*Bailly to miss three months due to ankle surgery*

Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has confirmed that he expects Eric Bailly to miss up to three months' worth of action as he requires surgery on an ankle injury.

But he has not featured since the start of November due to a problematic ankle and that now looks set to ruin much of the remainder of his season.

Mourinho revealed on Thursday that the centre-back's injury is serious and is likely to require surgery, something the Portuguese has now been able to confirm.

Speaking to MUTV ahead of the Red Devils' trip to West Brom on Sunday, Mourinho said: "He goes to surgery, the decision is made.

"I don't say [he's out] for the rest of the season, but it's for the next two or three months."

Despite the blow of losing Bailly for such a prolonged period, Mourinho is at least able to rely on a number of other options, with Chris Smalling, Jones, Victor Lindelof, Daley Blind, Marcos Rojo and Axel Tuanzebe all capable of playing at centre-back.

*Brexit: EU leaders agree 👍 to move talks to next stage*

EU leaders have agreed to move Brexit talks on to the second phase but called for "further clarity" from the UK about the future relationship it wants.

The first issue to be discussed, early next year, will be the details of an expected two-year transition period after the UK's exit in March 2019.

He congratulated Mrs May on reaching this stage and said the EU would begin internal preparations for the next phase right now as well as "exploratory contacts with the UK to get more clarity on their vision".

And agreements on the Irish border, the so-called divorce bill and the rights of EU and UK citizens, agreed by Mrs May last Friday, must be "respected in full and translated faithfully into legal terms as quickly as possible".

While the EU is willing to engage in "preliminary and preparatory discussions" on trade as part of building a "close partnership" after the UK's departure, this means any formal agreement "can only be finalised and concluded once the UK has become a third country".

*Man City boss Guardiola named Premier League Manager of the Month for third time in a row*

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has been named Premier League Manager of the Month for the third time in a row.

City recorded victories over Arsenal, Leicester City, Huddersfield and Southampton during the month of November under Guardiola's tutelage.

The four-straight wins were part of his side's record-breaking run of 15 successive Premier League victories, which they clinched against Swansea City on Wednesday.

Guardiola becomes only the second manager to ever win the award for the third time in succession - matching Chelsea manager Antonio Conte's efforts last season.

No manager has ever won the award four times in a row but Guardiola could be in line to do so, with City having won their opening three league games so far in December.

*Jerusalem: Three Palestinians 😱 killed in fresh clashes with Israel 🇮🇸*

Three Palestinians have died in Gaza during clashes with Israeli troops near the border, Palestinian officials say.

More than 100 were hurt in Gaza and the occupied West Bank amid fresh protests over Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

Clashes erupted following Muslim Friday prayers, as Palestinian demonstrators lit tyres and threw stones at Israeli troops, who fired tear gas and live rounds across the West Bank and over the border with the Gaza Strip, reports say.

Friday's deaths bring to seven the number of Palestinians killed in an escalation of violence with Israel since Mr Trump's declaration on 6 December.

As well as clashes on the ground over the past week, several mortars have been fired from Gaza into Israel, which has responded with air strikes on militant facilities there.

*Trump-tied media company 📰 spread fake news 😱 and online attacks in Kenya's presidential election 👀*

It sounds all too familiar: a smear campaign against a presidential candidate suddenly swarming social media right before voters head to the polls. It happened this year in Kenya—and the company that led the attacks had ties to the campaign for President Donald Trump.

Harris Media, a Texas-based, far-right media company, created websites to manipulate search and social media results in favor of Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta ahead of the country's August vote, a report released Thursday by Privacy International found.

Harris Media created one online campaign named “The Real Raila” to attack Raila Odinga, Kenyatta’s rival candidate. A second campaign called “Uhuru for Us” sought to highlight the incumbent leader’s accomplishments. Both were intended to dominate Google results with the intention of swinging public opinion in Kenyatta's favor, the report said.

The media company reportedly used AdWords in Google searches to disseminate targeted advertising through social media platforms. The ads contained inflammatory claims against Odinga, arguing that his administration “would remove whole tribes,” while the Real Raila website republished dubious reports characterizing Odinga as a racist and xenophobe.

The report added that Harris Media tapped into Kenya’s troubled past by choosing imagery and videos that depicted ethnic violence.

*Wenger claims Ozil won't join Man Utd in January but can't rule out summer move*

Arsene Wenger insists Mesut Ozil will not join Manchester United in January, but he has refused to rule out the possibility of the Germany international leaving Arsenal next summer.

Ozil's contract expires at the end of the current campaign, and he has subsequently been linked with a number of clubs, including Barcelona and Jose Mourinho's United.

The 29-year-old can negotiate with other clubs from January ahead of a potential free transfer next summer, and Wenger is insistent that Ozil will at least see out his deal at the Emirates Stadium, though he stopped short of denying he will leave.

"How close? I don't know how close," he said, when asked if Ozil is close to signing a new deal.

"We have never been approached by Man United anyway so I don't see why that came up. That is something that has been created. [He'll stay] until the end of the season, the rest is open."

Alexis Sanchez's deal also expires next summer. The Chile international, 28, was the subject of interest from Manchester City in the previous close-season transfer window, but a move fell through at the last moment.