Man United player Phil Jones to leave at the end of the season
The Toronto Star
23-05-19 10:16
Phil Jones will leave Manchester United when his contract expires at the end of the season after a period of career-ending injuries, which saw the defender make only five appearances in the past three seasons. United's former manager, Alex Ferguson, had previously praised Jones's "phenomenal" ability and claimed that, given his performance in 2013, he had the potential to outshine such club legends as George Best, David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney. However, Jones failed to realise this potential, experiencing a series of injuries that have kept him from the pitch and led to social media ridicule.
Eddie Howe has said that Newcastle United will need two lineups of equal quality if they qualify for the Europa League or Champions League to cope with the difficult schedules that come with it. Newcastle are already guaranteed a spot in the Europa League and a win in one of their two remaining Premier League matches would guarantee them a place in the Champions League for the upcoming season. Newcastle would need to qualify for the Champions League via playoffs if they do not win either of their remaining matches.
Mikel Arteta is hoping to lift his Arsenal side after their 3-0 defeat by Brighton and inject some positivity by reminding them of their progress this season, including the potential to win the most matches in a Premier League season. The criticism of the team as "bottlers" makes goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale bristle, describing it as an "easy way out" and pointing to the five titles in the past six years won by Manchester City, who remain on an 11-match winning streak. Fans' taunts provoke Ramsdale and he has learned to "feed off it", but he will expect different treatment next season, when he foresees a "new pressure" stemming from opponents' increased expectations.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has said he won’t celebrate the team winning their fifth Premier League title in six years if Arsenal lose to Nottingham Forest on Saturday, which would make City champions. Instead, he will focus on their game against Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday. Guardiola said the final game was always the most difficult, adding that he would find it difficult to forgive himself if they were distracted during the game.
Fans of Dutch club AZ Alkmaar attacked family and friends of the West Ham United squad celebrating their success in Thursday’s Europa Conference League semi-final. The home supporters broke through a fence and attacked the West Ham contingent who were seated in a reserved section behind their own team’s dugout at the AZ Stadium. Dutch police have said they have not yet made any arrests but will review images to see if there is any criminal liability that might warrant an arrest.
Newcastle United will need a stronger squad to cope with their Europa League campaign next year warns manager Eddie Howe, as the club looks set for Champions League qualification. The plan is reportedly to sign four or five new players to the squad over the summer, including RB Leipzig’s Dominik Szoboszlai. Szoboszlai is just one of many potential new signings including Leicester City's James Maddison, Marcus Thuram from Borussia Monchengladbach and Nice's Khephren Thuram. Howe urged management to think “long and hard” over Newcastle’s strategy for building a team to compete in the Premier League and Europe.
The Football Association (FA) has banned and fined Nottingham Forest's groundsman Ewan Hunter and Brentford's goalkeeping coach Manu Sotelo over their pre-match altercation in November. The argument was about the length of time clubs are allowed to use the penalty area during their warm-up, and Hunter disrupted a drill by going on to the pitch to move the Brentford staff on. Hunter denied that his behaviour was improper, but the FA imposed a two-match stadium ban and £700 fine, while Sotelo was issued with a one-match touchline ban and £2,000 fine.
Everton manager Sean Dyche has said his team's final league games are a priority over potential investment discussions surrounding the club. Majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri has been conversing with two US-based investment groups, MSP Sports Capital and 777 Football Group, about infusing cash into the club. MSP Sports Capital is said to be the frontrunner, but 777 has recently firmed up their interest. However, Moshiri has said he is only looking for a minority partner. While investment talks continue, Dyche said his focus lay on the immediate and he would continue to strive to give his team the best chance at winning their final two games.
Hernan Losada, head coach of CF Montreal, has said that the team plans to remain positive despite losing 3-0 against FC Cincinnati. On Saturday, they will play against the New York Red Bulls on the road. Red Bulls pose an intense competition with their defensive play. Montreal has not been playing well on the road, winning only two in eight games played. Losada is focused on improving his team's goal creation on the road. Montreal is currently positioned 12th in the standings, with the Red Bulls just one point below 14th place.
The Independent is providing live coverage of the Ligue 1 match between Olympique Lyonnais and Monaco. The article notes that Paris Saint-Germain are the biggest draw in the French top flight, thanks in part to the presence of star players like Lionel Messi and Neymar. However, Saint-Etienne hold the record for the most Ligue 1 titles, with 10, while Marseille have won it nine times and Monaco have won it eight times. The article also highlights Nantes' record for the fewest defeats in a single season, having lost just one game in the 1994/95 campaign.
The article covers the upcoming Bundesliga football match between Freiburg and Wolfsburg, and also provides an overview of the top teams in the league. Bayern Munich is noted as the top team, having won the title 31 times, with Borussia Dortmund as their closest rival. Other notable teams in the league, such as Borussia Mönchengladbach and Werder Bremen, are also mentioned. The article provides live updates for the match throughout the game.
Frank Lampard has questioned the appetite of former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich's regime to back his bid to sign Erling Haaland for the club four years ago. Borussia Dortmund eventually paid the €22.5m release clause in Haaland's contract at Salzburg and Chelsea have since seen the Norwegian move to Manchester City. Haaland will face Chelsea, whom Lampard is caretaker head coach of, at the weekend in the race for the Premier League title. Meanwhile, AC Milan reportedly want to sign Chelsea’s Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who has one year remaining on his contract and may command a low transfer fee.
England women's national football team player, Ella Toone, has said that despite injuries to key players Leah Williamson and Fran Kirby ahead of the World Cup, England are still well-equipped to prosper against teams such as Australia and New Zealand. Although maintaining fitness and endurance is challenging for athletes, Toone says she is optimistic. England are one of 10 teams that have automatically qualified for the tournament in 2023, held jointly across Australia and New Zealand. However, there are currently no plans in place to ensure equal pay between men and women players competing in the tournament.
Roberto Firmino of Liverpool has described how his fans’ chant ‘Si Senor, Give the Ball to Bobby’ has meant to him as it continues to echo around Anfield after his departure. “My children asked if I could put the song on so we could sing together,” said Firmino. “I don’t remember the first time I heard it but when I knew the fans had created a song for me I was very happy because it’s symbolic." Klopp will be hoping to grant sentimental farewells to James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Naby Keita and Firmino as Klopp’s first great era comes to a close.
Football club Arsenal, which is currently struggling in the Premier League, has adopted a dog called Win to help "connect with people, to be more caring with people, to show love," according to manager Mikel Arteta. The one-year-old chocolate Labrador will live at the club's London Colney training ground and offer morale-boosting support to players and staff. The club is in the midst of a season in which it appears set to miss out on silverware again, but Arteta said the adoption was symbolic and that "her love gives you a different feeling." Win is "one of us," he added.
Tottenham’s Ryan Mason has defended forward Richarlison against ridicule by Premier League players Michail Antonio and Callum Wilson on their podcast. The Brazilian striker has managed only three goals in his debut season at Spurs, but Mason said his lack of confidence could be due to fitness issues and called his commitment to the team “his own pride and his own determination”. Mason said he disapproved of mockery between professionals, criticised both players for their behaviour and said he had hope that Richarlison could make an impact on his debut season before pre-season begins.
The Premier League is now home to a relegation battle the likes of which has never been seen; all four clubs - Leicester City, Leeds United, Everton and Nottingham Forest - have previously won the English top-flight league but now face the possibility of dropping out of it. Nielsen's Gracenote predicts an 83% chance of relegation for Leicester, 72% for Leeds, 29% for Everton and 17% for Forest. A maximum of two teams will go down, and relegation would hit Everton the hardest, having last been in this position in 1951.
Vincent Kompany bid an emotional farewell to Manchester City in front of 100,000 fans in 2019. Following 11 successful years at the club, the long-serving captain announced he was leaving to take up a player-manager at Anderlecht. After the parade through Manchester city centre to celebrate the club’s historic domestic treble in the 2018/19 season, Kompany gave a speech outside Manchester Cathedral and promised that City was ready to achieve even more. He won 10 major trophies with the club during his time there.
Tottenham Hotspur has partnered with online mortgage provider, Knotel, for its commercial workspace in the club’s new stadium. The deal allows Knotel access to a branded workspace within the stadium for business purposes. Tottenham Hotspur will be its first UK partnership, with Knotel already having commercial relationships with brands such as McDonald’s and Chevron. The deal will run until the end of this season, following which the two sides may extend it further.
Hong Kong's Kwoon Chung Southern won their first top-flight silverware by beating Lee Man 2-0 to win the Sapling Cup. The trophy, which requires teams to field three under-22 players, gave Southern consolation for collapsing in form and surrendering their third-place spot in their league to BC Rangers, who will replace them in the Asian Champions League. Lee Man, who were edged out for the league title by Kitchee, will play continental football next season. Southern's success in the game came from Stefan Pereira's double second-half goals.
