Premier League

GARETH SOUTHGATE has inadvertently helped Erik ten Hag twice as the Dutchman clings on to his job at Manchester United.The former England boss, 54, quit his role with the Three Lions after Euro 2024.Gareth Southgate left his post as England boss in the summerCredit: GettyErik ten Hag is under pressure at Man UtdCredit: GettyEven prior to his England departure, Southgate was linked with the potential post at Old Trafford.He is believed to be well thought of by the Red Devils’ Ineos chiefs, and would likely emerge as a target if Ten Hag were to be sacked.But Southgate recently ruled out returning to management in the next 12 months, even opening the door to a role outside of the dugout.In an appearance at the European Club Association general assembly in Athens, when he was asked about his next potential job, Southgate said: “Firstly I’m enjoying my life…so there’s no rush.READ MORE IN FOOTBALL”I was 11 years committing myself fully to the FA and I’ve got lots of different experiences.”But I won’t coach in the next year, for sure. I’m certain of that.”I need to give myself time to make good decisions. When you come out of a really big role you need to give your body time, you need to give your mind time.”Southgate’s comments would appear to rule himself out of any potential role at United.Most read in FootballBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSThomas Tuchel has been confirmed as England’s new bossCredit: APAnd by quitting his job with England, he appears to have inadvertently taken Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s favourite for the United job out of the running too.Ineos chief Ratcliffe, 71, is believed to be a big fan of new England boss Thomas Tuchel.Sir Jim Ratcliffe leaves showdown talks over Ten Hag’s future after 7 HOURS without giving update as he uses rear exitIn June the pair met in Monaco, with a potential vacancy at United among their topics of discussion.With Tuchel signing an 18-month, £7.5million deal to manage England from January 1, however, he would appear to be out of the running too.Ten Hag’s position at Old Trafford appeared to be hanging by a thread following United’s 3-0 home drubbing by Tottenham.Subsequent draws with Porto and Aston Villa saw the Dutchman cling on to his position going into the international break.Should Ten Hag be sacked, his replacement, at least on a caretaker basis, could be promoted from within.It was recently claimed that first team coach and club icon Ruud van Nistelrooy was “on standby” to take the position, should Ten Hag be axed.Nine managers Man Utd considered before keeping Erik ten HagERIK TEN HAG appears to be safe as Man Utd manager, but the Dutchman edged dangerously close to the sack.Here are nine managers Red Devils chiefs are reported to have considered for the job and what allegedly happened with each.Gareth SouthgateEnjoys plenty of support among Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos chiefs but made clear he wouldn’t talk to any clubs until after Euro 2024. There is yet to be any suggestion that contact was made with the England boss.Kieran McKennaTalks were opened with McKenna’s representatives before the FA Cup final, but the former Man Utd coach opted to sign a new deal with Ipswich after Ten Hag’s Wembley win.Roberto De ZerbiAllegedly sounded out before the FA Cup final with salary expectations discussed. But Ineos chiefs concluded ex-Brighton boss was not the right fit for the project.Thomas FrankBrentford boss met Man Utd representatives the day before the FA Cup final. The Dane also dined with Ratcliffe, Roy Hodgson and Frank Lampard at the launch of a new Ineos car in February.Marco SilvaFulham boss reportedly met Man Utd representatives face-to-face two days before the FA Cup final, around the same time as Ten Hag was conducting his press conference.Mauricio PochettinoFell out of Man Utd’s thinking in the first week of June, despite being a favourite of Sir Alex Ferguson.Thomas TuchelMade a very strong impression and came across well during a Monaco meeting. Personal terms were discussed before the ex-Chelsea and Bayern Munich boss decided to step back from the process.Ruben AmorimSporting boss was discussed by the Man Utd hierarchy but did not make the final reckoning.Roberto MartinezPortugal manager was considered in the early stages. More

SIR ALEX FERGUSON has been blocked from the Manchester United dressing room, according to reports.The former Red Devils manager, 82, saw the club stop paying his £2.16million-a-year salary as part of Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s cost-cutting measures at Old Trafford. Sir Alex Ferguson has been told to stay away from the Manchester United dressing roomCredit: EPAAnd now in a dramatic change of club policy, it is understood Fergie and the Manchester United football board have been asked not to enter the changing room.The football board is separate to the official United board which includes the six Glazer siblings.According to the Daily Mail, Ferguson has not been directly banned but there is a “collective understanding” regarding who is allowed to go in following matches.Traditionally, United have allowed senior figures to visit the dressing room.READ MORE ON MAN UTDFerguson, Sir Bobby Charlton and United chiefs David Gill, Mike Edelson and Maurice Watkins were all given a green-light policy to stop and pop their head in.The culture of keeping the club’s historic figures in touch with the current stars dates back to Sir Matt Busby’s reign as manager.However, the chance for Ferguson to speak with the players after matches has reportedly been taken away from him.The Scottish icon is the most successful manager in United’s history.Most read in FootballFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALSHe won 38 trophies across his 26-year stint in the dugout – including 13 Premier League titles plus two Champions Leagues. That saw him rewarded with the lucrative role as global ambassador soon after he retired in 2013.Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt agree on Sir Alex Ferguson’s most ruthless player axing at Man UtdHowever, the new Ineos minority owners – spearheaded by Ratcliffe – decided to cut the contract, months after making 250 redundancies at the club. He has also cancelled senior Man Utd staff’s private cars and reduced lunch privileges on match-days.Ratcliffe informed Fergie of the decision to end his payments at the end of this season in a face-to-face meetingFerguson will remain a non-executive director at United and welcome at games.The shock axe prompted reactions from various former Red Devils players who shone under Ferguson.Eric Cantona launched a blistering X-rated tirade on Instagram.The Frenchman blasted: “Sir Alex Ferguson should be able to do anything he wants at the club until the day he dies.”Such a lack of respect. It’s totally scandalous.”Sir Alex Ferguson will be my boss forever! And I throw them all in a big bag of s***!”Rio Ferdinand, meanwhile, believes it is an attempt to send a message. READ MORE SUN STORIESThe defender wrote: “If Sir Alex can be taken out, then NO ONE IS SAFE at Man Utd – anyone can get it now.”Ineos sending a message to ANYONE at the club?!?”Sir Jim Ratcliffe informed Ferguson of the decision to stop his £2m-a-year salaryCredit: PAFergie is the club’s most successful manager and won 13 Premier League titlesCredit: Getty More

COLE PALMER left fans in stitches during a “girly” quiz with sister Hallie as he declared: “To everyone that says I’m dumb, I’m not.”The Chelsea star, 22, is preparing for the return of the Premier League this weekend after international duty with England.Cole Palmer told fans ‘I’m not dumb’ during a hilarious quiz with his sisterThe siblings left supporters in stitches with their anticsPalmer started in the Nations League defeat to Greece last week.And he was just one of a few to retain his spot in Lee Carsley’s starting XI for Sunday’s win in Finland.Palmer is now set to return to Chelsea’s team when they face Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday.But in the meantime, he has been relaxing at home with his family.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLAnd Palmer delighted fans when he appeared on his sister’s TikTok for a “girly” quiz.Hallie, 23, asked the ace questions including “what’s the difference between bronzer and contour?”Some of Palmer’s replies were hilarious, as he answered the above: “How the f**k am I meant to know that?”But as the questions about make-up and clothes continued, Palmer started getting the answers right — much to his sister’s surprise.Most read in FootballFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALSThe two were left in fits of giggles.And after Palmer correctly guessed what a “kitten heel” was, he turned to the camera and said: “To everyone that says I’m dumb, I’m not dumb!”Cole Palmer labelled ‘aura personified’ as Chelsea ace stars in nine-minute Burberry ad without saying a wordFans reacted in delight to the sweet moment between siblings.One said: “You could never hate this guy.”Another declared: “Big up the Palmers.”One noted: “Him just being normal, that’s how you know he’s actually a cool brudda.”Another added: “This guy is jokes.” More

THE cost to Prem clubs of injuries has more than doubled over just four years.Top flight clubs paid out £266m in wages to players who were NOT available last term.Man Utd were most affected by injuries last seasonCredit: GettyLisandro Martinez spent a long spell on the sidelinesCredit: GettyHarry Maguire also suffered injury problemsCredit: AFPAnd Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag’s gripes about his side’s injury woes WERE justified – as the Old Trafford club came out top of the crocks.With the international players’ union Fifpro having now launched legal action against Fifa in a bid to force the scrapping of next summer’s Club World Cup, the latest edition of the European Football Injury index by insurance brokers Howden could not have been better-timed.Howden found Prem clubs suffered 915 injuries last season, adding up to one every 94 minutes of match action..While that was slightly down from the previous campaign, the salaries paid to injured players rose to a new high – and compares to the £113m cost as recently as the 2020-21 season.Read More on Man UtdAnd the average amount of time players are spending on the sidelines because of injury has ALSO doubled.This season has already seen Manchester City star Rodri ruled out for the rest of the campaign, Liverpool gearing up to be without Alisson for six weeks or more and Arsenal lose Martin Odegaard for over a month.United were the worst-hit in all of Europe’s big five leagues in cash terms, with 75 injury absences seeing £39.81m spent on players Ten Hag could not select.And Newcastle’s return to the Champions League took its toll as well, with Eddie Howe’s men suffering a Prem-high 76 injuries across the season and losing 14 players last December, coinciding with the climax of their Group Stage campaign.Most read in FootballFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALSPremier League injury table for the 2023-24 seasonThe report states: “The overall injury severity figure in the Premier League has almost doubled since 2021 from 15 days to 28 days.“That would potentially infer that the Premier League is the most competitive by workload and overall strain on playing squads.Man Utd board’s EIGHT-HOUR London crunch talks and what it means for Erik ten Hag“Across the five major European leagues, the 2023-24 season saw a record high in both injuries and cost as leading clubs and players continue to contend with fixture congestion and the overall effects on injury susceptibility“It will be fair to expect a continuation of this upwards trajectory.“The squad depth of clubs will continue to be tested particularly with the impending introduction of the new Club World Cup“But the cost of injuries in the Premier League has also risen markedly in comparison with the other four ‘Big Five’ leagues.”United’s issue switch injuries hit their height in April with Ten Hag without 16 players at various stages in the penultimate month of the campaign.According to Howden, the Old Trafford side, Newcastle, Chelsea – whose injuries last term came at an average cost of £540,000 – and Liverpool all suffered “above average” issues over the past four seasons.Howden’s James Burrows said: “United have been hard hit in terms of player absences and the impact on team performances. But this has happened to a significant number of clubs.”Transfer fees scrapped Q&A: How landmark ruling could mean NFL-style trades and stars suing for millionsFORMER Chelsea, Arsenal and Portsmouth midfielder Lassana Diarra has won his landmark case at the European Court of Justice.SunSport’s Martin Lipton explains what it was all about – and what it might mean for the future of football…What was the case about?Diarra argued Fifa’s transfer rules were illegal after the world body backed Lokomotiv Moscow’s claim that he had broken his contract by refusing to train with them.Is that it?No. Belgian club Charleroi wanted to sign Diarra but were told they would have to pay the money he was fined by Moscow, while Fifa refused to issue an International Transfer Certificate unless they coughed up.Okay, so what does the ruling mean?Theoretically players will have the right to break their contracts and switch clubs without a fee changing hands – just like any employee in any other industry.Hang on – does that mean the END of transfer fees?Potentially, yes. Although players would have to want to move.We would basically end up with a US-style “collective bargaining” model where players would be free to move within transfer windows without impunity.Clubs might be able to “trade” players – swap deals – but with no extra cash changing hands.Is everybody agreed about this?Absolutely not. Fifa claimed the ruling “only puts in question two paragraphs of two articles” of its transfer regulations.Yet the Judges said the current rules were “prohibited” under EU law and “anti-competitive” as they “limit the freedom of action” of players to change employer.Read SunSport’s full Q&A with football on the brink of the biggest shake-up in 30 years… More