Sports
Paul Scholes Names Combined 11 Between 2008 Man Utd and 2026 Arsenal
Much has been made of Manchester United‘s Premier League contest with Arsenal and in the lead-up to the highly-anticipated encounter, there has been plenty of talk regarding how well Mikel Arteta’s side would fare against Sir Alex Ferguson’s imperious outfit from the 2008/09 season. Paul Scholes has revealed his combined XI between the two.
It was Theo Walcott who sparked the conversation into life by asking Wayne Rooney how the current side from north London – spearheaded by Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice – would do against a team the centre-forward was a key part of. “Yeah, we’d batter them,” said Rooney.
Arteta – widely regarded as one of the best managers in world football – has turned Arsenal into a force to be reckoned with, but many draw the Spaniard out for his failure to win anything of note during his seven-year spell at the helm. They are enjoying their best season in 22 years, of course, but how does Scholes think they’d compete against United in their prime?
Paul Scholes Picked Two Arsenal Players in Combined XI Between Man Utd in 2008 and Mikel Arteta’s Men
Of course, if you were to compare the English behemoth duo’s teams now, it would be very Arsenal-heavy. They’ve placed second in three Premier League campaigns on the bounce and United, on the other hand, have struggled in a period of uncertainty regarding the club’s ownership and the chopping and changing of who is in the dugout.
Scholes, however, has offered his take on the two Arsenal players who would be named in the combined XI. In between the sticks, Edwin van der Sar got the nod over David Raya, but it was Jurrien Timber taking up the right-back berth over Wes Brown. “Wes [Brown] was brilliant, more of a centre-half, but I’m going to go Timber. Sorry, Wes!” he said.
Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, a pairing who kept 70 clean sheets in 138 outings together, were picked over both William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes. Both Arsenal defenders put together compelling case to be the best around at the moment – but they don’t touch the surface of what United’s dymanic duo delivered, both in terms of trophies and moments.
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Patrice Evra, ahead of Riccardo Calafiori, completed a rather scary back line before Scholes, a midfielder during his playing days, entered the engine room with a pretty interesting take. While speaking to Sky, he snubbed himself in favour of England metronome Declan Rice – who is widely regarded as one of the best midfielders in football today.
Next to the box-to-box presence of Rice would be Michael Carrick, United’s current interim manager, in the eyes of Scholes, Carlos Tevez, who is not well-remembered by the Old Trafford faithful because of his subsequent move to Manchester City, was picked ahead of Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard.
The most obvious pick of all, Cristiano Ronaldo (who won his first-ever Ballon d’Or following the 2008/09 campaign) was picked ahead of Saka before Rooney took the cake in terms of Scholes’ centre-forward pick, shunting a struggling Viktor Gyokeres to the side. None other than Ryan Giggs fulfilled the spot on the left flank over Leandro Trossard.
Watch Scholes’ full selection process below:
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Both sides have something to play for. Flying high at the summit of the Premier League table, Arteta’s men will be hoping for three points to extend their lead on nearest challengers Manchester City, who are currently four points behind the north Londoners. Elsewhere, Carrick and his interim staff could make it two from two after being Pep Guardiola’s men last time out.
A change to a back four, combined with Harry Maguire‘s availability, could cause problems for Gyokeres – and their attacking force of Matheus Cunha, Bruno Fernandes, Benjamin Sesko, Amad and Bryan Mbeumo have the chance to wreak havoc at the sharp end of the pitch. That said, Saliba and Gabriel will be ready in the heart of the defence.
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Liverpool losing 3-2 to Bournemouth yesterday opens up a spot in the top four if United are to win against the table-topping force of Arsenal, who opened this season’s Premier League with a narrow 1-0 win over the Red Devils. On that occasion, the better team were on the receiving end of defeat, but what will this contest have in store? A lot of drama, we hope.
Sports
Man Utd Pull Out of Race to Sign Newcastle’s Sandro Tonali
Manchester United have pulled out of the race to sign another midfielder after it was confirmed they have cooled their interest in Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson.
Reports emerged this week that Manchester United are pulling away from their pursuit of Anderson, as they don’t want to be dragged into a bidding war.
David Ornstein recently reported that Manchester City saw a bid which could total £120m rejected by Forest, which has forced United into taking a step back.
Signing another player in the middle of the park is a huge priority for United, but they won’t want to overpay.
Forest are demanding a huge fee for Anderson, and with Man City insisting on securing his signature, United are going to have to cough up a lot of money to sign him.
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Man Utd Pull Out of Another Race
According to Italian journalist Romano, Manchester United have pulled out of the race to sign another midfielder ahead of the summer transfer window.
Romano confirms that United are not going to make a move to sign Newcastle United star Sandro Tonali despite being interested in securing his signature.
“Manchester United are not going for Sandro Tonali at this stage. The intention of Manchester United is not to proceed. Manchester United has been interested in Tonali for some time, and he’s been on Manchester United’s shortlist, but now Manchester United believe that the player is too expensive.”
United are also pushing to sign Newcastle defender Lewis Hall, and they believe that trying to sign both from the Magpies will make it an incredibly expensive deal.
Instead, United are pursuing alternative targets.
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England World Cup Quiz
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Man Utd Pushing to Sign Mateus Fernandes
According to reports, Manchester United are set to make an opening offer to sign West Ham midfielder Mateus Fernandes.
The Portuguese star is a cheaper alternative to Anderson, with the Hammers reportedly demanding in the region of £85m.
Anderson has always been a dream target for United, but with the Red Devils not wanting to overpay, Fernandes is a smart alternative.
West Ham were relegated from the Premier League during the 2025-2026 season, meaning Fernandes is looking for a move back to a top league.
United are clearly looking to be smart with their recruitment this summer, pulling away from deals for Tonali and Anderson in order to find value in the market.
Sports
What Jordan McCann Said After Biting Him
Ibiza Final Boss has revealed exactly what his opponent Jordan McCann said to him after sensationally biting him during their grudge boxing match on the undercard of Tommy Fury vs Eddie Hall in Manchester.
Final Boss, whose real name is Jack Kay, shot to fame on social media while on holiday in the iconic destination. On Saturday night, he laced up the gloves for the very first time as he took on Salford-based rapper and content creator McCann in a four-round bout.
Their contest will live long in the memory, but not for the technical skill on show. Both men were exhausted by the end of the first round as they winged punches at each other.
Ibiza Final Boss was the slightly more accurate fighter, despite McCann having trained alongside former unified world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury. ‘The Gypsy King’ even accompanied Jordan on his ring walk at the AO Arena.
Once the opening round was over, the fight truly descended into chaos, with McCann headbutting his foe and even rugby tackling him through the ropes before the end of the bout.
Jordan McCann Bites Ibiza Final Boss
However, the fight’s most viral moment came when Jordan channelled his inner Mike Tyson and bit the Ibiza Final Boss’ ear, mirroring Iron’s Mike infamous foul against Evander Holyfield in 1997.
While Tyson was disqualified in that instance, McCann’s bite went unpunished by the referee. Justice was done, in a sense, when the Final Boss was awarded a majority decision victory on the judges’ scorecards.
After the fight, McCann had plenty to say to the crowd who were loudly booing him, but apparently didn’t have many words for his opponent, even after trying to take a chunk out of him.
Jordan McCann’s Words to Ibiza Final Boss After Biting Him
Following his debut victory, Ibiza Final Boss sat down with iFL TV to reflect upon the events of the evening. Asked whether McCann had said anything to him after the bout, the victorious fighter confirmed:
“I passed him in the corridor. He shook my hand and said: ‘Respect. You just beat me in my home town.’
Despite the controversial nature of the fight and the fact that the capacity crowd in Manchester couldn’t get enough of the spectacle, neither man called for a rematch afterwards.
McCann confirmed that financial gain was his main motivation for taking the fight as he revealed his salary to the crowd in a post-fight rant.
“Whoever boos me is a scruff. All your birds are fat sl***. I’ll sh** all your birds. I got paid 50 grand, and now I’m gonna marry my girlfriend and buy my mam a new kitchen!”
Sports
BBC Make Apology Over World Cup Coverage During Scotland 1-1 Haiti
This summer at the 2026 World Cup, two British teams will compete. England are hoping to win their first major trophy since 1966, while Scotland are back in the tournament once more, after a 28-year absence.
Thomas Tuchel’s men are yet to play, but the Scots got off to the perfect start as they beat Haiti 1-0 in their game of Group C. In the end, John McGin’s strike in the 28th minute was enough to hand the Tartan Army only their fifth win in all World Cup history.
Steve Clarke’s team were not at their best, as they picked up all three points in a somewhat unconvincing manner, but there were positive signs amid the nerves. Crucially, the win leaves Scotland top of their group, with tougher games against Morocco and Brazil (who played out a 1-1 draw) to come.
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BBC Apologise for World Cup Coverage Issue
As Scottish fans gathered to watch their team compete at their first World Cup since 1998, there would have been one huge moment of frustration among the supporters, which didn’t relate to anything happening on the pitch. Indeed, at one point, the BBC were forced to apologise for a loss of picture during the game against Haiti.
Midway through the first-half, viewers lost coverage of the match, which was being played in Boston, the United States. For a short period, a patchy screen with a harsh buzzing sound appeared on screen.
However, this was not due to any direct issues with the BBC, but rather a problem with the world feed, which saw a testcard shown along with the words ‘ESF UHD C’ appearing, as the whole thing lasted around five seconds.
Fortunately, no major incidents were missed in the game, but the BBC reacted with an immediate statement, which was given by commentator Liam McLeod. As per the Mirror, he explained live on air:
“Apologies again if there’s a loss of picture, it’s a World Feed problem so everyone suffered it. But you’re back with us now.”
At the same time, a message at the top of the screen read: “Sorry for the loss of picture.”
This isn’t the only technical error at the tournament so far either. During BBC coverage of Brazil’s draw 1-1 with Morocco, a bizarre conversation, likely from the BBC production team, could be heard over the commentators. An unexpected voice said: “Guest feed is good if you’re happy with that, thank you,” before counting up to 10 quickly and shouting “GOAL, GOAL, GOAL!” despite not goal happening in the match at that point.
Steve Clarke Believes Pressure is off Scotland Ahead of Morocco and Brazil Fixtures
After the win, Scotland manager Clarke spoke to the press and chose to focus on the positives, insisting that the pressure has now been eased on his squad. He explained:
“I am absolutely delighted with my players. Resilience, character had to be on the pitch tonight. There is no relief. Everyone told us it was a must-win game and we won. When you win a must-win game, you have to be happy with yourselves.”
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Looking toward the games against Morocco and then Brazil, he went on to add:
“We go into them with less pressure than everybody put on to us going into this game. If we defend as well as we did here, hopefully play a little bit better with the ball and create more, we will be OK. It’s not about raising the performance, it is about a different approach against a different opponent.
“Towards the end, you know you are 1-0 up and have something to hang on to so that is what you do. The players deserve a lot of credit. I thought Haiti were terrific at denying us time and space, which made it difficult. So the other characteristics that get you three points come out. That is why we are sitting here with three points and Haiti are empty handed.”
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