Premier League

As we approach the middle of January, many of the footballing headlines are about transfers.Who might leave the club? Who could come in? Can such-and-such do a ‘job’ on loan between now and June?
Sir Jim Ratcliffe should build Man Utd around two wonderkidsCredit: AFP
Alejandro Garnacho is starting to add end product to his flair and paceCredit: Alamy
The truth is, Manchester United may well have the answer to future success already in their squad.
Whatever happens to manager Erik ten Hag between now and next season, and whoever is eventually put in charge of the transfer strategy, one thing is abundantly clear: they must build the revolution around Alejandro Garnacho.
The academy graduate is everything United fans thought they were getting when they signed Antony from Ajax for £81.3m, in the summer of 2022.
If that’s a price marker, how much might Garnacho be worth in the future?
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During the 2-0 FA Cup victory at Wigan, we saw his full explosive repertoire, and the disturbing news for opponents, is that he’s starting to find a devastating end product that works alongside the already established trickery and flair.
Garnacho has the potential to become a United great – the issue is, do United and Ineos have enough about them to match his talent and ambition? We won’t have long to find out.
They’ll have to make their intentions clear over the coming months because there are already envious looks in Garnacho’s direction from some of Europe’s top Champions League clubs, who see a player not only for the now, but one that will excel and get better in the future.
Players like Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo should be the future of Manchester United and shouldn’t be allowed to leave, whatever the offer.
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Having joined at different times as youngsters, they’re a subtle nod to the traditions of United’s past, whilst also possessing the skill and presence to really make a mark in the modern game.
It hasn’t always been easy for Garnacho, who has had a couple of disciplinary issues on his path to being first-team regular.
But his focus appears sharper now, and his performances on the pitch are re-highlighting the fuss that surrounded him when he made his debut against Chelsea in April 2022.
Garnacho has also become Marcus Rashford’s biggest problem.
The Argentinian wizard is direct, tricky, poses a genuine goal threat, and is capable of dismantling the opposition defence at will.
At the moment, on the opposite flank and appearing mentally tired, Rashford seems to have lost his powers, cutting a forlorn figure, miles away from the high standards he set last season.
It remains to be seen what will happen to Rashford, but Garnacho is quickly developing into United’s most dangerous attacking asset.
It’s also easy to forget that he’s only in his second season in the United side and his first campaign since signing a mega-money contract.
If he’s capable of being unbelievable, consistently, why not play him as often as possible, and shape the coming years around him?
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Why not indeed…
I’m sure it’s not escaped Ten Hag or the new 25 per cent owners who are tasked with restoring United to greatness.
Kobbie Mainoo is the future of Manchester United’s midfieldCredit: Getty More

FORMER Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert has revealed that he used to “worry” about Jack Grealish.Lambert, 54, spent three years with the Villans between 2012 and 2015.
Paul Lambert admitted he was stunned by Grealish’s response to a ‘misdemeanour’Credit: EMPICS Sport
Jack Grealish made his Aston Villa debut at the age of 18Credit: Reuters
Shortly after he arrived at the club, then-16-year-old Grealish was promoted to the first team.
However, the winger was not deemed ready for the Premier League and subsequently went out on loan to Notts County.
After returning from Meadow Lane, Grealish established himself in Lambert’s squad.
However, the manager was forced to pull him aside on one occasion to discuss a “misdemeanour”.
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Recalling the incident during an exclusive interview with Ladbrokes Fanzone, Lambert admitted that he was stunned by the winger’s response.
He said: “Jack always had a side to him in his locker which we all know about. He would sometimes try and push the wrong kind of buttons with me, but I’d seen it all before, so I knew the pitfalls.
“You’re swimming with sharks at times, as a football manager, and I didn’t want him to go off the rails, because I could see a huge talent there. 
“One week I had to pull him into the office for a misdemeanour, which was fine in the end. I’m not going to say what that misdemeanour was, but the biggest takeaway from it was his response.
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“He was only a baby really, in footballing terms, at the time. You’ve got to remember that as a manager; it’s about how you nurture talents like that.
“I did worry for him a little bit, at a young age. That’s not through any fault of his own, though; that’s just the way the environment is when you’re young… it can derail you, but I just didn’t want to see him – or any young kid – derail.
“Especially when you’ve got such a talent like Jack; when your career is finished, you want people to talk about your antics on the pitch, not off it. 
“I’d seen it first hand, so many times; I played with plenty of young kids who I’d probably say were more talented than myself, but for some reason or another, just never made it.
“I didn’t want that to happen to Jack. I always knew the talent was there; what’s important for Jack is that he’s managed by someone who can keep him on the straight and narrow, and he’s in a great place right now in that sense, with Pep Guardiola at Man City.”
Grealish left Aston Villa in 2021 to join Manchester City in a record-breaking £100million transfer.
He has since made 112 appearances for Pep Guardiola’s side.
The winger has also amassed 35 senior England caps. More

ALAN SHEARER has revealed he owns shares in a fitness company and secured Newcastle’s former team doctor a job at the organisation after the pair were sacked.Newcastle’s all-time record scorer Shearer, 53, took over as manager of the Toon in April 2009 as he looked to save them from relegation.
Alan Shearer owns shares in the company SpeedflexCredit: Getty
Shearer got former Newcastle team doctor Paul Ferris, right, a job at SpeedflexCredit: PA
After taking the job, he brought in ex-Newcastle team doctor Paul Ferris, 58, as the pair had a strong relationship from Shearer’s time as a player.
But less than two months later the Magpies icon was axed after Newcastle were relegated from the Premier League.
And Ferris, who had given up becoming a lawyer to take on the role, was also given the boot.
But Shearer ended up making amends by getting Ferris a job at Speedflex – a company he part-owns which “offers safe and effective, high intensity but low impact HIIT training in a variety of formats”.
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Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, Shearer, who is also a successful football pundit, said: “I’ve got a share in a company called Speedflex, a fitness concept machine.
“A good friend of mine who was the physio at Newcastle United, Paul Ferris, left many years ago and decided he wanted to be a lawyer.
“He went right into it, did six years and was about two or three months off completing his course and becoming a lawyer – he was actually ready to go onto the bar.
“I got the Newcastle job – and I liked him that much because I’d spent that much time with him with my injuries – that I asked him to come into Newcastle with me as the head of the medical department.
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“He had a huge decision to make, he was six weeks away from completing his six-year course and he left it and came in with me to Newcastle.
“Of course, he came in for two months and that was it (they were sacked) – he couldn’t go back.
“Then my friend was looking for somebody to help him with the company Speedflex and I asked him (Ferris) to go over to America. So he is now chief executive of the company Speedflex.
“So I managed to get him back in, otherwise I’d have felt so guilty.”
On the Speedflex website, Shearer is pictured using the company’s equipment.
Former Manchester United, Coventry, Aston Villa and Leicester striker Dion Dublin is also on the site, alongside presenter Ben Shephard. More