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BREAKING: Leicester City Appoint Van Nistelrooy To Succeed Steve Cooper—-Leicester City appoint former Manchester United interim and PSV Eindhoven head coach Ruud van Nistelrooy to succeeds Steve Cooper who replaces now Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca.

Steve Cooper appointed in June to succeeds outgoing Enzo Maresca spent less than 5 months before his dismissal.

Ruud van Nistelrooy will watch Leicester’s clash with Brentford on Saturday from the stands after signing a contract until 2027 to manage the Premier League strugglers.

The former Manchester United and Real Madrid striker, who left his coaching role at Old Trafford earlier this month, will be in the dugout when the Foxes meet West Ham at the King Power Stadium on Tuesday.

Van Nistelrooy succeeds Steve Cooper, who was sacked after just 12 league games at the helm.

‘I’m proud, I’m excited. Everybody that I speak to about Leicester City Football Club is enthusiastic,’ Van Nistelrooy said after the appointment on Friday evening.

‘They have great stories about the quality of the people working at the club, the supporters and, of course, the recent history of the club is impressive.

‘I’m excited to start and to get to know everyone and give everything I can for the football club.

Ruud van Nistelrooy has been named Leicester City’s new permanent manager

Leicester moved quickly after sacking Steve Cooper following their weekend loss to Chelsea

Even though results were not disastrous, Leicester chiefs were alarmed by the standard of performances while the change in approach between Cooper and Enzo Maresca, who led the side to promotion before joining Chelsea, is also thought to have unsettled a number of players.

Cooper struggled to win over the majority of the squad. At their Christmas party in Copenhagen on Saturday night – a trip which had been approved by Cooper – players were pictured in the Museo nightclub in the city. In one of the pictures, a reveller holds aloft a sign ‘Enzo I miss you’.

Mail Sport understands Leicester put out feelers to Graham Potter last Sunday night though yet again, Potter is thought to have been unconvinced.

Potter was approached by Leicester after they sacked Brendan Rodgers 18 months ago, and after Maresca departed.

Potter was reluctant to commit himself on both occasions. David Moyes was also sounded out but talks went no further.

Cooper was hired on a three-year contract last summer and left with Leicester in the best position of the three sides promoted from the Championship last term.

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BREAKING: Victor Osimhen Stars As Nigeria Beat Algeria To Set Up Morocco Semi-Final Clash

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Nigeria Beat Algeria To Set Up Morocco Semi-Final Clash

BREAKING: Victor Osimhen Stars As Nigeria Beat Algeria To Set Up Morocco Semi-Final Clash—-The Super Eagles of Nigeria have qualified for the semi-final of the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.

The Super Eagles pulled off a stunning display to beat Algeria 2-0 in their quarter-final clash on Saturday evening, to book their spot.

Eric Chelle’s men dominated the Desert Foxes for most of the first half, but failed to find the back of the net.

The closest Nigeria came to opening the scoring, came when Calvin Bassey’s effort was cleared off the line.

But in the second half, Victor Osimhen headed in Bruno Onyemaechi’s cross, before setting up Akor Adams for the second goal.

The three-time African champions will now clash with the hosts Morocco for a place in the final.

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The Atlas Lions of Morocco Reaches AFCON 2025 Semis, As Indomitable Lions of Cameroon Bows Out

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Morocco Reaches AFCON 2025 Semis

The Atlas Lions of Morocco Reaches AFCON 2025 Semis, As Indomitable Lions of Cameroon Bows Out—-Brahim Diaz continued his remarkable Africa Cup of Nations scoring streak and Ismael Saibari added another as hosts Morocco saw off Cameroon 2–0 in a tense quarter-final on Friday, keeping their title dreams firmly on track.

Roared on by more than 64,000 fans in Rabat, Real Madrid winger Diaz got the crucial touch to Ayoub El Kaabi’s 26th-minute header at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium.

Diaz’s fifth goal in five games and a second-half strike from Saibari earned Morocco a deserved win and a semi-final meeting with the winner of Algeria vs Nigeria.

The semi-final is likely to present a much tougher challenge for Walid Regragui’s team than Cameroon, who had aimed to spring an upset after surpassing expectations by progressing this far despite a difficult build-up to the tournament.

Five-time African champions Cameroon were largely toothless in attack, with Manchester United forward Bryan Mbeumo kept quiet throughout.

Morocco, Africa’s top-ranked team and World Cup semi-finalists in 2022, are under enormous pressure to win the Cup of Nations in front of their own fans, half a century after their last continental title.

There have been doubts as to whether they can handle the weight of expectation, but they remain on course to achieve their objective –- it is the first time Morocco have reached the AFCON semi-finals since they lost the 2004 final to Tunisia.

The hosts were unchanged from their 1-0 last-16 win over Tanzania as they looked to continue an unbeaten record going back to their defeat by South Africa at the 2024 AFCON.

Fresh from knocking out South Africa in the last round here, Cameroon were clearly banking on frustrating Morocco as much as possible in an attempt to turn the crowd against the home side.

Morocco were beaten by the Cameroonians in the semi-finals the last time they hosted AFCON in 1988, but a repeat outcome never really looked likely.

David Pagou’s team were not helped by the early loss of right wing-back Jackson Tchamadeu, who tried to carry on after Noussair Mazraoui landed heavily on his knee before eventually being stretchered off.

Moments after that, Morocco scored. Achraf Hakimi sent in a corner from the right which was headed towards goal by El Kaabi at the near post, and the ball struck Diaz in the groin before going in.

That calmed a frenetic home support, who cheered their team off at the break after seeing Abde Ezzalzouli and El Kaabi come close to adding further goals.

Morocco were on top, and Cameroon’s response was to change formation after the break, from a back three to a 4-2-3-1, in an attempt to create more danger.

Ezzalzouli headed just over from a Hakimi corner, and then a cross by the Paris Saint-Germain star caused havoc in the Cameroon box as Samuel Kotto hooked the ball away from the line.

Mbeumo had appeals for a penalty dismissed by the Mauritanian referee before PSV Eindhoven’s Saibari fired in the killer second goal on 74 minutes after controlling Ezzalzouli’s dead-ball delivery, as Morocco march on to Wednesday’s semis.

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