Latest news with #OliSCARFF
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Real Madrid sign Alexander-Arnold from Liverpool
Trent Alexander-Arnold joins Real Madrid after winning the Premier League title with Liverpool for the second time (Oli SCARFF) Real Madrid have signed defender Trent Alexander-Arnold from Liverpool on a deal until 2031, the Spanish giants said on Friday. The 26-year-old England international's contract at Anfield was drawing to an end but Madrid paid a fee to bring him in earlier so he can play in the Club World Cup. Advertisement Right-back Alexander-Arnold, who has just won the Premier League title with Liverpool, came through the academy of his boyhood club and won the Champions League in 2019. He also won the Premier League in 2020. The defender joins former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso at Real Madrid, with the Spaniard appointed as their new coach to replace Carlo Ancelotti. rbs/gj/bsp
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Wing wizard Maguire makes case for Man Utd defence in Europa League final
Harry Maguire scored the winner for Manchester United against Lyon in the Europa League quarter-finals (Oli SCARFF) Surprise wing wizard Harry Maguire says he hopes he can stay in his defensive comfort zone for Manchester United in the Europa League final against Tottenham on Wednesday despite his attacking cameos earlier in the competition. Ruben Amorim's men have the chance to end a disastrous season on a high in Bilbao against their Premier League rivals, who are also enduring a terrible campaign. Advertisement Central defender Maguire scored the winning goal in a remarkable comeback against Lyon in the quarter-finals of the Europa League, with United winning 7-6 on aggregate. Then he dazzled on the wing to help set up the first goal in the first leg of the semi-final against Bilbao -- a tie that ended 7-1 after the two legs. The former United captain was asked on Tuesday whether his forward forays were part of a new tactical masterplan by Amorim. "The manager has me dribbling every day in training," he joked. "No, listen, I found myself on the wing against Bilbao and managed to put a good cross in. Advertisement "Cas (Casemiro) has scored the goal. No, someone has just asked me before that. Obviously, I've gone up front in the later minutes of the game (against Lyon). "Tomorrow night, hopefully, I'm not going up front. I don't want to be going up front and chasing a game. I want to be defending the lead." He added: "I'm always there to help, I'm always there to do my best but I'm more than happy playing in my favourite position." - Hero to villain - The England international, 32, has played regularly this season after a difficult period in which he fell out of favour under former United manager Erik ten Hag, also losing the captaincy. Advertisement But he said it was "amazing" to be playing regularly again. "This season I have played a lot of football. I don't take too much notice of the plaudits from the media and things like that," he said. "When you play for this club you can be an amazing player and the following week you can be the villain. That's part and parcel of playing for this club. "I don't read too much into it. I try and stay as level as I can. Every game I go into it and try my best, and that's all you can do." United's current skipper Bruno Fernandes said the players at Old Trafford craved success after their struggles. Advertisement The club are 16th in the Premier League with one game to go -- certain to finish in their lowest position since they were relegated in 1974. But winning the Europa League would guarantee a place in the Champions League next season. "We want to be at the top of everything, not only the Europa League, not only the Premier League," he said. "We want to be at the top of the FA Cup, the Carabao (League) Cup, everything we are involved in. "This club needs to be fighting for everything we have ahead of us." Fernandes, who is the joint top-scorer in the Europa League this season with seven goals, said a trophy win could be transformational for United. Advertisement "It won't change the past, it won't affect what the past has done to us... but what can it affect is the future, probably yes. "Obviously winning the competition gives you a lot of things. You get a place in the Champions League, it gets a lot of revenue for the club, it gets obviously more players wanting to come to the club." jw/dmc
Sinar Daily
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Sinar Daily
Manchester United fans in Malaysia to see full squad take on Asean all-stars
United head coach Ruben Amorim confirmed the development during a press conference recently. 18 May 2025 05:00pm Manchester United's Portuguese head coach Ruben Amorim and players applaud fans after the English Premier League football match between Manchester United and West Ham United at Old Trafford in Manchester, north west England, on May 11, 2025. West Ham won the game 2-0. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP) KUALA LUMPUR - Manchester United fans in Malaysia can look forward to seeing the club's biggest stars live in action as the Red Devils' full senior squad will travel for the highly anticipated clash against the ASEAN All-Stars at the National Stadium, Bukit Jalil here on May 28. United head coach Ruben Amorim confirmed the development during a press conference recently. "I was consulted. We cannot say nothing after this season, so we need to help the club because the club wins some more money. We are going to connect with our fans around the world and that is important, especially when we lose and we disappoint our supporters during this tough season. "So, I think it is the least we can do. And we are going to take all the team, the young kids also, and we'll have the staff there. We had a lot of changes in the staff so we're trying to build something as a family. I think it is also a good thing,' he said as quoted by the club's official website Asked if he will take all of the senior players as well, Ruben said: "Yes, yes.' Despite a challenging season in the Premier League (PL), United showed remarkable resilience in their UEFA Europa League campaign, progressing to the final where they will face fellow English side Tottenham Hotspur at the San Mamés Stadium in Bilbao, Spain on May 21. The last time United played in Malaysia was during the 2009 pre-season tour, beating Malaysia XI twice, 3-2 and 2-0, respectively on July 18 and 20 at the National Stadium. The 13-time PL champions are also scheduled to travel to Hong Kong as part of their pre-season tour to play against the Hong Kong national team at the Hong Kong Stadium on May 30. - BERNAMA
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Everton to preserve Goodison Park for women's team
Goodison Park will become the home of Everton's women's team (Oli SCARFF) Goodison Park will become the home of Everton's women's team when the Premier League club open their new arena at Bramley-Moore Dock next season, the English outfit said on Tuesday. David Moyes' side are preparing to bid an emotional farewell to Goodison Park in the final men's match at the 132-year old Liverpool stadium against Southampton on Sunday. Advertisement Instead of knocking down the iconic ground the Toffees have opted to preserve Goodison as the host venue for their Women's Super League side. Everton's women currently play at nearby Walton Hall Park. With a capacity of 39,572, Goodison will become the largest dedicated women's football stadium in England. Everton's women played in front of an average crowd of 2,062 during league matches this season, a figure just below the capacity of Walton Hall Park. During construction of Everton's new 53,000-capacity stadium on the dockside, the club's previous owners announced plans for a renovation project at Goodison that would have included housing, a care home, retail units and a park. Advertisement But after being taken over by The Friedkin Group in December, Everton switched their plans to retain the stadium. Everton women's captain Megan Finnigan said: "This move is a testament to where the women's game is right now and, more importantly, where it is heading. "Goodison is a magical stadium with a deep heritage and close ties to the local community." Goodison will also stage some of the club's youth academy matches. "We know how treasured Goodison is, not only to every Evertonian but to the game itself, and being able to keep such an iconic stadium at the heart of the legacy project is something that has been incredibly important to us," Everton chief executive Angus Kinnear said. Advertisement "The women's game has grown significantly in recent years and we believe that growth will continue and accelerate. "We're under no illusions, there are obstacles we need to overcome to make this a success both practically and economically, but we're confident that we will overcome those challenges." smg/jdg/iwd
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Win or bust in Europa League for Amorim's Man Utd
Manchester United celebrate after completing their comeback against Lyon in the Europa League quarter-finals (Oli SCARFF) Ruben Amorim has bet the house on the Europa League after Manchester United's disastrous Premier League campaign, knowing this season and next hinge on winning the competition. The Portuguese manager took over from the sacked Erik ten Hag in November, with United a miserable 13th in the table. Now they are 14th. Advertisement That the former Sporting Lisbon boss is not under more intense pressure is largely due to a general appreciation of the scale of the task he faces at Old Trafford. United, so dominant domestically under former manager Alex Ferguson, will finish the season with their lowest points tally in the Premier League era. But Amorim's team can still rescue their campaign with victory in the Europa League, which brings with it a place in next season's Champions League. A return to Europe's top club competition could transform the future of United in the short term, boosting the coffers and making Old Trafford a more attractive destination for much-needed new recruits. Advertisement But United face a tough task in the semi-finals against Athletic Bilbao, fourth in La Liga, who have the added incentive of knowing the final will be held at their stadium. "San Mames will roar. We want to keep this dream alive," Bilbao tweeted this week ahead of Thursday's first leg in the Basque Country. The winners of the tie will face either troubled Tottenham or Norwegian champions Bodo/Glimt in the final. - Lyon comeback - United produced a comeback for the ages to see off Lyon in the quarter-finals, scoring three times in seven minutes in front of a disbelieving Old Trafford crowd. Advertisement But they have since returned to type, losing to Wolves and drawing at Bournemouth in the Premier League as Liverpool equalled their record of 20 English top-flight titles. Amorim, 40, admits winning the Europa League would be a huge shot in the arm for his struggling side. "In this context, winning something like that is massive for us for our confidence -- and then, to the future, to the next season," he said. "To play in the Champions League (makes the situation) completely different. The environment, the way we are going to face the summer, the budget for the summer -- everything is connected with this competition." Advertisement Bizarrely, despite their appalling Premier League form, United are the only team unbeaten in the Champions League and Europa League this season. The Red Devils were in complete control of the second leg of their quarter-final against Lyon at Old Trafford before familiar frailties returned to haunt them. They pulled off a miracle to win the second leg 5-4 to seal the tie 7-6 on aggregate but Amorim will know that lightning is unlikely to strike twice and his side must impose themselves. One plus for United is that Rasmus Hojlund scored just his second Premier League goal since early December in a 1-1 draw at Bournemouth on Sunday. Advertisement Captain Bruno Fernandes, United's top-scorer with 17 goals in all competitions this season, said he hoped that the goal would give the Denmark striker confidence. "Everyone that plays here who has the qualities to get into the box to score goals has to do it," he told MUTV. "Everyone is very happy to see a striker scoring and hopefully it's going to give him a little bit of a push for what's coming." jw/nf
