'It seems Garnacho has checked out'

Alejandro Garnacho is still a Manchester United player but it seems he has checked out of life at Old Trafford.Maybe his attitude is understandable given Ruben Amorim told him before the final Premier League game of the season he could find himself another club.Garnacho did not appear particularly engaged during the post-season trip to Malaysia and Hong Kong and has now decided it is a good idea to allow the public to see a picture of him wearing a shirt of a rival club – albeit with the name of team-mate – and fellow Amorim outcast – Marcus Rashford – on the back.The 20-year-old presumably thinks his bridges are already burned as far as Amorim and United are concerned but it won't make it easier to sell him.Former club Atletico Madrid have been mentioned as one potential destination, although their current focus is on salvaging their Club World Cup campaign, as have Chelsea, although they are keen on Borussia Dortmund's Jamie Gittens.It is another couple of weeks until United return for pre-season training but it is hard to see Garnacho playing any meaningful part in that. With the Argentine, Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Antony, Amorim could find himself with his own version of Chelsea's 'bomb squad', a very expensive, well-paid group of players he has no use for.

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Telegraph

31 minutes ago

• Telegraph

The Lions' ambitious attack dissected and who will benefit the most

The most stinging criticism of the British and Irish Lions' display on Friday evening came from their own players and head coach. Indeed, such was the reluctance to acknowledge any positives that it felt as though Andy Farrell was attempting to seize control of the pervading narrative. Over the 80 minutes that preceded some downbeat post-match interviews, there were clear indications of what the Lions will stand for as a team. And, in a first hit-out against stronger opponents than they usually face at the start of a tour, that much was encouraging. Since ascending from the guise of charismatic defence guru, Farrell's identity as a head coach has been founded in slick, intricate attack. He essentially took Joe Schmidt's Ireland and gave them more dimensions, making them more intuitive and less predictable. He has picked a strong stable of Ireland regulars on this Lions trip, which will allow him to implement similar principles. That these principles were evident from the off against Argentina, without the Leinster contingent, was impressive. Here are five pillars to watch out for as Farrell's side gels. Four-man pods Remember the Dan Sheehan try that killed England off at the beginning of February? It began from a four-man pod that saw the Ireland hooker's tip-pass send Jack Conan through the middle: Game, set and match 🍀 Once again, Ireland rip through England's defence as Dan Sheehan rounds off a lovely team try to seal the win 😤 #GuinnessM6N | #IRevENG — ITV Rugby (@ITVRugby) February 1, 2025 The Lions assembled these four-man pods twice on Friday, each time from goal-line drop-outs struck by Argentina. Ben Earl carried into contact both times. A slow ruck on the first occasion gives the Lions scope to adopt their structure. Finlay Bealham, Tadhg Beirne, Bundee Aki and Tom Curry are up flat with Fin Smith hanging deeper. In a second layer, Jac Morgan is preparing to cut a shorter angle with Marcus Smith set to fade away towards the far touchline: Watch how the phase plays out, with Sione Tuipulotu getting a run out wide: In the second period, a quicker breakdown from Earl's dart means the set-up is not quite as precise. However, the same people are adopting the same roles: Another long pass from Alex Mitchell finds Aki, who throws a short pass rather than a pull-back – the option Sheehan and Conan sliced England with four months previously. Had Curry kept control of the ball, the Pumas would have been broken: This tactic, which is becoming more common around the world, requires scrum-halves to fire long passes, which Jamison Gibson-Park does superbly. The four-man pod itself suits anyone with poise on the gain-line. Bristol Bears, for instance, often have Joe Batley as the first-receiver, standing three out. Aki and Tuipulotu suit that slot as well. Earl would probably enjoy being the fourth flat runner and Finn Russell will relish sweeping behind that structure. Roaming wings This next clip follows the first four-man pod that the Lions ran. Watch Tommy Freeman. He begins right next to the ruck as Tuipulotu is tackled… …and arcs all the way behind his colleagues towards the far flank. Note that there is a three-man pod fronted by Beirne, and Aki is organising a second layer: Freeman reaches the outside centre on the Lions left, receiving an offload from Luke Cowan-Dickie and exchanging passes with Duhan van der Merwe to breach the Pumas 22: Mack Hansen has been a flagship inclusion in Farrell's Ireland line-up and needs no second invitation to leave his wing. Take this scrum strike play in the second half. He begins behind Fin Smith… …and sets off. He is aiming to arrive on the right shoulder of his fly-half, who is himself swinging behind the slice pattern of Tuipulotu and Elliot Daly: Hansen gets on the ball and buys the Lions a penalty – his dummy causing an early tackle on Marcus Smith. A determined run finishes up about 15 metres out... ...and Hansen is not done there. He returns to his feet and works towards the left again… …even carrying from first-receiver before play is brought back for a penalty. Note that Curry has filled in on the left flank in Hansen's absence: Freeman, Hansen and James Lowe are ideal men for this approach. Daly roams readily as well, and do not be surprised if Garry Ringrose is used as a stand-in. Blair Kinghorn has been on the wing for Toulouse as well, and would hunt touches. Collective awareness is vital here, because other attackers must help to fill the field when a wing goes walk-about. Edge forwards Farrell gave his back row licence to hold width. Jac Morgan was the target for a Fin Smith kick-pass and Earl migrated to the wide channels to receive this long cut-out pass from Freeman: Henry Pollock's first moments in a Lions shirt saw him attend this breakdown… …before backing away to the near touchline: A few phases later, with the Lions having earned impetus and the Pumas defence rather narrow, the 20-year-old is calling for the ball: As it happens, Tuipulotu delays slightly and Aki trucks up instead: However, we can expect back-rowers to finish off a few tries in Australia. Sheehan, the explosive hooker, rampages out wide as well. Two layers (at least) Ireland's attack over recent seasons has been characterised by a fleet of runners in a sophisticated structure that allows them to play either through or around defences depending on which pass is picked. Johnny Sexton's presence on Farrell's staff this tour suggests that the Lions will aim to operate in a similar manner. Even from strike plays, the domain of Kiwi coach Andrew Goodman, there always appear to be two layers. Here, from the first scrum of the game, Fin Smith takes the ball flat with Aki on his left and Freeman tearing off his wing behind that. Watch Tuipulotu: On review, Freeman might feel as though he could have lifted another pass to launch Tuipulotu: Here, off the back of a line-out, the second layer is where the Lions pose problems. Mitchell feeds Aki, who has Freeman on his inside and Fin Smith deeper. Track Tuipulotu again: Mitchell receives a return pass in a loop play and is just caught in possession before he can feed Tuipulotu: In phase-play, the Lions also looked to establish two layers. Here, you can see Beirne organising Curry into a second wave (rectangles) beyond the three-man pod of Bealham, Earl and Maro Itoje (circles). This is known as a 3-2 formation and will be a prominent feature of the Lions' time in possession: Curry and Beirne are options for Aki, the playmaker out the back of the three-man pod, but the ball goes beyond them as the Lions open the pitch up: Farrell will demand that tight-five forwards take responsibility for these pods, with backline playmakers organising as they scan the defence. The Lions put a great deal of width on the ball against Argentina, but will want to pose direct threats as well. Scott Cummings, like Beirne, is a skilful link man and Ollie Chessum's attacking output will be very interesting. The latter is versatile enough to be used all over the pitch, as part of tighter pods and in the wider channels. Bouncing against the grain During the second half, when Tomos Williams and Hansen arrived off the bench, the Lions began to zig-zag within the 15-metre channels and make use of short sides. This tends to mitigate aggressive defences because it reduces the opportunities to rush up and envelope sweeping attacks. Beirne's try arrived from a reasonably simple '11 play', a name of a move that sees a team move one phase before immediately going back in the opposite direction. Earl is the initial carrier from the line-out after Fin Smith finds Aki behind the run of Pollock. Follow Itoje, Ellis Genge and Beirne: They arrive on the right of the next breakdown and Williams spins to face three willing runners: Watch the rest of the attack develop, with Genge injecting impetus. Beirne is back in the same flat position to score: Tadhg Beirne 🙌🦁 #Lions2025 — British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) June 20, 2025 Genge, used to Pat Lam's phase maps at Bristol, will be an asset to the Lions. Pierre Schoeman and Andrew Porter will be used in a similar way, while Will Stuart should have scope to carry as well. Pace and mobility have been prioritised over heft across the back five of the pack, with Conan the closest thing to a hole-punching back-rower. Joe McCarthy, however, can be a bruising runner. Things should improve with the integration of Leinster players from this weekend against Western Force, given the parallels between Ireland's traits and how Farrell has obviously set up the Lions to attack. Perhaps a more pertinent question, which has been in the air since Farrell was appointed as Lions boss, is which individuals can adapt to the requirements of his approach and even enhance the overall picture. Notwithstanding over-eagerness with the ball – as well as line-out problems and organisational lapses in defence – the encouraging thing is that there is clarity and ambition about how the Lions will approach this tour and work towards the Test against Australia. Often, that is half the battle.

Daily Mail​

38 minutes ago

• Daily Mail​

Former Man United manager insists Bayern Munich should never have signed Harry Kane

Austria boss Ralf Rangnick claims that Bayern Munich would be better off had they never signed Harry Kane. The England captain, now 31, moved from Tottenham to Bayern in 2023 for a club-record £100million and has since scored 83 goals in just 93 appearances for the Bundesliga giants in all competitions. After a trophyless first season, Kane won the first major piece of silverware of his career in May when Bayern sealed the German title. Despite these successes, Rangnick — interim boss of Man United between December 2021 and May 2022 — insists that Bayern should not have signed Kane. 'If I were the club owner or sporting director, I would only try to sign young players and invest in them,' Rangnick told Sport. 'Because no matter how you look at it, it's the only sensible thing to do.' The 66-year-old went on to suggest that Bayern's punt on Kane had all the financial planning of a gambler's trip to the roulette table. 'It's like a bet or a visit to the casino where I bet 130million on red or white,' Rangnick added. 'I know I'm exaggerating a bit, but you know what I mean.' In the same interview, Rangnick also gave a withering assessment of the lack of 'decision-makers' at Man United. 'I think we have to go back to 2013, when Sir Alex left the club. And at the time he was still there, he was the mastermind behind it all. He probably also brought a lot of important people to the club,' Rangnick said. 'And the moment he left, some of those people probably left the club as well. And, since then, I think they have a leadership problem. 'Who's really making the decisions and why are they making them? Are they really the best people for the job? I can only tell you that the six months I was there, it was difficult to say, even for me as head coach. 'Who were the decision-makers? Who? Who could I talk to? If we wanted to sign new players, it was difficult. There were people, but in the end, it was difficult.'

Telegraph

an hour ago

• Telegraph

Club World Cup 2025: Fixtures, results, TV channel and why Chelsea are in it

Monday, June 23 Group B: Seattle Sounders vs PSG - Lumen Field, Seattle; kick off 5pm * Group B: Atletico Madrid vs Botafogo - Rose Bowl Stadium, Los Angeles; kick off 5pm Group A: Inter Miami vs Palmeiras - Hard Rock Stadium, Miami; kick off 2am (Tuesday) Group A: Porto vs Al Ahly - MetLife Stadium, New York New Jersey; kick off 2am (Tuesday) Tuesday, June 24 *Group C: Auckland City vs Boca Juniors - GEODIS Park, Nashville; kick off 7pm Group C: Benfica vs Bayern Munich - Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte; kick off 8pm Group D: Los Angeles FC vs Flamengo - Camping World Stadium, Orlando; kick off 2am (Wednesday) * Group D: Esperance de Tunis vs Chelsea - Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia; kick off 2am (Wednesday) Wednesday, June 25 *Group F: Borussia Dortmund vs Ulsan HD - TQL Stadium, Cincinnati; kick off 8pm Group F: Mamelodi Sundowns vs Fluminense - Hard Rock Stadium, Miami; kick off 8pm Group E: Inter Milan vs River Plate - Lumen Field, Seattle; kick off 11pm Group E: Urawa Red Diamonds vs Monterrey - Rose Bowl Stadium, Los Angeles; kick off 11pm Thursday, June 26 Group G: Juventus vs Man City - Camping World Stadium, Orlando; kick off 8pm Group G: Wydad AC vs Al Ain - Audi Field, Washington, D.C; kick off 8pm Group H: Al Hilal vs CF Pachuca - GEODIS Park, Nashville; kick off 1am (Friday) Group H: FC Salzburg vs Real Madrid - Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia; kick off 2am (Friday) Knockout stage – round of 16 Saturday, June 28 Match 49: Group A winners vs Group B runners-up - Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia;kick off 5pm Match 50: Group C winners vs Group D runners-up - Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte; kick off 9pm Sunday, June 29 *Match 51: Group B winners vs Group A runners-up - Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta; kick off 5pm * Match 52: Group D winners vs Group C runners-up - Hard Rock Stadium, Miami; kick off 9pm Monday, June 30 *Match 53: Group E winners vs Group F runners-up - Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte; kick off 8pm * Match 54: Group G winners vs Group H runners-up - Camping World Stadium, Orlando; kick off 2am (Tuesday) Tuesday, July 1 Match 55: Group H winners vs Group G runners-up - Hard Rock Stadium, Miami; kick off 8pm Match 56: Group F winners vs Group E runners-up - Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta; kick off 2am (Wednesday) Quarter-final fixtures Friday, July 4 *Match 57: Winner match 53 vs Winner match 54 - Camping World Stadium, Orlando; kick off 8pm Match 58: Winner match 49 vs Winner match 50 - Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia; kick off 2am (Saturday) Saturday, July 5 *Match 59: Winner match 51 vs Winner match 52 - Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta; kick off 5pm Match 60: Winner match 55 vs Winner match 56 - MetLife Stadium, New York New Jersey; kick off 9pm Semi-final fixtures Tuesday, July 8 Match 61: Winner match 57 vs Winner match 58 - MetLife Stadium, New York New Jersey; kick off 8pm Wednesday, July 9 *Match 62: Winner match 59 vs Winner match 60 - MetLife Stadium, New York New Jersey; kick off 8pm Club World Cup Final Sunday, July 13 *Match 63: Winner match 61 vs Winner match 62 - MetLife Stadium, New York New Jersey; kick off 8pm Prize money Manchester City or Chelsea could claim almost £100 million in prize money if they win the Club World Cup. The winners of the 32-team event will take home up to $125 million. Teams will share $525 million (about £400 million) in participation fees, but this pot will not be distributed evenly. The appearance fees going to Europe's 12 clubs will be on a sliding scale from $38.19 million at the top end to $12.81 million at the bottom, determined by a ranking based on 'sporting and commercial criteria'. Where is the tournament being held? It is being held in the US. Twelve venues will be used across the country, with the final to be staged at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. The other venues are Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta), TQL Stadium (Cincinnati), Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte), Rose Bowl Stadium (Pasadena), Hard Rock Stadium (Miami), GEODIS Park (Nashville), Camping World Stadium (Orlando), Inter&Co Stadium (Orlando), Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia), Lumen Field (Seattle) and Audi Field (Washington). Why are Chelsea in the Club World Cup? The tournament features clubs from each of the six international confederations and there were 12 places available for European clubs, decided by Champions League performances over the past four seasons. As a result, recent European Cup winners Chelsea (2021) and Manchester City (2023) qualified. Only two clubs per country can qualify, meaning 2022 Champions League finalists Liverpool were not included. One spot in the tournament was reserved for a team from the host nation, which enabled Fifa to shoehorn Lionel Messi's Inter Miami into the draw. Is the tournament controversial? In short, yes. The involvement of 32 teams has added even more games and, in the process, cut rest time for the world's top players. This has attracted criticism and led to the threat of strike action by some players. In June, Fifpro, the global footballers' union, took legal action against Fifa over player burnout at the expanded Club World Cup. There is also the issue that a lot of players' contracts will run out in the middle of the tournament and concerns about stadiums being far from sold out. Past winners 2000: Corinthians – Beat Vasco de Gama (0-0, won on penalties) 2006: Sao Paulo – Beat Liverpool 1-0 2007: Internacional – Beat Barcelona 1-0 2008: AC Milan – Beat Boca Juniors 4-2 2009: Manchester United – Beat LDU Quito 1-0 2010: Barcelona – Beat Estudiantes 2-1 (AET) 2011: Inter Milan – Beat TP Mazembe 3-0 2012: Barcelona – Beat Santos 4-0 2013: Corinthians – Beat Chelsea 1-0 2014: Bayern Munich – Beat Raja Casablanca 2-0 2015: Real Madrid – Beat San Lorenzo 2-0 2016: Barcelona – Beat River Plate 3-0 2017: Real Madrid – Beat Kashima Antlers 4-2 (AET) 2018: Real Madrid – Beat Gremio 1-0 2019: Real Madrid – Beat Al-Ain 4-1 2020: Liverpool – Beat Flamengo 1-0 (AET) 2021: Bayern Munich – Beat UANL Tigres 1-0 2022: Chelsea – Beat Palmeiras 2-1 (AET) 2023: Real Madrid – Beat Al-Hilal 5-3 2024: Manchester City — Beat Fluminense 4-0 Chelsea midfielder Moisés Caicedo insists lessons will be learnt from Friday's loss to Flamengo at the Club World Cup. The Blues capitulated in the second half in Philadelphia, surrendering a lead to lose 3-1 to the Brazilians and finish with 10 men. Most of the damage was done in a torrid six-minute spell in which they conceded twice and had Nicolas Jackson – just four minutes after coming off the bench – sent off for a reckless tackle. The result leaves them second in Group D with a win and a loss and potentially facing a more difficult route through the competition, with a possible clash against Bayern Munich in the last 16. 'It was difficult to take, but now we are focusing on the next game,' said Caicedo. 'For sure, we need to learn from this game. We need to react. 'I think the team played well but you need to be focused for 95 minutes in this game because, in one second, you can lose the game and that was what happened.' City chief defends tournament Manchester City chief executive Ferran Sorriano has defended the Club World Cup, claiming it is part of the 'globalisation' of football. The enlarged Fifa tournament has drawn criticism for adding to fixture congestion, player fatigue and flagging interest from fans. Many stadiums have been far from full. There is also, though, the prize of £97 million for the winners with Soriano declaring that City are targeting the Club World Cup after a season which ended without a trophy. City began their campaign with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Moroccan side Wydad Casablanca – ranked below Cardiff City and Wrexham in the Opta rankings – at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia with thousands of empty seats. However Soriano defended such fixtures. 'You have to have teams like Manchester City playing teams from Morocco, Korea or wherever. That's part of the globalisation of the No 1 sport in the world,' he said. 'I think it's a great initiative and we are very happy to be here. 'I think it's something that was very much needed, soccer is a global sport and we have to make it global. It's very important to be here because we are a global football club. We have our roots and we are proud of them.' How do you qualify for the next one? Good news for Saudi Arabia's Al-Ahli, who are in already by dint of their Asian Champions League triumph over Kawasaki Frontale in May. They will be joined by PSG (France), Cruz Azul (Mexico) and Pyramids (Egypt, duh) as winners of the European, North American and African equivalents. The winners of each of those continental tournaments for the following three years will also make it, plus four years of Copa Libertadores champions from South America. The two non-champion teams with the strongest performances from the Libertadores in that period will be given a place, plus the highest-ranked team over four years of the Oceania Champions League. Uefa gets eight high-ranking non-champion teams from the Champions League, with one spot left for the host nation. That is to be determined but could be the World Cup hosts for 2030: Spain, Morocco and Portugal, which could require a creative solution. Could it be beefed up to 48 teams, like the World Cup?