LiveScore Daily: Guardiola hails return of fan favourite De Bruyne

LiveScore Daily is here to deliver all the big talking points from the world of football throughout the day. Keep refreshing this page for the latest stories in bite-sized chunks.

King Kevin

Pep Guardiola was thrilled to see Kevin De Bruyne return for Manchester City against Huddersfield on Sunday.

The talismanic midfielder has been out since he suffered serious damage to his hamstring on the opening day of the Premier League season.

And his reappearance earned one of the biggest cheers of the day as City ran out comfortable 5-0 winners, although Guardiola warned against expecting too much too soon.

He said: "Kevin must know how much the people love him.

"He's incredible. Kevin, until he decides to leave or retires, will forever be one of the most beloved players. We are really pleased for him.

"What concerns me the most is to try to avoid a repeat.

"This is what we have to be careful with, with his minutes at first. There is enthusiasm in the first minutes.

"What Kevin needs, what every player with long injuries needs, is to accumulate weeks of training and minutes."

Time to bounce back

William Saliba has implored his Arsenal team-mates to come back stronger after their poor run of results continued with a 2-0 FA Cup defeat to Liverpool.

The Gunners have won just one of their last seven games, including defeats in their last three.

But Saliba insists there is still everything to play for this season.

He told the club's official website: "I'm really disappointed because we started the game so well. We have to stick together.

"We know we're not in our best moment but we won't give up and we’ll come back even stronger.

"We will work a lot during this break, we will breathe a little bit. We will stick together and come back stronger and better."

Schar the love

Newcastle defender Fabian Schar has signed a new deal until the summer of 2025.

The Swiss international has played more Premier League minutes than any of his team-mates this season and his form has been rewarded.

Schar said: "I've said it a lot of times but I feel really at home here.

"I feel so comfortable living in Newcastle. I love the city and I love playing for the club and the incredible fans. 

"I can't say enough how much I love them and how much their support means to me."

Scrap replays

Nuno Espirito Santo was the latest Premier League manager to call for FA Cup replays to be scrapped after Nottingham Forest's 2-2 draw with Blackpool.

Brentford boss Thomas Frank was vocal in his support of settling ties at the first time of asking last week and Nuno added his voice to the argument on Sunday.

Forest were 2-0 down to the League One side before fighting back to force a rematch.

The boss said: "It is a reality. Everybody is aware there is a big congestion of games, fixtures are every day, it is something we have to look at.

"If you ask me personally I think it should be finished on the day, extra-time, penalties, and allow the players to have a little bit more time to recover.

"Premier League teams are suffering with that, you know the issues with injuries and one of the things is the amount of fixtures."

Spurs' Phillips joins Plymouth

Tottenham defender Ashley Phillips has joined Championship side Plymouth on loan until the end of the season.

The centre-back, who signed for Spurs from Blackburn in the summer, has been regularly involved in Ange Postecoglou's first-team squad during their injury crisis over the last few weeks.

But with Micky van de Ven returning and another defender targeted in the transfer market, the England youth international will now gain first-team experience at Home Park.

Mebude hospitalised after car crash

Scotland Under-21s international Dapo Mebude has undergone successful surgery after suffering life-threatening injuries in a car crash.

Mebude, who plays for Oostende in Belgium, has enjoyed spells at Rangers, Queen of the South, Watford and MK Dons.

And his current club announced the news via their social media channels.

They said: "The practice match between Knokke and KVO [Oostende] was cancelled due to a car accident involving player Dapo Mebude.

"He was taken to hospital but there is no further information about his situation. Our thoughts are with Dapo and his family."

A later update read: "Dapo Mebude underwent successful surgery after his accident. Tomorrow we will get more information about his situation.

"We thank the medical staff of AZ Brugge for the good care. We think of Dapo and his family and wish them much strength and recovery."