One member of Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid squad played through illness to secure for himself Man of the Match honours in the club’s meeting with Deportiva Minera.That’s according to Blancos

It was a strange occasion. Deportiva are a fifth-tier team hailing from Llano del Beal in southeast Spain, a town with a population of just 1,300 and a stadium so small the match was moved to Cartagena, and a stadium which accommodated 8,000 spectators – most of whom were madridistas.

The 20-year-old forward Charles Sagoe Jr has returned to Arsenal from a loan spell with League One side Shrewsbury Town, but that is unrelated to the current injury crisis. After Sagoe Jr made just five starts in the first half of the season, Shrewsbury opted to terminate the loan arrangement.

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk does not believe Real Madrid’s interest in Trent Alexander-Arnold has impacted the full-back’s performance. The England international was at fault for Manchester United’s opener in the 2-2 draw at Anfield and was generally poor throughout,

One thing that is certain for Liverpool fans at the moment is that links between Trent Alexander-Arnold and Real Madrid won’t go away, unless a new contract is sorted.