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The former Manchester United striker on being omitted from the biggest match of his career, practising with basketballs as a kid – and refusing to change his style

Dimitar Berbatov is talking about the most disappointing day in his football career but he is in a conciliatory mood. In May 2011 the Manchester United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, told him that he would not be in the starting XI for the Champions League final against Barcelona. Even worse, he was not even in the squad.

For Berbatov it was an almighty blow and one he did not fully recover from at United: a year later he was sold to Fulham. However, when writing his autobiography, called My Way and out in English this month, he reached out to his former manager and asked whether he would write the foreword. Ferguson said yes without hesitation. Not only that, he apologised for leaving Berbatov out of the squad and admitted that he got it wrong.

Related: Chelsea dig in to foil Manchester United in a game that felt out of time | Jonathan Wilson

Related: Dignity intact, Dimitar Berbatov heads quietly for Old Trafford exit | Daniel Taylor

Related: Glorious goal shows why Manchester United fans love Dimitar Berbatov

My Way by Dimitar Berbatov is available here.

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Tottenham should coast past winless Burnley on current form, providing José Mourinho has served up a reminder of his reputation after the three-goal collapse against West Ham. Rather continuing the break from said reputation, Tottenham are the Premier League’s top scorers with 15. Burnley have three. Mourinho also has a squad large enough to handle the stresses and strains of the Europa League. Burnley are always tough to beat but keeping a clean sheet against the incandescent partnership of Harry Kane and Heung-min Son feels an impossible task for any side. Graham Searles

Monday 8pm Sky Sports Premier League

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Team news, stats and prediction ahead of Burnley vs Tottenham in the Premier League on Monday; Kick-off 8pm.

• Forward contracted to club until June 2023
• ‘He would like to commit his future to the club for more time’

José Mourinho believes that Son Heung-min is ready to commit the remainder of his peak years to Tottenham. The 28-year-old forward, who has scored nine goals in his past six appearances, is under contract until June 2023 and, as such, there is no immediate urgency to tie him down for longer.

But Spurs always like to stay in control of key players’ situations and, in Mourinho’s words, it is “normal that the club tries to go from three [more years] to four or five or six” with Son.

Related: Premier League, El Clásico and more: weekend football countdown – live!

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Jose Mourinho believes Heung-Min Son has proven his ability as a world-class player over many seasons at Tottenham.

Axel Tuanzebe should start, Everton’s and Aston Villa’s credentials will be tested and Rhian Brewster returns to Anfield

Following their last-ditch heroics against Tottenham, West Ham host Manchester City and in this white-knuckle rollercoaster ride of a season not even the combined forces of Mystic Meg, Nostradamus and Sally Morgan could boldly predict what might happen. City came from behind to beat Porto in the Champions League on Wednesday but their win was far from convincing. The Portuguese side carved open the City defence on several occasions, while Ederson was lucky to survive an uncharacteristic howler. Already without Kevin De Bruyne, Aymeric Laporte, Benjamin Mendy and Gabriel Jesus, City were dealt a further blow with the news Fernandinho will be sidelined for four to six weeks. While undeniably valuable to their cause, the Brazilian may not be quite the loss Guardiola fears – the season before last, City averaged 2.7 points per top flight game in which he played, compared with 2.0 in those in which he didn’t. Last season, with Fernandinhooften covering in City’s now-replenished central defence, they earned more points in the eight games without him (2.4 per game) than in matches he played in (2.13). BG

Related: Hakim Ziyech: 'I'm not afraid to have my opinion, I speak from the heart'

Southampton v Everton – Sunday 2pm GMT

Aston Villa v Leeds United – Friday, 8pm BST

Related: Hakim Ziyech: 'I'm not afraid to have my opinion, I speak from the heart'

Wolves v Newcastle United – Sunday, 4.30pm GMT

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Spurs cruised to an opening-night Europa League victory without hitting top gear as Linz ASK were comprehensively beaten 3-0 on Thursday.

José Mourinho had framed the beginning of Tottenham’s Europa League group stage adventure with trademark swagger. Holding three footballs in a photograph for Instagram, he posted that they signified the two Europa Leagues he already had in his pocket and the one he intends to go for this season. The shrinking violet’s record in the competition reads two entries and two trophies – with Porto and Manchester United.

The manager is determined to lead from the front in his mission to harden the squad’s mentality, to browbeat his charges into becoming winners and, after the shocking late implosion against West Ham on Sunday, this was more like it. The surrender of a 3-0 lead to draw 3-3 had drawn the inevitable Spursy jibes but this time they merely scored three.

Related: Leicester off to perfect start with comfortable victory over Zorya Luhansk

Related: Jens Petter Hauge's late strike for Milan ends Celtic’s comeback hopes

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Sean Dyche has vowed to play "a style that is awkward" for Tottenham as Jose Mourinho's men travel to Burnley live on Monday Night Football.

LASK head coach Dominik Thalhammer has revealed one of his squad has not travelled for the Europa League group game with Tottenham after testing positive for coronavirus.

• Collapse like one against West Ham ‘not going to happen again’
  
• Mourinho has 100% record in Europe’s second competition

Tottenham’s calamitous late collapse against West Ham on Sunday has not persuaded José Mourinho there is any reason to be pessimistic about extending his 100% record in Europe’s secondary club competition – competed twice, won twice – as his side begin the Europa League group stage against Lask at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Thursday.

In their last game Spurs conceded three times in the last eight minutes as a comfortable 3-0 lead evaporated, and it was put to Mourinho that those with long memories would consider such displays so typical of the club that they might be described as “Spursy”.

Related: Gareth Bale's bizarre return shows Spurs' possibilities and problems | Nick Ames

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Team news and stats ahead of Tottenham vs LASK in their opening Europa League group stage game on Thursday; Kick-off 8pm.

Jose Mourinho refused to give his thoughts on the proposed European Premier League, insisting he will "leave it" for Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy.

The Football Supporters' Association has accused "billionaire foreign owners" of threatening to destroy the structure of English football, by their repeated attempts to drain power and money from the game.

Sergio Reguilon is casting his mind back to Jose Mourinho's time in charge of Real Madrid. "I was very young, still a cadete in the academy, and I never had the good fortune of meeting him," he tells Sky Sports. "But I have great memories of that period.

Leaked plans for a lucrative European Premier League have sent the footballing world into frenzy and left the game on the precipice of generational change.

Liverpool and Manchester United are in talks about a bombshell plot involving Europe's biggest football clubs to join a new FIFA-backed tournament that would reshape the sport's global landscape.

Danny Rose, Jean Michael Seri and Connor Wickham are among the players sidelined as the 2020/21 Premier League squads were confirmed.

England have seven teams competing in both the Champions League and Europa League this season - but how do their Premier League schedules look following those European encounters?