Sport

Man United starlet Kobbie Mainoo earns first senior England call-up following ‘immense’ derby day performance

Kobbie's clinched a call-up.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 19th March 2024

Rising Manchester United star Kobbie Mainoo has received his first senior call-up to the England squad following his outstanding breakthrough season and what many hailed as an incredible performance in the derby against Liverpool.

The Stockport-born midfielder has been one of Man United’s brightest sparks this season, looking like an extremely talented player with maturity and intelligence beyond his years on numerous occasions, as well as scoring an impressive winning goal in their 4-3 away against Wolves earlier in the year.

Mainoo also played a key role in the Red Devils‘ latest win by the same scoreline over their historic rivals, with Erik ten Hag’s side delivering a vintage FA Cup fixture to progress to the semi-finals following a dramatic 120 minutes at Old Trafford.

With the youngster’s showing in the first half in particular described as “immense” by the likes of Ian Wright and other pundits — many of whom had already agreed he “has to be in the next England squad” — they’ve now got their wish.

Southgate has finally seen fit to call up Mainoo for England after many questioned his exclusion from the squad in favour of Henderson.

Still only 18, he joins the likes of Theo Walcott, Wayne Rooney and his new international teammate Jude Bellingham as amongst some of the youngest players to ever be called up for the national squad, with the Real Madrid star now looking like he might play in a midfield three alongside Rice and Mainoo.

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Reacting to the news on his Instagram, Mainoo simply wrote, “It’s an honour to receive my first senior call-up”, with countless fellow pros, pundits and fans congratulating him on the achievement.

As for his club, United kept things even shorter by adding, “So, so deserved” and Red or not, we’d guess there can’t be too many supporters that aren’t excited to see him in an England shirt — we certainly are.

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The bump up to the big leagues also comes just four days after he was initially named in the Three Lions’ U21s squad prior to his derby day display. Safe to say it’s been a whirlwind few days for the local lad.

With England’s kits for the Euros this summer having just been dropped too, we’re starting to get very excited now. It’s coming home.

Is this a tournament-winning kit, do we reckon?…

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Featured Images — England (via X)/Kobbie Mainoo (via Instagram)

Sport

Paul Scholes shares touching message over response to quitting punditry to look after his son

Danny Jones Danny Jones Paul Scholes is stepping away from punditry to look after his autistic son Aiden

Manchester United legend Paul Scholes recently announced that he has stepped away from football punditry and other media duties to look after his son, Aiden, and he has clearly been touched by the response to his deeply honest interview.

The former United star and England international has three children with his wife, Claire Frogratt, recently revealing that the two have sadly separated.

While his only daughter, Alicia – a thriving young netball player with London Pulse – and eldest son Arron (who runs the family’s self-titled Scholes Gym in Oldham) are both fully grown and in good health, Paul recently opened up about the challenges of looking after his youngest child, who has autism.

Aiden Scholes was diagnosed as autistic when he was just two and is largely non-verbal, meaning there are added difficulties not just when it comes to communicating but overall welfare. Opening in a fairly rare instance on a recent episode of The Overlap, the ex-midfielder is now putting all his focus on care.

Speaking with his old Man United teammates, including host Gary Neville and Roy Keane, as well as the rest of the panel, the 50-year-old retired pro and one-time manager turned pundit says that he recently made the conscious decision to put virtually everything else aside to put all of his efforts towards Aiden.

Put simply, he said, “I just decided everything I’m going to do is around Aiden.”

Of course, he went on to explain some of the important “routines” and obstacles in more detail during the sit-down, but even from the brief clip that went viral online, he’s been met with an incredible reaction on social media.

Sharing an update on his Instagram story, he went on to add: “Would just like to thank everyone for all your kind messages since The Overlap interview regarding Aiden – there’s been loads and tried to read as many as possible”, he said.

“The response from families (especially Dads) shows how much speaking about it helps so many… There was one quote from a parent in a similar position that’s just got me…”

The anonymous line he shared read: “My job is to stay alive one day longer than my son/daughter”. Truly tearjerking stuff.

Now 20, the Scholes family are a couple of decades into learning how best to meet Aiden’s additional needs, but Paul has admitted in the past that the climate was different back in the day.

The two have briefly discussed the subject in a past interview, but this is by far the most openly he’s discussed it publicly.

Neville himself said that his long-time friend, teammate, and fellow Class of ’92 graduate has always been a private person and didn’t talk to anyone about anything.

He signed off by urging people to enjoy the little things, like the weekend and having a few drinks – as well as wishing the best of luck to his beloved Salford City FC – but it can’t be overestimated how much his candid words have resonated with people all over the country.

You can see Paul Scholes’ most recent appearance on The Overlap in full down below.

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Featured Images — The Overlap (screenshots via YouTube)

Sport

Salford Red Devils supporters meet winding-up adjournment with a petition of their own

Danny Jones Danny Jones Salford Red Devils fans start petition to get rid of owners

Large numbers of Salford Red Devils supporters are currently rallying behind the push to remove their current ownership group, meeting yet another delay to the winding-up petition with a petition of their own: one that would see the owners kicked out of the club, full stop.

Shared online yesterday, the ‘Salford Red Devils Fans Against Jacobsen Venture Group’ (JVG) petition has amassed more than 1,000 signatures and is rapidly gaining traction.

This latest protest comes after a third adjournment of their wind-up process, giving the local rugby league side a little more time to find the funds they owe in unpaid debts and taxes – money that JVG have claimed is set to arrive imminently as of an update earlier this week.

But these supposed assurances all sound far too familiar and are clearly no longer enough for most fans. They no longer care about future investment from those currently behind the scenes: they just want them gone for good.

For context, in addition to more than £700,000 in outstanding fees owed to HMRC, the 152-year-old sporting organisation is also estimated to owe in excess of £5m to various other creditors.

While the consortium led by Swiss businessman Dario Berta (who technically ‘completed’ a takeover of the already financially struggling club back in February) insisted that the bulk of that amount was already hanging over the club before they took control, they have yet to inject long-promised funds.

As a result, after a third stay of execution earlier this week – but one that has done little more than prolong this long-drawn-out uncertainty – most fans have simply had enough.

Following up with a lengthy open letter on Wednesday evening, 29 October, the increasingly militant fan group known as The 1873 said of the potential new funding, “Let us be absolutely clear, we have heard all of this before.”

Even poking holes in the board’s own statement, noting that it suggests that “funding has been formally secured” before noting that it has not yet officially arrived.

“This kind of vague language”, they say, “is exactly what supporters have been subjected to for months: a cycle of empty promises and missed deadlines.

Helping spearhead the ‘JVG Out’ petition, leading member Nick Holt went on to tell BBC Sport Manchester that the patience and blind faith have simply run out.

The 1873 went on to write: “Back in September, the same individuals told the courts that funding would arrive ‘within 10 days’. It never did. In August, at the meeting with The 1873, they claimed money would be in place by the end of that month. It wasn’t.

“Every single time, the same promise and every single time, the same failure to deliver. False hope and no real investment. It is vital [that] supporters understand what is actually being proposed. The owners are not clearing the club’s debts, including the millions they have personally run up.

“Instead, they intend to roll all debts into one high-interest loan, a move that only deepens the long-term financial hole. How do they plan to service such a loan? Next season, the club’s central distribution is set to drop from around £1.3 million to less than £100,000.”

Noting that the recent IMG grading drop and subsequent relegation from the Betfred Super League will mean a significant drop in revenues across the board, they have quite rightly asked where the higher-ups expect to find the funds to make their already heavily overdue repayments.

“Season ticket sales are expected to collapse under the current ownership”, they continue, “and major commercial sponsors will not associate with this regime.

“To claim that this ‘funding’ secures the future of a 152-year-old club is not just misleading, it is an insult to every supporter who has kept this club alive through generations.”

Salford Red Devils have been dropped from the Super League
A petition like this and further demonstrations were guaranteed from the moment Salford Red Devils were relegated.

The impassioned response from the group signs off by adding: “The ownership’s reference to a so-called ‘strategic plan’ for a return to Super League in 2027 is beyond belief. Where is this plan? Why has it not been shared with supporters?

“At this moment, there is no head coach for 2026, no contracted players, and no football department infrastructure. To talk about a Super League return within two years is pure fantasy […] The reality is simple: This ownership group has repeatedly failed to deliver on its promises.

“It has mismanaged and misled, time and again. Every new statement only confirms how detached they are from the damage they continue to cause.”

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Most drastically, they insist that supporters will no longer “be fooled” nor continue to recognise the current ‘stewards’ failing to live up to that title by giving their own time and money to the regime, urging fellow fans to refrain from renewing season tickets, purchasing any merchandise, or attending games.

It’s a bold stance, to be sure, but it’s clear that those most fiercely loyal of supporters are looking to wrestle back control however they can; if you’re one of them, you can sign the petition HERE.

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Featured Images — The 1873 Group (supplied)

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