Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy admitted he regrets leaving the club before they won the Champions League in 2005.

Diego Costa has admitted that he had a massage with horse placenta and electroshocks as he attempted to be fit for the Champions League final in 2014.

Despite enjoying a strong campaign, Dimitar Berbatov narrowly missed out on the final squad, with Ferguson opting for Wayne Rooney, Javier Hernandez and Michael Owen instead.

UEFA are facing up to the prospect of another huge Champions League headache after the Ligue 1 season was cancelled and all sporting events were banned in France until at least September.

PSG chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi said in a statement that while they respect the actions of the French government, they fully intend to feature in Europe's premier club competition.

Kevin De Bruyne remains confident that Manchester City will overturn their two-year Champions League ban but says if they don't he will have to consider his future and 'make a final decision' .

The Champions League came to an abrupt halt in the middle of March following the outbreak of the coronavirus and now UEFA are desperate to get the show back on the road.

Following Ferguson's retirement, United have endured a long slump away from England and Europe's elite but would that still have been the case if Ferguson's bold plans had come to light.

Many teams are hopeful they can make a push for promotion to the Premier League this term, but some have been busier than others in the transfer market. Sportsmail looks at the 10 biggest deals.

IAN WHITTELL AT DEEPDALE: Stoke manager Nathan Jones accused England keeper Jack Butland of having his head turned by talks of a move away from Stoke.

Stoke could ask Tony Pulis to return for a third spell in charge of the Championship club if they sack Nathan Jones, according to The Sun.

Fulham took full advantage of Leeds' slip and closed the gap to the automatic promotion places with a 1-0 win at blackburn. Aleksandar Mitrovic's 20th league goal of the season fired them into third place.

Borja Baston's sixth goal of the season in the third minute looked to have won it for the Swans, but Andy Yiadom earned Reading a last-gasp point at the Liberty Stadium as they missed out on top spot.

AMITAI WINEHOUSE AT THE VALLEY: Andre Ayew's wait was over and the Swansea fans had reason to celebrate. They are now top of the Championship

While the Championship's promotion race is notoriously tight, this year's push for the Premier League is looking like it could be the closest for many years.

Sheffield Wednesday halted Stoke's mini-revival and climbed to third in the Sky Bet Championship with a 1-0 victory over the Potters on Tuesday.

Swansea City's highly-rated coach Cameron Toshack is attracting interest from clubs in Portugal and the Championship. The coach has been hailed for developing young players.

ADAM SHERGOLD AT THE LIBERTY STADIUM: Fulham moved to third in the Championship on Friday as the Cottagers were forced to hold onto their lead after a late Swansea fightback.

RICHARD GIBSON AT THE HAWTHORNS: West Brom were on their best form as they embarrassed Swansea City by a 5-1 scoreline. Matheus Periera stole the show with an outstanding performance.

The Championship promotion race is shaping up to be a classic as we head into the final months of the season with as many as 10 clubs still fancying their chances of going up automatically.

ADAM LANIGAN AT THE BET365 STADIUM: Sam Clucas settled a personal score against the club he joined for £16.5m before their Premier League relegation and helped to extend Stoke's fine run.

RORY KEANE AT THE AVIVA STADIUM: It took an entire game to ship 43 points to Leinster last weekend. On Saturday night, the Saints had conceded the same total after 48 minutes

Wales have responded to a chronic shortage of available centres by launching a cross-border raid for another of England's uncapped junior world champions - Nick Tompkins.

If last week was hellish, Northampton were far more saintly in Lyon on Saturday - winning with a bonus-point to do all they could to make the Champions Cup quarter-finals.

England have set a minimum target of 425 points in their quest to reach the inaugural World Test Championship final at Lord's in 2021. Joe Root's team claimed 56 from the 2-2 draw in the Ashes.

A court ruling for appeals filed by the Serbian and Albanian football federation against UEFA sanctions after their European Championship qualifier was abandoned is expected by July 10.

The biggest-ever Euros kick off this week with 24 teams, 51 matches and a month of top-class action throughout France. To keep track of events, grab yourself a copy of our superb wallchart.

France face a crucial clash in their bid to qualify for next summer's European Championship as they take on group rivals Iceland on a busy night of qualifiers. Follow all of Europe's action here.

Aberdeen defender Scott McKenna has handed in a formal transfer request in an attempt to force a move to England. The Scotland international has had a number of opportunities to leave for clubs in England.

Huddersfield have only played against QPR, Derby, and Lincoln City so far this season, but pressure is already growing on manager Jan Siewert. They crashed out of the Carabao Cup.

KIERAN GILL AT KIYAN PRINCE FOUNDATION STADIUM: Swansea knew it was by the slimmest of chances that they would finish the night in top spot, given it relied on three others dropping points.

Nahki Wells scored a double as QPR beat Millwall 2-1 at The Den to go fourth.The on-loan Burnley man opened the scoring 56 minutes in and doubled his tally in the 72nd minute.

In October 2018 Mason Mount featured as Derby drew 1-1 away to QPR in the Championship. Fast forward a year and the midfielder is is in line to make his first start for England.

DEREK HUNTER AT ELLAND ROAD: Tyler Roberts and Jack Harrison fired Leeds United to the top of the Championship as they comfortably saw off QPR 2-0 at Elland Road.

AMITAI WINEHOUSE AT THE KIYAN PRINCE FOUNDATION STADIUM: Nottingham Forest went up to fourth in the table after an eventual commanding win over ten-man QPR.

Wells has scored 14 goals in 28 appearances this season as part of his second loan spell at QPR, who want to keep him but could lose out to Championship rivals Bristol City.

Sportsmail's scout is a top football expert who attends matches each week searching for the next star. 

As many as half of second tier clubs are believed to be in advanced talks with players over percentage deferrals with growing optimism that agreements will be reached in the coming days.

DOMINIC KING IN SOUTH BEND: Jordan Henderson has stressed that Liverpool's new status as European Champions will not mask the need to find improvement.

Kaan Ayhan headed the opener in for Turkey and Roma winger Cengiz Under, an influential presence from both set-pieces and open play, gave the hosts a 2-0 lead which they protected.

Holland left it late to turn the game around against Northern Ireland and run out winners in Rotterdam. Wales secured a well earned point in Slovakia while Scotland crashed to a heavy defeat in Russia.

France and Portugal are among a number of teams who can book their spot at Euro 2020 next summer on a busy night of qualifying action across the continent. Follow all the action as it happens.

Gareth Bale believes Wales reaching the European Championship next summer could trump the achievement of playing at Euro 2016. Wales ended a 58-year wait in 2016.

The FA have announced that England are set to face Italy on the 27th March at Wembley Stadium. It comes as they continue their preparations for the Euro 2020 which kicks off in June.

Every major football tournament vows to create a once in a generation occasion - but this summer's European Championships promises to be exactly that.

Real Madrid star Gareth Bale has attempted to recreate his iconic Champions League final goal in his living room to raise money for the NHS during the coronavirus pandemic. 

From Christian Coleman winning 100m gold to Dina Asher-Smith picking up Great Britain's first-ever medal in a women's sprint event, each individual achievement has been undermined in Qatar.

Sadio Mane has admitted he would swap the Champions League win with Liverpool to claim AFCON glory with his beloved Senegal. 

Defending champion Cameroon and Ghana drew 0-0 at the African Cup of Nations to leave their group wide open with one round of games to play. It was the second scoreless game of the day.

Wilfried Bony and Serey Die missed penalties in the shootout as Algeria sealed a 4-3 victory over the Ivory Coast following an entertaining 1-1 Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final draw on Thursday.