Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino apologized to Manchester United for his team's robust tackling in a 2-1 pre-season defeat on Thursday, but said their Premier League rivals were not blameless in the feisty encounter in Shanghai. United youth product Angel Gomes sealed victory in the 81st minute after Spurs' Lucas Moura cancelled out Anthony Martial's first-half opener but a number of tough tackles from both teams threatened to overshadow the pre-season contest. Moussa Sissoko risked being dismissed for a challenge and subsequent stamp on Daniel James that left the United winger writhing in pain while Dele Alli and United's Andreas Pereira were also guilty of poor tackles. "I apologize to United on behalf of our players. I expect the same because there was some action in the second half that they made to us," Pochettino told reporters. "I was a bit annoyed about some situations ... because you can arrive late and something can happen. Sometimes you need to be aggressive, play with passion but the focus is on building fitness and developing the way we want to play." Pochettino was concerned that his players would pick up injuries in a heated clash where United defender Eric Bailly hurt his knee when he tried to block Son Heung-min. "Of course I was worried ... Bailly got injured and I'm sorry for that ... when players start to build their fitness and fight for their place, when something happens in pre season it's always tough," the Argentine added. United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said the prognosis for Bailly, who has been plagued by injuries in his time at Old Trafford, did not look encouraging. "It seems that he's twisted his knee so we have to do some scans and checks on him. At first sight, it doesn't look great but let's see how it goes," the Norwegian told the club's television channel MUTV. However, Solskjaer said he had no problems with the tackles his players faced. "It's a competitive sport and we're preparing for the league. There was no tippy-toe football ... we didn't just receive. We gave as well. I thought it was a good game." Tottenham announce eight-year shirt deal Champions League runners-up Tottenham Hotspur have agreed a new shirt sponsorship deal with AIA Group Limited to the end of the 2026-27 season, the Premier League club announced on Thursday. The life insurance company has been Spurs' shirt sponsors since 2013 and British media reported the new deal is worth 320 million pounds ($399.90 million) across eight years. That sum matches the reported 40 million pounds a year deal London rivals Chelsea signed with Yokohama tires in 2015. "This renewed and extended partnership demonstrates the strength and success of our well-established relationship with AIA and underlines the positive impact we have been able to bring to AIA's brand and business," Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy said in a statement. "We are proud to have the immense support of AIA at such a significant time in the club's history. "We shall continue to collaborate to drive the club's and AIA's growth in Asia and support AIA's commitment to healthy living in its Centennial year and beyond." The insurer was founded in Shanghai nearly 100 years ago and was the first foreign insurer to be granted a license in China. Spurs did not sign any players between February 2018 and July 2019 but broke their transfer record to bring in France midfielder Tanguy Ndombele from Olympique Lyonnais this month. Asked if Spurs felt pressure to compete with big-spending Premier League rivals, Levy said the increased revenue from the shirt deal did not mean they had to buy more players. "We don't feel the pressure. Our view is, wherever we can, we will improve the team," he told reporters. "It's fair to say over recent years we have embarked on two very major capital projects which in the long-term will be a great benefit to the club," he added. Spurs finally moved into a new 62,000-seater stadium, which British media said cost one billion pounds, towards the end of last season on the site of their old White Hart Lane ground and have invested in a state-of-the-art training center. Tottenham finished fourth last season to again qualify for the Champions League and host Aston Villa in their first Premier league match of the new season on Aug. 10. — Reuters
