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Daily Mail
25 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Marcus Rashford 'targeted by European giants' who hope to rival Barcelona as he moves closer to Man United exit door
The race for Marcus Rashford is hotting up as Juventus have now reportedly emerged as contenders for his signature. Rashford is known to be keen for a move to Barcelona and while the Spanish giants are interested, they are yet to make a move for him. The 28-year-old announced in December that he is 'ready for a new challenge,' effectively calling time on a journey with United which began when he was seven. He spent the latter half of last season on loan at Aston Villa, where he scored four goals, but they chose not to sign him permanently. Rashford still has three years left on his £300,000-per-week deal at Old Trafford. In recent days, The Sun have claimed that Jose Mourinho is eager for a reunion with Rashford at Fenerbahce, with reports in Turkey saying they are willing to meet his £40million valuation. And now Sky Sport Italia claims Juventus are exploring a potential deal for the wantaway former England striker. More to follow.
Daily Mail
27 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
It's all clicking for Sarina Wiegman's super subs as England's bench becomes their secret weapon, writes TARA ANSON-WALSH, ahead of quarter-final clash with Sweden
One of the quietly revolutionary aspects of Sarina Wiegman 's England tenure has been her treatment of the bench – not as a contingency plan, but as a premeditated second wave. The roots of this emerged during the home Euros of 2022, when there was a clear starting XI with an attack led by Ellen White, Fran Kirby behind her in the No 10 role, and Lauren Hemp and Beth Mead occupying the flanks. And then, on the hour mark, like clockwork, Ella Toone and Alessia Russo would come on. Wiegman's subs during the home tournament were used to great effect, particularly towards the latter stages, with Chloe Kelly 's introduction off the bench in the final against Germany securing the Lionesses' first ever piece of silverware – a moment now etched in footballing legend. As was Russo's memorable cameo off the bench in the semi-final against – fittingly – tomorrow/tonight's opponents, Sweden. Her outrageous backheel goal inspired some fans to sport T-shirts featuring 'The Russo', illustrated like IKEA instructions. All you need is a pair of boots, a football, and a bit of nutmeg, it claims. Today, England players maintain their praise of the Dutch coach for her communication regarding their roles, including continuing to give them clarity over whether they'll start a game or come on as substitutes – or what Wiegman calls her 'finishers'. Wiegman stressed the importance of having adequate strength in depth, adding: 'It's important because you can bring players into the same position that have different attributes. You can change tactics a little bit while still keeping the levels up and trying to harm your opponent. It's key.' And it has clearly worked, with England having scored 48 goals from substitutes in the 67 games under Wiegman's management – an incredible tally, with Russo claiming the largest share of the spoils with seven from the bench. Against Sweden, an incredibly physical, athletic team, Wiegman will need to rely on her 'finishers' to step up when her starting XI – which has remained unchanged for the last two games – begin to tire. The 'finishers' clique have created their own group chat this tournament and have been celebrating each other's achievements on the pitch with a new clicking celebration, the origins of which were revealed by Beth Mead. 'I think we underestimate how hard it can be for the bench sometimes, and players that don't get on the pitch as much,' the right-winger said. 'Before the Wales game, we were all snapping as a little bit of motivation and a little bit of energy, and we actually said if anyone came on and scored, we'd celebrate with each other to show appreciation.' Wiegman has a considerable attacking force in this England squad and keeping everyone happy and match-ready is always a difficult line to tread. And Kelly, who has started from the bench in all three of England's games at this tournament, insisted that despite the negative connotations of a 'clique', this one is not divisive. 'I was actually thinking that earlier – that usually cliques are negative – but it's definitely not one,' Kelly said. 'We support each other very well as a 23-player squad, and it's about what it takes to win a tournament.'
Daily Mail
27 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Ludvig Aberg on Sir Andy Murray's golf swing, the influence of Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard and his hopes for The Open ahead of its Portrush return
'And I'm thinking to myself, how did I get here?' asks Ludvig Aberg with wide-eyed wonderment and it's not a bad question considering our conversation has wandered from Steven Gerrard to Sir Andy Murray 's golf swing to the possibility of a dream coming true. There is also an unexpected detour to his love for Bondi Rescue, a cult Australian TV programme, but first Aberg – the world's most exciting young golfer – is taking us vividly to the moment he knew life had changed in April 2024, on Augusta's picture-perfect eleventh fairway. Aberg had turned professional 10 months earlier and, in that time, he had accomplished what many tour pros could only dream about: he had been part of a successful European Ryder Cup team and won the European Masters, showing why there had been such hype around his rise. But this young Swede is like the rest of us. When good things happen so quickly that it almost seems impossible to process, there comes a point when reflection must be taken. For Aberg, it was a stroll with Rory McIlroy, someone at that point he had only really been accustomed to seeing on TV. 'Life has changed a lot, very fast,' he says. 'I remember I had this moment at last year's Masters. I was playing practice with Rory and we were walking down number 11. He was with Harry (Diamond, his caddie) and, just for a moment, I slowed down behind them to watch. 'You know the run around 11, 12, 13 (Amen Corner) – I'm looking at all thinking: 'I only turned pro a year ago.' I couldn't believe it. It was such a cool moment. 'It will stick with me for a long time and it's important to remember. You can't ever take these things for granted.' You can see Aberg, who actually finished second that week, means it. He has reaped rich dividends already through golf but it is the history that provides his greatest inspiration and what price would you give for him and McIlroy to be walking down the 18th together this Sunday? We can discuss that in due course but we have to return to not taking things for granted, for there was another ''is this really happening moment?'' when he was approached to give marks out of 10 for a YouTube feature on the state of Murray's game. Murray, ferocious competitor that he is, would love to get into a position where he could try to compete in next year's Regional Qualifying events for The Open and, from what Aberg saw, it might not be the flight of fancy it sounds. 'Hey, that swing was really good!' Aberg says, laughing. 'Like it was really, really good! Man, I was impressed! They told us: 'be as honest as you can with him!' but I just didn't know what to say. I think he's going to be able to play really good golf in the future.' Another man who would love to say he could do play to that level in the future is Gerrard, who was a bigger figure in his childhood than any golfer. 'Gerrard was my big hero growing up,' he declares, proudly. 'I played football myself and I loved him as a player. But I loved he was the captain and he'd carry the team. 'I supported Liverpool because of him. I'm a fan and always will be. The last few weeks have been awful. I just hope everyone is ok.' The reference to Diogo Jota's tragic death is the only time in this conversation, arranged by his sponsors Mercedes, that his demeanour changes. Aberg is respectful and courteous, a man who impresses with the clarity of his words and thoughts. It has been a privilege to see him striking balls so crisply on the range in recent days and the vibes he gives suggest he might not be too far away from emulating his compatriot Henrik Stenson, who made himself a national hero in 2016 when going head-to-head with Phil Mickelson at Troon. 'Oh I remember that day,' he says enthusiastically. 'We usually have a tournament that weekend in Sweden; in 2016 it finished on the Saturday, so we sat down to watch every shot. I thought that shootout was the coolest thing I had ever seen. 'Henrik has the biggest profile in Swedish golf and he's done so much for the game. That was the pinnacle. A couple of months later, Henrik almost won the Olympics as well, so for a little 15-year-old, it was incredible to see that. This is the tournament that has such history and means so much.' You can tell, clearly, that Aberg believes his game is in the right shape to contend. He has power and sorcery, intuition and imagination and there won't be any excuses if it doesn't go as expected. Deep down, though, you suspect he will be just fine. 'I definitely feel like I have the tools and the capabilities,' he says. 'The experiences I've had recently have made me feel like I can do it. I want to win here and I want to perform. Anyone who is in the field should be thinking like that. 'If there was one thing I learnt last year it was 'it is what it is' with the weather. If it rains, I'll get my rain gear. If it's windy, I'll keep the ball flight a little bit lower. It's all part of it. I will be ready for whatever comes my way.'
