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Wayne Rooney roared onto the scene as a player but is taking a more patient approach to coaching as the Manchester United and England great strives to become a top manager. Nobody could forget his stunning breakthrough as a teenager with Everton and then the national team, leading to his big-money move to Old Trafford in 2004. Rooney was a force of nature that won trophies aplenty as records fell with United before winding down his career with spells at Everton, DC United and Derby. The forward hung up his boots in January 2021 to take on the full-time managerial role at County, steering them through tough times during a rollercoaster start to his coaching career. The 37-year-old decided to return to the USA and has overseen a marked improvement since taking over then Major League Soccer strugglers DC United last July as he builds his coaching pedigree. “It’s been a great experience,” Rooney told the PA news agency. “Obviously I had the challenge at Derby County, which was a difficult one to say the least. “But coming out here has just really been about gaining experience and for me to try and develop as a coach. “I know I am not where I want to be as a finished article, but these next few years are really important in terms of me getting to grips and getting the best out of myself and eventually out of the players. But it is something I really enjoy.” Rooney seems to be approaching his coaching career with a calm, patient mindset – something that might surprise those that watched this aggressive whirlwind of a forward thunder around the pitch. “I think patience is key and understanding that you are going to lose games, you’re not going to win every game and staying calm in them situations,” he said ahead of managing the MLS All-Stars against Arsenal at Audi Field. “I think that’s something that’s really a strength of mine is understanding that. “I’ve picked two difficult jobs to take, to be fair, but I really believe that they’ll help me in the future. I know I am not where I want to be as a finished article, but these next few years are really important in terms of me getting to grips and getting the best out of myself. Wayne Rooney “When DC came in I felt it was a great opportunity to come out and keep developing. “A difficult job in terms of where the club was at, so I had to try to improve the club first of all and get them up the table. “And really just seeing different challenges, different things – obviously languages, culture, religion – and understanding all them different scenarios which could happen if you manage at the top level, which you will have to deal with.” Rooney’s knowledge and experiences have clearly made him an empathetic, considered coach, who is focused on developing himself as well as his players at DC United. “I think it’s a place where I’m coming to work and to learn and develop,” he said. “Of course, after games you can get frustrated and you are always thinking of how the game has gone but I think it’s the right place now, in this moment in time, for me to develop.” With his family back in the UK, Rooney says he lives a “quite boring” existence Stateside around a 45-minute drive from downtown Washington DC. He stays with his fellow coaches and the relaxed environment is allowing the football obsessive to try new things. “If you would have asked me a year ago if I would play with a back five I would have said no,” Rooney said. “Then I’ve gone to a back five quite a few times this season because of probably the quality of the players and it suited the squad more with the players I had. “So, there are small things like that which it has allowed me to learn and develop tactically with different formations. “It’s a great experience for me to come here and work and I think it will really help me moving forward.” Rooney has never shied away from his ambitions to one day manage at the top level, previously saying he would “love” to coach Manchester United or boyhood club Everton. But right now it is DC United that holds his full focus in a competition that feels like it is about to take a giant leap forward. Lionel Messi’s stunning move to Inter Miami certainly has the potential to take football in North America to new heights, while Rooney believes MLS’ true quality has long been underestimated. “I think it’s surprised a lot of people,” he said. “Still now I get agents phoning me up and saying there’s a striker in League Two and he’s ready now to come to the MLS. “I’m like: ‘He’s nowhere near good enough to come and play in the MLS!’ “I think that’s a lack of understanding of the league maybe and there’s maybe a little bit of disrespect towards the league from that point of view. “There are some really quality players in this league who can play at a high level. “There’s different challenges, there’s technically some great players in this league, athletically there’s some really fit players in the league. “It’s a league which I feel is still improving and can get better, but I think it’s really got to a very good level.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Wayne Rooney backs Declan Rice to be ‘leader’ for Arsenal Jamie Smith century puts Surrey in control against Middlesex Stuart Broad reveals addiction to Test cricket after taking 600th wicket

As the Saudi money rolled in, some might have thought Eddie Howe’s days were numbered. With big-money, marquee player signings coming through the door, an elite, high-profile coach would surely not be too far behind. At the start of this season, it appeared Howe had reached his limitations. Three defeats in Newcastle United’s opening four league games gave credence to claims all that was missing from the PIF Toon revolution was a new figurehead. However, despite having to work with a squad so injury-ravaged, Howe has Newcastle buzzing again. His lack of willingness to be drawn on Newcastle’s Middle Eastern overlords does not make him universally popular, but what Howe is doing with his team, a threadbare one at that, is nothing short of remarkable. A recent uptick in results is no fluke – Howe has accepted having to work with 14 fit players and academy kids as backups and is getting on with it, eking every inch out from his shell of a side, with some innovative thinking and a gameplan his players need not stray too far from. “The gaffer, that’s it. The gaffer,” defender Jamaal Lascelles insisted after Saturday’s win over Chelsea, when asked what the difference between playing for Newcastle before the takeover compared to now was. “Everything he’s done, the philosophy, the culture, the way he gets us working. I could stand here all day and talk about it. He’s improved everyone as a player, he’s improved us as a team, everyone knows what they have to do on the pitch.” That last point was illustrated perfectly in Saturday’s encounter with Chelsea. Newcastle had no right to win that game – against a Blues team on the up, with three goalkeepers and four academy players on the bench – and after Raheem Sterling equalised in the first half, there appeared likely to be only one winner. Yet, somehow, with Mauricio Pochettino able to turn to £300m worth of cavalry, Newcastle dug deep, stuck to their jobs, and ran out rampant 4-1 winners. One was a collection of individuals, the other was a team. And that is down to Howe. He is really trying everything possible to gain an advantage. The full-to-bursting St. James’ treatment room and a crucial clash in Paris leaves him with no alternative. One look at Newcastle’s set pieces tells you all you need to know about the work that is going on at the training ground. The scene is more akin to the NFL. The majority of black and white shirts in the box are “blockers” creating plenty of space for their most lethal options from Kieran Trippier’s excellent deliveries into the penalty area. One particular routine worked out perfectly on Saturday, but Joelinton still somehow headed wide with the goal at his mercy. The results are startling, nonetheless. Having been one of the least threatening teams from set plays previously, Since the start of the 2022-23 Premier League season, no club have a better expected goal (xG) difference per 100 set pieces than Newcastle. No stone is left unturned as Howe tries to find an edge to revive his side’s Champions League campaign. “A change of feel, just a different routine, you never know how these things affect your performance,” Howe said of his side’s decision to train on the Parc des Princes pitch ahead of Tuesday’s clash with Paris Saint-Germain, as opposed to remaining at home on the day of the game as they did in their previous two away group games. “The results you can never guarantee, but performance, we’re looking for an improvement from our two away games. So that’s why we’ve done what we’ve done today.” PSG come into the contest as favourites having hit five past Monaco at the weekend, and a defeat would end Newcastle’s Champions League hopes. Without half of his squad, against one of the best sides in the world, Howe and his side really shouldn’t stand a chance. As Chelsea will testify to, however, count them out at your peril.

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Oleksandr Usyk defends his unified world titles against Daniel Dubois this weekend, as the heavyweights clash in Poland. Usyk, 36, is making his second defence of the belts, having retained them against Anthony Joshua one year ago – and one year after taking them from “AJ” with another decision win. The unbeaten Ukrainian, formerly undisputed at cruiserweight, was hoping to fight Tyson Fury next, but talks collapsed and left Usyk with this bout: against mandatory challenger Dubois. The Briton, 25, has achieved 18 of his 19 wins via knockout and will hope his power is enough against southpaw Usyk, but Dubois must also beware his own vulnerabilities. They were on display in a stoppage loss to Joe Joyce in 2020, when Dubois suffered a fractured eye socket, and in his most recent win as he hit the canvas three times – partly due to a knee injury. Here’s all you need to know about Usyk vs Dubois. We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent. When is the fight? Usyk vs Dubois is set to take place at the Tarczynski Arena in Wroclaw, Poland, on Saturday 26 August. The main card is expected to begin at 7pm BST (11am PT, 1pm CT, 2pm ET), with ring walks for the main event likely to follow at 10pm BST (2pm PT, 4pm CT, 5pm ET). How can I watch it? In the UK, the fight and undercard will air live on TNT Sports pay-per-view (formerly BT Sport). The event will cost £19.95 and is not exclusive to TNT subscribers. It will also stream live on the broadcaster’s website and app. No US broadcaster has been confirmed at the time of writing. If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch the event, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN round-up is here to help: Get great deals on the best VPNs in the market. Odds Usyk to win – 1/10; Usyk via KO, TKO or DQ – 4/11 Dubois to win – 15/2; Dubois via KO, TKO or DQ – 9/1 Draw – 22/1 Via Betway. • Get all the latest boxing betting sites’ offers. Full card (subject to change) Oleksandr Usyk (C) vs Daniel Dubois (WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO heavyweight titles) Denys Berinchyk vs Anthony Yigit (lightweight) Dmytro Mytrofanov vs Hamzah Sheeraz (middleweight) Daniel Lapin vs Aro Schwartz (light-heavyweight) Fiodor Czerkaszyn vs Anauel Ngamissengue (middleweight) Rafal Wolczecki vs Roberto Arriaza (middleweight) Vasile Cebotari vs Joel Julio (welterweight) Nursultan Amanzholov vs Lazizbek Mullojonov (heavyweight) Oleksandr Solomennikov vs Piotr Gudel (featherweight) Aadam Hamed vs TBA (super-welterweight) Ziyad Almaayouf vs Janos Penzes (super-lightweight) Bryce Mills vs Damian Tymosz (super-lightweight) Yaroslav Khartsyz vs Konrad Czajkowski (lightweight) Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Anthony Joshua has the blueprint to beat Deontay Wilder – is he brave enough to use it? Conor McGregor on UFC return: ‘They’re not going to let me fight’ Sean O’Malley becomes newest UFC superstar with dazzling KO of Aljamain Sterling Who is fighting on Usyk vs Dubois undercard this weekend? Hamzah Sheeraz relishing chance to beat Dmytro Mytrofanov ‘in his backyard’ How to watch Usyk vs Dubois online and on TV this weekend

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Fullback Andrew Beck fumbled a kickoff and then broke five tackles during an 85-yard return for a touchdown — one of several special teams gaffes by Jacksonville — and the Houston Texans stunned the Jaguars 37-17 Sunday to give coach DeMeco Ryans his first victory