Premier League

MANCHESTER UNITED fans are fuming at the international break again after another star suffered injury.And some were even blasting former interim boss Ralf Rangnick after the now Austria manager confirmed midfielder Marcel Sabitzer, 29, has a knee problem.
Marcel Sabitzer has suffered a knee problem on international duty with AustriaCredit: Getty
Erik ten Hag faces an anxious wait ahead of the clash at NewcastleCredit: Rex
The Red Devils ended their six-year trophy drought last month as they beat Newcastle to lift the Carabao Cup.
They are also pushing for two more trophies, with a Europa League quarter final against Sevilla on the horizon as well as an FA Cup semi with Brighton.
And they are still aiming to secure a top-four finish – but Erik ten Hag’s squad numbers seem to be dwindling by the day for the run-in.
Marcus Rashford pulled out of the England squad due to injury before heading to New York for a break.
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Midfielder Casemiro is serving a four-match domestic ban while Christian Eriksen and Alejandro Garnacho are both long-term absentees.
Striker Anthony Martial has suffered an injury-blighted campaign, last appearing in January, and now on-loan ace Sabitzer could also be set for a spell on the sidelines with a knee issue as United prepare to face high-flying Newcastle on Sunday.
On Sabitzer, who came off after scoring twice in the 4-1 win over Azerbaijan last week, Rangnick said ahead of the Euro qualifier with Estonia: “Of course, we hope that Marcel will do well, especially after that first game in Linz.
“At the moment, I’m optimistic that it can work but, at the end of the day, it’s also a question of whether Marcel feels ready for it himself.”
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Responding to the news, one fan tweeted: “God f***ing damnit these international breaks I’m sick of!!”
Another wrote: “Rangnick only exists to cause us pain.”
While a fellow supporter fumed: “Ffs I hate these international breaks!!!” More

FORMER Manchester United physiotherapist Rod Thornley has revealed how Sir Alex Ferguson signed his brother Ben.The Scot used a rather unconventional method to sign the highly-rated Ben Thornley while he was at Manchester City’s academy.
Rod Thornley, centre, was Manchester United physio from 2000 until 2019Credit: Reuters
Ben Thornley signed for United after his meeting with Sir Alex FergusonCredit: PA:Empics Sport
Fergie visited the former winger at his homeCredit: Splash
According to Rod, who was a physio at United between 2000-2019, Ferguson visited his brother at their family home.
He recalled being shocked to see the former Red Devils boss sitting on his sofa after he returned home from school.
He told Four FourTwo: “I’ve come home one day, and it’s a Friday afternoon, and I’ve come home from school – I was like 13, 14 – and I walked past my front room. F***ing Sir Alex is set on my sofa.
“He’s sat on my sofa, with Brian Kidd next to him, and I’m like ‘what’s going on’… I didn’t think it was me, because at the time I wasn’t playing football.
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“So I’ve run in the house, and my mum and dad have gone ‘calm down we’re just having a chat, just stay out of the room for an hour’. Anyway, he’s said hello to me and I’ve got out of his way.
“They were trying to sign him [Ben] from City basically – which they did in the end.”
Ben Thornley was part of the Class of 92 and was as highly rated as peers like David Beckham, Gary Neville and Paul Scholes.
But after making his debut in the 1993-94 campaign he suffered a devastating injury to his knee in a reserve match against Blackburn, damaging his ligament.
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The setback limited him to just nine United appearances before he joined Huddersfield, initially on loan and then permanently in 1998.
A move to Aberdeen followed in 2001 where Thornley revealed he would regularly go out drinking with team-mates. More

MAURICIO POCHETTINO announced he was “back home” just before Tottenham sacked Antonio Conte.The former Spurs boss, 51, is currently out of work having left Paris Saint-Germain last summer.
Mauricio Pochettino said he was “back home” on InstagramCredit: Instagram @pochettino
And he has been heavily linked with a return to North London even before Conte was officially dismissed.
So his cryptic Instagram post for his 649,000 followers had plenty of Tottenham fans excited about him taking over again.
Poch took to his story with a selfie with his wife Karina captioned “Back Home, Arigato [thank you] Japan”.
The photo was taken from the seats of their aeroplane as they flew back to their London pad following a romantic getaway to Japan.
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Some Tottenham fans tried to convince Pochettino to take over as their manager again, even sliding into the Argentine’s DMs.
Others took to Twitter getting excited about the prospect of his comeback.
One said: “Just flying home from Japan. Should be back in time for training.”
Another wrote: “Welcome home Pochettino. You were missed dearly.”
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And a third wannabe detective added: “Do we know if Pochettino was always due to fly back home yesterday? It looked from his Insta posts that he’d only just arrived in Tokyo.”
Pochettino is one of Spurs’ most successful and popular managers in recent history – despite failing to win a trophy with the club.
He averaged 1.89 points per game – the most for any Tottenham boss in Premier League history with a minimum of 38 Premier League games in charge.
The ex-Southampton chief capped off his five-year stint at White Hart Lane by leading Spurs to the 2019 Champions League final, where they lost to Liverpool.

Conte, 53, finally departed Spurs late on Sunday night with a blunt statement.
Eight days on from his astonishing attack on his “selfish” flops and the club’s 20 years of underachievement, the confirmation arrived.
He is allegedly in line to receive a £15million payout in compensation while his right-hand man Cristian Stellini has taken caretaker charge until the end of the season.
Pochettino and Julian Nagelsmann are the favourites to be appointed as Conte’s successor in the summer.
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Sacked Bayern Munich boss Nagelsmann is said to be open to talks with the North London club and has an affinity for the club – even once owning a Spurs shirt.
But as revealed by SunSport, Poch is also keen and still has a good relationship with Daniel Levy.
Poch still has a good relationship with Spurs chairman Daniel LevyCredit: Getty
Antonio Conte was dismissed on SundayCredit: PA More

FORMER Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel has revealed that he is playing “like Lionel Messi” for his new club in Slovakia.The 38-year-old officially retired from professional football last May due to a persistent back problem.
Skrtel is currently playing in Slovakia’s eighth tierCredit: PA:Press Association
However, he did not hang up his boots completely.
In August he joined FK Hajskala Raztocno – an amateur team competing in the eighth tier of Slovakian football.
And Skrtel, who scored an incredible free kick which went viral earlier this month, recently revealed that he has taken up a completely new role at the club.
In an interview with The Athletic, he said: “I actually play as the No 10.
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“When I went along for the first game, I said I’d go in my normal position at centre-back but after 10 minutes, I said to the coach, ‘Listen, how about I play as the No 6?’.
“After another 10 minutes, I said, ‘How about I play further up?’.
“I played a few games as a striker and got a few goals. Now I’ve dropped a bit little deeper.
“I basically get to run where I want. A free role —  a bit like Lionel Messi!”
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Skrtel also revealed that he can’t even take part in training anymore due to his back issues.
He added: “I can’t train, because of my back. I just go along each Sunday and play the game. For two or three days after, I can’t do any kind of outdoor activity because I’m so f***ed.
“I’ve got nine or 10 goals this season. We’re second in the table, but I can’t say we want promotion. We’ve got quite an old team.
“Our goalkeeper, I think, is 56, and we have a few other players in their mid-40s. The most important thing is to have fun. We don’t push it.
“It’s a different kind of experience for me. I want to enjoy still being able to play a bit for as long as possible.
“It’s not easy to just say, ‘Right, I’m finished. I won’t kick a ball anymore’. As long as I enjoy it, I’ll keep going.”
Skrtel spent eight years with Liverpool before joining Fenerbahce in 2016.
During his time at Anfield he made 320 appearances. More