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      Man Utd tried to sign Luka Modric but just missed out on future Ballon d’Or winner transfer, Harry Redknapp reveals

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      MANCHESTER UNITED’S legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson tried to sign Luka Modric during his final few years at Old Trafford.That is according to SunSport columnist Harry Redknapp, who revealed Ferguson was “calling about” Modric before his retirement in 2013.
      Manchester United tried to sign Luka Modric but missed outCredit: AFP
      Modric played under Harry Redknapp when he was Tottenham managerCredit: AFP
      However, “for various reasons” Sir Alex couldn’t seal the deal and the star midfielder stayed with Tottenham for four years under Redknapp when he was manager at White Hart Lane.
      The Croatia legend quickly turned into one of the sport’s greatest ever players under the popular gaffer and went to Real Madrid in 2012 to win five Champions League titles and the 2018 Ballon d’Or.
      The ex-West Ham boss also admitted Fergie was keen to land Paolo Di Canio when he also shone bright under Redknapp at Upton Park.
      But a move for Di Canio also didn’t work out at a time when it was mainly the manager who scouted for talent compared to the modern times where clubs rely on team officials, like sporting directors.
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      Redknapp told SunSport: “I remember Fergie calling about Luka Modric and Paolo Di Canio, but for various reasons he couldn’t get the deals done.”
      Modric amassed a total of 17 goals and 25 assists in 160 appearances across his four-year stint at Tottenham.
      The now 38-year-old shone bright in north London next to other top stars, such as Gareth Bale, who also followed him at Real.
      United really missed out as the Croat then registered a staggering 37 goals and 79 assists in 506 appearances for Los Blancos.
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      Modric also led Croatia to the 2018 World Cup Final where they lost to France.
      The midfield maestro also took his country to the 2022 World Cup semi-finals in Qatar, where they finished third.
      And he is still active at Real despite his advanced age as he has made 13 appearances and played in five out of six Champions League group stage matches this season. More

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      Man Utd boost in pursuit of Newcastle transfer chief Dan Ashworth with Toon already lining up a replacement

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      NEWCASTLE have put Bournemouth’s transfer chief Richard Hughes on top of their hitlist.The Toon are braced for a call that will take their sporting director Dan Ashworth to Manchester United once the protracted buy-in by Sir Jim Ratcliffe takes place.
      Man Utd are pushing to recruit Newcastle sporting director Dan AshworthCredit: Getty
      Ashworth, 52, is first choice for the football supremo role should Ratcliffe and sidekick Sir Dave Brailsford finally take 25 per cent of Old Trafford.
      The Red Devils could offer Ashworth a role that could convince him to quit Newcastle barely a year after joining.
      Newcastle can place Ashworth on gardening leave for an extended period of time — as Brighton did when they lost him — but they would need a top replacement.
      And Cherries technical director Hughes’ name is on the lips of many on Tyneside.
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      Manager Eddie Howe would be delighted as the pair were close at Bournemouth.
      Scot Hughes, 44, has helped the Cherries develop in the past few years and now could be the right time to join one of the top-flight giants.
      Ashworth would be joined by another scouting supremo at Old Trafford, so the door is also open there for the likes of ex-Tottenham recruiter Paul Mitchell or Crystal Palace’s Dougie Freedman to come in.
      Struggling Man Utd currently sit seventh in the Premier League table with 27 points from 16 games.
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      They also crashed out of the Champions League this week after finishing fourth in their group for the first time ever.
      United chiefs have been heavily criticised for their recruitment in recent years, so incoming co-owner Ratcliffe is expected to make some major internal changes. More

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      Arsenal star tipped for coaching role by Arteta after being seen giving advice to Raya from touchline

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      JORGINHO is the brains of Arsenal’s title tilt — on and off the field.Gunners boss Mikel Arteta rates the Italian midfielder as one of the most intelligent players he has coached, with all the qualities to become a manager himself.
      Mikel Arteta believes Jorginho could become a good manager when he retiresCredit: Getty
      But Jorginho is not waiting to hang up his boots before having a go at it.
      Last weekend at Villa Park, Arteta had to watch from the stands as he served a touchline ban.
      Meanwhile in the substitutes’ warm-up area, Jorginho was shouting at his team-mates for most of the first half and even called keeper David Raya over for a chinwag.
      Jorginho said: “I called him, but we could not hear each other. And then he came over to have this chat.
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      “There was a ball that came out and he tried to play on the right side and I told him to play on the left because that’s what we trained before.
      “We were just discussing what we trained and what he saw in that moment but it’s a decision that you make in that second.
      “It’s something that comes naturally when Mikel is there or not there.
      “Even more when he’s not there. So it was just trying to support the boys and trying to help them with advice that I could see from outside the pitch.
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      “I think that’s one of my biggest strengths, my brain.
      “Because all I’ve learnt from the past and over the years, all I try to do is pass it on to the boys and try and help them, grow them, to better understand the game.”
      Which is why Arteta swooped for Jorginho last January in a transfer from Chelsea that took the man himself by surprise as much as everyone else.
      Jorginho said: “I didn’t see that coming, to be honest.
      “It happened in less than 48 hours. It was very, very quick.
      “I saw the opportunity of working in a team that had an amazing project, of growing a team, to try and achieve.
      “And I felt they wanted me to give this help to improve the team, bring good energy — and I am glad they knew I would always put the team first.
      “The project convinced me straight away to come.”
      When you think about it, paying £12million for a player of Jorginho’s calibre was a bit of a no-brainer.
      Now 31, he is into his 11th top-flight season and has experience of winning the biggest trophies in football that few of his Arsenal team-mates can match.
      In the course of a few months in 2021, he became a European champion for club and country, with Chelsea and Italy, as well as winning the Club World Cup and coming third in the Ballon d’Or.
      He said: “That was a bit insane because I did not see that coming, either!
      “It is just so amazing what happened. You just look back and see all the work you put in, it was worth it.
      “That was an example for myself — anything is possible and I can share that with team-mates, friends, my kids, with anyone I am around.”
      Arteta loves having Jorginho around his players, for the laughter he brings but most of all for his leadership.
      The Spaniard said: “As a role model, you want to look at somebody with his career and the way he acts every single day.
      “He understands his role in a great way and whatever you ask him to do he will do it at his best — and that’s something rare.
      “The detail that he can go into, the understanding of what is happening live in the game, how he can correct it and how he can attract the attention of his team-mates to listen to him and do what he is telling them to do. It is very impressive.
      “When he’s on the bench, he’s like another coach.”
      Jorginho has spent more time on the bench than he would have liked.
      But he said: “What I try to bring is always this experience, not just on the pitch but off the pitch.”
      And the Italy star is full of praise for fellow midfielder Declan Rice, who joined Arsenal in a £105m deal in the summer.
      Jorginho said: “He is a big player. Everyone can see that.
      “His energy, his physicality, he has a big impact.
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      “The same as Kai Havertz. He came and can bring a lot.
      “If everyone has the same mentality of wanting to learn and putting the team first, I think we can achieve a lot.” More

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      I tipped Man Utd to win the title and Liverpool to struggle, but Reds have been a different level on and off the field

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      FOR years it has been one of THE big games of the season but right now it is a total mismatch.Liverpool may be ten points above Manchester United in the table but off the pitch they are ten years in front.
      Harry Redknapp initially thought Liverpool would struggle in the Premier LeagueCredit: AFP
      This isn’t so much a meeting of two Premier League giants as the perfect example of how to rebuild and recruit — and how not to!
      If you’d told me a few months ago that one of these would be challenging for the title and the other still struggling to find their feet, it wouldn’t have been the biggest shock.
      But I genuinely thought it would be United  in the mix and Liverpool going for the top four at best.
      Come on, you could hardly blame me. United had finished third, won the Carabao Cup and reached the FA Cup final in Erik ten Hag’s first season.
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      They looked a club on the up  after so many false starts.
      I even tipped them to win the title. As someone who likes a flutter, that will never go down as one of my greatest tips!
      If anyone was going to struggle, you’d have put your money on Liverpool after so many changes and so many new faces.
      Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Fabinho and Roberto Firmino had all left and the ones who came in were hardly household names.
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      Alexis Mac Allister had won the World Cup, for sure, but Dominik Szoboszlai, Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch?
      Apart from a few TV highlights, I hadn’t seen much of them.
      You know how I’m always banging on about the most important people at the club being those responsible for recruitment?
      Well, the ones at Anfield have earned their money, which is more than you can say about United, who I can’t see laying a glove on their old rivals.
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      Redknapp initially thought Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United would challenge for the titleCredit: Getty
      For years Michael Edwards was behind it at Liverpool, then Julian Ward and now Jorg Schmadtke, an old mate of Jurgen Klopp’s who arrived in the summer as sporting director.
      I hear boss Klopp is more involved now, too, and they’ve got other good lads in Barry Hunter and Dave Fallows.
      But at Old Trafford, no one seems to know for certain who is in charge of identifying and signing. And it  shows.
      I know from my own experience how difficult a job it is now. It’s not like years ago, when you’d see ten managers at a game trying to find players.
      You’d be ringing others to pick their brains. I remember Sir Alex Ferguson calling about Luka Modric and Paolo Di Canio, but for various reasons he couldn’t get the deals done.
      Nowadays, though, there isn’t the time, and — especially with ones from, say, South America — you’re reliant on the recruitment staff. The ones who always remain faceless.
      Redknapp believes Jurgen Klopp’s advisers played a big part in his Liverpool successCredit: PA
      It’s easy to forget Klopp was keen on Julian Brandt, who he knew from Germany, but his team told him Mohamed Salah  — who they’d followed for four years — was a better bet. That didn’t work out too badly, did it?
      It was the same with Andy Robertson, when he was looking at Benjamin Mendy and Emerson Palmieri.
      See what I mean about how important it is to have the right people advising on recruitment?
      So no wonder Klopp had every confidence Liverpool had found the right men last summer.
      I must say he still had the nucleus in Salah, Virgil van Dijk — someone ignored years ago as “only doing it for Celtic” — and a great keeper in  Alisson. United didn’t and don’t.
      But the wrong signings then would have meant big trouble now.
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      That’s how crucial it is to have the right men doing the recruiting.
      If you still don’t believe me, just ask Ten Hag. More

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      Tottenham superhero Dejan Kulusevski lifts lid on secret weapon that gives him ‘a little more power’ under Postecoglou

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      DEJAN KULUSEVSKI is proving to be a superhero for Spurs – and the Swedish international now claims a special Zorro mask is giving him special powers.The Tottenham midfielder delivered another fine performance in Friday’s 2–0 win at Nottingham Forest and created Richarlison’s opener before grabbing the second.
      Tottenham ace Dejan Kulusevski has drastically improved under Ange PostecoglouCredit: PA
      Kulusevski revealed his protective mask as the secret behind his newfound successCredit: AP
      Kulusevski, 23, claimed he felt inspired by wearing the protective item for only the second time after breaking his nose in the last minute of the 2-1 home loss to West Ham on December 7.
      The mask got its first outing in the 4-1 win over Newcastle 72 hours later and Kulusevski will be keeping it for Saturday’s home game with Everton.
      He said: “It feels good – it gives me a little more power. I like it. I push the secret button on the mask and off we go.
      “I’ve not worn it before. I’ve just broken my nose and this is what I have to do to protect it. The doctor says to keep it for one month – we will see.”
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      Kulusevski continues to be at the heart of all of Tottenham’s creativity.
      Since initially arriving on loan from Juventus on January 31 2022, he has delivered 17 Premier League assists.
      Only four players, Mohamed Salah (23), Kevin De Bruyne (22), Bukayo Saka (20) and James Maddison (19) have a higher number.
      After being urged to add goals to his game by new Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou, Kulusevski has started to become more of a threat up front and the strike at Forest was his fifth of the season.
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      Tottenham defender Ben Davies, impressed with Kulusevski,  said: “He’s actually been very, very good for us this year. It’s not just about how good he is on the ball. He holds it up, secures it but off the ball as well.
      “I’m pretty sure he runs the most in our team as well. He runs miles every single game. We’re very lucky to have him.
      “He’s such a good player. Obviously, we see it day in, day out, but we want him to be more aggressive. The message has been: ‘Stop looking for your team-mates and actually back yourself a bit more’.
      “And now you’re seeing it. He’s direct, he’s putting in crosses that are on the money nine times out of 10. He’s got much more confidence in his shooting now as well and he’s getting the rewards for that.”
      Kulusevski is happy that Spurs delivered a second successive win against Forest after a dodgy run of five matches without a victory.
      He said: “We were very disappointed with what happened. We played well but we still lost games and now we’re winning and still doing well. We can’t control what’s gone on in the past, we just look forward.
      “We conceded some silly goals, we could have controlled things much better. We have to grow, we’re still a young team. The football is there. The football has been there in every single game but we can grow as individuals.” More

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      Sheffield United could re-sign Iliman Ndiaye in loan transfer with star out of favour at Marseille

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      ILIMAN NDIAYE struggling to get a game at Marseille is putting Prem clubs on alert for a loan bid.The Senegal forward, 23, moved from Sheffield United in the summer but has started only eight times in Ligue Un.
      Iliman Ndiaye is wanted by three Premier League clubsCredit: Getty
      Blades are among those keeping an eye on his situation in France but others including Crystal Palace and Everton are also keen.
      Ndiaye, 23, was signed by Marseille for a reported fee of £20million.
      But he has only scored once for the Ligue Un side, who could be prepared to cut their losses.
      The striker made a name for himself at Blades and was a key part of Paul Heckingbottom’s promotion winning side last season.
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      He scored 22 goals in 88 games for Sheffield United including 14 in the Championship last season as his side clinched second spot.
      Meanwhile Marseille are reportedly keen on strengthening their squad by signing Arsenal star Fabio Vieira.
      The Portuguese has failed to win a regular spot in Mikel Arteta’s starting line-up since his move from Porto last year.
      Marseille and Arsenal have a history of doing business together with the likes of Matteo Guendouzi, William Saliba and Nuno Tavares all moving between the clubs.
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      Everton were linked with a move for Ndiaye earlier this year prior to his switch to France.
      The likes of Newcastle and West Ham are also believed to have sent scouts to watch him in the past. More

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      West Ham line up double transfer for 6ft6in ex-Dortmund defender and Ligue 1 striker but may have to sell to buy

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      WEST HAM are checking on Stuttgart’s French defender Dan-Axel Zagadou — and could move out Nayef Aguerd.Hammers manager David Moyes has sent his spies to look at the 6ft 6in centre-half in case Aguerd leaves in the January window.
      West Ham want Stuttgart centre-back Dan-Axel ZagadouCredit: Rex
      David Moyes is also eyeing Montpellier striker Akor AdamsCredit: AFP
      West Ham may have to sell to buy with Lyon keen on Nayef AguerdCredit: Getty
      The Moroccan is finding the physical side of the Premier League difficult — but Moyes has faith in the 27-year-old.
      Lyon are keen on a loan-to-buy deal and that would happen if Moyes found a replacement in time.
      Zagadou, 24, was on the West Ham watchlist a year ago when he was with Borussia Dortmund.
      West Ham have also put Montpellier striker Akor Adams on their transfer shortlist.
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      Adams, 23, has scored seven times in 15 Ligue 1 games since joining the French club last summer.
      The former Nigeria U-20 international is tall, powerful and a good finisher but also works hard off the ball, making him a good fit for the Hammers.
      Adams spent five years in Norway with second-tier Sogndal and top-flight side Lillestrom.
      Moyes has played down expectations of transfers next month but if they decide to do business, a striker is the top priority.
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      Michail Antonio hurt his knee on international duty with Jamaica in November.
      But the ligament problem was not as serious as first feared and any move for a new centre-forward will depend in part on how quickly he can recover.
      The Hammers could also bolster their defence with the addition of Chelsea outcast Ian Maatsen.
      Maatsen impressed on loan at Burnley in the Championship last season and the Clarets had a £30million bid rejected in the summer. More

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      Roy Hodgson gives fans ‘video I never knew I needed’ as Crystal Palace boss spotted laughing at Pep Guardiola

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      ROY HODGSON left fans in stitches with his reaction to Crystal Palace’s late equaliser against Manchester City on Saturday.After going 2-0 down at the Etihad Stadium, the Eagles completed a late comeback to draw 2-2 with Pep Guardiola’s side.
      Michael Olise scored a penalty to complete a late comeback for Crystal PalaceCredit: Alamy
      Roy Hodgson was left thrilledCredit: Reuters
      Hodgson was spotted laughing at Pep GuardiolaCredit: Premier League
      Jean-Philippe Mateta fired his side back into the game in the 76th minute before Michael Olise converted a penalty with just seconds left to play.
      Guardiola was furious after his side conceded the spot-kick and immediately appealed to the fourth official.
      But while the Spaniard held his head in his hands, Hodgson turned around to laugh directly at him.
      Fans took to social media to react to the clip, which has since gone viral, with one person writing: “This is the video I never knew I needed!!!!”
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      Another added: “76-Year Old Roy Hodgson laughing in Pep Guardiola’s face after coming from 2-0 down to steal a 2-2 draw at the death. Legendary.”
      A third wrote: “The clip of Roy Hodgson laughing at Pep is golden 😂.”
      While a fourth commented: “Roy Hodgson is a national treasure.”
      Jack Grealish broke the deadlock in the 24th minute of the match before Rico Lewis scored his first Premier League goal to put City 2-0 up in the second half.
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      The treble winners were then left stunned after Crystal Palace completed a late comeback.
      Speaking after the match, City boss Guardiola said: “It’s not bad luck, it’s deserved. We give away two points.
      “When you give away this penalty, you deserve it. We are not able to close the games. That is the feeling.
      “It’s like the penalty against Chelsea. We don’t deserve it. We were excellent, like against Liverpool and Spurs, but we were not able to win the games so we are not consistent enough to close the games for many reasons.” More