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Daily Mirror
27 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Sir Alex Ferguson's secret deal as Alexander Isak drops transfer bombshell
Newcastle manager Eddie Howe faces a conundrum in how to handle Alexander Isak's future after he gestured to leave the club, and Manchester United icon Sir Alex Ferguson may be the example to follow In an effort to determine how to deal with a dilemma like Alexander Isak, Eddie Howe could do worse than mimic the example set by Sir Alex Ferguson. Newcastle find themselves with a wantaway superstar desperate to leave the club for pastures new, as Manchester United did when Cristiano Ronaldo showed a liking towards Real Madrid in 2008. Isak, 25, has made no secret of his desire to leave St. James' Park, which has led to him being frozen out of the squad on the eve of the new Premier League campaign. The Athletic reported Isak, who was already the subject of a rejected £120million bid from Liverpool, is "adamant" he'll never play in black and white again, having grown despondent after learning he won't yet be offered a new contract. The details are different, but certain aspects of the stand-off closely resemble United's predicament with Ronaldo 17 years ago. The Portugal talisman had just led the Red Devils to Champions League glory, prompting then-Real president Ramon Calderon to publicly proclaim his intention to make the world-beater one of his own. Ferguson, 83, didn't take kindly to the declaration and informed his player as such, though there was a caveat to his defiance. Writing in his 2013 memoir, 'My Autobiography', the Scot struck a secret agreement with the five-time Ballon d'Or-winner that he would remain for one more year before being allowed to leave on United's terms. A passage from the book read: "I found the boy expressing an urge to go to Real Madrid, and told him, 'You can't go this year, not after the way Calderon has approached the issue.' "I said, 'I know you want to go to Real Madrid, but I'd rather shoot you than sell you to that guy now. If you perform, don't mess us about, and someone comes and offers us a world-record fee, then we will let you go.' I had already conveyed that message to his agent, Jorge Mendes. "I did well to calm him down. I told him the reason I was refusing to sell him that year was because of Calderon. I said, 'If I do that, all my honour's gone, everything's gone for me, and I don't care if you have to sit in the stands. I know it won't come to that, but I just have to tell you I will not let you leave this year.'" The rest is history. Ronaldo saw out one more season at Old Trafford before joining Real for a then-world-record fee of £80m after Florentino Perez took over as Calderon's presidential successor in Madrid. It ended up being money very well spent on their part, and Ferguson got to keep his honour intact. The same perhaps can't be said for Isak at this rate after reportedly stating his intent to sit in the stands rather than play for Newcastle again. And if Howe were to replicate Ferguson's line of logic, he may have to make peace with the possibility of Isak seeing out significant game time on the sidelines. It's all but impossible to envision in this day and age, but both Howe and his Saudi bosses have to consider that possibility, with no obvious suitors lining up to meet his supposed £150m price-tag at this stage of the transfer window. The Swede's alleged act of defiance has angered the talkSPORT duo of Gabby Agbonlahor and Ally McCoist, who criticised his actions on Tuesday. And the pair believe Isak's summer shenanigans, which include missing Newcastle's pre-season tour and training at former club Real Sociedad, have only harmed his appeal in the long run. Former Aston Villa striker Agbonlahor took aim at Isak after hearing the latest developments and asked: "Who does he think he is? Disgusting, what that club has done for you." Scottish football icon McCoist hammered home the point by questioning whether Isak's behaviour was becoming of an elite transfer target: "If you're Liverpool, is that the kind of person you want to be signing?" Join our new MAN UTD WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Manchester United content from Mirror Football. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
The Sun
27 minutes ago
- The Sun
Man Utd fans say ‘if only we were as good as our kit designs' as Red Devils unveil stunning new third kit
MANCHESTER UNITED have unveiled their new third kit - and fans absolutely love it. The black strip has yellow and blue details with the Adidas Trefoil logo and a shield around the club badge. 3 3 3 It is a reimagination of the legendary away kit worn by the club between 1993 and 1995 - a period which coincided with their first Double win. United have described it as "a tribute to timeless style and football heritage" with Dimitar Berbatov leading the promotional video. The new kit has drawn a fantastic reaction from supporters, with one person taking to X to write: "If only we were half as good our kit designs." Another commented: "This is the best kit there is." A third said: "Love the retro vibe! Reminds me of the Cantona era when I first became a fan." While a fourth wrote: "This is the best jersey in decades, and needs King Cantona wearing it." Man Utd kick off their Premier League campaign on Sunday at home to Arsenal. Head coach Ruben Amorim has added four new players to his ranks so far in the transfer window. Matheus Cunha, Diego Leon, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko have all joined this summer in time for the new season. Sesko became the latest addition when he signed on Saturday. The striker said: "The history of Manchester United is obviously very special but what really excites me is the future. "When we discussed the project, it was clear that everything is in place for this team to continue to grow and compete for the biggest trophies again soon. "From the moment that I arrived, I could feel the positive energy and family environment that the club has created. It is clearly the perfect place to reach my maximum level and fulfil all of my ambitions. "I cannot wait to start learning from Ruben [Amorim] and connecting with my team-mates to achieve the success that we all know we are capable of together."
The Sun
27 minutes ago
- The Sun
Shamed Premier League ref David Coote slapped with ban and mandatory education for scathing Jurgen Klopp rant
DAVID COOTE has been slapped with a two-month ban by the FA for his rant about Jurgen Klopp. As well as his suspension, Coote must undergo a mandatory face-to-face education programme. 1 Coote was sacked by the Premier League in December 2024, after the PGMOL intially suspended him. He has now been further punished by the FA for an "aggravated breach" of rule E3.2 due to referencing Klopp's nationality in the video. Coote admitted the charge and the FA said the ex-ref expressed "deep remorse" and acknowledged his comments were "crass and inappropriate". Coote also said that his words did not reflect his true view of Klopp, who he had a "deep professional respect" He also apologised to the former Liverpool boss personally and to The FA, PGMOL and the wider football community. The clip, which was filmed around July 2020, was leaked online in November 2024. In the viral video, he referred to Liverpool as "s***" and extraordinarily dropped the C-bomb to describe ex-Reds boss Klopp. Coote said: "Liverpool were s*** . Klopp is an absolute c***. "Aside from having a right pop at me when I was refereeing them against Burnley in lockdown, he accused me of lying and then had a right f***ing pop of me. "I have no interest in speaking to someone who is f***ing arrogant. So I do my best not to speak to him. James Milner is all right, I get on with him. "You can see me there with a 'mask' on. But, my god, German c***, f*** me."
