logo
For sure – Marcus Rashford would relish playing with Lamine Yamal at Barcelona

For sure – Marcus Rashford would relish playing with Lamine Yamal at Barcelona

BreakingNews.ie3 hours ago

Macus Rashford has revealed he would like to play alongside teenage prodigy Lamine Yamal at Barcelona.
Rashford, 27, signed a five-year contract with Manchester United in 2023, but spent the second half of the recently concluded Premier League campaign on loan at Aston Villa and his future under Ruben Amorim – who had left him out of several squads – remains uncertain.
Advertisement
The forward opened up about his ambitions in an interview with Spanish influencer Javi Ruiz which was shared by BBC Sport.
Marcus Rashford is open about his admiration for Lamine Yamal. Photo: Nick Potts/PA.
Asked if he would like to be team-mates with Barca's 17-year-old scoring sensation Yamal, Rashford said: 'Yes, for sure. Everyone wants to play with the best. Hopefully… we'll see.'
Barcelona sporting director Deco in May told Catalan radio station RAC1 that the club 'like' Rashford.
Rashford added: 'It's difficult to put into words what (Yamal) is doing because he's not supposed to be doing that at 16 or 17. I don't think we've seen that before.'
Advertisement

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Carlos Alcaraz beats Lehecka to extend win streak and regain crown as king of Queen's
Carlos Alcaraz beats Lehecka to extend win streak and regain crown as king of Queen's

The Guardian

time39 minutes ago

  • The Guardian

Carlos Alcaraz beats Lehecka to extend win streak and regain crown as king of Queen's

Carlos Alcaraz was initially not quite ready for the moment when he moved within touching distance of another Queen's title. In the final stages of a bruising second set tiebreak, the score level at 5-5, Alcaraz threw in a double fault against a soaring Jiri Lehecka. He soon found himself battling in a final set he would have rather not contested. Alcaraz handled this moment of adversity with the same self-assurance and courage he has shown so many times before while demonstrating his growing maturity as he refocused to close out the in-form Czech Lehecka 7-5, 6-7 (5) 6-2 and triumph at Queen's for the second time in his career. With his third title in a row following victories at the Italian Open and Roland Garros, Alcaraz has now extended his career-best winning streak to 18 matches. A two-time defending champion at Wimbledon, Alcaraz's march through the draw has provided him with the perfect preparation for greater challenges ahead. He will head to the All England Club as the clear favourite as he tries to become the fifth man in the Open Era to win three singles titles in a row. Alcaraz has built such a supreme résumé at a faster rate than all but only a couple of male tennis players in the history of the sport but for the stratospheric heights his game has already reached, and the many occasions when it seems like he is capable of absolutely anything on the court, his form could also be temperamental. Over the past few months, things have clearly shifted. In addition to his three consecutive titles, Alcaraz has now reached five consecutive finals, compiling a 27-1 record since the start of April. Not only is he playing with freedom, his serve has improved and he is executing the less spectacular facets of his game with greater consistency rather than overplaying. This victory is even more impressive considering how life continues to move at warp speed for the 22-year-old. Only two weeks ago, he was in the process of pulling off one of the greatest comebacks of all time as he toppled his great rival Jannik Sinner in the French Open final. He had only three nights in Ibiza to disconnect and reckon with all that he had achieved before duty called once more. Alcaraz has spent the past eight days trying to work through the notorious, extreme transition from clay to grass. Lehecka, one of the most devastating shotmakers in the game, has been serving and striking the ball at an incredibly high level throughout the week in London. In the biggest final of his career, Lehecka continued his excellent service form early on, effortlessly taking care of his own service games while putting pressure on Alcaraz to keep up. After serving brilliantly to escape a 4-5 0-30 deficit, the pressure rising, Alcaraz made his move with a solid return game to snatch the decisive break of the set. However, as was the case in his bruising semi-final win against Jack Draper a day earlier, Lehecka immediately shrugged off the difficult set and kept on moving. He continued to work through his service games throughout the second set, putting an increasing amount of pressure on Alcaraz's serve. By the final stages of the tiebreak, Lehecka was in control of the baseline. Under pressure for the first time, Alcaraz double faulted at 5-5 in the tiebreak as Lehecka took the set. American McCartney Kessler secured her third career title, defeating Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska 6-4, 7-5 in a rain-interrupted Nottingham Open final. Kessler, who recorded her first main draw tour-level win on grass earlier this month at Queen's, dominated the match from the outset and sealed victory in one hour and 34 minutes. "I'm super excited to have another title. I've gotten to another final, another great week of tennis for me. I want to start by congratulating Dayana on a good week as well," Kessler said. "She's a really tough competitor. We've had three really competitive matches, so congrats on a good week." The 25-year-old American outperformed Yastremska on serve in the first set, winning 17 of her 25 service points compared to the Ukrainian's 19 from 35 first serves. The second set went to 3-3 before Kessler fought off a spirited challenge from Yastremska to close it 7-5. Yastremska, the first Ukrainian player to reach a WTA Tour final on the surface in 17 years, was playing her second final of the year but fell short of clinching her first WTA title since 2019. Instead of betraying his frustration, Alcaraz refocused immediately and separated himself in the final set. He produced a brilliant return game at 2-1 to snatch the first break and he never looked back as he rolled through the set to close out another successful week on the tour. Elsewhere, Marketa Vondrousova closed out an impressive week by defeating Wang Xinyu of China to win the Berlin Open title, her first triumph since winning Wimbledon in 2023. Vondrousova's career had already been derailed numerous times by significant injuries before her Wimbledon win and she has been continually sidelined since then. Having fallen from her career high ranking of No 6 a year ago, Vondrousova defeated the world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka and Madison Keys, the Australian Open champion, en-route to her third career title.

Morton praises 'special' England U21s after beating Spain
Morton praises 'special' England U21s after beating Spain

BBC News

timean hour ago

  • BBC News

Morton praises 'special' England U21s after beating Spain

Liverpool's Tyler Morton described the England Under-21s team as "special" after they reached the Euro 2025 semi finals. The Young Lions beat Spain 3-1 in Trnava on Saturday to set up a last-four showdown with the Netherlands on Wednesday. It was a vastly improved performance after a stuttering group stage ended with them finishing as runners-up to Germany with four points. England and Spain were involved in a mass brawl at the final whistle - sparked by a late tackle on Tino Livramento - and Morton believes it demonstrated their unity. He said: "This is a very special team. It's a team that's got a bit of everything, especially fighters. You see at the end, it's part of the game and I think everyone's got passion for the game."That's some things that you don't develop, that's something you've just got and I think this team's got it."We showed that, dominating a Spanish team for most of the game was not what all English teams do."I think we've shown a different side. I think we were very comfortable in and out of possession and I think sometimes the out of possession bit has got to be done. I think they're a top team, they're a threat, but I think we minimised that threat."Morton, though, will miss the semi-final against the Netherlands in Bratislava after being booked in the first half, his second caution of the tournament. "I didn't know until after the game. I was just really in the zone. I don't think it was a yellow card, myself, but it's gone," said the 22-year-old. "I've got to just prepare myself now for what could be, but I'll be right behind the lads the whole game."

New Chelsea star details huge impact Man Utd boss Ruben Amorim had on his career
New Chelsea star details huge impact Man Utd boss Ruben Amorim had on his career

Daily Mirror

timean hour ago

  • Daily Mirror

New Chelsea star details huge impact Man Utd boss Ruben Amorim had on his career

New Chelsea signing Dario Essugo has detailed the huge impact Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim had on his career during the pair's time together at Sporting Lisbon Chelsea midfielder Dario Essugo has revealed his huge debt of gratitude to Ruben Amorim. It was the Manchester United boss who gave Essugo's career lift-off when they were together at Sporting Lisbon and made him one of Europe's most sought after young players. Former Sporting boss Amorim gave Essugo his debut in the Champions League when he was just 16 years and 268 days, making him the Portuguese club's youngest debutant in the competition. ‌ Essugo, 20, joined Chelsea in the summer for £18.5m and will always be grateful for Amorim for putting him in the first team after just ONE training session. Portugal under-21 star Essugo said: 'He brought me to the first team so he helped me a lot, to understand the game, to reach the level I am here now. ‌ 'I am grateful. He is so demanding. He is a demanding person. He likes to win every time so he has helped me a lot. I made one training session with the first team and the coach Ruben Amorim likes what he saw and he called me to play. 'I didn't expect to play because at this time there was Covid and I wasn't playing anything because the Champions League had stopped. We had good players like Manuel Ugarte, João Palhinha and now Morten Hjulmand. 'They are three big players. I had the opportunity to learn with one of them and of course this for me was a big opportunity.' Essugo says he learned a lot from those players and Amorim but also wants to be his own man rather than be compared to players like Claude Makelele or Michael Essien and N'Golo Kante who have obvious similarities. He said: 'To be honest, I never saw Makelele on TV but the people told me a lot about Makelele and say I have some similar parts of his game. They are big players. I want to make my own way but also like to see Makelele, Essien and Kante, to follow their steps. 'I always play as a midfielder but also I am a defensive midfielder but I also like to go forward with the ball, box to box. Of course it is good when they compare you with a very big player but it is a mix of both because I want to try to have my way, to achieve the top.' ‌ And when Chelsea came calling this summer, there was never any doubt in Essugo's mind about where to go. His dad now manages his career after a career in construction while his mum works in a kitchen. Now Essugo wants to cook up something special at Stamford Bridge and says Enzo Maresca has also been hugely positive since he arrived. He added: 'Chelsea helped my parents so many times. I feel very good. When my father said Chelsea want me to come here, of course I can't say no. ‌ 'I am learning with the coach, the players, the midfielders here. Enzo has a different idea of football like all the managers. But I always to try catch what he wants. Romeo Lavia is so calm I learn so much from him. 'It is a different level. The players are amazing. Before, when I was at Las Palmas and Sporting, they had very big players but for me it is an amazing feeling to be here.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store