Sport

Paul Scholes sends clear message to Gareth Southgate over England’s Euro 2024 starting 11

He's echoing what many have been calling for even prior to the tournament.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 25th June 2024

Manchester United legend and former England player Paul Scholes has sent a pretty clear message to manager Gareth Southgate ahead of the Three Lions final group game of Euro 2024.

Southgate‘s side take on Slovenia at 8pm on Tuesday, 25 June and despite having already qualified for the knockout stages, it’s fair to say that many fans and pundits alike haven’t been overwhelmingly impressed with their performances thus far – not least of all Paul Scholes.

It’s fair to say the retired Premier League veteran and ex-England international knows a thing or two about being a midfielder and since finding the right balance in the middle of the park seems to be one of their main issues so far, Scholes isn’t mincing his words when it comes to his critcism.

After Monday’s reports that Southgate is swap out Trent Alexander-Arnold for Conor Gallagher following what many have dubbed a ‘failed’ midfield experiment, Scholes jumped on Instagram to accuse the England boss of being “obsessed” with energy above other traits.

It remains to be seen whether or not Southgate will indeed start the Chelsea star ahead of any of his other midfielder options but, as you can see, Scholes wants to see the player with the best footballing “brain” come into replace the Liverpool right-back, who was tried there due to his passing range.

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While there’s no question that Alexander-Arnold is an intelligent footballer – hence why he was given the nod to play at the base of the midfield in the first place – he isn’t exactly an energetic, box-to-box midfielder or someone with loads of expefrience in the position for his club, let alone for his country.

With that in mind, Scholes made it very clear that he believes Man United‘s breakthrough talent from this season, Kobbie Mainoo, should be preferred ahead of any other player being rotated into the starting 11, having emerged as one of the best midfielders in the league and scoring the winner in the FA Cup final.

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And in case anyone was doubting that Mainoo is indeed the player that Scholes was referring to, he said just as much to TNT Sports, claiming “if he came in [to the team], all of a sudden you have control” and adding that sometimes it only takes on player to make the rest of the tick.

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It’s worth noting that he’s by no means the only one calling for the United youth product to come in, with his name and Cole Palmer both being cried out for by much of the England fan base.

Southgate also irked a lot of fans by overlooking the capabilities of Mainoo, Declan Rice and others when he claimed that he they “don’t have a natural replacement for Kalvin Phillips”, despite many believing that a number of players could do the job in that pivot so long as you find the right balance around them.

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Scholes did ultimately show his support and faith that England will get better as the tournament goes on but he’s making no bones about who he thinks could be the solution for that midfield dilemma that has so long lingered over our teams in years gone by.

Elsewhere, captain Harry Kane was also applauded for his response to recent punditry by ex-national team players Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer who essentially summed up their performance at Euro 2024 so far as “sh*t”.

Harry Kane praised for ‘classy’ response after pundits dig out England’s start to the Euros
Kane essentially reminded the ex-England internationals that they have a role to play too.

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Featured Images — Diego Sideburns (via Flickr)/England (via Instagram)

Sport

Tragedy as two superbike riders die in ‘catastrophic accident’ at Cheshire event

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Tragedy as two riders die in 'catastrophic accident' at Cheshire superbike event

Two riders have tragically died in a ‘chain reaction’ accident at a superbike race in Cheshire.

Owen Jenner, 21, and Shane Richardson, 29, both died of their injuries following a crash involving 11 riders.

The ‘catastrophic accident’ occurred yesterday at the Quattro Group British Supersport Championship superbike race at Oulton Park in Cheshire.

The race was immediately stopped so that trackside medical services could attend to the 11 riders who had fallen.

Due to the ‘extreme severity’ of the incident, the rest of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship event was cancelled.

Two riders lost their lives and another has sustained significant injuries and remains in hospital.

Owen Jenner, 21 years old, was treated trackside and taken to the circuit medical centre , but died from a catastrophic head injury.

Meanwhile Shane Richardson was taken to Royal Stoke University Hospital with severe chest injuries, but died prior to arrival.

Another rider, 47-year-old Tom Tunstall, has also been transferred to hospital with significant back and abdominal injuries.

Five further riders were transferred to the circuit medical centre with minor injuries – the remaining involved riders were uninjured.

The Motorcycle Circuit Racing Control Board and MotorSport Vision Racing are investigating the full circumstances of the incident in conjunction with the Coroner and Cheshire Constabulary.

Cheshire Police said in a statement: “Police are investigating two deaths on behalf of the coroner following a multiple collision at Oulton Park this afternoon (Monday 5 May).

“Emergency services were called to the scene following the collision which resulted in two riders being fatally injured and another with serious injuries.

“Due to the severity of the incident and ongoing medical intervention, the remainder of the event was cancelled.

“The two riders who sadly died have been named as Owen Jenner (21) and Shane Richardson (29).”

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Featured image: British Superbikes

Sport

Ole Gunnar Solskjær says just three players have spoken to him since leaving Manchester United

Danny Jones Danny Jones Ole Gunnar Solskjaer only 3 Man United players have spoke to him since leaving

Club legend and ex-Manchester United player turned manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjær, has revealed that just three of his former players have been in touch since leaving Old Trafford.

Solskjær was sacked from the role as Man United head coach back in November 2021 after having been given the job permanently following an impressive winning run as interim manager.

The practically perfect start back at the helm of the club – where he starred as the ‘super sub’ during his playing days – was followed by a big slump, and the final decision was ultimately made in the wake of a 4-1 loss to Watford.

However, the ‘Baby-Faced Assassin’s’ popularity among the players and the fans alike was never in question, so it’s come as somewhat of a surprise to many fans that Solskjær has said only a specific trio of United players have got in touch with him since his dream job came to an end.

At least two of the names read out might not surprise fans, as not only was then-club captain Harry Maguire one of his first statement signings, but so was Bruno Fernandes, who now has the armband, and both have remained key players and leadership figures pretty much ever since.

Speaking to BBC Sport on the senior duo, Ole said, “For me, Harry has always been a leader and a fighter”, and never had any doubts about him deputising for him on the pitch, before going on to label both the centre-back and Bruno as “top human beings.”

As for the third, although Victor Lindelöf looks set to leave the club this summer, he’s actually been a long-serving squad member, having joined back in 2017 and been a seemingly popular figure around the dressing room, even if injury problems have sometimes hampered his minutes.

He also went on to discuss other matters regarding the club, including confessing that it’s “hard to watch” United amidst their present struggles, both under previous manager Erik ten Hag and now Ruben Amorim – even with a potential Europa League trophy consolation on the cards.

The retired striker also stated that he found the decision to let midfielder Scott McTominay go more than surprising, especially given the incredible performances he’s put on display since moving to Serie A.

Now the boss at Besiktas, the 52-year-old has won 50% of his games so far, with the Turkish side on course for a third-place finish.

For context, he only took the job back in January.

What did you make of Ole’s revelations then, Reds? And, more importantly, how do you look back on his time in charge at the Theatre of Dreams?

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Featured Images — soccer.ru (via Wikimedia Commons)/BBC Sport

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