Portuguese Football in English
It’s over between José Mourinho and AS Roma after two-and-a-half years together. The Portuguese boss was relieved of his duties on Tuesday morning, six months before his expected departure at the end of his contract.
Mourinho’s time in the Italian capital appeared perilous when countryman Tiago Pinto lost his job as sporting director recently, while talks of an extension to his deal have been replaced by speculation over a successor.
Lille’s Tiago Djaló is expected to sign for Italian giants Juventus before the end of the January transfer window, just weeks after returning to training following a serious knee injury.
Djaló has not played since last March when he suffered an anterior cruciate ligament setback, but with his contract due to expire in the summer the 23-year-old is headed to Turin on a cut-price deal.
Newcastle United 2-3 Manchester City
Bernardo Silva continued his recent run of goalscoring form with a typically brilliant finish as Manchester City staged a late comeback victory against Newcastle United.
Portugal star Bernardo has now scored four goals in his last seven starts for City in all competitions, and his strike at St James Park on Saturday evening was another memorable moment for the European champions.
The future of enigmatic Portuguese forward João Félix is once again subject of speculation in Spain, with reports suggesting Barcelona are cooling their interest in making his loan move permanent.
Félix joined the champions last summer a season-long deal from Atletico Madrid, where his relationship with manager Diego Simeone had deteriorated last winter. A spell with Chelsea in England during the second half of last season proved a temporary solution, but the move to Barcelona was seen by many as the chance for the Portuguese to find his ideal environment.
Wigan Athletic 0-2 Manchester United
Manchester United avoided any prospect of an FA Cup slip-up by easily beating third-tier side Wigan Athletic on Monday evening, with Portuguese duo Diogo Dalot and Bruno Fernandes scoring the goals to send the Red Devils through to the 4th round.
United came into the game off the back of an awful December, winning just two of their seven matches in all competitions and dropping to 8th place in the Premier League. Having already been knocked out of the League Cup and the Champions League, an upset in the FA Cup was unthinkable for Erik ten Hag’s side.
