BBC Sport speaks to the executive producers of Netflix series Sunderland 'Til I Die before the release of the new series on Wednesday.
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Tuesday, March 31, 2020
Robin van Persie names his top five former Man Utd teammates
Robin van Persie has named his favourite former Manchester United teammates from his successful three-year spell at Old Trafford.
The Dutchman made the switch from Arsenal to rivals United in 2012 and helped fire Sir Alex Ferguson to his last ever league title as Red Devils boss.
Van Persie scored an impressive 48 goals in 86 appearances over three seasons and was surrounded by some of the best players of the Premier League era.
The 36-year-old told So Foot: ‘[Nemanja] Vidic was a warrior. He put his head where normally it’s scary to do so. He did anything to win.
‘Ferdinand, he was more elegant, comfortable with the ball, strong in aerial play, good in long play.
‘[Ryan] Giggs was the flamboyant player, always giving the impression of being in his comfort zone. Still in great shape at 39, he did yoga and lived football all the time.
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‘Rooney was impressive in his own style too. The guy was always full on.
‘Also Patrice Evra, who always spoke loudly to instil confidence in the team. Today, I know he makes ‘funny’ videos, but please don’t believe that’s all he is, as he is also a super professional and a super-intelligent guy.
‘He speaks five languages – even Korean! His physical appearance shows how professional he is. His mind is as strong as his body.’
Van Persie also revealed that legendary boss Ferguson called two United players ‘a***holes’ for partying after the defeat to Manchester City in April 2013, in the midst of a title race.
Two years after that league-winning campaign, the striker moved on to Turkish club Fenerbahçe, before ending his career at boyhood side Feyenoord at the end of last season.
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Arsenal need to sell Mesut Ozil, says club hero Andrey Arshavin
Arsenal hero Andrey Arshavin has urged Mikel Arteta to offload Mesut Ozil.
The German has impressed since Arteta took charge and has repeatedly insisted he has no plans to leave Arsenal in the near future.
Arshavin, who spent four years at Arsenal, thinks Ozil is the wrong fit for the Gunners and criticised a ‘weak squad’.
‘As a player of course I respect him. Mesut is a world class player,’ Arshavin said speaking exclusively to 888Sport.
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‘But for me personally he slows down the game. I would prefer to use another player. Mikel, as we can see, is the opposite and plays him a lot.
‘He has improved his game at Arsenal but still in the future I do not see him there.’
‘For me Arsenal’s squad is not balanced,’ he continued.
‘Offensively-wise they are very good and in attack they play very pretty football. It’s good to watch. But defensively – even in my period – Arsenal is weak.
‘Sometimes that is down to injuries and sometimes they don’t have enough experience but I don’t know why this doesn’t change.
‘Regarding Arteta, it was a good choice because he has spent time at Arsenal and knows the club well. He worked next to Arsene (Wenger) and can take good experience from him.
‘He also has the respect of the club and players. And since he has taken over at Arsenal they have changed: not too much but in a good way.
‘But it is difficult to predict if Arsenal can finish in the Champions League zone, especially in the time we’re in now.’
Read the full 888sport interview with Andrei Arshavin here
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MORE: Rio Ferdinand tells Mikel Arteta to build Arsenal team around three players
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‘Gutted’ Ian Wright reveals what he told Jack Grealish after he broke coronavirus lockdown rules
Former Arsenal and England striker Ian Wright says he was ‘gutted’ Jack Grealish defied coronavirus lockdown measures and contacted the Aston Villa captain to express his disappointment.
Grealish said he was ‘deeply embarrassed’ after he was pictured at the scene of a car accident in Birmingham on Sunday.
The incident came hours after Grealish, 24, had urged fans to ‘stay home’ during the country’s coronavirus lockdown.
‘I am gutted because people could have been hurt, that is the thing,’ Arsenal and England hero Wright told BBC Radio 5 Live.
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‘People do not realise, not just with what is going on, but people could have been hurt and I hope that he is sitting somewhere now realising the enormity of the mistake he has made – that is all I am hoping.
‘I have messaged him so he knows how I feel. I am very, very angry about it.
‘He came up from the Championship with the weight of Aston Villa and all their expectations on him, and let’s face it, with the way that he has played this season, he has answered everything to carry that club.
‘People think as a professional footballer you make a mistake, but no, the reason you are a professional footballer is that you have to lead by example.
‘He is linked with a massive club in Manchester United, so you think to yourself that you have to act accordingly.
‘It doesn’t matter if you are 24, you have to act accordingly and I hope that this isn’t something that is going to cause him a lot of problems. I really do hope that.’
Grealish admitted he was ‘deeply embarrassed’ after defying the coronavirus lockdown measures, which were brought in to tackle the spread of COVID-19.
‘I just want to do a quick video message just to say how deeply embarassed I am about what happened this weekend,’ said Grealish.
‘I know it’s a tough time for everyone at the moment, being locked indoors for so long. I obviously got a call from a friend asking to go round to his and I stupidly agreed to do so.I don’t want anyone to make the same mistake I did.
‘I urge everyone to stay at home and follow the rules and guidelines with what we’ve been asked to do. I know for a fact I’ll be doing that in the near future now. I urge everyone to do the same.
‘I hope everyone can accept my apology and we can move on from this and hopefully in the future we can all be out enjoying ourselves again once this has all boiled over.’
Aston Villa confirmed on Monday that they had fined Grealish, with the proceeds donated to the University Hospitals Charity in Birmingham.
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Rio Ferdinand names the player Manchester United should sign to replace Paul Pogba
Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand is still hoping that Paul Pogba will remain at Old Trafford but has the perfect replacement in mind if the Frenchman decides to leave this summer.
Pogba’s current contract with the Red Devils is due to expire next year – though United have the option to trigger a further one-year extension – and he has been heavily linked with both Juventus and Real Madrid.
Having previously been reluctant to lose Pogba, United are now thought to be prepared to let him leave if he pushes for a move and they can recoup the £89million they paid for him.
Ferdinand remains a big fan of Pogba – who has not played for United since Boxing Day due to injury – but believes Atletico Madrid’s Saul Niguez would be an excellent, though slightly different, replacement if he does leave.
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Asked on an Instagram Live who United should sign to replace Pogba in the event he leaves, Ferdinand replied: ‘I don’t want Pogba to go but if he does go I’d take Saul Niguez all day long.
‘Not like-for-like but still a top player.’
He added: ‘What a player. I’ve been harping on about Saul Niguez for a few years now.
‘I think he’s a major player. Composed, calm, great left foot, lovely conductor, he can score goals, tactically he’s very aware.
‘You can see Simeone, he gets his teams really well set up and he’s in the middle orchestrating and dictating things.’
Pogba has only made five starts in the Premier League this season, having struggled massively with injury, and is trying to get back to full fitness at home during the coronavirus lockdown.
Although once a key cog in the United midfield, the team have improved massively since then, with Fred now one of the first names on the team sheet, Nemanja Matic back snuffing out danger, Scott McTominay continuing his rapid development and January recruit Bruno Fernandes providing flair and creativity.
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Coronavirus: Tottenham's non-playing staff take pay cut
Tottenham's non-playing staff will take a 20% pay cut during the coronavirus pandemic, the club announces in a statement on Tuesday.
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Premier League, EFL and PFA to discuss collective wage deferral
Premier League and EFL clubs are set to discuss a collective wage deferral agreement at a meeting with the PFA on Wednesday.
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Wolves send message to Manchester United over Raul Jimenez transfer move
Wolves have reportedly told Manchester United that they have no intention of selling Raul Jimenez in the summer transfer window.
Jimenez, 28, has racked up 13 goals and six assists in an exceptional start to the Premier League campaign and the forward’s eye-catching form has seen him linked with a big-money move away from Molineux.
United, Arsenal and Real Madrid have all been linked with Jimenez but the Mexico international will be going nowhere if Wolves get their way.
According to The Daily Star, Wolves have issued a clear ‘hands-off’ warning to interested clubs as they brace themselves for an onslaught of offers over the coming months.
Wolves’ mega-rich Chinese owners are determined to keep hold of their top players as they have ambitions to break into English football’s elite as quickly as possible.
The West Midlands outfit currently sit sixth in the Premier League table and are hopeful of at least qualifying for the Europa League when football gets back underway again.
Earlier this week, Jimenez insisted he was in no hurry to leave Wolves despite growing interest from some of Europe’s top teams.
‘I have a contract until 2023. It’s not [the case] that we have to qualify for the Champions League in order to stay,’ the sought-after attacker said.
‘I’m good here, happy with Wolves, doing important things – me as well as the whole team.
‘We’ve been trying our best since the start of last season. We’ve qualified for the, now we’re fighting for a Champions League spot.
‘It’s the big motivation to keep growing as a player and getting into the Champions League is always a plus that satisfies you and keeps you thinking about big things.’
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MORE: How Manchester United have reacted to Jack Grealish breaking coronavirus rules
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Jack Grealish’s apology for ignoring coronavirus lockdown branded ‘self-serving and embarrassing’ by Jamie O’Hara
Jack Grealish’s apology for breaking coronavirus lockdown rules was ‘self-serving’ and ’embarrassing’.
That is according to former footballer Jamie O’Hara, who is a self-described massive Grealish fan.
The Aston Villa star was forced to apologise for flouting lockdown rules after pictures emerged of him on the street after a car allegedly crashed – just hours before Grealish had publicly urged people to stay indoors.
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Grealish offered little details in his apology on Monday, but said he was ‘deeply embarrassed’ by the whole incident.
O’Hara, who played for Tottenham and Wolves in his career, slammed Grealish’s actions and his ‘self-serving’ apology.
‘It’s completely idiotic behaviour and I’m really disappointed in him, because I’ve been his biggest fan this season. I’ve bigged him up and I thought he was over that sort of stupidity.
‘What I can’t understand is his thought process in doing it. He is a role model, he plays for Aston Villa, he’s got the world at his feet at the minute. Jack should not be leaving his house.
‘We all want to go out and enjoy ourselves, have a pint, but you can’t. People are dying. The NHS frontline are working tirelessly hard to keep people alive and you’ve got Jack Grealish who are flaunting the rules to go out and have a party until 8am in the morning.
‘Mate, you’re probably on £50,000, £60,000 a week, go and sit in your nice big house in Birmingham that you probably got. Relax and chill out and focus on what you’ve done and this season and what you’ve achieved.
‘And his apology for me is embarrassing. He hasn’t actually said sorry. He’s just said he’s embarrassed. Well of course you’re embarrassed, you’ve embarrassed yourself because you got caught.
‘ I just think it was a ridiculous apology, a ridiculous thing to do. Not once has he mentioned in his apology the NHS staff, not once has he apologised to them because they’re the ones who are suffering and the ones struggling with this virus. It’s a selfish statement he’s put out.
‘ I’ve been his biggest fan this season, I really have.’
Police have launched an investigation of the incident that occurred early on Sunday in the Birmingham suburb of Solihull after Grealish had attended a party at the home of ex-Villa team-mate Ross McCormack.
Manchester United are eager to sign Grealish in the next transfer window, but after the ugly incident, speculation began that the Red Devils might have been put off signing the playmaker.
MORE: How Manchester United have reacted to Jack Grealish breaking coronavirus rules
MORE: Jack Grealish ‘deeply embarrassed’ after defying coronavirus lockdown measures
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Celtic: Neil Lennon says wage cuts possible to cope with coronavirus impact
Manager Neil Lennon says wage cuts are a possibility at Celtic amid the shutdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
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England 1-5 Scotland: The day the Wembley Wizards were born
Ninety-two years ago, a diminutive Scotland team thrashed England at Wembley and entered folklore. This is their story...
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Jude Bellingham ‘almost certain’ to snub Man Utd and join Borussia Dortmund
Birmingham City wonderkid Jude Bellingham prefers Borussia Dortmund over Manchester United, and is only a signature away from completing a move to Germany, according to reports.
The 16-year-old has been courted by United after a standout breakthrough season in the Championship during which he has scored four goals and registered two assists 25 league appearances.
The Red Devils went to the extent of giving Bellingham a guided tour of their Carrington training ground, including a special visit from Sir Alex Ferguson.
But according to German outlet BILD, the wonderkid will ‘almost certainly’ join Borussia Dortmund in the next transfer window.
The Bundesliga side are already in advanced negotiations with the teenager and only require his signature to seal the deal.
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However, talks have been put on ice during the coronavirus pandemic, with planning for next season rendered almost impossible and uncertainty surrounding when the transfer window will open and for how long it will run.
Dortmund’s CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke, meanwhile, told BILD recently: ‘Regardless of names that we never discuss publicly, it’s really not the right time to talk about transfer fees and transfers.’
The report also states that Manchester United could face another blow in their pursuit of £120m Dortmund star Jadon Sancho, who may stay in Germany for another year.
Watzke added: ‘I can clearly say that even the very rich clubs, despite the existential crisis, do not have to believe that they can go on a bargain tour with us. We don’t have to sell anyone under value!’
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Man Utd transfer target Harry Kane told he would be ‘stupid’ not to leave Tottenham for Liverpool or Man City
Harry Kane would be ‘stupid’ not to leave Tottenham for Liverpool or Manchester City, according to Chris Sutton.
England striker Kane said last week that he could leave Spurs if the club did not progress because he wants to win trophies ‘sooner rather than later’.
Kane has developed into one of the Europe’s most prolific goalscorers at Tottenham but is yet to get his hands on any silverware and has been linked with a move to Manchester United.
And former Chelsea and Celtic striker Sutton believes Kane would have no choice but to accept a move to Liverpool or Man City if the opportunity arose.
‘I can understand the predicament he is in,’ Sutton told BBC Radio 5 Live.
‘But if he wants to win the Premier League, then he should move on and go to a club who have better chance of winning it than Spurs do.
‘We all understand he wants to win something. So if he wants to win something, I wouldn’t begrudge him a move.
‘Spurs are a brilliant club, but at this moment in time they are way behind the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City.
‘If one of those clubs came in for him, if you were Harry Kane you would be stupid not to go.’
On Monday, Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand urged Kane to join the Old Trafford club, saying the striker could be left ‘devastated’ by a trophy-less career in London.
‘When he’s been pressed in the past about his loyalty to Spurs he’s always been a bit coy but this isolation I don’t know what it’s done to him but he’s dropped a couple of bombs,’ Ferdinand said on Instagram Live.
‘If and it’s a big if… Spurs… Mourinho… Mr Levy etc. if there isn’t success here at the club I support then I’m going to have to start to look at things.
‘Your career is short. I want to win things, I want to be successful. If I don’t see that at Spurs – though my love is here for Spurs, I love the club I’m loyal – I want to win things.
‘I’ve said it a number of times in regard to Spurs and Kane I’ve been hammered by Spurs fans [saying] “don’t say that about him” but I’m only speaking what a footballer should thinking – you want to be successful.
‘If you’ve got aspirations to be successful and you can go out there and court big clubs and go to successful places where you can win things you’ve got to be searching for that.
‘He can’t be sitting there and be totally happy at Spurs.’
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Robin van Persie reveals Sir Alex Ferguson called Manchester United duo ‘a***holes’ after Manchester City defeat
Robin van Persie has revealed how Sir Alex Ferguson made an example of two Manchester United players in front of the whole squad after they were caught partying in the wake of their defeat to Manchester City in April 2013.
James Milner’s deflected 51st-minute strike cancelled out Vincent Kompany’s own goal and it appeared United and City would have to settle for a draw at Old Trafford. But Sergio Aguero beat David de Gea at his near post with 12 minutes remaining to steal all three points for the visitors.
The result saw City closed the gap on top-of-the-table United to ten points and, speaking after the final whistle, Ferguson insisted his side were ‘unlucky’ to lose the match.
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However, the iconic Scot was furious after two first-team stars were pictured on a night out following the defeat and called the duo ‘a***holes’ in front of the rest of United’s squad at the club’s Carrington training base.
‘The day after the game Sir Alex had photos put up on the dressing room wall of the two players taken during their night out,’ Van Persie told SoFoot.
‘He told the entire squad: “Boys, if we don’t win the league it’s because of these two a***holes who opted to go out”.
‘I know the names, but can’t reveal them. The manager slaughtered them. It was amazing. He’d put up photos documenting where they were, at 2am, 3am, 4am etc, to underline just how stupid they had been.’
Van Persie added: ‘He didn’t stop there, but warned us that if he heard of any of us going out before we’d won the league we’d be out of the team.
‘He was merciless, saying: “I don’t care who you are or how many trophies you’ve won – if you go out before the end of the season I’ll sell you”.
‘After that speech I had the two hardest training sessions I’ve ever had in my life. We went on to win the title. A manager has to know when to be tough, and when to take the pressure off.’
The Red Devils bounced back from the defeat to secure the trophy just two weeks later and Ferguson stepped down as manager that summer after winning his 13th league title with the club.
Van Persie’s stunning first-half hat-trick against Aston Villa took United over the line and the Dutchman finished the campaign as top scorer in the English top flight with 26 goals.
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MORE: How Manchester United have reacted to Jack Grealish breaking coronavirus rules
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