koeman has said that he is "really proud" to have Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk as his captain. "He has a great personality and also one of the reasons he is the captain," the former Everton boss told Sky Sports News. "He is an example for the team and an example for the nation. We are really proud to have him as a captain in the national team.
"Winning the title of best European player is an incredible achievement for him. He had great support from the people in Southampton. He had great support with the staff and supporters of Liverpool. They won the Champions League last season, they're doing really well and they are strong."
Neil Wilkes
