Treble-chasing Manchester City could be close to full strength as they take on arch-rivals Manchester United in the FA Cup final on Saturday.

The champions have had fitness concerns in the build-up to the Wembley showpiece.

Jack Grealish, Kevin De Bruyne, Ruben Dias and Manuel Akanji all missed last weekend’s final Premier League game of the season at Brentford for a variety of reasons.

Training for the quartet was also curtailed as City opted not to take risks ahead of what is a momentous period in the club’s history with the Champions League final to follow next week.

Manager Pep Guardiola says the whole squad is now looking fit and healthy.

He said: “They’ve trained well in the last two training sessions. They are all of them, more or less, fine.”

One member of City’s first-choice XI who will not start, however, is goalkeeper Ederson.

Back-up Stefan Ortega has featured in all domestic cup fixtures this season and, after also playing in two of the last three Premier League games, will be given the nod at Wembley.

“Stefan is going to play,” said Guardiola of the German, who has not conceded a goal in the FA Cup this term.

“I have always been like that in the FA Cup. The keeper who has played in the FA Cup is going to play in the FA Cup (final).”

Guardiola is preparing for a tough contest against a United side who will not be short of incentives at Wembley.

As well the usual cup final and derby motivations, United are also bidding to prevent City emulating their so far unique achievement of winning the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League in the same season.

City thrashed United 6-3 early in their manager Erik ten Hag’s reign back in October but Guardiola feels they are a considerably better side now.

He said: “A final is special for itself but what United have been doing in the last four, five, six months – they are a completely different team from the beginning of the season when we faced them here.

“I have the feeling that the team has improved from the beginning of the season – the patterns are more clear and the quality they have.”

Guardiola insists he is taking the fixture in isolation and not yet thinking about it in the context of a potentially glorious treble.

He said: “It would be good for us if we think about what we have to do to win one game.

“We have to analyse the strength of our opponent and see the weaknesses they have. The focus is, it’s a football game, that’s the most important thing.

“What’s (said) outside is normal, we cannot control it, but the last two games of the season we have to do what we have to do on the pitch to win the game.”

Celtic face Inverness in the Scottish Cup final on Saturday in a match with numerous discussion points around the game.

The Hoops are aiming for a 41st triumph in the competition while Caley Thistle bid to make it two wins from two final appearances.

Here are some of the key issues ahead of the Hampden encounter.

The last dance?

“We have done this dance a few times this year,” said Ange Postecoglou after being quizzed over reports that Tottenham had made him their top candidate for their managerial vacancy. The Celtic manager has been linked with numerous Premier League jobs this season – Leeds, Everton, Brighton, Crystal Palace, Leicester and Chelsea to name a few – and he pointed out there had been another favourite for the Spurs job last week. The Australian stressed that nothing would distract him from preparing for Saturday’s game but Celtic fans approach the final with anxious thoughts over the future.

Treble chance

Postecoglou is looking to emulate Jock Stein, Martin O’Neill, Brendan Rodgers and Neil Lennon in securing a clean sweep of domestic honours in the one season in what has been classed as a world-record eighth treble. Postecoglou is determined to write that chapter of the club’s history and make it a fifth treble in seven seasons to underline Celtic’s dominance in Scotland.

Will lightning strike again?

Celtic must overcame opponents who have caused them all sorts of problems in the Scottish Cup, since their first meeting in 2000 when First Division Caley Thistle won 3-1 at Parkhead in their sixth season in the league, costing John Barnes his job as Hoops manager. John Robertson’s then top-flight side repeated the feat three years later, three days after Celtic had won at Anfield on their way to the UEFA Cup final. A hat-trick of shocks was completed in the 2015 semi-finals as Ronny Deila’s side saw their treble hopes collapse in a controversial 3-2 defeat. John Hughes’ team went on to lift the trophy. Celtic have won four of the seven Scottish Cup meetings but have twice needed to come from behind.

Rested or rusty?

Caley Thistle finished sixth in the Championship, with a late winner from Ayr’s Josh Mullin ending their play-off hopes in the final minutes of the season. Billy Dodds’ side have not played a competitive fixture since that May 5 game, a friendly against Dean Shiels’ Dungannon Swifts side the only time they have appeared.

Kyogo or no go?

Celtic top goalscorer Kyogo Furuhashi is a fitness doubt after coming off worse in a 50-50 with Aberdeen goalkeeper Kelle Roos last weekend. The Japan forward, who has 33 goals this season, did not train until Friday but history would suggest he will declare himself fit. The 28-year-old scored a match-winning double against Hibernian in last season’s League Cup final despite nursing a hamstring injury which would soon rule him out for more than three months. He also notched both Celtic goals in this season’s final against Rangers.

European dream

Caley Thistle will guarantee European group stage football if they win – they will go into the Europa League play-offs and drop into the Conference League group if they lose. Aberdeen and Hibernian fans will be cheering on Celtic. The Dons will get the Europa League play-off spot if Celtic win but enter the Conference League qualifiers otherwise, while Hibs need a Hoops win to qualify for Europe. It is all or nothing for Caley Thistle with the Scottish Cup runners-up no longer getting a European place.

Cup reprieve

Inverness could find themselves featuring in quiz questions for decades if they pull off a shock, as the team that won the Scottish Cup despite losing in an earlier round. Caley Thistle were beaten 2-0 by Queen’s Park in a rearranged fourth-round tie but the Spiders were expelled from the competition for fielding an ineligible player – Euan Henderson had been signed on loan from Hearts after the original date. Inverness seized their second chance by defeating Premiership sides Livingston and Kilmarnock before a 3-0 semi-final win against Falkirk.

Kick-off controversy

In a break with tradition, the game will kick off at 5.30pm after the Scottish Football Association elected to make way for the Manchester derby FA Cup final in a bid to maximise television exposure. The decision disappointed both clubs and Inverness blamed the later kick-off as the reason they handed back 2,500 tickets.

Olivia Maralda hit the target with a neat success in the Nyetimber Surrey Stakes at Epsom.

The filly, who is trained by Roger Varian and part-owned by footballer Philippe Coutinho with Amo Racing, was last seen finishing seventh in the 1000 Guineas and was a 3-1 chance dropped in grade and trip.

Those factors seemed to suit her perfectly and she provided jockey Kevin Stott with double on the day as she sauntered to a two-and-a-quarter-length win over 7-4 favourite Holguin.

“She was good, she ran well in the Guineas. She loved the fast ground and seven is probably her trip,” said Varian

“I thought they would go quick and I actually didn’t think they went very quick, there was a few keen in behind. But we know she has a good turn of foot and I quite like that slightly outer draw round this track to get a clear run.

“I think bar the second race the winners have been coming from just off the pace so it was always the plan to give her a chance early and let her class come through.

“She’s very balanced and we always thought she would be comfortable on the track.

“I would like to continue the Jersey (Stakes). Seven is her trip, fast pace and if we get fast ground she could be a danger.”

Bobsleigh flew to an impressive success in the British EBF 40th Anniversary Woodcote Stakes.

Eve Johnson Houghton’s two-year-old came into the race with quite a taking Brighton maiden win to his name and was a 5-1 chance in this 12-runner affair.

He did not feature prominently in the early stages and was patiently ridden by an ice-cool Charlie Bishop until the final bend, when he was manoeuvred around the field to challenge.

Having taken a wide line he battled past each of his rivals, including the 9-4 favourite Haatem, who missed the break completely and did extremely well to finish third, and long-time leader and eventual runner-up Balon d’Or.

Johnson Houghton said: “I think we’ve got a Royal Ascot two-year-old on our hands, he’s pretty exciting and it went exactly as we planned.

“We thought they’d go really fast, so I said to Charlie to get him balanced and wait until he comes to you. I knew he had a good turn of foot, but it was whether he could make up that much ground – I thought he was pretty impressive.

“I don’t know which race at Ascot. He’s got plenty of boot so we could drop back to five and the Coventry over six is obviously going to be the hottest race.

“This syndicate is great, it’s a fantastic day out for them. Anthony Bromley and I did a pretty good job picking him up for not much money (€17,000) and they are having the time of their lives.

“Hopefully we can have a good season as they usually sell them at the end of their first year. He was small when we bought him, but he thrived since he’s been gelded.

“The name comes from the dam, Lady Rosebud. Rosebud was a sledger.”

Bishop added: “Eve does a fantastic job of buying these horses for the syndicate. The team were very bullish, I’ve barely sat on him apart from riding him at Brighton so a lot of credit goes to everyone at home and the trainer – she doesn’t do a bad job, does she?

“The Windsor Castle is back at five and it is probably a more winnable race than the Coventry Stakes. We will see how he comes out of this and if he improves again and we think it is worth a go at the Coventry then maybe we might go for that, but I would say the Windsor Castle might be more up his street.

“Obviously these connections have had luck in the Windsor Castle before with Chipotle. It would be great to get him to Royal Ascot in one piece and whatever race she decides to run him in I’m sure she won’t be wrong.”

Cadillac cruised to a comfortable win in the Betfred Handicap for Stott and George Boughey.

The five-year-old was a 12-1 chance and eased along the middle of the track to gain momentum on the approach to the line, passing the tiring front runners and prevailing by a length and three quarters.

“I thought he was a bit too far back but he had to ride him for luck as he wasn’t drawn perfectly,” Boughey said.

“He didn’t run well first time out this season when I thought he would as he was back into a handicap for the first time so that was satisfying today.

“He’s a very honest horse but I think left-handed is a big key to him. I’m delighted for the owner as he’s a big supporter of the yard and he’s a fun horse to have. I suppose we’ll have to look at Ascot but that is right-handed.”

Pep Guardiola has eased concerns over the fitness of a number of key Manchester City players ahead of the FA Cup final against Manchester United on Saturday.

Jack Grealish, Kevin De Bruyne, Ruben Dias and Manuel Akanji all missed the champions’ final Premier League game of the season at Brentford last week.

Those players have all since returned to training and are expected to come back into contention for both the Wembley showpiece and next weekend’s Champions League final in Istanbul.

City manager Guardiola said: “They’ve trained well in the last two training sessions. They are all of them, more or less, fine.”

Guardiola has also confirmed second-choice goalkeeper Stefan Ortega will start at Wembley, in keeping with his usual policy for domestic cup fixtures.

The German, who started two of the last three Premier League games, has not yet conceded in the FA Cup this season.

Guardiola said: “Stefan is going to play. I have always been like that in the FA Cup. The keeper who has played in the FA Cup is going to play in the FA Cup (final).”

Bobsleigh flew to an impressive success in the British EBF 40th Anniversary Woodcote Stakes at Epsom, as the 2023 Derby Festival got under way.

Eve Johnson Houghton’s two-year-old came into the race with quite a taking Brighton maiden win to his name and was a 5-1 chance in this 12-runner affair.

He did not feature prominently in the early stages and was patiently ridden by an ice-cool Charlie Bishop until the final bend, when he was manoeuvred around the field to challenge.

Having taken a wide line he battled past each of his rivals, including the 9-4 favourite Haatem, who missed the break completely and did extremely well to finish third, and long-time leader and eventual runner-up Balon d’Or.

Steven Nzonzi feels there is still a place for Sam Allardyce and his style of management, despite the former England manager having suffered two relegations in his last two jobs.

Allardyce could not save Leeds United from dropping to the Championship, with the 68-year-old failing to win any of his four games in charge after he replaced Javi Gracia in May.

Leeds confirmed on Friday that Allardyce would be leaving the club.

It is the second Premier League relegation on Allardyce's CV, after he also went down with West Brom in the 2020-21 season. 

Nzonzi, who worked under Allardyce at Blackburn Rovers, feels his old boss' style of management is not outdated.

He told Stats Perform: "Of course, there is a place, there is no question about it, he has great experience and I think that Leeds may have brought him a little bit late.

"I played under Sam Allardyce, and trust me he is a big character, and he has big charisma.

"So, for me, to save a team he is one of the best for sure, but it is difficult to come in and he managed four games. I think it was a bit too late.

"But of course, he has great experience, so he can still manage in the Premier League, in the Championship, he is a great coach, I have great memories of working with him, amazing memories."

Indeed, Nzonzi, who would go on to represent major clubs like Sevilla and Roma after playing under Big Sam, says Allardyce is the coach he is most grateful to.

"That would be impossible for me to say, I enjoyed so many managers," he said when asked who the best coach he had worked under was.

"The one I enjoyed the most was [Jorge] Sampaoli, but the one I am more grateful about is Sam Allardyce, because I came from the second division in France and to start me in the Premier League against Manchester City, for the first game of the season - it was the game that changed my vision and my life. 

"It gave me confidence that I have the ability to play at a high level, so I would say Sam Allardyce for that."

Super League clubs are set to win their fight to earn ‘Magic Weekend’ a reprieve as they converge on St James’s Park for the 16th edition of the six-game, two-day event that many feared was destined to be its last.

IMG, the sport’s new power-brokers, had made plain its intention to scrap the format and replace it with an unspecified alternative as a means to help reduce fixture congestion during the regular season.

But the almost unanimous enthusiasm of the sport’s top 12 clubs has made officials think again, and the return of the event in 2024 now looks to be secured.

Leeds Rhinos coach Rohan Smith, whose injury-hit side face Castleford in a Yorkshire derby that concludes Saturday’s programme, described the concept – which was copied by Australia’s NRL for the first time in 2019 – as “a great thing for our sport”.

A total of 62,154 fans watched the 2022 event, a slight improvement in the attendance from the previous year, despite the fact it involved two French clubs, Catalans Dragons and Toulouse Olympique, for the first time.

“I love footy and I could watch game after game,” said Smith. “So the concept of having three big games back to back, and then the next day coming back for three more, is great.

“It’s also great for the game to take it to a city that is not a traditional rugby league place, and grow the game that way.”

Magic Weekend kicked off in Cardiff in 2007 and has also been staged in Edinburgh, Manchester and Liverpool. Newcastle has staged all but one of the editions since 2015.

However, its future may lie away from St James’s Park given the likelihood that it will be pencilled in as late as August, which could clash with the football club’s commitments.

Leeds’ clash with Castleford on Saturday is preceded first by season surprises Hull KR taking on Salford, before Wigan meet Catalans for the first time since the Dragons’ stunning 18-10 win at the DW Stadium in March.

On Sunday, Wakefield target their first points of the season against Leigh before St Helens take on Huddersfield, then leaders Warrington round off the programme against Hull FC.

IMG’s purported ‘reimagination’ of the game, revealed in February, indicated its intention to axe Magic Weekend in its current format.

But the plan came into conflict with the clubs’ desire to protect their regular revenue streams, not least via a format that has proven to be profitable, as well as the positivity of supporters.

Saints coach Paul Wellens, who scored four tries to sink Wigan in the opening edition of the event in Cardiff in 2007, is another avowed fan of the format.

“Having rugby league on the road and going to different places has been really healthy,” said Wellens.

“I’m not sure what the plan is moving forward but I’ve always enjoyed the experience, and it is something I always loved when I was playing.”

Lewis Hamilton finished only 12th in opening practice for the Spanish Grand Prix.

As Max Verstappen predictably set the pace for Red Bull at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya, Hamilton ended the one-hour running 1.2 seconds behind the Dutchman.

Sergio Perez finished second, seven tenths adrift of his Red Bull team-mate, with Esteban Ocon, fresh from his podium at last weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix, third for Alpine. Home favourite Fernando Alonso was sixth.

Mercedes spent the first running of the weekend rooted to the bottom of the time sheets before late laps from George Russell, who finished two places and one tenth ahead of his team-mate, and Hamilton hauled them up the order.

Hamilton admitted here on Thursday that Mercedes’ much-anticipated upgrade, which made its debut in Monaco a week ago, had not provided the magic fix he was hoping for.

And on his new machine’s second outing, at a track where the Silver Arrows said they would obtain a greater understanding of their upgrades, the evidence suggests they are no closer to competing with the grid’s all-conquering team, or indeed, leapfrogging rivals Aston Martin and Ferrari.

Verstappen has been in a class of one for much of the past 18 months and his dominance continued on Friday.

He was the only man to break the 75-second barrier, a day after he made the ominous prediction that Red Bull could win all 16 remaining races.

Nyck de Vries has endured a trying start to his Formula One career but the AlphaTauri driver finished fourth in first practice, a spot clear of Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, with Alonso, the 41-year-old Spaniard, the only other driver to finish within a second of Verstappen.

British driver Lando Norris was 11th for McLaren, six places ahead of Oscar Piastri in the other McLaren.

Second practice, which could be disrupted by rain, is due to start at 5pm local time (4pm BST).

Aidan O’Brien puts forward a Betfred Derby trio at Epsom on Saturday headed by the eagerly-awaited Classic comeback bid of Auguste Rodin.

The Ballydoyle trainer has always spoken extremely highly of the colt – a horse he describes as a “collector’s item” as he is out of the top mare Rhododendron and by the late sire Deep Impact.

His two-year-old campaign matched his pedigree as he won a maiden by two lengths before taking the KPMG Champions Juvenile Stakes at Leopardstown and the Vertem Futurity Trophy at Doncaster.

As a result he was well-fancied for the 2000 Guineas after a Triple Crown bid was mentioned in early spring dispatches, but at Newmarket the three-year-old was denied an ounce of luck and trailed home in 12th after his race was scuppered early on.

That defeat did little to dissuade O’Brien of his ability, however, and the Derby was immediately lined up as a next outing after the Guineas run was dismissed.

“There were a lot of factors at Newmarket that we couldn’t control, but they happened and that was it, but we didn’t see anything to suggest we shouldn’t adhere to our original plan,” he said.

“That was always going to be the way, when we were running him over that shorter trip things had to happen. Every single beat had to go his way and obviously it was the complete opposite, every single beat went the opposite way. We were delighted he came out of the race so well, really.

“He’s a real beautiful moving horse, so the soft ground was always going to be a worry, and the trip was always going to be plenty short for him. He did need a clear run and when Little Big Bear got galloped into, he wiped out Ryan (Moore) and then Ryan ended up getting stuck in a pocket and there was no pace in the race.

“There’s so many things that went wrong, and we were going to fly out and that all changed, we couldn’t go two days out and we had to go the morning of (the race). All of those factors, either one of them could have been detrimental by themselves but it seemed they all landed on him on the day.

“He’s always been very special from day one, his movement and everything about him. Nothing has changed our minds about him, the Guineas went wrong and we put it down to a non-event for him. We’re just looking forward to seeing how we’re going to run like everybody else.”

The step up in trip to a mile and a half is expected to be of benefit to Auguste Rodin, as is the good ground that will be a contrast from Newmarket’s soft going on Guineas weekend.

O’Brien said: “Auguste Rodin was never going to run again over a mile anyway. He was always going to step up, he very much has a middle-distance pedigree.

“He’s a beautiful moving horse and good ground will be what he’d always prefer.

“He’s a very athletic horse, he’s close coupled, a very good mover – he wouldn’t break glass, the way he moves. We’re very happy with him physically, he’s in good form. He’s nice and fresh and we think he’s fit, that’s all you could hope for really.”

Of the horse’s exceptional pedigree, with his parents having won 14 Group races between them, O’Brien added: “Auguste Rodin is a collector’s item. He’s out of Rhododendron, probably one of the best Galileo mares ever, and by Deep Impact, one of the greatest Japanese stallions ever.

“He’s very unique and rare. When you get a horse that’s bred like that, looks like that, moves like that and has the ability he has is very rare, very unusual.”

Auguste Rodin will be joined in the race by two stablemates – Chester Vase runner-up Adelaide River and Dee Stakes winner San Antonio.

Of those two, O’Brien said: “Adelaide River, he’s a straightforward horse. He ran in Chester, the ground got soft and we don’t think he’s a soft ground horse.

“He’s an Australia out of a War Front mare and that would all suggest better ground. We think he does stay, he’d be happy to go forward and be ridden handy. He’s experienced and we’ve been happy with him.

“The other horse, San Antonio, he won his first race this year in Dundalk and then he went to Chester on soft ground. He’s never run this far but it will be interesting as well, his dam was second in the Irish Oaks and he’s by Dubawi so he’s a straightforward, honest horse too.”

Passenger will attempt to give the Niarchos family the victory every owner-breeder craves when he lines up in the Betfred Derby on Saturday.

They have twice gone close in the Epsom showpiece, with Main Sequence finishing runner-up in 2012 and, delving deeper into the archives, the Vincent O’Brien-trained Law Society finding only a magnificent Slip Anchor too good on the day in 1985.

Law Society would go on to get his Classic redemption by winning the Irish Derby later that summer, but it is Epsom that matters most for Passenger and his connections as the Sir Michael Stoute-trained colt seeks to become the first horse unraced at two to win the showpiece middle-distance event since Ruler Of The World 10 years ago.

“The Derby is a race I think every owner and breeder would like to win as it is the biggest test of a three-year-old colt,” said Alan Cooper, racing manager for the family.

“I think Passenger has a nice draw in the middle of the field in seven and I guess we will know more at (around) 1.35pm on Saturday. Sir Michael is happy with his horse.”

If Passenger is to prove successful in his quest for Derby glory, he will justify the decision to spend £85,000 to supplement the son of Ulysses following his luckless run in the Dante at York.

He would become just the third supplemented horse to prevail in the premier Classic following Kris Kin and Golden Horn, but it is somewhat fitting that the first of those was also trained by Stoute. And while only third on the Knavesmire, Passenger follows the Freemason Lodge handler’s well-trodden route to Epsom.

Cooper continued: “It was a good education for him at York, it was only his second run and he will have learnt a little more about racing. Hopefully that will stand him in good stead on Saturday.

“The trip is the unknown as he has never been that far before, but he’s given us every indication he can do. We will not know for certain until he tries.”

If Military Order can replicate brother Adayar and storm to Derby glory for Charlie Appleby it will be the first time in over a hundred years that full siblings have landed the three-year-old event.

Persimmon (1896) and Triple Crown winner Diamond Jubilee (2000) were the last to achieve that remarkable feat, but it would be no shock if history is repeated with the Frankel colt advertising his Epsom credentials to great effect when pulling away from the reopposing Waipiro to claim the Lingfield Derby Trial.

“We’ve done nothing extra with him since his win at Lingfield and he has just been going through his usual routine,” said Appleby.

“We have been pleased with his preparation and he has ticked every box. He is going into the race looking great.

“We know he will stay the trip and hopefully he should handle the track, but we all know in any of these races we need a bit of Lady Luck with us then we have half a chance.”

On following in Adayar’s footsteps he added: “He is always going to be going there with the tag as being a Derby winner’s full-brother so everyone is going to ask the questions of is he as good and where does he stand compared to him.

“At the end of the day one has been there and done it and one has to go and do it. All I can say is that we are very pleased with him.

“He looks as though he is physically potentially more there and mentally more there than Adayar at this stage of his career, but regardless of that Adayar went and won a Derby and this lad has got to go and do it now.”

Another with two Derby victories to his name is John Gosden, who now trains out of Clarehaven alongside son Thady.

It is eight years since he legged up Frankie Dettori to steer home Golden Horn and he will now provide the Italian with his final mount in the premier Classic when Chester Vase scorer Arrest looks to give both trainer and jockey Derby number three.

“He’s got the stamina, to do what he did at Chester in ground like that shows he’s got the stamina, no problem,” said Gosden.

“Stamina is a requirement in this race, the same for the Kentucky Derby going a mile and a quarter for the Americans, they see it as a marathon.

“Stamina-wise you never really know until you go the mile and a half, you really don’t. Everybody thinks this is a downhill track, but it’s uphill, it rises 150 feet before you start going downhill, then you have a last section which climbs before the finish and it can catch a lot out on stamina.”

Despite saddling both Khalifa Sat (2020) and Hoo Ya Mal (2022) to finish second, Andrew Balding is still searching for his first Derby and will look to break his duck with The Foxes who arrives on the back of winning the Dante.

“I thought he was really good in the Dante,” said Balding. “I thought he travelled like the best horse in the race and he finished off strong. He is not a horse that is going to win by large margins, but he is tough in the finish.

“The way he settled at York and the way he travelled and the way he finished his race gives us hope that he will stay a mile and a half.

“Epsom this year could be different to other years if we are led to believe what we read that there might be disruptions going on, but I think he is going to be less bothered about what is going on than other horses we have run in the race in the past.”

Some would class Ralph Beckett as unfortunate not to have a Derby to his name after Westover was an unlucky loser behind Desert Crown 12 months ago, but he will attempt to correct the record with the unbeaten Artistic Star, who runs in the colours of owner Jeff Smith.

“Artistic Star is a grand, straightforward horse,” said the Kimpton Downs handler.

“He was quite a late foal and he’s going to carry on developing through the year, but I sincerely hope and suspect that he’ll cope with the whole jamboree, as he’s a very hardy horse.

“Whether he’s good enough I don’t know, but Jeff likes his trainers to be on the front foot and he ran to a good figure at Sandown last time. He’s not a big horse and he’s well balanced, so he should go round Epsom all right. It looks quite open so I’m looking forward to it.”

Jessica Harrington has won Classics on home soil and a Cheltenham Gold Cup, but never a Derby and she hopes to change that with Sprewell – the impressive winner of Leopardstown’s Derby Trial.

The man in the saddle on that occasion was Shane Foley and he is confident son of Churchill can make his presence felt.

He said: “He was very impressive in Leopardstown and has been pleasing us at home. The dream is definitely alive.

“Anything he did as a two-year-old was going to be a bonus and we were lucky to get a couple of runs into him.

“He has really developed into a proper staying three-year-old and is a good horse.

“If there is anyone that can have them primed and ready for the day, it’s Jessie. The trip should be fine for him – I think he’ll get a mile and a half no problem. To get a horse like him is what all the early mornings are about.

“It looks one of the most open Derbys in a long time and it’s great to have one in the mix.”

Another jockey looking forward to the biggest ride of his career is Derby debutant Danny Muscutt who will continue his association with the staying-on Guineas fifth Dubai Mile having landed the first Group One of his career aboard Charlie Johnston’s colt at Saint-Cloud in October.

“We were happy with him going into the Guineas and he ran a stormer,” said Muscutt.

Some people say the Guineas is the best Derby trial of the lot and it probably fitted in slightly better than the Dante where he would have had a penalty.

“I was pleased with how he stuck on up the rising ground and he galloped out really good.

“The dip at Newmarket can catch some horses out, but he has handled it great both times so he ticks the boxes regarding being able to handle the undulations and downhill run to Tattenham Corner.”

Manchester United have been hit by a setback for Antony ahead of the FA Cup final, with Erik ten Hag saying it is “unlikely” the winger will be fit to face Manchester City.

The 23-year-old winger went down in agony last Thursday during the first half of the penultimate Premier League game of the season against Chelsea.

Antony left on a stretcher and Ten Hag feared a “serious” injury, only to allay concerns three days later by saying the “first assessment is not too bad” and that he had a “good opportunity” to face City.

But this week has not gone as well as expected and the Brazil international now looks set to miss the first ever all-Manchester FA Cup final.

“Unlikely (he will be fit),” he said. “Dos Santos (Antony) still has a chance but it’s a really small chance.

“He didn’t make the progress, so he still has a chance but unlikely he is available.”

Lisandro Martinez, Marcel Sabitzer and Donny van de Beek have long since been ruled out of the final, while Anthony Martial’s injury-hit season will end on the sidelines.

The 27-year-old strained a hamstring towards the end of Sunday’s win against Fulham and will miss the Wembley showdown after scans showed a muscle tear.

“These questions so many times about the absence of players in the last couple of months,” Ten Hag said.

“Every time I say the same answer: it’s about the players who are available and many times we were successful.

“We have a good squad and from that good squad we make a good team.”

Absentee-hit United wrapped up third spot last weekend and are looking to complete the domestic cup double for the first time, having lifted the Carabao Cup in February.

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Ten Hag says Saturday will be a “good test” against Premier League champions City, who are looking to take another step towards the treble by winning at Wembley.

United fans are desperate for their side to extinguish those dreams as Pep Guardiola’s men look to replicate Sir Alex Ferguson’s 1999 treble heroes.

“We want to win, we want to win a cup,” Ten Hag said. “It’s not about stopping them. It is about that we win, that we win the cup. We have a great opportunity.

“That’s great that we deserved that opportunity to be in the cup final and then meet Man City. That’s a great opportunity.

“We fought so hard for it. I think we progressed that well that we are in that FA Cup final.”

City won this season’s first meeting 6-3 at the Etihad Stadium, with United coming back to win 2-1 at Old Trafford in January.

Ten Hag’s Red Devils finished 14 points behind the Premier League winners and a big summer lies ahead as they look to launch a sustained title challenge.

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“I think they do a very good job,” the Dutchman said days after Ferguson named Guardiola as LMA Manager of the Year – a trophy that carries the United great’s name.

“They play very good football, so they deserve it.

“Of course I look at others because they are opponents and I evaluate it, but we look to ourselves.

“You have to see where you are as club. From thereon, you have to make progress and I think we did over the last season.

“We make very good progress, we are in a good direction and now we use the coming period as well.

“Now we get the opportunity in the summer to make new targets, new goals on the short term.

“But the longer term, yeah, that will stay the same. As I said last year, we want to restore Man United but we have a way to go.”

Alun Wyn Jones has confirmed he will not be an Ospreys player next season.

The former Wales and British and Irish Lions captain announced his retirement from international rugby last month after making a world-record 170 Test match appearances.

There had been no indication about whether he intended to play on for the Ospreys or join another team, although Jones has now hinted he could continue on the domestic stage next term.

Since announcing his Test retirement, Jones captained the Barbarians against a World XV and then his first club Swansea.

“Whatever’s next, if something pops up, there might be something domestic. I won’t be back with the Ospreys,” Jones told The Barbarians Show podcast.

“But if nothing does, I can be pretty happy with my innings anyway, but we will see what comes in the next few months.”

Jones, 37, made his Ospreys debut in 2005 and went on to captain the region, making more than 250 appearances.

He was named in named Wales’ preliminary World Cup training squad by head coach Warren Gatland, but subsequently announced his international retirement along with Ospreys colleagues Justin Tipuric and Rhys Webb.

Second-row forward Jones set a new Wales cap record when he overtook former prop Gethin Jenkins during the 2019 World Cup in Japan.

And he then moved past New Zealand World Cup-winning captain Richie McCaw’s mark of 148 caps, maintaining incredible consistency of performance in one of the sport’s toughest playing positions.

He was part of five Six Nations title-winning campaigns, including three Grand Slams, and played in four World Cups helping Wales reach two semi-finals.

His 12 Lions Tests is a figure bettered only by Willie John McBride and Dickie Jeeps.

Former England international Jesse Lingard will leave Nottingham Forest at the end of his contract.

Lingard raised eyebrows when he joined Forest last season following their promotion to the Premier League, turning down West Ham to sign a lucrative one-year deal.

But his time at the City Ground did not work out and he made just 20 appearances in all competitions, scoring two goals in the Carabao Cup.

He featured just four times in 2023, but was a constant presence on the touchline as Forest beat the odds to retain their Premier League status.

The 30-year-old will now look for a third club in three years, with reports linking him to a number of cash-rich leagues abroad.

Andre Ayew, who signed a short-term contract in January, will also depart the City Ground this summer, along with Jack Colback, Cafu, Lyle Taylor and Jordan Smith.

Right-back Serge Aurier, who was a key performer in Forest’s survival mission, has triggered the one-year option in his contract so will stay for the 2023/24 campaign.

Loanees Dean Henderson, Keylor Navas and Renan Lodi come to the end of their deals, though Forest are understood to be interested in exploring permanent moves for Manchester United goalkeeper Henderson and Brazilian Lodi.

Forest are not expected to have a repeat of last summer’s recruitment drive, which saw them sign 22 players by the end of the transfer window and go up to 30 by the end of January.

But it is still likely to be busy as boss Steve Cooper targets a smaller number of quality additions and will be keen to move several players on as he trims a bloated squad.