Wirtz opens Liverpool account in friendly win against Yokohama
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The Independent
18 minutes ago
- The Independent
Andy Farrell not ruling out leading the Lions for New Zealand tour
Andy Farrell has left the door open to leading the next British and Irish Lions tour after presiding over a 2-1 series victory against Australia. The Lions' dream of finishing their tour Down Under with a 100 per cent record ended with a 22-12 defeat in the final Test at a rain lashed Accor Stadium, but they return home having achieved the main objective. A first series triumph since 2013 puts Farrell in pole position to take charge of the next expedition to New Zealand and the Ireland boss admits his passion for the Lions has only grown over the last two months. 'Everyone knows what I think about this concept and I suppose that says it all,' he said. 'I love everything that the Lions is about and I've thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyed the last eight weeks. 'There are always ups and there are always downs, but the inner circle is a special place to be. 'Read into that what you want but I suppose four years, there's a long time between drinks isn't there?' An extraordinary third Test that produced three failed HIAs and saw James Ryan knocked out was paused for 37 minutes early in the second-half after the players left the field because of lightening strikes in the area. Australia then used up the full 10 minutes available to warm-up for the resumption of play, while the Lions only took five minutes. TV footage from the Lions' changing room during the break showed Finn Russell and Tom Curry using their phones. 'We agreed on 10 minutes for the warm-up and through the advice from our experts in that field we only made the call to come out five minutes before so that we would be ready to go,' Farrell said. 'I hope I'm not in a game like that again, actually. Rigor mortis was setting in at one stage there for the lads! I suppose that is what you come to expect with a schedule like the Lions schedule. We have seen it all now haven't we! 'We were trying to work out what the rules were and what was going to happen. At one stage it looked like it was going be 45 minutes then it was pulled back to 30 minutes. 'There were updates constantly coming in but the lads stayed relaxed enough, had five minutes of a warm-up and got the show back on the road. 'What came off the back of that is Australia hit the ground running and thoroughly deserved their win.' Australia boss Joe Schmidt revealed his side had prepared for the incoming bad weather. 'We had been warned that there might be a bit of lightning, so we had a plan and with that plan we made sure that guys kept moving,' Schmidt said. 'We'd four balls in the changing room so guys could throw them around, so that guys could stay connected. 'We had a couple of bikes and different guys were rotating on and off the bikes. The rest of the time, it was just trying to get us organised for the restart.'
Metro
an hour ago
- Metro
Darwin Nunez next club odds slashed as team makes move for Liverpool striker
The bookmakers expect Darwin Nunez to make a summer move to Saudi Arabia, with Al Hilal making a move in their pursuit of the Liverpool striker. The Uruguayan is available for transfer as the Reds significantly revamp their forward line after winning the Premier League title. Hugo Ekitike has arrived from Eintracht Frankfurt and Florian Wirtz has been brought in from Bayer Leverkusen, while Liverpool continue to be linked with the likes of Newcastle's Alexander Isak and Real Madrid's Rodrygo. Luis Diaz has left for Bayern Munich and of course the club lost Diogo Jota in tragic circumstances due to his shocking death last month. Nunez has been linked with a move away from Anfield all summer after a disappointing season on a personal level, despite the team's success under Arne Slot. 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 we'll send you so we can get football news tailored to you. The 26-year-old scored just five Premier League goals in 30 appearances, netting seven times in 47 outings across all competitions. The Reds are happy to let him go, but want a significant return on the initial £64m they paid Benfica for him in 2022. Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal have made a move, with transfer expert Fabrizio Romano reporting that they have 'presented their project and plan to Darwin Nunez in recent days.' A deal is far from done, with negotiations still to take place between the clubs and the player. While a number of players have been tempted to the Saudi Pro League, plenty more have also decided they would prefer to continue their career in Europe, turning down the vast riches on offer in Saudi Arabia. 4/5 Any Saudi Arabian team3/1 AC Milan4/1 Liverpool9/1 Juventus 10/1 Newcastle Odds courtesy of bet365 Nunez may well have an option to make a big move within Europe, with AC Milan also interested in signing him this summer. Italian transfer expert Gianluca Di Marzio reports that the Uruguayan is AC Milan's first choice as they look for a new striker this summer and they have held talks with him already. The Serie A side will not be able to compete with Al Hilal on a transfer fee or wages, but will hope to appeal to Nunez by offering a higher level of competition. There is yet to be a bid from any side, with Napoli and Juventus also linked with a move for him this summer but their interest seemingly fading. It was a difficult season for the striker under Slot, with the manager criticising his work rate in February after back-to-back performances that disappointed the Dutchman. More Trending 'I helped him by saying you can miss a chance,' Slot told a press conference in February after Nunez made substitute appearances against Wolves and Aston Villa, missing a glaring opportunity in the latter. 'I wasn't only hard on him. But for the second time in a row I wasn't happy with his work effort, against Wolves and against Villa. 'I can't accept if a player doesn't give everything. That is clear. I can accept it once, but twice was a bit too much. That's why I addressed it. 'If you miss a chance, you need to be fighting for the team. I'm not saying he didn't do that at all, but it wasn't the usual Darwin, the one that is loved by the fans. That is mainly because he always works so hard.' MORE: Rasmus Hojlund rejects interested club in blow to Man Utd's Benjamin Sesko pursuit MORE: £60m Chelsea target misses training and sends social media message over move MORE: The reason Man Utd and Newcastle target Benjamin Sesko is out of RB Leipzig friendly
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Truth behind Liverpool's Alexander Isak transfer stance as Newcastle fear comes to light
Alexander Isak is to join his Newcastle team-mates next week after the Magpies rejected a £110m bid from Liverpool but his future appears far from certain at St James' Park Newcastle fear Liverpool are ready to play the same waiting game that once landed Virgil van Dijk in their bid to take £150million-rated striker Alexander Isak to Anfield. The Premier League champions have indicated they are prepared to park their interest in the Swedish international after seeing a £110million bid rejected by the Toon. Isak has set his sights on a move to Merseyside and has been using the training facilities at former club Real Sociedad while his team-mates are on a pre-season tour of Asia after missing the trip with a minor thigh injury. The 25-year-old risks alienating the St James' Park fans despite reassurances from manager Eddie Howe that he still has the full support of the club. If the relationship sours then that would crank up the pressure on the Tyneside club to allow Isak to get his wish by doing a deal with the Reds. Liverpool have been here before with Van Dijk. They backed off from making a move for the Dutchman when Southampton reported them to the Premier League over their conduct during negotiations in the summer of 2017. The complaint was dropped when Jurgen Klopp went public to declare their interest in the defender over - but five months later Van Dijk was snapped up for £75million. Former Saints chairman Ralph Krueger admitted that the saga had 'created an earthquake' at St Mary's. If Newcastle 's Saudi owners feel they are being manoeuvred into a tough position then it might backfire on both Liverpool and Isak. But boss Howe is keen to build on the optimism of ending Toon's 70-year wait for a domestic trophy last season and qualifying for the Champions League. He has been careful not to close the door on his best player returning to the fold. Howe, whose team face Tottenham in Seoul on Sunday, said: 'I am very much removed from everything that is happening back home. "I was made aware there was a bid yesterday. That bid was turned down before I heard about it. There are people back in England dealing with the situation. 'I really don't know what is going to happen next but, from our perspective, we still support Alex in every way and my wish is still that we see him in a Newcastle shirt again. 'I know where he is through the media, so I think from that perspective it's difficult for me to go into any detail. The situation is far from ideal. It is quite complex. I think that is all I have got to say." Newcastle are confident they have edged ahead of Manchester United in the race to sign RB Leipzig's Slovenian striker Benjamin Sesko after tabling a bid worth £70million, including add-ons. If they are successful then that will encourage Liverpool to believe that they can land Isak in this transfer window despite investing almost £300million in strengthening Arne Slot 's title-winning squad. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. 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.
