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BRENTFORD and Sheffield United battle this afternoon for three Premier League points.Oli McBurnie’s stoppage-time strike rescued a point for the Blades against Chelsea.And they will be determined to build on that courageous draw against a Brentford side who recently shared the spoils with Aston Villa.BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKER More
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR, it’s happened again. New manager? Check. New players? Check. Demolished at St James’ Park? Of course. Alexander Isak scored twice to put Newcastle in the Champions League raceCredit: AFPAnge Postecoglou’s side was not at the races at St James’ ParkCredit: ReutersAnthony Gordon also put Spurs to the sword todayCredit: ReutersHere’s how the game went on paperNewcastle proved too much for Spurs for most of the gameBattered 6-1 here last year, it was Ange Postecoglou’s turn to leave Tyneside feeling blue. The shellshocked Aussie couldn’t believe his eyes as his Champions League-chasing side crumbled to their heaviest defeat of his reign. Throw on a Spurs kit at St James’ and they just can’t help disintegrating. Newcastle started the mauling with two first-half goals in 95 seconds and the abject North Londoners never recovered. If you’re looking for the worst individual performance of the season then look no further than Micky van de Ven.The defender had a howler for the first three goals, though he was far from the only culprit.Alexander Isak was the Toon hero, scoring a brace to make it 17 Prem goals for the campaign and seven from his last seven.Anthony Gordon was the other tormentor-in-chief, bagging his 10th of the season and running bedraggled Tottenham ragged all afternoon in front of England boss Gareth Southgate.BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERIt’s back-to-back wins for the first time since December, leaving a Europa League spot – unlikely just a few weeks ago – well within their grasp.Sorry Spurs have now won just two of their last 10 away games.Every Premier League stadium ranked by the number of pubs nearby with one boasting over 130 local boozersAnd after fluffing their lines in spectacular fashion, nervous fans will be left cheering on Arsenal today against Aston Villa to keep their Champions League dream alive.It didn’t take long for a sense of deja vu to take hold in the sunshine – and to think they started so brightly.Timo Werner had the best early opening after Brennan Johnson gassed Dan Burn down the right and put it on a plate at the back post, but the German skied his volley halfway up the Gallowgate.He was then teed up six yards out by James Maddison, only to completely shank it off his left peg.Butchering huge chances is what Werner does better than most, and these ones came at a huge cost as Newcastle scored two goals in the blink of an eye 30 minutes in.The Geordies were happy to sit back and counter, with Gordon looking threatening every time he got it.Eddie Howe was all smiles as Toon laid down their claim for a UCL spotCredit: RexPedro Porro had a horror show against the MagpiesCredit: AFPAnd the Scouse winger created the first, beating Destiny Udogie’s weak challenge to latch onto Bruno Guimaraes’ floated ball up field and feed Isak.The red-hot striker did the rest, cutting inside to leave Van de Ven on his backside before firing home.If that wasn’t embarrassing enough, the exact same thing happened to the hapless Dutch defender just 95 seconds later.Spurs quickly lost possession from the kick-off and Pedro Porro carelessly hooked it inside straight to Gordon, who left calamitous Van de Ven in a heap again and powered through Vicario.Tottenham were 5-0 down after just 21 minutes here last term, so this was some improvement.But the self-destruct button had been struck again, with potentially disastrous consequences for their Champions League hopes.Son Heung-min was hooked by Postecoglou as Newcastle ran rampantCredit: ReutersThe defence was all over the shop and they were fortunate not to have been further behind by the break.Whatever a furious Postecoglou said at the break had no impact as they quickly found themselves dead and buried at 3-0.And Van de Ven was at fault AGAIN. Supposedly the quickest centre-back in the Prem, Isak left him for dead on halfway to race onto Bruno’s long ball.Bearing down on goal, Vicario bizarrely stayed rooted to his line, making life so easy for Isak as he had all the time in the world to pick his spot and bury.Ange rang the changes with a triple sub, but it was too little too late.His rabble were well beaten and it quickly became a case of whether the Mags could match or even better last year’s hammering in the final half hour.Fortunately for Spurs, the hosts took their foot off the gas – though there was still time for one more.Emil Krafth came closest to getting the fourth, firing a volley off the post.And just as the Toon Army were happy with their lot as they eyed up celebratory pints on the Bigg Market, up popped Fabian Schar to nod home a brilliantly-worked corner.
Kick-off time: 12:30pm BST
Live stream: discovery+
TV channel: TNT Sports 1
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MANCHESTER UNITED face Bournemouth TODAY in a crucial clash in the race for top four. Erik ten Hag’s side currently sit sixth in the table, 11 points behind Tottenham in fourth and Aston Villa in fifth with just seven games remaining.
Kick-off time: 5.30pm BST
Channel/stream: NOW TV/Sky Go
Man Utd XI: Onana; Wan-Bissaka, Kambwala, Maguire, Dalot; Casemiro, Mainoo; Garnacho, Fernandes, Rashford; Højlund
Bournemouth XI: Neto; Smith, Zabarnyi, Senesi, Kerkez; Cook, Christie; Sinisterra, Kluivert, Ouattara; Solanke
BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKER*Odds courtesy of Paddy Power and are correct at the time of publication.Cherries form
Bournemouth lost their last Premier League game to Luton Town.
Before that defeat, Andoni Iraola’s side had won three out of three as they cemented themselves in the league for another season.
A win today could put the hosts on level points with 10th-placed Brighton.
Copy linkCopiedUnited’s recent league form
Erik ten Hag will be desperate for his side to pick up their first win since March.
In the Premier League, United have not won since March 9 when they beat Everton 2-0 at Old Trafford.
Since then they have drawn to Brentford and Liverpool and lost to Chelsea.
Credit: Getty
Copy linkCopiedUnited looking to avoid record
Manchester United will be looking to avoid losing to Bournemouth for a second time this season.
Should the Cherries win the match it will be the first time they have ever done the double over the Red Devils.
Bournemouth won the reverse fixture 3-0 at Old Trafford earlier in the season.
Copy linkCopiedWheatley makes team
Ethan Wheatley is a new name for Man United as he was named on the bench to face Bournemouth.
The 18-year-old gets the nod as Erik ten Hga manages an injury crisis.
Copy linkCopiedCherries XI
Here is a look at the Bournemouth team to face Man United.
Credit: X
Copy linkCopiedMan Utd team news
Manchester United have named their XI to take on Bournemouth today.
Credit: x
Copy linkCopiedWelcome to Bournemouth vs Man Utd!
Hello and welcome to Bournemouth’s clash with Manchester United at the Vitality Stadium.
Erik Ten Hag’s men need a big win if they’re to keep up pace in the race for top four.
But Dominic Solanke and Co will be looking to upset the odds in this evening’s Premier League kick-off.
We’ll have all the latest from the south coast right here at SunSport.
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FANS have been left stunned by a throwback video of Phil Foden.The Manchester City star has been on the club’s books since he was four-years-old.Fans think Phil Foden looks the same now as he did aged tenCredit: QSVSFoden [front left] playing for Stockport local team Reddish VulcansCredit: PAFoden is hoping to fire Man City and England to glory this yearCredit: RexFoden, 23, has risen to stardom and now hopes to carry his boyhood team to the Double-Treble this season.And ahead of crucial games in the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League, an incredible interview has resurfaced to the amazement of fans.Surrounded by the rest of the Man City youth-team, a 10-year-old Foden is asked about Mario Balotelli by an Italian journalist.He replies: “He’s a great player, but he’s got a bad attitude off the pitch.”READ MORE IN FOOTBALLAnd fans are convinced the midfielder doesn’t age, with one saying: “Omg no way. Foden’s face didn’t change at all.”Another added: “It’s like Foden in a small kid’s body.”A third commented: “He looks the same.”More reacted: “He is now one of the best players in the world.”Most read in FootballBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERFoden has been in incredible form this season, scoring 22 goals in all competitions.And this summer England will be desperate for him to continue that form into the Euros. Man Utd legend Paul Scholes claims Phil Foden is ‘much better footballer’ than Frank LampardThe Three Lions kicks-off their campaign against Serbia on June 16 before group stage ties against Denmark and Slovenia.And Foden’s sparkling season has left him in pole position for a starting spot. More
ONE year perhaps there will be a visit from the football gods and a team will fight their way out of the Premier League forest of also-rans.Nottingham Forest did so, under Brian Clough 46 years ago, champions and then twice winners of the European Cup before they fell to the unwritten law of “your time’s up, pal”.West Ham are hoping to break into the ‘Big Six’Credit: ReutersEven in the brief history of the Premier League, Blackburn in 1994-95 and Leicester City eight years ago were champions — then came that immutable law again and both are now residing in the Championship.Wonders do happen. Manchester City had won only TWO titles in the First Division before, wading in a tide of oil money, they swept to the first of their seven Prem crowns.It could, I suppose, happen to Forest Green Rovers, but I doubt it.No, there are unofficial guarantees in the future of our league football and they are held by the presumptuously named Big Six, with one or two wealthy others knocking at the door.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLYou have to believe, don’t you, and I do — that my team could be hammering at the door along with the likes of Aston Villa and another of the liquid-gold clubs, Newcastle United.However, an elite section is not as it should be in the best possible world.Despite our ambitions at the London Stadium, the people who run the game must at least try to bring more clubs back into the big-time picture.Since the rebel rich blithely tried to join a European Super League and were scuppered by their supporters, the game has moved further towards the wealthier and successful clubs.Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERSSo now the task should be to try to prevent the cliff edge that is forming, not between the top flight and the Championship, but between the top six in the PL and the rest.Not an easy thing to do. European competition has ensured big money and world fame for the leaders.West Ham boss David Moyes slams Bayer Leverkusen’s bench as ‘a disgrace’ for what they did during fiery clashThe winner of the Champions League gets more than £120million in prize money alone.Add that to sponsorship and commercial income and you can see why City’s turnover is £720m-plus, SEVEN TIMES that of a club at the bottom end of the table.Being competitive is one of the reasons why the PL is the best league in the world.And to prove just how exciting close contests can be, Arsenal, Liverpool and City are straining mightily to win the Prem.But I wonder just how much more exciting it would be if, say, Brighton or any of the other top ten clubs were a threat.Albion, however, looked at their bank account and sold Alexis Mac Allister, Leandro Trossard, Ben White, Yves Bissouma, Marc Cucurella and Moises Caicedo recently — a huge £291m worth of talent before any add-ons.Last year, the Seagulls flew to a record Prem profit of £122m but I guess the fans would have preferred a place in the top four and all that brings.No, there are unofficial guarantees in the future of our league football and they are held by the presumptuously named Big Six, with one or two wealthy others knocking at the door.Karren Brady But they are not the ones who have to balance the books.All of those players have gone to the biggies, two to Arsenal, one to Liverpool, another to Spurs and two to Chelsea, a fact that says a lot about the disposition of the world’s best club league.People everywhere choose our football for exactly the reason that no single club or clique is too dominant.And this year there is a thrilling battle going on in the Championship. All too often the top positions there are predictable.The transfer market signals how the football business has changed since the Prem was born in 1992.Rarely now do the big stars remain at one club as, my older friends tell me, Nat Lofthouse at Bolton and Preston’s Tom Finney did.READ MORE SUN STORIESToday they would have moved and become multi-millionaires.No blame to the modern players. But a little sad. Even Harry Kane moved.Karren Brady gives SunSport her thoughtsCredit: PA:Press Association More
TONY BLAIR was Prime Minister, The West Wing was on TV and 18-year-old Dean Lewington made his senior debut for Wimbledon.And 21 YEARS later the defender is still going strong.Dean Lewington is still going strong after over 20 yearsCredit: GettyLewington started his career in the fallout of Wimbledon’s 2000 relegationCredit: PAHe is set to make his 939th appearance in a huge fourth-v-third clash when MK Dons host Mansfield today.Lewington sits fourth in the all-time English league outings with 814 — a feat bettered only by England legend Peter Shilton (1,005), Tony Ford (931) and Graham Alexander (833).Meeting for coffee in leafy Surrey, I asked what secret lay behind his astonishing career.He laughed: “I wish I knew because I’d sell it for a few quid! Probably being happy and lucky with injuries.”READ MORE IN FOOTBALLBut for a man who turns 40 next month, there must be more to it?Lewington said: “I caught the back-end of old-school football when there was the drinking culture. “Yet I’ve been lucky to benefit from modern training methods and nutritionists.“The diet is nothing in excess, fruit and vegetables, all good stuff and looking after yourself.”Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERSAlthough he technically stayed at one club, he made 32 appearances for Wimbledon before they controversially switched to Milton Keynes in 2004 — with pre-MK history officially relinquished to AFC.Lewington started his career in the fallout of Wimbledon’s 2000 relegation from the Premier League and was in the team that moved to MK.Super League star wakes up unemployed after nightmare spell of just EIGHT games in which he forced a rewriting of rulesAFC Wimbledon were created, gaining EFL status, building a new stadium at Plough Lane, not far from their old ground, and now in the same division as MK.Lewington, the only MK player left from the ‘old’ Wimbledon, said: “It was a baptism of fire — but lucky most of us playing then were youngsters who came through the youth side.“Because of our age, we saw it as a good opportunity and didn’t worry about the side-effects.“Hindsight is wonderful and no one would want to repeat what happened.“But AFC have gone on and done well. There’s no animosity from me. I’m glad they’re doing what they’re doing but my focus is on MK.”Lewington has played in all three EFL divisions — enjoying three promotions but suffering five relegations.Last season’s drop into League Two came only a year after almost winning promotion to the Championship — following a heartbreaking loss to Wycombe over two play-off legs.He said: “I’ve been relegated twice and promoted twice on the last day. It’s been a career in the lower leagues, so unglamorous — but a happy one.The diet is nothing in excess, fruit and vegetables, all good stuff and looking after yourself.Dean Lewington“I’ve changed position slightly but was always a tall full-back, quite aggressive, composed on the ball, good passer. “But I’m not overly athletic so that’s held me back.”His career highlight was winning promotion to the Championship in 2015 under Karl Robinson with Dele Alli leading the way — prompting Tottenham to sign him for £5million.And Lewington said: “After relegations from the Championship to League Two, we wanted to get back there.“It took more than ten years but the club got into a positive place.“We had Dele coming through, the youth team was producing and everything was on the up.“Dele trained with us since he was 15. It was a pleasure to play alongside and see him fulfil his potential.“Getting into the Championship felt like a chance for the club to establish itself. It didn’t work out but that brief moment was the best.”’I was told I wasn’t wanted and could train elsewhere’The club were only in the second tier for a season, and two years after that they were back in League Two.Lewington’s stay with MK came close to ending twice.A swap deal involving Huddersfield’s Pawel Abbott in 2006 fell through when the Terriers man pulled out, and in 2017 Lewington was frozen out by ex-boss Robbie Neilson.The latter was Lewington’s lowest moment. He said: “Neilson banned me from the club for about six weeks. “I was told I wasn’t wanted and could train elsewhere. That’s when I thought, ‘Perhaps my time at MK is over’. But he got sacked and things changed.”During that time, his dad Ray — ex-Fulham, Brentford and Watford boss and England No 2 — was invaluable.He said: “With dad being in the game, I’ve learnt to realise it’s not personal. Managers try to pick their best XI and sometimes it doesn’t include you.“You feel like they don’t know what they’re doing and the world is against you but they’re trying to do their best.”His standout manager was current Southampton boss and former team-mate Russell Martin.Roy Hodgson with with assistant Ray Lewington during their England daysCredit: News Group Newspapers LtdHe explained: “Russ believes in what he does 100 per cent. There’s no Plan B — it’s his way and you stick to it.“Some managers, when hitting a tough patch, change things but not him. That’s what makes him effective.“He took over when we were fighting relegation from League One.“He changed us to complete football, which is the opposite of what teams usually do in those situations.“It was a real risk but he believed in it. It’s like going back to your childhood, playing free-flowing football.”His only regret is MK having not fulfilled chairman Pete Winkelman’s ambition to reach the Prem — or stay in the Championship.But Lewington said: “The reality is it costs a lot of money to get in the Premier League now. “When the club was formed, the gap between the top flight and the EFL was smaller.“The stadium and infrastructure are there so if someone wants to take it on, it could definitely happen.”READ MORE SUN STORIESSo with his 40th birthday approaching, what does the future hold?He said: “At some point I’ll go down the coaching route. But I’ll keep playing for as long as I can.” More
FEDERICO MACHEDA has told Kobbie Mainoo not to repeat the mistakes he made as a youngster following Sunday’s eye-popping replica goal.Aged only 17, Macheda was catapulted to fame overnight after downing Aston Villa on his debut for Manchester United in April 2009.Federico Macheda told Kobbie Mainoo not to repeat the mistakes he made as a youngsterCredit: Getty – ContributorMainoo has been a sensation for UnitedCredit: GettyNow playing for lowly Turkish side Ankaragucu, Macheda admits he let success go to his head.He said: “After that goal maybe I felt I made it. I was unaware about what came next. “I thought that more of the same was enough but you should always raise the bar to maintain those standards.“And it was easy to grow too big for your boots for a person with my background.READ MORE IN FOOTBALL“I was brought up in a way where it’s impossible to stay grounded and when you’re young you don’t look at the bigger picture.“But I should have done more. With hindsight, I know that if I had grafted the way I do now, I’d have had more chances.“The way Mainoo is playing it looks as if he’s been there for ten years. But what’s paramount is that he keeps going.“He’ll get help because when you play every week people take extra care of you and they make you feel important.”Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERSDespite wowing Old Trafford with that wonder strike — which helped see off Liverpool’s title bid — Macheda feels it was a double-edged sword.The Italian, 32, said: “Things changed quickly and I didn’t expect it.Paul Scholes fumes at Man Utd stars Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho in now-deleted post over ‘standards’ “The attention had become too much. Such was the importance of the goal that it was on everyone’s lips and you can never prepare for such a life change.“I lost my way and my confidence in later years, struggling to perform.“I had been out almost a year after undergoing back surgery which then left me without a club.“It was a dark time. But if could go back in time, I’d like to score it another thousand times!”Asked which one of the two goals was harder to execute, Macheda said: “We’re talking about two absolute crackers which are identical.“On a technical level mine was probably more beautiful to watch due to the back-heel control and turn but Mainoo’s striking technique was cleaner.“And the nice thing is both were at the expense of Liverpool.”Yet Macheda claimed it will be tougher for Mainoo’s stunner to stand the test of time — owing to the fact it will not yield a Premier League trophy.He said: “When goals like that don’t go hand in hand with the team’s success, it’s harder.“My goal came off the back of two consecutive defeats. It happened at a crucial stage of the season.“In that game against Villa, we were 2-1 down and it felt as though we were in quicksand. We just didn’t know how to turn a corner.“But the way my goal came about, the moment, the importance and the timing is something that you don’t see every day.”Macheda thinks it has “definitely become easier” to stake a claim for a place at United today.He said: “If I had scored that goal now I’d have been handed a lot more opportunities.“Man United’s attacking options between then and now simply don’t compare.“In my time it was virtually impossible to be part of that Man United team — even in training.READ MORE SUN STORIESFederico’s travels
2008–2014: Manchester United
2011: Sampdoria (loan)
2012: QPR
2013: VfB Stuttgart (loan)
2013: Doncaster Rovers (loan)
2013–2014: Doncaster Rovers (loan)
2014: Birmingham City (loan)
2014–2016: Cardiff City 27
2016 : Nottingham Forest (loan)
2016–2018: Novara
2018–2022: Panathinaikos
2022-present: Ankaragücü
2023: APOEL (loan)
“The attacking line featured four world-class players in Tevez, Ronaldo, Rooney and Berbatov. Nowadays it’s a lot easier.“Kobbie’s a top talent but he’s able to show it because he’s playing with consistency. For me, that was impossible.” More
THIS time last year Harry Maguire accepted his future lay away from Manchester United — with boss Erik ten Hag happy for him to leave.Now, Ten Hag has identified the England centre-half as the man to rescue United’s sorry season.Harry Maguire was in action against Liverpool last time outCredit: RexMaguire, 31, has returned to prominence under Erik ten HagCredit: EPAMaguire certainly wasn’t seen as so key last term when Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez, Victor Lindelof and even Luke Shaw — when United played a back-three — were ahead in the pecking order.The ignominy of having the captain’s armband taken off him in the summer and handed to Bruno Fernandes felt like the final straw.But before a proposed £30million move to West Ham could go through, a deeply hurt Maguire wanted a £15m payout from United and was not going to budge.Neither would United and it looked like he was heading for footballing oblivion.READ MORE ON MAN UTDThat was to underestimate the Sheffield-born player, who was determined to show his steel and prove his detractors wrong.Through the ups and downs, trials and tribulations of this season, he can come out with his head held high, having constantly stepped up to the plate as injuries have ravaged the back four.All of the four players mentioned previously are in the treatment room.Maguire, 31, has been there himself but tries to play through the knocks, pulls and strains.Most read in FootballBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERHis experience will be even more important with 19-year-old Willy Kambwala alongside him at Bournemouth this weekend — as he was in last Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Liverpool.And Maguire now has Ten Hag’s praise ringing in his ears.Roy Keane blasts ‘frightened to death’ Man Utd stars and highlights Harry Maguire as reason why they can’t pressThe United manager said: “We were always very happy with Harry Maguire but he wants to play.“He’s a great leader, he’s a very good defender, very comfortable on the ball and I count all of those abilities. We have had problems with our defensive line so he is even more important to lead that line, to make us play from the back.“We are very pleased he is there and we need him to get our results and achieve our targets.”Unfortunately, United go into Saturday’s 5.30pm kick-off at Bournemouth with just one win from their last six league games.That has pretty much put paid to their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League and left them relying on the FA Cup to salvage their season.The sixth-placed Red Devils stand 11 points behind Tottenham in fourth, with just seven league games to go.Bournemouth will be no easy fixture either as United found out in December when they lost 3-0 to them at home.That came just three days after United had beaten Chelsea 2-1 at Old Trafford.Ten Hag curiously claimed yesterday that they were not “mentally strong enough” to handle those two games in such a short space of time.He said: “It was after a very good performance against Chelsea in the week and we were mentally not ready for that game.“They battled us and we lost the battles. This game will not be different, that is the way they want to play, they want to fight with you.“You have to go into that fight, have the conviction and need to support each other to win battles, outplay them, out- run them.”As ever, Ten Hag’s problems are not contained to the pitch.This week he lost his director of football as John Murtough left after nearly 11 years at the club — another victim of new part-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s sweeping changes.That follows the departure of chief executive Richard Arnold — and those two were behind Ten Hag’s appointment.’I MISS HIS SUPPORT’Now Dan Ashworth is coming in from Newcastle to take on Murtough’s role, Omar Berrada has been poached from neighbours Manchester City to be the new CEO, with Jason Wilcox arriving from Southampton as technical director.Murtough’s departure this week hit Ten Hag hard and he admitted: “For the moment, of course, I miss his support, the surround support, you miss that.“He has moved on, we worked very good together, I say thank you to John and wish him all the best for the future.”Ten Hag insists he has a good working relationship with Ratcliffe and Sir David Brailsford who are now overseeing the football side of the club.He said: “I work with the new ownership very good, closely together, it doesn’t change the way I work here.“It’s perfect, still perfect, I am happy with that but we want to set the right conditions to be successful.”Not everyone seems convinced Ten Hag will be working under the new regime in the long term.But the United boss — who expects Marcus Rashford to be fit despite hobbling out of the 2-2 draw with Liverpool — added: “This industry, is about results.“But you have to see what’s underneath. I see what’s underneath.“I see the potential. I see the direction. So I’m positive about the way we want to go and we will be successful.”The Dutchman admitted he sometimes feels like an MP — getting the blame for everything even if it is not all in his control.READ MORE SUN STORIESHe said: “As a manager it’s like a minister, you don’t have everything in your hands.“You are responsible for everything. And I take that.”Ten Hag lost an ally in John MurtoughCredit: Getty More
