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      Man Utd given boost with Anthony Martial and Daniel James returning to training from injury ahead of Europa League final

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      MANCHESTER UNITED boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been handed a boost ahead of the Europa League final as Anthony Martial and Daniel James have returned to training.The Red Devils will face Spanish side Villarreal in Gdansk on Wednesday, May 26.
      United pair Anthony Martial and Daniel James are closing in on a return to fitnessCredit: Getty
      United’s official website has confirmed both players are in with a chance of being included in Solskjaer’s squad for their Premier League game against Fulham tomorrow.
      Around 10,000 fans are expected to attend Old Trafford to watch the match after further easing of the government’s coronavirus restrictions.
      Martial and James are unlikely to start against Fulham, however, and defenders Phil Jones and Harry Maguire will not be included in the 20-man squad.
      Speaking to MUTV, Solskjaer said: “We had a couple of days off after the Liverpool match and we’ve welcomed Dan James back and Anthony Martial back so that’s big, big plusses for us.
      “We didn’t lose any against Liverpool so we’re fit. We’re only missing Harry and Phil.
      “They [Daniel and Anthony] have done all their rehab programmes and ticked all the boxes so a couple of days of training before the game with the team, but they’re not ready to start a game yet.
      “Let’s see. Hopefully, we can get both of them on the pitch and give them some minutes.
      “Let’s see how many minutes against Wolves and then they’re hopefully ready for the final.”
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      The United boss also gave an updated on his captain’s fitness.
      He said: “It’s still too early. We’re not at the testing stage yet. We’ll give him as much time as possible to recover.
      “We’re not going to see him back in the league so hopefully we can welcome him back for the final. But I’m not sure.”
      Maguire has missed just two Premier League matches for the club since his move from Leicester City in 2019, both of which United have lost.

      The Red Devils, who face Wolves on the final day, need to win one of their final two Premier League games to finish second.
      Victory against Villarreal in the Europa League final would end their four-year wait for a trophy.
      But as the Spanish side’s final LaLiga fixture has been brought forward to Saturday, they will have an extra 24 hours to prepare for the final.
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      LaLiga change kick-off times for final-round of games to avoid Eurovision clash… and it’s bad news for Man Utd

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      LALIGA have brought Villarreal’s final league match against Real Madrid forward – meaning they’ll have more time to prepare for the Europa League final against Manchester United.The Spanish side were due to face Zinedine Zidane’s team on Sunday, May 23 but the match will now take place the day before.
      Unai Emery’s team now have an extra day to prepare for the Europa League finalCredit: EPA
      Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wants to win the Europa League and end the club’s four-year wait for a trophyCredit: Getty
      All LaLiga fixtures have been moved to avoid clashing with the Eurovision Song Contest – which starts on Saturday at 8pm (UK time).
      Most games will now take place at 5pm and, as Atletico Madrid and local rivals Real can both still win the title, they will play at the same time.
      Atleti, two points clear at the top, need to win at Real Valladolid to secure their first LaLiga title in seven years.
      Villarreal had asked for the game to be moved to Saturday to give them an extra day to prepare for the Europa League final on Wednesday, May 26.
      Club director Fernando Roig Negueroles had accused Spanish football’s governing bodies of a ‘lack of respect’ for not bring the match forward.
      Villarreal are currently seventh in LaLiga and need to win their final match to have any chance of qualifying for next season’s Europa League.
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      But the much bigger prize of Champions League qualification will be on offer when they face Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side in Gdansk four days later.
      Today’s news will please the Spanish club but will frustrate the Red Devils, who face Wolves in their final Premier League game on Sunday.
      One United fan wrote on Twitter: “Nice of LaLiga to move Villarreal’s game back a day… no such consideration from the Premier League for United, though.”
      The final round of Premier League fixtures all take place at the same time to maintain the integrity of the competition.

      Although United are guaranteed to finish second, Wolves are in a battle for 12th with Southampton and Crystal Palace.
      And due to the prize money on offer – around £2million per position – Nuno Espirito Santo’s side will be keen to finish as high as possible.
      United’s final Premier League match of the 2015-16 season against Bournemouth was delayed by 48 hours due to bomb scare, winning the rearranged game 3-1.
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      Eric Gates has gone from UEFA battle to herding cattle – as Ipswich legend reflects on 1981 European glory

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      FORTY YEARS on and Eric Gates is in no doubt  — he would give up the Uefa Cup in a heartbeat.Sir Bobby Robson’s Ipswich side were chasing an unprecedented Treble, so to end up with just the one trophy was a crushing blow.
      Ipswich legend Eric Gates lives the quiet life without email or a mobile on a farm near DurhamCredit: Mark Fletcher | MI News & Sport Ltd
      FA Cup semi-final heartbreak against Manchester City was  followed by four defeats in their last five league games to hand the 1980-81 title to Aston Villa.
      But this was far from a bottle job, rather a season and team remembered as the greatest in the Suffolk club’s history.
      Sir Alf Ramsey won the league in 1962 while Robson lifted the Cup in 1978, so the completion of the holy trinity was far from a shabby  consolation.
      But for Gates, a vital cog in behind forwards Alan Brazil and Paul Mariner, the pain still lingers. He said: “I look back and I’ve still got disappointment but, 40 years later, what an achievement.
      “The one I wanted to win was the FA Cup though.”
      Does it still eat away now?
      Gates snapped back: “Paul Power bending a free-kick in and losing 1-0 to City in the semi, you’re f*****g right it does!
      Over 50,000 jubilant Ipswich fans lined the streets of the Suffolk town to salute their Euro-conquering heroesCredit: Getty
      Gates and Ipswich were left crestfallen after Paul Power’s extra-time goal in the 1981 FA Cup semi-finalCredit: Getty
      “If we were to lose one it would have been the Uefa Cup, without a shadow of  a doubt.
      “But you then win the Uefa Cup so you think: ‘Thank f**k for that’.
      “You’re happy, but I wish I’d won the other two. At the time you don’t think about it, but looking back, so many games caught up with us.
      “Were we the best side in the country? The best team was Villa because they won the league.
      “But we beat them three times, so make your own mind up. We were certainly the most entertaining.”
      Paul Mariner, Gates, Terry Butcher and Mick Mills all played for England during the Tractor Boys’ glory yearsCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
      Duth maestro Frans Thijssen and skipper Mick Mills get the party going after beating AZ Alkmaar in the final.Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
      Living back in home town County Durham, Gates, 65, enjoys the quiet life without a mobile or email, but get him talking about Ipswich and he does not stop.
      SunSport tracked him down to a farm just outside Durham and spent two hours reminiscing.
      A core of 12  shouldered the majority of the marathon 66-game season which, in the end, proved too much. To fans of a certain  vintage, the names roll off the tongue — Paul Cooper, George  Burley, Mick Mills, Steve McCall, Terry Butcher, Russell Osman, John Wark, Arnold Muhren, Frans Thijssen, Gates, Brazil, Mariner.
      Back then the Uefa Cup, a knockout competition, was a big deal, with only the champions making it to the European Cup.

      It began against Aris Salonika in a feisty first-round affair that saw Town, who are today facing a third season in League One, take a 5-1 lead to Greece.
      Gates recalled: “I detest flying — the cup run was a nightmare. I was scared stiff on every journey and used to come out in sweats.
      “Going out to Greece for the  second leg, we were passing through passport control and the fella looked at my passport and then gestured with his hand that I was going to get my throat cut.
      “There were 40,000 there and it was hostile to say the least. We went 3-0 down but I made it 3-1.
      “The final whistle went, we were through, and I stuck two fingers up at the crowd and ran down the tunnel.
      Gates and wife Dorothy have Highland Cattle, chickens and Welsh mountain ponies on their farm in County DurhamCredit: Mark Fletcher | MI News & Sport Ltd
      SunSport spent two hours reminiscing on the farm with bubbly Gates about the greatest season in Ipswich’s historyCredit: Mark Fletcher | MI News & Sport Ltd
      “One of the armed guards then tripped me up and stuck his rifle straight into my head.
      “The bus was pelted with bricks, windows were broken and we were just glad to get out of there.
      Antonin Panenka’s Bohemians Prague were seen off in the second round before a third round 5-1 aggregate win over Widzew Lodz.
      After thrashing them 5-0 in the first leg at home, some sub-zero Polish conditions made life difficult.
      Gates explained: “There must have been 2ft of snow on the pitch.
      “They got a digger to take some off before a roller flattened it and they painted the lines red — it was a carpet of snow.
      “It could have been cancelled but, being 5-0 up, Robson thought it best to play.
      “It was stupid . . . Alan Brazil would be throwing snowballs  at me.
      “You’d be taking it seriously  and all of a sudden you’d get a snowball in your face!”
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      Popular talkSPORT presenter Alan Brazil strutting his stuff in the 1981 UEFA Cup final second-leg against AZ AlkmaarCredit: Getty
      Then came arguably that side’s greatest performance, a quarter- final first-leg 4-1 hammering of Saint-Etienne, who went on to land the French title and boasted a prime Michel Platini.
      Gates, Brazil, Paul Cooper and Kevin O’Callaghan found an English pub in the afternoon pre-match for an impromptu session.
      Gates said: “The French locals started coming in and realised who we were when we got louder. They were shouting ‘We’ll beat you tomorrow’ and we were giving it ‘F**k off, we’ll batter your lot’.
      “They must have thought we were world beaters, seeing us pissed the night before and then winning 4-1.
      “We were in there all afternoon but had a team meeting after dinner.  We had a rule, just keep quiet and whatever happens don’t start talking.
      “I’m sure Robson knew but that is where he was so good.
      “If we’d lost they would have been on us like a ton of bricks, and we knew we had to  perform.”
      Sir Bobby Robson landed the England job a year after conquering Europe with the Suffolk clubCredit: PA:Press Association
      Ipswich backed it up with a comfortable 3-1 home win at home  before seeing off Rinus Michels’ FC Cologne 1-0 in the semi-final first leg at Portman Road.
      Defeat against City three days later in the FA Cup was followed by a 2-1 league win at Villa  before costly defeats against Arsenal and Norwich.  
      The second leg came just two days after that Carrow Road loss, leading Robson to think outside the box. Training the day before facing the Germans was binned for a  trip to the local amusement park, with big dippers preferred to set-piece practice.
      And it worked a treat, with Terry Butcher’s towering header making it 1-0 to set up the final against Dutch champions AZ Alkmaar.
      A  3-0 first-leg win was followed by a nervy 4-2 loss in Amsterdam’s Olympic stadium to clinch the Uefa Cup 5-4 on aggregate.
      Ipswich’s greatest ever side, Gates sits on the far right of the bottom rowCredit: PA:Empics Sport
      Ipswich won the FA Cup in 1978 but they were taken to a new level by Dutch midfield duo Frans Thijssen and Arnold MuhrenCredit: Hulton Archive – Getty
      Afterwards, Robson reflected: “The season has been worth it  after all and our football will be remembered.”
      More than 50,000 fans crammed into the town centre to salute their conquering heroes.
      Gates left for Sunderland in 1985 and has been on the farm for 20-odd years with wife Dorothy.
      With a cheeky grin he describes himself as the ‘general manager’.
      He said: “I walk around and feed the animals — we’ve got Highland cattle, chickens and Welsh  mountain ponies.
      “But I’m a footballer, not a  f*****g farmer.
      “For a daft sod from the North East who left for Ipswich at 16, I’m a lucky lad.”
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      Man Utd facing fixture chaos and fears over injuries as Solskjaer rages at ‘physically impossible’ six games in 17 days

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      MANCHESTER UNITED boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has hit out at his side’s fixture schedule and said dates are decided by ‘people who have never played football’.The Red Devils booked their place in the Europa League final with an 8-5 aggregate victory against Roma.
      Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has hit out at his side’s crazy fixture pile upCredit: Getty
      But it means Solskjaer’s side are facing the prospect of playing six games in just 17 days.
      Next up is an away trip to Aston Villa on Sunday followed by a home game against Leicester on Tuesday.
      United’s re-arranged clash against Liverpool, which was postponed following the huge Old Trafford protest against the club’s owners the Glazer family, is on Thursday.
      On May 18 United host Fulham, May 23 is Wolves away before Solskjaer leads his troops into the Europa League final to take on Villarreal on May 26.
      Speaking to BT Sport about the fixture pile-up, with four games in a WEEK, Solskjaer said: “It’s unheard of. It’s made by people who have never played football at this level.
      “It’s physically impossible for the players. We have not been dealt a good hand.
      “We are going to need everyone for these four games. It’s a short turnaround but we have to be ready.”
      Speaking after securing United’s spot in the Europa League final, Solskjaer reiterated his anger and added: “We’ve been dealt a very bad hand by people who sit behind a desk in suits who never play football or understand what this is about.
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      “I’ve got to look after the players, that’s the biggest thing.
      “Two games in three days is difficult but you can accept that we do that at Christmas. Two games in three days after a long season, with all the games we’ve had, even more difficult. Three games in five days, very very difficult, almost impossible. Four games in eight, it is impossible.
      “We cannot risk injury for players and that’s too much of an injury risk.
      “I’ve got to think about my players but I know there will be teams fighting for the Champions League places that will not think that’s Manchester United’s best team, in that team that’s not the best players.
      “That might affect whoever gets into the fourth position or the Champions League. That’s not my problem. That’s everyone else’s problem.
      “I can promise you that it’s impossible to play 90 minutes at this intensity, at that level in the Premier League four times from Thursday to Thursday. That means I cannot play everyone every minute which means we’ve got to prioritise.”
      And according to a chief of world players’ union FIFPro Jonas Baer-Hoffmann. their players are at risk of serious injury.
      A FIFPro report published yesterday found Europe’s top stars play up to 80 per cent of their minutes in the so-called ‘critical zone’ where risk of injury is high.
      MAN UTD’S CHAOTIC FIXTURE PILE-UPNo wonder Ole is fuming…
      Sunday, May 9 – Aston Villa (A)
      Tuesday, May 11 – Leicester City (H)
      Thursday, May 13 – Liverpool (H)
      Tuesday, May 18 – Fulham (H)
      Sunday, May 23 – Wolves (A)
      Wednesday, May 26 – Villarreal (Europa League Final)

      Baer-Hoffmann blasted: “United play four games, May 6 to the 13, including travel. This is just not physically possible.”
      Despite raging at the hectic schedule, Norwegian Solskjaer is delighted to be in the Europa final.
      The 48-year-old added: “It feels good to be in the final. We played one very, very good half at Old Trafford which has taken us through.
      “I’m disappointed we lost – especially the way we played in the second half.
      “It could easily have been 8-6 to them. It was a strange game. We kept giving them the ball but luckily we have one of the the best keepers in the world. We are in the final and are looking forward to May 26.”
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      Mikel Arteta insists he is giving his LIFE to Arsenal job and vows to fight on as manager after Europa League heartache

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      MIKEL ARTETA says he is giving his whole LIFE to the Arsenal job.And he vowed to fight on as manager after the Europa League heartache to Villarreal.
      Mikel Arteta is giving everything he has to try and get Arsenal back to their glory days once againCredit: PA
      The Gunners were dumped out in the semi-finals last night as Unai Emery got one over his former employers.
      A 0-0 draw at the Emirates meant the 2-1 defeat in Spain last week proved costly.
      Assuming there is no late Premier League twist, it will be the fifth campaign in a row without the Champions League and first out of Europe completely since 1995-96.
      Asked why that is the ‘trend’, Arteta said: “They are things to analyse more internally, I am sorry. We have done that. There are things that we cannot discuss here.
      “I take full responsibility for my part, for sure.
      “Since I arrived here what I have tried to do, giving my life, my best ability, investing every drop of energy that I have emotionally to support everything that has been going around with my knowledge, with staff, with all the players that are trying to contribute with all the club to give our best.
      “But so far it has not been enough and when the question mark comes, why it is not enough? Is it just a thing? Is it the manager? Is it any other stuff? What is it?
      “And then this is football. Again, I repeat myself, last night that ball goes in we win 1-0. You are in the final and it is a different world. But today that world doesn’t look very nice.”
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      Arsenal came under heavy criticism following the tepid stalemate.
      Martin Keown slammed Arteta for being outsmarted by Emery and Thomas Partey for his poor start to life in England.
      Arteta believes he is still the right man for the job but Piers Morgan led the calls for his head as the odds on a sacking getting slashed.
      The Spaniard knows Arsenal’s season ultimately rested on getting through to the final and winning the Europa League with the club sat ninth in the table.
      He continued: “What I felt last night was a deep pain because the moment the club is in at the moment, with everything it has been through over the last months, I had a feeling that if we could take the team to the final, it could be a great turning point.
      “I felt that responsibility and I was so eager to achieve that because I knew it could be a defining moment. Not being able to achieve it, has been really tough personally obviously.
      “I know that we have disappointed a lot of people as well, and that really hurts because we want to give the best to everybody but one thing I made clear is that to do what we want to do, I have no doubts that we are going to achieve it. If not, I wouldn’t be sat here.”
      The morning after the night before, the pain is still raw for Arteta and his squad, especially many of the youngsters.

      He gave particular praise for Emile Smith Rowe’s performance and is hoping they can channel the hurt into a strong end to the season with four games remaining, starting with West Brom at home on Sunday night.
      He added: “They do feel the pain when you look at the state of that dressing room. It was sad because they put so much into it.
      “They tried to go through every obstacle that we had in the competition and around. This is a results-based sport and an inch can define success or failure, and it happened. 
      “We have no time because we have a game on Sunday, we have a training session this morning and it has to be by today when you leave the training ground, most of it has to be out of the system.
      “I think you have to leave some of it in some of your system and use some of it in the right way as an energy driver in the game on Sunday.”
      The Gunners suffered Europa League heartache by crashing out to Unai Emery’s VillarrealCredit: Getty More

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      Arsenal thought Thomas Partey was ‘next Patrick Vieira’ but midfielder isn’t living up to billing, slams Martin Keown

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      ARSENAL midfielder Thomas Partey has failed to live up to the billing of becoming the club’s ‘next Patrick Vieira’, according to Gunners legend Martin Keown.The 27-year-old signed for Mikel Arteta’s side at the start of the campaign for a whopping £45million from Atletico Madrid.
      Partey has failed to hit the ground running in North LondonCredit: The Sun
      But he has not shown the type of consistency Arsenal fans will have wanted to see from him.
      And a particularly disappointing display in a goalless draw with Villarreal which saw the team crash out of the Europa League led Keown to single him out as a scapegoat.
      Speaking on BT Sport, he said: “We thought we were signing the next Patrick Vieira [in Thomas Partey] but he hasn’t looked like that at all.
      “We made a mistake, we should have had two midfield players side by side. We didn’t have the right balance in that midfield.
      “Odegaard didn’t seem to want to go and press and in midfield Villarreal were just able to pass by.”
      Arsenal needed just one goal to reach the Europa League final after being beaten 2-1 in the first leg in Spain.
      But despite Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang striking the post on two occasions, Arteta’s men failed to find a way through as their hopes of European glory came to an end.
      Last night’s exit also means Arsenal are in serious danger of failing to qualify for any form of European competition next season.
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      The Gunners currently sit in ninth place in the Premier League with just four games remaining.
      When asked if he felt he was still the best man to lead Arsenal, Arteta said: “I wouldn’t be sitting here if I didn’t. You will see it. It’s not about talking. It’s about showing it on the pitch.
      “I think everybody’s job always in scrutiny.”
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      Piers Morgan calls for Arteta’s head over ‘total disaster’ of a season in wake of dismal Europa League exit

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      PIERS MORGAN has questioned whether Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta ‘deserves to continue as manager’.And the former Good Morning Britain host branded the Gunners’ performance last night as ‘humiliating’ and ‘utter crap’.
      Arteta’s Arsenal suffered a ‘huge blow’ last nightCredit: Getty
      Why does Mikel Arteta deserve to continue as manager? This season has been a total disaster, we’re playing dreadful football, and we just got kicked out of Europe by the guy he replaced. Humiliating. #afc— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) May 6, 2021

      Morgan, 56, is a devout Arsenal supporter.
      But this season he has been left dismayed by his side’s lack of quality.
      Like many Gooners, his last hopes were pinned on the Europa League, with Arsenal sitting all the way down in ninth in the Prem.

      Trailing 2-1 from last week’s first leg, however, Arteta’s side produced yet another tepid display at Emirates Stadium – a venue at which they have now failed to win any of their last five.
      The tame 0-0 draw sent the Gunners crashing out, and had Morgan turning to Twitter to vent his frustration.
      First, upon hearing the final whistle, Morgan labelled his side’s outing as ‘utter crap’, before then turning his ire towards the young boss.
      He wrote: “Why does Mikel Arteta deserve to continue as manager?
      “This season has been a total disaster, we’re playing dreadful football, and we just got kicked out of Europe by the guy he replaced. Humiliating. #afc.”

      The Gunners were left guttedCredit: PA
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      Former manager Unai Emery will now aim to win his fourth Europa League title, as his Villarreal side take on Manchester United in the Gdansk final later this month.
      Meanwhile, Arsenal will return to Premier League action, with hopes of European qualification looking slim.
      Sitting ninth, the Gunners are five points behind seventh-placed Liverpool, who currently occupy the last European spot.
      Arteta, 38, referred to the match as a ‘huge blow’.
      He said: “We are devastated, really disappointed.
      “We know how much the Europa League meant to the club and to the fans. It’s a huge blow. I feel the pressure all the time because I want to do as good as I can for the team.”
      The Spaniard remains self-assured, but did admit: “I think everybody’s job is always under scrutiny.”

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