Marcus Rashford could not bring himself to watch Manchester City lift the Champions League – but the Manchester United star says club rivalries are left at the door with England thanks to the group’s “strong bond”. Erik ten Hag’s arrival sparked a marked improvement in the red half of Manchester this season, with February’s Carabao Cup triumph followed up by a third-placed finish in the Premier League. But City stopped United ending their campaign on a high at Wembley by winning the first all-Manchester FA Cup final as they stayed on track to replicate their rivals’ historic 1999 treble triumph. Pep Guardiola’s men did just that by beating Inter Milan in Saturday’s Champions League final – a match Rashford watched on TV, although there was only so much he could stomach. Put to the forward that Trent Alexander-Arnold turned off the TV when United won the FA Cup as he could not bear to watch Liverpool’s rivals lift silverware, Rashford said: “It’s exactly the same. “I like watching football, I like watching the best games so that’s what I did. “But after they win the game, I don’t need to watch them celebrating and all that stuff, so yeah, TV off!” City’s treble understandably sticks in the craw but there appears little chance of club rivalries impacting England like they did with previous generations. “It is going to be funny,” Rashford said of the conversations he was expecting with the quintet on international duty. “But, like I said, it’s congratulations to them and, for me, they deserved it, they played the best football this year. “There’s not much more to say about it, really. The talking’s done on the pitch and they did really well this year.” Asked if it is a strength of the England squad to go from bantering about club matters to playing well together, Rashford said: “Yeah, I think definitely that’s a part of it. “But there’s a strong bond in this squad and there has been regardless of which players come in and that’s down to the environment. “There’s not much more I can put it down to, so we’re looking forward to having them back here. “They’re obviously all really good players and we need them if we want our squad to be as strong as possible.” I don’t need to watch them celebrating and all that stuff, so yeah, TV off! Marcus Rashford on Manchester City's trophy celebrations While club allegiances will not put a spoke in England’s wheel, Rashford does not hide from questions about United’s place in the pecking order. For so long the dominant force in English football, the 20-time league champions are now playing second fiddle in their own city. On the desire to be top dogs once more, Rashford said: “I think that was always the aim regardless of their success this year or the previous years. “Let’s be honest, it’s not anything new – the only thing that’s new is that they managed to win all three. “They are a very good team and it’s not just us that are trying to catch up to them, it’s pretty much every team as well. “Is it a challenge? Yeah, but we can’t shy away from it. We have to face it and do our best next season.” Rashford says United’s players and staff spoke in the dressing room after the FA Cup final about the need to kick on again as the 2023-24 campaign quickly comes into focus. There are only 23 days between Rashford, Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw playing in England’s final June qualifier against North Macedonia at Old Trafford on Monday and United playing their first pre-season match. It is a far cry from the full summer of preparation Rashford enjoyed last year, which provided a platform for him to bounce back from the most challenging campaign of his career. The rejuvenated 25-year-old went onto score a career best 30 goals in all competitions under Ten Hag, who the United forward credits for changing the mindset of the group and helping him find his fire again. “He came in and he wanted to win,” Rashford said. “I feel like at times we have lacked that ambition, as I’ve said before. “He wasn’t caring about getting into the top four, doing any of that – he just wanted to win trophies and when you strive for the best sometimes you are going to fall short as we did in areas this season. “But you have to look at the outcome. We managed to win a trophy and get back into the Champions League spots, get to another final and it’s definitely a progression from the previous year, or couple of years before. “He just managed to motivate me and just relight the flame that was missing.” Ten Hag’s United have put things in place to close the gap to City next season, but the interminable takeover saga continues to provide a dark, uncertain cloud over the Old Trafford giants. Asked if it is easy to block out the constant noise about it, Rashford said: “For me, yeah, because I am here with the national team, like I don’t want to be worrying about what’s going on in Manchester and stuff like that. “For me, it’s just the importance on these next two games and getting the job done while also doing it as well as we can.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Callum Wilson tuned up to secure England recall after Newcastle disappointment Croatia reach Nations League final with extra-time win over Netherlands He was the main guy – Jordan James knew Jude Bellingham would reach the top

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Leigh Wood dropped and stopped Josh Warrington at the end of round seven to retain his WBA featherweight title in an unforgettable fight in Sheffield. Late on Saturday night, Wood was losing on points, cut and hurt when, with just seconds left in round seven, he connected with six perfect punches to send Warrington down. There was shock and pandemonium in the arena and close to 10,000 fanatics had no idea whether to laugh or cry. Warrington somehow beat the count, stumbled to his own corner as the bell sounded, put his hands on the top rope and turned round too late to satisfy the referee, Michael Alexander; there was a second of deliberation and then Alexander called it off. It was the right decision at that moment; it was also heartbreak and relief in equal measure for the two boxers. Wood started screaming in victory, Warrington complained briefly, but was quickly placed on his stool; he dropped his head forward in bitter disappointment. “I’m devastated,” he told me a few minutes later. He was still in the ring, looking from corner to corner and trying to understand what had gone wrong. Warrington had easily won rounds three, four, five, six and 2:58 seconds of round seven. All three of the scorecards had him comfortably in front at the point of the stoppage. The final, devastating punches came from nowhere, but Wood has a glorious history of salvaging lost causes. “There is no quit in me,” Wood said from the ring, his right eye cut and swollen and his face a blur of developing bruises. It was a hard fight, make no mistake. Back in 2021 Wood won the WBA featherweight world title with a stoppage in the 12th and last round, and was losing his first defence against Michael Conlan before finding the punches to dump Conlan out of the ring for the full count with just 90-seconds remaining in the final round. In Sheffield, he performed one more salvation act and it was dramatic and shocking and wonderful. The pace of the fight was relentless and from the start of round three, Warrington took control and there were moments when all the rumours and talk about the struggle Wood has making the weight looked true; by the start of round seven, Wood was trailing, but more than that, he looked like a beaten man. At the start of round five, with the entire arena standing in admiration and hope, and the signs of the struggle clear on their faces, the pair touched gloves; it was a small, lost and quickly forgotten moment, but it reveals a lot about these two boxers. Pride was the title, respect was the story. There was no sign of the finish as the seconds ticked closer to the bell to end the seventh, and then the combination started; Warrington went down in shattered instalments and Wood just kept throwing. It was a genuine ‘wow’ moment. Wood connected cleanly with six punches, starting with a short right hook. It was a savage and calculating finish, a mix that is not as common as you think. They each left the ring to uncertain futures, and they could, in theory, fight again. Warrington wants a rematch; Wood would make a lot of money from a rematch. However, it will not be at featherweight as Wood confirmed that his battle with the scales is over and that he is moving up in weight. Warrington would be at a considerable size disadvantage in a rematch at a heavier weight. Incidentally, Wood retained his WBA bauble, but in the heat of the moment, that piece of jewellery was ignored. Wood is one of modern boxing’s best fairy tales, a family man, a quiet man and a fighter capable of changing a fight with just one punch. In boxing, that is arguably the ultimate. Read More The sporting weekend in pictures ‘It’s some turnaround’: Leigh Wood relishing late career resurgence Leigh Wood celebrates ‘best win’ as he retains WBA title Leigh Wood stops Josh Warrington with outrageous KO out of nowhere Leigh Wood: I’m Josh Warrington’s last chance to get back into title contention Wood vs Warrington LIVE: Results after vicious KO

An age-old argument, without any definitive answer: when do you let your best player go if the rest of the team needs serious improvement? Is it at the point of emotional guilt-tripping, or when the finances make most sense? Is it when the individual starts creating negativity around the dressing room? Or is it in fact not at all – you keep the top performers and that’s the end of it? Daniel Levy, chairperson at Spurs, has been placed in this position before, but perhaps not when Tottenham have been in such a period of weakness and at such a moment of crossroads. When Luka Modric departed in 2012, Spurs had finished fourth and reached the FA Cup semi-final. A year later when Gareth Bale made his exit, Spurs finished one place further back in the Premier League but actually earned three points more than the campaign previous. The rebuild money across those two summers was perhaps spent in mixed fashion, but it was at a time Tottenham were trying to crack into the top clubs on a regular basis. This time, it’s Harry Kane who looks set for a departure, with Bayern Munich offering up an initial bid – big money, but perhaps not quite big enough just yet – for the striker who has only one year remaining on his contract. Kane has been better, more important, more consistent and longer-serving for Tottenham than either of the two aforementioned stars, or indeed any others they’ve had of late. Yet the club also finished eighth last season, their worst league placing in 14 years, and it’s time for both Kane to move on and Spurs to move on without him. It is not for any reason so crass or emotive or frankly ludicrous as “they owe him”. Spurs do not owe Kane anything. He has been excellent for them, and they have given him the platform to be so. But he clearly has kept his level when the club has lost its own, starting at the most uppermost points of the hierarchy downwards. Kane should be seeking a move for his own prospects, for his own ability to win trophies and his own capacity to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the greatest centre-forwards of this generation. At Bayern in particular, he’ll very much have the opportunity to do that. Of course, the flip side of the player-based argument is twofold: winning silverware at Spurs might mean more, and so too might claiming the Premier League goalscoring record. Only Kane himself can answer those two factors truthfully, but even if he were to head to the Bundesliga to rack up three or four titles now, there’s very little to suggest his playmaking and goalscoring prowess would have deserted him by the time he turns 33 or 34. A comeback to Spurs once they’ve rebuilt and he’s filled his boots elsewhere? Don’t rule it out. A move abroad is also a risk of its own kind, between adaptation to culture and club, especially in a Euros season. But Gareth Southgate isn’t likely to be leaving out his captain any time soon even if form does desert him – let alone the question of whether there’s even an alternative candidate. And so the decision heads once more to Levy, in charge yet again of overseeing transfers after Fabio Paratici’s enforced exit, and tasked with coming up with a price he finds acceptable for a player the fans value above all others, yet will otherwise surely lose for free in a year. To be blunt, Spurs cannot afford the kind of bluster and brinkmanship Levy has shown before with a far stronger hand. The team needs investment. The team might need outright reshaping, given Ange Postecoglou is almost as far removed from Antonio Conte tactically as he is by way of club interim appointments. Without any kind of European football this coming campaign, Spurs have the chance to make the most of the Australian’s excellent coaching capacity on the training pitch with the additional time between matches the schedule will afford him, so to maximise a season on the fringes they should also be seeking to build the group of players which will benefit him most. While Kane the player is irreplaceable, Spurs can provide Postecoglou with a group to more than make up for what they lose through his sale, if the proceeds are reinvested well and existing players nurtured. Richarlison is the most obvious example, especially as the potential replacement No 9, but Dejan Kulusevski has so much more to give too. Spurs don’t need to gut the building entirely, but they certainly need a better structure than they had last season. Selling Kane is a hard choice, but the right one for the club to move into a new phase of more normalised expectations with long-term prospects for improvement – and the right one for the striker to prove himself on a whole new level, too. Read More Man City ‘to submit improved offer’ for Declan Rice after Arsenal bid Tottenham standing firm on Harry Kane amid interest from Bayern Munich Football rumours: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain weighs up Saudi Arabia move Osimhen and five Man United transfer alternatives to signing Kane Football rumours: Manchester United make last-gasp attempt to sign Harry Kane Range of armband options for Women’s World Cup as FIFA aims to avoid repeat row

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Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy has issued a promise to supporters that the summer months will be spent trying to bring “on-pitch success” to the club. Spurs have endured a difficult campaign with boss Antonio Conte departing in March, before Fabio Paratici resigned from his managing director of football position last month following a worldwide ban for allegations of false accounting during his time at Juventus. The club’s trophy drought has also extended into a 15th consecutive season and any hope of another top-four finish has long gone with unrest amongst the fanbase growing amid a perceived lack of direction or transparency from the board. Ryan Mason is the third head coach this season, after Cristian Stellini was sacked following a disastrous four-game spell, and with the managerial search set to extend into a third month next week, Spurs fans’ have repeatedly chanted for Levy to leave the club in recent fixtures. But in his programme notes for the final home match of the season against Brentford, Levy said: “This has been an immensely difficult season. “We made footballing decisions over recent seasons based on ambition and a desire to bring success to our club and they have not delivered what we had hoped. “Your frustration has been understandable and all of us at the club have shared it. “We have undertaken a thorough and rigorous review of our footballing operations. Scott Munn joins us in the summer as our new chief football officer and we look forward to sharing further news with you post-season. “We shall spend the period ahead of next season working relentlessly to position our club for on-pitch success and football you will love to come and watch. “Every element of the club’s operations is geared toward delivering that.” Levy did make similar promises in 2021 with talk of Spurs returning to their “DNA” amid the hunt for Jose Mourinho’s successor. A lengthy managerial search ended with Nuno Espirito Santo being appointed in June, but he was sacked four months later. Feyenoord boss Arne Slot has been installed as the new bookies’ favourite to replace Conte in the current head coach hunt. Earlier this month Julian Nagelsmann was ruled to no longer be a contender while recent weeks have seen Xabi Alonso and Vincent Kompany commit to staying at Bayer Leverkusen and Burnley respectively. Chairman Levy did pay tribute to Mason for stepping up for a second time in interim charge and women’s caretaker Vicky Jepson, who replaced Rehanne Skinner in March. He added: “I should like to thank everyone at the club – all our staff, across all our locations, and our players – for their dedication and hard work during what has been a busy and often challenging season.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Sir Mo Farah preparing to push himself to the limit in Great Manchester Run 10K Eddie Howe says Elliot Anderson is ready to fly with Magpies Sam Allardyce says West Ham game is ‘do or die’ in Leeds’ survival fight

Manchester United failed to reach the Champions League group stage after a 3-1 defeat in the second leg of their qualifier at Paris St Germain. A 47th-minute equaliser from Lisa Naalsund gave the Women’s Super League side hope but Lieke Martens’ second of the game and another from Sandy Baltimore saw the French team prevail 4-2 on aggregate. Leah Galton had a goal disallowed controversially and Ella Toone hit the woodwork as United battled to the end but PSG held on. The hosts started strongly and looked like taking the lead after 10 minutes when Tabitha Chawinga, goalscorer in the first leg, rounded Mary Earps but shot tamely and Maya Le Tissier cleared. The opener came eight minutes later. This time Earps did well to deny Chawinga but could do little as Martens pounced on the rebound and curled past the United keeper. United tried to reply quickly with Geyse teeing up Naalsund in the box but the Norwegian could not take the chance and the visitors had a let-off when Martens headed over. Marc Skinner’s side went close before the break when Geyse combined with Toone but the England international failed to make clean contact and pulled her shot wide. United did get themselves back into the game soon after the restart when Geyse again found space and Naalsund was on hand to turn home from in front of goal. Yet it was to prove a shortlived response as PSG quickly went up the other end and regained the lead. Martens again did the damage, grabbing her second from close range following more good work by Chawinga. United searched for a second equaliser but Katarzyna Kiedrzynek saved from Hannah Blundell and Geyse. PSG took a firm grip on the tie just before the hour as winger Baltimore outran Blundell and chipped Earps from a tight angle. Still United fought on and Katie Zelem drew another save from Kiedrzynek from a free-kick. Galton then headed the ball into the net but the effort was ruled out for a soft foul on Kiedrzynek, who required treatment after colliding with the United player. Toone struck the post with a spectacular effort in stoppage time but it was not United’s night. Read More Mohamed Salah calls for Gaza to be given humanitarian aid immediately Ian Foster warns New Zealand not to be ‘softened’ by plaudits after Ireland win Sandro Tonali under investigation for alleged betting activity Jonny Bairstow: England-South Africa World Cup double will be ‘great spectacle’ Premier League increases matches available in live television broadcast deal Warren Gatland plans to lead Wales at the 2027 World Cup

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