Premier League
Sir Alex Ferguson adds another trophy to collection eight years after Man Utd retirement
Sir Alex Ferguson added another trophy to his collection from the Manchester United glory days.
The fans’ hero, famed for years of success with the Premier League side, celebrated winning a gong away from football.
Bolstering the 38 trophies he scooped during his record-breaking Old Trafford reign, Fergie was successful at The McCoys on Thursday evening.
Held at the home of National Hunt racing, Cheltenham, the black-tie event saw the United legend celebrate victory in one of the categories.
With Ged Mason, John and Lisa Hales, Ferguson won ‘leading owner’, for individuals or partnerships with three horses or fewer.
Sponsored by Ellenborough Park, the plush hotel near the racecourse, the award recognised their extraordinary 62-1 treble on the first day of the Randox Grand National Festival.
Horses Protektorat, Monmiral and Clan Des Obeaux scored at Grade 1 level – the highest level of the sport – in the opening races.
Ferguson and his team were presented with a small statue of Sir AP McCoy, who like him was a record-breaking force in his sport.
McCoy was champion jockey on 20 occasions, while Ferguson took 13 Premier League titles, five FA Cups, and two UEFA Champions League titles during 26 years with United.
Ferguson was thrilled with the April hat-trick and said: “That’s the best day I’ve had in my time in racing, which is about 20 years or so.
“It is different to when I was managing my football teams – I was in control of what was going to happen on the pitch, but I’m not in control of that (on the racetrack) as the trainer does all of that and as an owner you hope it goes well.”
Before this year, Ferguson last had a Merseyside treble in 2007, when Manchester United defeated Everton twice at Goodison Park and Liverpool at Anfield.
The main Aintree race, the Randox Grand National, also featured at The McCoys.
Rachael Blackmore, the first female rider to win it, took the ‘ride of the season’ award for her amazing achievement aboard Minella Times.
“It still feels strange watching Aintree back now, but it’s just incredible,” she said.
One of Blackmore’s six winners at the 2021 Cheltenham Festival, which saw her become top jockey there, was Unibet Champion Hurdle heroine Honeysuckle.
The Henry de Bromhead-trained mare was named ‘horse of the season.’
Thomas Partey, who formerly played for English Premier League soccer club Arsenal, has been charged with rape and sexual assault, London’s Metropolitan Police said on Friday.
Partey, a Ghana international, was charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, with the charges relating to three women and the offences reported to have taken place between 2021 and 2022, the statement said.
Partey’s management did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
He is due to appear at London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Aug. 5.
Partey, 32, was signed by Arsenal from Atletico Madrid for 50 million euros ($59 million) in October 2020 and became a key member of Arsenal’s first team.
He was first arrested in July 2022, though he was not named at the time and continued to play for Arsenal while investigations were ongoing.
-Reuters
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Five players including England forward Marcus Rashford and Argentina winger Alejandro Garnacho have informed Manchester United that they wish to explore a future away from the Premier League side, a club source said on Friday.
Brazilian midfielder Antony, Dutch defender Tyrell Malacia and England international Jadon Sancho are also looking to leave the club, the source added.
Rashford, who has made more than 400 senior appearances for United, has fallen out of favour with manager Ruben Amorim, played for Aston Villa on loan while United had their worst-ever Premier League campaign, finishing 15th in the standings.
Amorim had called Rashford’s work rate into question, saying he would rather put a goalkeeper coach on the bench than a player not giving their all.
Rashford said he was feeling fitter and better since joining Villa, where he scored two goals in 10 league appearances.
United also failed to qualify for the Champions League as they lost the Europa League final 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur. Garnacho, who was a late substitute in the final, voiced his displeasure on social media after the loss.
“Up until the final, I played every round helping the team, and today I play 20 minutes, I don’t know,” he wrote in a post . “The final will influence (my decision), but the whole season, the situation of the club.”
Sancho was on loan at Chelsea, where he made 31 league appearances last season. Antony, who joined United from Ajax Amsterdam in 2022 for a reported initial transfer fee of more than $100 million, scored five goals in 17 LaLiga appearances on loan at Real Betis.
Malacia joined Dutch side PSV Eindhoven on loan in February.
-Reuters
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Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes turned down the opportunity to join Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal in order to keep playing “at the highest level”, he said on Tuesday.
The Portuguese midfielder admitted that he had considered the move, which media reports said was worth four times his current salary, after being contacted by Al-Hilal’s president.
“There was that possibility, the president of Al-Hilal called me a month ago to ask me about it,” Fernandes, who is preparing to face Germany with Portugal, told reporters on Tuesday.
“It was a big offer, very ambitious. There was a waiting period for me to think about the future.”
Fernandes ultimately decided to stay at United and said he was motivated by his desire to continue playing at the top level and encouraged by his family and the club’s coach Ruben Amorim.
“I would be willing to do it if Manchester United thought so,” Fernandes added. “I spoke to the coach Ruben Amorim who really tried to talk me out of it. The club said they would not be willing to sell me, only if I wanted to leave.
“I spoke to my wife and family, and she asked me what my personal goals were in my career.
“It would have been easy to move there but I want to keep myself at the highest level, playing in the big competitions and I feel capable of it. I am happy with my decision.”
The 30-year-old Fernandes scored 19 goals and provided 19 assists in 57 appearances across all competitions for United last season, winning the club’s Player of the Year award for the fourth time.
However, it was a season to forget for the team, as they finished 15th in the Premier League, their lowest league finish in half a century, and lost the Europa League final to Tottenham Hotspur.
-Reuters
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