Sport

Man United youngster’s tackle punctures lung of Wrexham’s star striker Paul Mullin in pre-season friendly

Safe to say he made quite the impact.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 26th July 2023

Wrexham AFC’s star striker, Paul Mullin, has been left hospitalised with a punctured lung after a reckless tackle by Manchester United youngster Nathan Bishop on Wednesday.

The Liverpool-born goalscorer and team talisman, who played a huge role in helping lift the Welsh side out of the National League and back into the English Football League for the first time in 15 years, was left winded and reeling on the pitch following a collision with the Man United youth keeper.

Wrexham’s were playing a pre-season friendly against a team of United’s academy players when 23-year-old Bishop came flying out of his box and smashed into the on-running Mullin.

Left in a heap on the ground, the medical team were immediately called over and the 28-year-old was carried off the pitch and diverted to a nearby hospital.

Clearly just a mistimed challenge and attempt to claim the ball, Bishop was hooked off at half-time and quickly took to social media to apologise to the now-injured League Two striker.

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“Just wanted to share my sincerest apologies to @PMullin7 A complete misjudgement and a genuine accident with 0 malicious intent at all!” said the young goalkeeper, “Wishing you the speediest recovery and hope to see you back scoring goals as soon as possible!”

Nevertheless, speaking to reporters after the game, Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson confessed he was “fuming” at the major setback ahead of their first and crucial season back in the EFL, labelling the challenge “clumsy, reckless and dangerous” and insisting he should have seen a straight red.

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You can see footage of the collision HERE.

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Mullin has since shared an update on his health following the tackle and his punctured lung, posting an image from his hospital bed along with the caption, “Thank you for all your messages! All good here!”.

Wrexham play their first game of the season against local side Wigan Athletic on 8 August but it remains unclear when their main goal threat will be able to return. Not the best start to the year.

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Meanwhile, Erik ten Hag‘s first team play their next pre-season game against Real Madrid in the early hours on Wednesday as fans look to get a first glimpse of their new goalkeeper Andre Onana in action.

Paul Mullin recovering from his punctured lung — a process which usually takes at least 6-10 weeks.

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Featured Image — Wrexham FC/MUTV/@anuargrafix/Paul Mullin (via Instagram)

Sport

2024 Manchester Marathon raises £29 million for local economy and over £3.7m for charity

Danny Jones Danny Jones Manchester Marathon raises millions for city economy and local charity

Just under a fortnight on from the 2024 Manchester Marathon and the numbers are finally, with the annual race generating nearly £30 million for the local economy and raising over £3.7m for charity.

This year’s Adidas Manchester Marathon saw record numbers of runners and spectators as over 30,000 took part in the popular race, up by roughly 6,000 from 2023, and more than 125k turned up to line the streets of Greater Manchester.

As a result, these huge crowds spent upwards of £29.2 million at business around the city centre and around the 10 boroughs last weekend, serving as one of the most significant contributions to the local economy on the annual calendar.

Not only was this an approximately £8m increase on last year’s tally but, most importantly, a sizeable chunk of that went straight into both regional and national charities.

The 2024 adidas Manchester Marathon was a spectacular day for the city and its economy.

Beyond the boost to local vendors, the hospitality sector and retail businesses, over £3.7 million were allocated to charities such as Alzheimer’s Charity, Cancer Research UK, British Heart Foundation and The Christie. 

Over £32,000 was also raised for the Trafford Active Fund, with £1 from every paid entry to the Adidas Manchester Marathon and Manchester Half donated directly to the initiative that benefits local sports clubs and organisations through Trafford Council.

Better still, with City of Trees selected as the chosen ‘Green Runner’ charity, the eco-friendly drive saw roughly 7% of participants opt out of receiving either a finisher t-shirt, medal or both.

The money saved in production goes towards maintaining woodlands and wildlife across Greater Manchester.

Fundraising from the Manchester Marathon is one of it’s biggest upshots.

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This year’s Manchester Marathon also helped produce some of the highest number of passengers on public transport in the city’s history, with a over 175,000 journeys made on Metrolink alone – the highest number of journeys ever recorded on a single day.

This was a 20% increase on 2023’s race day (145k), spotlighting how the event continues to be more environmentally conscious as years go by.

With the 2025 adidas Manchester Marathon confirmed to be taking place on Sunday, 27 April next year – and over 12,000 places already sold – the city can already look forward to reaping the economic and social benefits of hosting one of Europe’s largest, flattest, friendliest and most-loved marathons. 

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

Featured Images — Adidas Manchester Marathon/The Manc Group

Sport

‘Enough is enough’: Marcus Rashford calls out fans for ‘months’ of abuse

Danny Jones Danny Jones Marcus Rashford responds to fan abuse: 'enough is enough'

Manchester United star Marcus Rashford has put his foot down in a social media post, calling for an end to ‘months of abuse’ from both his own supporters and beyond.

It’s fair to say that the 26-year-old hasn’t been enjoying his best season in a United shirt and while he has had his moments this year – his goal against Arsenal and stunning opener in the Manchester derby, just to name a couple – he’s come under a lot of pressure from supporters.

Rashford previously came out to address the situation in a Players Tribune interview back in February, stating, “I can’t have people questioning my commitment to Man United”, but now the England international has reiterated the point after someone came to his defence on X.

Quoting a fan who wrote that “the way Marcus Rashford is being treated is absolutely disgusting”, calling the behaviour online and on matchdays in some cases as “cruel” and downright abuse”, he responded by declaring: “Enough is enough”.

Rashford breaks his silence on the recent abuse.

The Wythenshawe winger has already labelled doubts over his effort levels, love and loyalty to the club “ridiculous”, reiterating time and time again that he’s a boyhood Red, but that hasn’t stopped people continuing to criticise him online.

Sadly, while he’s also insisted that he “can take criticism” and headlines when his performances aren’t quite up to scratch, the negativity hasn’t just been limited to social media and has been spilling out into the matchday stands.

Reports of Rashford being booed off the pitch by his own supporters at Wembley during United’s admittedly chaotic performance against Coventry City in the FA Cup semi-final were confirmed by multiple sources at the time.

Although he didn’t comment on the response from the travelling Reds at the time, it’s now clear he was abundantly aware of the frosty reception as he was substituted, with many within the fan base and beyond calling the decision to boo your own players “classless” and “shameful”.

Many have drawn parallels to Harry Maguire’s treatment in recent years.

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With seven goals and five assists to his name across all competitions this season, it’s fair to say Marcus Rashford has been a far cry away from the heights he has managed to hit in recent years.

It was only last season that he hit a career-high record of 40 goal contributions, sitting as one of the most prolific players in all of Europe during another difficult season for the club, even managing to surpass club legend Andy Cole’s record.

Just goes to show how short people’s memories can really be – especially when it comes to football – and Erik ten Hag has already urged patience from his fans when it comes to his players, and not just his number ten.

‘The Beautiful Game’ is and always will be a fickle sport but it’s worth reminding of just how much the academy product has already delivered during his time at Man United. Anyone can have a tough season.

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Featured Images — Manchester United (via Instagram)

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