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The Courier
20 hours ago
- Sport
- The Courier
Why Dundee United was the only place for Luca Stephenson – and a 'clear' message from Liverpool boss
When the opportunity to embark upon another loan spell emerged, Luca Stephenson is adamant Dundee United were the only club for him. Stephenson, 21, enjoyed a blistering campaign on loan with the Tangerines last term shining in several positions and earning United's young player of the year award. He prematurely returned to parent club Liverpool to undergo surgery on a double hernia before playing a full part in the Reds' recent pre-season schedule. Tannadice gaffer Jim Goodwin made no secret of his desire to bring Stephenson back north but, with his performances for the Terrors sparking increased interest in his services, it proved to be a waiting game. All the while, anxious Arabs wondered whether they would see the popular Wearsider again. However, he penned another season-long loan last week and the sight of him in United colours was a silver lining to a disappointing afternoon in Kilmarnock on Sunday. 'I was away in Asia for a couple of weeks with Liverpool during pre-season, so I paid no attention to anything, really,' said Stephenson. 'But the minute I was told I could get myself back out on loan again, it all happened in a couple of days. My thoughts didn't go anywhere else except for Dundee United. 'When you go on loan, the most important thing is playing games and enjoying it. Being on loan is not the easiest thing and I wanted to be somewhere I was happy and comfortable.' He added: 'I had a few phone calls with a few people and spoke to the gaffer (Jim Goodwin). 'I had a good few texts from Vicko (Sevelj) and a few others, just asking how I was getting on – and if there was any chance they'd see me again! I just told them to be a little patient.' While the coaching staff and his team-mates were delighted to be reunited with Stephenson, that paled in comparison to the welcome he received from adoring Arabs. He was afforded a rousing reception at Tannadice on Thursday when he was presented to the fans prior to kick-off against Rapid Vienna. And that was followed by a serenade from the travelling support in the first minute in Ayrshire. 'It means loads; not just for me but my mum and dad (Kirsty and Paul) were in the crowd on Sunday,' he continued. 'It probably means even more to them – to hear that and see that reception. 'The kind of noise when I was reintroduced back to the fans on Thursday was really special. 'There's so much going on in the football world – talk about money here, money there – but to get that kind of reception from the fans is what means the world to me.' Although cognisant of the side's underperformance at the weekend – describing the 2-1 reverse as 'just not good enough' – Stephenson returns to United in buoyant mood. He has penned a new contract with the Reds, rightly noting: 'Liverpool don't just hand them out. ' And he lined up against Stoke, Preston, Milan and Athletic Bilbao during a summer that saw him taken to Asia with the first team. It is clear Arne Slot sees something in Stephenson – and the Premier League-winning tactician gave a full-throated endorsement to the player's return to Scotland. 'I spoke to the manager (Slot) over the summer while we were away and he watched a lot of me last year, whether it was live games on Sky or clips,' continued Stephenson. 'I get the sense he enjoyed how I came on last year and backed me coming back here. 'He's seen another improvement from me when I came back into pre-season, so the message was quite clear; go and do the same again – and step up another level, if it's possible.' He added: 'It's sometimes a bit of an eye-opener when you go in with players of that quality. 'I thought I had a good season up here – then you go back to Liverpool and see there's other levels to the game that I can take myself. 'I learned a lot over the six weeks while I was with them in pre-season.' On his wider future at Anfield, the ambitious Stephenson added: 'I want to kick on, be ambitious, and hopefully earn another contract. 'There's no reason to stop there.'
Daily Mirror
01-08-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Wrexham near TWO more signings as Ryan Reynolds grants Phil Parkinson his wish
Wrexham are set to secure the signings of two new players imminently as the ambitious club's Hollywood owners look to grant manager Phil Parkinson his wish for more new arrivals Wrexham's Hollywood owners have responded to their manager's call, with reports that two more new signings are close to completion. Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have already given Phil Parkinson the go-ahead to bring in six new players this summer. The Red Dragons are currently aiming to assemble a team capable of challenging in the Championship. Earlier this week, Parkinson voiced his desire to add more fresh faces to the squad before their season opener at Southampton on August 9. Reports now suggest that Wrexham are on the brink of securing a double transfer deal. As per Sky Sports News, they've agreed a £2million fee for Wales international striker Kieffer Moore from Sheffield United. In addition, Wrexham are nearing a deal for Leicester defender Conor Coady, also for £2m. It's believed that both signings could potentially be finalised on Friday, ahead of the team jetting off to the Netherlands for a friendly match. Last season, Moore scored six goals in 30 appearances for the Blades in the second tier, as they narrowly missed out on Premier League promotion, losing to Sunderland in the Championship play-off final. Despite the 32-year-old still having two years left on his contract at Bramall Lane, Wrexham are expected to succeed in their bid to entice him away. Coady, also 32, has nearly 200 Premier League appearances under his belt. The former England star is still tied to a contract with just under a year left, yet rumours have persisted of his departure from the King Power Stadium this summer. Rangers were once leading the chase for Coady's services, but now it seems Wrexham have stolen a march on them. Parkinson opened up the pursuit of Moore in a recent interview with the BBC. He said: "Kieffer's under contract at Sheffield United. He's one of a number of players we've looked at over the summer. The landscape changes in the transfer market very quickly from one week to the next. We're looking at lots of options here and abroad." Discussing his recruitment strategy, he said: "Obviously in an ideal world you want all your signings in prior to pre-season to work with But it just doesn't work like that. People sometimes say, why doesn't it? It's just a variety of reasons - clubs don't want to sell players, competition for players, negotiations over transfer fee or wages. "Of course, ideally, we'd like to make a couple more additions. Is that going to happen before the start of the season? It's difficult to say. But the most important thing is by the end of August we've got a squad in here which we feel can compete." The Red Dragons have secured promotion in each of their last three seasons, propelling them from the National League to the Championship. Reynolds and McElhenney have been candid about their aspiration to elevate Wrexham to the Premier League and have authorised a wave of summer transfer activity to help achieve their objective. Earlier this week, it was reported that the two actors have set a target date of 2027 to make the ultimate jump to the top tier. Nathan Broadhead, a forward for Wales and Ipswich, is reportedly another target near to signing in a deal valued at £7.5m. Sign up to our newsletter! Wrexham is the Game is great new way to get top-class coverage Wrexham AFC is the arguably the fastest-growing club in the world at the moment thanks to a certain Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. The Dragons have achieved two consecutive promotions and are cheered on by crowds from not only North Wales but also from all over the globe, thanks to the success of the Disney+ documentary 'Welcome to Wrexham'. But does it have a dedicated, quality source of information piped through to your inbox each week, free of ads but packed with informed opinion, analysis and even a little bit of fun each week? That's where Wrexham is the Game steps in... Available every Wednesday, it provides all the insights you need to be a top red. And for a limited time, a subscription to 'Wrexham is the Game' will cost fans just £15 for the first year.
Daily Mirror
18-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Premier League 2025-26 opening weekend TV fixtures including Man Utd and Arsenal
The fixtures for the 2025-26 Premier League season have arrived, with fans now having to wait less than two months for the action to get back underway. And there's set to be plenty of storylines that supporters can tune into. Liverpool head into the new season as defending champions following a stunning season last time out. Arsenal went close for the third year in succession and they will certainly be aiming to go one better this time. Elsewhere, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham will also be aiming to go one better this time after dire campaigns. There's also a few new faces set to take to the Premier League pitches next term. Leeds United won the Championship title in style under Daniel Farke to end their two-year exile from the top flight. They are joined by Burnley, who finished as runners-up, as well as Sunderland who won the playoffs last season to seal a Premier League spot for the first time since 2017. Understandably, there's plenty of interest in the much-anticipated first day of the season with ten fixtures set to be spread over four days. And most games will be available for fans to watch live on TV. As champions, Liverpool get the honour of getting the 2025-26 season underway as they take on Bournemouth at Anfield on 15 August in a game that will be live on Sky Sports. Aston Villa and Newcastle then take part in the first Saturday game of the campaign which will get underway at 12:30pm at Villa Park and will be available on TNT Sports. The first Saturday evening match of the season pits Wolves against dethroned champions Manchester City at Molineux - that game kicking off at 5:30pm on Sky Sports. There are also two live games on Sunday 17 August on the same channel. FA Cup holders Crystal Palace travel to Stamford Bridge to take on Chelsea in the early game. Manchester United's home game with Arsenal is arguably the standout fixture of the opening weekend and fans will be able to tune in. The sixth and final TV fixture of the opening weekend pits newly-promoted Leeds United against Everton at Elland Road. That game will take place on Monday August 18 and will kick off at 8pm on Sky Sports. Here are the confirmed TV fixtures for the opening weekend of the 2025-26 Premier League season... - Liverpool vs Bournemouth (8pm) - Sky Sports - Aston Villa vs Newcastle (12:30pm) - TNT Sports - Wolves vs Man City (5:30pm) - Sky Sports - Chelsea vs Crystal Palace (2pm) - Sky Sports - Manchester United vs Arsenal (4:30pm) - Sky Sports - Leeds vs Everton (8pm) - Sky Sports Join our new WhatsApp communityand 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. Sky has slashed the price of its bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £192 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more. Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games next season, an increase of up to 100 more.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ruben Amorim: Man Utd performances will get me sacked next season
An 'embarrassed' Ruben Amorim has claimed he will not survive at Manchester United next season unless there is a rapid uplift in results. United slumped to their 17th defeat of a shocking Premier League campaign after an insipid 2-0 loss at home by West Ham on Sunday. They have not lost that many games in a league campaign since being relegated 51 years ago and Amorim says United will be looking for a new manager next season if their current form continues. 'I'm not talking about the players, I'm talking about myself and the culture in the club and the culture in the team,' said Amorim, who has won just six of his 25 league matches since replacing Erik ten Hag as manager in November. 'We need to change that and we need to be really strong in the summer and to be brave. Because we will not have a next season like this if we start like this. If the feeling is still here, we should give the space to different persons. It's a big problem that we have here at the club. It's a decisive moment in the history of the club. We need to address that. 'It's a big problem because it's mentally. We are not scared of losing a game as Manchester United. We don't have that fear anymore and that is the most dangerous thing that a big club can have. That is the biggest problem in our club at the moment because we are losing the feeling we are a massive club. 'I think it's a concern. It's not the players fault. It's my fault, I'm responsible. If we cannot change that really fast we should give our place to different persons.' United face Tottenham in the Europa League final in Bilbao on Wednesday week in what is effectively a £100 million shoot-out for Champions League qualification between two clubs currently ranked 16th and 17th in the Premier League. But Amorim has questioned whether returning to the Champions League would be the best thing for United given the scale of their problems. 'I don't know what is best - if it's playing in the Champions League or not,' he said. 'How is a manager of Manchester United supposed to feel in this position? Embarrassed and it's hard to accept. 'I think everybody has to think seriously about a lot of things here. Everybody is thinking about the final. The final is not the issue in this moment in our club. We have bigger things to think about and we have to change a lot of things in the end of the season. 'To be honest with you, I'm not concerned about the final. It's by far the smallest problem in our club. We need to change something that is deeper than this.' Amorim appeared to imply that his players have been picking and choosing which games to rouse themselves for and condemned a 'lack of urgency' across the board. 'In the Europa League, we don't play quite well but we have a little bit of that urgency,' he said. 'We cannot lose the games, we have to win them. We managed to find a way to win the games. If Athletic Bilbao has a sending-off, we take advantage of that. We are so focused. 'You see these games in the Premier League, sometimes we are not focused. We don't have that feeling that we need to win to go to the next stage, like we have in the Europa League. So it's something that is mentally in our team. 'I don't want to talk about specific players. It's a team thing. When it's a team thing, it's a manager thing. We will try to address that. It has to be with a lack of urgency to defend the box and to attack the box. We need to be more aggressive and we need to feel that it is the end of the world when we are not winning a game.' United's misery against West Ham was compounded by a foot injury to Leny Yoro that forced the defender's substitution five minutes into the second half. Amorim said he was hopeful the problem is 'not too serious' but suggested it could be linked to the broken metatarsal Yoro suffered last summer that kept him out for four months. 'He had that problem at the beginning of the season,' he said. 'We hope it's not too serious. I don't want to say too much but maybe it's not a big deal. 'We have to assess Lenny in a better way tomorrow. He felt something but I think it could be a small thing.'
Straits Times
11-05-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
Forest's Champions League hopes hit by draw with Leicester
Soccer Football - Premier League - Nottingham Forest v Leicester City - The City Ground, Nottingham, Britain - May 11, 2025 Leicester City's Facundo Buonanotte celebrates scoring their second goal with Wout Faes Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NO USE WITH UNAUTHORIZED AUDIO, VIDEO, DATA, FIXTURE LISTS, CLUB/LEAGUE LOGOS OR 'LIVE' SERVICES. ONLINE IN-MATCH USE LIMITED TO 120 IMAGES, NO VIDEO EMULATION. NO USE IN BETTING, GAMES OR SINGLE CLUB/LEAGUE/PLAYER PUBLICATIONS. PLEASE CONTACT YOUR ACCOUNT REPRESENTATIVE FOR FURTHER DETAILS.. REUTERS Soccer Football - Premier League - Nottingham Forest v Leicester City - The City Ground, Nottingham, Britain - May 11, 2025 Nottingham Forest's Chris Wood scores their second goal Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NO USE WITH UNAUTHORIZED AUDIO, VIDEO, DATA, FIXTURE LISTS, CLUB/LEAGUE LOGOS OR 'LIVE' SERVICES. ONLINE IN-MATCH USE LIMITED TO 120 IMAGES, NO VIDEO EMULATION. NO USE IN BETTING, GAMES OR SINGLE CLUB/LEAGUE/PLAYER PUBLICATIONS. PLEASE CONTACT YOUR ACCOUNT REPRESENTATIVE FOR FURTHER DETAILS.. REUTERS Soccer Football - Premier League - Nottingham Forest v Leicester City - The City Ground, Nottingham, Britain - May 11, 2025 Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White celebrates scoring their first goal Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NO USE WITH UNAUTHORIZED AUDIO, VIDEO, DATA, FIXTURE LISTS, CLUB/LEAGUE LOGOS OR 'LIVE' SERVICES. ONLINE IN-MATCH USE LIMITED TO 120 IMAGES, NO VIDEO EMULATION. NO USE IN BETTING, GAMES OR SINGLE CLUB/LEAGUE/PLAYER PUBLICATIONS. PLEASE CONTACT YOUR ACCOUNT REPRESENTATIVE FOR FURTHER DETAILS.. REUTERS Soccer Football - Premier League - Nottingham Forest v Leicester City - The City Ground, Nottingham, Britain - May 11, 2025 Leicester City's Conor Coady celebrates scoring their first goal Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NO USE WITH UNAUTHORIZED AUDIO, VIDEO, DATA, FIXTURE LISTS, CLUB/LEAGUE LOGOS OR 'LIVE' SERVICES. ONLINE IN-MATCH USE LIMITED TO 120 IMAGES, NO VIDEO EMULATION. NO USE IN BETTING, GAMES OR SINGLE CLUB/LEAGUE/PLAYER PUBLICATIONS. PLEASE CONTACT YOUR ACCOUNT REPRESENTATIVE FOR FURTHER DETAILS.. REUTERS Soccer Football - Premier League - Nottingham Forest v Leicester City - The City Ground, Nottingham, Britain - May 11, 2025 Nottingham Forest's Chris Wood in action with Leicester City's Wilfred Ndidi REUTERS/Maja Smiejkowska EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NO USE WITH UNAUTHORIZED AUDIO, VIDEO, DATA, FIXTURE LISTS, CLUB/LEAGUE LOGOS OR 'LIVE' SERVICES. ONLINE IN-MATCH USE LIMITED TO 120 IMAGES, NO VIDEO EMULATION. NO USE IN BETTING, GAMES OR SINGLE CLUB/LEAGUE/PLAYER PUBLICATIONS. PLEASE CONTACT YOUR ACCOUNT REPRESENTATIVE FOR FURTHER DETAILS.. NOTTINGHAM - Nottingham Forest's hopes of securing a Champions League spot took a massive hit when they were held to a 2-2 draw by relegated Leicester City on Sunday, as Nuno Espirito Santo's side fell to seventh in the Premier League standings. Forest started the game slowly and Leicester went 1-0 up when Conor Coady reacted quickly to score from a rebound, but their lead lasted only nine minutes when Morgan Gibbs-White equalised with a towering header from a free kick. Forest stepped on the gas after the restart and Chris Wood gave them the lead with his 20th league goal of the season when he connected with a header at the far post to make it 2-1. But Jamie Vardy set up Facundo Buonanotte for a late equaliser and Forest could not find a winner, leaving the home side a point behind fifth-placed Chelsea. Leicester remain 19th, behind Ipswich Town on goal difference. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
