Premier League

FORMER wonderkid Freddie Sears has made an emotional return to West Ham.The striker burst onto the scene aged 18, scoring a late winner against Blackburn just five minutes into his debut in 2008.Freddie Sears has returned to West Ham to coach the club’s Under-12sCredit: PA:Press AssociationSears has not yet hung up his bootsCredit: GettyOver 500 appearances later, Sears has returned to his boyhood club to manage West Ham’s Under-12s.The 35-year-old has completed a Uefa B licence course to get his coaching career started.On his return to the Hammers, an emotional Sears said: “I hadn’t been back since I left in 2012. It was surreal being back in the building. Everyone’s made me so welcome. “I’ve loved being in the building. Being back at the club where I started has been fantastic.READ MORE IN FOOTBALL“The first day I came back for coaching, I saw Kevin Keen, one of my coaches here. Mark Phillips too, I’ve known him all my life.”Zavon [Hines], who was in the scholarship year above me, is now coaching the Under-18s. I saw Nobes [Mark Noble] and Anton [Ferdinand] too. “It’s a really familiar club. When you come back, you feel like you’ve never been away.“For me, this is just the start. This year is about experience on and off the pitch.Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS”One of the boys I coach, his granddad used to coach me at West Ham. I’ve got a picture of it. It’s quite mad to have a full circle moment like that. “He coached me at Under-12s, and now I’m coaching his grandson at Under-12s. It’s a pinch yourself moment.”Graham Potter makes five-word comment the moment he entered press conference after West Ham clashSears, who was capped three times by England’s Under-21s, had spells at Crystal Palace, Coventry and Colchester in his career.After loans away from Upton Park, he established himself at Ipswich, where he played 218 times.Sears has not hung up his boots just yet, however, and he balances his new coaching role with playing for non-league Chatham Town.West Ham fans can not believe the once teenage sensation is now back to help the nurture the next star to come through the club’s famous academy.One said: “Time flies, I remember his debut. I’m feeling old again.”Another added: “Good to see you back Freddie, once a Hammer, always a Hammer.” More

PEP GUARDIOLA promised he will speak out on Manchester City’s war with the Premier League.The City boss expects a verdict NEXT MONTH after the champions were charged with 130 financial rule breaches.Pep Guardiola WILL tell all about Man City’s chargesCredit: GettyCity splashed out £175million on four new signings in the January window amid talk they were fearing a transfer embargo punishment.Guardiola denied that, insisting: “I do not agree but my words will not convince people our attributes are just being in a wealthy position.“In one month there will be a verdict and sentence and after we will see my opinion of what happened so far.”City deny all the charges but face a huge points deduction — or even relegation — if they are found guilty following a three-month hearing, which concluded just before Christmas.Read More in FootballThe Etihad club today launched another legal battle against the Premier League — demanding the latest sponsorship rules are declared ILLEGAL.City signed Nico Gonzalez for £50m on deadline day after also bringing in Abdukodir Khusanov, Vitor Reis and Omar Marmoush last month.They also handed star striker Erling Haaland a mega ten-year contract.But Guardiola added: “In the last five years, we are the last team in the top six for net spend.Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS“Even after what we have spent in this transfer window, we are away from Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal, Tottenham — even Liverpool.“The only reason is we sell a lot in the last seasons. Even with that I know this club, it’s always ‘just about the money’.”Meet Man City signing Nico Gonzalez, who is son of Pep Guardiola’s former team-mate and could be £50m Rodri solution Explaining further about the club’s net spend, he said: “In the last ten years we are third.“In the last five, even with what we won, we are behind the other top six teams. So I’m sorry for the comments and that is why I don’t agree.”City have also challenged the Prem over their rules on sponsorship deals.The club’s lawyers told the League they want another arbitration hearing into Associated Party Transaction rules.The regulations are designed to prevent commercial deals with companies linked to club owners from being above a fair market value.An independent panel found aspects of the League’s rules to be “unlawful” last autumn.READ MORE SUN STORIESAnd City claim that remains the case despite top-flight clubs’ subsequent 16-4 vote in favour of tweaks to the rules.Prem chief executive Richard Masters said: “The Premier League remains strongly of the view that the APT rules comply with all competition law requirements.” More

RYAN GIGGS has warned Marcus Rashford he must rediscover his smile and love of football if he wants to get his career back on track.Welsh legend Giggs was on Manchester United’s coaching staff when the forward broke through in 2016 and says he looks like he has the ‘weight of the world on his shoulders’.Ryan Giggs wants to see Marcus Rashford smiling againCredit: GettyThe Man Utd misfit is hoping for a new lease of life at Aston VillaCredit: GettyGiggs gave Rashford his big break as assistant to Louis van GaalCredit: Getty – ContributorUnited let Rashford, 27, join Aston Villa on loan on Sunday after boss Ruben Amorim made it clear he will not pick him. Giggsy, 51, said: “Everyone will remember that smile and that enjoyment and freedom when he first came through — but he doesn’t look like that now.“He’s a human being and he just doesn’t look happy. He looks like he’s got the world on his shoulders.“He needs to play with that freedom and enjoyment that got him to where he is now.READ MORE IN FOOTBALL”It may be more than nine years ago but Giggs remembers the day very clearly.Early in 2016, Giggs and Louis van Gaal had just finished leading a first-team training session and wandered across to one of the youth team pitches at Manchester United’s Carrington HQ.Between them, Red Devils boss LVG and his No 2 thought they had seen it all during their long careers in the game.But almost immediately one lad in particular caught their eye.Most read in FootballJOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUSHe had only just turned 18 but was fearless, scored all types of goals and had “a bit of everything”.More than anything, though, they were struck by his smile, his enthusiasm and the way he played the game with such freedom.Roy Keane breaks silence on Marcus Rashford’s shock transfer to Aston Villa and has MAJOR concernVan Gaal and Giggs looked at each other and knew straight away he had to be promoted to the first team.That lad was Marcus Rashford.Within weeks he was scoring goals for the first team and seemed destined for a glittering career with his boyhood club.But almost a decade on, he was shown the door by the Red Devils on Sunday.And Giggs is puzzled to see the England striker with ‘the weight of  the world on his shoulders’ — and that engaging smile nowhere to be seen.Recalling the first time he spotted Rashford, United legend Giggsy said: “It was basically a small-sided, eight-versus-eight game.“We saw Marcus go past a few players and put it in the bottom corner and then score another goal.“Me and Louis just looked at each other and went, ‘We’ve got to pick this lad — he’s too good’.“He came into the first team and, of course, scored on his debut and everyone will remember that smile, that enjoyment and that freedom.“He had a bit of everything. He was brave, he had no fear, he would take players on and would score all types of goals.”Thirteen-time Prem winner Giggs  spent more than two decades as a player at Old Trafford and is always thrilled to see a kid come through the ranks.So he is sorry to see Rashford — who joined Aston Villa on loan — losing his way. Welsh wing wizard Giggs said: “United need young players coming through, one of their own and it just felt that he was the next one.“But for whatever reason, he’s had a decent career but he’s never gone on to be what I thought he would be.“More so than anything, he’s a human being and he just doesn’t look happy.“He looks like he’s got the world on his shoulders.“And I don’t know why, because the lad who I saw and who I coached didn’t have the world on his shoulders.“He just played with freedom, he loved the club and was a great lad but he just doesn’t look it now.”While Rashford’s future now looks to lie away from the Theatre of Dreams, Giggs is hoping the 27-year-old forward can rediscover his love of the game.He added: “Hopefully, he will find where he was ten years ago and never forget that it is the best job in the world.Rashford needs to play with that freedom and that enjoyment that got him to where he is nowRyan Giggs“You should enjoy it because it will soon be over — you’ve got to try to enjoy every minute of it.“He needs to play with that freedom and that enjoyment that got him to where he is now — and hopefully he does that.”United coach Ruben Amorim has been critical of Rashford’s efforts in training ever since he took over as manager in November after Erik ten Hag was sacked the month before.And Giggs said the secret to his own long shelf life at Old Trafford was the hard work he put in at Carrington when things were not going his way.He added: “I played 20-odd years and you do have highs and you do have lows.“But if I was ever struggling I would go back to the training ground and make sure that  during the week I ate right, I rested, I trained properly and did all the right things and it soon comes back.“You also need help from your team-mates, your coaches and your manager.“But, ultimately, you’ve to do it yourself.“If I was ever not playing great I would ask one of the coaches to do dribbling drills or ask a keeper to go in the net.“Or ask Gary Neville to do five one-v-ones with me which was to build my confidence.”GIGGS OPENS UPThe Old Trafford icon was speaking this week at a Q&A with Nobby Stiles’ son John, at an Evening with Ryan Giggs at the BAWA in Bristol.Giggs explained how he worries United are too reliant on the young players — which  is very different to when the legendary Class of ’92 emerged.The winger hit the big time under Sir Alex Ferguson along with team-mates David Beckham, Gary and Phil Neville, Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt.Giggsy  added: “Now you’re  asking players who are young and just starting out on their careers to be the difference and to be the difference every week. That’s very difficult for 18, 19, 20-year-old lads.“You need a squad and you need a team and I know I reference it a lot but for the Class of ’92, we were nothing without the big professionals, the most experienced professionals, around us and we had a lot of help.”As a former winger, the Welshman has been excited by the emergence of Alejandro Garnacho, 20, and 22-year-old Amad Diallo in recent years.The pair have provided rare moments of light for United in an otherwise dark few years following the retirement of legendary gaffer Fergie.Salford co-owner Giggs said: “United has a rich history of wingers and players who express themselves, young players who come into the team and make things happen and those two players do that.“The ones who have stood out over the last year or so are Garnacho and Diallo.“They are the United players who seem to make things happen, even though this system doesn’t necessarily suit Garnacho.READ MORE SUN STORIES“You still feel as though things are going to happen, even though he’s not been brilliant this season.“Last season, Garnacho was very good and Diallo has probably been the shining light this season.” More

MARK HUGHES insists pride will always come before a fall for him as he bids to resurrect his career.The Manchester United legend takes charge of his first game at rock–bottom Carlisle today as convinced as ever that he can still be a top manager again.Mark Hughes is back in management with lowly CarlisleIt’s his first job since being sacked by Bradford in October 2023Credit: RexHughes enjoyed a stellar playing career with the likes of Man UtdCredit: Getty – ContributorThe 61-year-old was sacked by fellow League Two club Bradford in October 2023 — that P45 followed those handed to him by Southampton, Stoke, QPR and Manchester City.Now Hughes, who has also bossed Wales and Fulham, finds himself as far down the EFL food chain as it gets.Yet Sparky stressed to SunSport: “I have never lost belief in myself and there’s that pride in you that makes you want to go again.“I had a fantastic time as a player at United, at other places like United, Barcelona, Bayern and Chelsea — but standing on the touchline in charge of your own team at three o’clock on a Saturday afternoon is something else again.READ MORE IN FOOTBALL“I’ve always said to myself that if a job comes along that I believe I can do then I’ll go for it and the level doesn’t matter. A lot of my pals thought I was mad to go to Bradford and they were saying, ‘I told you so’ after I got the sack.“But I left convinced that I was treated unfairly.“It just didn’t make any sense to get rid of me because things were starting to come together in what was only my first full season there.“After that experience, some might have simply decided they’d had enough of the life of a manager.Most read in FootballJOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS“But it only made me more determined to get back on the horse somewhere else and show I can be a success again.”Ironically, the Welshman frequently played golf with former Cumbrians boss Keith Curle during his time out of the game.Where are they now: The unusual careers of former footballersMark Hughes’ amazing careerPlaying careerMan Utd, 1983-1986: 121 games, 47 goalsBarcelona, 1986-1987: 36 games, 5 goalsBayern Munich (loan), 1987-1988: 23 games, 7 goalsMan Utd, 1988-1995: 352 games, 116 goalsChelsea, 1995-1998: 123 games, 39 goalsSouthampton, 1998-2000: 61 games, 2 goalsEverton, 1999-2000: 19 games, 1 goalBlackburn, 2000-2002: 64 games, 7 goalsWales, 1984-1999: 72 games, 16 goalsTrophiesMan Utd: Premier League x2, FA Cup x3, League Cup, Charity Shield x3, European Cup Winners’ Cup, European Super CupChelsea: FA Cup, League Cup, Uefa Cup Winners’ CupBlackburn: League CupManagerial careerWales, 1999-2004: P41 W12 D15 L14Blackburn, 2004-2008: P188 W82 D47 L59Man City, 2008-2009: P77 W36 D16 L25Fulham, 2010-2011: P43 W14 D16 L13QPR, Jan 2012-Nov 2012: P34 W8 D6 L20Stoke, 2013-2018: P200 W71 D48 L81Southampton, Mar 2018-Dec 2018: P27 W5 D10 L12Bradford City, 2022-2023: P82 W31 D26 L25Carlisle, 2025-Present: P0 W0 D0 L0Before Craig Bellamy replaced Rob Page last summer, Hughes was interested in doing another stint in charge of his country. Now he finds himself as the shock successor to Mike Williamson. Former MK Dons gaffer Williamson only took over from Paul Simpson in September and was allowed to bring in seven new players in last month’s transfer window.Hughes returns to the dugout against Grimsby at Blundell Park today with Carlisle marooned at the foot of the table and on a run of five defeats in their last six games.His biggest success as a manager was taking Stoke to a Prem-high finish of ninth three seasons in a row, before being axed in January 2018.Now the task is to save Carlisle from dropping into the National League after the club approached him at the start of the week.Sparky said: “Things accelerated after that and up the motorway I went on Thursday and got on the training pitch.“It was great to be back, even if it’s not a great situation to come into.READ MORE SUN STORIES“It’s my job to maybe instil a little bit more confidence in the group. I suspect that’s a big factor at the moment.“But that can turn very quickly with a couple of results, so the sooner we get those then the better for the whole group.” More