JÜRGEN KLOPP RETURN 'DONE' AS LIVERPOOL LEGEND AGREES GERMANY MOVE

Liverpool legend Jurgen Klopp is set to return to management with Germany, with reports suggesting that his move is now complete, with an official unveiling to come next week

Liverpool legend Jurgen Klopp during the World Cup game between France and Morocco in Boston.(Image: Harry Langer/DeFodi via Getty Images)

Liverpool legend Jurgen Klopp's move to take over from Julian Nagelsmann is now fully completed, according to reports in Germany.

A report from Sky Germany says he will sign with the German national team until 2030, meaning he will oversee the next European Championship and World Cup, with a public unveiling said to be planned for Friday if all goes to plan.

Klopp will exit his position at the Red Bull group as part of the move. He left Liverpool two years ago and this will be the first time he has coached a team since, with Die Mannschaft set to face the Netherlands in his first match at the helm.

The former Hoffenheim and Bayern Munich head coach candidly acknowledged that his squad could no longer be considered among the elite sides on the world stage.

"If you are eliminated by Paraguay, you are just not a first-class football team. I am very disappointed," he said.

Klopp will offer fresh hope for Germany as a figurehead for the DFB. But Gary Neville warned this week that things will not be easy for the ex-Reds man.

Jurgen Klopp is set to return to management with Germany(Image: (Photo by Johnny Fidelin/Icon Sport via Getty Images))

"The thing is about international football is you’ve got a fixed pool of players that you can pick from whereas with clubs you can sign players from different nationalities," Neville said during a Q&A session for The Overlap.

"I wouldn’t say [club management] is easy but you’ve obviously got the pick of the world, you can go and sign players from everywhere.

"With Germany, if they haven’t got a good crop coming through and they haven’t got a good talent base for the next four or five years then there’s nothing he can do really."

Florian Wirtz, Jamal Musiala and Kai Havertz are among the star names that Klopp will be able to call upon. Bayern Munich starlet Lennart Karl is one to pin hopes for the future on too, but Neville isn't convinced.

"I look at England’s front players like [Bukayo] Saka and [Phil] Foden and [Cole] Palmer and [Harry] Kane and [Morgan] Rogers and [Jude] Bellingham, and I think our players are better than Germany’s," Neville continued.

"‘You can never write Germany off just because we’ve got their history of seeing them win but I wouldn’t be thinking he’s going to go in there and be able to get [them firing]."

- Matt Addison

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GARY NEVILLE TAKES AIM AT RUBÉN AMORIM FOR MAKING 'ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS' MAN UNITED DECISION

Gary Neville has questioned whether Ruben Amorim knows how to get the best out of Mason Mount following Manchester United's defeat to Brentford at the weekend

Gary Neville reflects on the weekend's action from St. James' Park on his podcast(Image: The Gary Neville Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kczh3yjiE8w)

Gary Neville has questioned why Ruben Amorim keeps playing Mason Mount at left wing-back. The 26-year-old midfielder, who Manchester United signed from Chelsea for £60m in July 2023, came on for Luke Shaw during Saturday afternoon's 3-1 defeat to Brentford.

Mount had started each of United's first three games of the new Premier League season before picking up a knock in the 3-2 win over Burnley. The England international missed the Manchester Derby, and he made his return off the bench in the 2-1 victory against Chelsea.

Mount appeared again at the weekend, but he couldn't claw back a point for Amorim's side. Shortly after coming on, Mathias Jensen put the third and final nail in United's coffin after a quick break.

Speaking on The Gary Neville Podcast at St. James' Park on Sunday evening, Neville reflected on the result at the G-Tech Community Stadium. The United legend described the decision to play Mount at left wing-back again as 'absolutely ridiculous'.

"There was something that happened in that game that I mentioned on my podcast two or three weeks ago that I said we couldn't see again," said Neville. "I said that Mason Mount ended up at left wing-back.

"There's sticking to your plan, and then there's your coach that's got an idea and making sure that he delivers that idea and not flip-flopping with his idea with players, which can sometimes undermine what you're trying to achieve.

“But then when you're putting Mason Mount at left wing-back – and he's ended up at left wing-back again at Brentford in the last five minutes of the game – it starts to look awful."

Ruben Amorim oversaw another disappointing afternoon for Manchester United as they lost at Brentford on Saturday (Image: Getty Images)

He added: "You can't put Mason Mount at left wing-back. I'm sorry, it just can't happen. I can't watch Mason Mount play left wing-back in a football team.

"I struggled at times to watch him in his natural position, but actually putting him out there on the left wing, is ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous."

On United, Neville said: I'm very worried. The performance that we saw and the result at Brentford means that you feel the Chelsea game was skewed by the sending off.

Mason Mount playing for Manchester United against Chelsea(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

"You start to look at the Chelsea win less positively. That's just football. I think there are a lot of United fans coming out of that ground last Saturday, including me, thinking, 'Brentford away, Sunderland at home next week has a real opportunity to get nine points on the board, on the bounce, and then you'll be well up in the top six or eight'.

"But the Brentford game was a really poor performance and a real worry. I felt for the first time, just through instinct, watching it on the television, seeing players' faces and body language, that there might be an element of players really doubting the system and what's going on."

- Jake Stokes

NOTTINGHAM FOREST OWNER EVANGELOS MARINAKIS BREAKS SILENCE AFTER STORMING PITCH TO CONFRONT NUNO ESPIRITO SANTO

Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis has released a statement after storming onto the pitch and having a heated word with head coach Nuno Espirito Santo after Sunday's 2-2 Premier League draw with Leicester City.

The Tricky Trees guaranteed a spot in Europe for the 2025-26 season thanks to Sunday's stalemate, ending a 30-year absence from the continent since their participation in the 1995-96 UEFA Cup.

However, Forest threw away two potentially crucial points in the race for Champions League football, as Facundo Buonanotte stole a point for Leicester City in the 81st minute at the City Ground.

Santo's side are therefore one point off the top five with just two games to go, and Sunday's draw continued a worrying trend for the Garibaldi, who are winless in three Premier League games and have triumphed in just one of their last six.

The Forest boss then appeared to be target of Marinakis's frustrations at full time, as the Forest owner came down to seemingly remonstrate with Santo for a few seconds before they went their separate ways.

Marinakis explains Santo outburst in Forest-Leicester draw

Marinakis's actions did not go down well with Manchester United legend Gary Neville, who labelled the 57-year-old's conduct "scandalous" on his X profile, and Marinakis has now spoken publicly for the first time since the incident.

The Greek suggested that the late injury suffered by Taiwo Awoniyi was the source of his frustration, as the Nigerian striker collided with the goal-post and needed a few minutes of treatment before being allowed to continue.

"Today is a day for celebration, because after 30 years Nottingham Forest is now guaranteed to be competing on the European stage once again – a promise I made to our supporters when we achieved promotion!" he said in a statement.

"With two more games to go in the Premier League, we must keep believing and keep dreaming, right to the final kick in the final game. We are extremely proud and close to Nuno and the team, and we must all celebrate the historic achievements of this season.

"Everybody – coaching staff, players, supporters and including myself – we were frustrated around the injury of Taiwo and the medical staff's misjudgement on Taiwo's ability to continue the game This is natural, this is a demonstration of the passion we feel for our club. Let's all be grateful, passionate and keep on dreaming!".

Marinakis has a right to be angry, but he is angry at the wrong people

Santo confirmed after the game that Marinakis was vexed about the Awoniyi situation, as while the striker did see out the game, he was evidently not at 100% after clattering into the frame of the goal.

The Forest boss said that Awoniyi was given the green light by the medical team to keep playing, but by the time they realised a change would be the best course of action, there was no other break in play to make the alteration.

However, the whole situation could have been avoided had the lineswoman's flag gone up for an obvious offside in the counter-attack that led to Awoniyi's injury; it did eventually go up, but not until the move was over, in line with the laws of the game.

That is not Sian Massey-Ellis's fault whatsoever - she was simply following the rules that all officials have to follow - but when a player has so clearly gone early, what is the benefit in delaying raising the flag?

Awoniyi's impact injury may settle down quickly, but it is time to change this unnecessary rule before somebody else picks up a more serious problem in the same scenario.

- Ben Knapton

DAVID BECKHAM SENDS PASSIONATE SALFORD CITY MESSAGE AFTER GARY NEVILLE TAKEOVER ANNOUNCEMENT

David Beckham has discussed his connection with Salford after it was announced that he would be taking a more prominent ownership role at the football club.

The Man Utd legend was part of the ‘Class of 92’ that were part-owners of the League Two club, but it was confirmed on Thursday that Beckham and Gary Neville were part of a new consortium that will be in charge of Salford City.

It promises to be an exciting period for the club, as The Athletic has revealed that the group has raised up to $20m, and they have ambitions of reaching the Championship over the next few years.

David Beckham and Gary Neville send Salford City messages after takeover announcement

Beckham has explained that he will be involved in all the decision making at the club, and he also sent a message on Instagram that outlined his love for the area. Meanwhile, Neville also gave an insight into why the call was made to change the setup on his social media.

“Salford played such an important role in my life growing up... it’s where I trained with United alongside my best mates every day, it’s where I bought my first house and where me and Victoria lived.

“I’m so proud to be part of a new ownership group alongside my mate Gary Neville as we begin the next chapter of Salford’s journey. Football is at the heart of this community and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for the Ammies.”

Salford City will hope for a successful era under new consortium

The past few years have been difficult for Salford as they’ve failed to kick-on, which includes missing out on the play-offs this season in frustrating fashion.

But, it’s worth remembering just how far the club has come under the ‘Class of 92’ and Peter Lim, but they haven’t been able to make that step to League One.

Clearly, that’s the first target for Beckham, Neville and the new group, and the level of money involved suggests they will have the financial muscle to do just that.

Of course, Salford know from experience that money doesn’t guarantee success, so the off-field appointments they make will need to be right as they look to build the right structure to ensure the club can flourish on the pitch.

So, it would appear a big summer awaits, and it will be interesting to see the support that Karl Robinson gets if he stays amid interest from Cardiff City, as he looks to build a team that can compete for promotion in 12 months' time.

- Chris Gallagher

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'MY JOB IS SO HARD' - ADMITS MANCHESTER UNITED ISSUES MOUNTAIN AMID INJURIES

Ruben Amorim was forced to name a depleted squad against Tottenham (John Walton/PA)

Ruben Amorim bemoaned how hard his Manchester United job was after his injury-hit team lost 1-0 at Tottenham on a day where Amad Diallo was ruled out for the rest of the season.

Diallo sustained an innocuous ankle ligament injury in training this week but was not the only absentee in north London with Kobbie Mainoo, Manuel Ugarte and Toby Collyer unavailable with knocks, while Leny Yoro and Christian Eriksen were ill.

The aforementioned six joined the likes of Lisandro Martinez, Luke Shaw and Mason Mount on the treatment table, which left Amorim with limited options at Spurs as he largely named a bench full of teenagers and watched his team lose for a 12th time in the Premier League this term to drop to 15th.

Amad Diallo has been ruled out for the rest of the season (Martin Rickett/PA)

“I have a lot of problems. My job is so hard but I’m here to continue my job to the next week with my beliefs. I will try to do it, I will try to win again,” Amorim told Sky Sports, with a trip to in-form Everton up next.

“In this moment it is more than the idea or system. In this moment it is like survive and to think the small things, improve the small things for the next game, to not even look at the table or the schedule or nothing.

“Of course I have to because we have a lot of games and we have three competitions with a small squad at the moment.

“That part is my part but the players, everyone in Carrington, just focus on the next game, the next training and that is our goal.

United are down to 15th after defeat at Tottenham (John Walton/PA)

“Just focus on the next game and let’s do everything to win some games to finish the season and then think in the big picture.

“In this moment it is to try to keep the players healthy, recover some players and to focus on what we have to in the next game. That is our goal.”

However, former United defender Gary Neville was critical of Amorim’s tactics and in particular his deployment of midfielders Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes, during Sky’s commentary on the game.

Neville said: “United may win today and may score goals, but I have to say that the structure of the team is awful.

“The gaps in that midfield between Fernandes and Casemiro. That’s a tactic, they’ve been asked to do that, Bruno’s been asked to come out to this side and it isn’t right.

“Bruno Fernandes is playing right-wing, the two of them in midfield are split, it’s embarrassing. You wouldn’t see this in under-9s or under-10s football.”

Amorim expressed hope that Yoro and Eriksen would return for Saturday’s clash at Goodison Park but does not expect Mainoo to be available.

He added: “It’s hard to know. Let’s wait a few more days. I think Leny and Chris were sick so they will recover.

“Of course Chris has the heart situation and we have to be really careful with that. It’s nothing about the heart. I am just saying the heart rate has to be controlled because he has a fever. I think he will recover.

“The rest we will see. Kobbie is out. Amad is out for sure until the end of the season.”

Quizzed on what the injuries are down to, Amorim insisted: “I think it is everything together.

“Amad was alone. He was doing a tackle. The feet were sticking in the grass and some players felt during training sickness so it is everything.

“Sometimes in moments, everything goes wrong but we have to face the challenge and to focus on the next game. That’s all.”

- George Sessions

MARTIN KEOWN APOLOGIES TO RUUD VAN NILSTELROOY FOR HIS ICONIC BATTLE OF OLD TRAFFORD 'SHENANIGANS' IN 2003 - AS FORMER RIVALS ENDURE AWKWARD REUNION AHEAD OF LEICESTER'S CLASH WITH ARSENAL

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Martin Keown issued an apology to Ruud van Nistelrooy for his 'shenanigans' at the 'Battle of Old Trafford' in 2003, ahead of Arsenal's game against Leicester on Saturday afternoon.

The former rivals were famously involved in an incident in September 2003, in a game between Man United and Arsenal, where Keown was fined for striking Van Nistelrooy in the back at full-time.

The Gunners were second in the Premier League table, holding an unbeaten record that stretched back to the end of the previous season, while United sat behind them in third. 

Martin Keown apologised to Ruud van Nistelrooy for his antics in the 'Battle of Old Trafford'

The affair reached its boiling point when the Red Devils were awarded a last-minute penalty after Keown fouled Diego Forlan. After Van Nistelrooy missed the spot-kick, Keown jumped towards him, laughing in his face.

But, over 20 years on from the iconic event, Keown and Van Nistelrooy attempted to bury the hatchet on live television. The two exchanged pleasantries before awkwardly reminiscing on the events of that game.

The Arsenal defender was fined for his animated taunts towards Van Nistelrooy at full-time

'Good to see you,' said Van Nistelrooy, smiling as he extended his arm for a handshake.

'Nice to see you after all these years,' Keown replied. 'Apologies for all of the shenanigans that went on back in the day.' 

The Dutchman missed a last-minute penalty for Manch

Van Nistelrooy was in good spirits and insisted that any antics from the duo's playing days should be left in the past. 

'What happens on the pitch stays on the pitch. I'm happy that I have him in front of me and not at the back of me. It was a good rivalry wasn't it?' the Leicester boss asked Keown.

Keown surrounded Van Nistelrooy at full-time to taunt him, joined by multiple Arsenal players

'Oh, great days. I'm glad you're standing there and not next to me because you used to love to stamp on me,' the former Arsenal centre back jokingly replied.

'I would like to block you out as well and then fall over,' chuckled Van Nistelrooy.

Tensions during the 'Battle of Old Trafford' were fuelled by an incident earlier in the match, when Van Nistelrooy clashed with Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira, leading to the Frenchman receiving a second yellow card and being sent off.

Arsenal players felt Van Nistelrooy exaggerated the contact, as Vieira kicked out at him but did not actually make any contact.

Van Nistelrooy walked off the pitch and offered no reaction, although the situation escalated

After Van Nistelrooy missed his penalty, Keown was first to confront him, and was part of a flock of Arsenal players to taunt him after the full-time whistle. 

Lauren, Ray Parlour, Ashley Cole and Kolo Toure all joined the ex-England defender in surrounding Van Nistelrooy.

Keown jumped at Van Nistelrooy and appeared to strike the Dutchman in the back with his forearm. Lauren pushed Van Nistelrooy, while Parlour and Cole both offered verbal abuse and also shoved him.

The United frontman did not react to the chaos and simply walked away, but the situation escalated as players from both teams clashed.

Roy Keane escorted Van Nistelrooy away from the situation, but many other United players joined the conflict in his defence.

Ryan Giggs, Cristiano Ronaldo, Gary Neville, Mikael Silvestre, Quinton Fortune and Rio Ferdinand all clashed with the Arsenal squad.

The melee resulted in multiple bans and fines; Keown received a three-match ban and a £20,000 fine. 

Lauren got four matches and had to cough up £40,000, while Parlour and Vieira were also charged with improper conduct and missed a game each.

For United, Giggs was handed a £7,500 fine and Ronaldo a £4,000 fine, along with a warning to mind their conduct in the future.

Arsenal as a club were fined £175,000 for 'failing to ensure the proper behaviour of their players'. 

Ultimately, the fee was a miniscule financial setback, as the Gunners went on to be crowned Premier League champions as the 'Invincibles' in 2003-04, notching £17.25million in prize money.

Now, Van Nistelrooy has swapped the highs of fighting for Premier League titles as a player to navigating a fight for survival in the top-flight with Leicester.

His side could climb out of the relegation zone with a win over Arsenal on Saturday. 

- YASEEN ZAMAN

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HALLAN RECALLS CUCURELLA'S SONG AFTWR CHELSEA-MAN CITY GAME

Erling Haaland has two Premier League golden boots to his name, but he keeps receipts as well.

Last month, Chelsea full-back Marc Cucurella was riding the high of highs. The 26-year-old Spaniard helped his nation to a record fourth European Championship, assisting on the winning goal in the final.

Enjoying the triumph, Cucurella made the most of Spain's post-championship celebration. He called out pundit Gary Neville, who had doubted whether Spain could win the tournament with Cucurella in the lineup. But he made perhaps the most headlines when he sang a song that references Haaland -- star forward for Chelsea rival Manchester City -- fearing him.

Haaland didn't need to wait long for a chance to rebut, however. Manchester City faced Chelsea in a prime-time Sunday afternoon clash during the Premier League's opening weekend. It took the Norwegian just 18 minutes to open up his account for the new season.

Dribbling ahead before putting City up 1-0 with a deft finish, Haaland had a familiar face by his side as he put the ball into the back of the net: Cucurella.

After the game, Haaland was asked about Cucurella's summer reference to his potential fear. He kept things light, recalling an interaction between the two players from the prior season.

Manchester City won the match 2-0 behind Haaland's opening goal and Mateo Kovačić's clincher, as they began their quest for a fifth consecutive Premier League title.

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