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      Ex-Man Utd boss Sir Alex Ferguson QUIT days before Treble season in huge row with board before historical U-turn

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      SIR ALEX FERGUSON sensationally QUIT as Manchester United manager just days before the start of the Treble-winning season.In a stunning twist of events following the 1997/98 season, Ferguson resigned from his position at Old Trafford before taking it back up.
      A raging Sir Alex Ferguson resigned from Manchester United ahead of the 1998/99 seasonCredit: Getty
      It came after the United board at the time, comprising of then-chairman Martin Edwards and Sir Roland Smith, chairman of the club’s PLC board, expressed their doubts over Ferguson’s focus.
      The inside story, revealed by The Times, was the season after United lost out on the league title by a single point to Arsenal, after winning four of the previous five seasons.
      Ahead of the new season Edwards and Smith told Ferguson: “We are worried about your focus.”
      Their fears of this came from talk at the time of Ferguson revelling in his “celebrity status” and his passion for horse racing.
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      Ferguson, perplexed with the line of questioning, directly questioned whether they were trying to force him out of the club – to which he was assured it was nothing of the sort.
      Transfers were also a hotly debated topic within the club’s hierarchy, with Ferguson pushing for the signing of Dwight Yorke despite doubts from assistant Brian Kidd and other members of the United board.
      Following the meeting, Edwards wrote a letter for Ferguson upon his return to pre-season training outlining all the concerns the board had.
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      Edwards then revealed that within hours Ferguson stormed into the office raging and declaring he was going to resign: “The language Alex used was a little bit more fruity, but that was the basic gist of it.
      “Well, if that’s the way you feel, Alex, we’ll have to accept it,” Edwards replied, confident of calling the former Aberdeen manager’s bluff.
      Fortunately for United, the bluff worked and Ferguson withdrew his application later in the day.
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      Gordon Strachan described Ferguson as being “driven by anger,” and following the butting of heads at the start of the season Ferguson was full of it.
      And it paid dividends as United won an unprecedented Treble that year – a feat yet to be replicated in English football.
      United also went on to win the next three Premier League titles, another feat which is yet to be replicated by a club or manager other than Ferguson’s United.
      Ferguson celebrates with the European Cup after the UEFA Champions League FinalCredit: Getty More

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      Donny van de Beek must QUIT Man Utd and go back to Holland to save his career, claims ex-Red Devils star

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      DONNY VAN DE BEEK has been urged to quit Manchester United this summer.But the midfield flop should go back to Holland if he wants to save his career, says a former United star.
      Donny van de Beek has been told to quit Man Utd and return to HollandCredit: Getty
      Van de Beek, 25, was rated as one of Europe’s top attacking midfielders when he swapped Ajax for United in 2020.
      The Red Devils paid £40million for a player who netted 40 goals in his final three seasons with the Dutch giants.
      But Van de Beek’s Old Trafford career has not gone to plan after a series of unfortunate injuries.
      He has managed just two goals in 60 appearances, most of which have come from the bench.
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      And Van de Beek also endured a poor loan spell at Everton last season where he played just seven times.
      Despite having former Ajax boss Erik ten Hag at the helm this term, he has still struggled to make an impression.
      And former United star Paul Parker reckons Van de Beek must leave Old Trafford this summer.
      He feels there will never be a chance for the playmaker to cement his spot in the first team.
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      But there are few takers for Van de Beek due to his £120,000-a-week wages.
      And Parker believes his flagging career would be best served by returning to Holland with Ajax or another of the country’s top sides.
      Parker told SoccerNews: “Even though it’s his old manager that sold him to Man United, I think Ten Hag knows it’s not going to work out for him.
      “I think he was used the wrong way under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and he arrived at a bad time due to Covid.
      “He might need to go back to Holland and revitalise his career. I don’t see him fitting into a Man United midfield now.” More

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      Real Madrid ‘refusing to splash out £130m for Jude Bellingham transfer’.. but TWO Premier League clubs willing to pay up

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      REAL MADRID want to sign Jude Bellingham but are unwilling to stump up £130million to land the midfielder, according to reports.Bellingham is one of the most in demand players in Europe and he could be allowed to leave Borussia Dortmund this summer.
      Real Madrid are unwilling to spend £130million on Jude BellinghamCredit: Getty
      His contract expires in 2025 so Dortmund could look to maximise their profits by selling when the transfer window re-opens.
      The German side are believed to want around £130m for the England international.
      But according to Spanish newspaper ABC Real Madrid do not want to pay that much.
      That could seriously hinder their chances of landing the midfielder with several other clubs interested.
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      According to the report two unnamed Premier League clubs would be willing to match Dortmund’s valuation.
      Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City have all been linked with moves for Bellingham.

      Liverpool are also interested but that trio have the most financial power in the Prem.
      Despite that the Reds are said to be favourites to land the 19-year-old with Jurgen Klopp pushing to sign the superstar.
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      United are set to rival any bids for Bellingham however and their chances of landing the midfielder could be boosted if a takeover is completed soon.
      Chelsea could also focus all of their efforts on Bellingham if they miss out on Declan Rice, who could join Arsenal. More

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      Man Utd stars’ amazing bonuses revealed with Red Devils able to bank huge cash incentive if they win quadruple

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      MANCHESTER UNITED stars could pocket nearly £500,000 EACH in bonuses this season… if they can land a historic quadruple.The Red Devils won their first trophy of the season last weekend, when they beat Newcastle 2-0 to lift the Carabao Cup.
      Manchester United lifted the Carabao Cup last SundayCredit: Alamy
      Each first-team star landed £65k in bonuses for winning the silverware – and their could be plenty more where that came from.
      Man United booked their place in the FA Cup quarter-finals earlier this week by beating West Ham 3-1 at Old Trafford.
      According to the Mail, each player would add a further £85k in bonuses to their kitty by lifting the famous old competition.
      Their rousing come from behind victory over Barcelona last week also kept them alive in Europe.
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      Winning the Europa League would also be worth £85k to United stars.
      The biggest prize, however, would come for winning the Premier League title.
      Ten Hag’s men are 11 points off top spot, albeit with a game in hand.
      Should they manage to claw their way back and win their first Prem crown since 2013, each player would pocket £250k in bonuses.
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      Winning all four competitions would lift their final bonus tally for the season to a cool £485k each.
      Following his side’s victory over West Ham, Ten Hag played down the possibility of winning the quadruple.
      The Dutchman, 53, told Sky Sports: “We are not talking about that, we are talking about the next game [vs Liverpool] and it is a big game.
      “It is a good game and we are really excited to play this game.”
      Erik ten Hag won his first trophy as Man United bossCredit: Alamy More

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      Erling Haaland’s agent fires warning to Man City as she reveals every player sees same club as ‘dreamland’

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      ERLING HAALAND’S agent has warned that every top player still sees Real Madrid as football’s “Dreamland” club.Haaland’s goal exploits for Manchester City have kept Pep Guardiola’s side in the title race.
      Erling Haaland poses alongside agent Rafaela Pimento and father Alf-IngeCredit: Twitter
      The Norwegian signed a five-year deal when he arrived from Dortmund last summer.
      But while his agent, Brazilian Rafaela Pimento, said that the Prem is most players’ league of choice, even the top flight’s brightest outfits remain outshone by the lure of the Bernabeu.
      Pimento told the FT Business of Football summit in London: “Erling went to City because there was such a history of his family with the club. 
      “You’ve seen the pictures of him as a kid wearing a City shirt so it’s only natural he would want to experience what his father experienced.
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      “And also of course above that, very much above that, is that he wanted to play for Pep Guardiola.
      “But when we have a player, we make plans. Even if the player is 15-years-old. We are planning out his career trajectory.
      “When I started in this business, if I would say to a player ‘I’ll bring you to England’ the first thing they would say would be ‘what did I do wrong? Why don’t you like me?’
      “Now, if I ask a player ‘what is your goal?’ he will say the Premier League.
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      “He doesn’t say City, Chelsea or Arsenal but the Premier League.
      “This is the place to be for an agent because it is the place the players want to be.
      “It’s a fantastic league. It’s competitive. Every game is a challenge.  Everybody wants to watch it. They want to be here.
      “But there is the Premier League. And there is Real Madrid.
      ‘THE DREAMLAND’
      “And Real Madrid has something of its own that makes it the Dreamland for the players.
      “Madrid keeps this magic going. It doesn’t have the league competition but it does have the Champions League.”
      Pimento, who formerly worked alongside the late super-agent Mino Raiola, also revealed she had been forced to fight against sexism to make her way in football.
      She added: “If Margaret Thatcher had been an agent, they would question her. She could run a country but not be a football agent.
      “In football, many men think they are the only ones that know how to do things and believe you use your gender as a way to make you feel insecure.
      “They try to demoralise you because you are a woman.
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      “I’ve been insulted and called names, told that I know nothing, by club executives, trainers, other agents, players’ friends.
      “There’s always someone who will say ‘she’s a woman – what does she know?’ But I’m still here.”
      Erling Haaland has bagged 27 goals this seasonCredit: PA More

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      Harry Kane would be sorely tempted by Man Utd or Bayern summer transfer after another Tottenham trophy failure

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      IT is 32 years since Tottenham last reached the FA Cup final.That triumph, blighted by Paul Gascoigne’s self-inflicted knee injury, arrived two years before Harry Kane was born.
      Harry Kane faces another trophyless season if Spurs go out of the Champions League next weekCredit: Rex
      At Bramall Lane on Wednesday, Kane’s last chance to lift the Cup for his boyhood club might well have passed with the England captain left on the bench until midway through the second half.
      Kane turns 30 this summer, is out of contract next year and has no major trophies to go alongside a sackful of personal accolades.
      And this workaholic football obsessive would have wanted to face Sheffield United in that fifth-round tie.
      He wants to play in every game and values domestic cups more than most of those who have managed him at Spurs.
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      For those of us who grew up on Chas & Dave Cup final singles, it is extraordinary to comprehend that Spurs have failed to reach that showpiece in more than three decades. 
      Their recent record in the competition is shocking. Defeat by the Blades was their fourth consecutive last-16 exit, following a similar 1-0 defeat at Middlesbrough last year, a ridiculous 5-4 defeat at Everton and a shootout loss against the Premier League’s worst team, Norwich, on the night when Eric Dier waded into the stands to confront fans.
      Before that came a fourth-round defeat at Crystal Palace, after which boss Mauricio Pochettino — who had made seven changes — admitted domestic knockout competitions were less important than Champions League qualification.
      That is the view of chairman Daniel Levy, too.
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      But it runs against the Danny Blanchflower ‘glory game’ ethos and it shows a disconnect between ownership, management and the majority of Tottenham’s fanbase.
      Spurs haven’t been the mightiest team in the land since they last won the league — ‘in black and white’, as rivals like to point out — in 1961. But for the following 30 years they enjoyed a rich heritage as a Cup team.
      That is now all ancient history, Ossie’s Dream a distant memory.
      Before their dismal recent run, Spurs lost their last seven FA Cup semi-finals.
      But the Spursiness of Wednesday’s defeat was off the scale.Blades boss Paul Heckingbottom had made wholesale changes but his promotion-chasing Championship side still had enough to defeat a complacent Tottenham.
      Antonio Conte has yet to deliver silverware to TottenhamCredit: Reuters
      Antonio Conte, soon to return after gallbladder surgery, miscalculated by dropping his club’s  all-time record goalscorer as well as his best defender, Cristian Romero, and Dejan Kulusevski.
      Losing in Sheffield was a serious blow, especially as Spurs would have been handed a home draw against Blackburn had they made it to the quarter-finals.
      A recent revival, which included victories over Manchester City and Chelsea, has boosted hopes of a top-four finish — but with Liverpool on the rise and Newcastle still dangerous, that is far from guaranteed.
      Next week’s Champions League return leg against AC Milan, with Spurs trailing 1-0, has taken on added significance but the  FA Cup represented Tottenham’s best hope of silverware.
      Kane will not be happy about Conte’s latest sickbed selection.
      Sure, Iliman Ndiaye’s winner arrived after Kane’s introduction and, yes, Spurs lost at Boro last season with their talisman in the starting line-up.
      But Tottenham’s chances would have improved had Kane started. His replacement, Richarlison, is yet to score for Spurs in domestic competition.
      It was a desperate night for Spurs in SheffieldCredit: Getty
      Kane has refused to rule out a summer move and with Spurs almost certain to rack up a 14th consecutive trophyless season, he will be sorely tempted if Manchester United and Bayern Munich make their expected summer moves for him.
      Might winning the FA Cup have made the difference in persuading Kane to stay? Quite possibly, yes. He is an old-fashioned glory man.
      Kane tried to leave 18 months ago and the smart money is on him trying again, knowing it will be Tottenham’s last chance to cash in on him this coming summer.
      The England skipper has carried Spurs for years. They have punched above their weight since he arrived in the first team, largely because of his goals, assists and all-round presence.
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      With Newcastle’s rise, Spurs are now the seventh richest club in the Premier League. By rights they should be a Europa Conference League side.
      Without Kane, they are likely to sink into that sort of territory. And defeat at Bramall Lane might not have been merely a one-off humiliation — it may spell the beginning of the end of the Kane era. More

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      Big money Chelsea signing praises Potter for picking players on form not transfer fee – despite being left in the cold

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      KALIDOU KOULIBALY has hailed under-fire Chelsea boss Graham Potter for not picking players by their price tag.The centre-back signed from Napoli for £33million last summer but that was nothing compared to the mega arrivals of £88m Mykhailo Mudryk and £106m British record buy Enzo Fernandez.
      Kalidou Koulibaly has started one Prem game in the last six weeksCredit: Rex
      Chelsea’s season will be over if they go out to Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Tuesday, Potter is sticking to his guns by picking players on performance alone.
      Koulibaly told SunSport: “Graham Potter is very good at communicating with everyone.
      “And he doesn’t care if you cost £100million or £20m, he will treat you in the same way. That’s the mark of a great manager.”
      Chelsea have an embarrassment of riches to call upon but Koulibaly insists the jam-packed dressing room just makes things “more difficult” for Potter.
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      It’s unquestionable that the season in itself hasn’t quite panned out the way the player had hoped for when he decided to leave Napoli after eight years for a fresh challenge in the Premier League.
      Not only has he struggled on the pitch before losing his place alongside Thiago Silva to new signing Benoit Badiashile in January.
      Despite having no fitness issues, he has started just one league game since Chelsea’s 1-0 win over Crystal Palace over a month ago.
      But the centre-back, 31, shrugged off suggestions that he’s enduring a tough time in London as he knew his adaptation to English football wouldn’t be all plain sailing.
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      And with time on his side, he vowed that the fans will soon see the real Koulibaly.
      He said: “It’s not a difficult season but I need time to adapt and I knew that. When I decided to come here I was well aware that it wouldn’t be easy.
      “I have a three-year contract and I am calm. I have time to show everybody who I am.”
      Mudryk has already come under fire for a couple of below-par displays while Joao Felix missed a host of sitters in Dortmund last week.
      ‘TIME TO ADAPT’
      But Koulibaly talked up their quality and is adamant that the pair will get Chelsea out of jail.
      He said: “Felix is known all over the world, he’s a great player, we all know that. Technically he’s very gifted and brings fluency to our game, which we crave.
      “As for Mudryk he’s very quick, technically on a one v one he’s outstanding and can be a big help for us. But he is a player who needs the ball to make the difference and our job is to get it to him.
      “Every player joining Chelsea needs time to adapt and Mudryk is no different. We’re not worried  because we know he will lead us forward.”
      Koulibaly has backed Mykhailo Mudryk to be a success at Stamford BridgeCredit: Rex More

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      This season’s top flight bosses can be roughly divided into three categories – overachievers, underachievers and, meh

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      IF Antonio Conte can be shortlisted for Manager of the Month while resting up at home in Italy, imagine what he could achieve if he took the rest of the year off.We’ve all had a chuckle at the possibility of the ailing Spurs boss receiving the February award despite the only match he attended resulting in a 4-1 thrashing by Leicester.

      Tottenham boss Antonio Conte is not in line for manager of the yearCredit: PA
      Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has turned things around at Old TraffordCredit: Reuters
      Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta deserves recognition even if he doesn’t win the titleCredit: Getty
      But Conte won’t be in the mood for laughter as he recuperates from the pain of his recent gallbladder operation.
      And while the ailing Italian might not be in the running for the Premier League’s Manager of the Season award, there are plenty of other candidates quietly fancying their chances.
      It was supposed to be a three-horse race between Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel, but that’s not how things have worked out.
      This season’s top flight bosses can be roughly divided into three categories – overachievers, underachievers and, meh, whatever.
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      Tuchel and Klopp are obviously among those who have failed to live up to expectations along with Graham Potter, David Moyes, Brendan Rodgers and the Southampton wrecking crew.
      And though Manchester City remain in the hunt to win the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup, it’s still hard to argue that Guardiola has been at the top of his game this season.
      So by my reckoning that leaves us with six or seven candidates for the title of Britain’s top boss.
      Even if Arsenal don’t go on to win the League this season, no-one can deny that Mikel Arteta has done one hell of a job at the Emirates.
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      He might not be everyone’s cup of tea with his manic touchline behaviour but how many people genuinely expected him to be leading the title race this season?
      The same goes for Erik ten Hag, who has totally transformed Manchester United against all odds after so many years of Old Trafford mediocrity.
      Marco Silva has been another managerial miracle worker. 
      While everyone expected an immediate return to the Championship for newly-promoted Fulham, he has led the west London minnows to seventh place in the table and the FA Cup quarter-finals.
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      Chelsea boss Graham Potter has come under fire at Stamford BridgeCredit: Rex
      Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper has stood out in the Premier LeagueCredit: Rex
      Brentford’s Thomas Frank and Brighton’s Roberto De Zerbi have continued to defy football gravity as both their teams dream of a first European qualification.
      Eddie Howe might have the Saudi billions bankrolling his Newcastle ambitons, but he has handled the weight of Geordie expectations magnificently in taking the team from the relegation zone to the brink of Champions League qualification.
      And what about Steve Cooper at Nottingham Forest, who has had to deal with a volatile owner and an entire new squad of players, yet he is still keeping the club clear of the relegation zone?
      Since the Premier League’s managerial award was inaugurated in 1994, 24 of the 29 recipients have been the title winner.
      Klopp took the crown last year despite finishing a point behind City. But he did win the League and FA Cups and reach the Champions League final, so that was fair enough.
      But prior to that, the last time the judges looked beyond the Champions was in 2014 when Tony Pulis finished 11th at Crystal Palace – they had obviously got fed up with giving it to Fergie.
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      The LMA award has not been quite so elitist, with Joe Kinnear, Frank Clark, Danny Wilson, David Jones, George Burley, Steve Coppell and Chris Wilder among previous winners.
      And now we’re ready to add another unlikely name to the roll of honour. No, Antonio, not you. More