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      I get the same text from Sir Alex Ferguson every time I get sacked from a job, admits Wayne Rooney

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      MANCHESTER UNITED legend Wayne Rooney revealed he still keeps in touch with iconic manager Sir Alex Ferguson.However, there is a catch as they only contact each other after Rooney, 39, gets sacked from the dugout.Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney revealed he still talks with Sir Alex FergusonCredit: GettyRooney claims Man Utd icon Ferguson sends him a text every time he gets sackedCredit: RexThe legendary striker and Ferguson, 83, spent nine years together at Old Trafford where they won five Premier League titles and the 2008 Champions League.The pair had a few heated exchanges during their spell at United but ultimately patched things up and still talk.The ex-England international is following in Fergie’s footsteps but his spells as Derby, DC United, Birmingham and Plymouth Argyle boss met a heartbreaking end.And that was when Ferguson reached out with a text that Rooney still remembers.Read More on Man UtdThe ex-Everton star joined Gary Neville, Ian Wright, Roy Keane and Jill Scott on The Overlap, via Sky Bet, and answered fan questions.Neville read out one of them for the panel, which read: “Do you ever hear from your old managers?”Wright confirmed that he still keeps in touch with his former gaffers.And that was when Rooney revealed: “Every time I get sacked Fergie gives me a text.”Most read in FootballThe former centre-forward’s fellow panelists immediately burst into laughter.Scott asked: What does it [ the text] say?”Coleen Rooney reveals being married to Wayne is ‘like being a single mum’ in one of her most brutally honest interviewsHowever, the United great opted against sharing any details of the exchange.Instead, Rooney simply said: “He gives me a text every time I get sacked” More

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      Aston Villa hero Marco Asensio WILL face parent club PSG in Champions League quarter-final thanks to little-known rule

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      ASTON VILLA star Marco Asensio WILL be able to play against his parent club Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League quarter-final.The 29-year-old joined Villa in January on a six-month loan from the French giants.Marco Asensio can face PSG in the Champions League quarter-finalCredit: GettyAsensio has made a stunning start to life in Birmingham, scoring two last night to seal last-16 victory over Club Brugge.The strikes took his goal tally to seven in eight games.Villa face PSG in the next round and the Spanish midfielder is eligible to play.Players are banned from facing their parent side in the Premier League but this rule does not apply in the Champions League.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLUefa regulations state teams do not have “any influence whatsoever over the players that another club may (or may not) field in a match”.Villa had the rule go against them earlier this season when on loan man Samuel Iling-Junior came on at Villa Park for Bologna in the league phase.Looking ahead to the quarter-final, it is not just Asensio who will be looking to haunt his old employers on April 9 and 15 as boss Unai Emery used to manage the Parisians from 2016 to 2018.But fans reckon it is written in the stars for the ex-Real Madrid star to score the winner, with one saying: “That would be absolutely beautiful.”Most read in Champions LeagueCheltenham Festival betting offers and free betsAnother added: “Asensio knocking out PSG in the next round of the Champions League is the sort of s***housery I’m all up for.”He already has Champions League pedigree, having lifted the trophy three times at Real Madrid.Awkward moment Aston Villa keeper refuses to move out of net and let kids take penalties at half-time of Crystal Palace clash More

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      Premier League club to DOUBLE stadium’s capacity with huge redevelopment plan as owner admits ‘we need to improve it’

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      BOURNEMOUTH are set to more than double their stadium capacity.The Cherries’ Vitality Stadium home holds just 11,307 fans – making it by far the smallest ground in the Premier League.Bournemouth are aiming to expand their current Dean Court homeCredit: AlamyThe Vitality Stadium holds 11,307 fansCredit: ReutersClub owner Bill Foley has previously discussed the possibility of Bournemouth building a new stadium.But during a recent appearance on talkSPORT, the American said that the Cherries are now aiming to expand their current Dean Court site.After revealing that Bournemouth will be moving to their new training ground in April, the 80-year-old said: “We are well underway to having a solution for our stadium with several stages in mind.“The first stage would be to grow to about 16,000 seats, the next stage would be about 20,000, and the third stage would be to about 24,000 seats.READ MORE IN FOOTBALL”Much more hospitality and a much more welcoming environment, in terms of when people arrive and how they get into the stands and so on.”The Vitality Stadium is privately owned by property company Structadene.Foley wants to buy Bournemouth’s stadium outright before beginning redevelopment work.He added: “We are hopefully going to be acquiring the Vitality.Most read in FootballCheltenham Festival betting offers and free bets“We have a plan in place. It is going to be a staged effort, and we need to have the council’s approval.“We’ll start with the south stand, and we’ll really expand that and make that a permanent stand with some hospitality.New $1bn stadium in Miami rapidly takes shape and set to open in 2026 “At the same time we’re going to be redoing the main stand in terms of hospitality and ingress and egress, high speed elevators and so on so people aren’t having to walk up three flights to go to have lunch and then walk down two flights to go to their seats, and then walk two flights up again.“The stadium is just antiquated and we need to improve it.”On the work that has gone on behind the scenes, Foley continued: “We’ve been working hard on it. Our general contractor was over in Las Vegas last Monday and we spent four or five hours together, going through options and looking at the stages and how we move forward.“Now we’re working with the council to see if we can get fairly quick approval for what we want to do.“We’ve already raised the money, so the sooner we get approvals and we get our design plan in place, we’ve already retained our architects and retained our builder and so on, we’ll be ready to go.“People will be surprised with how quickly we go with this situation.”READ MORE SUN STORIESFoley also revealed that Bournemouth are looking to extend boss Andoni Iraola’s contract, with the Spaniard’s current deal set to expire at the end of next season.According to talkSPORT, Iraola would be Tottenham’s top candidate to replace Ange Postecoglou, should the under-fire Aussie be sacked.Bill Foley revealed Bournemouth’s plans to talkSPORTCredit: Getty More

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      Transfer recommendations ahead of Gameweek 28: Justin Kluivert and Chris Wood among strong options

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      DREAM TEAM managers have until the leisurely time of 1:30pm this Saturday to confirm their transfers for Gameweek 28.The first thing to note is that Aston Villa and Crystal Palace will BLANK this coming Gameweek, prompting many gaffers to ditch the likes of Morgan Rogers (£3.9m) and Ollie Watkins (£5.2m)Villa do not have a fixture in Gameweek 28Credit: GettyWhen deciding upon your transfers, it might be wise to also take Gameweek 29 into account.That’s a while away yet as there’s an international break to endure first but you should be aware of the fact there are just five teams with three fixtures to fulfil across the next two Gameweeks.And it’s this point of interest that informs our latest transfer recommendations.Chris Wood (£3.9m)18 goals and countingCredit: GettyNottingham Forest are due to play Ipswich, Brighton and Manchester United across the next two Gameweeks.This weekend’s meeting with the Tractor Boys has to be considered a favourable match-up for the big New Zealand striker, statistically the most clinical finisher (measured by performance against xG) in the Premier League this season.Wood has scored 18 goals in 2024/25, a tally only bettered by Mohamed Salah (£8m), Erling Haaland (£8.1m) and Alexander Isak (£6.4m).Nuno Espirito Santo’s side beat Manchester City last time out and they could make mincemeat of an opponent 15 places below them in the table this Saturday.Wood isn’t guaranteed to start against the Seagulls after the break as Taiwo Awoniyi (£2.2m) has led the line in the previous FA Cup games but the former may get some bonus minutes off the bench before reclaiming his spot in the starting XI against the Red Devils.Most read in FootballJustin Kluivert (£3.9m)A midfielder in fine formCredit: ReutersBournemouth’s No19 has amassed 200 points via 13 goals and seven assists this season.12 of those goal involvements have come in his last 11 appearances.The Dutchman is due to face Brentford this Saturday before taking on Man City (FA Cup) and Ipswich (Premier League) in Gameweek 29.The Cherries have the benefit of three consecutive home games across the next two Gameweeks.Kluivert is a particularly appealing Dream Team asset as Bournemouth’s first-choice penalty taker.Josko Gvardiol (£4.3m)Gvardiol poses a goal threatCredit: GettyPep Guardiola’s side have found clean sheets hard to come by throughout this uncharacteristically average season.Even so, City’s Croatian left-back ranks seventh among defenders with 188 points to his name.This is mainly because of the attacking threat Gvardiol poses in the final third.No Dream Team defender has scored more goals than the 23-year-old at this late stage of the campaign – he also ranks joint-third for shots on target and joint-seventh for bonus points in his position.City host an in-form Brighton this weekend before a potentially tricky trip to Bournemouth in the FA Cup but a home game against relegation-bound Leicester in Gameweek 29 sweetens the deal.Many Dream Team bosses will be on the hunt for a defender after Trent Alexander-Arnold (£5.7m) suffered an injury against PSG and Gvardiol might fit the bill.Joao Pedro (£3.7m)Joao Pedro’s penalties are a bonusCredit: GettyBrighton’s No9 is statistically the most in-form forward in the game right now having banked 44 points from his last four outings.This fruitful run has included three goals and two assists.Like Kluivert, Pedro benefits from being his side’s penalty taker, a very good one at that.READ MORE SUN STORIESIn terms of match-ups, the Seagulls’ next two Gameweeks are far from favourable – Man City (a), Nottingham Forest (h), Aston Villa (h) – but Fabian Hurzeler’s side have won six games in a row in all competitions.Pedro currently features in just 1.3% of teams.Score PredictorPlay Score Predictor with Dream Team this season!FREE to play£250 weekly prizePredict scores of five selected Premier League fixtures and earn points for accuracyMost points wins weekly cash prizePLAY NOW More

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      Unai Emery and rival manager make ‘classy’ agreement rarely seen in football but fans say ‘shouldn’t be allowed’

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      ASTON VILLA cruised through their Champions League last 16 clash with Club Brugge.The Villans came into the second leg 3-1 up and any chance the Belgians had of coming back disappeared when Kyriani Sabbe was sent off for a last man challenge on Marcus Rashford in the 17th minute.Unai Emery embraced the Club Brugge manager as the agreement was madeCredit: X @footballontntMarcos Asensio fired the Villans to a very comfortable winCredit: GettyVilla then went on to win the second leg 3-0 with a double from Marcos Asensio and a goal from Ian Maatsen.And such was the ease with which Villa advanced to the quarter-finals that the two managers decided there was no need for any stoppage time to be played.As the clocked ticked to 90 minutes, Unai Emery could be seen approaching Brugge counterpart Nicky Hayen before the pair then shared a hug.And then on 90 minutes and two seconds, the referee blew the final whistle.READ MORE FOOTBALL NEWSFans then took to X to hail the “classy” decision.One wrote: “Classy stuff between those managers. Sometimes the losing manager can easily take this as an insult so more props to them.”Another posted: “An actual sensible decision for once.”However, other fans suggested that the pair of managers shouldn’t have been allowed to choose how much stoppage time was played.Most read in FootballCheltenham Festival betting offers and free betsOne stated: “When was it allowed to wipe out injury time if both managers say so?”Another fan wrote: “They can just do that???”Awkward moment Aston Villa keeper refuses to move out of net and let kids take penalties at half-time of Crystal Palace clash And a third posted: “Shouldn’t be allowed. Yellow/red cards, injuries, goals/assists for statistics all can occur in stoppage time. “You wouldn’t have let PSV just call off their game tonight altogether, so this shouldn’t happen either.”Arsenal played out a 2-2 draw with PSV after hammering the Dutch side 7-1 in the Netherlands in the first leg.And interestingly, a significant incident did occur in stoppage time of a tie which the Gunners had long since won.Player of the Match Raheem Sterling picked up a 93rd minute booking, which will see him banned for the first leg of the quarter-final against Real Madrid.Aston Villa, meanwhile, will face PSG following the French side’s penalty shootout win over Liverpool at Anfield. More

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      ‘Why can’t it ever be simple?’ – Chelsea fans miserable as home kit for 2025-26 leaked including ‘grunge graphic’

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      CHELSEA fans’ miserable 2025 has continued after they were left disappointed with the leaked design of their home kit for next season.The Blues have struggled for form in 2025, winning just six of their 12 games so far this calendar year which has seen them drop away from the battle for the Premier League title.Chelsea’s leaked new home kit left fans feeling blueCredit: https://www.footyheadlines.com/The kit features a grunge patternCredit: https://www.footyheadlines.com/The blue main colour is paired with splashes of white and redCredit: https://www.footyheadlines.com/They will be hoping the fortunes of Enzo Maresca’s side will get better as the rest of the year goes on.However, the home kit they will perform in from next season has been leaked by FootyHeadlines.The leaked photos reveal a Chelsea kit, sponsored by Nike, with the colours of the club’s traditional blue combined with splashes of red and white.New images of the kit also showed off the kit featuring a grunge graphic “to highlight the gritty, tough nature of the city and its citizens”.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLBut fans were left feeling quite blue over the new design, said to be the Dri-Fit ADV version.Taking to social media, one fan said: “It’s about time they stopped with the experimental kits.”A second said: “Why can we never have a clean and simple kit man!?”A third added: “Another miss.”Most read in FootballCheltenham Festival betting offers and free betsAnother said: “Why does every football shirt have to have a story behind it? Why can’t it simply just be a football shirt for playing football in.”In 2016, Chelsea signed then the largest kit deal in Premier League history when they penned a 15 year partnership worth £60million per year.‘I spent ages just looking at him’ – Playing vs Cristiano Ronaldo is my career highlight says star-struck Chelsea aceIt came after the Blues paid approximately £40m to terminate their previous 10-year deal with Adidas early.However, the biggest kit deal among Premier League clubs is the £90m per season deal between Manchester United and Adidas.Chelsea’s next game is the second leg of their clash with Copenhagen in the Europa Conference League.They take a 2-1 lead to tonight’s fixture Stamford Bridge. CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL 2025 LIVE: LATEST TIPS AND RESULTS FROM THE GREATEST SHOW ON TURF More

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      Reason Kylian Mbappe ‘REFUSED to take penalty’ revealed as he walked away before horror Vinicius Jr miss

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      REAL MADRID were left breathing a sigh of relief after seeing off Atletico on penalties following a 2-2 aggregate draw.Kylian Mbappe was one of the players who coolly converted his spot kick in the shootout – but he was reportedly unwilling to take one during the game.Kylian Mbappe reportedly refused to take Real Madrid’s penalty during the matchCredit: GettyVinicius Jr then stepped up and missed completelyCredit: EPABut Mbappe redeemed himself for any refusal to take a spot kick by scoring in the shootoutCredit: AlamyVinicius Jr then stepped up in Mbappe’s place after the World Cup winner was fouled by Clement Lenglet.And the Brazilian blasted the ball so far wide that it may well have missed if there were two goals.But after the match, Guillem Balague claimed that Mbappe is still the designated penalty taker.The LaLiga TV reporter said: “Real Madrid won a penalty but Kylian Mbappe was not right. He struggled with his ankle and with a toenail that is coming off.READ MORE REAL MADRID NEWS”You had the penalty missed by Vinicius Jr in normal time. Mbappe said to Vinicius, ‘I don’t feel like kicking this, I am not ready’ and walked away from it, Vini took it and it went high.”Balague also said: “There was a typical exchange of strong words in the tunnel after the match, but nothing different to what happens after every match.”However, it was not clear if he was referring to an exchange between the Real Madrid and Atletico players or among the Real Madrid squad internally.Vinicius was subbed off in extra time and therefore unable to take a penalty in the shootout – a decision that appeared to have paid dividends for Carlo Ancelotti.Most read in FootballCheltenham Festival betting offers and free betsMbappe, Jude Bellingham and Fede Valverde all scored with well-placed spot kicks before Lucas Vazquez saw his kick saved by Jan Oblak.But Toni Rudiger then stepped up to score the fifth penalty and win one of the most controversial shootouts in history for Real.Mum of Thibaut Courtois’ love-child reveals fear they will be made homeless over unpaid mortgage despite his huge salaryJulian Alvarez slotted Atletico Madrid’s second penalty into the roof of the net but VAR then adjudged the Argentine to have kicked the ball twice before it went in, meaning the kick had to be marked down as a miss.Marcos Llorente then blasted his penalty onto the bar which gave Rudiger the chance to win it.Ironically, the man who replaced Vinicius Jr – fellow Brazilian Endrick – was also taken off penalty duties by Carlo Ancelotti.The Italian said: “We had a doubt, who should have taken the penalty between Endrick or Rudiger. “We wanted Endrick, but then I saw his face and decided Rudiger was the better option.” More

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      ‘There’s no way back for this Man Utd team’ – Wayne Rooney launches brutal attack on flops and names only TWO he’d keep

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      WAYNE ROONEY has hit out at Man Utd and said there are only two players he would keep.The Red Devils have suffered a horror season under, first, Erik ten Hag, and now Ruben Amorim.Wayne Rooney would like to see a huge Man Utd firesaleCaptain Bruno Fernandes is one of the few players Rooney would keepCredit: PARooney would also like to see Kobbie Mainoo stay at Old TraffordCredit: GettyRuben Amorim has yet to turn Man Utd’s fortunes aroundCredit: RexUnited are currently languishing in 14th place in the Premier League, with the Europa League now their only chance of making any kind of success out of the season.And Rooney said it “hurts” to see his former club in their current state.The former England captain was asked by fellow ex-Red Devil Gary Neville whether he thought there was any way back for the current Man Utd squad.And he told Stick to Football, brought to you by Sky Bet: “No, I don’t think so. They look lost. They look scared.”READ MORE MAN UTD NEWS”Bruno [Fernandes] is the one who keeps producing, he annoys you at times but keeps producing.”The former Derby, DC United, Birmingham and Plymouth boss then a massive clearout would be needed to get United performing again.Rooney commented: “They need massive changes to the squad, I think 10-15 players need to leave the club.”Obviously, they can’t do that, but there is a mentality there where no one is taking responsibility [in the squad].”Most read in FootballCheltenham Festival betting offers and free betsAnd when asked which players he would keep, Rooney said: “I’d [only] keep Bruno and [Kobbie] Mainoo.”There is a culture at the club where it’s too easy to lose games and the players come out and say, ‘Onto the next one,’ and all that rubbish.Man Utd confirm Old Trafford decision with club set to build £2bn 100,000-seater ‘Wembley of the North’ “Just show some character and fight on the pitch. It’s bad watching, it hurts.”Being from Liverpool but spending so many years at United, I want the team to do well.”I’ve got my kids in the academy, and it hurts watching them.” £375,000-a-week star Casemiro performed well in the 2022/23 season but has struggled sinceCredit: GettyRasmus Hojlund is on a run of 16 Premier League games without scoringCredit: PA More