'Unless you cut the boy's hand off, I don't know where he goes'
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Metro
27 minutes ago
- Metro
Man Utd legend Wayne Rooney sends warning to Viktor Gyokeres after Arsenal debut
Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has issued a warning to Viktor Gyokeres after his subdued Arsenal debut. Gyokeres struggled to make an impact in Arsenal's Premier League opener at Old Trafford on Sunday and was replaced in the second half by Kai Havertz. Much is expected of Arsenal's £64m summer signing following his sensational form for Portuguese giants Sporting. Gyokeres, who was playing in the Championship with Coventry City three seasons ago, scored 97 goals in 102 appearances for Sporting, helping them win back-to-back league titles. The Sweden international was brought in to solve Arsenal's goalscoring issues and take the Gunners to the next level after three successive second-place finishes. Metro's new weekly football newsletter: In The Mixer. Exclusive analysis, FPL tips and transfer talk sent straight to your inbox every Friday – sign up, it's an open goal. Some pundits expressed concern over Gyokeres' performance against Manchester United but Rooney says he 'didn't get much support' and insists 'you don't become a bad player after one game'. However, the England legend also warned Gyokeres he is playing in a 'completely different league' and faces 'a lot more pressure' than he may be used to. 'To be fair to him he didn't have much support at times,' Rooney said on his BBC podcast when asked about Gyokeres' Arsenal debut. 'He was a bit isolated, he did show his strength, there was one time he ran into the channel and pushed [Matthijs] De Ligt off the ball. 'You don't become a bad player after one game. I actually played against him a couple of years ago when he was at Coventry and back then you could tell he was a good player. 'The one thing I would say is this league is completely different to where he's been and there's a lot more pressure. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video 'Arsenal have been in need of a striker and he's the one they've put the trust in and spent the money on so there is a lot of pressure on him. 'Now, the question I would have is can he handle that pressure? We've seen at Man United some players just can't do it, just can't handle the pressure of playing for a big club. 'I guess we're going to find out over the next few months.' Rooney also assessed Arsenal's Premier League title chances after they began the season with a hard-fought 1-0 win at Old Trafford. As well as Gyokeres, Mikel Arteta has welcomed Martin Zubimendi, Noni Madueke and Christian Norgaard to the Emirates Stadium this summer. 'I think they can,' Rooney said when asked if he believes Arsenal can win the title ahead of the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City Chelsea. 'It will be tough but they can. 'You can't judge them on that performance because I know what it's like at the start of the season, it can be tough for players. 'Arsenal are certainly one of the three or four teams that can win it, that's for sure.' More Trending The Gunners will attempt to make it two wins from two on Saturday when Premier League new-boys Leeds United visit the Emirates Stadium. Leeds marked their return to the top-flight with a 1-0 win over Everton on Monday night. Six other teams won their opening games of the season as well as Arsenal, including defending champions Liverpool and Pep Guardiola's Manchester City. Liverpool scored two late goals to beat Bournemouth 4-2 while Man City looked formidably strong in a 4-0 thrashing over Wolves. For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
The Independent
27 minutes ago
- The Independent
Why there's much more at stake for Dillian White than just this one fight
When Dillian Whyte steps into the ring tomorrow against Moses Itauma, live on DAZN, he does so with the knowledge that a loss at this level and at this stage of his career will remove him from title contention and shove him towards the role of gatekeeper. These are the fighters for whom a world-title challenge is now out of the reach and the role within the industry is that of providing a litmus test for a potential contender looking to establish themselves as a threat amongst the higher levels. Win against a gatekeeper, and you may go on to challenge for a world title. But to lose is to know that such a challenge is beyond your grasp. Of those professional fighters who set out to be champions, none of them relish the role of becoming gatekeepers. Even if many of them end up being more memorable than those who fight for championships, lose, and then fade away from the limelight. At this stage of his career – multiple failed attempts at a world title – and reaching the age of 37, Whyte is facing closing time in the last-chance saloon. A win against Moses Itauma will revive a flagging career. But a loss will likely place him in the list below as one of the great gatekeepers of the heavyweight division. Kevin Johnson, 36-22-2 (20) He may have lost consistently in Germany in the waning years of his career, but the Asbury Park-born Johnson was once a serious contender for the heavyweight crown, losing on points to Vitali Klitschko in Berne, Switzerland, in 2009. Johnson was 22-0-1 (9) at the time, but lost a wide unanimous decision. After that, he seemed to enjoy bobbing in the heavyweight waters, taking victories over not-quite contenders such as Alex Leapai and Albert Sosnowski. He eventually ended up fighting across the UK and Europe, losing widely to Tyson Fury, Christian Hammer, Derek Chisora, Mahmoud Charr, Kubrat Pulev, Andy Ruiz, and Daniel Dubois. In that time, it is noticeable that only Anthony Joshua, in 2015, was the only opponent to stop him. Eventually, Johnson ended up plying his trade largely in Germany, where he upset an applecart by knocking out Yoan Pablo Hernandez, 29-1 (14), in seven rounds, before getting back to losing ways, dropping a decision to Agit Kabayel in 2021. It remained pretty much all losses after that, with Johnson last fighting in 2023, losing a majority decision to Mark Petrovsky, 5-0 (4). Smokin' Bert Cooper, 38-25 (31) Fans of the book The Years of the Locust by Jon Hotten will recall that Cooper was known by his manager Rick Parker as '$50 Bert'. The nickname came about from the fact that that was the maximum amount of money Parker could send Cooper each day without the Pennsylvania fighter going on a tear and drinking himself out of contention. Cooper fought them all during the 1990s: Ray Mercer, Riddick Bowe, George Foreman, Orlin Norris, Carl Williams, Evander Holyfield, Michael Moorer, Mike Weaver, Corrie Sanders, Chris Byrd, Fres Oquendo, Joe Mesi, and Luis Ortiz. The problem was that every single one of them beat him. The closest Cooper ever came to real heavyweight glory was against Holyfield, whom Cooper stunned in their 1991 fight in Atlanta, Georgia. The 'smoke' in his name seemed to come not from the ferocity of his fighting, but his tendency to quench any fires his skills and abilities frequently ignited Rydell Booker, 27-9-1 (14) Legal problems curtailed a lot of his career, but Rydell Booker was no joke as an amateur. A multiple champion in the unpaid side of the sport, the first part of his professional career ended with a unanimous decision loss to James Toney in 2004. After fourteen years away from boxing, Booker returned with three wins but a loss to Jermaine Franklin seemed to set the course for losses. In the last five years, Booker has lost to Filip Hrgovic, Otto Wallin, Kubrat Pulev, and Viktor Faust. That last fight was in Berlin, where Booker often interrupted his fighting to talk and converse with people ringside. Earnie Shavers, 76-14-1 (70) He may have finished his days in Virginia, but the Alabama-born fighter spent a great part of his life working on the door of Yate's Wine Lodge in Liverpool. The story behind his arrival there is strange enough for the world of boxing. Shavers, famous for his bald head, was also once named the hardest puncher in heavyweight boxing. This was in the pre-Deontay Wilder days. The result of any match between the two could be decided on the flip of a coin, given both their propensities to suffer stoppages. Like many of the others on this list, Shavers fought everyone but eventually became a litmus test for those coming through. Amongst the people he shared a ring with were Muhammad Ali (whom Shavers knocked down), Larry Holmes twice (Shavers also knocked him down), Ken Norton (whom Shavers knocked out in one round), Joe Bugner (also knocked down), Ron Lyle (also knocked down), Jimmy Young (also knocked down), Jimmy Ellis (Shavers knocked him out in one round). There was a definite pattern of Shavers knocking down his opponents. The good ones were able to get back up, outbox, and – in cases – stop him. The bad ones could not. Shavers always said he wanted to face George Foreman, but the latter was wary of his power. He said the same, too, in his autobiography about Mike Tyson.
Daily Record
28 minutes ago
- Daily Record
Every deal Celtic can get done with clock ticking on Champions League transfer deadline
Jamie Vardy has issued a come-and-get-me-plea while two wingers remain top of Brendan Rodgers' wish list It's D-Day for Celtic as Brendan Rodgers looks to add at least one new face to his squad in time for the Champions League playoff. The Hoops have until 11pm on Tuesday night to make two additions to their 25-man squad ahead of Wednesday's first leg blockbuster against Kairat Almaty. Despite being frustrated at the lack of business being done, Rodgers has reiterated his hope that his frontline can be bolstered before the looming deadline - with wingers and a main striker on the shopping list. Vardy, 38, is being chased by several sides with Napoli, West Ham and big-spending Championship new boys Wrexham interested. However, sources suggest the ex-England star - who has been without a club since leaving the Foxes at the end of last season - has set his heart on a stunning switch to Parkhead. Vardy has been keeping himself fit with a personal trainer and is determined to continue playing at the highest level until he's 40. David Strelec is on the radar too and his father believes Slovan Bratislava's elimination from the Champions League could see the Hoops reignite their interest in the hitman, after seeing a January bid thrown out. Milan Strelec said: "When Slovan were trying to win through to the main stages of the Champions League again, the club's management would not consider David's transfer. "Or at least it was not high on their agenda. But now I presume things will start to happen before the August deadline. "Things will start heating up around David again. As far as I know, several clubs are still interested, including Celtic and Middlesbrough and we know both had bids for him in the past. So I am curious what will happen in the remaining few days before the deadline." However, it's believed an agreement is unlikely unless there is a significant drop in the £9million asking price from the Slovakians. Celts have also been alerted to the availability of Feyenoord winger Calvin Stengs. The Netherlands international, 26, has fallen out of favour after an injury-hit couple of seasons and is tipped for an exit in the next fortnight. The door has not yet been shut on long-term target Michel-Ange Balikwisha, and it's understood negotiations with Royal Antwerp are ongoing. Parkhead chiefs remain optimistic that a deal can be struck for the £4.5million-rated winger, who is out of contract next summer. Cluj goal machine Louis Munteanu is among a list of targets, with reports suggesting Celts had a £6.9m bid rejected for the Romania striker earlier in the window. The 23-year-old is currently embroiled in an ongoing pay dispute with his club and was nowhere to be seen in last week's Europa League defeat to Braga. Celtic are overloaded with midfield options but Andy Irving's name refuses to go away, with West Ham willing to do business for a modest £3.5m. The ex-Hearts star, 25, is believed to be drawing interest from Rangers too and looks poised to quit the Hammers in search of more minutes. However, with Callum McGregor, Reo Hatate, Ben Nygren, Arne Engels, Luke McCowan and Paulo Bernardo all battling it out for starts, another central midfielder isn't a priority. A deputy left-back for Kieran Tierney is on the agenda, though, and versatile Cagliari defender Adam Obert could fit the bill. The Slovakian international - who can also play centre-back and left mid - is said to be attracting interest from Celtic and in Germany, but would cost around £6m.
