Higginbotham: Louis van Gaal’s attention to detail is ‘unbelievable’

Former Manchester United defender Danny Higginbotham has praised new Red Devils manager Louis van Gaal for his ‘unbelievable’ attention to detail during the club’s pre-season.

Speaking with Extra Time, Higginbotham said that the early signs of the Van Gaal era at Old Trafford are encouraging.

“Football’s evolving all the time. I retired recently and from when I started, to when I finished it came on leaps and bounds in terms of the technology used for fitness, nutrition, everything.

"One thing I have seen from being over here is the attention to detail that’s paid towards everything by the manager. It’s absolutely unbelievable,”

"As a player sometimes you find that you go on to the pitch at certain clubs and don’t know what’s asked of you. Here under the new manager you can see that after changing the formation the players have taken to it straight away, and it’s been really exciting to watch, to see how it’s developing. The managing and coaching staff have been absolutely brilliant from what I’ve seen so far.”

The ex-United man also thinks the steady evolution of the team in pre-season is a good sign of things to come in the Premier League.

“If you can get the results in pre-season, players playing well and goalscorers scoring as has been happening here then it can only help your confidence. You can see with every game that the team, with the formation, are gelling more and more. That last game against Inter should never have gone to penalties. United were the dominant force in that game,”

“Players look so much more comfortable. Mata playing behind Rooney and Welbeck: all three have been brilliant so far. Ashley Young playing at left and right wingback has been brilliant too.

"One of the things about Van Gaal as a manager is that he’s already gauging what the players are best at. It’s brilliant to see how in a short time they’ve taken everything in and everyone has gotten on board with what’s happening at the club. Hopefully it bears well for the season ahead.”

Chelsea fans turn their back on Manchester City-bound legend

Frank Lampard's prospective move to Manchester City on a short-term loan has generated shockwaves in football, not least among some very unhappy Chelsea supporters.

The legendary Blues midfielder left Stamford Bridge at the end of the season after 13 trophy laden years and then agreed a move to New York City FC, who are part owned by the Premier League champions.

No problems there as Lampard left with the well wishes of Chelsea supporters but with the MLS side not in action until March, it has now emerged he is set to join City on a six month loan.

And that creates a big problem for some Blues fans. While some have understood the 36-year-old's decision, others have gone apoplectic at the midfielder's decision to join their Premier League title rivals.

Transfer rumours and paper review - Saturday, August 2

Here's the top transfer-related stories in Saturday's newspapers...

Barcelona are set to scupper Manchester United's £30m attempt to sign Colombian midfielder Juan Cuadrado, 26, from Fiorentina. (Daily Express)

Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo, 29, has not ruled out the possibility of returning to Manchester United. (Manchester Evening News)

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini has been told that £32m Porto defender Eliaquim Mangala, 23, will be his last signing this summer. (Times)

Barcelona and Brondby are considering making a move for Liverpool's Danish centre-back Daniel Agger, 29, who is considering his future at Anfield following the arrival of £20m defender Dejan Lovren from Southampton. (Daily Mail)

Arsenal may make a move to sign former Liverpool defender Alvaro Arbeloa, 31, from Real Madrid if Thomas Vermaelen, 28, leaves the Emirates Stadium. (AS)

Manchester United are ready to sign Vermaelen for about £12m, despite the fact the centre-back is suffering from a minor hamstring injury he picked up with Belgium during the World Cup. (Guardian)

Liverpool have suffered a setback in their pursuit of Paris St-Germain's 29-year-old forward Ezequiel Lavezzi, with the Argentina international preferring a move to Juventus. (Daily Express)

Newcastle boss Alan Pardew says he has given up his attempt to sign QPR's 27-year-old striker Loic Remy. (Newcastle Chronicle)

West Ham are lining up a move for Stoke City striker Peter Crouch, 33, as they look to bolster their attacking options after Samuel Eto'o priced himself out of a move to Upton Park. (Daily Star)

Southampton's Polish goalkeeper Artur Boruc, 34, has emerged as an unlikely transfer target for German champions Bayern Munich. (Telegraph)

Liverpool are lending Manchester United a helping hand in their pursuit of Borussia Dortmund defender Mats Hummels, 25, with the Reds willing to let 21-year-old Portuguese defender Tiago Ilori move to the Bundesliga on loan to replace the German. (Daily Star)

Everton and Norwich City are both keen to sign Ostersunds FK's Gambian striker Modou Barrow, 21, according to his agent Willie McKay. (Sky Sports)

Tottenham are in talks to sign Villarreal's £21m-rated Argentine defender Mateo Musacchio, 23, who has previously been linked with Barcelona. (Daily Mirror)

QPR are considering a loan move for Juventus's 26-year-old midfielder Mauricio Isla. (Daily Mail)

Could Liverpool, Manchester United or other top Premier League sides benefit from this Real Madrid goalkeeper?

Iker Casillas has pulled rank at Real Madrid, and as a consequence Diego Lopez is set to leave the Bernabeu. The former Villarreal stopper has been first choice with Los Blancos since returning to the club in January 2013, and was only second to Casillas in cup competitions last season, but in the end Madrid’s golden boy has regained his status as Madrid number one ahead of the forthcoming La Liga campaign. Lopez has been told to find a new club, and according to reports in Spain, he isn’t short of suitors. talkSPORT looks at some of the English clubs that could benefit from the Spaniard...

Liverpool

The Reds have an excellent first choice keeper in Simon Mignolet, but the Anfield side are lacking when it comes to genuine competition for the number one spot, with Pepe Reina unlikely to ever take the field for them again. Joe Hart’s dip in form at Manchester City was a clear indicator of how having no challenge for your place between the sticks can damage a keeper’s game, so Brendan Rodgers will likely be keen to avoid a similar situation with the Reds. Reports from Liverpool's pre-season suggest Rodgers isn't happy with the goalkeeping options he currently has in any case. Lopez is an ideal candidate to come in and create that challenge to Mignolet for obvious reasons given he carried out the same task at Real Madrid, and his significant Champions League experience – something Mignolet lacks – could be a major asset looking forward to Liverpool’s return to the competition.

Chelsea

One rumour doing the rounds in Spain is that Jose Mourinho could look to reunite with Lopez at Stamford Bridge. That seems highly unlikely however given the Blues already have a dilemma on their hands in choosing between Thibaut Courtois and Petr Cech, two keepers who aren’t happy to spend time on the bench. If Courtois hadn’t returned to Chelsea then the stories about Diego Lopez moving to the West London side would be more believable, but as things stand it looks like nothing more than a poor attempt to drum up interest from his agent.

Manchester United

Intriguingly, Manchester United followed Lopez closely back in his Villarreal days, when he kept two clean sheets against the Red Devils in the 2008/09 Champions League group stage, while after United’s 3-2 exit to Real Madrid from the same competition in 2013, Sir Alex Ferguson hailed him as better than Iker Casillas. It wouldn’t be a surprise therefore if United renew their interest in Lopez, and with the Manchester side experiencing a similar problem to Liverpool in terms of competition for David de Gea, it could be an option worth considering.

talkSPORT verdict

As previously noted the Chelsea rumours about Lopez look wide of the mark, and of the remaining Premier League sides that could afford him, Liverpool and Manchester United are the ones who would benefit most from his quality. The Red Devils have history when it comes to the Spaniard, while the rumours that Brendan Rodgers isn’t entirely happy with his current options between the sticks could also open a door at Anfield, so don’t be surprised if it emerges that either side will challenge the likes of big-spending Monaco for his signature.

Lampard stateside, Drogba heads home

Returning with its latest summer transfer market round-up, FIFA.com picks out the big moves in world football over the last few days, two of which involve Chelsea legends.

The big deal
What better way for a newly created club to make its name than to recruit one of the world’s top players of the last 15 years? That is exactly what New York City FC have done in snapping up Chelsea’s all-time leading goalscorer Frank Lampard, who at the age of 36 has given himself a fresh challenge. He joins a club who will make their Major League Soccer debut at the start of 2015, have yet to play a single competitive match and have only five players on their books so far. With Lampard and 2010 FIFA World Cup™ winner David Villa among that quintet, however, the New Yorkers are already making plenty of headlines around the world.

The World Cup effect
While the 2014 World Cup may have been Lampard’s swansong on the international stage, it provided a springboard for many other players, who have earned moves on the back of their displays at the world finals. Antoine Griezmann, after his great season with Real Sociedad and his promising performances with France at the global finals, decided to make a step up by joining Spanish champions and UEFA Champions League finalists Atletico Madrid. A World Cup runner-up with Argentina, Jose Maria Basanta has left Monterrey for Fiorentina, while Ecuador’s Jefferson Montero has joined Swansea City from Monarcas Morelia. Colombia goalkeeper David Ospina has brought an end to his six-year association with Nice to sign for Arsenal, and Southampton and Croatia defender Dejan Lovren has headed north to Liverpool. Netherlands centre half Stefan de Vrij is also on the move, swapping Feyenoord for Lazio, while Ghana forward Jordan Ayew, tired of life on the bench at Marseille, has decamped to Lorient in search of first-team football. And, having spent last season on loan at Everton from Chelsea, Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku will be staying at Goodison Park for the foreseeable future, having put pen to paper on a £28m deal, a record outlay for The Toffees.

The stat
5 - the number of leading players Southampton have seen leave the club since the transfer window opened. The Saints are paying a high price for their success last season, when they finished eighth, with the English Premier League’s big guns moving in for their brightest talents. Dejan Lovren, Adam Lallana and Rickie Lambert have all joined Liverpool, Luke Shaw has gone to Manchester United and Calum Chambers to Arsenal, leaving new coach Ronald Koeman more determined than ever to hang on to the equally in-demand duo of Morgan Schneiderlin and Jay Rodriguez.

The globetrotter
Greece forward Theofanis Gekas has showcased his goalscoring skills all over Europe in a career that began nearly 16 years ago. Now 34, the much-travelled Gekas has played for 12 clubs in all and has just made another move, rejoining Akhisar Belediyespor from fellow Turkish side Konyaspor. Since starting out with Larissa in 1998, the Greek goalgetter, who has struck 24 times in 76 appearances for his country, has plied his trade in Greece with Larissa, Khallitea and Panathinaikos; in Germany with Bochum, Bayer Leverkusen, Hertha Berlin and Eintracht Frankfurt; in England with Portsmouth; in Spain with Levante; and in Turkey with Samsunspor, Akhisar Belediyespor and Konyaspor.

Back to their roots 
Two years after bowing out at Chelsea with a UEFA Champions League winner’s medal, Didier Drogba has made his return to Stamford Bridge. “It’s amazing to be back. It’s a wonderful feeling,” said the Ivorian striker, who ran out for The Blues between 2004 and 2012 before enjoying spells with Shanghai Shenhua and Galatasaray. American utility man DaMarcus Beasley is also going back to his roots, heading back to the MLS ten years after leaving Chicago Fire to play in the Netherlands, England, Scotland, Germany and most recently in Mexico for Puebla. A forward when he left MLS, Beasley, who has signed on the dotted line for Houston Dynamo, will return a defender. Finally, Paraguayan striker Nelson Valdez has made his way back to Germany, having distinguished himself with Bundesliga clubs Werder Bremen and Borussia Dortmund between 2002 and 2010. Following spells in Spain, Russia, the UAE and latterly in Greece with Olympiacos, he has now signed for Eintracht Frankfurt.

Player to watch
A surprise inclusion in Marc Wilmots’ 23-man Belgium squad for Brazil 2014, Divock Origi had a big hand in Les Diables Rouges’ run to the quarter-finals, where they went out to Argentina. With his performances, the young front man turned the heads of the powers that be at Liverpool, who have succeeded in purchasing him from Lille. Still only 19, the promising Origi will remain with the French Ligue 1 club for another season however, on loan from his new employers.

What they said
“It was an easy decision to make. You just can’t say no to Jose Mourinho and Chelsea,” Chelsea striker Didier Drogba.

Transfer talk on Twitter
Rene Higuita sends his congratulations to David Ospina on signing for Arsenal:
"​I know you very well and you're going to do an excellent job with Arsenal. Such great news brother!"