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      in Soccer

      Jesse Lingard says Man Utd performances took a hit after secret family trauma but he coped thanks to help of team-mates

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      EMOTIONAL Jesse Lingard says his Manchester United form suffered following a secret family trauma.
      The winger — who scored three times this term — had to take greater care of his siblings since his mum fell ill.

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      Jesse Lingard says his Manchester United form suffered following a secret family traumaCredit: PA:Press Association

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      Lingard spoke to Maya Jama as part of a new series of films called Heads UpCredit: PA:Press Association
      In a new Heads Up series, he reveals he managed to cope by talking it through with  the club and team-mates.
      Lingard, 27, said: “I was the type of guy that liked to bottle things up.  Deal with it on my own.
      “When serious things happened, it was the right time to speak out. 
      ‘Last season, I went through some things with my family. 

      “So, it was difficult to perform on the field.
      “My mum was going through some things. Depression and what not. She went to London to get that sorted out. 

      “I had to look after my  brother and sister, who are 12 and 15.
       “You get to the point where you think, ‘Right, I  need to speak to someone and  say how I feel’. 

      “And then I felt so much better.”

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      Jesse Lingard pictured with his mother Kirsty Credit: Instagram

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      Lingard reveals he managed to cope by talking it through with the club and team-mates.Credit: Getty Images

      Manchester United player Jesse Lingard, and presenter and football fan Maya Jama discusses their own mental health More

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      in Boxing

      Angry Eddie Hearn tells nightmare neighbours his Matchroom HQ fight nights will be less rowdy than dad Barry’s 70th

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      EDDIE HEARN floored his nightmare neighbours by promising his back-garden Fight Camp will not be as wild as his dad’s 70th birthday bash.
      Seven Brentwood residents complained to the council about Hearn’s decision to hold four boxing shows in the grounds of his HQ — once the family home — during August.

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      Hearn is incredibly proud of the Fight Camp set up in his gardenCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
      Because there will be no live audience, the Matchroom boss does not need a licence as long as his ring and giant canopy come down after 28 days.
      But that still was not enough for some of the Essex locals who remember the raucous shindig the Hearns held at the mansion for dad Barry two years ago.
      Ahead of the first show on Saturday, Hearn said: “The only thing we’ve done in the garden of note is my dad’s 70th birthday and that was wild and did go on till 5am.
      “They were saying, ‘We remember when he had the 70th, it was loud’.

      “But the truth is the only noise you’re going to hear from here is the ring walk, which are not that loud. And a firework display with Sweet Caroline for week one and week four.
      “One complaint was about international TV and people thought it would go on until the early hours — but we’ll be wrapped up by 11pm.

      “The council confirmed we didn’t need a licence because we’re not selling tickets.
      “This is great for Brentwood — we are spending £250,000 for everyone to stay at the local Holiday Inn, which is on its a***!”

      Local amateur detectives have even accused Hearn of smuggling American MC David Diamante into the UK without the full 14-day quarantine.
      So Hearn had to send the dreadlocked celeb’s flight details to the British Boxing Board of Control to keep the village busy-bodies off his case.

      He said: “We’d a complaint yesterday from that lot, that David Diamante hasn’t been here for 14 days, so we had to send the flight details to the board to confirm.
      “It’s pathetic. We had a handful of complaints but, truth be told, we have no neighbours — we have one 200 yards down there and one 500 yards down there.”
      Matchroom founder Barry snapped up the sprawling pad for a snip in the 1980s and turned it into offices when he wanted to move further into the sticks.
      But after struggling to find a buyer for two years — and letting a young Eddie squat there to make sure he was on time for work — it became the company’s office HQ.

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      The Matchroom boss insists it will be a professional affair and that the neighbours have nothing to worry aboutCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
      Now Hearn Jr is looking forward to pulling back the curtains for the TV viewers.
      He said: “My dad bought it for £200,000, 36 years ago.
      “When we came here at five or six years old we couldn’t believe it. We were running around like crazy and loved the forest next door.
      “When the company moved in I lived here while it was an office. I used to wake up at 8.30am, step in the shower and at 8.45 I was at my desk.
      “People always say, ‘Is it not weird seeing people in rooms that you lived in’. I don’t see it like that.
      “It’s a bit cheesy but everyone who works here is part of the family. It is a family home.
      “Brentwood used to be a village and when it started to become more populated and less rural, they decided to move further into the country.
      “They said to me, ‘You can stay here while it’s on the market and then you’ve got to go’. They took everything out of the house other than my bed, a TV and a sofa.

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      “But then they couldn’t sell, so I was here for about two years on my own.”
      Now the former Little Lord of Hearn Manor is using it to get his stable back at the races after lockdown — although he expects to make a loss on the £5million, four-show schedule.
      He said: “I don’t mind losing a few quid here because it’s the nuts, it looks the b******s, it is innovative and is great for the brand because everyone is watching worldwide.” More

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      in Soccer

      FA refuse to confirm if Premier League champs Liverpool will take part in Community Shield

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      LIVERPOOL’S participation in the Community Shield is surrounded in mystery.
      The FA refused to say if the Premier League champions have committed to the annual curtain-raiser to the new season, telling SunSport the competitors will be announced next week.

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      Liverpool’s participation in the Community Shield is surrounded in mystery
      An initial draft press release confirming the game on August 29 was  changed to remove Liverpool’s name.
      SunSport learned last week there were questions over whether Jurgen Klopp’s side would be involved, something Liverpool and the FA denied at the time.
      But their name did not appear on the official announcement of the game, while Arsenal and Chelsea, Saturday’s FA Cup finalists, were both named.
      When questioned directly about Liverpool’s involvement, the FA refused to confirm who will be playing.

      The statement only made reference to “the winners of the Premier League”  but named both FA Cup finalists.
      And Liverpool themselves failed to make an announcement or carry news of the Community Shield date on their  website, despite posting several other stories.

      There has been some concern  over whether staging the showpiece gives  clubs involved enough of a break between the end of last season and the start of the next campaign.
      It is understood Prem clubs have reached a consensus that each side would have a minimum gap of 30 days.

      That informal agreement means there is a chance  of a staggered start with sides involved in Europe kicking off  as much as three weeks late.

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      The FA refused to confirm who will be playing in this year’s annual curtain-raiser to the new season

      Sir Alex Ferguson ‘forgives’ Jurgen Klopp for waking him up at 3.30am to tell him Liverpool had won Premier League More

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      in Soccer

      Egypt expect Mo Salah to play at Tokyo Olympics next summer will fly to Liverpool for showdown talks with Jurgen Klopp

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      EGYPT Olympic bosses expect Mo Salah to be part of the Tokyo Olympics – and will meet Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp for showdown talks.
      SunSport understands Salah, 28, will be the first name on the teamsheet for the rescheduled Games in Japan.

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      Liverpool star Mo Salah is expected to lead the way for Egypt in the delayed Tokyo OlympicsCredit: Rex Features

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      Egypt’s Olympic coach Shawky Gharib is determined to have Salah in his teamCredit: AFP – Getty
      And the Pharaohs are prepared to fly to Anfield to explain why the star striker should put country before club in 2021.
      It would mean he will play throughout next summer and miss the start of the 2021-22 Premier League season.
      Shawky Gharib, coach of the Egyptian Olympic National team, said: “The only and first name I put in the squad is Mohamed Salah.
      “All Egyptian players would like to have the honour to play in the Olympics but all of us wanted Salah so he will be with us.

      “I’m ready to put all the pressure on Liverpool to accept his participation, and I could travel to England for that.
      “I remember when I was the assistant coach of the Egyptian National Team.
      “I travelled to Germany to meet Jurgen Klopp and convince him to let Mohamed Zidan join the team and he accepted.
      “We will use Salah of course and the Egyptian Football Federation will play a role.”

      Another complicating factor for Liverpool is that Salah would be called up for the Africa Cup of Nations if Egypt qualify.
      The event in Cameroon has been moved back 12 months to January 2022.
      Gharib added that they are also planning to speak with Aston Villa midfielder Trezeguet about the prospects of going to the Olympics.

      Mo Salah’s amazing body transformation from skinny Chelsea flop to ripped Liverpool superstar More

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      in Soccer

      Wilfried Zaha fears being priced out of transfer again as Crystal Palace demand £70m… with 25 per cent owed to Man Utd

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      WILFRIED ZAHA fears being priced out of the market by Crystal Palace for a second year running.
      The 27-year-old winger has told the club he wants to leave this summer after a disappointing campaign.

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      Wilfred Zaha fears being priced out of the market by Crystal Palace for a second year runningCredit: Rex Features

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      Zaha was fuming when he was hit with an astonishing £100m price tag by Palace owner Steve Parish last summerCredit: PA:Press Association
      And Eagles manager Roy Hodgson is ready to listen to offers for the exciting Ivory Coast international.
      But Palace are expected to demand as much as £70MILLION for their star player and Zaha’s representatives worry that will scupper hopes of a move.
      Zaha was fuming when he was hit with an astonishing £100m price tag by Palace owner Steve Parish last summer.
      And though his value has plummeted as a result of his indifferent form and the financial consequences of coronavirus, Palace are still in no mood to let him go on the cheap.

      The biggest stumbling block for any deal is the sell-on clause which Palace agreed with Manchester United when they brought the player back to Selhurst Park in 2015.
      United paid £10m to make Zaha the last signing of Alex Ferguson’s reign but he only managed seven months at Old Trafford before being resold to Palace for £6m.
      But it is understood that Palace promised United as much as 25 per cent of any future sale.

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      Manchester United stand to profit 25 per cent of any future Zaha sale
      And it is that sell-on clause which makes it almost impossible for Palace to slash their asking price.

      Arsenal’s £40m bid was rejected out of hand last summer after former boss Unai Emery made Zaha his No1 Emirates target. 
      But the Gunners are no longer in the market after overruling Emery’s wishes to pay a club-record £72m for Nicolas Pepe.
      Big-spending Everton also had a £52m bid turned down before returning with an improved £70m offer plus midfielder James McCarthy in part exchange on the eve of the transfer deadline.
      Yet that was also rejected by Palace because there was no time to sign a replacement, leading to disappointed Zaha parting company with his agent.
      Everton director of football Marcel Brands remains a big admirer of Zaha, although it is not known if new boss Carlo Ancelotti is quite so keen.
      But the Merseysiders will be working on a restricted budget this summer after blowing more than £200m on failed signings in recent years.

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      Palace are expected to demand as much as £70m for their star player
      One possible solution is for Everton to offer Alex Iwobi and Cenk Tosun plus a fee of around £20m for Zaha.
      Palace had agreed a £17m fee to sign Turkish international Tosun when he joined them on loan in January.
      But the striker suffered a serious cruciate injury the following month and the loan agreement was cancelled.
      Iwobi cost Everton £35m when they signed him from Arsenal last summer, the day after their improved bid for Zaha was rejected.
      But the Nigerian international winger has failed to shine at Goodison and could be allowed to leave after just one season.
      Tottenham are also thought to be interested in Zaha but are not likely to become involved in a bidding war for a player who scored just FOUR goals all season.
      Hodgson was critical of Zaha’s efforts since Palace emerged out of lockdown last month and said: “It’s obviously affected him because his form in the last few weeks has been quite poor considering what he is capable of doing.

      “It’s a dilemma for him and for the club if he is set on leaving.
      “We still like him very much but we can’t make him like us and it would be sad if he feels he doesn’t want to be with us any more.”
      Zaha became the highest-paid player in Palace history two years ago when he signed a £130,000-a-week deal which runs to 2023.

      Glenn Murray says now is the time for Wilfried Zaha to leave Crystal Palace More

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      in Soccer

      Tottenham teen Troy Parrott set for season-long loan transfer to Championship Millwall

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      MILLWALL are closing in on a season-long loan for Tottenham’s Republic of Ireland strike starlet Troy Parrott.
      Spurs boss Jose Mourinho has agreed to throw his teen hitman to the Championship Lions next term.

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      Milwall are closing in on a season-long loan for Tottenham’s Republic of Ireland strike starlet Troy ParrottCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      The South Londoners hope to finalise the deal with the youngster today before announcing it next week.
      Parrott, 18, is one of the most highly-rated prospects in Tottenham’s academy.
      The Dublin-born ace won his first cap for his country – in their 3-1 win over New Zealand in November – before he made his Prem debut as a sub in Spurs’ 5-0 thrashing of Burnley a month later.
      After turning 18 in February he signed a new three-and-a-half year deal with the North London club and many of their fans were hoping he would be given a crack at first-team football next season.

      But Mourinho – who criticised the youngster’s attitude after taking over as boss in November – believes the rookie needs to toughen up and gain more life-experience before he is ready to play for Tottenham in the Prem.
      So the Special One has rubberstamped his kid’s secondment to South Bermondsey – despite offers from a number of other clubs.

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      Jose Mourinho with striker Parrott who he plans to loan out
      Mourinho gave the thumbs-up after learning that his star striker Harry Kane benefited from a 2012 loan stint at the Lions.
      The England captain has said his spell at the Den “turned him into a man.”

      Mourinho hopes it will do the same for Parrott – regarded as the hottest young forward at Tottenham since Kane.
      Parrott, who has been inundated with loan offers from clubs in the Premier League, Championship and across Europe, is also keen on joining Millwall after speaking with Kane.
      The promising striker and his representatives are also pleased with the way the Lions have dealt with the deal.
      Millwall finished eighth in the Championship this season, narrowly missing out on the play-offs.
      Lions boss Gary Rowett wanted to pair Parrott with Wigan’s Wales forward Kieffer Moore in a dream partnership next term.

      Moore held talks with the Lions this week after they had a £2million bid for him accepted by the Latics.
      But Millwall fear he prefers a move to Cardiff, whose manager Neil Harris tried to sign him twice while in charge of the Lions.
      Preston are also interested but it appears the player now has his heart set on the Bluebirds.

      Jan Vertonghen says he is ‘considering the options’ regarding transfers after leaving Spurs More

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      in Soccer

      Coronavirus showed football’s good, bad and ugly from long-awaited glory and charitable stars to Wigan’s shocking demise

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      SO the circus has left town for seven weeks, packed and gone, after our festival of football.
      A season of two segments if you like — Football BC and AD (Before Covid and After Disease).

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      Liverpool were rewarded for their Premier League dominance by winning the title by 18 points from dethroned champs Manchester CityCredit: EPA

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      Man Utd striker Marcus Rashford had a brilliant season on the pitch and excelled himself off it too with his charity work
      What we got to see after football shut down and then when it re-emerged was The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of the nation’s game — and for posterity it’s good to dwell for a moment.
      THE GOOD
      Premier League football’s return was the main one, of course.
      We saw the rightful ascension to the throne of Liverpool, the best team in the country — the European, world and now Premier League champions.
      We also witnessed the top-flight return of the mighty Leeds United.

      There were moments of positive influence from footballers, specifically Marcus Rashford.
      The Manchester United superstar not only got supermarkets to donate millions for food banks but also got a slightly forlorn Government, so battered by handouts, to do a U-turn and ensure that lunch support continued for children of disadvantaged families.

      Despite my cynicism that #playerstogether initiative was a ruse to get around pressure for pay cuts, it raised millions for good causes.

      We saw Pep Guardiola, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Neymar and a raft of high-profile football people make significant charitable financial donations, alongside luminaries like Gary Neville opening his hotel for NHS workers and Wilfried Zaha of Crystal Palace doing something similar with his portfolio of rental properties.
      Despite my cynicism and belief that the #playerstogether initiative was a ruse to get around media and public pressure for players to take pay cuts, which en masse they managed to avoid, it raised several million for good causes.

      Most notable among them was the NHS, so this must be given the thumbs-up.
      THE BAD
      We unfortunately saw some gormless footballers not quite getting their responsibilities during lockdown —  Jack Grealish, Andre Gray, Salomon Kalou, Moise Kean and Kyle Walker  deciding the rules didn’t apply to them.

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      Aston Villa skipper Jack Grealish blotted his contribution to the season during lockdown, summed up by his morning-after footwear
      What was difficult to stomach was the immorality of players knowing football was financially broken and refusing to assist financially, which was undoubtedly badly compounded by a deplorable outlook from their union, the PFA.
      Further down the pyramid, the curtailing of League One and Two was a disgrace.
      There was also a lack of governance, or a solution to the financial woes of the Football League that continue despite the game having the biggest opportunity in 30 years for a desperately-needed reset.
      And the ongoing failings to deal with  Sheffield Wednesday and Derby’s alleged breaches of EFL financial rules aren’t just bad, they are negligent.
      THE UGLY
      The disgraceful demise of Wigan Athletic, a club that means so much to its fans.

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      Wigan’s Joe Gelhardt and Co were badly let down by the club’s shocking takeover saga, meaning a 12-point penalty and thus relegationCredit: PA:Press Association
      The Latics were tossed into a financial dumpster, put into administration and relegated by a faceless owner with no apparent reason, logic or care — all perhaps in the pursuit of betting returns.
      Unedifying carry-ons at Charlton, with wall and the wallpaper merchants getting into positions of ownership of clubs, none of them seeming to have two pennies.
      There were unseemly debates about monies, Range Rovers and flats and meanwhile a club gets relegated and fans and a manager left broken-hearted.

      And to Newcastle United — the ownership of a football club with such great heritage potentially falling into the hands of a regime whose crimes against humanity should really exclude them for owning such meaningful things.
      This set of anecdotes for The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, could be as long as Tolstoy’s War and Peace. I haven’t even touched the Manchester City Uefa, FFP, CAS situation  and will leave you to decide which one that falls into . . . Whoever said football was dull!
      SIMON JORDAN’S Final Word is on talkSPORT from 5-8pm on Sunday.

      Sir Alex Ferguson ‘forgives’ Jurgen Klopp for waking him up at 3.30am to tell him Liverpool had won Premier League More

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      in Soccer

      Jose Mourinho helping boost Saudi Arabia’s image as oil-rich nation plan UK academy if Newcastle takeover is completed

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      SAUDI ARABIA are using Jose Mourinho to boost their image.
      The Tottenham boss sent a message to the Saudi ministry of sports on Monday after they unveiled a new football academy.

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      Abdullah bin Faisal Hamad, president of Mahd Sports Academy and believed to be close friend of Jose Mourinho

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      Jose Mourinho sent a message to the Saudi ministry of sports
      Mourinho is believed to be a close friend of Abdulla bin Faisal Hammad, who is the brains behind the Mahd Sports Academy — which came about after Saudi Arabia were thrashed 5-0 by Russia in the 2018 World Cup.
      And the Portuguese said: “I always think the beginning of big things start with very negative things.
      “I think you reacted in the most beautiful way — by launching the academy and investing in infrastructure.
      “I always say that a defeat is not the end of the world.

      “A defeat is the beginning of a new cycle of victories. The sun will rise again.”
      SunSport understands that Saudi Arabia are planning to build a headquarters for the academy in England if the £300million takeover of Newcastle goes through.
      They hope it will ‘become one of the largest in the world over the next decade’ and plan to scour the UK for the best young talent, sending the cream of the crop to Newcastle.
      And Mourinho was not alone in bigging up the Mahd Sports Academy, with ex-England manager Fabio Capello and Fifa chief Gianni Infantino joining the chorus.

      President Infantino said: “This academy can surely be a game-changer in the country and region.
      “There is no excuse, the next step is to win the World Cup!
      “We count on Saudi Arabia.”

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      Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, Saudi Minister of Sports is hoping to develop a UK academy More