With Tottenham Hotspur now out of chances to win a trophy yet again this season, pundits and football fans are once again discussing what this could mean for the future of Harry Kane.
The Spurs and England star has been one of the best players in Europe, let alone the Premier League for some time now and while he has beyond shined at his boyhood club, he is still yet to win a trophy in his competitive career and the worry is that he is now running out of time to do so.
Following his team’s exit from the Champions League earlier this week, the question of ‘what’s next for Harry Kane?’ is once again being asked and although he could very well stay at Spurs and go down as a one-club man, recording goalscorer and legend, he wants to win trophies.
That being said, it seems as though many feel he now has only one destination left to turn to if he did choose to depart and the consensus seems to be, almost resoundingly, that it’s Manchester United.
🚨 Jamie Carragher and Thierry Henry have their say on the future of Harry Kane at Tottenham.
— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) March 9, 2023
Speaking after the loss to AC Milan on Wednesday night, CBS Sports’ Kate Abdo asked the punditry panel whether they think Kane will finally leave this summer and, as you can see, the answer was not only quick but definitive.
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Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher said that is a “now or never” moment for Kane, insisting that he believes if the England captain “doesn’t leave this summer, he will then stay at Tottenham for the rest of his career”.
While he conceded he does still stand a chance of a domestic cup at Spurs, he believes that he’s far too good to settle for that and went on to say that he thinks “the only place he can go realistically is Manchester United” simply because of the strikers already in place at his team and Manchester City.
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Moreover, Carra and his fellow panellists also seemed to agree that any potential move has to be this summer, with Kane now 29 and soon leaving the ‘prime years’ and moving towards the latter stages of his career. United legend Rio Ferdinand and former Spurs striker Peter Crouch seemed to agree.
Ferdinand said that given Spurs don’t look to be anywhere near “touching distance” of winning anything, Kane should be “looking to pastures new” and after everything that he’s achieved at the club, recently breaking legend Jimmy Greaves’ goal record, fans couldn’t begrudge him leaving.
Rio also noted that part of the frustration for supporters is that after multiple speculative transfer windows, Kane hasn’t necessarily gone out of his way to make it crystal clear that he will be staying or going and could make it clear that he is “Mr. Spurs” or, indeed, that the time has come to go.
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As Crouch sees it, like Carragher, although he doesn’t want to see Kane join United for obvious reasons, it seems as though it may be the best fit for him. “I personally see him at United”, said Crouch, even comparing him to Teddy Sheringham and already envisioning the impact he could have there.
Gary Neville is another figure who has long made it clear that Kane needs to move on if he is to stand a chance of winning silverware, reiterating last week even before the Milan game that “the time is right” for him to leave, especially given the fact that “United are desperate for a centre-forward.”
Another thing all the ex-players involved in the discussions above also seemed to agree on is that if he finally decides to leave, wherever he goes he will want to stay in the Premier League so he can go on to break Alan Shearer‘s all-time record (260), which he is currently 60 goals short of.
Keeping that and the fact that City have Haaland, Liverpool have brought in multiple new forwards and he simply cannot join current league leaders and fierce rivals in Arsenal, it really does feel like there’s only one other option left: United.
Having picked up their first trophy in six years with the EFL Cup win and still in two other competitions, not to mention back up near the top of the league table and in need of an elite, out-and-out striker to properly challenge for titles, this might be both the perfect time and the only time for him to join United.
Featured Image — Harry Kane (via Instagram)/BT Sport (via Twitter)
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Football fans on the way home from Man United match injured in Huntingdon train stabbing
Danny Jones
Following the tragic news of the stabbing on a train in Cambridgeshire over the weekend, it’s been confirmed that a number of those injured in the senseless incident included football fans returning home after the match been Nottingham Forest and Manchester United.
A 32-year-old man, who is now said to be the only suspect in the attack, was detained at the scene.
Initially, another man – also British-born and of Caribbean descent – was arrested on suspicion of murder, but he has since been released “in good faith” that he was not involved in the mass stabbing.
A total of 11 people were hurt in the attack at approximately 7:42pm on Sunday evening, 2 November; while nine were said to be treated for serious injuries, five have since been discharged, and one is still in a critical state.
'I hope this results in a broader review of security'
The man who remains in a life-threatening condition has been named as Andrew Johnson, a train driver from Peterborough working on the line from Doncaster to King’s Cross in London.
His Iraq War veteran’s intervention is already said to have protected multiple lives, with the LNER staff member calmly bringing the carriages to a halt in an appropriate location as soon as he could.
Nigel Roebuck, a regional organiser for the railway drivers’ union Aslef and lead officer with the train operating company, told the BBC: “The driver did everything he was trained to do, at the right time and in the right way.”
“He brought the train into a station where passengers could disembark safely and where police, fire and rescue, and ambulance crew could get on to the train and attend to the victims and, we believe, catch the culprit.”
Roebuck went on to add: “He showed real courage, real dedication, and real determination in the most difficult of circumstances. Our thoughts tonight are with his colleague, who is still in intensive care.”
Another man who has been praised (following what the authorities have said is not being considered a ‘terrorist act’) is Forest supporter Stephen Crean, who is reported to have confronted the culprit; he was later seen getting off at Huntingdon, having been left visibly injured and needing medical attention.
Get well soon Stephen Crean, This Forest fan is one of the people who stood up to the attacker on the train yesterday.
A true hero, well done Stephen for putting your life on the line for the safety of others. RESPECT to you.❤️🙏 pic.twitter.com/dl7eUEtj86
Writing on Facebook, his friend Sanj Beri said, “Get well soon, Stephen Crean. We are all thinking of you. One of the very best and a true hero.” It is not thought that any travelling fans in the United away end were on board at the time.
Another post by a group of local NFFC fans from Munster also reads: “On behalf of the branch, I would like to wish a speedy recovery to Stephen Crean. He was stabbed yesterday evening on a train going back to London after the Forest v Manchester United game.
“He bravely put himself in front of some children to protect them from the evil assailant(s) who wounded at least 10 more people in total. He is a longtime friend of the branch, having attended a couple of our Charity Dinners in Killorglin and was indeed a member at one time.
“I have known him for at least 10 years and he is one of the most gentlest souls you could meet. He follows Forest and Ireland home and away, and I have regularly met him at The City Ground over the years, as well as the likes of Luton, Spurs, Wembley, Ipswich and most recently in Seville.”
Both men have rightly been praised for their quick thinking and heroics in deeply distressing circumstances. It goes without saying that we wish those injured a speedy recovery. You can find out more of the latest info on the situation down below.
Sending our thoughts and strength to all those involved in the incident.
Featured Images — Andrew Johnson/Munster Forest (via Facebook)/Walter Baxter (via Geograph)
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Paul Scholes shares touching message over response to quitting punditry to look after his son
Danny Jones
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.
As a dad to a young boy with autism, I can’t help but have more respect for Paul Scholes after seeing him open up about his own experiences. Not only does it hit home, his priorities are in order. ❤️ https://t.co/kCjfQye3ef
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.
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.
Danny Jones -
10th March 2023 
