Pep Guardiola became the latest high-profile Premier League manager to defend Wayne Rooney on Friday after the England captain apologised following the release of pictures of him socialising in the early hours while on international duty.
Guardiola beat out Chelsea's Antonio Conte, Burnley's Sean Dyche, Liverpool's Juergen Klopp, Manchester United's Jose Mourinho and Arsenal's Arsene Wenger for the award.
Liverpool's Slot not nervous ahead of Anfield debut
Liverpool kicked off the new year three points clear atop the English Premier League standings with a 4-2 victory over Newcastle United.
Champions Liverpool are five points clear at the top of the Premier League after a 7-0 away hammering of Crystal Palace while Arsenal's troubles continued with a 2-1 defeat at second-placed Everton on Saturday.
Cody Gakpo scored his first goal for the club as they halted a dismal run
Liverpool 'disappointed' after fans celebrate league win outside Anfield
Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich face Borussia Dortmund on Saturday with relations between the German heavyweights seemingly at an all-time low.
Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge has suffered another injury setback after a foot problem picked up in training ruled him out of a return against Girondins Bordeaux in the Europa League
IMAGES from the Premier League matches played on Wednesday.
Manchester United got their pre-season off to a flying start with a 4-0 rout of rivals Liverpool in Thailand on Tuesday, giving new manager Erik ten Hag a big boost in his first match in charge.
Here is a look at the clubs most likely to give City a run for their money next season.
Colombian super-sub Jhon Duran scored two late goals as Aston Villa salvaged a 3-3 home draw with Liverpool.
A smiling Jamie Vardy reckoned he had never scored a finer goal than the blistering long-distance volley which helped Leicester City's footballing fantasy enter ever more surreal territory on Tuesday.
Diogo Jota's doubled earned Juergen Klopp's side a 2-0 victory over Leicester City
A summary of Sunday's action in the Premier League.
Armenia midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan scored twice as Borussia Dortmund thrashed Borussia Moenchengladbach 4-0 on Saturday to launch their season with a bang on coach Thomas Tuchel's Bundesliga debut with the club.
The strip made a memorable debut in the 7-0 thrashing of Maribor in the Champions League group stage, marking Liverpool's biggest ever away win in European competition.
Liverpool's Daniel Sturridge has urged manager Juergen Klopp to deploy him in his favoured centre forward position, where he operates on "autopilot".
Liverpool's Champions League winning trio of Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Sadio Mane joined regulars Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi on the shortlist for The Best FIFA Men's player award
After a six-match unbeaten start to his reign as Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp came down to earth with a bump as his side lost 2-1 to Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Sunday.
Brazilian Casemiro struck late to send Manchester United into the FA Cup quarter-finals with a 1-0 victory over Nottingham Forest as teenagers Jayden Danns and Lewis Koumas inspired Liverpool to a 3-0 win over Southampton on Wednesday.
Manchester City's Erling Haaland faces Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski meets Bayern Munich after the Champions League group-stage draw was made on Thursday.
'For the Premier League, it would be great having the best player in the world in the league. I'm not sure the Premier League needs a boost but it would be.'
Juergen Klopp's side remain seventh, six points behind the Champions League places, after only their second defeat in the 12 games since the German took over in October
Parliament on Wednesday rejected a Labour Party motion to extend free school meals until Easter 2021 from the cut-off before the half-term and winter holidays, prompting the England international to launch his campaign on social media.
Ronaldo back for Man Utd but injured Shaw faces weeks out
McTominay injury takes gloss of vibrant United display
Liverpool blew a chance take a vice-like grip on the title race and Chelsea suffered their worst league defeat in 23 years.
English Premier League leaders Liverpool will need to maintain their excellent recent record against Everton in Sunday's Merseyside derby if they are to hold their advantage over second-placed Manchester City.
Liverpool kept their push for a top-four finish in the Premier League on course as Emre Can thundered home a second-half winner to complete a hard-earned 2-1 comeback win over Burnley at a relieved Anfield on Sunday.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola denied reports that his contract contains a 'break clause' that could allow him to leave at the end of the season. The Spaniard signed an extension last year until 2021 but with City's hopes of a third successive Premier League title now looking remote, questions have been raised about his future.
Danny Ings gave Southampton a surprise 1-0 home win over Premier League leaders Liverpool.
Liverpool beat Cardiff City side 3-1 in the FA Cup on Sunday
Guardiola says City's points record may last years
Brentford pulled off their latest English Premier League shock by beating Liverpool 3-1 at home.
The win moved Juergen Klopp's side above Chelsea in the table and 11 points behind leaders Manchester City with a game in hand.
It was not so much the maths, though Liverpool's nine-point advantage over defending champions City, with one point less over Leicester City and Chelsea, is a significant gap, especially as Juergen Klopp's side have lost one league game in 18 months.
The Brazilian had to be substituted in the second half of his side's 2-1 Premier League win at Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday after clashing with the hand of opposition defender Jan Vertonghen.
Southgate said England had been forced to give players extra days' recovery and also tapered their training schedules as the country's hopes of qualifying for the Nations League finals were dashed after Sunday's 2-0 defeat by Belgium.
