Sport

Manchester City youngster Nico O’Reilly earns surprise England call-up

What a moment for the young man.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 6th October 2025

Manchester City youngster Nico O’Reilly has earned himself a surprise England call-up for this upcoming international break.

The impressive young utility player, who has been deployed as both a defender and a midfielder under Pep Guardiola, has proved to be a popular member of the squad among Man City fans.

A north Manchester-born academy product, O’Reilly has represented the Three Lions throughout various age groups across the youth level, but this England camp will be his first senior call-up.

Yet another local lad flying the flag for 0161 in the national team.

The 20-year-old arrived at St George’s Park on Monday afternoon along with a number of ther young English stars such as Myles Lewis-Skelly, Elliot Anderson, Jarrel Quansash, who have recently been integrated by national team boss, Thomas Tuchel.

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O’Reilly has been added to the squad following the withdrawal of fellow defender Reece James, with the Chelsea fullback having picked up yet another injury in the Premier League.

As detailed by England Football: “The Chelsea captain sustained an injury playing for his club over the weekend and has been ruled out of England’s October internationals following medical assessments.”

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With O’Reilly able to play not only in defence but on either flank, as he has already done in Guardiola’s ever-fluid system, the versatile Man City rotation player isn’t just looking more and more like a first-team star but could soon be a capped England international.

Looking forward to seeing more of this on the big stage:

As you can see, Pep has continued to deploy him in even the biggest of games, and it seems as though he’s clearly impressed Tuchel enough to make him first in the queue to replace James.

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Rightly so, we’d hasten to add; it remains to be seen whether or not he will feature in the two upcoming fixtures against Wales and Latvia.

Commenting on the moment of recognition, City expressed their pride and congratulations, insisting that the decision “also helps further cement what has been a quite magnificent start to the season for the 20-year-old” in which he’s already made nine first-team appearances across all competitions.

That now makes the number of Greater Manchester-born/based players in the current England squad to four (just one of those being from Man United in Barcelona loanee Marcus Rashford) – an admittedly smaller number than we’ve come to expect over the years.

Nico O’Reilly signed a fresh new deal at Manchester City just last month.

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Featured Images — Hameltion (via Wikimedia Commons)/England (via X)/Man City (via YouYube)

Sport

Interview | New Salford rugby league co-owner Mason Caton-Brown on the future of phoenix club

Danny Jones Danny Jones Interview with new Salford Red Devils rugby league club co-owner Mason Caton-Brown

This month, we had the privilege of conducting an interview with the new co-owner of Salford RLFC and ex-Red Devils star, Mason Caton-Brown, who is part of the ‘Phoenix Bid’ consortium helping bring back the rugby league club.

A former winger turned entrepreneur, Mason Caton-Brown is now a joint director within the organisation alongside two other main business partners – one of whom he says is responsible for spearheading the resurrection in the first place.

That man is Paul Hancock – a native Salfordian and die-hard Red Devils fan for more than three decades – whose company, PH Services, has already sponsored the local sporting institution for several years.

Mason told us that, as well as having followed their financial struggles in recent times, he has been speaking to Hancock regularly for some time now, with the latter suggesting the prospect of stepping in to salvage the situation in the last couple of months.

RFL give the go-ahead for a new Salford rugby league team
They should be back up and running in time for the 2026 rugby league season.

“We’d just been casually speaking about it up until about five or six weeks ago”, says the Enfield-born athlete and businessman.

“We wanted to try and come up with a solution of what we could do to try and help, so we put together a group of people, and since then, it’s been late nights and early mornings every day, putting together this plan and a group of people that can you know rebuild Salford in a way where the city can be proud of it.”

Stressing the importance of building a “sustainable” strategy – as opposed to the false promises of the previous ‘investors’ who failed to rescue the club – it’s clear the consortium has a core group of principles they’re looking to stick by.

But Mason was quick to share credit and recognise that “it was Paul’s idea.”

“He’d been sitting on it for a while now, just thinking in his mind of how to try and save the club, to help them however he could. And yeah: he reached out; we were meeting for other business things, and he put it to me, and I said ‘definitely’.

“I think it’s not just about having an ex-player in there either, there are other people involved as well. It’s the fans; they are supporters who have been following this club for 20-odd years. They’re the other members in this group, and fundamentally, it’s going to be a transparent, honest club.”

For example, another previous Red Devil and one-time captain, Ryan Brierley, has also returned to the club as the new CEO of Salford’s rugby league phoenix club.

For me personally”, Mason continued, “it’s a bit of a dream come true to be able to be a part of a club as a player, and now being able to help rebuild is kind of a dream.

“I moved up here as a 21-year-old kid, fresh-faced player; I still have a house in the area, and I still live in the city, and it kind of just embraced me. I was from London, so obviously a big capital city, and I came to Salford, and I was welcomed with open arms.

“The people, the club and the wider community helped me become who I am today; I have my businesses there as well, so it’s a big part of my life, and to be back involved with the club is just brilliant.”

The conversation quickly moved on to what’s next for the club and, specifically, the prospect of rebranding and potentially even a new name for Salford’s rugby league side.

After all, the ‘phoenix’ motif and wider concept are already right there for the taking.

However, if there was ever any doubt among any part of the fan base that the 32-year-old is, indeed, a business person these days and experienced enough in this department, that was quickly snuffed out in his response.

mason caton-brown businesses
mason caton brown new salford rubgy league club
He’s even more committed to the club than his days as a teammate. (Credit: Supplied via Rumpus PR)

Mason was pretty tight-lipped when pressed on the notion of a new badge and possibly even a new name for the 152-year-old team, and rightly so – put simply, he says, “We want to get it right.”

“So, obviously, we’re going to stay Salfordian at the centre of everything, and we don’t want to just announce something; it will still be a Salford club.”

He took a similar tack when asked about the staff and a new squad. Despite the Phoenix Bid having already assured pre-agreements with a head coach and several players, he wouldn’t budge on any names or hints, simply stating that the group plans to make some announcements before the New Year.

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“Our first aim is stability and security”, he says. “Putting the fans first, bringing the fans back together, and just building something that the fans can be proud of. Locally, it’ll be good to get the community involved, and long term, obviously, our goal is to get the club back into the Super League.

“That would be an amazing story for the club. We’ve seen it happen with other clubs like Bradford [Bulls] and Hull KR, so that’s there, but for now we want to steady, get the supporters involved and provide value for he fans.

Citing that first game back and returning to Championship level against regional rivals Oldham RLFC, they’re hoping to make it “a real celebration.”

Sharing a statement via their new social media account, SRLFC wrote: “The hard work starts now. We’ve promised to build a strong, sustainable future for rugby league in Salford, one that protects our heritage and ensures the next generation has a club to be proud of.

“We know how much this club means. We’ve all felt the highs, the heartbreaks, and the hope. That’s why this moment matters so much because together, we get to start again. Our plan is simple: honesty, transparency, and community first.

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“This is about rebuilding properly, step by step and doing it the right way. We’re asking for your patience, support, and belief. There will be challenges ahead, but there will also be incredible moments that remind us why we love this game. This is for the fans. For Salford. Forever.”

If it does come to pass, it won’t be the only big rebrand taking place in the city…

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Featured Images — Mason Caton-Brown/Rumpus PR (supplied)

Sport

Salford confirms another ex-player as new CEO of phoenix rugby club

Danny Jones Danny Jones Former Salford Red Devils players confirmed as new rugby league team CEO

As Salford turns the page of a new chapter in its rugby league history, ex-Red Devils player Ryan Brierley has been announced as the new chief executive officer (CEO).

His appointment was confirmed on Wednesday, 24 December, giving Salford rugby fans some fresh hope over the festive period.

Brierley, who played as a full back at Salford Red Devils from 2022 before leaving for Oldham RLFC halfway through last season earlier this year, follows fellow former player Mason Caton-Brown in returning to the team in a leadership capacity.

Sharing the news on his own social media, he wrote: “Incredibly honoured to announce I have been appointed Chief Executive Officer of Salford RLFC.”

His official statement goes on to read: “I would like to place on record my gratitude to the board members Malcolm Crompton, Mason Caton Brown and Paul Hancock for this opportunity. I would also like to thank the RFL and Salford City Council for their continued support.

“Lastly, but most importantly, to the Salford fans: what we had to go through last year was heartbreaking. I think I can speak to the wider Rugby League community and echo the sentiments of all fans that no club should ever go through that experience.

“Thank you for letting me lead this organisation into a new era. I’ve always said Salford people are my people and I will protect this club, with its best interests at heart. It is important [that] expectations are managed, and patience is required.”

He signed off by simply asking for the same support he was afforded as a fan, adding: “I have no doubt in my mind that you will go above and beyond, it’s just what Salford fans do…”

Led by the aforementioned Caton-Brown (a retired winger who played for the Red Devils between 2014-26), as well as another pair of directors in Hancock and Crompton, the Salford phoenix club has officially been given a Championship license for 2026.

RFL give the go-ahead for a new Salford rugby league team

Although relegation from the Super League and liquidation after 152 years were dark days for the club, this new consortium has already provided fans with some promising signs.

Besides saving the Salford sporting institution from total extinction, having previous members of the old outfit who know the bones, the stadium, the culture and the city so well is obviously a big bonus.

For now, it is a race against time to get a squad ready for the season opener against Brierley’s last team, Oldham – though contracts for a head coach and several players have reportedly been “pre-agreed”.

The question is, now that the ‘Red Devils’ have technically folded – and an entirely new and separate online presence for the rugby league side has already been created – would you like to see a rebrand or a continuation of the club under a new name?

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Featured Images — John Moorhouse (via Geograph)/supplied (via Rumpus PR)

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