Soccer

Subterms

    More stories

    • 238 Shares62 Views

      in Soccer

      Lopetegui reveals extent of Michail Antonio’s injuries as he gives update on West Ham star’s future after car crash

      by

      JULEN LOPETEGUI is confident Michail Antonio will recover to play for West Ham again.The Hammers striker, 34, suffered a broken leg and various other injuries after a horror crash in his Ferrari FF near Theydon Bois in Epping.Michail Antonio has made 14 Premier League appearances this seasonCredit: PAThe forward, 34, was involved in an awful car crashAntonio was airlifted to a London hospital last Saturday following the crash before being quickly operated on.West Ham team-mates, as well as his manager, have visited the forward in hospital this week.And Lopetegui is confident the club’s all-time top Premier League scorer will recover.He said: “The most important thing is that he’s alive, he’s good.READ MORE IN FOOTBALL”He broke his femur, but he’s going to recover for sure.”He’s going to need time. It’s about time.”Now it’s about time but the good news is that he has time because when you see the car was terrible, the accident, that’s why we are happy.”Because in the end, despite the fact we are unhappy because we lost one very important player for us, we are happy because he’s going to be ready.Most read in Football”Now he’s strong, he’s recovered himself in the next month for sure and he’s going to be ready to be a player.”The first thing is to be a man and then to be a player.”West Ham stars pay tribute to Antonio with special shirts after pal’s horror crashAntonio is not expected to recover before the end of this season, meaning a contract extension will be needed if he is to play for the club again.The former Nottingham Forest man is out of contract this summer, though West Ham have previously given new deals to injured players in order to support their recovery.Talks are yet to begin over whether Antonio will get an extension.Lopetegui experimented with captain Jarrod Bowen playing through the middle on Monday night.But summer signing Niclas Fullkrug has finally returned from injury to help boost the attacking numbers, grabbing a goal on his return at Leicester last week.’STEP BY STEP’Lopetegui is unsure, however, if the German is ready to start.He said: “Fulla is improving step by step.”He has been out a long time for the injury that he had and now he’s recovered himself and is day by day putting his body better.READ MORE SUN STORIES”That is good news for us that he has come back and he’s going to be ready to help us.”But let’s see when he’s going to be ready or not. Step by step he’s better, he feels better, he feels stronger so we can use him at any moment.”Julen Lopetegui has updated fans on Antonio’s conditionCredit: Reuters More

    • 225 Shares93 Views

      in Soccer

      ‘We’re better than the position we’re currently in’, says Goater as Aston Villa target improved form in WSL

      by

      SHAUN GOATER has vowed to bring calmness during his Aston Villa reign following the sacking of Robert de Pauw.The stand-in Villans Women chief, 54, insists players are hungry to turn things around after picking up one win from nine WSL games under their former boss. Aston Villa, who are currently ninth, hope to get back to winning ways in the WSL with their last victory occuring on November 17Credit: AlamyShaun Goater guided Villa to a 4-1 midweek victory in a Women’s League Cup group stage clash with Charlton before his side bowed out of the contestCredit: GettyOn Wednesday Goater became the interim chief of a top-flight women’s side for the first time in his coaching career, following De Pauw’s departure.  A run of five losses and three draws has left Villa, who host West Ham tomorrow, position one point above the drop zone and sitting ninth. And they hope to avoid being drawn into a relegation battle. Ahead of the match Goater reflected on some past experiences of overcoming the odds during his playing days at Manchester City.Read More Football Stories The former Cityzens and Bermuda striker, who hung up his boots in 2006, reflected on helping his old club battle from 2-0 down to win a Second Division play-off final against Gillingham in 1999.Goater, who scored more than 100 times for the Cityzens, said: “Many people know my story and my journey. “One of those stories was playing at Wembley and City being 2-0 down and the clock being in the 88th minute (before we fought back). “I have within me, from that experience, the will to fight to the end.” Most read in FootballGoater, who began his coaching career in Bermuda 18 years ago, added: “That’s what I will pour into the girls – that we will continue to fight until the end. “In all fairness, we have that in abundance. We have that ability to fight and play the Villa way.“As a club the aspiration for Villa is to be higher up (in the WSL). We’ve not had the start to the season that we would like. “The (game against West Ham) is a must-win because we’re better than the position we’re currently in (in the league).”Before joining Villa this August Goater previously worked as part of Man City’s academy coaching staff from October 2021 before becoming assistant to City Women’s boss Gareth Taylor last April. His appointment as stand-in boss follows De Pauw’s exit after almost six months in post. Of De Pauw’s departure, Goater, who guided Villa to a 4-1 win against Charlton in the Women’s League Cup on December 11, said: “We’re in the business of football. “Sometimes these things happen. It’s one of those things. “On the day and when things were unfolding – yes –  I was surprised (he had gone). “But when the girls got together it was all about preparing for the game (against Charlton). “When I look into the players’ eyes I can see their hunger (to win). “They’re excited about the game coming up. This fills me with confidence that we can take this challenge onVilla’s first game under Goater included forward Ebony Salmon and skipper Rachel Daly both scoring twice. Ahead of their trip to Villa Park West Ham won two of their last three WSL gamesCredit: AlamyAnd Goater will be turning to both forwards and Villa’s other senior players to help get over their “bumpy” run of losses in the WSL.  READ MORE SUN STORIESHe added:“We have our senior players and this is exactly what I’ll be asking of them. “That’s to continue to take senior leadership roles and make sure we see ourselves through this bumpy period.” More

    • 225 Shares72 Views

      in Soccer

      Mikel Arteta backs Bukayo Saka to emulate idol Cristiano Ronaldo as boss opens up on ‘evolving’ star winger

      by

      MIKEL ARTETA backed Bukayo Saka to emulate idol Cristiano Ronaldo by becoming a world-class centre-forward.From Hale End product to global superstar, the 23-year-old Arsenal winger’s evolution has taken most people by surprise — even within the club itself.Mikel Arteta has backed Bukayo Saka to emulate Cristiano RonaldoCredit: AFPSaka previously revealed that Ronaldo was his idol growing upCredit: ReutersUsed as a left-back in the early stages of Arteta’s Emirates reign, he made his first senior Gunners start six years ago this week.That was as a 17-year-old under then-boss Unai Emery in a 1-0 Europa League victory at home against Qarabag.Saka is now a world-class winger and undroppable starter for Arsenal and England, who belongs in the same conversation as the very best.But boss Arteta believes it is only a matter of time before he follows in the footsteps of the legendary Ronaldo and moves from out wide to a more central No 9 role.Read More on ArsenalRonaldo — now aged 39 and at Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr — made his name at Manchester United as a winger.The Portuguese went on to become one of the game’s greatest goalscoring strikers at Real Madrid.Asked if he could envisage a similar path for his talisman, Arteta said:“We are thinking about these things.Most read in FootballFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALSArteta regularly heaps praise on ‘starboy’ SakaCredit: AP“It will depend on the qualities of the players around him. For somebody to be inside rather than outside, somebody has to be outside.“That player, the full-back, the attacking midfielder and the No 9 has to allow the space to do that.Arsenal star Bukayo Saka’s glam girlfriend Tolami Benson steals the show in daring outfit at The Fashion Awards“But I’m certainly very open to keep evolving players.”With two goals and an assist in the Gunners’ 3-0 Champions League win over Monaco on Wednesday, Saka now has 21 goal involvements in 21 games in all competitions this term.Since the start of last season in the Champions League, only Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane (18) and Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr (16) have been involved in more goals than Saka’s 14.And with ten assists and five goals in the Prem this campaign, he tops Europe’s big five leagues for assists — more than Barcelona sensation Lamine Yamal (9) and Liverpool’s Mo Salah (8).On what Saka’s goalscoring targets should be, Arteta continued: “We always set targets. The idea to score 30 or 40 goals is fine but how are we going to do it?“How are we going to create a plan to try to develop the player and give him the best possible chance to make sure he is able to do that.I’m certainly very open to keep evolving players.Mikel Arteta“Sometimes it is a role, sometimes it a position on the pitch and sometimes it is other things.“When the understanding of the game and the spaces and the timing of how they move in relation to each other is strong, the freedom has to increase.“The decision-making is going to improve as they understand it better. That will create uncertainty for the opposition and now they have much more freedom than in the past.”Speaking of his admiration for Ronaldo previously, Saka explained: “I love his mentality. He just always wants to be the best, always working hard on and off the pitch.“He’s one of the best players to ever play football. He is unique.“We are two different players but I always try to look at him and take the good things from his game.”Fellow academy graduate Myles Lewis-Skelly, 18, made his Champions League debut against Monaco.And the rookie left-back could make his first Prem start at home to Everton tomorrow, with fellow teen sensation Ethan Nwaneri, 17, on the bench.Full-backs Oleksandr Zinchenko and Riccardo Calafiori are absent with muscular issues but Brazilian centre-back Gabriel is in contention to return.I love his mentality. He just always wants to be the best, always working hard on and off the pitch.Saka on RonaldoArteta says he is in a better position to give young stars debuts because of his “unbelievable” Gunners dressing room.Unlike the toxic group that he inherited in December 2019 when he took over as boss.The Spaniard said: “They can be ready — but then the context in that team, dressing room, moment, is not right…“Now the work has been done and it is exceptional what everybody has done and now they have the right environment.READ MORE SUN STORIES“The way they look after them and make them feel.“The jump is so big but they are showing that they are capable of doing it.”How to stop Arsenal at cornersArsenal have turned into a prolific team when it comes to scoring from corners.The Gunners have now scored 22 goals from them since the start of last season – seven more than their nearest rival Manchester City and eight more than Premier League leaders Liverpool.Two of them came against Manchester United – Jurrien Timber and William Saliba netting in the second half to earn Mikel Arteta’s men a vital win as they chase down Arne Slot’s Reds.Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka were the architects with their deliveries, and each now have seven set-piece assists since the start of the 2023/24 campaign – more than any other player.United legend Dimitar Berbatov joked Arsenal are the new Stoke City of the top flight – a side under Tony Pulis who terrorised the so-called “bigger clubs” with set-piece mastery.Here are four ways to stop Arteta’s side at corners More

    • 225 Shares106 Views

      in Soccer

      Arsenal vs Everton is Prem’s feistiest fixture… Mikel Arteta’s physical Gunners remind me of Toffees under David Moyes

      by

      ARSENAL and Everton are top of the Prem red card charts because they have always liked physical players who never ducked out of contact.Since the Premier League’s launch in 1992, the Toffees have 108 reds and the Gunners 107 — including three this term — 14 more than third-placed Newcastle.Mark Halsey was not on Sol Campbell’s Christmas card list after sending him off a few timesCredit: AFPArsenal and Everton have received the most red cards in Prem historyCredit: RexGoodison Park fans want blood-and-thunder tackles in end-to-end matches.They were so hostile towards opponents and referees — although I never had a problem at Everton — because they knew the importance of cranking up pressure.While matches between Arsenal and Everton have not historically been the dirtiest, I landed a feisty clash between them in 2003 where I had to issue TWO red cards — to Sol Campbell and Li Tie — at Highbury.It was the second time I sent off Sol in the space of five months.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLThe first was for elbowing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in April of the 2002-03 season during a crunch title game with Manchester United which ended 2-2.Sol brought his arm back, and right in front of my assistant Nigel Miller, who said the contact was deliberate.He appealed his dismissal but did not win.Arsene Wenger’s assistant Pat Rice and Sol came into the Highbury dressing room but I told them what I saw was a deliberate elbow. We agreed to disagree.Most read in FootballBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSIt meant Sol missed the FA Cup final in 2003 due to a four-game ban.His absence did not cost Wenger’s team as they beat Southampton 1-0 in Cardiff, although United won the league.Arsenal’s SET-PIECE COACH gets very own mural outside Emirates Stadium as fans say ‘this is just tragic… game’s gone’I refereed Arsenal v Everton at Highbury on the opening day of the following season — which the Gunners won as Invincibles — and sent off Sol again.He was being investigated by the FA at the time after kicking Manchester United’s Eric Djemba-Djemba in the Community Shield.I said during the game that we could not go through it without speaking to each other… he did not reply.After 25 minutes, Everton’s Thomas Gravesen was going through on goal and Sol brought him down and it was a clear denial of a goalscoring opportunity.He knew a red was coming and just walked off — so he did not say a word to me that day. Safe to say, I wasn’t on his Christmas card list that year.I also sent off Li Tie later for a second yellow. It is one of just three Prem fixtures between the clubs in which two players have been sent off.Mikel Arteta was a ‘moaner’ back in his playing daysCredit: AP:Associated PressDavid Moyes has always wanted his sides to be physicalCredit: ReutersPatrick Vieira and Duncan Ferguson are perhaps unsurprisingly in the top three players from the two clubs for red cards in the Premier League — with eight each.Patrick was tough to referee because no quarter was taken as an incredibly tough-tackling midfielder.Big Dunc was a traditional No 9 — he would take it and give it. I had to keep talking to him to keep him on side.Managers like David Moyes, who I got on well with, loved the physicality of players like Big Dunc.I remember sending off Toffees defender Joseph Yobo in a 2-1 defeat at Newcastle before Alan Shearer’s stunner.David rang me up — as you could when Keith Hackett was in charge — a few days later to admit I had to send off Yobo.He wanted that intensity to make Everton a fortress, which it was. It was always very tough to referee and you had to stay switched on.Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta was one of his players at Everton. He was a moaner on the pitch but I got on well with him.READ MORE SUN STORIESYou can argue some of the red cards Arsenal have received under Mikel have been dubious but the passion from the manager goes into the players.The physicality of this Gunners team reminds me of both that Everton side under Moyes and 2003-era Arsenal team featuring Campbell.How to stop Arsenal at cornersArsenal have turned into a prolific team when it comes to scoring from corners.The Gunners have now scored 22 goals from them since the start of last season – seven more than their nearest rival Manchester City and eight more than Premier League leaders Liverpool.Two of them came against Manchester United – Jurrien Timber and William Saliba netting in the second half to earn Mikel Arteta’s men a vital win as they chase down Arne Slot’s Reds.Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka were the architects with their deliveries, and each now have seven set-piece assists since the start of the 2023/24 campaign – more than any other player.United legend Dimitar Berbatov joked Arsenal are the new Stoke City of the top flight – a side under Tony Pulis who terrorised the so-called “bigger clubs” with set-piece mastery.Here are four ways to stop Arteta’s side at corners More

    • 200 Shares66 Views

      in Soccer

      Thomas Tuchel’s first England game confirmed with new boss handed Wembley World Cup double-header in March

      by

      THOMAS TUCHEL’S first game as England manager has been revealed.The Three Lions’ 2026 World Cup qualifying group sees them come up against Serbia, Albania, Latvia and Andorra.Thomas Tuchel’s first game as England boss has been revealedCredit: GettyTuchel was at today’s draw but does not officially start as England boss until January.A date has been set for his first game in charge, with the German’s reign kicking-off on Friday night at Wembley against Albania on March 21.Three days later, there is another home clash for him versus Latvia.Tuchel’s third match in charge on June 7 is away to Andorra.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLThey will then play a friendly afterwards in the same international window against an unnamed opponent.Three Lions chiefs then have a venue headache to deal with as Andorra come to England for the return fixture on September 6.Wembley Stadium is seemingly out of action that night due to Coldplay concerts on the days either side, meaning the match will have to be played elsewhere.England then take on Serbia on September 9.Most read in FootballFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALSEngland’s World Cup qualifying datesAlbania (H) – March 21Latvia (H) – March 24Andorra (A) – June 7 Andorra (H) – September 6Serbia (A) – September 9Latvia (A) – October 14Serbia (H) – November 13Albania (A) – November 16Another friendly follows before Lavia away on October 14.Then the qualification campaign finally comes to an end with a double-header against Serbia at home on November 13 and Albania away on November 16.England manager Thomas Tuchel reacts to Three Lions’ World Cup 2026 qualifying drawTuchel’s squad could be very different to the ones picked by Gareth Southgate and Lee Carsley as the ex-Chelsea boss has promised a fresh start to all players, including the self-exiled Ben White.The new manager said today: “It should be a clean start and a clear narrative. It starts from January. “I will be in the stadiums from January. The players should just know, ‘okay, the boss is there from January’.“Then I will of course try to speak to them, but also be respectful to the schedule that they have, because the schedule is busy in January, especially in the Premier League.”Asked about White, Tuchel said: “Yes. I will reach out to him.”World Cup qualifying draw in fullGroup A: Winner GER/ITA, Slovakia, Northern Ireland, LuxembourgGroup B: Switzerland, Sweden, Slovenia, KosovoGroup C: Loser POR/DEN, Greece, Scotland, BelarusGroup D: Winner FRA/CRO, Ukraine, Iceland, AzerbaijanGroup E: Winner SPA/NED, Turkey, Georgia, BulgariaGroup F: Winner POR/DEN, Hungary, Ireland, ArmeniaGroup G: Loser SPA/NED, Poland, Finland, Lithuania, MaltaGroup H: Austria, Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus, San MarinoGroup I: Loser GER/ITA, Norway, Israel, Estonia, MoldovaGroup J: Belgium, Wales, North Macedonia, Kazakhstan, LiechensteinGroup K: England, Serbia, Albania, Latvia, AndorraGroup L: Loser FRA/CRO, Czechia, Montenegro, Faroe Islands, Gibraltar More

    • 250 Shares66 Views

      in Soccer

      Inside the mind of Pep Guardiola as he suffers sleepless nights and lives on soup during horror Man City run

      by

      PEP GUARDIOLA is really finding Manchester City’s current slump difficult to swallow.The Catalan admitted a run like this can affect everything — from the amount of sleep he gets to his diet.Pep Guardiola has struggled amid Man City’s poor run of formCredit: APThe Spaniard appeared to scratch his head several times during Man City’s match against Feyenoord last monthRecently, he has just been having soup for his evening meal as he is struggling to digest much else due to the nerves.With his kids grown up and his wife Cristina back in Barcelona, Pep admits it can be a lonely business being a coach during a bad run.He said this week: “You have people by your side but the pain of defeat only happens to one.“It’s true your friends are there but when you go to sleep and you turn off the light, there’s no consolation possible.Read More in Football“You have to swallow on it, spend a day or two and then come back.”But by and large Guardiola says his frame of mind is not much different to how it was in the spring, when his team were crowned champions for a fourth straight year.That is despite a run of seven defeats in the last ten matches — the same number as City suffered in the previous 105 games up until the end of April.The decline in his all-conquering team has been sudden and alarming and left many people scratching their head.Most read in FootballFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALSCity have managed just one win in the last 10 gamesCredit: GettyThat includes Pep himself, who showed up for his press conference after the draw with Feyenoord last month with marks on his head and a cut on his nose.At the time he put it down to his nails getting too long — although he explained this week there was another factor.Man City manager Pep Guardiola sings song for Barcelona’s 125th birthdayPep Guardiola’s horror Man City runPEP GUARDIOLA admitted he is having sleepless nights as he endures his worst-ever spell as a manager.Here are the three-time defending Premier League champions’ nightmare last 10 games…Oct 30: Tottenham 2 Man City 1 – DEFEATNov 2: Bournemouth 2 Man City 1 – DEFEATNov 5: Sporting Lisbon 4 Man City 1 – DEFEATNov 9: Brighton 2 Man City 1 – DEFEATNov 23 – Man City 0 Tottenham 4 – DEFEATNov 26: Man City 3 Feyenoord 3 – DRAWDec 1: Liverpool 2 Man City 0 – DEFEATDec 4: Man City 3 Nottingham Forest – WINDec 7: Crystal Palace 2 Man City 2 – DRAWDec 11: Juventus 2 Man City 0 – DEFEATTOTAL – WINS 1, DRAWS 2, DEFEATS 7He said: “I have a skin problem. I have to take antihistamine for the last two or three years. The nails, yes, I did them on my nose. But the rest was that.”Guardiola turns 54 next month and said in a recent interview he does not have the energy to take another club job after he leaves the Etihad.The question some have been asking since is whether he has enough within him for the rebuilding job needed at City.Some of the older players who have achieved so much for him — the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Kyle Walker and Ilkay Gundogan — are reaching the end of the road.And having achieved pretty much everything he set out to — and even more — with City, some wonder if he has the drive to go again.Yet is easy to forget amid the chaos of the last seven weeks, that he signed a new two-year contract at the Etihad in the middle of it all.It was Pep who indicated he was ready to talk — despite a run of four straight losses before then — and the deal was concluded in a couple of hours.Given what has happened since and the problems he is facing, he may be asking himself whether he did the right thing.Those around him say he has no regrets and is more determined than ever to turn the season around.He accepted the challenge of staying on less than four weeks ago and there is no way he has changed his mind already.I have a skin problem. I have to take antihistamine for the last two or three years. The nails, yes, I did them on my nose. But the rest was that.Pep GuardiolaHis feeling all season has been that this was not the right time for him to hand over the keys to his successor and three months in, he was sure of it.The imminent verdict on the 130 charges of financial wrong-doing was a factor, as he has previously said he would not desert the club he loves in their hour of need.But the Club World Cup in the USA in the summer was also a consideration, as it will make the start of next season extremely difficult to navigate.Guardiola felt he wanted to navigate City through this tricky period and he remains determined to do that.In any case, Pep had predicted this would be a tough start to the season — partly due to strain of their recent success and the summer of international duty at Euro 2024 for most of his stars.He did not quite expect it to be this tough, though, as the injuries have made the early months of the season even more challenging.But he remains convinced that once his trusted players are back, he will be able to turn them back into a force.Nothing that has happened since things started to unravel at the end of October has changed his mind.He said: “I have learned with football, not to go against feelings, what you feel at that moment.READ MORE SUN STORIES“If I am sad, I am sad but I know it will pass. That’s how I see it.”A derby win over United on Sunday would help it to pass very quickly. More

    • 250 Shares72 Views

      in Soccer

      Troy Deeney: Marcus Rashford’s application STINKS and it’s Man Utd’s fault… now they’re too scared of fans to sell him

      by

      I WANT Marcus Rashford to succeed, to be the player we know he can be.But we are now on a slippery slope of performances dropping at Manchester United — and nothing is changing from new manager to new manager.Marcus Rashford is in his peak years and needs to up itCredit: GettyTroy Deeney wants to see the best of Rashford but is worried he lacks the desireCredit: APSo, I have to ask him: Do you even want to do this? Do you want to play football?It’s not an easy game, or an easy life. People think it is because of the amount of money and all that but there is a lot of nonsense that goes on in the background, a lot of stresses.And I don’t see a scenario in the next few months, or years, where he flips it on his head and all of a sudden comes good.Or he turns around and says: ‘I’m gonna prove you all wrong’.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLThat makes me genuinely sad, especially because I know this will be weighing on him mentally long-term.Can you still get something out of him? I’m not sure. He needs a strict hand on him, but even that doesn’t seem to work sometimes.He’s 27 — his peak years. He’s got all the attributes you’d want for a modern-day winger or a striker, but he’s currently got the appetite of a 35-year-old.Compare it to the attitude and desire of Jamie Vardy at 37. It is chalk and cheese.Most read in FootballBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSRashford looks like he is carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.Everything is always everybody else’s fault and his application stinks.Who is TikTok star Mat Armstrong-? Meet the car enthusiast who restored Marcus Rashford’s wrecked Rolls-Royce He is still capable of moments. It wouldn’t surprise me if he goes and scores the winner against Manchester City this weekend and then goes missing for the next few weeks.He knows he can live off these ‘moments’ and nothing more, and that isn’t good enough.But United have bought this problem on themselves.They have created this person by continuing to reward rubbish behaviour and performances with massive, unwarranted contracts.He has been brought through as the academy favourite, the golden boy, yet when adversity hits, he thinks everyone is against him, instead of facing up and focusing on himself.So, I have to ask him: Do you even want to do this? Do you want to play football?Troy DeeneyAnd it is the same old cycle. A new manager comes in and for three of four games you see a ‘new Rashford’ and then he slips back into his old ways and old form.He then begins to get dropped. We saw it on Thursday night, subbed off against Viktoria Plzen and already United boss Ruben Amorim looks fed up with him.Look, I’ve been there. It’s not nice when that is happening.As a striker you want to be left on to build some momentum, but I was at the Emirates when he came on against Arsenal last week. He was a disgrace.Amorim summed it up best when he joined, telling Rashford he will get full support but it is up to him as a player, a person.Marcus Rashford must take his chance under Ruben AmorimCredit: GettyThat’s where the problem lies. Nobody wants Rashford to fail, but if he keeps delivering these substandard performances then we will all keep on saying the same things.Some people say it is the environment at United that is a negative impact, but that’s a poor excuse.You don’t see Harry Maguire or Bruno Fernandes acting out or not giving everything, do you?Another academy graduate like Kobbie Mainoo isn’t acting up because he has good role models around him in his position. He is hungry to improve.So, at what point do you take responsibility for your own actions and say: It’s on me.You can only fake it for so long if you are not a hard worker, you’re not sticking to a professional regime and you’re heart isn’t in it any more.At the moment Rashford is nothing more than an academy symbol of the past, a local lad that United are too scared to move on because of what the reaction from the fan base might be.Man Utd have created this person by continuing to reward rubbish behaviour and performances with massive, unwarranted contracts.Troy DeeneyBut why would anyone in England want to take Rashford on?Why would boss Mikel Arteta risk ruining all his hard work at Arsenal of building a culture of elite professionals and high standards for him?Chelsea have a young, energetic squad that could revitalise him, but I reckon most of those players would look at him now and think: Well you’re a waste of time.And no one is going to pay his current wages — he is rewarded like he is one of the best three players in the Prem yet he wouldn’t get into any of the top SIX starting XIs right now.If I was advising him, I’d tell him to go abroad but even then I’m not sure how that would go.I do feel sorry for Marcus, but he has had enough bad examples of players around him, or in his age bracket, who have gone down a similar path.READ MORE SUN STORIESIt should be enough to motivate you not to become one of them, someone like Jesse Lingard.But Rashford is not seeing the warning signs all around him.Inside Man Utd chaos amid Ashworth departureTHE blame game has another victim as things go from bad to worse at Old Trafford.Manchester United’s first sporting director, Dan Ashworth, arrived in the summer and is gone before Christmas.SunSport exclusively revealed last month that there was trouble at mill.That the new senior management team were already blaming each other for the mess the club were in.Chief executive Omar Berrada and Ashworth were trying to wash their hands of it all, claiming they had arrived too late after serving their gardening leave.New part owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe said making decisions was all down to them. Meanwhile, Jason Wilcox thought it was all a mess under previous boss Erik ten Hag but was part of the team that encouraged him to stay after every other candidate ran for cover.There is word Ashworth did not favour appointing his successor and new head coach Ruben Amorim, preferring an English manager with more experience in our game. Perhaps that was why ex-England gaffer Gareth Southgate’s name was always mentioned after they worked together at the FA.Either way, Saturday’s showing against Nottingham Forest, after their second-half capitulation at Arsenal a few days previously, proved too much. More

    • 238 Shares72 Views

      in Soccer

      Crystal Palace star’s rubbish was fly tipped outside my flat – I was furious & reported him to club

      by

      A PREMIER League star’s domestic rubbish was dumped illegally outside an apartment block.Furious residents contacted Crystal Palace to report Jefferson Lerma for fly-tipping.Crystal Palace’s Jefferson Lerma has been reported for fly-tippingCredit: GettyThe garbage included broken toys, full carrier bags and dozens of opened parcels and boxes bearing Lerma’s addressThe club investigated and discovered that the Colombian midfielder, 30, had paid for a “legitimate waste disposal service” to dispose of the trash “in good faith”.The rubbish was strewn across the front of garages behind flats in Streatham, South London — nine miles from Lerma’s home.Grainy CCTV images show men arriving in cars with fake number plates to dump the trash.The garbage included broken toys, full carrier bags and dozens of opened parcels and boxes bearing Lerma’s address.READ MORE FOOTBALL NEWSRecent windy weather spread the rubbish further.Heidi Vella, who lives in the flats, said: “Fly-tipping is illegal and a social blight and so it was a real shock to the residents here to see a Premier League footballer’s rubbish dumped on our property.“A quick look showed it was Jefferson Lerma’s domestic rubbish. Now we want to pursue the ‘man with a van’ so he is dealt with by law.”Lerma signed for Bournemouth for £25million in 2018 and joined Palace on a free transfer last year.Most read in FootballThe club said: “When this matter was drawn to our attention, we immediately arranged for the rubbish to be collected and disposed of correctly.“We apologise for any inconvenience.”Bournemouth target Jefferson Lerma is an absolute beast of a defensive midfielderHeidi Vella, who lives in the flats, said: ‘Fly-tipping is illegal and a social blight and so it was a real shock to the residents here to see a Premier League footballer’s rubbish dumped on our property’Credit: Louis Wood More