Dean Shiels axe a shock but I'm still backing Coleraine to see off Cliftonville in Euro crunch, says ex-star of both sides
Former Coleraine and Cliftonville striker Jody Tolan has voiced his surprise at Dean Shiels' axing, but he still believes the Bannsiders can pip the Reds to European qualification.
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Metro
2 hours ago
- Metro
Man Utd told they have the 'best young player in the Premier League'
Manchester United are enduring a miserable spell on and off the pitch but can at least take solace in the fact they have the 'best young player in the Premier League'. United's 2024-25 campaign could hardly have gone any worse, with Ruben Amorim's side finishing just 15th in the Premier League. A promising European run threatened to paper over the cracks but Manchester United were beaten by Tottenham in the Europa League final to ensure they not only failed to win a trophy last season but missed out on any European football for next season. Off the pitch, Sir Jim Ratcliffe's cost-cutting measures has dampened the mood at Old Trafford and led to a divide between the fans and those in charge of the club. In better news for Manchester United, club captain Bruno Fernandes has rejected a lucrative summer move to Saudi Arabia in favour of staying at the Premier League strugglers. Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro's Football Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link so we can send you football news tailored to you. Fernandes has been United's most important player over the past five-and-a-half seasons but it not the only capable member of the squad, with Louis Saha describing Amad Diallo as the 'best young player in the Premier League'. Diallo has quickly developed into one of United's most exciting players since his £19m move from Atalanta in 2021. The 22-year-old had two loan spells away from Old Trafford at Rangers and Sunderland but was a rare bright spart for Manchester United last season, scoring 11 goals in 43 games. Asked who he rates as the best young player in the Premier League, ex-United striker Saha told 10bet: 'Amad Diallo. 'What I like most about him is that quality that some youngsters have in the way he communicates, and the way he acts. 'He is playing for the team, he isn't demanding this or that from his teammates and managers. 'Sometimes, when you're established in the side and you've been there a few years, you can get a bit settled, a bit entitled. You start asking for things from the manager, saying you want to play in this position, or in a certain way. 'But Amad still has the attitude of a youngster looking to impress, but at the same time he has this enormous talent and potential, yet he's still been patient. 'At times, he was out on loan, not picked as a starter, and he never made demands or sounded off in the press. He has the right attitude, he's got the perfect mentality for a Manchester United player. Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Ryan Gravenberch (Liverpool), Liam Delap (Ipswich Town), Anthony Elanga (Nottingham Forest), Dean Huijsen (Bournemouth), Joao Pedro (Brighton), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa), and William Saliba (Arsenal) 'Because of this, he's only going to develop, he's only going to get better. He has the attitude that will keep him focused, he won't misbehave. 'This is the standard I want from my United players, and actually the older players around him need to realise he's setting the example that they have to follow, not the other way around. 'They should see that they're here at the club to make sacrifices, to work for the manager, the fans, and that's it. I'm not here to make demands. 'That's why he's got my respect. He came back earlier than we expected from his injury and he's already scoring goals. He's brilliant.' Saha won two Premier League titles and the Champions League at Manchester United but has watched his former club suffer a huge fall from grace over the past decade. United's dismal form led to intense scrutiny over Amorim's position at Old Trafford but Saha still has 'faith' in the former Sporting Lisbon manager. 'I've got faith in him, because I think the brutal honesty he acts with is what is needed,' Saha added. 'The players are under no illusion what he wants from them, but he also needs to improve too. 'I think he spent too much time watching the side lose and made too few changes. I think he wasted some time. I know you can't change everything without a pre-season, but now he has one. 'He needs to use his analysis and communicate to his players, and both he and the players need to do better. More Trending 'It's hard to see how it could get worse, frankly, but this summer he has the chance to pick the players he wants, but it's not just about their quality on the pitch with the ball. 'It's about the personality of the players, and you need players who aren't whining to the press everyday. You want players who aren't scared to work hard and sacrifice. 'There are too many passengers. You need a squad of 20 soldiers, and maybe you can carry a few flair players who can act out occasionally. 'You need the committed players to keep the crazy ones in check, and keep their nonsense to a minimum. And they will have to listen. Right now, that balance isn't there. The players aren't under control.' For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. MORE: Arsenal make final decision on Viktor Gyokeres transfer after agent meeting MORE: Liverpool star convinced Florian Wirtz arrival will force 'dream' move to Barcelona MORE: Jadon Sancho's preferred club tells him they are not interested in summer transfer
Scotsman
3 hours ago
- Scotsman
Hearts chief Andrew McKinlay speaks out on his future, abuse from fans and explains why he is angry
Edinburgh club had a disappointing 2024/25 campaign in the SPFL Sign up to our Hearts newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Torrents of abuse raining down on Hearts directors became almost a weekly occurrence last season. Supporters turned on senior officials during the worst start to a campaign in club history, including an early League Cup exit, then a catastrophic European elimination, derby defeats against Hibs and, finally, a seventh-place Premiership finish. One man suffered the brunt of the flak. Chief executive Andrew McKinlay endured months of unforgiving criticism which still continues as Hearts prepare for season 2025/26. There is a new management team led by Derek McInnes, plus four permanent signings with several more to follow. McKinlay, however, remains a focal point for fans' ire. Chants against him and chairwoman Ann Budge were heard several times at matches last year as some Tynecastle followers called for boardroom change. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad As a former Scottish Football Association executive, public carping is not new to McKinlay. He is determined not to be derailed in efforts to restore Hearts to a challenging position. In the third of an exclusive three-part interview with the Edinburgh News, he explained the impact of vocal condemnation from fans. 'It's not nice, it's very stressful,' said McKinlay. 'I've got pretty high resilience because of previous roles I've done. I'd like to think that it's not really personal. I know it's aimed at me personally or aimed at others personally, but what do I mean by 'it's not personal'? Well, as far as I'm aware, no-one that's sang my name or shouted my name or abused me actually knows me. Once people abuse you who know you, that's a very different situation. 'These are people who are, understandably, massively frustrated with what they've seen this season and they want to take that out on someone. I totally understand it. I don't like it of course because it's aimed at me, but I totally understand it. Football is a hugely passionate sport and, for a huge number of our fans and fans of other teams, this is their life. 'During the week, they may work in a job which they just do to genuinely almost make money so they can come to the football and pay for their season ticket. I'm well aware that when we don't perform on the pitch, we've ruined their week, we've ruined their weekend. They're angry and they're frustrated. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Anger at Hearts and the quest for SPFL success in Scotland with Tony Bloom's £10m 'I can assure them that I'm also angry, I'm also frustrated, but they are entitled to their views. They're entitled to be angry at me. All I can say back is that I genuinely am working as hard as I can, trying my best for this club and I believe that I can help us and have helped us up to now have some success. We've had a bad season but we will bounce back from that. I'm also the first to admit - and I don't think anyone that I know could say anything else - but we all make mistakes. The big thing about any mistakes you make in life is that you learn from them and you go forward. 'I think in life these days - football very much so - you're almost not allowed to make a mistake. Second chances aren't given in life any more, you're cancelled immediately. I'm not talking about football, I'm talking more generally in society. I find that quite disturbing actually that people make a mistake or whatever and that's it, they shouldn't be entitled. It's almost like, 'well that's it, fire them, end of their shelf-life,' and I struggle with that. This is a tough sport, it's a passionate sport and our fans are entitled to their passion.' While others might question their own longevity or desire to continue amid such pressure, McKinlay's resolve is clear. He feels Hearts are embarking on an exciting new chapter with Tony Bloom's £10m investment and Jamestown Analytics' involvement. He insisted he has not thought about walking away from Tynecastle. 'No, not at all. I love working at this club, I love working in football,' he said. 'I'd give anything to bring success to this club. If I thought I couldn't do the job or I wasn't good enough to do the job or I couldn't take us through the next stage, then I would give thought to it but as I sit here right now, I think I can. I think even the fact that we've got to this stage, having investment from someone, the whole analytics piece, I'm sure the fans must appreciate that hasn't just happened. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'For us to get to here, there's been a lot of work by me, other members of the board and my team. The guys who work in my team put in a huge amount of work to get us the best front-of-shirt sponsor we've ever had, the best kit deal we've ever had, the stadium we've got out there now. 'You compare that to others - and I totally understand that if the men's first team have a bad season then no-one really is interested in all that other stuff. But we have a lot of really good things going on here, so we just need to get the number one thing right now and that's what I'm absolutely committed to doing.' READ MORE: Andrew McKinlay interview Part 1 READ MORE: Andrew McKinlay interview Part 2
Metro
3 hours ago
- Metro
Arsenal make final decision on Viktor Gyokeres transfer after agent meeting
Arsenal are now set to move quickly to wrap up a deal to sign Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres, according to reports in Portugal. Gyokeres' relationship with Sporting has turned sour this week with the Sweden international now desperate to secure a move away from the Portuguese capital. Arsenal held fresh talks with the striker's agent on Wednesday to discuss a move to bring him to the Emirates. The Gunners have explored moves for both Gyokeres and Benjamin Sesko this summer with reports now suggesting the former may now be their prime target. Arsenal officials met with Gyokeres' representative, Hasan Cetinkaya, with A Bola reporting the Premier League side are now ready to move forward with a concrete offer. Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro's Football Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link so we can send you football news tailored to you. During the meeting, Arsenal discussed terms with Cetinkaya and the fee it will take to sign him with a formal proposal expected 'in the next few hours'. A Bola also claim Arsenal are 'in a hurry' to conclude the deal with Gyokeres also keen on the move to north London. Arsenal must now agree a fee with Sporting with club president Frederico Varandas yesterday accusing Gyokeres' agent of trying to 'threaten and blackmail' the Portuguese champions. Despite having a €100million (£84m) release clause, it has been widely reported Sporting will allow him to leave him for €60m plus €10m in add-ons (£50m plus £8m) this summer, stemming from an apparent agreement between the club and player's representatives last year. Varandas however insisted there was never any agreement over a final number, ruling out the possibility of Gyokeres leaving for that cut price fee. 'One thing you should already know is me better,' Varandas said. 'Threats, blackmail and insults don't work with me. I can guarantee that Viktor Gyokeres will not leave for 60+10 because I never promised him that. More Trending 'This game that the agent is playing only makes the situation worse. [Are there offers for 60 million?] To this day, Sporting has not had an offer for Viktor Gyokeres, neither today nor last season.' Arsenal also remain in talks with RB Leipzig over a move for Sesko. Sporting director Andrea Berta believes a deal can be done for around £75m but so far there has been no major breakthrough. Manchester United and Juventus meanwhile remain interested in the former Coventry City star. Ruben Amorim has been eager for a reunion with his former striker in Manchester but a lack of European football on offer at Old Trafford next season could prove to be a decisive blow to those plans. MORE: Leroy Sane reveals why he snubbed Arsenal interest to join Galatasaray MORE: Chelsea slammed for selling 'unbelievable' player to Arsenal for just £5m MORE: Arsenal transfer target Rodrygo drops hint on his future after first meeting with Xabi Alonso
