Manchester United's Paul Pogba faces surgery, out for 3-4 weeks

Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has been advised to undergo an operation related to an ongoing foot injury that could keep him out an additional three to four weeks, club manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said.

The France international missed his team's 2-0 loss to Arsenal on Wednesday after complaining of what Solskjaer described as "discomfort" in his ankle.

"We've had scans and it's nothing major, it's something that has to be sorted and dealt within a timeframe and he's been advised to do it as soon as possible, so he'll be out for three or four weeks," Solskjaer said after the match. "We've had consultants looking at him as well and club has been looking at it, the scans have been done by us. We've been without him all season, so the boys who've been playing have been fantastic."

Pogba's absence is a further blow for Solskjaer after Scott McTominay was ruled out for more than a month with knee ligament damage. The Scotland international has been on crutches since suffering the injury against Newcastle on Boxing Day.

"Scotty's been magnificent and we just hope that Paul can come back, he'll be back within a month," Solskjaer added. "If Nemanja Matic and Fred play like they did today I'll be happy with them, because they played well, the two of them."

Solskjaer also hinted that the recent rash of injuries coulf force the club could pursue reinforcement options during the transfer window.

"Of course, it's playing on our decision-making when you've got two players out -- Paul out for a month and Scott for two. That will give us less options and we've got loads of games and important games. Still, it's got to be right and that's the point here.

"If [signings are] available and it's possible, we'll do something, definitely. We're looking at one or two."

An operation would see Pogba miss the Carabao Cup semifinal first leg with Manchester City at Old Trafford on Jan. 7 and the trip to Anfield to face Liverpool on Jan. 19, as per iSports API football data.

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Prior to Wednesday's match, Solskjaer said Pogba would be sidelined "for a few weeks" due to feeling some discomfort in his ankle.

Pogba has been plagued this season with the foot injury. He didn't play between Sept. 30 and Dec. 22 and has only made two substitute appearances since then, recorded by iSports API.

Solskjaer said following a 2-0 win over Burnley on Saturday that he expected Pogba to be available at the Emirates for United's New Years' Day game but he was absent from the squad which travelled to London on Tuesday.

Following the victory at Turf Moor, the players were granted a day off on Sunday and Pogba used his to travel to France to attend a charity match. He returned to Carrington on Monday but was not able to take part in training.

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Mavericks' Luka Doncic scores 24 in return from sprained ankle

Mavericks forward Luka Doncic scored 24 points in his return from a sprained right ankle Thursday night, lifting Dallas to a 102-98 win over the San Antonio Spurs.

Doncic, who also had 10 rebounds and eight assists in 33 minutes, missed the past four games and was listed as questionable before he started Thursday's game, as per iSports API basketball livescore data.

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It felt good to be back," Doncic said after the game. "It was like I was running a marathon. I was so tired. It's different when you miss four or five games. It was great being back."

Entering the day, he ranked third in the NBA with 29.3 points and 8.9 assists per game, and he also averages 9.6 rebounds, according to iSports basketball API.

He was a full participant in the Mavericks' practice Tuesday, and the team wanted to monitor how his ankle responded before inserting him in the lineup.

The Mavericks went 2-2 in Doncic's absence.

Doncic injured the ankle when he stepped on the foot of Miami Heat guard Kendrick Nunn while driving to the basket in the opening minutes of the Mavs' double-overtime loss on Dec. 14. The ankle rolled over so far that it touched the hardwood, and the Mavs felt fortunate that X-rays were negative and Doncic was diagnosed with a lateral ankle sprain.

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Martin Ødegaard set to return to Real Madrid in 2020

Martin Ødegaard has been one of the most beautiful surprises in all of world football in 2019, with the Norwegian finally showing off his quality with the ball in LaLiga.

Nearly every single weekend with Real Sociedad, Ødegaard has put on a show with his goals, assists, and individual moments of magic.

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With Real Madrid suffering from injuries and below-par performances in the midfield, AS is now reporting that Los Blancos will cut his two-year loan short and Ødegaard will return to the club in the summer.

The loan contract is officially for one season (the current one), but there is a second year verbally agreed between the clubs.

Due to prior business dealings (Asier Illarramendi, Diego Llorente, Theo Hernandez), the relationship between the two clubs is understood to be ‘magnificent’ and it’s not believed there will be any problem with Madrid recalling the Norway international a year early.

Transfermarkt currently valued the 20-year-old Ødegaard at a whopping €50m.

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Mario Mandzukic leaves Juventus for Qatari side Al Duhail

Mario Mandzukic has joined Qatari side Al Duhail, leaving Juventus after four years at the Serie A club.

Mandzukic reached the World Cup final in 2018, and at club level he previously played for Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich, winning the Champions League with the latter in 2013, according to iSports API football data.

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"The team's management succeeded today in contracting with the Croatian striker Mario Mandzukic of Juventus in a free transfer deal after the end of his contract with his Italian team," Al-Duhail said.

Mandzukic, 33, was linked with Manchester United in the summer, but sources told ESPN the Premier League side backed out of a move due to Juventus' asking price and the forward's wage demands.

The former Croatia international, who did not make a single appearance under new Juventus manager Maurizio Sarri this season, joins former Juve teammate Medhi Benatia at Al Duhail.

The Doha-based club are coached by Rui Faria, former assistant coach to Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho.

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Napoli and AS Roma want Sead Kolasinac to reinforce their squad

Napoli and AS Roma want to sign Arsenal left-back Sead Kolasinac, in January and the summer respectively.

AS Roma also want the Arsenal left-back, but they want a transfer next summer. Aleksandar Kolarov is 34 and out of contract next year, according to iSports API football data, so they need a replacement.

News report that Napoli are keen on signing Sead Kolasinac in the January transfer window. The club are going into their first window under new head coach Gennaro Gattuso, as he tries to make the team his own.

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Napoli are also in terrible form, as they’ve won just one league game in 9(as per iSports API). They’ll be considering anything they can do to turn that around.

Napoli could have an advantage given recent rumours of Arsenal interest in Dries Mertens. If the reports are true, a swap deal with the Serie A club could work for both parties.

For now, Kolasinac is recovering from an injury. Even when he’s back, Arsenal probably won’t consider a January sale unless they have a replacement ready. Kieran Tierney is out until March, so Mikel Arteta needs Kolasinac back as soon as possible.

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Thomas Müller makes Bundesliga history in first half of season

In a turbulent opening half of the season for Bayern Munich, Thomas Müller has been a big positive.

Despite the German champions having to change coach, the 30-year-old has been a key and constant presence.

So much so that he has set a Bundesliga record for the opening half of a season.

No player before had ever managed to register 11 assists in the first 17 games until Müller this year, as per iSports API football data.

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His latest assist came on Saturday in the 2-0 win over Wolfsburg as he provided for Joshua Zirkzee to open the scoring.

In addition to his double-digit assists, the forward has also scored twice in the Bundesliga.

He is followed closely in the league assist charts by Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho, who has 10.

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Getafe president confirms Carles Aleñá talks with Barcelona

Getafe barely missed out on Champions League qualification last season, falling two points short of the task and qualifying for the Europa League for just the third time in the club’s history, as per iSports API.

The azulones have proved last season’s campaign was no fluke and are currently in fourth place domestically, with a mouthwatering Europa League round-of-32 tie against Ajax on the horizon.

Currently just 6 points behind Barcelona and Real Madrid, Getafe president wants to make a splash in January and has confirmed he will speak with Barça to discuss the future of midfielder Carles Aleñá.

Aleñá has made 38 appearances for Barcelona, scoring three goals, currently values the player at €30m, according to iSports API football data.

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Aleñá nearly joined Getafe 2 years ago when Rafinha fell victim to injury just before the January window opened up.

With Barcelona’s congested midfield, it may be time for the club to let the 21-year-old embark on his own journey.

“I’ll speak with them this afternoon, or tomorrow, to see whether or not the kid will stay there. I like Carles Aleñá and wanted him two years ago.

“He could cover the place if somebody else left. If no one leaves, no one will come in.

“But Markel is tired of suffering and if he retires, we’ll have a spot open. He wants to retire and we’ll need to replace him.

“The market is open and there are players who want to join us. We’re in the Europa League and any deal which could improve us now, or for the future, is something we’ll value.”

Earlier this month, AS reported that the two sides had agreed to a six-month loan deal for the player.

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