Premier League

RIO FERDINAND revealed the meaning behind Marcus Rashford’s new goal celebration – mentality.The red-hot Manchester United forward has scored 24 goals in all competitions and since the World Cup he points to his head after hitting the back of the net.
Marcus Rashford has adopted a new celebration since the World CupCredit: EPA
Rio Ferdinand has praised Rashford’s recent formCredit: Getty
United icon Ferdinand visited the Carrington training ground on Monday and got to the bottom of the origins of the celebration.
Ferdinand said: “The celebration, it’s mentality. Nice and simple. But it’s travelled massively. Everyone around the world is doing it now. All the young kids scoring goals, that’s the impact Rashford has had.
“Seeing Marcus just smiling – I’ve said this so many times – just seeing him smile, there’s a different vibe about him. He’s enjoying himself, there’s a spring in his step. I had a nice chat. Nice vibes in the place.”
BT Sport pundit Ferdinand interviewed United midfielder Bruno Fernandes ahead of Thursday’s crunch Europa League knockout second leg with Barcelona at Old Trafford.
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The tie is perfectly poised at 2-2 following a thriller in Spain last week and comes just three days before the Carabao Cup final against Newcastle at Wembley on Sunday.
And Ferdinand has backed Erik ten Hag to secure his first piece of silverware since taking charge of United last summer.
Ferdinand, speaking on his YouTube show Five, added: “It could be a season-defining week. I think United will go through against Barca and beat Newcastle. First trophy down. (Nick) Pope being out is a massive plus for United. It was huge.
“This game is enormous for Manchester United because it is the sign of new times. There is a desperation within the walls at Carrington and Old Trafford to win and get this trophy because this will signify a lot.
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“It will be a big point in the right direction for the manager in what he is trying to implement is right. It will justify a lot of what he is putting into the team on the training pitch and the culture of the football club.
“He is laser focused on detail and driving a culture. There’s a togetherness within the squad. All the best teams have it. The vibe when they’re out training, doing the rondos, there’s a different energy that I haven’t seen for a while.
“The vibes at Carrington and Old Trafford have changed dramatically. It’s become more positive, the ambience in the place. The cafeteria has even changed. It’s like everything has changed. Looks different, feels different, food’s different. The feeling when you walk in, I’ve had very negative vibes over the years when I’ve walked through the corridors of the training ground.
“I was on my own, walking back out through the training ground, through the corridors, and I stood there and just smiled. I can sense something happening in here now. I don’t what it is or where it’s going to but the ambience is very different. There’s a confidence in the place.
“And the confidence isn’t about the players alone, it’s the staff. I can sense something with the staff. They’re more upbeat, happy to be at work every day. And that’s all been generated and created by Erik ten Hag and his management team and some people behind the scenes, because there’s not one person who is able to change the whole culture of a football club – it’s a collaborative approach.
“They are on the right path right now and given they’re in the running for four trophies still, not that I think they’ll win four. They have been fantastic of late. It’s nice to go to Carrington and Old Trafford and feel more optimistic than negative.” More

SOME Chelsea players are reportedly “unhappy” with manager Graham Potter, but the board remain convinced he is more suited to the role than predecessor Thomas Tuchel.The former Brighton head coach, 47, replaced Tuchel, 49, in September last year following a poor start to the campaign.
Graham Potter is under huge pressure at ChelseaCredit: Getty
Thomas Tuchel was sacked by the Blues earlier this seasonCredit: Getty
And Potter has struggled to lift the mood at Stamford Bridge despite more than £300million being spent on players in the January transfer window.
A 1-0 defeat to Southampton on Saturday afternoon has left them 10th in the Premier League table, 11 points adrift of the top four.
And according to Caught Offside, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is one of a few players left frustrated under Potter.
However, Chelsea chiefs remain confident the Blues boss is the right man for the job.
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Journalist Ben Jacobs said: “Potter hasn’t become a bad manager since leaving Brighton.
“And the owners look to Arsenal, and how much pressure Mikel Arteta has been under in seasons gone by, and hope their persistence in Potter pays off just like it has done for Arsenal with Arteta.
“Sacking Potter, which would have probably already happened under Roman Abramovich, could be counter-productive to Chelsea’s long-term project.
“This relies on youth and the manager needs to embrace the model and be excellent at managing upcoming talent. Potter ticks that box.”
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He continued: “The final point to add is despite rumours suggesting some senior players are unhappy under Potter, my understanding remains he’s liked and respected at Cobham.
“He held a series of early one-on-ones to set the tone when he joined and has an open-door policy which is appreciated.
“One or two players are clearly frustrated, like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who has missed out on the last three Premier League matchday squads and was excluded from Chelsea’s updated 25-man list for the Champions League. But this was a decision made by both Potter with the board’s backing.
“I think Raheem Sterling was a little uncomfortable when asked to play at wing-back and Mason Mount hasn’t found his scoring form of last season.
“But none of this means there is a mutiny against the manager. It’s really more a by-product of Chelsea’s squad being too big and the team lacking a bit of confidence and identity.”
Chelsea have not won any of their last five games in all competitions.
Potter will be looking to end that run on Sunday when his side travel to Tottenham.
They will then host struggling Leeds, before the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie against Borussia Dortmund at Stamford Bridge on March 7.
The Bundesliga side claimed a 1-0 win in the first leg. More

MANCHESTER UNITED’S share price has dropped once again amid fears the Glazers will not sell the club.The American owners placed the club on the market last year with two bidders coming forward before last Friday’s deadline – Jim Ratcliffe’s led Ineos and Qatari Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani, who is prepared to offer £5billion.
Manchester United’s share price dropped amid news the Glazers could receive investmentCredit: AFP
Jim Ratcliffe has made a bid to buy the clubCredit: PA
Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani, right, wants 100 per cent ownership of the clubCredit: PA
And the interest from the Qatar royal family member led United’s share price to soar by £334million, to £21.85 per share.
But since the markets opened on Tuesday the share price has nosedived, dropping to £20.22 within 30 minutes.
It later fell further to just £18.88 after it emerged the Glazers had been offered financial backing by American hedgefund Elliott Management to stay as owners.
The Glazers outlined they were open to remaining as minority stakeholders when they placed the club up for sale in November.
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Both Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim want to buy the club outright, with the latter seeking 100 per cent ownership.
But Gary Neville is concerned the Glazers may not be prepared to relinquish control just yet.
He has doubts over the Glazers’ intentions following United’s announcement that season ticket prices for next season will be increased by five per cent.
Neville reacted to the news by tweeting: “The increase to ticket prices at United is very odd!
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“Why would a seller that’s leaving before the next season starts introduce something that has brought them more hate and they won’t benefit from!
“Any new buyer would most likely freeze the price in year one to stay on side with fans. It does beg the question whether they are really going! I have my doubts with actions like this one!” More

GRAHAM POTTER has turned Chelsea into Brighton – with virtually identical records.Potter took over from Thomas Tuchel at Stamford Bridge in September.
Graham Potter has endured a tough start to life as Chelsea bossCredit: Alamy

But the Blues boss, 47, is struggling to get a song out of his mega-money squad, including £600million of new signings from this season alone.
Now the stats show he is almost exactly replicating his campaign at Brighton from last season.
Chelsea currently sit tenth in the Premier League after 23 matches this season.
They have won eight, drawn seven and lost eight, scoring 23 and conceding 23.
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That gives them a measly total of 31 points with 15 games to go, four points and three places off Brighton who also have a game in hand.
By comparison, after 23 games of Brighton’s 2021-22 season, the Seagulls had seven wins, 12 draws and four defeats.
They had found the net 25 times but shipped 23 goals to give them 33 points – enough to sit ninth.
Tuchel oversaw the first six games of Chelsea’s 2022-23 season – with three wins, a draw and two defeats giving the Blues ten points and sitting sixth.
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Ironically, that was three points behind Brighton – with Potter guiding the south-coast club to four wins, a draw and a loss at the beginning of the campaign.
Chelsea fans will barely be boosted by the fact that Brighton went on to finish last season in ninth on 51 points, five adrift of West Ham in the Europa Conference League spot.
But supporters at the Amex will point to the long-term progress and project Potter built.
The former Ostersund boss took over from Chris Hughton in the summer of 2019 with the Seagulls narrowly avoiding relegation by just two points.
In his three full seasons, Potter took Brighton to 15th (41 points), 16th (41 points) and then ninth (51 points).
The Blues board, led by Todd Boehly, are determined to stick with the man they brought in to succeed Tuchel.
They understand he needs time – as demonstrated with Brighton – and are willing to give him that despite his record-breaking start to life in the dugout in West London, especially after the wave of new recruits that have only recently joined the club.
However, recent defeats to Southampton, Borussia Dortmund and Fulham, on top of stalemates with the Cottagers and West Ham, have only worsened the mood among supporters quickly losing patience.
Chelsea face a crunch few weeks with mammoth clashes with Tottenham and Borussia Dortmund alongside games with strugglers Leeds, Leicester and Everton.
Potter enjoyed plenty of succees with BrightonCredit: PA More

NEMANJA VIDIC is battling a Serbian legend for his next job.The Manchester United icon has been completing a Uefa course to help him prepare for life in the boardroom.
Nemanja Vidic wants to become the next president of the Serbian FACredit: Getty
Ex-Red Star president Dragan Dzajic is also going for the jobCredit: AFP
And he wants to become the next president of the Serbian FA.
But to land the role he must fight off competition from Dragan Dzajic, according to Euro News.
Dzajic, 76, is considered one of Serbia’s best ever players and he has plenty of experience working at the highest level, including roles as the technical advisor and president of Red Star Belgrade, who he also played for.
His paths crossed with Vidic while Red Star president, overseeing the defender’s sale to United.
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The transfer was later the focus of a 2011 fraud case brought against Dzajic over his dealings as club president.
Dzajic denied wrongdoing and the charges were dropped a year later when former Serbia president Tomislav Nikolić pardoned Dzajic.
Vidic hopes to beat Dzajic to the position and revealed he has been improving several skills related to the role.
He said: “I understand the football field. I did a course with the English FA and finished my Pro Licence at St George’s.
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“Why I am here is to learn about commercial, finance, communication and marketing — which I understood because I was playing for United but we go really deep into it now.
“In Serbia, the problem is we are staying too much back.
“We didn’t go forward in terms of digitalization, professionalisation and transparency. Serbia is late. We have a lot of talents.
“We have clever people but we just need someone who’s going to point the direction and give a chance to the young generation. This is the world of the young.
“Me coming back is saying I like to be in Serbia. I love Serbia. I’m in my best age and I want to help, if I can, the Serbian community or Serbian football.
“This education here helps me to have knowledge and contacts that I can use to help Serbia football in any way.” More

JAVI GRACIA reportedly convinced Leeds bosses to appoint him as their new manager after he analysed Chelsea’s defeat to Southampton.The former Watford head coach, 52, was confirmed as the West Yorkshire club’s successor to Jesse Marsch on Tuesday afternoon.
Javi Gracia has been appointed as the new Leeds managerCredit: Reuters
Gracia pulled apart Chelsea’s defeat to Southampton at the weekendCredit: Getty
His first game in charge is set to come at home to Saints on Saturday afternoon.
And, according to The Athletic, Spaniard Gracia won Leeds chiefs over with a presentation about Southampton’s victory over Chelsea.
James Ward-Prowse’s free-kick handed the struggling south-coast side a 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge as Blues boss Graham Potter came under even more scrutiny in the dugout.
Meanwhile, managerless Leeds’ loss to relegation rivals Everton sparked the club into action as they contacted Gracia within 48 hours of the result.
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And he was quick to reassure them he was up to the task by showing in detail how Southampton got the better of Chelsea.
Gracia returns to the Premier League four years after being sacked by Watford.
He guided the Hornets to an 11th place finish and an FA Cup final in the 2018/19 campaign.
But just four games into the following season he was dismissed after 21 months in charge.
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Since then he has had spells at Valencia and Qatari side Al-Sadd.
But Gracia has been a free agent following his departure from the Middle East last summer.
Now he has agreed a “flexible contract” with Leeds “subject to obtaining the necessary work permissions”. More