“Ruben Amorim has shown that there is only so far a manager can push it,” said Sky News. The Manchester United head coach was shown a red card yesterday, only 14 months after joining from Sporting Lisbon.

After Sunday’s 1-1 draw against Leeds United, Amorim “inflamed tensions” with the Old Trafford hierarchy, telling the club’s director of football Jason Wilcox and scouting team to “do their jobs” as he had come to the club to be the manager, not the coach.

Just like Enzo Maresca, who left Chelsea on New Year’s Day, “challenging the leadership in public has ended in the sack”.

‘Inevitable and predictable’

Amorim’s sacking was “inevitable and predictable”, said Sky Sports. The Portuguese was the 10th manager appointed since Alex Ferguson left the club in 2013; the United hierarchy was “desperate to give him a full season in charge before judging him” – partly because of the £12 million cost of sacking him and also to avoid the “recurring instability” of ever-changing leadership.

“Ruben needs to demonstrate he is a great coach over three years,” United minority owner Jim Ratcliffe told The Times’ The Business podcast in October. “We have to be patient. We have a long-term plan. It isn’t a light switch.”

But United’s results since Amorim took charge were “so poor, they never afforded the club’s bosses, or Amorim, the luxury of time”, said Sky Sports. Last season United finished 15th – their lowest since the mid-1970s – and were heavily criticised after losing the Europa League final to Spurs. This season, after spending more than £200 million on “attacking talent” last summer, the results have still been “awful”.

Despite “signs of progress” and a “charismatic approach that charmed supporters”, Amorim “must be considered United’s worst permanent manager of the post-Ferguson era”, said The Guardian. United are “adamant there have been no power clashes” and that Amorim was “sacked due to a lack of progress”. But the Old Trafford bosses “cannot have liked” his comments.

“I came here to be the manager of Manchester United, not to be the coach of Manchester United,” Amorim said. “I know that my name is not Tuchel, it’s not Conte, it’s not Mourinho, but I’m the manager of Manchester United and it’s going to be like this for 18 months or when the board decides to change.”

‘Bitter fracture’

Former United defender Gary Neville told Sky Sports that Amorim’s words were “something similar” to those of Maresca before he left Chelsea. Maresca said in mid-December that he’d endured “the worst 48 hours of his career at the club”.

The Italian arrived at Stamford Bridge from Leicester in 2024 and led the Blues to Uefa Conference League glory in his first season, as well as a fourth-place Premier League finish, “sealing a return to the Champions League”, said the Daily Mirror. “He followed that up with a run to glory in the Club World Cup, beating Paris Saint-Germain in the final.” As recently as November, Chelsea were second in the league table, and Maresca won manager of the month.

But on New Year’s Day, he “dramatically left his role” after “an irretrievable breakdown in his relationship with the club’s board”, said The Sun. He had signed a five-year deal with a further 12-month option, worth about £4 million per season, but the “bitter fracture” with the Chelsea hierarchy, including co-owner Todd Boehly, and confrontations over who should start games and substitutions, “left him feeling he could not stay in SW6”. A 2-2 home draw with Bournemouth “brought the final rupture”. Maresca walked out of Stamford Bridge without speaking to his players and forfeiting a potential £14 million payout.

Chelsea have “cycled through” four managers and two interim bosses in less than four years, and are now hunting for their fifth full-time head coach of the Boehly era. But Maresca’s decision to forego his payout means he’s immediately available for work. He is now, according to Sporting Life, one of the favourites to replace Amorim at United.

Manchester United have unveiled plans for a new £2 billion stadium that will be "the Wembley of the North" – and a sign of the club's ambition to be at the pinnacle of the footballing world, despite its current poor form on the pitch.

The "iconic" 100,000-seater stadium, designed by Norman Foster, will be built on a car park next to the team's current Old Trafford stadium. It will be to Manchester what the Eiffel Tower is to Paris, the club claims, and will pump £7.3 billion a year into the local economy, creating 92,000 jobs and more than 17,000 new homes.

And yet the massive project is a "risk", admitted Omar Berrada, United's chief executive, given the need to rebuild a team currently languishing at 14th place in the Premier League, and a club that's £1 billion in debt and laying off 450 staff.

Going 'bust' by Christmas

"New Trafford" is the brainchild of Jim Ratcliffe, Manchester United's minority shareholder, who, only earlier this week, was trying to justify redundancies and other backroom cost savings, such as cutting free staff lunches, by claiming the club was at risk of going "bust" by Christmas.

Ratcliffe's Ineos organisation took control of the club's sporting operations just over a year ago and "have wasted little time in making their presence felt", said The Athletic.

There "have been highs" in Ratcliffe's reign – United won the FA Cup last May – but there have also been "huge challenges", among them "a sacked manager, mass redundancies, fan protests and a team enduring its worst Premier League season".

While it is true United that "do have a cash problem", said The Athletic, Ratcliffe's statements "stretch credulity in the extreme".

No evidence was produced to support his claims, said Barney Ronay in The Guardian. "In reality, Manchester United are not going bust if you don't sack the tea lady." The 72-year-old petrochemicals billionaire is one of the richest men in Britain, "who keeps saying he's a fan" and could bail the club out. But now he is saying, "Go bust or do it my way." This is "basically a threat."

'Has to be matched by progress on the field'

What isn't in dispute is the club's current £1 billion debt, including £300 million in outstanding transfer fees. So, it is unclear how United will finance its ambitious new stadium plans.

Public money "could be provided to address infrastructure improvements and other developments in or around the area", said The Telegraph's James Ducker. Indeed, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves confirmed today that she will be "championing" the project. But raising the funding for the stadium itself will fall squarely on the club.

Even if United manage to finance and complete the build in five years, as planned, recent Premier League history has shown that a new stadium is far from a guarantee of footballing success. Arsenal, Tottenham and Everton have all made the move to a new ground, and found that the financial constraints severely hamper squad recruitment in subsequent years.

But, among rival clubs, United are in a league of their own, "irrespective of a decade of decay and their current playing malaise", said Simon Jordan in the Daily Mail. Past success has given them "unsurpassed recognition" worldwide, so, a "new all-singing HQ to reflect their aura" can be seen as a necessity if they're to stay as one of football's "market leaders".

Ratcliffe will know that building a stadium "has to be matched by progress on the field". For most teams, "such an ambitious project would be a fiercely challenging prospect because of over-reach". But, for Manchester United, "it's an opportunity". In fact, it could be a "vital game-changer for the whole club".

On "windswept touchlines" in Aberdeen in the 1950s, people began to talk with excitement about a "puny, bespectacled kid with a squint who was somehow ramming home goals for his school and boys' club teams", said Michael Grant in The Times.

Small, thin and scrawny, with a terrible squint that forced him to wear glasses, there was little to suggest Denis Law "would make it as a footballer". Yet even while at primary school, he found the net with such regularity that his exploits frequently appeared in local papers.

In time, Law would go on to become one of the all-time greats of the British game – the scorer of 237 goals for Manchester United – placing him third on the club's all-time list, behind Bobby Charlton and Wayne Rooney – and arguably Scotland's greatest-ever footballer.

His legendary status at Old Trafford – where he was known as "the King of the Stretford End" – was reflected in the emotional tributes paid to him following his death last week at the age of 84.

Humble beginnings

The son of a fisherman, and one of seven children, Law grew up in a house without central heating and often slept "three to a bed", said The Telegraph. He "learnt his football skills by making do with a ball of wool suspended from a hook in the kitchen".

At 15, he signed for Huddersfield Town, where he was told that to do well he'd need corrective surgery on his squint. The operation, as he later said, changed his life. Law "emerged from hospital a more confident teenager" and, in 1960, was signed by Manchester City, then in 1961 by the Italian club Torino.

His time there was unhappy, however: the "negative mentality" of the football didn't suit his attacking style, and he left Torino after just 27 appearances. In July 1962, Manchester United signed him for a then British record of £115,000. United at this time was a club still reeling from the Munich air disaster four years earlier, said Sachin Nakrani in The Guardian. In Sir Matt Busby's "masterfully constructed" side, Law was deployed alongside George Best and Bobby Charlton: the trio became known as the "Holy Trinity".

Law's early years at United were prolific: in 1963-64, he scored 46 goals in all competitions – still a club record – and the next year was Division One's top scorer as United won their first league title since Munich. (He won the Ballon d'Or the same year – the only Scot ever to do so.) In 1968, he missed out on "United's defining success of the era" – victory in the European Cup – because of a knee injury. His mood was "only slightly lifted" when Busby visited him in hospital a day after United beat Benfica in the final, bringing the trophy with him.

Fearless to the end

"Brave, athletic and spring-heeled", Law was an "instinctive" footballer who could score goals of many types, from leaping headers to deft flicks from low crosses, said The Times. "Even his tap-ins were a thing of predatory beauty." He was known, too, for his "regal" celebrations: arm raised, one finger pointing skywards, the others gripping the cuff of his shirt.

Although he was Scottish, he was "beloved of English football fans", but the affection wasn't always returned, said Richard Williams in The Guardian. A fierce patriot, Law described England's World Cup victory in 1966 as "the blackest day of my life", and gave no quarter to English club teammates when he faced them in internationals. In 55 caps for Scotland, he scored 30 goals – making him equal all-time top-scorer with Kenny Dalglish.

As a player, Law exhibited "absolute fearlessness", said Ian Herbert in the Daily Mail. And that spirit never left him: it was still evident four years ago, when he revealed he had Alzheimer's, and "described very precisely how the illness was limiting him". After Sunday's tribute, the fans at Old Trafford watched their team lose 3-1 to Brighton. What they wouldn't give for United's current side to display a fraction of Law's "warrior spirit".

There were plenty of times over the past year when Manchester United could have fired Erik ten Hag, said Will Unwin in The Guardian. The Dutchman's position had been under "constant scrutiny" since Jim Ratcliffe purchased a 25% stake in the club.

And, prior to United's shock FA Cup final win over Manchester City in May, there'd been a growing consensus that his time was up: he'd just guided his team to an eighth-placed finish in the Premier League, their lowest ever, and United's top brass were known to be talking to other coaches. Yet in the event, they extended his contract, hoping that he might turn things around. This week, however, their patience finally ran out: after a dismal 2-1 defeat at West Ham that left United 14th in the league, and "fearful of another season outside the Champions League", United sacked ten Hag and installed Ruud van Nistelrooy as interim boss.

Better late than never, said James Ducker in The Daily Telegraph. United have been going backwards under ten Hag since winning the Carabao Cup in his first season – despite his "increasingly desperate" attempts to point to the two trophies he won during his tenure as evidence of progress. Just look at their league form: in the 20 months since that first cup win, they've played 61 games and lost 22 of them, conceding as many goals as they scored. A series of "supposed inferiors" – Brighton, Bournemouth, Crystal Palace, Fulham – won at Old Trafford, but ten Hag also tended to fail the toughest tests, said Richard Jolly in The Independent. United managed only one away win in 15 against the "big eight" under him; and in Europe, their record stands at one win in their past 11 games. All this, despite United having spent £600m on players since ten Hag took charge, including £82m on Antony – "pound-for-pound the worst signing in United's history" – and £60m on the injury-plagued Mason Mount.

It's hard not to blame Ratcliffe for this debacle, said Martin Samuel in The Times: a man known for his "hard-nosed business instincts", he shied away from sacking ten Hag in the summer when it was clear to all that the Dutchman should go. Ten Hag's successor will inherit "a campaign in crisis", with the club in danger of missing out on a Champions League place for a second season in a row.

Ten Hag was the fifth permanent manager to try to "right the ship at Old Trafford" since Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, said Carl Anka on The Athletic. None have overseen a serious title challenge, and the overwhelming sense is that, in the post-Ferguson era, United have lost sight of the things that made them "the biggest and most successful club in England". Whoever takes over from ten Hag will have to find them again – and fast.

Growing anger over the use of video technology in football has been kicked up a notch further by high-profile incidents in recent matches. 

Since being introduced into English football in 2019, the use of the "video assistant referee" (VAR) has been a matter of much debate. Now, in the wake of what Metro called a "controversial weekend" for the tech, Labour leader and keen football fan Keir Starmer has thrown his weight behind calls to reform the system.

'We cannot suddenly ditch VAR'

Nottingham Forest released a furious statement on X following their Premier League defeat to Everton on Sunday, claiming they had been denied three clear penalties and accusing the VAR of being a fan of their relegation rivals Luton.

Just hours later, Coventry City were denied a place in the FA Cup final after staging a thrilling comeback from 3-0 down against Manchester United at Wembley. A last-minute extra-time winner by the Championship side was disallowed in a marginal offside decision, and they then lost the penalty shoot-out to their Premier League opponents.

Speaking at the FA's headquarters near Burton upon Trent, Starmer said in reference to the FA Cup semi-final: "It's a really well-worked goal, and it's ruled out because there's what, a toenail of difference between the attacker and the defender? Don't tell me a toenail gives you an advantage in football."

"Sorry to be a killjoy," said The Mirror's chief football writer John Cross, "but the offside decision to disallow what would have been Victor Torp's extra-time winner was the correct one". Just because a Coventry comeback "would have been a great fairytale, we cannot suddenly ditch VAR".

VAR has made hundreds of correct calls since its introduction, said The Guardian in an editorial last year, but they have been "overshadowed by numerous controversial decisions – especially those later accepted by referees to be wrong".

While technology is used to make real‑time decisions in cricket, rugby and tennis, "interruptions are part of those sports". But "in football, VAR reduces spontaneity and introduces stoppages", which "slows down – and lengthens – the most beautiful game".

'About keeping the game an art'

There are many who see only one way out of the current mess: scrapping VAR entirely.

"Yes, it could be better," said John Nicholson on Football 365, "but that would only bring it back to the standard of refereeing before VAR. There's a level that cannot be exceeded because people are not perfect. Accept it."

It is worth recalling that VAR was introduced as a "check on only the gravest refereeing oversights, not to re-referee every decision", said The Times. "Its increasing use outside this remit risks entrenching a sense of unfairness among fans."

Yet despite the outcry from clubs, fans and pundits alike, data suggests VAR has improved the accuracy of decisions by 14%.

The solution, then, is "not to abolish VAR", said the paper, but to use it "sparingly and increase transparency by broadcasting conferrals. The halting way VAR is employed causes confusion in the stands and stasis on the pitch, while its opacity fuels baseless ­conspiracy. To restore lost drama and a sense of fair play, spectators must be let in on the action."

Peter Walton, a Premier League referee from 2003-12, told The Times's senior sports writer Matt Dickinson that "it's not about making the game a science". Rather, "it's about keeping it as an art and leaving it as a debate", he said.

Mason Greenwood returning to play football for Manchester United would be “devastating”, female fans of the club have said.

The 21-year-old forward has not played for United since he was arrested in January 2022 after graphic images and audio, alleged at the time to involve Greenwood, were released on social media.

Charges including attempted rape and assault – all related to the same woman, and all of which Greenwood denied – were discontinued in February of this year.

After United’s own lengthy investigation, the club’s chief executive, Richard Arnold, is set to decide whether Greenwood can resume his career at United and a decision could be announced next week. “Inside the club there is a sense it would represent a major surprise if the player were not to come back,” said The Guardian’s Manchester football correspondent Jamie Jackson.

‘A double standard in football’

The case highlights a “double standard in football”, said Richard Jolly in The Independent. “Were a steward, a kitman or a press officer to have behaved as Greenwood did, it would be a simple decision to dismiss them for gross misconduct. But footballers are treated differently and United are wrestling with the question of how to justify that.”

Greenwood’s prospective return has provoked an outpouring of dismay from supporters. Television presenter Rachel Riley said she wouldn’t continue to support the club if Greenwood played for them again. “We’ve all seen and heard enough. It would be devastating for my club to contribute to a culture that brushes this under the carpet. I really hope they do the right thing,” she said on social media.

Riley’s words underline the problem for Manchester United that “the audio is always going to be out there”, wrote Daniel Taylor for The Athletic. “No matter how much they try to soothe public opinion, how much PR they sprinkle over it, that recording in isolation will always damn Mason Greenwood,” Taylor argued.

‘A decision for the market’

The whole case has been a damaging episode for the club for some time. But for an “update” on Greenwood’s future to be released on “arguably the most glorious day in the history of English women’s football seems grotesquely ill-judged”, wrote the Evening Standard’s business editor Jonathan Prynn.

“There has been a pattern of unacceptable, and sometimes criminal, sexual behaviour at the elite level of the men’s game for many years now,” he added. “This is surely the moment for the men – and it almost always is men – who run the game to draw a line in the sand.”

But Manchester United “would probably be right if they concluded that virtually any other club would keep Greenwood” as it is “a reality of football”, said The Independent’s Jolly. And United “do have a duty of care to Greenwood, and there are powerful voices within the club who believe in rehabilitation”, said The Times’s chief football writer Henry Winter. But they “also have a duty of care to their women’s team and to those many supporters who do not want Greenwood anywhere near their club”.

In the end, though, it won’t be “the victims of domestic abuse or sexual violence, the numerous courageous female United fans who have pledged to keep fighting and protesting until Greenwood is out of the club” who will decide if he plays again, said The Guardian’s Jonathan Liew. “It will, as ever, be a decision for the market alone.

“The market always gets what it wants in the end, whether you like it or not,” Liew added. “‘I asked you politely and you wouldn’t do it,’ the man’s voice says on the audio [leaked on social media]. ‘So what else do you want me to do?’”

To put it simply, Liverpool’s 7-0 win over Manchester United was an annihilation. Jürgen Klopp’s side put on a masterclass at Anfield yesterday, scoring six goals in the second half as they condemned the Red Devils to the joint-heaviest defeat in their history.

In what was a tight first-half, Liverpool broke the deadlock two minutes before the break through Dutch forward Cody Gakpo. But in the second period, Klopp’s men delivered the “complete performance” with Darwin Núñez (two), Gapko’s second, Mohamed Salah (two), and Roberto Firmino leaving United “overwhelmed at a joyous Anfield”, said Phil McNulty on BBC Sport. With his brace, Salah also became Liverpool’s record Premier League goalscorer. The Egyptian has now scored 129 goals in 205 league appearances.

For Liverpool, the victory puts them within three points of the top four – they also have a game in hand on fourth-placed Tottenham. For United, the lows of this shocking defeat came just a week after the highs of ending their six-year trophy drought when lifting the Carabao Cup at Wembley.

‘The strike force awakens’

Since becoming Liverpool manager in 2015, Klopp has led the club to success and completed the “full set” of major trophies: Premier League (2019-20); FA Cup (2021-22), League Cup (2021-22), Uefa Champions League (2018-19), Uefa Super Cup (2019), and Fifa Club World Cup (2019).

Despite the trophy haul, in recent seasons Klopp’s first Liverpool team has looked “aged” and it has been “reasonable to ask whether he was equipped to build another”, said Jonathan Wilson in The Guardian. One game is “nowhere near enough to assert that a new Liverpool is being born”, but it felt a “lot closer at the final whistle than it had at kick-off”.

The front three – Gakpo, Núñez and Salah – all scored twice, but “the goals were only part of it”. The trio had a “coherence and a zip” that has “been rare this season”. While there is “clearly still work to be done”, there is the sense that a front three of Salah, Núñez and Gakpo “could represent a viable future”.

Welcome to Klopp’s “Liverpool 2.0” – “the strike force awakens”, said Chris Bascombe in The Telegraph. The Reds have endured a “turbulent season”, but the reinvention of Gakpo and Núñez “assumes their status in a new era”, while Salah has reprised his role as the “ultimate goalscoring weapon”.

Wherever he has coached, Klopp has “always built one team capable of reaching their ceiling”. He is, however, “yet to do it twice at the same club”. That is “the challenge he accepted” when signing a new contract 12 months ago, according to Bascombe.

‘Absolutely atrocious’

While Liverpool celebrate having the bragging rights in the northwest, Erik ten Hag’s United team must lick their wounds after an absolute mauling. Speaking after the game, the Dutch head coach did not mince his words as he accused his players of being “unprofessional” for their capitulation in the second half. As a team “you have to stick together”, he said. “That is what we didn’t do. It is a surprise for me, I didn’t see this from my team. I don’t think it is us. I don’t think it is Manchester United. It was really bad, really poor.”

Ex-United and England defender Gary Neville was also scathing of the Red Devils’s performance. Speaking on Sky Sports, he labelled the second half as being an “absolute disgrace” and a “shambles” which was “epitomised” by captain Bruno Fernandes, “who has been embarrassing at times”. He believes that the players do not understand the “dangers of this fixture”. The players “have been eaten alive out there”.

The mauling of Ten Hag’s side “threatens to derail their season” as much as it has “reignited” Klopp's hopes of a top-four finish, said Goal.com. Aren’t Liverpool meant to be in crisis? We thought United were meant to be back? If anyone decided that yesterday’s match would be the first they watched this season, “they would have refused to have believed either of those narratives”. It was “absolutely atrocious” from Manchester United.

At his first attempt as manager of Manchester United, Erik ten Hag has led the club to trophy success – their first silverware since winning the Uefa Europa League in 2017. In the Carabao Cup final yesterday at Wembley Stadium, goals from Casemiro and Marcus Rashford sealed a 2-0 victory over Newcastle United.

With the League Cup already in the trophy cabinet, Man Utd will now have their eyes on further glory this season. They are third in the Premier League table, through to the FA Cup fifth round and also into the Europa League round of 16 after beating Barcelona in the two-legged play-offs.

Speaking after the win at Wembley, Ten Hag said that he hopes this cup can be the “inspiration” to “give even more, to be even more collective, to have even more togetherness”. Winning silverware “shows something” and that you are going in a “good direction”, he added. However, “it’s one cup”, it’s February and this has to be the “motivation” to “continue on this pathway”. He urged his players to “be happy for 24 hours”, but “not satisfied”.

‘Only just getting started’

Confirmed as United’s boss at the end of last season, Dutchman Ten Hag started his tenure with a 2-1 defeat at home to Brighton, followed by a 4-0 hammering at Brentford. It was a tough beginning to life at Old Trafford, but in seven months he has turned the team’s fortunes around and also showed his mettle by solving the Cristiano Ronaldo dilemma.

There is a “change in mood” at the club and the work of Ten Hag has been “central to the switch”, said Phil McNulty on BBC Sport. It may be “too early to make definitive judgements”, but he has the “feel of a transformative manager”, with an “air of authority and tactical acumen” – and now has “a trophy to prove it”.

Sky Sports’ Nick Wright agreed that the former Ajax coach has “transformed” United. He knows that silverware is the “only currency that really matters” at Old Trafford, but also understands the “weight of history”, and the importance of the “club’s identity”. Nine months in, Ten Hag is “only just getting started”.

A new age for United?

This was “Ten Hag’s triumph”, said Oliver Holt in the Daily Mail. He has only been in charge of the Red Devils since the summer, but he has “changed the character” of the club. “Perhaps it would be more accurate to say he has changed it back.”

A “symbol” of that change, this was a victory for the “attitudes he has altered” and the “values he has instilled”. It was also a victory for “the notion that authority is vested in the manager”, not in “preening superstar players” like Ronaldo or Paul Pogba, who “seek to wrest it from them”.

Yesterday’s match was a “pleasingly old-fashioned occasion”, said Jonathan Wilson in The Guardian. “Spiky and tense, colourful and noisy”, it was a Wembley final “like they used to be”. It may not have been “a game for the ages”, but there was “enough incident to hold the attention” and to “provide triggers” for future memories. The win may prove the “herald of a new age” for Manchester United, but it may also be “one of the last of its kind, a memorial for the old football”.

One of Britain’s wealthiest people, Jim Ratcliffe, has confirmed he is in the running to buy Manchester United Football Club.

The billionaire head of the chemicals company Ineos confirmed via his firm that they had “formally put ourselves into the process” to take over from United’s current owners, the Glazer family.

The news came just a day after the UK’s charity regulator announced it was reviewing The Jim Ratcliffe Foundation over a £15m donation he made “to build a luxury clubhouse at a ski resort used by the billionaire”, said The Times. The paper added that the foundation “has received £7.4m in Gift Aid from the British tax authorities” since it was set up to fund a new ski clubhouse in Courchevel in the French Alps, and to support other charitable endeavours.

Who is Jim Ratcliffe?

Ratcliffe was a “boyhood fan of United” wrote the BBC, having been born in Failsworth, Greater Manchester in 1952 before moving to Yorkshire aged ten. “Being around Manchester when I was growing up, the manufacturing situation sort of seeps into your consciousness, I suppose,” Ratcliffe told the Manchester Evening News in 2015, adding that there’s “a bit of the Industrial Revolution in my DNA”.

He studied at the University of Birmingham for his chemical engineering degree and gained his Masters in finance at the London Business School. Ratcliffe worked at oil giant Esso and chemical company Courtaulds in the early part of his career, then making a “career-changing step into the world of private equity” in 1989.

After working at Advent International, where he learned the “cut and thrust of doing deals”, Ratcliffe bought BP’s chemicals division and co-founded his own company Inspec in 1992. He “mortgaged his house and put all his money into the deal”, said the Financial Times (FT).

In 1998 he left to found Ineos, “where his fortunes really flew”, said The Mirror. The company quickly bought Inspec’s raw chemical plant in Antwerp, Belgium. Ineos “made more than 20 acquisitions” in its first ten years as it grew rapidly, and now produces “raw materials for products that touch nearly all aspects of everyday life”, said the FT, “from bottle caps and toothpaste to computers and cars”.

Ratcliffe has “been called ‘secretive’ and ‘reclusive’”, the paper said, and was only “lured out of the shadows” after a union dispute with his Grangemouth plant in 2014. Tom Crotty, an Ineos director, had previously told the FT that the image that emerged of Ratcliffe from the dispute, as a cut-throat businessman, was wrong: “I don’t think ruthless is a word I’d use to describe Jim at all – he’s very thoughtful and loyal. He gives enormous loyalty but he expects it in return.”

According to Forbes, his amassed wealth has reached around £13bn with a personal worth of around £6bn thanks to Ineo becoming “one of the UK shale sector’s largest players”. The company’s 600ft Dragon Ships “were the first to transport US shale gas into Europe”, the magazine added. In 2020, Ratcliffe received criticism for moving his tax domicile from his residence in Hampshire to his Monaco home, which was set to “save him £4bn in tax payments”, said The Guardian.

What is happening with his Man Utd bid?

Ratcliffe is “no stranger to big sporting investments” and has “made no secret of the fact he would be interested in buying United” in the past year, said Sky Sports News.

The 70-year-old has invested much of his money in sports and already owns two football teams, OGC Nice in France and FC Lausanne-Sport in Switzerland. He also owns one of professional cycling’s most successful teams, Team Ineos (formerly Team Sky), and has invested money in sailing, Formula One, running and rugby.

Ineos “are the first to throw their hat into the ring” to buy United, which could command a “price beyond £6 billion” to wrestle it from Joel and Avram Glazer, said The Telegraph. But it “remains to be seen how Ratcliffe and Ineos would pay for the club”, said the paper, with Ineos’s financial strength likely to face “fierce competition in the Middle East, US and Asia”, making identifying a likely buyer “as uncertain as ever”.

The “big unanswered question”, added The Telegraph, is “whether the Glazers will be happy with the offers”. A potential investor told the paper that a deal could still not go ahead as the Glazer siblings “may end up at odds about what to do with the club”, despite “fans’ desperation for new ownership”. However, a total takeover remains “marginally the most likely option”.

Weeks after being dropped by Manchester United for refusing to come on as a substitute against Tottenham, Cristiano Ronaldo has dramatically broken his silence by giving his side of the story about life at Old Trafford.

Speaking in a 90-minute interview to be broadcast this week on TalkTV’s Piers Morgan Uncensored show, the 37-year-old revealed that he feels “betrayed” by the way he’s been treated by the Premier League club and also spoke out against current United manager Erik ten Hag and former team-mate Wayne Rooney.

The Portugal star, who will captain his country at the Fifa World Cup in Qatar, has given “by far” his “most explosive” interview, Morgan wrote in The Sun. Ronaldo “has had enough” – he’s had enough of “the sniping, the sneering, and the endless blame-game bulls*** that’s been flung at him over the past few months”.

The fans “should know the truth”, Ronaldo told the presenter. “I want the best for the club”, but “nothing has changed” and there has been “no evolution” since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013. “I love Manchester United. I love the fans, they’re always on my side. But if they want to do it different… they have to change many, many things.”

Ten Hag ‘doesn’t show respect for me’

Now in his second spell at United, Ronaldo returned in August 2021 after nine seasons at Spanish giants Real Madrid and three in Italy with Juventus. First departing in 2009, the forward’s future once again looked likely to be away from Old Trafford after United missed out on the Champions League, but he failed to secure a move in the summer transfer window.

This season has been a turbulent one for the five-time Ballon d’Or winner and he was dropped by Ten Hag after his refusal to come on against Spurs. Ronaldo admits that he does not respect the Dutch coach because “he doesn’t show respect for me”.

Other United officials, past and present, to be on the receiving end of Ronaldo’s ire include ex-boss Ralf Rangnick, who he had “never heard” of, and former team-mate Wayne Rooney, who Ronaldo said had criticised him “probably because he finished his career and I’m still playing”.

Breaking Fergie’s ‘golden rule’

Ronaldo’s explosive interview has “shocked the football world”, said Max Mathews in the Daily Mail. In speaking out “so publicly against his current employers”, Ronaldo has also broken legendary former boss Ferguson’s “golden rule” – that “no player can be bigger than the manager”.

Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville, who played with Ronaldo at United, had previously called for the relationship between the player and club to end. United are a “better team without him”, Neville said, they score “more goals without him” and they win “more points without him”. Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher, Neville’s Sky Sports colleague, tweeted that “99% of United fans” will be on the side of Ten Hag, which shows “how badly Ronaldo has handled this”.

Andy Mitten, who is the editor of the United We Stand magazine, told BBC Radio 5 Live that Ronaldo has not been forced out, he “wanted to leave in the summer and thought he was leaving, but there was a shortage of suitors”. Ronaldo has done an interview that’s “his version of the truth” and there’s “often more than one version of the truth in life”. Mitten doesn’t think United fans would be “hugely concerned” if he didn’t play for the club again.

Piers Morgan Uncensored: 90 Minutes with Ronaldo will be shown over two nights on TalkTV at 8pm on Wednesday and Thursday.

As Manchester United celebrated their best win under the management of Erik ten Hag, the club’s most famous player was not on the pitch or on the sidelines for the remaining minutes of the 2-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur. Cristiano Ronaldo, an unused substitute for Wednesday’s Premier League fixture, left the bench in the final moments and trudged away alone towards the tunnel at Old Trafford.

It has since emerged that Ronaldo “refused a request from Ten Hag to come on as a late sub before making his early exit”, said Josh Fordham on talkSPORT. In reaction to Ronaldo’s actions, United’s Dutch head coach has “come down hard” on the “superstar rebel” and the club has confirmed that the forward will not be considered for selection for tomorrow’s league clash away at Chelsea.

Ten Hag’s decision to drop Ronaldo has the “full backing of the club”, said The Telegraph. And the situation marks “a dramatic escalation of the tension in Ronaldo’s relationship with Ten Hag and United”.

As well as his axing for the game at Stamford Bridge, Ronaldo is set to train alone and also faces being slapped with “a £1m fine”, said Jeremy Cross in the Daily Star. Ten Hag is “a stickler for discipline” and is “getting fed up” with the Portuguese’s behaviour.

Ronaldo responds – but no apology

Breaking his silence last night, Ronaldo released a statement on Instagram and explained that while he has “always tried to set the example”, unfortunately “that’s not always possible and sometimes the heat of the moment gets the best of us”. Even though the social media post was lengthy, he “failed to make an apology”, said Jack Figg in The Sun.

Ronaldo has reportedly “lost his remaining dressing room allies” and it’s understood that the player has shown “thinly veiled disdain for Ten Hag and his coaching team”, said Liam Morgan in the Daily Mail. To the extent of “blatantly ignoring one senior staff figure”.

The refusal to come on against Spurs is the latest in a “long line of incidents that have blighted his return to English football” and “threatens to tarnish the forward’s legacy”, said David Kent in the Daily Mail. In July he failed to report for pre-season training and for United’s tour of Thailand and Australia. Then at one pre-season match against Rayo Vallecano at Old Trafford, he “stormed out” before full-time.

Following United missing out on Champions League football this season, he also failed to secure a move away after submitting a transfer request earlier in the summer. He has been “making waves since”, Kent added.

Where next for CR7?

Now in his second spell at the club, the 37-year-old returned to the Red Devils in August 2021 after nine seasons at Spanish giants Real Madrid and three in Italy with Juventus. First departing in 2009, the forward’s future once again looks likely to be away from Old Trafford.

The United legend has “almost certainly played his last game for the club”, said Neil Custis in The Sun. Ten Hag now wants “either the player’s contract, that runs to the end of the season, ripped up” or for the Portuguese to be “dumped in the January transfer window”.

Several members of the United squad were “already upset with him for trying to engineer a move out of the club early in the season”. However, “there were no takers in the summer window” and now the Portugal captain faces being sidelined just a month ahead of the Fifa World Cup in Qatar.

Ronaldo’s “walkout” marks the “final curtain on his waning power” at Manchester United, said Jamie Jackson in The Guardian. His time at the Theatre of Dreams is turning into a nightmare, but few clubs around the world are “able to afford” a player with his salary. This was the “prevailing reason why he did not depart” in the summer.

One exit route away from Old Trafford could be to Inter Miami. The Major League Soccer franchise, co-owned by former United and England star David Beckham, could be looking for a star name to replace Argentine striker Gonzalo Higuain. Inter Miami “may well do all they can” to bring Ronaldo to the United States and have the “perfect chance” to end his Man Utd “hell”, said Joseph McBride in the Daily Mirror.

In his glittering career Ronaldo has scored more than 800 goals and has won league championships in England, Spain and Italy. He is a five-time Ballon d’Or winner and the record goalscorer in men’s international football and in the Uefa Champions League.

It’s strange to think that, just weeks ago, Manchester United were widely held to be a club in “crisis”, said Henry Winter in The Times. Their Premier League campaign began with two consecutive defeats – the second an abject 4-0 drubbing by Brentford – and the entire squad looked desperately short of confidence. Erik ten Hag, the club’s new manager, admitted that reviving their fortunes promised to be one “hell of a job”.

It’s certainly not one he wasted any time getting stuck into, said Chris Wheeler in the Daily Mail. United’s fortunes have revived dramatically from the “carnage” of a month ago: they now stand fifth in the Premier League, having won four matches in a row. Last Sunday, they beat league leaders Arsenal 3-1 at home, shattering their 100% record. Suddenly, everything the former Ajax boss touches seems to be “turning to gold”.

He has begun his tenure with a flurry of transfers, drawing on United’s “financial muscle” to spend £229m in the transfer window, said Laurie Whitwell on The Athletic. And already, that outlay seems more than justified. United’s previously shaky central defence has been bolstered by the arrival of Lisandro Martínez; Tyrell Malacia has replaced the out-of-form Luke Shaw at left back; Christian Eriksen – signed from Brentford on a free transfer – has added considerable clout to midfield.

Last Sunday, it was the turn of United’s most expensive signing, the Brazilian winger Antony, who cost £85m, to make his debut, said Barney Ronay in The Guardian. His impact was near-instantaneous. The 22-year-old opened the scoring after 35 minutes with a skilfully angled left-footed shot, then delighted the fans further with an extravagant “four-stage celebration” that culminated in a “kind of growling-lion manoeuvre into the camera”. Watching him play, it’s clear, “will be fun”.

But in the end, this “potentially momentous victory” was all about a player who predates ten Hag’s arrival, said Jason Burt in The Daily Telegraph. As recently as the start of the season, Marcus Rashford seemed a pale shadow of the player who used to inspire terror in defenders. Under ten Hag, that player is re-emerging. In the second half, with the match delicately poised at 1-1, the 24-yearold “took the game by the scruff of the neck” and scored two brilliant goals.

It’s clear that United remain a long way from the finished article, said Jamie Jackson in The Guardian. But in his brief time at Old Trafford, ten Hag has shown himself to be a manager with a “keen football brain” who makes the “right calls on the big decisions”. No wonder that, inside Old Trafford on Sunday, the prevailing mood was reminiscent of “how it felt during the golden years of Sir Alex Ferguson’s reign”.

“As the old football saying goes, it’s the hope that kills you,” said Gearoid Reidy on Bloomberg. Last week, fans of Manchester United, the once-invincible football club, were briefly buoyed by news that Elon Musk was considering a takeover bid. It soon emerged that the world’s richest man – a United fan since boyhood – was kidding, said Liam Proud on Breakingviews. But there is “serious money” to be made for a buyer focused on growth rather than extracting cash.

The inept current owners, the Florida-based Glazer family, have “saddled Man Utd with debt and taken cash out of the club”, with debt-servicing and dividend payments totalling $140m over the past three years, said Proud. But imagine that a “financially motivated buyer” paid a 30% premium to the current value, or $3.2bn including net debt. Assume they ran the club on a “break-even basis with the same 5% revenue growth that Man City achieved between 2017 and 2021”. The upshot? “Man Utd would be worth $6.7bn after five years”, using the seven-times revenue multiple that City’s valuation is based on. Result!

With the Glazers reportedly open to selling a stake, would-be buyers are going public, said Jamie Nimmo in The Sunday Times. Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the Manchester-born billionaire behind Ineos, is keen. Private equity group Apollo is another likely suitor. And the former Goldman Sachs economist Lord (Jim) O’Neill is open to reviving his “Red Knights” consortium that attempted a takeover in 2010. But would any potential buyer agree to a minority stake without the option of a full takeover? “And surely the Glazers would demand far more than the £2.5bn paid for Chelsea earlier this year.” A sale is possible, but “supporters’ pain might go on for some time yet”.

‘A memorable night of sound and fury’

Ahead of the Premier League clash against Liverpool on Monday night, the United supporters staged a major protest against the Glazer family’s ownership of the club, said the Manchester Evening News. “Marching to Old Trafford”, there was a “huge crowd” at the protest, with an estimated 10,000 people participating.

Aside from the off-pitch matters, the on-field performances have also not given the United fans much to cheer about. Starting his tenure as the club’s new head coach, Erik ten Hag saw his side beaten 2-1 by Brighton and 4-0 by Brentford in his first two games in charge. At Old Trafford on Monday, however, the team secured their first victory of the season, 2-1 against their big rivals from Anfield.

The ten Hag era was “ignited on a memorable night of sound and fury”, said Phil McNulty on the BBC. Dropping captain Harry Maguire and talisman Cristiano Ronaldo to the bench, the Dutchman was the “biggest winner” of the night, having made “big, brave calls” and producing a “tactical gameplan that worked to perfection”.

For new signing Casemiro, who was unveiled before the victory over Liverpool, it was a “most bewildering introduction to the often nonsensical world of Manchester United”, said Andy Hunter in The Guardian. First impressions will have included “a disenchanted fanbase”, a team in “urgent need of direction”, but also a team “willing to fight against their fiercest rivals and to implement the new manager’s instructions”. It was a “perfect education all the same” for the Brazilian midfielder.

If Erik ten Hag “did not already appreciate the task he has taken on, he does now”, said Chris Wheeler in the Daily Mail. Last Sunday, the Dutchman’s tenure as Manchester United’s manager got off to the worst possible start, as his side slumped to a 2-1 defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion.

Prior to the match, there was a “carnival atmosphere” at Old Trafford: ten Hag received a standing ovation when he “emerged into the afternoon sunshine”. In the nine years since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement, a similar wave of optimism has greeted each managerial appointment at United. Yet so far, all have proved “false dawns”. While it’s too early to say if ten Hag will prove another (even Ferguson lost his first match in charge), the “horror show” that unfolded on Sunday suggests he has his work cut out. Afterwards, even he admitted as much, describing the task facing him as a “hell of a job”.

When the former Ajax manager arrived at Old Trafford over the summer, he wasted little time in unveiling a strict new behavioural code, said Jonathan Wilson in The Guardian. He banned drinking alcohol during match weeks; he promised to drop any player who arrived late for training; and he culled the squad’s personal chefs “in an effort to improve nutrition and refocus minds on the club”. Such measures may have improved fitness, but so far they haven’t discernibly affected performance. Against Brighton on the opening weekend, United’s “pressing was no better than it had been in the worst days of last season”, and their defence lacked all structure. Meanwhile, several squad members seem desperately short of confidence – none more so than Marcus Rashford, who remains “a shell of the player” he was a couple of seasons ago.

Ten Hag also has a very big Cristiano Ronaldo problem, said Ian Whittell in The Daily Telegraph. The Portuguese star desperately wants to leave Old Trafford, so he can play Champions League football this season. But the fact is that until United sign another “proven finisher”, the 37-year-old – initially left on the bench against Brighton – remains the best out-and-out striker they have. It was only when he was introduced in the second half that the team began to look as if they had a “focal point”.

Ronaldo, though, isn’t the real issue, said Henry Winter in The Times. Whether he stays or leaves, what’s clear is that the squad needs a substantial overhaul – and the real question is whether the club’s owners, the Glazer brothers, will give ten Hag the “control and resources” needed to effect it. In recent years, they’ve instilled a culture more focused on “making money” than on “making footballing memories”. Ten Hag is a fine manager – but if he is to transform United, he needs the Glazers to “help him do it”.

The worst-kept secret in world football has finally been confirmed – Erik ten Hag will become the new permanent manager of Manchester United. Ten Hag, currently head coach of Ajax, will replace interim boss Ralf Rangnick at the end of the season. The 52-year-old Dutchman has signed a three-year deal until June 2025 which can be extended by a further year.

In a statement released on Thursday United football director John Murtough said that during the past four years at Ajax Ten Hag has “proved himself to be one of the most exciting and successful coaches in Europe” and he is renowned for his team’s “attractive, attacking football and commitment to youth”.

Ten Hag said it was a “great honour” to be appointed manager of United and he is “hugely excited” by the challenge ahead. “I know the history of this great club and the passion of the fans, and I am absolutely determined to develop a team capable of delivering the success they deserve,” he added. “It will be difficult to leave Ajax after these incredible years, and I can assure our fans of my complete commitment and focus on bringing this season to a successful conclusion before I move to Manchester United.”

Former glories

The club may have given the impression that four candidates were in the running to be their 12th permanent post-war manager, said Samuel Luckhurst in the Manchester Evening News. However, it was “always between two”: Ten Hag and Mauricio Pochettino. “Ultimately, United decided Ten Hag was the manager most closely aligned with the club’s identity and strategy.”

Sixth in the Premier League, three points off the top four and risking missing out on qualifying for next season’s Uefa Champions League, this current United team have been described as the “worst for 30 years”. The Red Devils have turned to Ten Hag to try and “restore the club to their former glory”, said Chris Wheeler in the Daily Mail. He will double his salary and earn close to £30m over his contract.

‘Relentless upward coaching curve’

Ten Hag’s “journey from altar boy” in his native Holland to manager of United is the “culmination of a career path carefully considered and acted upon”, said Phil Blanche in the Irish Independent. His appointment “might seem swift considering he has not managed in the top five leagues of European football”, but he has been on a “relentless upward coaching curve over the past two decades”.

A former player for Dutch clubs FC Twente, De Graafschap, RKC Waalwijk and FC Utrecht, Ten Hag cut his teeth in management at Go Ahead Eagles, Bayern Munich’s second team and FC Utrecht. Appointed as Ajax head coach in December 2017, he led the Amsterdam club to two Eredivisie titles, two KNVB Cups and the semi-finals of the 2018-19 Champions League.

He has forged a reputation as “one of Europe’s most exciting coaches” and is “very highly thought of” among his fellow managers, said Nathan Egerton on PlanetFootball. Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, who was head coach of Bayern Munich when Ten Hag was in charge of the German club’s second team, said the Dutchman is “just an incredible person and human being”. In terms of his qualities, “just take a look at his Ajax team in the last years”, Guardiola added. “To define a manager, watch his team for a long time. This is a team, and this manager makes the players play. There is no doubt about that.”

Winning trophies and restoring pride

United have “churned through managers” since 2013, when Alex Ferguson called time on his glittering career after 26 years in the dugout, said Alex Conrad on Fox Sports. Including interim and caretaker bosses, Ten Hag becomes the eighth man in the past ten years to sit in the Old Trafford hot seat. “For a team that hasn’t won a trophy since 2017 after being spoiled with glory during Ferguson’s era, fans are desperately craving some form of success,” Conrad added. “Quite simply, it should be the bare minimum for a club of United’s stature.”

Before Ten Hag looks at building a team capable of winning trophies again, he has a “big job to get the club back up to minimum standards”, said Gary Neville on Sky Sports. Due to the scale of the rebuild, former United and England defender Neville believes Ten Hag won’t be under pressure to win trophies for “one or two” years. What needs to be dealt with initially is “attitude, work ethic, belief, confidence and then hopefully you start to think about winning trophies”.

‘Unprecedented’ squad overhaul

There are “a number of challenges” for Ten Hag to overcome, said Simon Stone on BBC Sport. “Stepping into an alien world”, Ten Hag has never experienced the “unique demands of English football” and has never managed anyone with “either the history or the ego” of Cristiano Ronaldo. “It is essential he gets this right.”

United’s recruitment is also “a major issue”, Stone added. There is a list of at least ten players who could leave Old Trafford this summer, but “finding the right quality” at United “may not be quite so easy”.

Neville also believes that recruitment is the “key focus” and the “most important job” in a football club. “If you get the players wrong, you’re struggling,” he said on Sky Sports. “There’s a big job to do in many different aspects. The first job is to decide who he wants to keep that’s currently there and then he’s got to decide who he wants to get in with him to make sure that confidence, that belief, that spirit in the dressing room can start to rise.”

With some “already certain to leave” and others “likely to go”, Ten Hag will have to decide on the futures of 11 United players, Luckhurst said in the Manchester Evening News. The club is bracing itself for an “unprecedented” squad overhaul.

“Embarrassing, disappointing, maybe even humiliating.” That was how Ralf Rangnick described Manchester United’s 4-0 loss to bitter rivals Liverpool.

Jürgen Klopp’s title challengers tore United apart, with goals from Luis Diaz, Mohamed Salah (two) and Sadio Mane sending the Anfield club to the top of the Premier League table, at least for 24 hours as Manchester City play Brighton tonight.

Interim boss Rangnick was left “clearly unhappy” by his team’s display, said The Guardian. And the German was critical as he compared United’s current situation with Liverpool’s. “We have to accept they are six years ahead of us now,” he said. “When Jürgen Klopp came [in October 2015] they changed at the club and lifted not just the team but the club and city to a new level. That is what needs to happen with us in the next transfer windows.”

The heavy defeat leaves United in sixth place in the table and has dented their Champions League qualification hopes.

‘Most of them are jokes’

On yet another “historically bad day” for United, Liverpool “doomed the Red Devils to several new lows”, said Ryan Tolmich on Goal.com. Liverpool have completed the league double over their rivals this season, with a combined 9-0 scoreline. It’s the most United have “ever conceded to a single opponent over the course of a league campaign since inception of the current top flight in 1992”.

It “wasn’t great” under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer or Jose Mourinho, it was “pretty mediocre” under Louis van Gaal, and “frankly rather woeful” for almost a season under David Moyes, said Michael Hincks on Eurosport. “But this has to go down as the worst Manchester United side for 30 years, doesn’t it?” With just five games left, United have to pick up ten Premier League points, “or else – factually – it will be their worst season for three decades”.

Former United and England defender Gary Neville was equally scathing. Speaking on Sky Sports, he labelled the team as a “waste of space” and said the club’s demise has been “alarming”. He added: “What we’re watching right now is nothing. These Man Utd players want the season over so they can hide behind the new manager and blame the old. An excuses culture permeating the whole club. They’re in shape but they’re walking. The lot of them. Which one of them looks alert or like they’re going to press? At best it’s an amble. Most of them are jokes.”

Ten Hag faces a ‘brutal reality’

It’s been widely reported that Ajax head coach Erik ten Hag is set to take over as the permanent boss at United. His impending arrival “should be a cause for celebration”, said the BBC’s Phil McNulty. However, “instead, the overriding emotion when the Dutchman walks through Old Trafford’s doors will be sympathy”. Following the defeat at Anfield, the “brutal reality” of what Ten Hag is letting himself in for “can be illustrated by the fact he is inheriting a bigger, more problematic task” at United than Klopp did when he succeeded Brendan Rodgers at Liverpool in 2015.

In reaction to the shocking 4-0 loss, United fans “raged at their team” on social media and some even warned Ten Hag that he should not go anywhere near the job, the Daily Mail reported.

In commentary for Sky Sports, Neville said in his 42 years watching United “this is as bad as it gets”. He added: “Watched them through the 80s, I’ve never seen a group have a lack of appetite to play during my time watching the club.”

On YouTube, fans’ channel UnitedPeoplesTV said this team is “a total, complete and utter disgrace” and the “humiliation” against Liverpool at Anfield “is as low as it gets”. One supporter on Twitter went even further, said The Mail. They wrote: “Worst man united team in the history of the club.”

Could Marcus Rashford soon be on his way out of Manchester United? Born and bred a “red”, the academy graduate is reportedly frustrated with his lack of game time at Old Trafford and speculation in the transfer rumour mill has seen the striker linked with clubs in the Premier League and across Europe.

The 24-year-old has “endured a tough time” since returning from injury in October, the Daily Mail said. He has scored just four times in 19 Premier League appearances this season and with the World Cup on the horizon he was also left out of the most recent England squad for the friendlies against Switzerland and Ivory Coast

Unless United give him reassurances over his game time, Rashford could cut his ties with the Old Trafford club, talkSPORT reported. And according to football journalist Fabrizio Romano, sources have said that Rashford is “considering his future” and is seeking “clarity”.

Despite the difficult campaign this season, United are ready to open contract talks with Rashford, ESPN reported. The player’s contract is set to expire in the summer of 2023 but there is an option of an additional year and United are keen to tie him down to a long-term deal. Sources told ESPN that Rashford is “open-minded about his future and is in no rush to decide his next move”.

Abuse and lack of direction

During the pandemic Rashford made headlines and received an MBE in recognition of his campaign to support vulnerable children, ESPN said. He successfully campaigned for free school meals to be provided during lockdown and “forced the government into two U-turns to extend their support during the summer and winter holidays”. His campaign resulted in policy change.

On the pitch though things have since turned sour for the out-of-sorts forward and he’s been a target for abuse by some fans. “Feeding a couple of million hungry kids only buys you so much time when people decide you turned your back on a half-chance against Aston Villa,” said Oliver Holt in The Mail on Sunday. Marginalising Rashford “could be the worst error” United have made this decade. “Who can blame him for struggling amid the abuse and lack of direction at Old Trafford?”

Rashford is “at a crossroads” and is debating whether his United career should end, said Jamie Jackson in The Guardian. “There is a disconnect here, a dislocation. The lad from Wythenshawe’s living of the dream has soured. It was never meant to be this way.”

A ‘heartbreaking’ decision to make?

With his future uncertain and his relationship with United souring, Rashford has been linked with a move to Arsenal. The Gunners are “in the market for a frontline striker” and will offer Rashford “an escape from Old Trafford this summer”, The Mirror reported. Barcelona and Tottenham have also been mentioned as possible suitors.

Whatever Rashford does he will “have to think long and hard about his lifelong love affair” with Man Utd, The Mirror said. Because leaving the club he joined aged seven would be “heartbreaking”.

Former Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler faced a “similar agonising dilemma when he was at the height of his powers” at Anfield. After leaving for Leeds, he admitted that he “never really came to terms” with that decision. “I know how Marcus will feel,” Fowler said. “He loves United like I love Liverpool and he will be thinking he can’t turn his back on the club where he grew up. But he has a big decision to make.”

Cristiano Ronaldo’s reaction summed up the feeling around Old Trafford after Manchester United’s 1-0 defeat against Atletico Madrid on Tuesday night. Dumped out of the Champions League at the last-16 stage, the 2-1 aggregate loss means United will be without silverware for the fifth season running.

At the final whistle the Man Utd fans “reacted furiously” to the result and there were “ugly scenes” as Atletico boss Diego Simeone was pelted with bottles, The Mirror reported.

The supporters “weren’t the only ones upset”, Ronaldo was also “visibly frustrated” as United crashed out of Europe’s top club competition.

It was a “dismal exit” for the Red Devils, said the Daily Mail. And for Ronaldo it also means that he has been “condemned to his first season without a trophy for 17 years”.

“There are too many years without any trophies, even without fighting for trophies,” goalkeeper David De Gea told BT Sport after the match. “We need much more from everyone because this club is too big for where we are now.”

‘Watershed moment’

United’s “limitations were laid bare” as Atletico did a “classic Champions League number on them”, said the BBC’s Phil McNulty. This had the feeling of a “watershed moment for those in charge” at Old Trafford.

A last-16 exit is “about par for the course given their current reduced status”, McNulty added. Their only hope of salvaging anything this season is by finishing in the Premier League top four. As things stand Arsenal are currently fourth with 51 points, one more than United. The Gunners have played three games less, but face title contenders Liverpool on Wednesday.

So “that’s that” for United in this year’s Champions League, said Ian King on Football365. And it’s “probably over for next year as well”, considering Arsenal are in good form. “It would be easy to blame” interim boss Ralf Rangnick, but “considering that this keeps on happening through manager after manager, might it be that the problems at the club run somewhat deeper than just one person?”

12 players out, Tuchel in as boss?

United will prepare to rebuild once again and the Daily Express has looked at every player who is “nowhere near good enough and should leave in the aftermath of the defeat – whether they played or not”. Among the names on the 12-player list were captain Harry Maguire, Marcus Rashford and Paul Pogba.

Player transfers will be a major focus for the club this summer – as will their search for a new manager to take over from Rangnick, who is in interim charge until the end of the season.

United are “monitoring” Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel, The Guardian reported. The German’s future at Chelsea is unsure after the government imposed sanctions on their owner, Roman Abramovich. Paris Saint-Germain’s Mauricio Pochettino and Ajax’s Erik ten Hag are among the other candidates under consideration.

Is Old Trafford fit for purpose?

It’s not just on the pitch where United need major improvements. The club are exploring plans to redevelop Old Trafford and this week issued an update on the scheme, the Manchester Evening News reported.

United have “listened to a range of ideas” on how to improve their home stadium, “with the intention of bringing the ground back up to standard amongst the leading clubs in the Premier League”. The “new builds” at Arsenal and Tottenham “now set the standard and it’s become clear Old Trafford needs an upgrade”.

It’s certainly been a long time coming, King said on Football365. The lack of investment has had a “damaging effect on the old place” and “questions have even been asked over whether it’s fit for purpose in the 21st century”.

The Mauricio Pochettino and Harry Kane “to Manchester United” rumours have filled transfer columns for a number of years now – and the duo are once again being linked with big moves to Old Trafford.

Ex-Tottenham boss Pochettino, who is now at Paris Saint-Germain, was previously on Man Utd’s radar as a candidate to replace former managers ​​Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Meanwhile, Spurs and England striker Kane has also regularly been a target to bolster the Red Devils’s frontline.

Solskjaer’s replacement, Ralf Rangnick, was appointed on an interim basis in late November and is set to remain in charge until the end of the season. In what could be a “huge summer” for the club, United are expected to appoint a new manager and are beginning to “step up their search”, The Telegraph said.

The two frontrunners

Pochettino is “not the only candidate under consideration” for the United job, but it’s believed that the Argentine is the “preferred choice” for a number of players who “admire his coaching and man-management style”.

The other frontrunner is Ajax manager Erik ten Hag, who is “the sexy choice, the popular one and the one that will generate the most fuss”, said ​​Melissa Reddy in The Independent. But while Pochettino has “his flaws” and “we know him”, United have twice before come close to appointing the 49-year-old and have “regretted not doing so both times”.

Former United and England striker Teddy Sheringham believes Pochettino is the “perfect fit” for the Red Devils and could bring back the good times to the Theatre of Dreams, Goal reported. “He would be the man for me, he would be the number one choice.”

Real set to ‘battle’ United for Poch

Pochettino is expected to leave PSG at the end of the season and United will face a “battle” for his signature from Real Madrid, the Daily Mail reported.

Real and Tottenham both failed to lure Pochettino away from Paris last summer because the French club were “unwilling to let the Argentine leave”. However, pressure is growing on current Real boss Carlo Ancelotti and the Spanish club’s president, Florentino Perez, is “set to revive his interest” in Pochettino.

A significant statement

If Pochettino joins United this summer he’ll have to “oversee a huge rebuild” at Old Trafford, the Manchester Evening News said. ​​United could make as many as four new signings – including additions in attack. Signing an “elite-level” striker is “never easy”, but if Pochettino is appointed then United could have “the upper hand on other sides looking to sign a goalscorer”.

A move for Tottenham striker Kane is a possibility, especially if Pochettino is appointed as manager, ESPN said. But signing the 28-year-old “will cost at least £100m” and he would “command the same kind of wages” as David de Gea, the club’s second-highest earner who is on £350,000-a-week.

England captain Kane looked destined for a move to Manchester City last year and his future is “already expected to be a topic of debate” once more towards the end of this campaign, The Telegraph said. If Kane and Pochettino end up at United it would “clearly be regarded as a coup and a significant statement”.

​

When Ralf Rangnick arrived at Manchester United in November, he was “meant to be an upgrade” on Ole Gunnar Solskjær, said Josh Wright in The Guardian. The club’s previous boss had been “questioned and mocked throughout his time in charge”, in part because of his inexperience as a top-level manager. No one, by contrast, could accuse the “godfather of gegenpress” – as the 63-year-old Rangnick is known – of being a lightweight. “Big things were expected.”

Yet three months into the German’s tenure, it’s hard to see what difference he has made. United’s form hasn’t noticeably improved: they’ve won just three of their last seven Premier League games, and drew 1-1 against bottom-placed Burnley. They are consistently struggling to find the net: all their main strikers appear out of sorts, and Cristiano Ronaldo was goalless for six games – his longest drought for 13 years. For now, United remain within touching distance of an all important top four place, but with fixtures against Manchester City, Tottenham and Liverpool coming up, “Rangnick should be worried”.

One puzzling aspect of United’s recent form is that they keep squandering half-time leads, said Carl Anka on The Athletic. In three of their recent games, they have “gone in at half-time leading 1-0 and playing well, only to reach the 65th minute with the score tied at 1-1”. This week saw a partial recovery, with Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes on target in a 2-0 win against Brighton on Tuesday. But it seems the team can maintain Rangnick’s favoured playing style only for so long before fatigue and indiscipline set in.

United is a club which considers itself “elite level”, yet is currently anything but, said Paul Hirst in The Times. The most expensive private boxes at Old Trafford, in the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand, cost a staggering £210,000 a year. At what point do the owners of such boxes think: “is this really worth it?”

With hindsight, it seems an obvious appointment, said Paul Joyce in The Times, and one that should perhaps have been made two years ago. In 2019, Ralf Rangnick, then head of football development at Red Bull, sat in the crowd at Old Trafford to watch Manchester United play Chelsea. In a post-match interview, the German was “quick to earmark” the club’s major shortcomings, singling out a record of mediocre transfers, a failure to develop a “specific style of football”, and a lack of overall “vision”. And it turns out that United were in fact thinking of appointing Rangnick to a newly created role – director of football – but ended up not pursuing it. Now, however, having finally sacked Ole Gunnar Solskjær, the club is belatedly bringing the revered German to Old Trafford. He is to be interim manager until the end of the season, before taking up a “consultancy role”.

The 63-year-old comes to a league he has never coached in before, but which nonetheless is “awash with his achievements”, said Stefan Bienkowski in The Daily Telegraph. For Rangnick is the “godfather of gegenpressing” – the high-tempo style of football, orientated around rapidly recovering possession, that has profoundly influenced the English game. He pioneered the style while coaching “minnows” Ulm in the late 1990s, taking them in just two seasons from Germany’s third tier to the Bundesliga. A similarly impactful spell at Hoffenheim was followed by his nine-year association with Red Bull, owners of Salzburg and Leipzig.

Known as football’s “professor”, Rangnick excels not just at managing teams, but at bringing on other talented coaches, said Raphael Honigstein on The Athletic. Thomas Tuchel and Ralph Hasenhüttl (bosses of Chelsea and Southampton) are both former protégés. And while Jürgen Klopp has never worked under him, Liverpool’s manager is a self-confessed disciple. Rangnick’s arrival in England, says Klopp, is “not good news for other teams”.

It may also be bad news for Solskjær’s star signing, Cristiano Ronaldo, said Barney Ronay in The Guardian. The entire career of “Dr Gegenpress” feels like a case for not having a player like Ronaldo as the “focal point” of a team. The German loves youth and energy (at Hoffenheim, he refused to sign anyone over 23), is a fierce believer in the collective, and “hates star players”. So it was perhaps significant that the Portuguese was dropped from the starting line-up when United took on Chelsea on Sunday. Michael Carrick, the caretaker manager (Rangnick is expected to assume the reins in the next few days), insisted the decision was his own, but it was “hard not to see the hand of Ralf [in it]; whether directly or by osmosis through a coaching team eager to please the new man”.

Ole Gunnar Solskjær is a “thoroughly decent man”, said Martin Samuel in the Daily Mail. But it has long been clear to virtually everyone that he is simply not an “elite-level” manager. Everyone, that is, aside from Manchester United’s board, who “plugged away” with the amiable Norwegian even when he was “plainly drowning”.

Star players deteriorated under his watch, the team never developed a consistent identity, and he prioritised vainglorious signings – Cristiano Ronaldo being the most glaring – over building a coherent squad. All this resulted in the current run of five Premier League defeats in seven games, including humiliating losses to Liverpool and Manchester City. Even then, United stuck with Solskjær, seemingly accepting his assurances that better results were around the corner. In the end, it took Saturday’s 4-1 drubbing by Watford to convince them that Solskjær’s departure was necessary.

The faith United showed in their former player is at odds with the current trend in the Premier League, which is to dismiss managers at the first sign of trouble, said Jim White in The Sunday Telegraph. Watford are a case in point: no fewer than seven men have sat in the managerial chair at Vicarage Road during the three years Solskjær has been at Old Trafford (Claudio Ranieri is the current incumbent). As one wag tweeted during Saturday’s match: “had Solskjær been at the wheel at Watford, he’d have been sacked three times before half-time”.

United’s loyalty to Solskjær is hard to explain, but Alex Ferguson’s legacy probably has something to do with it. Having once stood by Ferguson when he “went on a run of defeats three years into his career at Old Trafford”, United’s board perhaps felt that all would “inevitably come good” if only they stuck with Solskjær – an optimism that now looks comically misguided.

The worst of it is that by waiting so long, United have made it far harder to find a replacement, said Daniel Taylor on The Athletic. Earlier in the year, Antonio Conte was “fluttering his eyelashes in their direction”, but they failed to sign the Italian and Tottenham have snapped him up. With no other suitable candidates available, Michael Carrick has been named caretaker manager – with the expectation of a permanent appointment at the end of the season.

The whole saga illustrates the lack of strategy that has defined United since the Glazers took over, said Henry Winter in The Times. Yes, Solskjær wasn’t right for the job, but the club’s problems won’t magically disappear now he’s gone. Compared with their biggest rivals, United are abysmally run: over the years, the Glazers have organised them “as poorly as Solskjær drilled the defence”. It will take more than a new manager to change that.

On the full-time whistle at Old Trafford a shell-shocked Manchester United Twitter admin could only muster one word – “Defeat” – after watching the team lose 5-0 at home to Liverpool. Defeat was an understatement: the result was a humiliation and one which Ole Gunnar Solskjaer described as his “darkest day” since taking over as manager in 2018.

The United fans inside the Theatre of Dreams on Sunday must have thought they were in a nightmare as Liverpool ran riot with four goals in the opening 45 minutes. And thousands had already headed for the exits before Mohamed Salah completed his hat-trick five minutes after the break.

There was a “sense of reckoning” about this Liverpool victory, said the BBC’s Phil McNulty. It was on “such a scale and such an embarrassment” that it means Solskjaer’s “sympathisers” will have an “even tougher job” claiming the Norwegian is up to the task of making United a serious force once again. As of Monday afternoon Solskjaer was still “at the wheel”, but he looked so far “out of his depth” that the question now is “how long will be allowed to stay at the wheel in the hope of finding a direction?”.

‘He will never be an elite coach’

Despite the dismantling by Liverpool, the Norwegian maintains the backing of the Old Trafford hierarchy, said Goal’s Charlotte Duncker. But where do Man Utd go from here? “As defeats go, a 5-0 humiliation at home to your fiercest rivals is as bad as it comes.”

The Red Devils need a new boss – the team has “no identity, no clue and no chance under his management”, said Samuel Luckhurst in the Manchester Evening News. Solskjaer was “always a stop-gap coach” and United need to put a stop to his reign. “He is incapable of competing against the elite coaches for he is not an elite coach and never will be. Jurgen Klopp schooled the pupil.”

Nobody should think Solskjaer is the only thing wrong at United, said The Guardian’s Jonathan Wilson. That he is not a manager at the same level, or anywhere close to the same level, as Klopp, Pep Guardiola and Thomas Tuchel is “obvious and always has been”, but he “has not been helped by those above him”.

Sky Sports pundits Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville debated the future of the United head coach following the 5-0 humbling. Carragher believes United need someone to take them to the next level. “Unfortunately, Solskjaer is not Jurgen Klopp, Pep Guardiola or Thomas Tuchel,” Carragher said. “It’s staring you in the face.”

Former United star Neville feels that the club will hold their nerve and they will sit with him until the end of the season. “There will be a massive outcry from fans and media that Ole should be sacked and I can understand that after that game,” Neville said. “It was a monstrously bad day and it takes some recovery from.”

Conte and Zidane linked

Not surprisingly, Solskjaer is odds-on favourite to be the next Premier League manager to get the sack. On Betfair he’s 1/5 to leave his job - the “shortest odds he’s ever been to head out of the Old Trafford exit door”, the Daily Mail reported.

If Solskjaer does get the sack, who could take over the Old Trafford hot seat? According to Oddschecker Antonio Conte, Zinedine Zidane, Brendan Rodgers, Mauricio Pochettino and Erik ten Hag are the main candidates.

Former Chelsea and Italy head coach Conte is reportedly open to becoming the next United manager - but only if the club demonstrates willingness to win the Champions League, the Daily Mirror reported. Ex-Real Madrid boss Zidane has long been linked with the United job. However, Spanish newspaper Marca said the Frenchman is a “wanted coach” and is attracting interest from several top clubs around Europe.

Sheffield Hallam University experts Dan Plumley and Rob Wilson on how clubs score financial wins through high-profile signings

The prodigal son returns. In the last few days of a frenzied football transfer window, Manchester United pulled off a dream signing, welcoming Cristiano Ronaldo back to his former club.

Excitement over his return to the Premier League is high - and with good reason. There are only a handful of sports stars on the planet who can generate this kind of global interest.

But how does a player of Ronaldo’s professional stature affect the business side of a major football club? Where are the key financial wins generated by sporting superstars?

In football transfer fee terms, Ronaldo returns to United with a relatively cheap price tag. He has signed a two-year contract (with the option to extend) for an initial fee of £12.86m and the potential for an additional £6.85m in performance-related bonuses.

This is primarily down to his age. At 36, he is approaching the end of his playing career, and the fee reflects this, even though his performance level remains high. That performance factor is reflected in his salary, which is set to be around £385,000 per week

Adding these numbers together crudely shows a total cost to Manchester United in the region of £60m. The club have also shown shrewd business tactics by managing to spread the payment over five years.

In return, United hope Ronaldo’s skill will enhance the club’s chances on the pitch. But the bigger picture is the commercial edge he can bring.

Certainly the power of his personal brand (he is widely known as “CR7”, after his initials and preferred player number) - not withstanding the ongoing civil lawsuit against him for allegations of rape, which he denies (criminal charges were ruled out) - instantly extends the club’s international reach and appeal.

Ronaldo currently boasts half a billion followers across social media, compared to Manchester United’s 140 million, and the announcement of his signing sparked 12.5 million likes on Instagram. Converting this reach into cash is critical.

A numbers game

Ronaldo has already increased United’s shirt sales to a record-breaking amount. But it is Adidas which will see the initial benefit, with the German kit manufacturer paying a licence fee to reproduce the famous red shirts. That said, United’s current deal with Adidas is already football’s biggest, and the Ronaldo effect should allow the club’s executives to push up the price when it comes to renewal.

United’s broader business operations should also see a significant boost. Sponsors will be falling over themselves to partner with United, and it is possible the club could make an additional £30m in commercial arrangements in the next couple of years.

And while exact numbers are difficult to predict, we can look to Ronaldo’s last club, Juventus, for a guide. The Portuguese moved there from Real Madrid in 2018, and the next two years show considerable commercial growth for the Italian club.

Of course, that’s not all down to Ronaldo, but he certainly helped. While he was in the squad, Juventus renegotiated deals with Adidas and Jeep, and signed a new one with Konami in Japan who cited the “Ronaldo effect” as a major reason behind the partnership.

Manchester United meanwhile already generate significant value from commercial deals and Ronaldo will help boost those numbers. The team and the player have been described as “match made in heaven”, with the share price of the club jumping before Ronaldo had even kicked a ball back in Manchester.

Longer-term gains can be expected in the next couple of years, and if he helps the club to win trophies, the numbers could be mind boggling. Those numbers will no doubt be studied by the top European clubs as they desperately look for the next Ronaldo and Messi, encapsulated by Real Madrid’s recent failed attempt to land Kylian Mbappe from Paris Saint-Germain. (Expect him to be the next big move in January 2022.)

The football industry in general is concerned about a changing market where the relationship between the game and young people appears to be deteriorating. Recent research found that 40% of respondents in seven countries (including England, Poland and Brazil) aged 16-24 had no interest in football, sparking fears of a “missing generation” of fans.

As a result, clubs are searching for new ways to engage. Anything that extends the reach in younger age groups is of huge interest to club owners, so Ronaldo’s social media presence is yet another box ticked.

The attachment between fans and a favourite player is also of increasing importance, particularly in emerging markets. In India for example, nearly a third of fans say that allegiance to a player influences their support for a club.

For Manchester United, there is clearly money to be made from the return of CR7. The club will gain new fans and new deals - and if he scores goals and wins matches, maybe even a shiny new trophy.

Sheffield Hallam University senior lecturer in sport finance Dan Plumley and head of Department of Finance, Accounting and Business Systems Rob Wilson.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons licence. Read the original article.

When he’s not busy campaigning for children to receive free school meals, Marcus Rashford can be found kicking a ball around for Manchester United and England.

It turns out that the 22-year-old is not just a successful activist, but he’s also pretty good at playing football, too.

Off the pitch, Rashford has seen his petition to end child food poverty hit more than one million signatures. And on the pitch on Wednesday night he played a starring role in Man Utd’s 5-0 win over RB Leipzig in the Champions League.

Appearing as a 63rd-minute substitute, Rashford netted a “quickfire hat-trick” for his first treble in senior football, Sky Sports says.

It was quite a response for the youngster who has been accused by some of “virtue signalling” and told to “stick to the football”.

With his hat-trick coming in a 16-minute spell, Rashford “displayed his powers at multi-tasking - showing it is possible to be a campaigner at the same time as a goalscorer”, BBC Sport reports.

Speaking after the game United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said: “Marcus has showed he can keep focusing on what’s important on and off the pitch at the moment. He did really well today coming off the bench.”

In a tweet Rashford said he “can’t stop smiling” after scoring a first hat-trick for his boyhood club and seeing the petition milestone of one million signatures.

United and Flo help out

Rashford launched his petition to “end child food poverty” on 15 October, but a motion by the Labour Party to extend free school meals over holidays until Easter 2021 was voted down by MPs in the Commons last week.

Despite the vote, Rashford has continued his fight against the government and this week he has flooded his Twitter timeline with retweets of charities, schools and companies who have supported his campaign.

Rashford’s own club is one of many to back his initiative. In a statement Manchester United and the Manchester United Foundation announced a partnership with FareShare that will see 5,000 meals cooked and delivered to local school children this week.

Organisations of all sizes and people of all ages are behind Rashford. Last night he signed off Twitter with a message to his 3.7 million followers to read a story about 89-year-old Flo Osborne.

The great-great-grandmother has rallied to Rashford’s calls and has baked hundreds of pies to help to feed hungry kids during half term, The London Economic reports.

When asked about Rashford’s “lovely idea” she said: “I saw it on the news and I thought, that’s lovely. I have been baking pies throughout lockdown to help vulnerable people in the community, and I love doing it. It keeps me going, and gives me something to do. But I thought, I would love to help the little ones, too.”

Everything seems to be going from bad to worse for Manchester United and England defender Harry Maguire.

Life was good for Maguire after he starred for the Three Lions in their run to the Fifa World Cup semi-final in 2018. A year later he secured a big-money transfer from Leicester City to United for a reported £80m - a record fee for a defender - and was also made captain of the Red Devils.

However, after the highs of the World Cup and his move to Old Trafford, the 27-year-old has suffered lows both on and off the pitch.

In August he was arrested on the Greek island of Mykonos and found guilty of repeated bodily harm, attempted bribery, violence against public employees and insult after arrest. After the trial he was handed a suspended sentence of 21 months and ten days in prison.

Maguire’s legal team has appealed this and he insists he did nothing wrong and that his “conscience is clear”.

The off-field issues have no doubt affected his performances on the pitch. With United he was part of the team that was hammered 6-1 by Tottenham at Old Trafford on 4 October then on Wednesday evening he saw red for two bookable offences as England lost 1-0 to Denmark in the Nations League.

‘Amateurish’

On its back page on Wednesday, the Daily Mail did not hold back with its headline, which read, “When Harry met Silly! Hapless Maguire sees red and England limp to defeat”.

It was a “shambolic” 31 minutes for Maguire at Wembley, BBC Sport reports. He was lucky not to be sent off for his first offence, a reckless early lunge at Yussuf Poulsen, but just after the half-hour mark he “put himself out of his own misery”.

After “amateurish” control Maguire then lunged in again, this time on Kasper Dolberg, and the referee had no hesitation showing him a second yellow, then red.

Maguire looked “totally devoid of confidence, a lost soul and an accident waiting to happen”, says the BBC’s Phil McNulty. He questions whether Maguire, who is sadly looking like a defensive liability for club and country, now needs a longer break from the game.

The centre-half’s run of substandard displays “stretches back longer than anyone would like”, says ESPN’s James Olley, and the depth of his on-field slump “can no longer be hidden”.

Speaking on Sky Sports following the defeat against Denmark, former United and England defender Gary Neville said: “It sums up his last four to six weeks. It is a terrible time for him.

“Watching that Tottenham vs. Manchester United game ten days ago when obviously Harry Maguire had a bad time, you were thinking that he needed international duty just to get away, a different environment. But it has not served him well. He will go back in as bad of a place as he came.”

Southgate and Kane: he’ll bounce back

Following the criticism from the press and from fans, England head coach Gareth Southgate and captain Harry Kane have both come out in support of Maguire.

Southgate is backing the defender to return to form and said to Sky Sports: “He has been getting all sorts [of criticism] for a while from people who should know better. For me, he is a top player and a massive part of what we do. He is having a period where he is getting a lot of stick thrown his way. He is big enough to deal with that and he will be stronger for it. He has our full support and I know his club will be the same.”

England skipper Kane echoed the words of his boss. “There were a couple of challenges that he would love to have back and probably not make,” said the Spurs striker. “It’s all part of the learning curve, still part of the experience at international level. Of course, he will be disappointed for the boys, but he’ll bounce back.”

Manchester United captain Harry Maguire has spoken to the media for the first time since he was arrested on the Greek island of Mykonos last week.

The England defender claims that plain-clothed police officers, who did not identify themselves, pulled over his group’s minibus in Mykonos, threw him off the bus and struck him on his legs. He said he was “scared for his life” and feared he was about to be kidnapped.

On Tuesday the 27-year-old was found guilty of repeated bodily harm, attempted bribery, violence against public employees and insult after arrest.

After the trial he was handed a suspended sentence of 21 months and ten days in prison, which his legal team has appealed. The BBC reports that according to Greek law, the appeal “nullifies Maguire’s conviction and there will be a full retrial in a more senior court”.

In an exclusive interview with BBC sports editor Dan Roan, Maguire gave his side to the story in which he denied throwing punches or bribing the police.

Here’s what he had to say…

No apologies - I know the truth

“I don’t feel I owe an apology to anybody. An apology is something when you have done something wrong. I don’t wish it on anybody.

“Obviously the situation has made it difficult for one of the biggest clubs in the world, so I regret putting the fans and the club through this, but I did nothing wrong. I found myself in a situation where it could have happened to anybody and anywhere.

“I know what happened that night. I know the truth. When I speak about it I get worked up but that’s because it just makes me feel a bit angry inside. I will move on. I am mentally strong enough.”

Feared for his life

“They hit me a lot on the legs. It wasn’t on my mind. I was in that much of a panic. Fear. Scared for my life.”

Quick trial

“It was horrible. It was such a quick turnaround it was incredible. We got the pages for the transcript for the court on the evening before.

“A big document, all in Greek. I hardly had any chance to speak to my lawyer. We were confident the case would be adjourned, to give us more time to prepare and get the witnesses and the evidence that we have.

“For it to all happen so quickly... we obviously didn’t expect the trial to go ahead.”

The appeal process

“I have great faith in the Greek law. The retrial rule will give us more time to prepare, gather the evidence, allow witnesses into the court, and I am really confident the truth will be told and come out.”

Remaining United skipper

“It is such a huge honour to be captain of Manchester United - something I am really proud of. It is a massive privilege to play for the club, never mind captain.

“It is not my decision to make but the one thing I will say is how supportive the club has been from top to bottom. They have been great with me and I thank them for that.”

His reputation

“It’s not nice seeing bad reports against yourself. No-one knew what went off that night. Either you believe it or you don’t.

“Even after the court case still the stories coming out of the court case are so far away from the truth it is incredible. So, no, my character and personality will stay the same. I am strong mentally and I will get over this.

“My conscience is clear. I know exactly what happened that night.”

After 18 months of speculation, Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer finally looks set to land his No.1 transfer target Jadon Sancho in a big-money deal from Borussia Dortmund.

England winger Sancho, 20, has been a revelation since he joined Dortmund following spells in the youth teams at Watford and Manchester City.

After making his Dortmund first-team debut in October 2017 Sancho has shone with 30 goals and 38 assists in 78 Bundesliga matches. On the European stage for BVB he has scored three goals in 15 Uefa Champions League games.

He was rewarded with a call-up to the England senior squad and following his debut in October 2018 he has gone on to win 11 caps and score twice for the Three Lions.

Such form for club and country has seen Sancho linked with a host of European giants, but according to several media reports today United are on the verge of bringing the young attacker back to Manchester.

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Record breaker: the £100m man

BBC Sport says Dortmund have placed a 10 August deadline on United securing a deal for Sancho. With the 2020-21 Bundesliga season starting on 18 September, the German club are keen for “undisturbed preparation” ahead of the new campaign.

According to Sky Sports United are close to “agreeing personal terms in principle” on a five-year contract with the player. Discussions between the Old Trafford club and Dortmund are at an “advanced stage”, with the transfer fee the main hurdle.

It’s believed that Dortmund value Sancho at around €120m (£108m), but would be willing to accept less money up front, Sky reports.

United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward and transfer negotiator Matt Judge are currently “locked in talks” with Dortmund, the Daily Mirror says, but hope to have the deal completed this week.

Speaking on talkSPORT this morning, The Sun’s Neil Custis also believes that the transfer “will be done within the week”. Custis says that the transfer fee for Sancho is “effectively £70m until United win the Premier League, Champions League or he makes 30 or 40 appearances”, then the add-on clauses will be triggered.

It’s uncertain how much the actual fee could be, but with reports suggesting amounts between £100m and £120m, one thing that is likely is any deal for Sancho will be a record breaker.

The current British transfer record is the £89m United spent on Paul Pogba in 2016 and the most expensive British player in history is Gareth Bale after he left Tottenham for Real Madrid in an £85m move in 2013.

Exciting prospect

It’s not only Solskjaer and the United fans who are keen to see Sancho at Old Trafford - but also the player himself. The Independent reports that Sancho is “excited” at playing in the Premier League and the chance to join the club’s star-studded attack.

United’s forward-line have impressed in front of goal, helping the club secure a third-placed finish in the Premier League and a return to next season’s Champions League. Sky Sports reports that Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial have both scored 23 goals this season while 18-year-old Mason Greenwood chipped in with 18.

It’s hoped that the arrival of Sancho can help United close the gap on their rivals. United finished 15 points behind second-placed Manchester City and 33 points behind champions Liverpool.

Neville: Sancho ‘fits the profile’

Despite the goals from the forward line and January signing Bruno Fernandes pulling the strings in midfield alongside Paul Pogba, Phil Neville believes Solskjaer’s team are short of a star player on the right-hand side.

Former United and Everton defender Neville says the club should sign another “out-and-out winger” and Sancho is someone who can follow in the footsteps of iconic players such as Cristiano Ronaldo and David Beckham.

Speaking on The Webby & O’Neill Podcast, Neville said: “I think the right-hand side is the biggest area where we need to improve. An out-and-out winger.

“You think about the great Man Utd sides, Beckham, [Andrei] Kanchelskis… Ronaldo played out there, Ole Gunnar played on the right-hand side. I think the right-hand side is the one big hole in the squad. United haven’t really had anyone since Antonio Valencia, really.

“Sancho can play out there and play really well. You’d say that’s someone who will fit the profile. You think Rashford and Greenwood, both British players, you think of Fernandes, he’s young and hungry - Sancho fits that.”

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At the start of the coronavirus outbreak, footballers were facing pressure from all sides to take pay cuts to help Premier League clubs weather the pandemic storm.

“Given the sacrifices many people are making, the first thing PL footballers can do is make a contribution,” Health Secretary Matt Hancock said at a government briefing in early April.

But while politicians were quite happy to meddle in the world of football, the government probably didn’t expect Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford to even the score by forcing No. 10 to perform what The Guardian describes as a “humiliating” U-turn on a hot political issue.

What has Rashford done?

The England striker has been leading a public campaign for the government to carry on providing free school meals to vulnerable children over the summer, says Sky News.

On Monday, Rashford posted an open letter to MPs in which he drew on his own childhood experiences, saying that “the system isn’t built for families like mine to succeed”.

“Without the kindness and generosity from the community there wouldn’t be the Marcus Rashford you see today: a 22-year-old black man lucky enough to make a career playing the game I love,” he wrote.

“This is not about politics; this is about humanity. Political affiliations aside, can we not all agree that no child should be going to bed hungry? Food poverty is a pandemic in England that could span generations if we don’t course correct now.”

Rashford also penned an article published today in The Times in which he again calls on the government to help families who, like his own during his youth, have to rely on food banks and free school meals.

“Today I focus on a trophy that stands for something much bigger than football,” he writes.

“A U-turn on the decision to stop the free food voucher scheme continuing over the summer holidays could help us reach the next round but we still have a very long way to go as a country to eventually lift the trophy. In this case, the trophy is combating child poverty.”

In addition to his political intervention, Rashford has helped to raise £20m in partnership with FareShare, a food distribution charity that is providing three million meals a week to vulnerable people across the country during the coronavirus outbreak.

And the government’s response?

The Department for Education yesterday thanked Rashford for his open letter but said it would not reverse its decision on free school meals.

However, just hours before Labour was planning to force a vote on the issue in the House of Commons today, Boris Johnson’s official spokesperson announced a new £120m “Covid summer food fund” for pupils in England.

“Owing to the corona pandemic, the prime minister fully understands that children and parents face an entirely unprecedented situation over the summer,” the spokesperson said, adding that Johnson “welcomes Marcus Rashford’s contribution to the debate around poverty”.

Under the new plan, around 1.3 million children will be given vouchers for free meals over the school holidays, The Telegraph reports.

Responding to the news, Rashford tweeted: “I don’t even know what to say. Just look at what we can do when we come together, THIS is England in 2020.”

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What else has been said?

Labour has thrown its weight behind Rashford’s initiative, with Keir Starmer announcing an appeal from his party for the government “to make sure no child goes hungry this summer by funding free school meals”.

Responding to the government’s U-turn, Starmer said: “The thought of 1.3 million children going hungry this summer was unimaginable. Well done to [Marcus Rashford] and many others who spoke out so powerfully about this issue.”

London Mayor Sadiq Khan had also backed Rashford’s push, tweeting: “I might be a Londoner and Liverpool fan, but I fully support Man Utd’s Marcus Rashford.”

In Labour-run Wales, the devolved government’s education minister Kirsty Williams said she had “already committed to providing free school meals over the summer holidays”, and praised Rashford’s stand.

Rashford has also been backed by big businesses including the Co-op, which pledged in a tweet on Monday to extend the free school meals scheme at its 25 academy schools throughout the summer holidays.

Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba remains keen on signing for Real Madrid this summer.

The French World Cup winner has a desire to work with Real head coach Zinedine Zidane and 90min says his “priority” is to secure a switch to Spain.

Pogba’s future at Old Trafford has been the topic of conversation for months. Real have regularly been linked with the 27-year-old as have his former club Juventus.

According to 90min Paris Saint-Germain and ​Bayern Munich are also “monitoring his situation”.

However, despite interest from many clubs, Real are Pogba’s first-choice.

Could the Premier League play out the season in China?

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Jimenez: no release clause in contract

Another Premier League star linked with Real Madrid recently is Wolves striker Raul Jimenez.

The Mexican has scored 22 times in all competitions this season and his form in front of goal has seen the likes of Real and Manchester United take notice.

Jimenez’s future at Wolves is even more under the spotlight today. According to the Daily Mail the 28-year-old has revealed he has no release clause in his contract, which expires in 2023.

In an interview with Spanish newspaper Marca, he said: “They [Wolves] bought me for €40m [£34.5m], they won’t sell me for less. There is no release clause, but the clubs [in England], it is different how they are managed.”

Werner move on hold

According to the Daily Mail Liverpool have put all contract talks and recruitment plans on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic. This means the Anfield club’s move for RB Leipzig striker Timo Werner is off for now.

The Mail says: “Werner is hugely admired by Liverpool and he has spoken favourably on a number of occasions in recent months about their team - and manager Jurgen Klopp - but any ambitions he has of securing a move to England will have to be placed on hold.”

Today’s back pages

Gary Lineker calls for patience over Premier League pay cut debate

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Ronaldo to Man Utd or PSG?

It’s 11 years since Cristiano Ronaldo left Manchester United but every so often - each transfer window - it’s rumoured that the Portuguese superstar may return to Old Trafford.

Despite it being April Fools’ Day today, the rumour appears to have some legs with reports in Italy yesterday suggesting that the 35-year-old may leave Serie A champions Juventus at the end of the season.

Italian clubs are facing a financial crisis because of the coronavirus pandemic and according to Spanish newspaper Marca Ronaldo may have to leave Turin “sooner than he intended”.

After he scored 84 goals in six years at Old Trafford Man Utd fans would welcome the return of a hero.

ESPN says Ronaldo is “still idolised for his achievements” and the Manchester Evening News adds that United have been alerted and could be tempted to make a move in the summer if he became available.

French champions Paris Saint-Germain could also rival United for his signature and are one European club who would have the money to sign a superstar.

However, for that to happen Marca says PSG may have to lose Neymar or Kylian Mbappe first.

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Match of ‘their’ day

BBC One’s flagship football programme Match of the Day will return this weekend with highlights of classic Premier League games.

The show will have a new name - Match of Their Day - with pundits picking out three memorable encounters. Former Newcastle striker Alan Shearer will select his three classics on Saturday night at 11pm.

Everton eye Bale and Ramsey

In what seems like another April Fools’ story Everton are being linked with Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale and Juventus midfielder Aaron Ramsey.

However, 90min’s exclusive was published yesterday and the website reports that the Toffees are looking to establish themselves as one of the Premier League’s elite by landing the Welsh duo.

With Carlo Ancelotti at the helm at Goodison, Everton want to take the next step towards finally achieving their long-term goals.

It’s believed that the Merseyside club need six or seven top-class players and a source has told 90min that officials have “discussed trying to lure both ​Bale and ​Ramsey to Goodison Park”.

Today’s back pages

Spurs chairman Levy wages war and Man Utd keep tabs on De Ligt

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Manchester United have offered their “full support” for the completion of the Premier League, FA Cup and Uefa competitions this season.

English professional football is currently suspended until at least 30 April because of the coronavirus pandemic and there’s uncertainty on when fixtures will resume after the shutdown.

The 2019-20 campaign has been extended indefinitely in a bid to complete the schedule and last week football authorities said that the aim is to finish the Premier League season no matter what.

Man Utd have issued a statement to supporters to confirm the financial arrangements which will be put in place for season ticket holders if remaining games are played behind closed doors or cancelled.

The statement said: “The club fully supports the collective intent to complete the Premier League, Emirates FA Cup and the Uefa club competitions.

“However, if it were decided that games cannot be played, or needed to be played behind closed doors, Manchester United confirms it will offer season ticket holders either a pro-rata rebate against their season tickets for next year, or a pro-rata cash refund based on the number of games still to be played.

“This rebate or a refund will also apply to supporters who have paid in advance for general admission tickets or Matchday VIP packages for the games that could be impacted this season.

“A rebate will also be offered to seasonal Executive Club members. If postponed matches are played as normal, all tickets will remain valid.”

As things stand United are fifth in the Premier League table with 45 points, three behind fourth-placed Chelsea. United’s big rivals Liverpool are 25 points clear at the top.

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3pm kick-offs ‘behind red button’?

The Daily Mirror reports that Premier League broadcasters Sky Sports and BT Sport are putting together an “emergency coronavirus plan”.

One of the items being discussed is the possibility of Saturday 3pm fixtures being put “behind the red button” for existing subscribers if games are forced to be played behind closed doors.

The Mirror said: “Sky Sports and BT Sport could do it to help prevent supporters turning up en masse at stadiums to try and watch their games even if they are locked out.

“That is the nightmare scenario for clubs and police and emergency services because fans will be desperate to watch the games - and showing them live on TV would ease the problem.”

Klopp’s praise for healthcare workers

Last night millions of people came together to “clap for our carers” and Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was one of the many sporting figures to also praise the NHS staff and key workers on the frontline.

Klopp said: “Myself, the staff and all the players of LFC would like to take this opportunity to deliver a message to say thank you to all the incredible people who work in the health services and all the health workers out there.

“It’s unbelievable what you are doing and on behalf on all of us from LFC, I would like to say thank you, or how we would say in Germany - vielen dank.”

Mustafi has ‘question marks’ over future

Shkodran Mustafi’s Arsenal career remains in doubt after the German defender admitted there are “question marks” over his future at the north London club.

The 27-year-old’s contract expires in June 2021 and he told Sky in Germany: “I’ve played more regularly under [head coach] Mikel Arteta, also in the Premier League. That has really helped me. I feel very good. I understand his style of football, how he likes to play, that really fits me.

“The way he is at his age, that has really surprised me, I don’t know if after four years, I could be that serious and have a charisma like his to lead a team.

“He is managing that very well. I feel that in this short amount of time I already learned some new things that help my game.

“I can imagine continuing to play for him. But we still don’t know about the future. There are still many question marks.”

Today’s back pages

Non-league clubs threaten legal action against The FA

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Shearer: Kane will be off

If Tottenham Hotspur fail to win a trophy in the next 12 months they will risk losing Harry Kane.

That’s the opinion of former England striker Alan Shearer when asked about the future of the current Three Lions skipper.

Last season, under Mauricio Pochettino, Spurs finished fourth in the Premier League table and reached the final of the Uefa Champions League, where they lost 2-0 to Liverpool.

However, Pochettino was sacked in November and his replacement, Jose Mourinho, has struggled to bring results to north London. The club were eighth in the table before fixtures were suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic.

With Spurs seven points behind fourth-placed Chelsea their hopes of Champions League qualification may rest on Kane returning from a hamstring injury for the remainder of the season.

Shearer, the Premier League’s record goalscorer, said on the Match of the Day: Top 10 podcast: “My guess is, if he doesn’t win anything in the next 12 months then he has to leave. He’ll do another year, I think, and if nothing comes in terms of trophies, then he’ll be off.”

According to reports in Spain Kane is a target for Real Madrid. Manchester United and Manchester City have also been linked with the 26-year-old.

Transfer ‘free-for-all’ as summer window could stay open until January

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United plan to snatch £120m Sancho

The Daily Star reports that Manchester United are poised to make a club record £120m bid for Jadon Sancho.

“Sancho snatch” is the back page headline in the Star with the paper claiming that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is “winning the race” for the Borussia Dortmund ace.

The England winger, 20, has attracted interest from Liverpool, Chelsea, Barcelona and Real Madrid in recent months but the Daily Mirror claims that United are determined to get their man, “despite the club record-breaking price it would take to do”.

United’s previous biggest transfer fee was the £89m they paid Juventus for Paul Pogba in 2016.

Coutinho to return to England?

Since leaving Liverpool for Barcelona in the 2018 January transfer window Philippe Coutinho has struggled to make an impact at the Camp Nou.

The Brazilian found himself loaned out to German champions Bayern Munich and now it’s reported that he could be on his way back to the English top flight.

Bayern are unlikely to take up an option to buy the 27-year-old and Sky Sports says Premier League clubs Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham are all understood to want to take him on loan next season.

Real plan deal for Auba

The Daily Star says Real Madrid are keen on signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and are prepared to “pull out all the stops” to secure the transfer of the Arsenal captain.

Aubameyang has also recently been linked with Man Utd, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, but the Star reports that Real are hoping a “cash-plus-player deal” will be enough to persuade Arsenal to part with their star striker.

Spanish outlet Diario Madridista claims that Arsenal have already made contact with Real regarding a deal for Aubameyang, who is out of contract in the summer of 2021. The Gunners could cash in rather than risk losing him on a free transfer.

Dani Ceballos, who is on loan at Arsenal from Real, could be offered as part of a potential deal between the two clubs.

Today’s back pages

Premier League and EFL stars braced for pay cuts and Man Utd are poised to snatch Sancho

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Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s future at Arsenal remains a major talking point with the striker’s contract expiring in the summer of 2021.

Reports suggest that the Gunners are working hard behind the scenes to get their skipper to agree to a new deal. However, should the Gabon star not sign he would then be available on a free transfer.

In February Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta revealed he was delighted with the 30-year-old’s contribution since taking over in December.

Aubameyang has scored 20 goals in 32 games this season for the Gunners and has attracted interest from a number of European clubs.

Arteta said of his captain: “Before I took over I had my questions about him but he has shown his commitment. I wanted him to show if he wanted to do it and do it physically.

“I’m so happy with him. He is scoring important goals and as a captain he is giving a great example to everyone else with the way he is working defensively.”

Arsenal are currently ninth in the Premier League table with 40 points from 28 matches. That’s eight points behind Chelsea, who sit in the fourth Champions League qualification spot.

It’s Aubameyang’s Champions League ambitions that could have a major impact on where his future lies.

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Trio lead chase

Barcelona have regularly been linked with the frontman and the Daily Mail reports that the Spanish giants, French champions Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal’s Premier League rivals Manchester United are all interested.

Aubameyang’s form in front of goal helped Arsenal win three matches in a row before the Premier League was suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic.

In fact without Aubameyang’s 17 top-flight goals this season the Gunners would be 19th in the Premier League table and facing a relegation battle.

The Mail’s Jordan Seward says: “He has single-handedly won 16 points for Arsenal this season and scored 43% of all of their goals in the Premier League - it’s hard to think of any player more pivotal to their team than Aubameyang.”

Merson: just what United are missing

Former Arsenal star Paul Merson has risked the wrath of the Gooners by suggesting that Aubameyang is “just what Manchester United are missing”.

The Sun reported at the weekend that United are “circling” around Aubameyang and boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer hopes to take advantage of the contract situation. The paper adds that the Old Trafford club are plotting a sensational £50m swoop.

Sky Sports pundit Merson believes United could be a “major force” if they sign Aubameyang and Aston Villa playmaker Jack Grealish.

Merson said: “Aubameyang is what Manchester United are missing. He is a goal scorer and goal scorers are priceless.

“They are crying out for someone who is going to score them 20 to 25 goals, and that’s what Aubameyang can bring. He gets you 25 goals without even breaking sweat.

“Add a [Jack] Grealish if they can get him and then you’ve got Bruno Fernandes as well playing in behind a striker, Manchester United will be a major force.”

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Premier League will finish season

The dominant story on today’s back pages is the bullish message from the football authorities that the Premier League season will be finished no matter what.

“We’ll win it in extra time”, is the headline in the Daily Mirror, above a photo of Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, and the German also adorns the back of the Daily Express and the Daily Star.

The Star’s headline is “we’ll get the job done”, and the paper adds that the Premier League “vows to finish the season when the outbreak is over”.

The Guardian digs down into the detail of yesterday’s Premier League summit, confirming the determination to finish the season but warning that football won’t resume before at least 30 April.

Initially all football had been suspended until April 3 but that resumption has been pushed back to the end of the month.

The Times reports that the Football Association’s usual limit of 1 June for the end of the season has been extended to allow the domestic competitions to be finished.

That’s prompted the “summer season” headline in Metro in anticipation of watching the climax to the Premier League in the warmth of the June sunshine.

English football suspended until 30 April - but the season is extended indefinitely

Coronavirus: sport industry faces wage cuts, bailouts and financial ruin

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Return of king Eric?

The Daily Mirror has a story on its back page that will be a shot in the arm for Manchester United fans in these worrying times; namely, the claim that Eric Cantona could be set for a return to Old Trafford.

The French maestro, known as “the king” during his days at the club in the 1990s, could be hired in what the Mirror describes as an “ambassadorial role”.

The 53-year-old remains a legend in Manchester and the United board believe that having Cantona around Old Trafford would be a “major vote winner for the current club hierarchy as they stay in touch with the glorious past”.

RIP Whitts

The Times and Metro report on the death of former Cardiff City midfielder Peter Whittingham at the age of 35.

The playmaker, who also had spells with Aston Villa and Blackburn Rovers, had been in hospital for more than a week after suffering a head injury in a fall in a pub in Barry.

Whittingham, who was capped by England Under-21s, joined Cardiff in 2007 and made 459 appearances and scored 98 goals before leaving in 2017.

“We are heartbroken,” Cardiff said in a statement. “He excelled with talent, ease, grace and humility. Nobody did it better.”

Today’s sport headlines

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Pogba’s United career ‘over’

Paul Pogba’s second spell as a Manchester United player looks likely to come to an end this summer.

Man Utd manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer recently dismissed speculation that the midfielder could leave at the end of the season, but today the Daily Mail reports that his time at Old Trafford is “over”.

French World Cup winner Pogba returned to Old Trafford from Juventus four years ago in a club-record £89.3m deal and reports suggest that both parties are ready to cut ties.

The Mail says that United are “willing to listen to offers in the region of £100m” for Pogba. The Sun adds that £80m has been “slashed” off his asking price.

In the past 12 months former club Juventus and Spanish giants Real Madrid have regularly been linked with a potential move for the 27-year-old.

Bruno Fernandes: Man Utd’s star has the X factor to become a legend

Ole ready to make Jude bid

The Daily Star reports that Manchester United are ready to table a £30m bid “to beat off rivals” for the hand of Jude Bellingham.

The 16-year-old wonderkid has been in blistering form for Birmingham City in the Championship this season and the Star says that United are “obsessed with coming out on top in the race for him”.

Apparently Borussia Dortmund, Chelsea and Bayern Munich are also “keen” on the teenage sensation but United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is determined to bring the youngster to Old Trafford.

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Chelsea keen on Coutinho

Spanish newspapers Sport and AS both report that Barcelona playmaker Philippe Coutinho could return to the Premier League.

The Brazilian formerly played at Liverpool before making a £142m move to Barcelona in January 2018. However, he struggled to impress at the Camp Nou and is currently on loan at German giants Bayern Munich.

Metro says that Chelsea have already contacted Coutinho’s representatives and have held talks with Barcelona over a loan deal.

It’s believed that the player would like a return to the Premier League but Chelsea could face competition from his former club Inter Milan.

Today’s back pages

Football unites against virus as Gary Neville and Roman Abramovich hand hotels over to NHS staff

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Bruno Fernandes has only been a Manchester United player since January but the Portugal star has made a massive impact since his arrival at Old Trafford.

Signed from Sporting Lisbon in the transfer window, Fernandes has so far made nine appearances in all competitions for the Red Devils, scoring three goals and providing four assists.

Fernandes’s contribution to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side has not gone unnoticed by the critics and fans. He was named the Premier League’s player of the month for February and also won the club’s own fan-voted trophy and the PFA’s monthly award.

United boss Solskjaer recently said of his star signing: “He works hard. He’s humble enough, he’s got the desire, commitment, but he’s also got the X factor.

“He’s a risk taker, he’s got courage, he’s brave enough to make mistakes and if you make enough mistakes they’ll be corrected into fantastic assists or goals.”

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Huge impact

Former Red Devils captain Roy Keane and ex-United defender Gary Neville have also been impressed with the 25-year-old playmaker.

Sky Sports pundit Neville said: “Bruno Fernandes has made an impact beyond what anyone could have expected, not just in possession but out of possession. The way he sprints and gets at people, he is hungry and it looks like it is rubbing off on people.”

Keane was equally complimentary and added: “He has lifted everybody at the club. It is as if he has been there for 20 years. He has got pure quality and it looks like he is going to be a big player for United for the next few years.”

Dalot: he can be a legend at this club

Fellow Portuguese Diogo Dalot believes his new team-mate can become a “legend” at Old Trafford. Dalot told the official Manchester United podcast: “He’s a top guy, a top player. He is going to be a legend, no doubt about that.

“He’s unbelievable, he can get better of course as well. He’s going to learn a lot from this club. I think he is a massive player to have in this team and he’s going to be a very good player for this club.”

Fernandes: in his own words

After winning the EPL player of the month Fernandes spoke to Sky Sports about the start of his United career and the praise received from club icons Keane and Neville.

In an interview with Cronache Di Spogliatoio he also spoke about his “idol” Cristiano Ronaldo. Like Fernandes, Portugal skipper Ronaldo signed for the Old Trafford club from Sporting.

Here we look at what Fernandes had to say...

A ‘dream’ to play for United

“Since I was a kid it was a dream to play for Manchester United and to be there at Old Trafford is the biggest dream of my career. When you come to a new club you always want to score and the first goal is special. It doesn’t matter how the goal is scored, but the important thing is the goal’s worth. I’m happy with my start, but from now I need to give more, to be better.”

His start to life at Old Trafford

“We can talk about a new start after Bruno but it is not about Bruno, it is about the team. One player doesn’t change a team. The team changes when everyone pushes together for the same side. But the support I receive from the fans since the first day is amazing. I listened to the song they do for me and I was like, ‘I have been here for two days and I already have a song!’ The love they give me in this first month is really good.”

Reacting to Keane’s praise

“These are big words from a big player. This is what I want to do in Manchester. I want to be the best I can and, if it is possible, be remembered as one of the best in Manchester.”

His own work ethic

“When I react, when I lose the ball, I am angry and every time I want more. This is the difference between me and some players. If you want to be better and better, and if you want to be one of the best, you need to look for details. I think if you have one, two, three or four players in the team who have that desire, you push the others and you need to push the others.”

Top-class facilities at United

“At the training ground, you can find everything. When I arrived for medicals, everything impressed me. At Old Trafford you warm up with nobody in the stands, you hear nothing in the tunnel, and then you enter the pitch and you hear an incredible noise. If you talk about stadiums that everyone knows, the most historic are San Siro and Old Trafford.”

Why Ronaldo is his idol

“He [Ronaldo] welcomed me very well to the Portugal national team. We look at him as an idol, he has always been an idol for me. I followed his example, he is one of my favourites. When I was called up by Portugal, he came to me saying, ‘You are doing a good job at Sporting, I like it’. Words like these make the difference.”

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Coronavirus: Euro 2020 to be pushed back?

Newspapers, like governments, are struggling to keep pace with the impact of coronavirus and some of the papers went to press before the news that Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and Chelsea star Callum Hudson-Odoi had both tested positive for the virus.

Nonetheless the virus dominates the headlines with i Paper claiming that England’s cricket tour to Sri Lanka is set to be called off. The Independent reports on the cancellation of Sunday’s Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix, which was confirmed after McLaren withdrew.

“We share the disappointment of the sport’s fans that this race cannot go ahead as planned,” said champions Mercedes, one of the teams that had urged organisers to postpone the race.

“However, the physical and mental health and wellbeing of our team members and of the wider F1 community are our absolute priority.”

Could this summer’s Uefa European Championships also be in jeopardy? The question occupies most of the back pages with The Guardian and the Daily Express forecasting that the tournament will be pushed back a year.

The Daily Mirror and the Daily Star express “disbelief” that the Premier League has not followed the example of their European counterparts in aborting fixtures.

However, it is reported that the Premier League will hold an emergency meeting this morning and that could alter the situation.

Coronavirus impact on sport: which events are cancelled, postponed or being played behind closed doors?

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Man Utd march on in Europe

On a normal day Manchester United’s 5-0 thrashing of LASK in their Europa League last-16 first leg would dominate the back pages, but these are not normal times and most papers struggle to squeeze in a report of their dominant display.

The Daily Mirror does with its headline “the...err....crowd pleasers” above a photo of Odion Ighalo celebrating his goal in front of an empty stand.

The match was played behind closed doors in an attempt by the Austrian government to contain the spread of coronavirus and so United’s latest emphatic victory didn’t get the applause it deserved.

The Independent and The Times also carry photos of Ighalo celebrating with the empty seats but their win - and the spirited 1-1 draw between Wolves and Olympiakos in Greece - are overshadowed by other events.

Marler banned for ten weeks

The Daily Express and The Times report that England prop Joe Marler has been slapped with a ten-week ban for interfering with the testicles of Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones in last weekend’s Six Nations clash.

Marler’s England team-mate Manu Tuilagi, who was sent off late on for a dangerous tackle on George North, has been banned for four weeks while Courtney Lawes, also cited for a dangerous tackle, escaped punishment.

Describing yesterday’s disciplinary hearing in Dublin as “highly unusual” the panel found Marler guilty of “grabbing, twisting or squeezing” Jones by the genitals and banned him until Monday 8 June.

French prop Mohamed Haouas, who was sent off for punching Scotland flanker Jamie Ritchie in the face, was banned for a surprisingly lenient three weeks.

The Times says there is “confusion as to what will happen to the bans if the Premiership season is halted due to coronavirus” because World Rugby’s regulations state that each week of a suspension must correspond to a meaningful match.

Today’s sport headlines

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Man United 2 Man City 0

Manchester United beat their noisy neighbours for the third time this season on Sunday and in doing so they edged Liverpool ever closer to the Premier League title.

United’s 2-0 defeat of Man City at an ecstatic Old Trafford means Liverpool - whose win against Bournemouth on Saturday has given them a 25 point advantage over the Sky Blues - need just two more victories to get their hands on a trophy they last held in 1990.

Points mean prizes

For United, who have beaten City in their two league encounters this season (for the first time in a decade) as well as the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi final, the win was imperative after Chelsea had thrashed Everton 4-0 earlier in the day. The Blues are fourth with 48 points but United are just three behind after a weekend when both Wolves and Tottenham dropped points in the fight for the precious fourth place.

United are now unbeaten in their last five league matches but it’s unlikely they will again encounter a goalkeeper this season as generous as Ederson was at Old Trafford. The City stopper had a shocker with the Brazilian at fault for both goals.

Brazilian blunders

His first gaffe came on the half hour when Bruno Fernandes quick free-kick found Anthony Martial whose innocuous shot squirmed under Ederson’s body and into the net. Then in the dying moments of the match, as City desperately chased an equaliser, Ederson hurled his clearance straight into the path of Scott McTominay who struck the ball back past the Brazilian.

“He is an extraordinary keeper,” said Guardiola, when asked about Ederson’s performance. “Next time he will do better. Sometimes it happens.”

Privilege

Sergio Aguero had a goal ruled out for offside by VAR and United felt they should have had a penalty when Fred clashed with Nicolas Otamendi, but the three points rightly belonged to United. “It’s a privilege to be their manager,” said a jubilant Ole Gunnar Solskjaer of his side, now unbeaten in their last ten competitive matches. “We feel we are improving as a squad and a team. We feel the fans want us to do well and they see what we are doing, so it is getting better and better. But we are still fifth. We need points to catch Chelsea and Leicester, so need to keep plugging away.”

How they reacted to the Red Devils victory:

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer: ”The desire, attitude, commitment, connection between fans and players pleased me most.”

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola: “We did our game but unfortunately we conceded a goal. They waited for our mistakes.”

Manchester United goalscorer Scott McTominay,: “That was such a sweet moment...It’s such a beautiful feeling to score like that in front of the fans. But we can’t get too carried away and need to keep pushing for the Champions League.”

Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva: ”It was a bad game for us. Not acceptable... a team like ours cannot lose this many games. We need to check what’s not going right and try not to make so many mistakes.”

Derby delirium

Manchester United’s 2-0 win against Man City in their derby encounter dominates the tabloids. “Bundle of Joy” is Metro’s headline, above a photograph of celebrating United players, while the Daily Mirror goes for “Red Hot”. The paper claims that United’s win, which moves them into fifth in the table, just three points shy of fourth place Chelsea, is further evidence that the Red Devils are rediscovering their mojo under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

The Daily Express focuses on the losing manager under the headline “Eds will roll”. That’s an oblique reference to City keeper Ederson, at fault for both the United goals, but the Express says that the Brazilian keeper isn’t the only player who “fears a backlash” from manager Pep Guardiola, after a defeat that means Liverpool are now just two wins away from clinching the title for the first time in 30 years.

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France felled by Scots

Scotland’s dramatic 28-17 victory over France at Murrayfield makes most of the back pages with the result meaning that four teams are still in with a shout of winning the Six Nations tournament. England, who beat Wales 33-30 on Saturday, top the table but their final match in Rome next week has been postponed because of the coronavirus outbreak in Italy. So they’ll have to sit and watch what happens when Scotland play Wales and France host Ireland, although that match might also fall victim to coronavirus as cases continue to rise in France. Ireland didn’t play at the weekend because their game with Italy was shelved and they, along with Scotland, are also in contention for a title that is unlikely to be decided before the autumn.

The French were expected to maintain their unbeaten campaign in Edinburgh but against a fired-up Scotland side they lost their shape and their discipline - none more so than prop Mohamed Haouas who was sent off four minutes before the break for landing a right hook on the head of Scotland flanker Jamie Ritchie. The i paper has a photo of the punch on its backpage under the headline “knockout Blow”, while the Daily Express captions the same photo with “Sucker Punch”.

The Guardian’s headline is “Le Punch” and the paper says France’s hopes of winning their first Grand Slam since 2010 are in “tatters” on account of Haouas’s moment of madness.

Keeping up with Jones

The Daily Telegraph and the Daily Express find space on their back pages to report that England coach Eddie Jones is ready to sit down with the RFU and thrash out a new contract. The Telegraph says that Jones, whose existing contract expires next year, “is keen to resolve his own future” when he meets Rugby Football Union chief executive Bill Sweeney. “I think we’ve got dinner organised in a couple of weeks so we may be able to chat about it,” Jones is quoted as saying. The Express claims that the Australian “wants to go through to the 2023 World Cup”, which would see him overtake Sir Clive Woodward to become the longest-serving coach in England history.

Today’s sport headlines

United thrash Club Bruges 5-0

Manchester United’s easy ride to the last 16 of the Uefa Europa League makes the back page of the Daily Mirror under the headline “Bruges cruise”.

The Red Devils, who drew the first leg 1-1 in Belgium, put five unanswered goals past their visitors in a dominant performance.

The Times singles out one United player for particular praise on its back page. “Fernandes leads United romp” it exclaims, alongside a picture of Portuguese ace Bruno Fernandes celebrating his first-half penalty.

The photo in The Guardian shows Scott McTominay moments after he scored his side’s third goal, and the paper says he, Fred and Fernandes were outstanding in what it describes as a “red juggernaut”.

The Guardian also says that on the basis of their 5-0 demolition of Club Bruges, United are “serious contenders for a second Europa League crown in three years”.

In last night’s other Europa League games Wolves lost 3-2 against Espanyol in Spain but progressed to the last 16, 6-3 on aggregate.

There was drama at the Emirates as Arsenal were beaten 2-1 on the night by Olympiakos and crashed out on away goals.

Scottish champions Celtic are also out after a 3-1 loss at home against FC Copenhagen. The Danes went through 4-2 on aggregate.

Arsenal and Aubameyang suffer a Greek tragedy in Europa League

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Virus halts UAE Tour

The Times reports on its back page that the final two stages of Chris Froome’s comeback event have been cancelled after two Italian cyclists tested positive for coronavirus.

Froome - who suffered serious injuries after a crash last summer - and the others riders at the UAE Tour, including Britons Mark Cavendish and Adam Yates, will be tested for the virus.

The race hotel, the Crowne Plaza Abu Dhabi Yas Island, was “sealed off late last night with riders, staff and journalists not allowed to leave pending health checks”.

According to the Italian media, members of the CBRN, a unit of the local police specialised in the “chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear”, arrived in a bid to contain the virus.

The Guardian also covers the story on its back page, as well as the news that as things stand Uefa expect Rome to host the opening match of this summer’s European Championship on 12 June between Italy and Turkey.

That could of course change depending on how coronavirus evolves, and the news that an unnamed professional footballer in the Italian third tier has tested positive will send a chill through Uefa.

What events may be cancelled due to coronavirus?

Today’s sport headlines

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Manchester United may have recorded a fall in operating profits and revenues but executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward has backed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to implement the club’s long-term plans and squad rebuild.

Sky Sports reports that United have announced a 17% fall in operating profit to £36.5m in their second quarter fiscal results. Recorded revenues were £168.4m in the second quarter, down 19.3% on the same period last year, while net debt has increased by 23.2% (£73.6m) to £391.3m.

The lack of Champions League football has hit United hard but Woodward remains “bullish” about the club’s finances and the squad rebuild under current boss Solskjaer.

In January the Red Devils signed Bruno Fernandes from Sporting Lisbon in a deal estimated to be worth £47m while it’s also reported that the club have a list of major targets for this summer’s transfer window.

In a call with shareholders, Woodward said: “We are pushing for a strong finish in the Premier League, the Europa League and the FA Cup as we enter the final third of the season.

“We have continued to make progress on our squad rebuild, with many changes in terms of players we have brought in and players that have come through our academy.

“The foundation for delivering the long-term success that we are all working towards is in place as we implement our plan and our footballing vision with Ole.”

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Who’s on Ole’s target list?

Solskjaer’s future at Old Trafford has been the topic of much speculation in recent months, but The Sun says that Woodward’s comments prove that the Norwegian will definitely be in charge next season and will be backed to “spend, spend, spend” this summer.

Having signed Fernandes in January and Harry Maguire, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Daniel James last summer, Solskjaer has spent more than £210m since taking over from Jose Mourinho in December 2018.

The Manchester Evening News reports that United have stepped up their interest in Aston Villa playmaker Jack Grealish and the Daily Mail says that scouts have been sent to Spain to watch midfielder Martin Odegaard, who is on loan at Real Sociedad from Real Madrid.

The Sun says that United remain in the market for Borussia Dortmund’s £100m-rated winger Jadon Sancho while Leicester City midfielder James Maddison and Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin are also reportedly on the shortlist.

Two players who may be heading for the Old Trafford exit this summer are Jesse Lingard and Andreas Pereira. The Daily Express says the interest in Villa star Grealish suggests that the duo will be sold at the end of the season.

United chief Woodward believes that the club’s plan to rebuild the squad is going in the “right direction”.

In the conference call he added: “This season is one of re-build. But the signing of Fernandes proves we will continue to implement Ole’s plan. We want to continue to bring in experienced, world-class recruits with the same planned discipline.

“While we still have much to do, we are progressing with confidence in the right direction.”

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Bruised in Bruges

Despite Wolves’s 4-0 thumping of Espanyol and Arsenal’s 1-0 win at Olympiakos, the Europa League tie that gets the most coverage on the back pages is Manchester United’s lacklustre 1-1 draw at Club Bruges.

“Blush goalie” screams The Sun, a reference to the underwhelming performance of United keeper Sergio Romero, who was exposed for the Belgian club’s goal.

The Red Devils levelled through Anthony Martial, hence The Daily Telegraph’s “Martial law” headline, while the Daily Mirror says the French striker “spared United’s blushes”.

Most papers agree with manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer who said that United were “sloppy” in the first leg of their last-32 encounter

Not so Wolves, who ran riot at Molineux with Diogo Jota scoring a stunning hat-trick as they put their Spanish visitors to the sword, nor Arsenal, who secured a precious advantage in their first leg in Athens thanks to a late goal from Alexandre Lacazette.

The Guardian is the only paper to make the Gunners the lead on their back page with the paper hailing the way a young side “handled the heat” of Olympiakos.

ECB ‘shun’ four-day Tests

The Times reports that England will “shun” any attempt by the International Cricket Council to introduce mandatory four-day Test matches with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chief executive Tom Harrison declaring that he is opposed to the idea of a shortened format.

The proposition of reducing Tests from five to four days was first mooted at the end of last year, and it was claimed that the ECB were “cautiously supportive of the move”. But in an interview with The Cricketer magazine, Harrison said that is not the case.

“I’ve been positioned as the champion of four-day Test cricket,” he explained. “I am not… We will protect international cricket. Four-day Tests answer some questions, some of the time, but it’s not the answer to all of our problems.”

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Fury hits the jackpot

The Daily Mirror reports that Tyson Fury will “pocket a career-best purse of at least £31m” for his rematch with Deontay Wilder this weekend at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

The paper says that the British heavyweight has “hit the jackpot” and will rake in millions from a sell-out 17,000 crowd not to mention pay-per-view sales on both sides of the pond.

The Mirror says that the unbeaten challenger is guaranteed around £19m with the rest coming from pay-per-view figures which are “doing better than anyone anticipated”.

Fed injury blow

In another sign that Old Father Time is catching up with Roger Federer, the Swiss tennis star has announced that he won’t be competing at the French Open in May.

The Guardian reports that the 38-year-old’s disclosure that “minor surgery on his right knee will sideline him until Wimbledon at the end of June shook the tennis community”.

Having undergone surgery on his left knee in 2016, Federer’s body will once again require the surgeon’s knife and the Guardian says it “casts doubt” on whether the living legend will add to his record total of 20 majors.

Federer will ‘see you on the grass’- but is this the beginning of the end?

Today’s sport headlines

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Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says that Marcus Rashford’s double stress fracture in his back is worse than expected and the England striker is now a major doubt for this summer’s European Championships.

Rashford injured his back playing for United against Wolves last month and Solskjaer insists that the 22-year-old can’t be rushed back.

United boss Solskjaer said: “We can’t rush him. Hopefully he will play again this season but it will be touch and go towards the end.

“It has taken time. I’m not a doctor but obviously I was hoping that he would recover quicker than it looks like he is going to. It looks like he is going to be out for a few months definitely.

“He had a scan and it was a more serious fracture than we hoped and expected. He felt fine a few days before that.

“I didn’t know it takes that time to recover. When it heals he will be stronger for it so it’s important we don’t rush it and we don’t do that.”

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Kane also a doubt

The update on Rashford’s injury is another setback for England head coach Gareth Southgate, who is also sweating on the fitness of Tottenham striker Harry Kane.

England captain Kane has a hamstring injury and is also a doubt for Euro 2020, which starts on 12 June.

Spurs boss Jose Mourinho hopes that Kane could return for the club’s final matches of the Premier League season.

He said last week: “The Leicester match [in May]. Maybe we need that match for something. To be fourth, to be fifth, to be sixth. Maybe he can help us in this match. I hope. Is that the best-case scenario at the moment? Yes, I think so.”

Today’s back pages

‘Leip too far’ for toothless Tottenham and Rashford is a doubt for Euro 2020

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Premier League Chelsea 0 Manchester United 2

Chelsea manager Frank Lampard described the video assistant referee (VAR) as “soul destroying” after three crucial calls were made in the Blues’s 2-0 defeat against Manchester United last night.

United defender Harry Maguire got lucky in the first half when he escaped sanction from VAR after it appeared he had kicked Michy Batshuayi in a particularly sensitive area.

Maguire later scored for United, adding to Anthony Martial’s first-half effort, but the scoreline could have been different had VAR not ruled out two Chelsea goals, one for a shove in the penalty area and the other for offside.

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Fred foul first?

The first incident was particularly contentious given that replays suggested that while Cesar Azpilicueta had laid a hand on Brandon Williams, United’s Fred had been the first to make contact with the Chelsea captain. Had Kurt Zouma’s goal been allowed by VAR official Chris Kavanagh the score would have been 1-1.

Olivier Giroud then had his header chalked off when VAR ruled that the Frenchman’s foot was in an offside position as he moved towards Mason Mount’s free-kick.

So United left Stamford Bridge having completed their first league double over Chelsea since the 1987-1988 season.

Of far greater significance, however, were the three points that move United to seventh in the Premier League table, three points behind Chelsea, who remain fourth.

Game changer

“It’s a bit soul destroying,” said Lampard, when asked about the controversial decisions. “I’ve seen it again and VAR is there for that and they didn’t get it right. Harry Maguire should have been sent off, that’s clear, and that obviously changes the game.”

United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had a different take on the incident, saying: “Was Harry Maguire lucky? I don’t think so. He was fouled first and Batshuayi was going to fall on top of him so he put his leg out and hit him where it hurts.”

Reactions to the VAR decisions

Harry Maguire, Man Utd captain, speaking to Sky Sports

“I felt he was going to fall on me and my natural reaction was to straighten my leg to stop him. It wasn’t a kick out and there was no intent. I think it’s the right decision.”

Chris Sutton, former Chelsea striker, on BBC Radio 5 Live

“Fred shoves Azpilicueta into Williams - the goal should stand. That’s ridiculous! That’s absurd, that’s crazy stuff. They want their heads banging together. I’m bamboozled by that decision.”

Cesar Azpilicueta, Chelsea captain

“I pushed Williams but I was pushed. At least go to the monitor - it takes 30 seconds. The referee on the pitch has to be the one to take the decisions... I’m not saying the push from Fred was a penalty but my push is a consequence of his push.”

Henry Winter, The Times

“Atmospheres in grounds are becoming that frustrated, almost toxic, particularly here where there were three VAR calls against Chelsea, one correct, but two of them horribly, almost laughably, wrong.”

Jason Burt, The Daily Telegraph

“There was confusion as to how Harry Maguire escaped sanction, and probably a red card… it was fair enough that referee Anthony Taylor did not see it, but what about Chris Kavanagh, the VAR?”

Today’s back pages

Chelsea are left feeling blue and Wenger backs Uefa over Man City ban

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1. Harry Gregg: one of United’s ‘greatest men’

Manchester United have paid tribute to former goalkeeper Harry Gregg who has died at the age of 87.

Hailed as a hero of the 1958 Munich air disaster, Gregg rushed to the aid of his team-mates and fellow passengers following the plane crash in which 23 people were killed.

In their obituary, United said of the Northern Irishman: “Harry was one of the greatest goalkeepers to have played for Manchester United and also one of the greatest men.

“A survivor of the Munich Air Disaster in February 1958, Gregg’s actions on that terrible day are testament to the man’s heroic bravery and spirit.

“Having escaped the crash with just a bloodied nose, he went back into the wreckage to pull out those who were trapped. He rescued a 20-month-old child, a pregnant woman and attempted to revive Matt Busby.

“Harry’s achievements and actions mean he will never be forgotten at Old Trafford.”

2. Pep will stay loyal to City

Pep Guardiola has pledged his loyalty to Manchester City in the wake of the club’s two-season ban from the Uefa Champions League.

Despite rumours linking Guardiola to Italian giants Juventus, the Spaniard will not invoke the break clause he has in his contract and will honour the final year of a deal that expires at the end of next season.

Guardiola pledges loyalty despite Champions League ban

3. North London rivals celebrate

Tottenham are up to fifth in the Premier League table after a 3-2 win at Aston Villa yesterday.

Son Heung-min scored twice at Villa Park - his second coming in the fourth-minute of stoppage time. Spurs defender Toby Alderweireld made up for his ninth-minute own goal by equalising on 27 minutes.

Tottenham’s north London rivals Arsenal were also celebrating yesterday. The Gunners beat Newcastle 4-0 with goals from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Nicolas Pepe, Mesut Ozil and Alexandre Lacazette at the Emirates Stadium.

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4. Blues vs. Reds at the Bridge

In tonight’s Premier League fixture Chelsea host Manchester United at Stamford Bridge (8pm, live on Sky Sports).

Chelsea will give a late fitness test to striker Tammy Abraham while United’s new signing Odion Ighalo is in the squad and could make his debut for the Red Devils.

5. Williams launch the FW43

After a disastrous campaign in 2019 ROKiT Williams Racing are hoping to make a fresh start this year with the launch of their new car, the FW43.

Deputy team principal Claire Williams said: “We are all committed to re-building Williams and returning the team to competitiveness. As such, our 2020 campaign is about making progress. The fighting spirit is still very much alive, and this year, everyone will continue that fight until we get back to where we want to be.”

F1: Williams are ready to fight in the new FW43 - pictures, video and reactions

6. Drive to Survive season two trailer released

The popular Formula 1: Drive to Survive documentary series will return to Netflix on 28 February.

The ten-part second season looks back at the 2019 F1 campaign and sees Mercedes and Ferrari join the line-up for the first time.

7. Bryants remembered at All-Star game

Last night’s NBA All-Star game featured an emotional tribute to the late Kobe Bryant. Los Angeles Lakers icon Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others were killed last month in a helicopter crash in California.

LeBron James’s team beat Giannis Antetokounmpo’s team 157-155 in Chicago. In the match Team Giannis wore Bryant’s No.24 while Team LeBron wore Gianna’s No.2.

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8. Scott wins Genesis Invitational

Australian golfer Adam Scott won the Genesis Invitational by two shots yesterday to seal his first PGA Tour victory since 2016. The 39-year-old finished on 11-under-par while world No.1 Rory McIlroy was three shots back.

Scott said: “It’s a very special win this week. They’re not coming easy for me these days so I’m going to savour this one. It’s a great way to start [2020]. This has to be my year. I can’t afford to let the next 10 years slip away. I have to make it happen now.”

9. Du Plessis quits as SA skipper

Faf du Plessis is no longer captain of South Africa’s Test and T20 teams. The 35-year-old has stood down with immediate effect and is replaced by Quinton de Kock, the Proteas’s one-day skipper.

Du Plessis said: “As the team heads into a new direction with new leaders and a young crop of players, I feel it will be in the best interests of South African cricket to relinquish the captaincy in all formats.

“This was one of the toughest decisions to make, but I remain fully committed to supporting Quinton, Mark [Boucher, head coach] and my team-mates as we continue to rebuild and re-align as a group.”

10. England seal T20 series win

“Magnificent Morgan” is the headline in The Guardian as the paper lauds the heroics of England’s captain in blasting his side to victory in a thrilling Twenty20 encounter with South Africa at the Wanderers.

Skipper Eoin Morgan smashed an astonishing (and unbeaten) 57 runs from just 22 balls as he chased down South Africa’s daunting total of 222 in what The Daily Telegraph describes as a “stunning victory”.

Today’s back pages

Morgan stars as England win T20 series and Guardiola is ‘destined’ for Juventus

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Ighalo self-isolating

Several papers report the plight of Manchester United’s new signing, Odion Ighalo, who according to The Times, has agreed to keep clear of the club’s training ground for two weeks “because of concerns over the spread of coronavirus”.

The paper claims that the frontman, who was signed by the Red Devils last month on loan, has yet to meet his new team-mates because he is self-isolating after arriving from parent club Shanghai Shenhua.

Ighalo has spent three years with the Chinese outfit and with coronavirus an ongoing menace, it’s been agreed that the 30-year-old should undergo a fortnight’s quarantine in order to ensure there is no risk of contaminating his team-mates.

Daily Star says that the Nigerian international has been working on a personalised fitness programme provided by the club at the British Taekwondo headquarters in the east of Manchester, near Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium.

“I can confirm Odion has been training at the taekwondo centre and has not been to Carrington,” his agent Oladele Salami told the Star. “The team are back on Saturday and he will join up with them then.”

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Chelsea chase Ziyech

The Guardian and the Daily Express both report that Chelsea have sealed a deal with Ajax to sign Hakim Ziyech in the summer, although the papers quibble on the cost of landing the 26-year-old Morocco winger.

According to the Guardian, the Blues will hand “€40m [£33.6m] plus add-ons” to the Dutch champions in return for Ziyech as Frank Lampard finally gets his hands on a player he’s admired for a while.

Although the Blues have also been linked with Jadon Sancho in recent days, the Guardian says that Lampard is more likely to bring in Ziyech as a replacement for Willian, who is expected to leave Stamford Bridge at the end of the season.

The Guardian says that Chelsea tried to sign Ziyech in January but Ajax were “unwilling to sanction a sale mid-season” and instead said they would be willing to talk in the summer.

The Daily Express echoes the view of the Guardian but claims the asking price is around £38m.

Jadon Sancho’s next club: Man Utd, Liverpool, Chelsea or somewhere else?

South Africa win T20 thriller

The Guardian’s back page carries a photo of a jubilant Lungi Ngidi celebrating one of the three wickets he claimed against England in yesterday’s thrilling Twenty20 encounter in South Africa.

“Packing a punch” is the headline in what the paper describes as a “dramatic game”.

England had looked on course for a comfortable win before South Africa ace Ngidi ripped through the middle order to secure a one-run victory in the first of three T20 matches.

Today’s sport headlines

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Sancho scrap

The future of Borussia Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho is the hot topic in a number of tabloids this morning with the lack of domestic football action because of the winter break clearly beginning to bite in the newsroom.

The Daily Star, Daily Mirror and Daily Express all devote some of their back pages to whether Sancho will leave Germany at the end of this season and return to England.

The consensus is “yes”, but will the teenage sensation choose Chelsea or Manchester United?

The Mirror says that United are “confident” of winning the race to land Sancho in what the paper claims will be a £120m transfer tussle as Ed Woodward looks to quell rising anger among the Old Trafford faithful at the club’s declining fortunes.

But the Daily Star takes a different view, stating that Chelsea are in pole position to snap up the 19-year-old as they look to bring in a replacement for Willian, who is expected to leave Stamford Bridge in the summer.

Apparently Sancho has a “soft spot” for the Blues and would favour a move to London. The Star says the fee would be in the region of £118m.

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Bye bye Bairstow

The other story dominating the papers is the omission of Jonny Bairstow from England’s Test cricket squad for next month’s tour of Sri Lanka.

Bairstow, one of the stars of England’s World Cup triumph last summer, has been in dreadful form ever since, and there is speculation in Metro and the Daily Express that his axing could signal the end of his Test career.

“Jonny be gone” is the headline in The Sun, which says that although he has been officially “rested”, the truth is that his waning powers have cost him his place in the squad.

In his stead comes wicketkeeper-batsman Ben Foakes while there is a return for opener Keaton Jennings, who has struggled for consistency in previous outings but wins his place because of his reputation against spin.

James Anderson, England’s leading Test wicket-taker, was not considered for selection as he recovers from a cracked rib suffered in the 3-1 series win in South Africa last month.

Today’s sport headlines

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United give green light to sell Pogba

“Flog the Pog” screams the back page of The Sun, with the paper reporting that Paul Pogba’s troubled stay at Old Trafford is set to end.

Apparently the French midfielder, sidelined for months with an ankle injury, has “been given the green light” to leave Manchester United and the “fed-up Old Trafford hierarchy are now ready to sell him for £150m”.

The Daily Mirror also runs with the story, claiming that Pogba will be sold in the summer and name-checking Juventus and Real Madrid as both “keen” on snapping up the World Cup winner.

The Sun says that Pogba has lost faith in United’s ability to win major titles and therefore is seeking a club where he can get his hands on some silverware.

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Archer out

The Times, the Mirror and the Daily Mail all report on Jofra Archer’s latest injury blow which has forced the England pace bowler out of the forthcoming Test tour of Sri Lanka.

The 24-year-old has also been withdrawn from the lucrative Indian Premier League season on account of his stress fracture in his right elbow.

Archer sustained the injury in the first Test of England’s recent series against South Africa and is now facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

The Times says that Archer - whose fitness and diet “leave a lot to be desired” - should look to team-mate Ben Stokes as an example of what can be achieved with hard work and dedication.

Living in fear

The Daily Express leads on its back page with the news that West Ham’s co-chairman David Gold is living in “terror” because he fears he will be subjected to an attack by angry fans similar to the one directed at Manchester United chief Ed Woodward last month.

An angry mob gathered outside Woodward’s home and chanted that he was “going to die”, and Gold fears he could be next.

“You’ve got a couple of hundred belligerents who want to, metaphorically, burn your house down,” he is quoted as saying.

Today’s sport headlines

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Manchester United Football Club and their supporters are today paying tribute to the 23 victims of the 1958 Munich air disaster.

Today marks the 62nd anniversary of the tragedy in which eight United players and three club officials died. Eight journalists and four other passengers were also killed.

Man Utd’s “Busby Babes” had been travelling back from a European Cup tie against Red Star Belgrade and stopped in Munich to refuel the plane. Following two aborted take-offs the plane crashed on the third attempt.

The disaster claimed 23 lives but team manager Matt Busby and England legend Bobby Charlton were among the 21 people who survived the crash.

Ten years after Munich Busby’s rebuilt team went on to win the 1968 European Cup. Charlton scored two goals as United beat Benfica 4-1 after extra time at Wembley Stadium in London.

Who were the 23 victims?

• Players: Geoff Bent (aged 25), Roger Byrne (28), Eddie Colman (21), Duncan Edwards (21), Mark Jones (24), David Pegg (22), Tommy Taylor (26), Liam Whelan (22)
• Club officials: Walter Crickmer (secretary), Tom Curry (trainer), Bert Whalley (coach)
• Journalists: Alf Clarke, Donny Davies, George Follows, Tom Jackson, Archie Ledbrooke, Henry Rose, Eric Thompson and former Man City goalkeeper Frank Swift
• Crew and other passengers: Ken Rayment (aircraft captain), Tom Cable (crew), Bela Miklos (travel agent), Willie Satinoff (supporter)

3.04pm on the darkest day

At United’s Old Trafford stadium a clock marks the moment when the plane crashed in Munich: 3.04pm on 6 February 1958.

In their tribute United said: “The date of 6 February will forever be circled on the calendars of everyone connected with Manchester United.

“On that day in 1958, the darkest day in United’s history, 23 people - including eight players and three members of the club’s staff - suffered fatal injuries in the Munich air disaster.

“The Munich air disaster is an indelible part of United’s history, as is Sir Matt overcoming his crash injuries to work alongside his assistant Jimmy Murphy and build another great team which won the European Cup 10 years later. We will never forget.”

The club is holding a commemorative service on the stadium forecourt at Old Trafford this afternoon.

‘A City United’: tributes to the Flowers of Manchester

It’s not only United officials, players and fans who are remembering the Flowers of Manchester today, but also rival clubs and supporters from around the world. Here we look at the Twitter tributes.