Sport

Bukayo Saka wins England men’s Player of the Year for the second year running on his birthday

Literally couldn’t have happened to a nicer lad.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 6th September 2023

Premier League star Bukayo Saka has won the England men’s team Player of the Year award for the second consecutive year – and on his birthday, no less.

Beating the likes of national team captain Harry Kane, and fellow talented youngster Jude Bellingham, who came second and third, respectively, Saka has now won the supporter-voted award for the second year running, after clinching his first at just 21.

As for this year’s accolade, following another successful league campaign with Arsenal in the 2022/23 season, and having more than played his part for England – scoring three times during their Qatar World Cup journey and shining in both the Nations League and the European qualifiers – it comes as little surprise that one of the country’s best talents has won it yet again.

Better still, it’s safe to say that he was a little taken by surprise when presented with the award concealed inside a giant birthday present by his teammate James Maddison.

Cue a typically wholesome reaction from arguably England’s most wholesome footballer.

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Saka being presented with England’s Player of the Year award for 22/23.

As you can see, the youngster said he had “no words” after winning the award, simply insisting, “I’m really grateful. Thank you to everyone who made this happen and yeah, it’s a nice birthday gift as well, so I’m happy”.

Saka, who just turned 22 on Tuesday, has scored seven goals in the last 10 appearances he’s made for his country – including the first hattrick of his career in the Three Lions 7-0 win over North Macedonia at Old Trafford back in June.

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He also happened to win the PFA’s Young Player of the Year at the end of August, and came in second for his club’s own POTY award.

The Ealing-born winger is once again part of Gareth Southgate’s England squad for their Euro 2024 qualifying match against Ukraine on Saturday and the friendly with Scotland in Glasgow the following Tuesday.

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Meanwhile, the Lionesses’ Player of the Year award will be announced later this month, with countless candidates likely to closely contest each other following an incredible showing at the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

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Featured Image — England/Bukayo Saka (via Instagram)

Sport

The Mary Earps drama and why she’s catching flak – explained

Danny Jones Danny Jones Mary Earps drama Hannah Hampton explained

You might have noticed female footballer Mary Earps’ name in the headlines a lot lately – arguably more than any time since her heroics at Euro 2022 – but many of you might be wondering why exactly she is facing so much criticism at the moment.

It’s not too complicated or long of a story, but it isn’t an entirely straightforward one either.

Put simply, the ex-Manchester United goalkeeper and now former England number one has just released her own autobiography entitled All In, which certainly seems to stay true to its title, as the 32-year-old has laid bare quite a lot of behind-the-scenes information.

With that in mind, the majority of the drama has come from the England camps and her relationship not only with the national team but with women’s manager Sarina Wiegman and, most notably, the shotstopper who unseated her as first-choice between the sticks for the Lionesses: Hannah Hampton.

Dropping on 6 November, she prefaced the release on social by writing: “Every chapter comes from the same place I play from: heart first, full commitment, no half measures.

“For me, there’s never been a halfway. I’ve always been all in. This book is a reflection of that mindset: relentless, honest, unapologetically me.”

While it sounds like an interesting invitation to hear the keeper’s most candid comments on the surface, that’s also ended up being a big part of the problem, with some of her supposed honesty surrounding England and her shock retirement from international football being seen as airing ‘dirty laundry’.

At the very least, many within the sport have questioned whether the tell-all approach has crossed a line of sorts, with several high-profile professionals arguing that what goes on in the dressing room should very much stay in there.

One such individual is the now-retired England and Man City legend, Ellen White; the Lionesses’ leading all-time goalscorer suggested that Earps virtually broke an almost unspoken rule between players by making such public remarks.

One of the main threads running throughout this ongoing drama is the perceived ‘beef’ between Mary Earps and Hannah Hampton, with the latter having previously been dropped from the Lionesses squad over reported issues surrounding her “attitude.”

Nevertheless, the 24-year-old has returned to the lineup and helped Wiegman’s record-breaking side win a second consecutive European championship, but as you can see in excerpts below, Earps didn’t exactly agree with the decision and her own treatment as a result.

Her more senior Nottingham-born counterpart has slightly doubled back in terms of tone since the release of the book – well, rather clarified that she has maintained nothing but “respect” for both individuals throughout, regardless of their various differences.

The two shared the stage alongside head coach Sarina Weigman at the 2025 Ballon d’Or ceremony as Hampton picked up the Yashin Trophy, with Earps passing her the award as she gave a powerful speech on behalf of women’s football in a moment in which she said it meant a lot to have her there.

Nevertheless, the undercurrent of rivalry still played as a backdrop and has now been largely overshadowed by what could have otherwise felt like a baton-passing moment.

It’s more than evident that not everyone has agreed with the tone or, at the very least, the timing around these apparent revelations.

Another retired England women’s legend, Eni Aluko, said exactly that in a recent interview with Sky Sports, though she did express hints of empathy for her situation and how the quotes have been taken, with Earps claiming that the so-called rift has been somewhat blown out of proportion/exaggerated.

On the other hand, not unlike the reaction to how she handled her United contract negotiations before ultimately leaving to join PSG, others have also criticised how she responded to competition for her starting spot from the head coach, especially as plenty would consider this part and parcel of the job.

Not all of her previous teammates have responded negatively, though; fellow Lionesses star and Man City defender Alex Greenwood has come to her defence, recognising the importance of her “massive personality”, which has done wonders for female goalkeeping and the game as a whole.

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Applauding her willingness to challenge both things and people, even in difficult situations, Greenwood admitted that, besides the bond she developed with Earps as they came up through the youth ranks together, adding that she wouldn’t often “say what you’re thinking” even if others wouldn’t.

It’s also worth mentioning that there is a whiff of irony around her seemingly taking issue with a then-even younger Hampton being given a ‘second chance’ following behavioural issues, despite Earps herself being brought back into the fold in 2021, having not played since November 2019.

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Safe to say there are a fair few moving parts to this, but based on what we do know (there’s certainly more we don’t and probably never will), what do you make of the ongoing Mary Earps drama?

You can see her watershed interview with BBC Sport here.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — EL Loko (via Wikimedia Commons)/Daunt Books/James Boyes (via Flickr)

Sport

Frank Warren’s special anniversary fight card, featuring local fighters, is coming to Manchester

Danny Jones Danny Jones Frank Warren 45th anniversary fight card Manchester Co-op Live

Queensberry Promotions is toasting founder Frank Warren as he marks a major milestone in the industry, with a massive Manchester fight event and plenty of regional boxers on the card.

The 73-year-old entrepreneur and boxing manager is set to hold a landmark fight night in early 2026 as he celebrates four and a half decades in the business.

Being hosted not just the biggest indoor entertainment venue in Manchester, but all of Europe, Co-op Live, the legendary promoter and his company will be welcoming a wealth of both local and global athletes to the arena, which is continuing to attract more live sport and combat sports, specifically.

They’ve put together a fight card with plenty of interest, and the evening is sure to feature plenty of other familiar faces out in the audience, too.

Dubbed ‘The Magnificent 7’, the headline fight will be a face-off between 20-year-old Moses Itauma and American boxer Jermain Franklin.

The heavyweight clash is sure to be a tasty one, with Itauma having now famously defeated veteran Dillian Whyte in a first-round demolition; meanwhile, Frankling is riding a wave of confidence following a trio of consecutive wins.

But while the main event will have plenty of global eyes on, we’ll confess that we’re most excited by the roster of Manc talents on show.

Featuring on the undercard is not only experienced Ashton-born boxer Zak Miller, but 24-year-old ‘Super’ Alex Murphy.

The up-and-coming fighter, who also happens to be a big Bolton Wanderers fan, trains just down the road at Eccles Boxing School and has 14 wins from 16 bouts.

Manchester’s combat sports stars certainly delivered for Queensberry in a recent event at the Co-op earlier this month, and we expect the same next January.

The last Frank Warren-backed event in Manchester didn’t disappoint.

Speaking on the big booking in line with his big anniversary, Warren said in an official statement: “We are thrilled to be delivering such a strong Magnificent 7 bounty for the fans in our first UK show of 2026…

“We are delighted with what we have put together across 2025 in tandem with our new broadcast partner DAZN, but we have the scope to go bigger and further in 2026, which we will do and make it a landmark year for the sport.

“This show will also effectively celebrate my 45th year in the professional business, and I believe this card certainly does justice to the occasion. I’m very happy to have our heavyweight prodigy Moses, topping the bill in another perfect test of his unquestionable credentials against a very tough American in Jermain Franklin.”

Presale for official Co-op Members goes live from 12 noon on Monday, 17 November, while general admission tickets will be available from the same time the following Wednesday (19 Nov); you can get ready to grab yours HERE.

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Featured Images — Queenberry Promotions (screenshot via YouTube)/The Manc Group

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