List of All Articles with Tag 'son'

Over the last two weeks, the NWSL table has been filled with movement. Given the quality of fixtures in week 9, there could be even more heading into June.Memorial Day weekend features at least one match Friday through Sunday in the National Women's Soccer League. It is the final week of re...

Ruud van Nistelrooy, a bonafide Manchester United legend has quit his managerial position at PSV Eindhoven in bizarre circumstances. Despite lifting two trophies with the Dutch side - the KNVB cup and the Johan Cruyff Shield, van Nistelrooy has resigned with a game remaining in the Eredivisie, and will not see out the season at PSV. The club could still seal a second place finish in the Dutch league with a win over AZ Alkmaar (who have been in the news for their own reasons recently), but the ex-striker will no longer oversee that - a reward in itself behind a dominant and immovable Ajax side. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter PSV's statement read as follows: 'PSV regrets van Nistelrooy's decision and is grateful to him for winning the Johan Cruyff Shield and the TOTO KNVB Cup this season and hopes to close the football year with second place.' According to a number of outlets, friction behind the scenes is the cause of van Nistelrooy's dramatic departure. PSV lost two stars to Premier League sides - with Noni Madueke joining Chelsea and Cody Gakpo moving to Liverpool. Bold also state that van Nistelrooy chose to suddenly depart after realising a lack of support for his methods - following a series of meetings with the board regarding 'internal matters'. Van Nistelrooy leaves PSV having won 65 per cent of his games in charge, after a long stint as a backroom and youth coach at the club. It's not the first time he has departed PSV either - in 2001 he left the club to grow his legend at Manchester United. Perhaps something similar will follow now? Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Erik ten Hag expects Marcus Rashford to be ready to face Chelsea on Thursday night but admitted he is not sure whether Manchester United’s top scorer is fully fit. Rashford has missed United’s last two fixtures, first with a leg injury and then through illness, but has returned to training this week. Asked if the 29-goal forward was ready to play, Ten Hag said: “It looks like (it). Yesterday, he returned to training, he looks quite fit but we have to see today what is the outcome of the training, how did we recover and then we will make our choices.” Rashford’s absence against Wolves and Bournemouth – both games United won without him – once again brought into focus United’s lack of depth in the forward positions. Anthony Martial was handed a rare start on the south coast on Sunday, but headed straight down the tunnel when he was withdrawn after an hour before later returning to the bench. Martial’s reaction led to fresh speculation over his United future. The 27-year-old, who finished last season on loan at Sevilla, has scored eight times in 27 appearances for United this season, but has struggled at times with injuries. “If you are not available, you can’t score,” Ten Hag said. “When he was available we played better, the team is winning games, he’s also scoring goals but he has to be available.” And Ten Hag also batted away a question about speculation linking United with Paris St Germain’s Brazil forward Neymar by offering his stock answer on transfer rumours, saying: “When we have news, we will tell you.” United will secure a top-four place and a return to the Champions League for next season if they take at least a point against Frank Lampard’s side. “It’s clear, we want to win every game,” the Dutchman said. “That is what we do all season so tomorrow we want to do the same, we want to win the game, play dominant football and get the job done… “First, we have to win the game tomorrow and get the job done. Then, it’s about judgement from others if it’s a good, bad or normal performance. “We are in a project, we want to go back and win trophies, we win one trophy but we want more trophies, compete with the best, we are still in a journey but we think we are in the right direction but it can always be better. Because good is not good enough.” We are still in a journey but we think we are in the right direction but it can always be better. Because good is not good enough Erik ten Hag With the League Cup trophy already in the cabinet, booking a return to Europe’s premier competition would be another significant marker for Ten Hag in his first season at Old Trafford. “If we want to compete with the best, then you have to be in the Champions League,” he said. “We want to compete with the best and be in the Champions League. In the Premier League, you have to be one of the first four, that’s not easy, many are competing for it, many think they should be in and we are one of them.”

England forward Fran Kirby has extended her Chelsea contract by another year. Kirby, who signed a two-year deal in 2021 that included the option of a further 12 months, joined the Blues from Reading in 2015 and has gone on to become the Women’s Super League club’s leading scorer with 110 goals in 175 appearances. During her time with Chelsea, Kirby has won 13 trophies, including five WSL titles as well as the FA Cup on four occasions. Kirby was also part of the England side which won the European Championship on home soil last summer, but has been ruled out of this year’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand after needing knee surgery. The 29-year-old suffered the injury during Chelsea’s Continental League Cup semi-final against West Ham in February. A club statement read: “Chelsea is delighted to announce that an option to extend the contract of forward Fran Kirby by a further year has been exercised. “We look forward to seeing Fran back in blue next season.” PA Read More England’s World Cup squad: Who’s on the plane, and who’s got work to do? Ella Toone upbeat on England’s World Cup chances despite ‘difficult’ injury setbacks ‘Everyone wants to see us fail’: How Erin Cuthbert drives Chelsea to stay on top

Chelsea will sit down with Mason Mount next week to discuss a new contract. He has been linked with a £55m move to Manchester United, while Arsenal, Liverpool and Newcastle are interested.

Stefano Domenicali, chief executive of Formula 1, has hailed the “exciting” partnership between Honda and Aston Martin as the Japanese manufacturer prepare to return to the sport. The two brands announced this week that Honda would be the engine partner for Aston Martin’s F1 cars from 2026. Although the automotive giants had officially withdrawn from the sport in 2021, its engines are still utilised by the two Red Bull teams. But with Formula 1 pushing towards an attempt to be carbon neutral by 2030, Honda have been attracted back. And Domenicali believes their return shows the sport is moving in the right direction. “It is great news for Formula 1 that Honda will partner with Aston Martin to supply power units from 2026,” said Domenicali. “This is further evidence that our global platform and growth provides brands with huge potential, and it also shows that our plans to move to sustainable fuels in 2026 is the right approach to offer the automotive world alternative solutions to decarbonise the planet. “We can all see the incredible commitment Aston Martin has made to our sport and we can’t wait to see the exciting partnership in action, and I want to congratulate both parties on this exciting news.” New rules in 2026 will increase the electrical performance of engines utilised in F1, which has used hybrid engines for nearly a decade. The FIA will also introduce regulations mandating fully synthetic, sustainable fuels at the same time. Honda’s engines have helped Max Verstappen and Red Bull to the last two world titles, with a third likely to be secured this year, but the team has partnered with Ford to build its own engine for the 2026 season. That has opened the door for a partnership with Aston Martin, who are enjoying a promising season after a significant offseason of improvement that also brought former world champion Fernando Alonso to the team. Alonso is currently third in the Drivers’ Championship standings, with Aston Martin the closest challengers to Red Bull in the chase for the constructors’ crown. “Aston Martin is building a team to win in F1,” Martin Whitmarsh, the group chief executive officer of Aston Martin Performance Technologies, explained. “We have been recruiting the right people and investing in the required facilities and developing the right culture and processes to win. “To partner a global motorsport titan like Honda is an extremely exciting and important further step for the team. Both organisations share the same relentless ambition to succeed on track. We are very proud, honoured and grateful to put in place this partnership.” The 2023 F1 season continues in Monaco this weekend. Read More Lewis Hamilton will stay with Mercedes as nowhere else to go – Guenther Steiner Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes are the biggest losers from Imola Grand Prix cancellation Ambitious £80m relaunch of World Cup of Motorsport earmarked for end of 2024 Lewis Hamilton ‘receives multi-million pound offer’ to make major change F1 Monaco Grand Prix: Why is practice no longer on a Thursday? F1 2023 race schedule: When is the Monaco GP?

NBA fans -- put the brooms back in the cupboard. Following the Los Angeles Lakers being swept out of the playoffs by the Denver Nuggets, the Boston Celtics were keen to avoid meeting the same fate as their long-time rivals.

Los Angeles Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka says LeBron James has earned the right to make a decision about his playing career without any interference.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said he wants the financial charges leveled against the club to be settled "as soon as possible."

Barcelona's stance on a possible Jules Kounde exit following reports that he wants to leave the club for being played out of position.

Eddie Howe was not expecting much of a reception when he got back home after becoming the first manager since Sir Bobby Robson to steer Newcastle United into the Champions League. “The dog probably won’t even get up and give me a wag,” he said. “He will probably be asleep on the sofa.” But Howe has a smiling tendency to downplay and deflect. He had claimed he would celebrate the 6-1 demolition of Tottenham with a tea and a biscuit. Securing a top-four finish, he said, might prompt something slightly stronger. “I hope it is not with a tea and biscuit,” he said. It has been Howe’s way not to mention the Champions League; he claimed it had just “crept up on us” and that he had only started to think about it seriously in the last few weeks. Which, if true, would make Howe the exception at St James’ Park. He nevertheless sounded like a man who had started his planning, albeit with a typical willingness to moderate expectations. Champions League revenue could provide a £100 million boost to Newcastle’s income; not money their owners need, given the wealth of the Saudi Public Investment Fund, but essential for the club, considering the way Financial Fair Play regulations limit their room for manoeuvre. “We don’t have the ability to spend the money people think we have,” Howe insisted. A voice of caution made a couple of pertinent points. Firstly, Newcastle do not want to lose the unity and spirit that has propelled them beyond more talented teams. To put it another way, they don’t want to do a Chelsea. And secondly, the better the side has got, the fewer the number of players who can actually improve it. Of those who can, Newcastle are likely to ignore established superstars. So far, they have not raided any of their new rivals: they have not bought from the Premier League’s big six – a term they may have rendered outdated – while instead purchasing from Burnley, Aston Villa, Brighton and Everton and, with the arguable exception of Kieran Trippier from Atletico Madrid, they have recruited from Europe’s second tier: Real Sociedad, Lyon and Lille. The sense is the plan might not change; it can just be accelerated. “We have been really good in the three transfer windows,” said Howe. There was no need for false modesty; they have. Perhaps they have more ambitious targets now: then again, ambition was always apparent, whether taking Trippier to a club in the relegation zone, a few months after winning La Liga. Even without Champions League football, their persuasive powers were apparent: Bruno Guimaraes was an Arsenal target, Sven Botman wanted by AC Milan. More such targeted recruitment seems on the cards. “We will be adding to the squad but it won’t be huge numbers,” said Howe. Two targets look particularly attainable. Kieran Tierney would be their first recruit from the big six, but even then a player who has lost his place in Arsenal’s strongest side. Dan Burn has been an endearing emblem of Newcastle’s progress but a great overachiever is not actually a great left-back. James Maddison was wanted on Tyneside last summer; with Leicester’s possible relegation and the England international’s contract expiring in 2024, they are dual reasons why he could be available. He would offer something different, an injection of creativity into a hard-running team and a player whose goals and assist numbers are excellent. This summer may bring a search for a right-footed Botman, a right-sided centre-back of similar capability; well as Fabian Schar has done, it could be a position where Howe looks to upgrade. There is also scope for midfield reinforcements. The question of whether Guimaraes plays exclusively as the deepest of the trio or as one of the No 8s may dictate if Newcastle go for a more defensive presence. Certainly, there are a host of different types of midfielders who look like Howe-type players and are likely to be on the market: Moises Caicedo, James Ward-Prowse, Conor Gallagher and Mason Mount look cases in point. It will be instructive if Newcastle were to enter the race for Mount, given the high calibre of his suitors. Part of Howe’s task is to balance loyalty with ruthlessness, to assess how many of those who had the season of their life this season are capable of repeating the feat or will regress to a lower level: Burn, Schar, Miguel Almiron, Jacob Murphy, Sean Longstaff and Joe Willock all belong in that category. Some will surely spend more time on the bench. Another issue is whether Newcastle can play such an exhausting style of play with a far more crowded fixture list: to use Dean Smith’s word, they have “steamrollered” opponents this season but with the aid of freshness, cohesion and continuity. But Howe has scarcely rotated and only 14 players have made more than five league starts this season. It is an illustration of why he feels he has a small squad, especially after the January sales of Chris Wood and Jonjo Shelvey. The summer may see an exodus of some of the unused, of some of Ryan Fraser, Matt Ritchie, Jamal Lewis, Jamaal Lascelles, Isaac Hayden and Javi Manquillo, all part of his inheritance. Maybe Allan Saint-Maximin, too, the crowd-pleaser who does not fit Howe’s high-pressing ethos. Each represents the old Newcastle. The newer Newcastle is taking shape in Howe’s image and at a speed he did not forecast. The worrying element for their newer peers is their status as a Champions League club gives them more pulling power and a bigger budget. Read More Roberto De Zerbi: Brighton’s Lewis Dunk has been playing through pain barrier Let’s do it – Pep Guardiola wants PL charges dealt with as soon as possible Newcastle celebrate Champions League qualification – Tuesday’s sporting social Roberto De Zerbi: Brighton could lose Moises Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister Pep Guardiola expecting City’s intensity to drop but warns of challenges to come Leeds, Leicester and Everton facing final-day scrap for Premier League survival

Australia's head coach Andrew McDonald on Wednesday backed under-pressure David Warner to play "a really significant part" in the Ashes...