Next week’s Rehearsal Chase at Newcastle could come under consideration for Shishkin after Nicky Henderson’s star chaser refused to start at Ascot on Saturday.
Having rounded off a rollercoaster season with a first victory over an extended three miles at Aintree in the spring, the nine-year-old was odds-on to make a successful reappearance in the Grade Two 1965 Chase in Berkshire, which was due to be his prep run for the King George at Kempton on Boxing Day.
However, it became clear not long after he arrived at the start that Shishkin was not too keen to jump off with the other runners and when the tape went up, he turned his head and planted himself in the hands of Nico de Boinville.
Henderson reported his charge to be none the worse on Sunday morning, but is now in a quandary as to what to do next.
“He’s fine, he’s actually been out for a little day out and a hack canter this morning,” said the Seven Barrows handler.
“We’ve got to think what we’re going to do, I haven’t got that far yet.
“There’s very little he can do, to be honest with you. I don’t know, perhaps they’ll start the King George in starting stalls!”
Shishkin was wearing cheek pieces for the first time in public on Saturday and while Henderson is loathe to blame the headgear for his antics, they may be dispensed with on his next start.
He added: “I don’t think they made any difference, to be honest with you. I’m not saying they’ll stay on, because it’s probably sensible to do something.
“I don’t think they had anything to do with it, as he’s had them on at home and Nico has schooled him in them and he was great.
“I’m inclined to take them off, just to do something different, but they were nothing to do with it.
“I just think it was mainly because of where the start was at Ascot, and therefore, unsurprisingly, the King George start is a very bad one, too.”
The next conditions race open to Shishkin is the Grade Two Peterborough Chase, but Henderson feels the December 10 showpiece is “too close” to Kempton, while the two-and-a-half-mile distance at Huntingdon is considered “almost certainly too short round there”.
And with the brilliant Constitution Hill being readied to travel from Lambourn to Newcastle to make his comeback in Saturday’s Fighting Fifth Hurdle, Henderson admits the thought of putting Shishkin in the horsebox alongside him has crossed his mind.
When asked whether the Rehearsal Chase could be an option, the trainer said: “That is under consideration, as you can imagine. We’re going there anyway.
“We’ll just have to see, we’re not thinking about it at the moment. We’ve just got to face the issue and see, as there’s no point going up there (Newcastle) if he’s going to repeat it.”
The Venetia Williams-trained L’Homme Presse carried 12 stone to victory in last year’s Rehearsal Chase before unseating at the final fence in the King George.
Former England, Barcelona and Tottenham manager Terry Venables has died at the age of 80.
As a player he made more than 500 appearances for Chelsea, Tottenham, QPR and Crystal Palace but made his real mark as a coach, also managing Palace and QPR.
“We are totally devastated by the loss of a wonderful husband and father who passed away peacefully yesterday after a long illness,” read a family statement.
“We would ask that privacy be given at this incredibly sad time to allow us to mourn the loss of this lovely man who we were so lucky to have had in our lives.”
In Spain Venables won the domestic title in 1984-85 and the FA Cup with Spurs in 1991 but it was his spell as England boss, guiding the team to the semi-final of Euro 96 on home soil after a brilliantly-memorable 4-1 win over the Netherlands only to lose on penalties to Germany.
League Managers’ Association chief executive Richard Bevan said: “The LMA is deeply saddened to hear of the passing of LMA member and former LMA president Terry Venables.
“Our thoughts are very much with Yvette and all of Terry’s family at this time.”
Tottenham will hold a minute’s applause and players will wear black armbands for Sunday’s fixture at home to Aston Villa.
“We are extremely saddened to learn of the passing of Terry Venables, our former player, manager and chief executive, who passed away on Saturday,” said a club statement.
“We extend our sincere condolences at this sad time to Terry’s wife, Yvette, his close family and friends.”
Gary Lineker, whom Venables signed for Barcelona from Everton in 1986 and then brought to Tottenham in 1989 after he took the job at White Hart Lane, paid his own tribute.
“Devastated to hear that Terry Venables has died. The best, most innovative coach that I had the privilege and pleasure of playing for,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
“He was much more, though, than just a great manager, he was vibrant, he was charming, he was witty, he was a friend.
“He’ll be hugely missed. Sending love and condolences to Yvette and the family. RIP Terry.”
Terry Venables will forever be remembered as the manager who oversaw the summer when football came home.
The charismatic boss, who has died at the age of 80, enjoyed a colourful and controversial career, the undoubted highlight of which was leading England to within a penalty shoot-out of reaching the final of the European Championship on home soil in 1996.
That fixture was his last as the national team’s manager after he left the role to focus on his upcoming court cases, but by the end of the year he was, perhaps typically, combining a new role as Portsmouth chairman with another as Australia coach.
That ‘wheeler-dealer’ streak saw Venables court controversy for his dealings outside of football.
‘El Tel’, as he became known during his time in charge of Barcelona, also co-owned and managed Tottenham, and was the subject of allegations of improper business conduct, as well as claims he once paid Brian Clough a bung.
The one-time midfielder was born in Dagenham, Essex, on January 6, 1943, and was an only child.
Having shown promise as a footballer, he joined Chelsea as an apprentice in 1958 before signing professional terms two years later, and then winning a League Cup winner’s medal in 1965 following a 3-2 victory over Leicester.
He had earned his two England caps the previous year in fixtures against Belgium and Holland, having represented his country at schoolboy, youth, amateur and under-23 level.
It was his transfer to Tottenham in 1966 that led to his most successful period as a player, during which he won the following year’s FA Cup with a 2-1 victory over his former club.
He left Tottenham for QPR in 1969, moving on five years later to Crystal Palace.
His talents did not just lie on the pitch, though.
During his playing career, Venables co-wrote detective novels, which were later turned into the TV series Hazell about a wise-cracking cockney private eye. It ran for 22 episodes from 1978-79.
It proved a significantly bigger hit than one of his early business ideas – the ‘Thingummywig’, a hat with a built-in wig so women could go out without removing their curlers.
After one season as a player at Palace he retired and joined the coaching staff and, in 1976, he was promoted into the role that proved his most natural fit – manager.
Venables required only one year to lead Palace to promotion from the Third Division and just a further two to secure the Second Division title.
In October 1980 he resigned to take over at QPR, leading the second-tier side to the 1982 FA Cup final, which they lost to Tottenham in a replay. The following season he guided them to the Second Division title, while becoming both their major shareholder and managing director.
He led QPR to a fifth-placed finish and qualification for the UEFA Cup in the 1983-84 campaign, but in May 1984 he resigned to become manager of Barcelona.
He charmed the crowd present at his first match in charge by addressing them in Catalan and, more significantly, in his first season he led the club to their first Spanish league title in 11 years.
Venables signed Gary Lineker and Mark Hughes during his time at the Nou Camp, also selling Diego Maradona.
However, Barca only finished runners-up in the league during the following two seasons, also losing in the final of the 1986 European Cup as Romanian opponents Steaua Bucharest triumphed on penalties after a goalless draw.
His dismissal in September 1987 was followed by his appointment as Tottenham manager in October. He brought Paul Gascoigne to the club and linked up with Lineker again.
Venables led Spurs to 1991 FA Cup glory with a 2-1 victory over Nottingham Forest in the final, although the match was overshadowed by Gascoigne’s cruciate ligament injury.
When Venables and Alan Sugar won the takeover battle for the club that June, he was also appointed chief executive, but his relationship with the then chairman gradually broke down.
In 1993 Sugar sacked him, and later that year the BBC’s Panorama programme alleged misdealings connected with Venables’ businesses, which he responded to by threatening libel action.
Despite any damage to his reputation, in January 1994 he was appointed England manager, and his first fixture in charge came two months later when they defeated Denmark 1-0 at Wembley.
That August, police also dropped their inquiry into allegations he paid Clough a £50,000 bung to arrange a player transfer.
In January 1996 Venables revealed he would resign as England manager after that year’s European Championship to focus on pending court cases, but the imminent conclusion to his reign could not take the gloss off what so nearly became such a glorious summer for the hosts.
With Arsenal’s Tony Adams as his captain at the heart of defence, Alan Shearer in form up front and a rejuvenated Gascoigne pulling the strings in midfield, they progressed to the knockout stages following a 4-1 thumping of Holland that still ranks as one of England’s finest performances.
Venables’ use of the ‘Christmas Tree’ formation was considered instrumental to their success, which also included a penalty shoot-out victory over Spain in the quarter-finals.
England produced another memorable display in the semi-final, only to lose on penalties to eventual winners Germany. Despite the cruel nature of the defeat and the fact it proved his final match as England manager, he later described that summer as the “best time of my life”.
That July, Venables made an unexpected return to the sport as Portsmouth’s director of football and by November he had been appointed Australia manager, also becoming Portsmouth chairman, having bought the club for £1.
In January 1998 he stepped down from his role of chairman and also agreed to a High Court order banning him from holding company directorships for seven years.
His return to Palace as manager that April was short-lived, but he was recruited again, this time by struggling Middlesbrough, in December 2000.
Having left after leading them to Premier League survival, in July 2002 he returned for one last job in club management, this time at financially-troubled Leeds.
The sale of key players including Rio Ferdinand, Robbie Fowler and Jonathan Woodgate contributed to their plight and in March, as the threat of relegation loomed, he was sacked again.
Venables surprisingly returned to the England set-up as new manager Steve McClaren’s assistant in the summer of 2006. Failure to qualify for Euro 2008 saw them dismissed in November 2007.
Having speculated in clubs and property, his final business venture began in 2014 when he opened a boutique hotel and restaurant with wife Yvette in Penaguila, Spain.
Venables, who died on Saturday, is survived by his wife and daughters Tracey and Nancy.
Former England, Barcelona and Tottenham manager Terry Venables has died at the age of 80.
As a player he made more than 500 appearances for Chelsea, Tottenham, QPR and Crystal Palace but made his real mark as a coach, also managing Palace and QPR.
“We are totally devastated by the loss of a wonderful husband and father who passed away peacefully yesterday after a long illness,” read a family statement.
“We would ask that privacy be given at this incredibly sad time to allow us to mourn the loss of this lovely man who we were so lucky to have had in our lives.”
Dan Skelton is keen to get Protektorat back on the racecourse “relatively quickly” following his disappointing defence of the Betfair Chase at Haydock on Saturday.
The eight-year-old was a brilliant winner of the Merseyside Grade One 12 months ago, but after travelling well on the front end for a long way in his bid for back-to-back victories, he weakened out of contention before the home turn and trailed home last of four runners behind Royale Pagaille.
Skelton reported his star chaser to have emerged relatively unscathed on Sunday morning and he plans to give him another run before the end of 2023, after which a tilt at the the £165,000 Fleur de Lys Chase at Lingfield on January 21 is on the agenda.
“He’s a bit stiff, but he’s fine. We’ll get him right and go again,” said the Alcester-based trainer.
“Yesterday wasn’t our day and take nothing away from the winner, it was a fabulous performance.
“We were happy with our horse going into it and I’m not making any excuses. Sometimes you get beat and you’ve just got to dust yourself down and go again.
“What I want to do is run him somewhere relatively quickly, between now and the new year, and then look at the Winter Million race for him. It’s worth an awful lot of money and will probably be run on ground that he’ll really enjoy.”
Protektorat’s options over the festive period include the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day and the Savills Chase at Leopardstown two days later, with nothing off the table at this stage.
Skelton added: “I’ve got to talk to connections first, but there’s only a handful of races that he’s eligible for, so we’ll have to consider them all.”
Kai Havertz is not getting carried away with his first Arsenal goal from open play or the Gunners’ rise to the top of the Premier League.
Germany midfielder Havertz climbed off the bench to score a last-minute winner at Brentford on Saturday evening.
It was only his second goal since joining Arsenal from Chelsea for £65million in the summer, and his first since netting a penalty in the 4-0 win at Bournemouth.
“I think most important is always the team and to have the three points is very good for me as well, personally,” Havertz told the club website.
“I worked quite hard to get these moments again and I got it so I’m very, very happy.
“We came to win and it’s a very good feeling to go home with three points.”
The 1-0 victory in west London lifted Arsenal to the top of the table for the first time this season.
“It’s always good to be up top but you have to look game by game and there are still so many games to play, such a long season,” Havertz added.
“We just have to focus on ourselves, win the games and then see at the end what’s going to happen.”
Brentford were without key midfielder Mathias Jensen due to a thigh problem, but boss Thomas Frank hopes the Dane will be fit to face Luton next weekend.
“The players are ready to step in and fill the role, and they do that because they know the structure and the principles,” said Frank.
“We have a fantastic culture and togetherness. With the injuries we have, against a full-strength Arsenal side who are top of the Premier League, it was just incredible.”
Equinox, the world’s highest-rated horse, delivered a dominant performance to win Sunday’s Japan Cup.
The four-year-old has not been beaten since finishing second in the Japanese Derby in May 2022, winning two Grade One contests at home at the end of last year before easily seeing off Westover when claiming the Dubai Sheema Classic at Meydan in March.
Tetsuya Kimura’s charge won two more Grade Ones since that effort and was a long odds-on favourite for the Tokyo highlight, which featured a clutch of previous top-level victors, including leading three-year-old filly Liberty Island.
Saudi Cup winner Panthalassa took up his usual position at the head of affairs, setting a testing gallop that saw him build up a huge advantage at the top of the straight.
Christophe Lemaire had been happy to sit in the pack aboard Equinox, rounding the final bend in third before giving his mount the signal to set out in pursuit as Panthalassa’s stride began to shorten.
The response was immediate and Equinox sprinted to the lead over a furlong out and Lemaire just had to use hands and heels to steer him to a four-length verdict over Liberty Island.
The William Buick-ridden Stars On Earth was third, with last year’s race winner Vela Azul coming home seventh under Hollie Doyle, one place ahead of Tom Marquand’s mount Studley.
Teenager Lewis Miley has been told to ready himself for a key role in Newcastle’s midfield as they attempt to continue the fight on three fronts in the midst of an injury crisis.
The 17-year-old turned in an impressive display in his Premier League home debut on Saturday to help the Magpies trounce Chelsea 4-1 after seeing Joe Willock added to a lengthy casualty list with a recurrence of an Achilles problem.
Willock could be sidelined for some time as he awaits specialist advice on the way forward, and with Tuesday’s Champions League trip to Paris St Germain and a Carabao Cup quarter-final visit to Chelsea to come amid a schedule which will see Eddie Howe’s men play 10 more games by New Year’s Day, Miley has been primed for a run in the team.
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Asked about his performance against the Blues, Howe said: “His general performance was very good. I thought he showed the composure that we saw during pre-season – I thought he executed a very good pre-season, played very well – and he’s going to be a key player for us in he next few weeks.
“He’s going to have to step up and do what we know he can do.”
Miley played a significant role in the opening goal with a perfectly weighted pass which allowed Alexander Isak to spin and fire home just 13 minutes into his comeback after a month out with a groin injury.
Howe said: “That pass sort of represents him. To have that composure in that moment when you’re so young and thrust into your debut at home, the temptation is to shoot, but he resisted that and the ability to spot Alex, so it was a brilliant pass and also a brilliant finish.”
Raheem Sterling levelled with a beautifully struck 23rd-minute free-kick, but Newcastle skipper Jamaal Lascelles, whose error had led to that set-piece, made amends with a bullet header on the hour before Joelinton capitalised on a rare howler from Thiago Silva to thump home a third.
Anthony Gordon completed the rout after full-back Reece James had been sent off for a second bookable offence, but Miley’s contribution on a day when Howe was without 13 senior players and named three keepers on his bench was one of the major talking points.
Asked if it was easy to forget he is only 17, the head coach replied: “Yes, I think we do because he’s six-foot-two and he’s a man, he looks a man in your presence, and also his maturity. He doesn’t behave like the average 17-year-old.
“But it’s important we do remember how young he is and we look to protect him as well. It’s my job to do that and educate him in the right way on and off the pitch.
“He comes from a very good family who won’t allow him to go over the top in any way. It’s on to the next match for him and us.”
Pochettino was less than impressed with the way his young Chelsea team capitulated on Tyneside, accusing them of putting in a “soft” performance.
He said: “As a team, we need to show a different energy, a different capacity to compete. For me, that is the key.
“The big teams perform every week, every three days, in this way. This is a thing that we need to settle in the team.”
Jurgen Klopp hailed Trent Alexander-Arnold’s performance as “super influential” after the right-back snatched a draw for Liverpool at Manchester City.
The England international struck a fine equaliser as the Reds held the champions 1-1 in a tight encounter at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.
Erling Haaland had put City ahead with his 50th Premier League goal from just 48 appearances – a new record – but Alexander-Arnold, having come through some tough moments against the tricky Jeremy Doku, changed the script 10 minutes from time.
Having stepped into midfield, the 25-year-old took a touch and fired into the bottom corner from outside the area to peg back City and allow Arsenal, courtesy of their victory at Brentford, to take top spot.
It was a strong reminder of Alexander-Arnold’s talents after an international break in which there has been much debate over how he can be most effectively deployed by England manager Gareth Southgate.
Liverpool boss Klopp said: “Trent was super influential. Not only in the goal – around the goal, in all situations he was a really important player. He played a really good game.
“We changed it, with the position. We made it more clear where he has to be in these moments.
“He did that really well and had still his moments with Doku where he was really strong in the one-on-one situations.
“You could see in a lot of moments how difficult it is against him, he is a really good dribbler. Trent was pretty influential in a good way.”
Alexander-Arnold’s leveller not only took the gloss off Haaland’s achievement – the previous quickest player to a half-century was Andy Cole in 65 games – but also denied City a share of another record.
Pep Guardiola’s side had won their previous 23 home games in all competitions, stretching back to a draw against Everton last December, and another would have equalled Sunderland’s record for an English top-flight side set between 1890 and 1892.
City, however, were the most dominant side, racking up 16 attempts on goal to Liverpool’s eight and felt aggrieved when a Ruben Dias goal was ruled out for a foul on goalkeeper Alisson Becker, who had an afternoon to forget.
Alisson had been at fault for City’s opener, made numerous other mistakes in the game and picked up a hamstring injury late on.
City defender Nathan Ake said: “I think we wanted more. We felt OK, we felt solid. We didn’t create too many chances but I think we controlled the game way more than we did against Chelsea, which was more up and down.
“We tried to create some chances. Just before their goal we created a very good one.
“We know they have the quality where they can – suddenly out of nothing – score a goal but, in the end, it is frustrating that one shot from distance goes in and you draw the game.”
Erling Haaland’s goal against Liverpool on Saturday was his 50th in the Premier League, in a record 48 games.
Here, the PA news agency looks at his record since arriving at Manchester City last season.
Haaland’s half-century
Having scored 36 goals, a Premier League record, in 35 games in his debut season, Haaland has followed up with 14 in his first 13 appearances this term.
That 48-game total makes him the first player to reach 50 goals at better than a goal per game, with the record previously held by former Newcastle and Manchester United striker Andy Cole who reached the mark in 65 appearances.
The Norwegian was also the quickest ever to both 10 and 25 goals, reaching the former tally in a remarkable six games and going on to 25 in 19.
He has scored five hat-tricks along the way, with a further eight two-goal displays, and has netted in exactly two-thirds of his overall games – 32 out of 48.
However, Cole can still boast the most spectacular way of bringing up his half-century – with the last of his five goals in Manchester United’s 9-0 win over Ipswich in March 1995.
Should Haaland remain in the north-west and go on to 100 Premier League goals, the record to beat is Alan Shearer’s 124 games.
Another one bites the dust
Saturday’s goal was Haaland’s first in a league meeting with Liverpool, marking a step towards another potential landmark.
Though he did score against the Reds in the Carabao Cup, he was kept at bay in last season’s first league meeting before missing the second due to injury.
They were one of only three opponents all season not to concede a league goal to Haaland and with Chelsea also now ticked off, thanks to a brace in November 12’s 4-4 draw, he has scored against every Premier League opponent he has faced with the sole exception of Brentford.
He has yet to play against Luton, with his first opportunity coming on December 10, but has already netted against their fellow promoted sides Burnley and Sheffield United.
City’s away game at Brentford is scheduled for February 3, which as it stands would be the earliest he could complete the set, but their meeting at the Etihad Stadium is to be rescheduled due to City’s involvement in the Club World Cup so could potentially fall earlier in the season.
Joel Embiid had 35 points and fell one assist shy of a triple-double and the Philadelphia 76ers snapped the Oklahoma City Thunder’s six-game winning streak with a 127-123 victory on Saturday.
Embiid had 11 rebounds and nine assists while making 19 of 21 free throws, including six in the final 9.8 seconds to seal the win.
Tyrese Maxey had 28 points and eight rebounds and Tobias Harris added 16 points to help the 76ers avoid a third straight loss.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points for the Thunder, who lost their fourth straight at home to Philadelphia.
Oklahoma City’s Josh Giddey had 10 points, seven boards and eight assists in his first game after the NBA started an investigation into accusations he had an improper relationship with an underage girl.
LeBron helps Lakers win in Cleveland
Anthony Davis scored 23 of his season-high 32 points in the second half and grabbed 13 rebounds and LeBron James had 22 points against his hometown team as the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers, 121-115.
James added six rebounds, six assists and two steals in his 18th career win against Cleveland in 21 games. The 39-year-old superstar attended St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in nearby Akron and spent 11 seasons with the Cavaliers, leading them to the 2016 NBA title.
Austin Reaves added 15 points and 10 assists as the Lakers won their fourth in five games overall and third straight on the road.
Donovan Mitchell had 22 points on 4-of-18 shooting in his return aft4er missing four games with a right hamstring strain for Cleveland.
Cavaliers guard Darius Garland did not play in the second half due to a neck strain, caused by an awkward collision with Max Christie in the first quarter.
George leads Clippers past Mavericks
The Los Angeles Clippers received little production from two of their stars, but Paul George had 25 points and Terance Mann added 17 in a 107-88 rout of the Dallas Mavericks.
James Harden was limited to eight points on 2-of-8 shooting and Kawhi Leonard missed his first nine shots before also finishing with eight points.
Russell Westbrook helped with 14 points, eight rebounds and seven assists as the Clippers won their fourth in five games.
Luka Dončić scored 30 points and Kyrie Irving added 26 for Dallas, which failed to score 100 points for the first time this season.
Jimmy Vesey snapped a second-period tie and Chris Kreider had two goals to lift the red-hot New York Rangers to a 7-4 victory over the Boston Bruins on Saturday in a matchup of the top teams in the Eastern Conference.
Kreider scored on the power play and short-handed and Artemi Panarin added a goal and an assist to help the Rangers win for the seventh time in eight games.
New York is 13-1-1 in its last 15 contests and has 15 wins in 19 or fewer games for the first time in franchise history.
Charlie Coyle scored twice for the Bruins, who have allowed 12 goals in losing consecutive games following a 5-0-2 stretch.
Jonathan Quick made 27 saves to improve to 6-0-1 in seven starts with the Rangers.
Copley’s shutout keeps Kings surging
Pheonix Copley needed to make only 18 saves for the shutout and Trevor Moore scored twice as the Los Angeles Kings beat the Montreal Canadiens 4-0 for their fifth straight win.
Carl Grundstrom and Trevor Lewis also scored to help the Kings win their ninth in 11 games and improve to 13-3-3 on the season.
Los Angeles allowed just one shot on goal in the first period and surrendered five total goals during the five-game streak.
Montreal dropped to 2-2-0 on its five-game road trip.
Flyers' Errson bests Sorokin in shootout
Samuel Errson made 25 saves in regulation and overtime and stopped all four attempts in the shootout as the Philadelphia Flyers overcame Ilya Sorokin’s stellar effort in a 1-0 win over the New York Islanders.
Errson notched his first shutout of the season and second of his career to help the Flyers bounce back from consecutive losses.
Sorokin finished with 40 saves with his only mistake coming on Tyson Foerster’s shootout goal in the fourth round.
This was the sixth time in NHL history where a goaltender recorded a 40-save shutout and suffered a loss. Sorokin was involved in the most recent occurrence on Dec. 19, 2022, at Colorado.
Katie Taylor claimed redemption with a majority decision victory over Chantelle Cameron in Dublin to become undisputed light-welterweight champion.
Taylor and Cameron produced a classic at 3Arena with both boxers trading blows throughout a gruelling 10-round contest that was scored 95-95, 98-92 and 96-94 by the judges.
Cameron had dominated their previous meeting in May and was widely tipped to get the better of the Irish great again, but it was a different fight as the home favourite promised.
Early success for Taylor proved crucial and a cut on Cameron’s left head from a clash of heads in round three contributed to a bruising encounter that went the way of the challenger.
It resulted in Taylor avenging the first professional defeat of her career and means she now holds the WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO light-welterweight belts to firmly silence any talk of retirement.
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag believes top-level football has already “crossed the limits of what players can handle” as he prepares for a critical six days for his club.
United had made their worst start to a season since 1962 as they headed into their away match at Fulham on November 4, with eight defeats in their opening 15 matches in all competitions, as injuries continued to rob Ten Hag of momentum and balance.
Ten Hag believes the team are now on an upward trajectory after winning that match at Fulham and the subsequent home Premier League game against Luton, to leave them with four wins from five in the league.
They now face a hugely testing run, with a match away at Everton on Sunday immediately followed by a make-or-break trip to Istanbul to face Galatasaray in the Champions League on Wednesday and another tough Premier League encounter against Newcastle at St James’ Park next Saturday.
Ten Hag believes modern football’s workload is already too punishing, with worse still to come as UEFA prepares for an expansion of its club competitions from next season.
“Every manager is complaining about the schedule,” he said.
“On Thursday I heard the statements of (Bayern Munich head coach) Thomas Tuchel, every manager, but still they keep adding games to the schedule.
“Next year they add again two games (in the new Champions League format) and the limits are… we already achieved the limits. I think we already crossed the limits of what players can handle.
“And then what we see now in the first 12 Premier League games, the physical standards are even higher in comparison to last year. You have a choice to make. Either you match it by training and preparation, or you drop off.
“So that is a decision that every club has to make, every team has to make, every individual has to make.”
Ten Hag refused to divulge how he managed it, but said: “You have to do it smart. Every team knows you have to suffer and sacrifice. If you want to prepare for games then at certain right moments you have to go to certain physical levels if you want to match those standards, and those standards are not set by us, but set by the opposition.”
The three road trips represent a real test of character for Ten Hag’s squad, and he is confident his players are capable of winning the physical battles against their opponents.
“We emphasised (to the players) in the last couple of games, ‘first get into the fight’”, he said.
“When you don’t have a left-back, when you don’t have a right winger, when you have to swap your team and maybe the routines are not 100 per cent working, make sure you get the foundation by getting into the fight.
“Make sure you run harder than your opponent, cover each other, (have) quick reactions, and that gives you a foundation because our players are very good. They have a lot of skills, they have a lot of abilities.
“So the football is always in there. Once we have our mindset clear and bright and we are in the fight, we will find our moments where we can do brilliant things because our players are capable of doing that.
“And I think we have seen that in the last couple of games and that’s why we have won four (out) of five.”
Ten Hag said left-back Luke Shaw would be back in his squad for the trip to face Everton after being out since August with a thigh muscle injury.
Striker Rasmus Hojlund is a doubt with a muscle injury sustained in the Luton match on November 11, while his compatriot Christian Eriksen (knee) will miss out.
Goalkeeper Andre Onana has overcome a knock he suffered on international duty with Cameroon but Jonny Evans (thigh), Casemiro (thigh) and Lisandro Martinez (foot) remain sidelined.
Ten Hag will himself be absent from the touchline after he was given a one-match ban for accumulating three yellow cards.
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