List of All Articles with Tag 'eppersons'

Stefon Diggs was back on the field practicing, and Bills coach Sean McDermott said whatever lingering issues from last season that raised concern and confusion over the absence of Buffalo’s top receiver a day earlier have been resolved

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

The Atlanta Falcons were one of the NFL’s busiest teams this offseason. The club’s best move may have taken place in late April in Kansas City.Arthur Smith is embarking on his third season at the helm of the Atlanta Falcons. The team has been consistent the past two years, meaning it...

Liverpool star Mohamed Salah set up the equaliser for Egypt in a 2-1 win over Guinea on Wednesday that secured a place at the 2023...

Disgraced Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer has been slapped with yet another sexual assault allegation. Here's everything to know.Former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer was accused of sexual assault for the fourth time in his career.The latest sexual assault allegation, first repor...

Mike Yastrzemski hit a game-tying two-run homer in the ninth inning and Thairo Estrada had the go-ahead single in 10th, and the San Francisco Giants rallied to complete a three-game sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals with an 8-5 victory

Terence Crawford has been asked for years when he would fight Errol Spence Jr. A match between the undefeated fighters would make the winner the undisputed welterweight champion and give him a claim as the best in the sport, so it was one of the biggest bouts that could be made

NFL rumors: Stefon Diggs answers Bills drama without saying a wordOn Tuesday, there was a lot of attention focused on the Buffalo Bills. That's because Stefon Diggs wasn't spotted at the team's mandatory minicamp practice. Head coach Sean McDermott said that he was "very concer...

Johnny Miller was back behind a microphone on Wednesday and the subject was himself

Michael Harris went 4 for 4 with a homer and four RBIs as the Atlanta Braves beat the Detroit Tigers 10-6 on Wednesday in the first game of a doubleheader

A four-run third inning sparked by Carlos Correa, Joey Gallo and Trevor Larnach vaulted the Twins to a 4-2 win and series of sweep of Milwaukee

D.C. United head coach Wayne Rooney hailed Lionel Messi after his announcement to join Major League Soccer’s Inter Miami on a free transfer following his Paris Saint-Germain exit, labeling the move as “massive” for the American team.