Former Arsenal midfielder Denilson has been putting in a string of good performances of his Brazilian club São Paulo in the last few months. This has led to praise from manager Muricy Ramalho, who says that the player appears to have come of age. The 26-year-old has previously struggled to providing consistent performances from the pitch. This was one of the primary reasons behind his return back to Brazil. Even after having been playing with São Paulo for the last few years, Denilson has not been a major player. This has changed in the last few months after the midfielder has contributed to São Paulo’s ascent in the table.

The Brazilian outfit are just seven points behind leaders Cruzeiro in the Brazilian Serie A after having played 23 matches. They hold only a slender advantage over clubs like Corinthians and Gremio, but that is not a problem for Ramalho as long as the team is performing well. São Paulo could have been much higher in the table had it not been for the recent defeats against Coritiba and Corinthians in the league. Prior to these back-to-back defeats, they went five matches without defeat. Denilson has said that he is extremely happy that his performances have been noted by the manager.

“I think over time you become more mature and the responsibility I have with my appointments have improved my work within the club. I’m happy for the compliments of Muricy. With them well, we are valued, no doubt. I ask you to give a moral for warriors back there too and with every passing it improves and we are most recognized day. Without a doubt. I believe everything is possible. I prefer to focus game by game. On Wednesday we will have a tough match on neutral ground,” said the former Arsenal man.

Roy Keane’s presence as the assistant manager at Aston Villa appears to have made a profound impact. Just days after manager Paul Lambert said that it was a pleasure to have the former Manchester United captain assisting him. Now, it is the turn of goalkeeper Shay Given to lavish praise on the former Sunderland manager. After having witnessed Keane from close quarters, Given says that Keane has been giving a lot of advice to the players. This, according to Given, helps them a lot because Keane is someone who has achieved a lot in the game.

Keane appears to have given up on a permanent managerial position as of now. After repeated failures of Sunderland and Ipswich Town, it is understood that he is taking time to rethink about being a manager once again. A potential return in the future cannot be ruled out, as his experiences under Lambert and Gordon Strachan could help him a lot. Apart from being the assistant manager at Villa, Keane is also the assistant to Strachan at the Republic of Ireland national team. Given says that the media perception about the Irishman is very different from what he is as a person.

Over the years, Keane has made several friends and harsh critics of his game and managerial style. “I’ve known Roy for a number of years, obviously with the Irish connections and playing alongside him. It’s great to have him here; he’s a real leader, a character and a great assistant for the manager. He’s a manager himself in his own right – with the two of them at the helm it’s great for the club. He always gets talked about for his dark side and shouting at people but he’s been very helpful for all the players. He’s been out there coaching as well and giving players lots of advice,” said Given.