Premier League

WAYNE ROONEY has said “it’s a shame how it ended” for Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United. The 38-year-old saw his contract ripped up at Old Trafford after his explosive interview with Piers Morgan.
Wayne Rooney has often slammed Cristiano Ronaldo during his second spell at Man UtdCredit: Getty
Rooney heavily criticised Ronaldo during his second spell at the club, claiming that he should have been sold and that he was not the player he once was.
He also labelled his refusal to play against Tottenham last October as “unacceptable.”
Ronaldo hit back at Rooney, saying that he is jealous of his ongoing playing career and that he is better looking than his old strike partner.
The DC United manager has spoken about CR7 again, telling CNN: “I suppose he got what he wanted.
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“For Manchester United, it was important to move on as quick as possible from that and really refocus on the group of players who were there and wanted to be there.
“And I think that’s where [Erik] ten Hag has done a really good job in refocusing the players and getting them in a position where they are, obviously, comfortably in the top four, and also winning the [Carabao] Cup.”
Rooney also insisted that Ronaldo remains a hero at Man Utd despite his antics, saying: “I think what he’s done for Manchester United is great. He’s won Premier League titles, won the Champions League, scored many goals.
“So I think certainly for the fans and certainly for the players, his former team-mates who played with him from my time especially, we’ll never forget what he did for Manchester United.
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“In my eyes, he’ll always be a club legend and it’s a shame the way it ended of course this time round. But I don’t think that takes anything away from his legacy at the club.”
Ronaldo won three Premier League titles and a Champions League at the club before moving to Real Madrid, all of which were with Rooney.
On his return to United, he played 54 times and netted 27 goals. More

NOTTINGHAM FOREST have been rocked ahead of Saturday’s crucial relegation battle with Wolves after Chris Wood was ruled out for the rest of the season.The Kiwi international, signed from Newcastle United for £15million in January, suffered a thigh injury while training with New Zealand during the international break.
Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood has been ruled out for the rest of the seasonCredit: Alamy
And gutted Forest boss Steve Cooper confirmed the 31-year-old has gone under the knife after requiring surgery to repair the damage.
It is the second thigh injury Forest’s key hitman has suffered recently after he picked up a similar injury in the defeat at Tottenham Hotspur earlier this month.
However, Wood’s latest injury is to his other thigh and completes a miserable period for Cooper as his medical room continues to fill up at a crucial time of the season.
The Welshman said: “Serge Aurier, Andre Ayew and Gustavo Scarpa have picked up some injuries over the break as well.
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“We’re not sure how long they will be out for or what their availability will be for the next few games.
“Taiwo Awoniyi and Cheikhou Kouyate are back in full training. And obviously Moussa (Niakhate) is back now having played the last game.
“He made his international debut for Senegal during the international break – congratulations to him for that, I know what it means to him.”
But Wood’s absence will be seen as a huge hammer blow to Forest’s survival chances as the experienced striker has only managed seven Premier League outings for his new club.
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He scored in his fourth appearance for Forest against Manchester City last month and was just finding his feet when he suffered a second injury setback.
Cooper must now face 13th-placed Wolves in Saturday’s vital City Ground relegation scrap without Wood leading the line, with fellow frontman Andre Ayew also injured following international duty and doubts over local hero Brennan Johnson too.
Cooper added: “It’s a mixed bag on availability.
“Would I like it to look better? Of course, but it’s just something we have to deal with.
“We’ll put our focus on the players who are available and who are training ready to play the next game and commit to them guys.
“Brennan is not back to full fitness. It’s something we are assessing on a daily basis and are having to manage.
“Like some of the other guys, it’s a little bit inconclusive at the moment, in terms of availability for the next games.
“With us having three games in a week now it’s a day-by-day situation, not just with Brennan but with a few of the boys.”
Wood scored in the 1-1 draw with Manchester CityCredit: Getty
Steve Cooper is waiting for Brennan Johnson to return to full fitnessCredit: Getty More

TIM SHERWOOD has unleashed another damaging attack on his former club.Tottenham are in another period of transition following the departure of Antonio Conte last Sunday, after 16 months in charge.
Former Spurs manager has spoken out against his former clubCredit: AFP
With another setback being news that Director of Football Fabio Paratici has received a worldwide ban from all football activity by Fifa.
While addressing the chaos surrounding Spurs, the former Tottenham manager claimed that the club are “becoming a laughing stock”.
Speaking on talkSPORT, Sherwood said: “It doesn’t look good, obviously the fans are feeling it more than anyone.
“Your club is becoming a laughing stock. They are, and they shouldn’t be, because they finished fourth last year in a very competitive league and they’re still fourth this year.
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“It’s because they haven’t won a trophy again and the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea, all the local teams, shove it down the Tottenham fans’ throats.
“They need to start winning something or start producing some players”.
Since the 2019-2020 season, Spurs have brought in ten players for £15 million or more. With many players not living up to their fees.
In January, the club signed Arnaut Danjuma on loan, but he’s only played 47 minutes.
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Pedro Porro has also faced heavy criticism for his bad start in North London.
Sherwood insisted: “Their recruitment has been very, very poor.
“They can’t seem to recruit a manager who can last, not only players, and it looks like they cant even pick a sporting (managing) director.”
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Speaking about Paratici’s ban, Sherwood added: “They should have done their due diligence on this guy.
“It’s historic, what we’re talking about here, the misdemeanours Paratici has had, so they should have known about this”.
Sherwood also compared Spurs’ plight with Arsenal’s success this season.
He said: “They look down the road at Arsenal and they see a host of top draw young players coming through their academy and a recruitment which seems to have been correct over the last few seasons.
“When have Tottenham ever gone out and bought players like that, or that ilk?
“They haven’t done it, because they can’t afford to if they keep wasting money on average player”.
Former Spurs player Jamie Redknapp rubbed salt into the wound, adding that Tottenham face the possibility of losing all-time leading goal scorer Harry Kane in the summer.

Both Sherwood and Redknapp believe that Tottenham may never compete for trophies under Daniel Levy.
Spurs face Everton at Goodison Park in the Premier League on Monday night, where Conte’s former assistant, Cristian Stellini will take charge of the side. More

GARY NEVILLE has hit back at Arsenal fans after they dug up a clip of him criticising Mikel Arteta.The Manchester United legend is not afraid to voice his opinions on the beautiful game, having won numerous trophies as a player.
Gary Neville has fired back at Arsenal fans who dug up his criticism of Mikel Arteta last yearCredit: Alamy
Neville previously said the best finish Arteta could hope for was fourthCredit: EPA
Neville collected eight Premier League titles at Old Trafford.
And Arsenal boss Arteta is now hoping to land one of his own after taking the Londoners eight points clear in the title race.
The Spaniard has done a magnificent job with his Gunners side this season, winning 22 of 28 matches and losing just three times.
But things were different a year ago as Arteta struggled to push for a spot at the top table.
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He ended up missing out on Champions League qualification to rivals Spurs by just two points.
And in March 2022, Neville spoke about how fourth place was the best finish Arteta would ever hope to get as Arsenal manager.
Gunners fans have now unearthed that same footage from The Overlap to throw at Neville in light of Arteta’s current title hunt.
Neville at the time said: “My concern is if Arsenal finish top four [last season] – which, to be fair, is 50/50, I still think there’s a long way to go in that race – but if they finish fourth, that’s in some ways as good as it gets.
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“You’ve got Pep [Guardiola], [Jurgen] Klopp, Man United, Chelsea. Where can Arsenal go?
“They’re not going to compete. Mikel Arteta is a brilliant coach. I love that we’re seeing a team that he’s getting the maximum out of. I can see exactly how he wants to play. We all can.
“But he gets to fourth, and if he was really hard about it, he’d probably say, ‘Right, that’s the best I can do there, I’m going now and getting my next job’.”
And Neville refused to back down from his comments made a year ago, reminding Arsenal fans that they themselves wanted Arteta SACKED.
An Arsenal fan page first said: “One year ago today, Gary Neville said that if Mikel Arteta finished fourth with Arsenal, he’d have to leave as he wouldn’t be able to achieve anything more.”
Neville replied: “One year ago you lot were asking for him to be sacked!!! Go and look at it!”
But Arsenal fans refused to back down, with one saying: “Just take the L man.”
Another declared: “Some people is not the same as the whole fanbase. Many of us still had faith in Arteta and look where we are now.”
One added: “This was a horrendous call, don’t double down, just accept you got it massively wrong.” More

MANCHESTER UNITED duo Christian Eriksen and Alejandro Garnacho were spotted at Carrington on Thursday ahead of their crunch Premier League clash with Newcastle.The Red Devils can solidify third place by moving four points clear of Tottenham with a win over Eddie Howe’s side on Sunday.
Christian Eriksen arrived at training on ThursdayCredit: Eamonn and James Clarke
Alejandro Garnacho rocked up in his white car as he was driven to CarringtonCredit: Eamonn and James Clarke
Erik ten Hag’s men have responded to their 7-0 drubbing at the hands of Liverpool with three wins and a draw.
But Newcastle – who have lost just one Premier League game at St James’ Park this season – promise to be a tough nut to crack in front of their own fans.

And while Eriksen and Garnacho did brave the torrential rain to report for training on Thursday, they are expected to miss the trip to the North East.
Both men have been working their way back to fitness after suffering ankle injuries.
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Erik ten Hag was seen heading into CarringtonCredit: Eamonn and James Clarke
Anthony Martial was another Man Utd star pictured heading into trainingCredit: Eamonn and James Clarke
Eriksen is set to miss the Newcastle game and the home clash with Brentford, but could be on the bench when they host Everton on April 8.
Meanwhile, Ten Hag said Garnacho will be “back before the end of the season” after he was hacked down in the goalless draw with Southampton earlier this month.
Man Utd will be forced to soldier on without the pair as they head to the Magpies’ backyard.
But they could be boosted by the return of two players in the form of Anthony Martial and Raphael Varane.
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The pair were seen driving into the training ground 72 hours before kick-off as they race to be fit for the match.
Marcus Rashford is another United star with a knock, but he is expected to recover in time for the Newcastle clash.
However, Ten Hag will definitely be without Casemiro.
The Brazilian, 31, is serving a four-game suspension for the red card he picked up against Saints.
Raphael Varane turned up in his BentleyCredit: Eamonn and James Clarke More