
Alejandro Garnacho sends two-word message to Marcus Rashford after Barcelona move - as star becomes first Man United 'bomb squad' member to depart
Rashford's move to Barcelona was confirmed on Wednesday with the forward joining on an initial season-long loan.
Barcelona will have the option to sign Rashford permanently for around £30million at the end of the season.
Rashford had been one of five players placed in Man United 's 'bomb squad' this summer, with Ruben Amorim determining them to have no future at the club.
Garnacho is among those to have been told to stay away from first team training and left out of the club's tour to the United States to seek a move elsewhere.
The group also includes Jadon Sancho, Antony and Tyrell Malacia.
Rashford become the first member of the 'bomb squad' to leave Man United by sealing his move to Barcelona, with Garnacho quick to respond.
The forward responded to a joint Instagram post by Barcelona and Rashford, confirming the deal, with the message 'Lets gooooo'.
Garnacho's message was accompanied by two emojis mirroring Rashford's goal celebration, which has previously seen him point to his head.
The winger, who was told to find a new club by Amorim at the end of last season, has already attracted attention for his social media posts this summer.
Fans had expressed anger last month after Garnacho shared photos from his holiday to Ibiza, one of which included a picture of him wearing the Aston Villa shirt worn by Rashford on his loan last season.
Supporters had hit out at the winger for wearing another Premier League clubs shirt while a Man United player, while some viewed it as defiance to Amorim after his decision to cut ties with Rashford.
Amorim had informed Garnacho that he should find a new club days after their Europa League final defeat against Tottenham in May.
The Argentine winger had been unhappy to be left on the bench for more than 70 minutes of the final, while his brother Roberto had accused Amorim of 'throwing him under the bus' in Bilbao.
Garnacho and his brother appeared to signal their disagreement with the team selection on social media posts before the match, while he had apologised for expressing disappointment at his substitution in an Instagram post back in February.
Mail Sport reported that Man United would consider offers of around £40m for Garnacho this summer.
Garnacho had been valued at around £70m when Napoli made an approach for him in January.
The 21-year-old wants to stay in the Premier League and there is interest from Chelsea, Tottenham and Aston Villa.
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The Independent
8 minutes ago
- The Independent
Michelle Agyemang's youth team hails Lioness as girls' football enjoys boost
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Daily Mail
8 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Michail Antonio scores TWICE in his first West Ham start since near-fatal Ferrari crash 'completely shattered' his leg seven months ago
Michail Antonio scored twice in his first start for West Ham just seven months after a terrifying car crash left him needing surgery and fearing for his career. Antonio escaped the incident with a badly broken leg and had his femur bone put back together after it was shattered in four places. The forward had not featured in a match since crashing his Ferrari into a tree in December until he suited up for his national team last week. The 35-year-old was back on the pitch for Jamaica's Gold Cup opener against Guatemala, coming off the bench in the 85th minute. And on Friday night, Antonio took another step in his recovery, playing 45 minutes in a behind-closed-doors West Ham Under 21 friendly against Boreham Wood. It took him just 20 minutes to net a brace as the Hammers marched to a 4-1 victory. He will be keen to prove his fitness with his West Ham contract, which is believed to be around £90,000 a week, coming to an end. Antonio is currently weighing up his options after rejecting a short-term deal on lower wages. 'He's looking at what offers he gets,' a senior Hammers source recently told Mail Sport. West Ham announced earlier this month they will continue to support Antonio throughout his comeback, even though he will officially been listed as a ' free transfer '. West Ham announced earlier this month they will continue to support Antonio throughout his comeback, even though he will officially been listed 'Given Michail Antonio's unique situation, following his serious road traffic accident in December 2024, there will be no formal decision and announcement on his future until such time that it is considered right and appropriate,' the statement read. 'However, as his current contract is also due to expire on 30 June, for the purposes of the Premier League Retained List procedure at the end of the 2024/25 season, Michail will be listed as a free transfer. 'As a long-serving, highly-respected player, and a much-loved member of the West Ham family, the club's absolute priority at this time is to support Michail personally in his journey to resume playing at the highest level.' The West Ham record Premier League goal-scorer revisited his old car's remains at a scrapyard in March, which put the horror incident into perspective. 'It gave me a weird feeling in my stomach,' Antonio told BBC One programme Morning Live. 'It just made me realise how close I was to dying. I had seen the pictures, but it was 10 times worse in person. The car was an absolute mess. It was difficult for me. 'All I know is that I hit a tree - I don't know how I hit a tree - and that the police came and when they found me in the car, I was in between the two seats. 'From the crash, I've been more of an emotional man. I was avoiding going back because I was slightly embarrassed by the crash and the accident. Obviously I've almost died in the car crash.' The accident was Antonio's second in a fast car after he crashed his £210,000 Lamborghini Huracan into a bin shed in Balham, south London, on Christmas Day 2019 while dressed as a snowman.


Times
36 minutes ago
- Times
Sarina Wiegman: what makes England head coach so special
If this is a 'proper England' team, the mantra that has helped a fearless and at times scrappy squad reach the European Championship final, then the unshakeable figure at its very core is typically Dutch. Immediately, she made us all wait. For 13 months the FA, which had announced her signing in August 2020, patiently watched Sarina Wiegman finish her contract with the national team of her homeland. She was loyal, and no amount of money or prestige would change that, eventually taking charge in September 2021. As it transpired, 13 months was rather inconsequential to the 56 years of hurt Wiegman ended by lifting the European Championship trophy on home soil in the heady summer of 2022. The 55-year-old's strong character was forged growing up in the Hague, where girls were not allowed to play in boys' teams. Instead, she cut her hair like a boy and carried on regardless, alongside her twin brother. Many times, in her formative years, she was told 'girls should not be doing that'. She resolved to take no notice. She had enough talent not just to defy the critics, but to play for her country. The 1988 Fifa Invitational Tournament was her first taste of the truly international game, as a teenager in China. She remembers the luxury of the White Swan hotel, where the Netherlands were based, something she had never experienced before. Her other memory of that tournament is that despite the thousands in attendance, they were not fans of women's football and would laugh when the players made mistakes or misplaced a pass. She did not believe a career in football, or coaching, was possible for a woman, so became a PE teacher, the basis of many skills which are now useful in her professional career. She juggled that alongside her playing years, winning 99 caps for the Netherlands, with the same steely determination and 'serious' attitude she has today. She became assistant coach of the Netherlands in 2014 and was given the head coach role on a permanent basis in January 2017, six months before the start of their home European Championship. Just as she replicated in England in 2022, she used the pressure of the home nation as a positive. She made difficult decisions too, dropping the captain Mandy van den Berg, whom she considered a friend, for the majority of the tournament. There was the cut-throat side to Wiegman which Steph Houghton, and several others, would later experience. Yet it is the foundation for her success. Euro 2025 is her fifth major tournament as a head coach — two with the Netherlands, three with England. She has reached the final in all five. To do so, her key coaching philosophies have remained the same, but she has tweaked her attitude and relationships with players. When she first arrived at the England camp in 2021, those present say there was immediately an aura around her, not least because she was someone who had done what everyone at St George's Park was so desperate to do: win. She was struck by the very English habit of talking around difficult topics instead of tackling them head on — more of a straightforward, typically Dutch approach. She told staff and players she would prefer them to be direct. 'You can just say what you think and still be very respectful,' she explained. Initially she was irritated by the jewellery and watches players wore, such were the fine details she focused on. Over time she has relaxed, realising that the players have thrived with the trust she has given them — as the bonds have grown, so too has the mutual respect. While other England teams, men's and women's, have had cliques and negative rivalry within, she has trusted them to sit with whom they wish, and authentically create friendships. Love Island, it is fair to say, is not Wiegman's cup of tea. But she is happy for her players to sit together and watch it, if it is something that helps them to relax. She has also encouraged players to share their footballing stories with one another. 'We've made ourselves very vulnerable . . . Sarina herself has made herself really vulnerable,' Beth Mead, the England winger, told the BBC. 'I think that gives us so much more togetherness, so much more trust in each other, that we're willing to share really tough moments with each other and how can we help each other. Sarina has really instilled that into us as a team. She's got our back, we've got her back.' The squad has dealt with difficult off-pitch events too. Mead lost her mother, June, to cancer, the same disease that Ella Toone's dad, Nick, died of. Wiegman's elder sister, Diana, died in June 2022 from ovarian cancer. Wiegman now has a tattoo on her right wrist, an infinity symbol featuring a small rose, as a tribute to Diana, and of endless love. Keira Walsh reflects that Wiegman has been more open, particularly in her celebrations and what the team has meant to her, in recent months. 'She's probably one of the best managers I've played for in terms of trying to make everyone feel loved,' the midfielder added. As Izzy Christiansen, the former England midfielder said on The Game podcast, Wiegman is the kind of manager players wish they had the chance to play for. She does so, with a hug — like the one she gave Michelle Agyemang after her semi-final heroics — but also with blunt honesty. Each player knows their role in the squad, as starter, or finisher, her version of substitutes. That has been hugely effective in all three of her tournaments in charge, despite clear weaknesses in squads at left back, and midfield depth. She has faced criticism for her late use of substitutes (Agyemang was not brought on until the 85th minute of the semi-final against Italy), but there is no one in the footballing world — at least the women's game — less influenced by the sway of public opinion than Wiegman. She believes wholeheartedly in the way she does things and will not change. 'She's not forcing me [to start her],' Wiegman said of Agyemang. It does not matter how dire the situation, how deep into borrowed time her team appear to be, they will look over and see Wiegman calm and collected. That honesty and directness also created a pre-Euros crisis, of sorts, when Mary Earps and Millie Bright both withdrew from selection for the squad, citing mental and physical fatigue. Wiegman would have liked to select both, but it is understood she had told them that they might not be guaranteed starters. During the 2023 World Cup, Wiegman was asked whether Lauren James's brilliant performances had 'let the cat out of the bag', amusing those in the press conference room as she looked utterly confused at the idiom. Now Wiegman considers herself more English, even stating she 'doesn't beat around the bush' when explaining those conversations with Earps and Bright. She enjoys a roast dinner and chicken tikka masala, as well as the country's obsessive sporting culture. She likes to relax with yoga, which she has perfected in the close confines of hotel rooms, and walks in nature. Her family — her husband, Marten, and their daughters, Sacha and Lauren — will explore the local areas around where England play, and that suits Wiegman, to know they are happy, and every now and again touch base with a coffee. She is not able to relax fully, in 'work mode' for the length of the tournament, but finds the increased spotlight on her baffling. Her family are one of the reasons she has continued to live in her homeland. She could have tried to change herself to be the Lionesses head coach — and there were plenty of detractors saying she should have been forced to move to England — but she has done things unapologetically her way. Mark Bullingham, the FA chief executive, said before the tournament that even if England had departed early, Wiegman's job would be safe. He has since added there is 'no price at all' which would see the FA part with her. Her contract lasts until after the 2027 World Cup and whenever she does choose to depart, it will be as a national hero — and with an honorary CBE which could be upgraded to a damehood if England win on Sunday. Wiegman never likes to make headlines or give any focus to non-performance matters, but she does understand, and is proud of, the wider ability of the Lionesses to effect societal change. After Euro 2022 and their celebrations in Trafalgar Square, squad members, including the defender Lotte Wubben-Moy, spoke on the team bus of how important it was that their victory should make real change for young girls. That was the foundation of a government pledge to ensure that girls and boys are offered the same sports during PE lessons and extracurricular periods. Wiegman was fully supportive and encouraged her players to use their platform for things they were passionate about. Aside from the external significance of Sunday's final, it is also the final match in which she will sit alongside her assistant, Arjan Veurink, on the touchline. He will depart to become the head coach of the Netherlands, having been integral to England's success. In the 2023 World Cup, his suggestion to change formation took an injury-hit squad all the way to the final. The duo are close, often huddled on the bench looking over an iPad or tactics board and if anyone is to convince Wiegman a different approach is needed against Spain, it will be him. There lies the complexity of Wiegman's leadership, an ability to delegate, valuing the opinion of others, with a caring touch of someone whom the players consider as similar to a mum. Make no mistake though, her word is final, her approach steadfast. In doing so, she has forced change, on the pitch and in society, in a way that felt simply impossible to deny. Now her team operate in the same manner, never beaten, even when the odds are stacked against them — the same grit that led Wiegman to the grandest of stages in the first place. England v Spain