Craig Butler revealed that his wish was for his son Leon Bailey to join Ajax, but has no regrets that he has found a home at Aston Villa.
The comments came ahead of Aston Villa's goalless stalemate with the Dutch club in Thursday’s Europa Conference League Round of 16 match at the Johan Cruyff Arena.
Bailey, 26, was subject of transfer interest from Ajax during his time at Genk before joining Bayer Leverkusen in 2017. But the Dutch giants continued to follow Bailey throughout the years, and he nearly joined the club on three separate occasions.
Butler revealed that the last potential switch came in 2022, a year after the winger joined Villa and struggled under former boss Steven Gerrard.
"Bailey was indeed already in the picture at Ajax, but also at Genk, to whom I eventually sold him. Ajax did want him, but not according to the agreements that were in place," Butler told Voetbal International.
"We were always very close, but the final push from Ajax was missing. I would have liked to see it happen. Who knows how it would all have turned out, but we stand by the choices we made. In retrospect, it was the steps that were necessary.
"Leon’s transfer to Aston Villa has turned out well. He’s doing well and he loves the fans. Who knows where Leon would have been now if he had gone to Ajax, because Ajax has produced great players worldwide. If Leon had signed with Ajax, he would probably have been sold for a lot more money, but money isn’t everything,” he added.
Bailey himself revealed that being at the Birmingham-based Villa under Unai Emery's leadership is the happiest he's been in his career.
“I would say yes. I think at the moment things have been going really well for me. I've been scoring goals and I've been getting assists," Bailey told the media ahead of the European clash.
"I've been really showing up for the team whenever I call up. And right now, I feel good, and I would say it's the best moment of my career,” he declared.
Warren Gatland believes that Antoine Dupont’s absence from the Guinness Six Nations has proved “a massive loss” for France.
Les Bleus’ mercurial World Cup captain has joined the sevens circuit ahead of the Paris Olympics later this year.
And France have struggled without him, being beaten comprehensively by Six Nations title favourites Ireland and then drawing at home against Italy, either side of narrowly defeating Scotland.
They tackle Wales at the Principality Stadium on Sunday, when Gatland’s team will target a first Six Nations victory over them since 2019.
“It just shows when you are with a team – and we have been lucky enough with this in the past and it is the challenge going forward – that having two or three X-factor players in your team can make a massive difference,” Wales head coach Gatland said.
“Sometimes you get two relatively even teams, but it is the individual brilliance of someone who can change a game.
“There is no doubt for me that Dupont is a massive loss for them. He is probably the best player in the world.
“We have already seen what he has done with the French sevens team. They won the sevens tournament (in Los Angeles).
“(Romain) Ntamack is a big loss for them in terms of that nine-10 partnership. It is difficult to put your finger on it.
“They have made some changes. They have probably thought they don’t feel like they can win the Six Nations, so there is a chance to give players in their squad an opportunity.”
Whether Wales can take advantage of France’s current position remains to be seen.
Gatland’s team have yet to win in this season’s tournament, raising the potential scenario of a wooden-spoon decider against Italy next weekend if they do not triumph on Sunday.
It is 21 years since Wales last finished bottom of the Six Nations table, although they were fifth in three of the past four seasons.
Considerable interest will surround the appearance of a new centre pairing, with Six Nations debutant Joe Roberts partnering Owen Watkin after Gatland left out George North and Nick Tompkins.
And captain Dafydd Jenkins has been moved from lock to blindside flanker as Will Rowlands and Adam Beard team up in the second-row.
Gatland added: “We’ve spoken to the two boys (Roberts and Watkin) about their roles. They have got a chance to make a statement.
“The big thing for them – what I am looking for – is not about them playing, but them being vocal, making sure they communicate to the 10s and take that communication from the outside.
“That is a massive thing for us in terms of work-on, but also them realising how vocal they need to be in attack and defence.
“We had spoken early in the tournament about giving Daf that chance (at blindside). He was pretty excited when we did talk about it in one of the earlier games.
“When we said we were playing him at second-row, he joked we didn’t have the guts to put him in the back-row!
“It is a good chance as a young player to get that opportunity in a different position.
“We know what a big pack France will put out and particularly that first 20 or 30 minutes. They were really direct against Italy in that time and could have been three tries up.
“We have got to expect a real physical challenge, particularly in the early exchanges of the game.”
Galopin Des Champs is one of 13 confirmations for the Boodles Gold Cup on Friday, as he seeks to defend his Cheltenham crown.
Willie Mullins’ star got the better of Bravemansgame last year, with the Paul Nicholls-trained runner-up on course to renew rivalry next week.
Martin Brassil’s Fastorslow is another leading contender for Ireland, having twice accounted for Galopin Des Champs since the Gold Cup, although he had to settle for second place in the Irish Gold Cup at the Dublin Racing Festival.
Shishkin is all set for Nicky Henderson, who was left wondering what might have been when his former crack two-miler slipped on landing when leading in the King George VI Chase.
Bargain-buy Hewick swept home to win the Kempton showpiece on Boxing Day and has been kept fresh by Shark Hanlon.
Gordon Elliott’s Gerri Colombe was second to Patrick Neville’s The Real Whacker in the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase last season and they both feature, as does Gentlemansgame for Mouse Morris, who struck with War Of Attrition in 2006.
L’Homme Presse is right in contention for Venetia Williams and Charlie Deutsch, after a winning return from the sidelines at Lingfield and an encouraging prep over a trip short of his best in the Ascot Chase.
Deutsch said: “I’m looking forward to it. Although things weren’t suitable for him at Ascot – the distance and the way the race was run – he didn’t feel completely at his best that day and still did fine.
“I think his prep is all going well so far. I haven’t sat on him, but Jess who rides him at home knows him well and says he is going along OK.
“It’s nice to know he can do it at Cheltenham and over the distance and he will be suited by going back up in trip.
“It’s a Gold Cup, so that’s the unknown – you are going up against the best. I just hope he runs well and wherever he comes, he has run to his full potential.”
Monkfish is still in for Mullins, with Lucinda Russell being represented by Grand National hero Corach Rambler. Jungle Boogie and Nassalam complete the contenders.
Ahoy Senor, Conflated and Protektorat were the three withdrawals at the confirmation stage.
Bryony Frost is considering splitting her time between England and France in search of further opportunities.
The jockey has enjoyed many high-profile successes on British shores, notably winning the 2019 Ryanair Chase and 2020 King George aboard Frodon and the Tingle Creek on Greaneteen in 2021.
She has countless other graded wins to her name and rides predominantly in Britain for Paul Nicholls, Lucy Wadham and her father Jimmy.
Now Frost may branch out and head across the Channel to establish herself in France, where she has been riding out for Noel George and Amanda Zetterholm, the team behind Il Est Francais, and Louisa Carberry.
“It’s about getting to know the horses, the training and the way of life,” she told the Sun.
“It’s about laying bricks to build the pyramid of another opportunity - although I have to admit my French is minimal!
“I must say Noel has a brilliant team of people and horses, and I sat on some gorgeous three-year-olds this week.
“It’s a liquid situation currently, but who knows what’s on the horizon?”
The French and English seasons run on different schedules, which would allow Frost to take rides in both jurisdictions – with France’s female rider allowance of particular benefit to her in handicaps there.
“Obviously our season is still rolling, and I’ll be working as hard as ever here, but the French and English basically have split calendars, so let’s see where we go,” she said.
“I’m happy to graft for the chance and, after more than 1,700 rides and over 200 winners, have total confidence in my ability.
“And, of course, in France the female jockeys get a near-5lb allowance in all handicaps, so I’d certainly snap up the benefit of that thank you!
“I’m keeping an open mind about things, but if the right openings come, I’ll grab them with both hands.”
Rudy Gobert has acknowledged the gesture which landed him a costly technical in the Minnesota Timberwolves' defeat to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday was "immature", though he refused to back down on his claim sports betting is influencing NBA officials.
The Timberwolves led the short-handed Cavs with just 27.8 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse when Gobert was pulled up for his sixth and disqualifying foul.
The three-time All-Star responded by rubbing his fingers together in an apparent money gesture towards referee Scott Foster.
Fellow official Natalie Sago spotted the gesture and hit Gobert with a technical, sending Cleveland's Darius Garland to the free-throw line to tie the game up at 97 apiece.
Garland finished with 34 points and Jarrett Allen added a career-high 33 including 10 in overtime, as the Cavs took full advantage of Gobert's loss of discipline to claim a 113-104 win.
Gobert is now facing the prospect of further punishment from the NBA, having told reporters that gambling is influencing the way games are being officiated.
"I'll bite the bullet again," Gobert said. "I'll be the bad guy. I'll take the fine, but I think it's hurting our game.
"I know the betting and all that is becoming bigger and bigger, but it shouldn't feel that way.
"It's not just one call. Everyone makes mistakes, but when it's over and over and over again, of course it's frustrating."
The Frenchman did concede that he was wrong to make the gesture at such a pivotal moment, adding: "My reaction, I think it was the truth, but it wasn't the time to react that way.
"It cost my team the game. It was an immature reaction."
Minnesota coach Chris Finch missed the game after feeling unwell prior to tipoff, with assistant Micah Nori taking his place on the bench.
Nori was furious with Gobert for the timing of his technical, saying: "A technical foul with 27 seconds in the game, to be honest, is unacceptable.
"That's who Rudy is, but you've got to be smart. He made a visual that was automatic. He was obviously frustrated, both teams were, but we have to be smarter."
The Timberwolves, who sit second in the Western Conference at 44-20, now head to Los Angeles to face the Lakers and the Clippers, while the Cavs host the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday.
Ben Stokes declared “write this team off, write me off at your own peril” after his England side ended their tour of India with an abject defeat inside three days in Dharamsala.
James Anderson becoming the third bowler and first non-spinner to reach 700 Test wickets on Saturday was relegated to secondary status by England’s meek batting display as they lost by an innings and 64 runs.
A fourth successive defeat and seventh in 12 Tests was confirmed within just eight sessions of play, with England on a downward slide after winning 10 of their first 11 under Stokes and Brendon McCullum.
The duo’s methods have come under scrutiny during a 4-1 series defeat and Stokes has underperformed, averaging 19.9 with the bat, but the England captain was bullish about his team’s future prospects.
“Not just myself but the team are big enough to say we’ve been completely outplayed in the last four games,” Stokes said. “I’m always man enough to say we got beaten by the better team.
“Failure is a great teacher to sports teams. You either let failure and disappointment eat you up and shoot you down or you learn from failure and you make sure you don’t lose the enthusiasm of what we do.
“This series shouldn’t affect anything we’ve managed to achieve before this tour. It’s the first time, particularly these last four games, that this team has been dominated pretty much the whole time.
“We will use this as inspiration to become a better team and to become better players. I am obviously disappointed with my performance, but write this team off, write me off at your own peril.”
While Joe Root made 84 before he was last man out, he lacked a useful foil as England were skittled for 195, needing 259 to make India bat again, as Ravichandran Ashwin banked five for 77 on his 100th Test.
England have reached 400 just once in this series – in their famous triumph in Hyderabad in the opener – and what has been billed as an attack-minded mantra under this leadership has been questioned.
“The media name ‘Bazball’ – everyone says, ‘what is it?’ – in my opinion it’s wanting to be a better player,” Stokes said.
“In the face of defeat and failure, ‘Bazball’ will hopefully inspire people to become better players and become even better than what we are.
“I think we’ve done a lot of things right. One thing India have done is stay true to what makes them successful. We have done that but not been able to execute how we’d like to.
“Whenever we managed to wrestle back any type of momentum with the ball or bat, India were always able to then put it back on to us. That was where the Tests after the first one were won and lost.”
Stokes, who played his 100th Test in Rajkot, refused to make any excuses at the end of an anticlimactic few months for England in all formats. As well as this defeat, they were knocked out of the Cricket World Cup at the group stage and lost both ODI and T20 series in the West Indies.
“If we we weren’t disappointed, if we weren’t frustrated at how the series has ended up, I don’t really know what other emotions you could have,” Stokes said.
“Use it as fuel. I always feel like I can’t work any harder, but I’ll come away from this tour and go home and work even harder than what I have done out here for the summer coming up.”
Anderson, with his father in the crowd, finally joined Muttiah Muralitharan and Shane Warne in the 700 club. The 41-year-old spent several months in the 690s but the moment came when Kuldeep Yadav hung out his bat and edged through to wicketkeeper Ben Foakes.
“He doesn’t play the game for the milestones, he plays for his team-mates and England,” Stokes added. “He’s just an unbelievable ambassador for the game and in particular fast bowling.
“If someone came up to me and said who should I emulate if I want to be a good fast bowler, the first name I’d say is Jimmy Anderson.”
D'Angelo Russell described himself as a "killer" after his career-best 44-point haul lifted the Los Angeles Lakers to a dramatic victory over the Milwaukee Bucks, as LeBron James sat out another game due to ankle discomfort.
James missed his ninth game of the season on Friday as he continues to battle the niggling injury, but the Lakers overcame his absence with a stirring 123-122 win at Crypto.com Arena.
The Bucks held a one-point lead with 39 seconds remaining, with Giannis Antetokounmpo recording 34 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists while Damian Lillard backed him up with 28 points.
However, Russell scored 21 of his points in the fourth quarter, including the go-ahead jumper with 5.9 seconds remaining on the clock, to put the hosts up one.
There was more drama to come in the dying moments as Spencer Dinwiddie blocked Lillard's attempted buzzer-beater to preserve the win, improving the Lakers to 35-30.
Russell's nine 3-pointers were a joint-career best, while he also dished out nine assists. Speaking after the win, the 28-year-old said he always had confidence in his ability to deliver in clutch moments.
"On the floor, I've always felt like I was capable of doing things. Getting hot makes it a little more exciting," Russell said.
"Off the floor, obviously you all know what I've been through. Public humiliation has done nothing but mould me into the killer that you all see today.
"I never lack confidence. I never fear confrontation. I want all the smoke. I just feel confident in what I bring to the basketball game, so whatever room I walk in, I'm confident."
Lakers team-mate Austin Reaves – who added 18 points – said: "D-Lo just stepped up and won us the game, and obviously with Spence with the defense on that last possession.
"Just seeing D-Lo take over the game, I constantly kept telling him in timeouts, 'take us home'."
While the victory was a crucial one for the Lakers' playoff chances, the Bucks sit third in the Eastern Conference with a 41-23 record, and coach Doc Rivers knows the defeat will have little impact on their long-term ambitions.
He does, however, hope it serves as part of a learning curve, saying: "You want to win all these games, but that's the stuff that we're going to keep doing more and more until it becomes us.
"There was a stretch where Damian and Giannis were playing a two-man game, and it was unstoppable. We want to encourage that more and more.
"It is a missed opportunity, but if we had won, that doesn't change anything. We're trying to go and get better.
"I thought we had the game in our hands, and we let it go. That happens, and it'll happen again, and we'll win some the other way, too."
The Lakers are back in action against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena on Sunday, while the Bucks remain in Los Angeles to face the Clippers on the same day.
Ange Postecoglou will not entertain talk of revenge when Tottenham visit Aston Villa on Sunday.
Spurs travel to Villa Park for what will be a crucial match in the battle for Champions League qualification with the hosts currently occupying fourth spot in the Premier League.
Villa have also won the last three meetings with Tottenham, but the narrative of revenge surrounds an incident from the previous clash on November 25.
The fixture marked Rodrigo Bentancur’s first start in nine months. However, it was cut short by an ill-timed tackle from Villa full-back Matty Cash that earned him a caution and forced Bentancur off after 32 minutes with an ankle injury.
Cash’s challenge sparked a melee between both sets of players and had unavailable Spurs personnel gunning for the defender, who was later given an escort by his team-mates to the away dressing room at half-time, but Postecoglou laughed off suggestions payback could be on the cards.
He insisted: “No interest mate.
“For us, the challenge is to face a really good team, with really strong home form and beyond that you’d be surprised about how little that stuff infiltrates what we do and sort of our motivations for a game of football.
“If anything, they’re the type of things where you hope that as you mature and develop as a team become less and less important or a focus.
“When you’re clutching at those kinds of things, you’re losing sense of what’s important. What’s important for us is to be at our best against a very good football team and try to get a result.”
Cristian Romero was suspended for Tottenham’s 2-1 defeat to Villa in November but made clear his disapproval of Cash’s tackle from his seat by the home dugout.
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The Argentina defender is no stranger to a poor challenge after he was sent off for catching Enzo Fernandes of Chelsea on the shin earlier this season, but that red card is a rare blot on a largely clean copybook for Romero this term.
Appointed vice-captain by Postecoglou last summer, Romero has relished the extra responsibility and been able to swap his previous recklessness for a new-found level of composure that has seen him yet to be booked in 2024.
This time last year Romero had received two red cards and already been shown nine cautions, but alongside one sending-off this season, he has also only been given four yellows, while his average tackles per league game has decreased from 2.5 to 2 and fouls per game reduced from 1.6 to 0.7.
Postecoglou lavished praise on his centre-back, who has developed a new habit for goals after he headed in his fourth of the campaign in last weekend’s 3-1 victory over Crystal Palace.
“He’s outstanding but I thought he was from day one,” Postecoglou said.
“He’s a World Cup winner as a starter. Not just part of the squad or as a contributor.
“He’s got great pedigree, he’s a great defender, great guy, very driven, very motivated. Highly, highly competitive in everything he does and I love that.
“There’s nothing more you’d want in an athlete and he’s a great example for the rest of the guys.”
Spurs will have Pedro Porro available for the Villa Park clash, but Richarlison is set to remain sidelined with a knee injury.
Sir Alastair Cook and Steven Finn backed former team-mate James Anderson to keep chasing records after he claimed his 700th Test wicket during England’s series-ending loss to India at Dharamsala.
Anderson reached the milestone when he had Kuldeep Yadav caught behind by Ben Foakes at the start of day three of the fifth Test.
While England went on to be dismissed for 195 to lose by an innings and 64 runs in the final Test of the series, the plaudits rolled in for Anderson, who is the only seamer to reach the 700-wicket mark and has Shane Warne’s tally of 708 in his sights.
TNT Sports pundit Cook even joked the 41-year-old would have half an eye on the record 800-wicket haul of Sri Lankan great Muttiah Muralitharan.
Cook said: “You go to Dharamsala as a fan and see your side get drubbed but at least you can say you were there when the only seamer in Test history got to 700 wickets.
“It was a great moment and who knows when he will stop.
“I think he would like to knock Warne off and I don’t want to say he can’t get to Muralitharan!
“Jesus, 700 is a lot, a lot of effort.”
Ex-England seamer Finn hailed Anderson’s ability to adapt given the Lancashire veteran made his Test debut back in 2003.
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“My word what a player he is,” Finn added.
“He has been a remarkable player, with his ability to evolve and adapt with the times, to stay fit and bowl at the same pace now as he did eight or nine years ago.
“What a setting to do it, at the foot of the Himalayas. To get 700 wickets in 187 games is truly remarkable.”
Anderson’s captain Ben Stokes insisted the 187-Test capped bowler should serve as inspiration for aspiring seamers.
Stokes admitted: “Yeah, amazing to be on the field. I’ve been lucky enough to be on the field for some of the milestones Jimmy has got to but being there for 700 wickets as a seamer is quite phenomenal.
“I’ve said many times he is someone every young kid who wants to be a fast bowler should look up to and try to emulate everything he has done.
“He is 41 years old, he is as fit as I’ve ever seen him and I honestly just don’t know when he will stop because the desire, commitment and everything is still there. It’s great to watch.”
Jurgen Klopp insists Liverpool cannot pin all of their hopes on Virgil van Dijk shutting down Erling Haaland when the title rivals Manchester City visit Anfield.
There are no shortage of subplots when the Premier League pacesetters square off on Merseyside on Sunday, not least the possibility of Klopp’s final head-to-head battle against Pep Guardiola.
Away from the managers’ dugouts it could be tempting to view the game as an arm wrestle between the irrepressible Haaland – who has 29 goals this season and seven in his last three outings – and the commanding Van Dijk.
But when it comes to City, Klopp believes there is too much quality and too many alternate options to rely on an old-fashioned man-marking exercise.
“Football doesn’t work like that any more. If Haaland is not scoring that is good but they have other options to do that,” he said.
“If Virgil van Dijk would be able to nullify Haaland then (Phil) Foden fires the ball in from 30 yards into the far corner, or Kevin De Bruyne does exactly the same, or Rodri is arriving, or Bernardo Silva is doing it.
“I don’t think for a second like that, that they are playing against each other. Yes, there are moments it definitely will happen, 100 per cent, and hopefully we will be at the better end that, but this football game is about so many aspects.
“When you watch the movement of Erling Haaland he is incredibly smart putting himself in positions. He’s smart enough not to all of the time be around the one he might consider the best one.”
Liverpool had planned to have Ibrahima Konate alongside Van Dijk to help manage the free-scoring Norwegian, but saw their plans dented when the former was injured in Thursday’s Europa League thrashing of Sparta Prague.
While awaiting the result of scans Klopp did not appear optimistic about Konate’s chances, but made it clear he would have no qualms throwing rookie Jarrell Quansah into the biggest game of his career if required.
A year ago the 21-year-old was lining up against Forest Green during a loan spell at Bristol Rovers but circumstances have allowed him to progress further and faster than anyone expected. Injuries across the backline thrust him up the pecking order and his response has earned the manager’s trust.
“Massive, massive development. He just stepped up,” said Klopp.
“He came back (from Rovers) and it wasn’t that everybody in the club was saying, ‘yeah, he will be the next one’. We knew he is a real talent, we knew he has massive strength, especially on the ball, stuff like this. But how will he deal with the next-quality Premier League strikers? How is that physicality?
“We thought the situation in the squad is right to do so. If you want (he was) centre-half number five in that moment. But he showed immediately that he wants to be in the team in each session and it’s a joy, a pure joy, to have him.”
Pep Guardiola is ready for the challenge as he takes champions Manchester City to Liverpool for a crucial Premier League title showdown on Sunday.
City head to Merseyside trailing Jurgen Klopp’s side by a point for a match of huge significance at the top of the table.
Guardiola’s side go into the game as favourites to win the title for what would be a fourth successive season, and a sixth time in seven years, but their record at Anfield is poor.
City have won just once there in front of a crowd since 1981, and that was as long ago as 2003.
They did pull off a convincing 4-1 win three years ago but that was behind closed doors and the atmosphere will be considerably different this time.
“It’s the quality of their team,” said Guardiola when asked why City have struggled to win at the ground.
“The crowd too, of course, but especially the quality of the team. I think it will be nice because it always has been and we accept the challenge.”
Guardiola has tried to downplay the hype surrounding the fixture and refused to get drawn into the war of words that has erupted between some of the players in the build-up.
Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold this week claimed winning trophies means more to his club while City’s Erling Haaland and Ruben Dias responded by pointing out he could not know how it feels to win the treble.
Guardiola’s selection for the midweek Champions League stroll against FC Copenhagen, in which he made seven changes, suggested he had an eye on Anfield.
Yet he insists he did not turn his attention to Liverpool until after completing the job against the Danes, with City safely through to the quarter-finals for a seventh successive year.
Guardiola said: “Knowing we had three days until Sunday, we had time. I enjoyed the qualification for the Champions League and Thursday morning I started to think about Liverpool.
“We saw some details and the shape they attack is a little bit different from previous seasons, and the quality of some players and new players makes the game a little bit different.
“But the main patterns are the same. We know it quite well and I think they know us.
“There are just little details we have to adjust, for the quality of individual players they have.”
City are still without Jack Grealish due to a groin injury while Jeremy Doku, who missed the Copenhagen encounter, will be assessed.
Wales will target a first win of their Guinness Six Nations campaign when they tackle France in Cardiff on Sunday.
Warren Gatland’s team have lost all three matches in this season’s tournament so far, but they host a French side struggling for form.
Here, the PA news agency looks at some key talking points ahead of the game.
A big chance for Wales
Recent history does not favour Wales, having lost their last four Six Nations games against France, although two of those defeats were by just four points. But they have a golden opportunity to end that sequence, taking on a team that saw title hopes effectively extinguished by Ireland on opening night, before edging past Scotland and then being held to a draw at home by Italy. New-look Wales have shown glimpses of promise as Gatland begins building for World Cup 2027 and victory over France would do wonders in terms of that process.
Nervy Italian job
Wales have not finished bottom of the Six Nations for 21 years, but a wooden-spoon decider beckons against Italy in Cardiff next weekend if they are beaten by France. Wales lost all five games of the 2003 tournament under Gatland’s fellow New Zealander Steve Hansen, while Italy triumphed on their last Principality Stadium visit two years ago. Worryingly for Wales, they have suffered 12 defeats from the last 14 Six Nations starts, toppling only Scotland two years ago and Italy in 2023. With two home games to come, Wales have control of their own destiny, but the margins are fine.
Winnett is a winner
Heading into the penultimate round of Six Nations fixtures, few players have made a bigger impact on the tournament than Wales full-back Cameron Winnett. With Liam Williams, Leigh Halfpenny and Louis Rees-Zammit – all previous options in the number 15 shirt – unavailable to Gatland, he turned to 21-year-old Winnett and it has proved an inspired choice. Winnett had played only 15 games of professional rugby before gaining a first Wales squad call-up, but after three Six Nations appearances he topped the statistics for metres carried and metres gained and was the highest-ranked back in terms of carries, leaving the likes of James Lowe and Duhan Van Der Merwe in his slipstream.
France’s World Cup hangover
France had to cope with huge expectation and pressure to win last year’s World Cup on home soil, but it all ended in devastating fashion through a 29-28 defeat against quarter-final opponents South Africa. They then saw mercurial captain Antoine Dupont switch to playing sevens ahead of the Paris Olympics and Les Bleus have simply not recovered during an underwhelming Six Nations campaign. Will a first loss to Wales in Cardiff since 2018 now follow? Neither team has momentum, both sides are in the table’s bottom half, yet France appear to be the ones most vulnerable.
Centres of attention
Wales boss Gatland sprung two major selection surprises ahead of facing France by omitting World Cup centres George North and Nick Tompkins. Joe Roberts makes a first Six Nations start as North’s replacement – with Owen Watkin taking over from Tompkins – and it is a decision that has divided opinion. There are those who understand the rationale at this early stage of a World Cup cycle to test an alternative midfield partnership, but others have been left baffled that two of Wales’ most consistent performers with 155 caps between them are not required on this occasion. Masterstroke or misjudgement?
Former Liverpool winger Steve McManaman insists allowances have not been made for Darwin Nunez’s introduction to English football and believes his career could follow the trajectory of Mohamed Salah or Kevin De Bruyne.
The Uruguay international will look to end the week on a high against Manchester City at Anfield after scoring a 99th-minute winner against Nottingham Forest and two important goals in the 5-1 Europa League victory over Sparta Prague.
These last few days have showcased the very best of the 24-year-old but he has faced criticism for missing chances, with his performance against Chelsea at the end of January peaking in that regard after he hit the goal frame four times, once from the penalty spot.
Nunez is only in his second season at Anfield and his relatively short career has been nomadic as, after leaving Penarol in Montevideo in 2019, he spent one season at Spanish second-tier side Almeria before moving to Benfica for two years and then switching to Liverpool for a potential £85milllion club-record fee.
He arrived speaking no English and while that has improved, McManaman, who experienced a similar issue learning Spanish when he moved to Real Madrid in 1999, thinks he should be given more leeway.
“He is a young lad learning, he still doesn’t know English fully and that will help when he maintains that level of conversation with his team-mates,” McManaman, now a pundit with TNT Sports, told the PA news agency.
“Because we are English we think everyone should turn up and speak English. It’s ridiculous.
“He has not played a lot of high-profile football. The team before Benfica was a lower league team, then he joined Benfica and a couple of years years later he has joined Liverpool.
“We saw it with De Bruyne at Chelsea, Mo at Chelsea.
“You try to go and live in Uruguay tomorrow and get on with business – it is bloody hard. You need to give them time to settle.
“We need to give him time, definitely, as you cannot judge him over 18 months when he is playing for Liverpool at the very highest level, across world football.
“Good players should improve year-on-year and if that happens he could turn into a fantastic centre-forward.”
Nunez took his goal tally to 16 with his midweek double, only two behind top scorer Salah, and has quietened detractors by hitting his best form at a timely point.
“I think, unfortunately, because of some of his high-profile misses you will have fans shouting at him and singing songs like they did at Forest,” added McManaman, who returned from Spain to play for City in 2003.
“He will miss chances but his recent form: his goal against Brentford (the opener in a 4-1 win) and his goal the other day (against Forest) shows his importance.
“I have every faith in him. I speak to the people at the club who say he works hard and tries to work on his finishing and overall play and hopefully he will get better and better.”
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Sunday’s game is another highly anticipated clash between the best two clubs in the Premier League in recent years whose title battles have regularly gone down to the wire, with City pipping their rivals by just a point on two occasions.
However, with almost a quarter of the season remaining, and Arsenal also in the hunt, McManaman does not believe the game will be pivotal in deciding the outcome of the title.
“I don’t think so. City have got Arsenal and Villa but they have got them at home so I fully expect them to win but I don’t think it will be like that season two years ago when they won every single game from January, which was incredible.
“Liverpool have (Manchester) United and Everton coming up so I don’t think it will all ride on this game.
“I don’t think whoever wins wins the league. Maybe it’s not Liverpool-City game but the City-Arsenal game which will knock one of them out.”
Rory McIlroy would welcome the PGA Tour being more “cut-throat” in an effort to improve its competitiveness.
World number two McIlroy has been one of the strongest advocates for the PGA and DP World Tours after the inception of the LIV series rocked the golf landscape.
McIlroy has softened his hardball stance on LIV in recent months after Europe Ryder Cup team-mates Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton were the latest top names to be tempted to sign up for the big-money Saudi venture.
Competing in the Arnold Palmer Invitational this week, McIlroy reflected on where the PGA Tour can get better.
“No, I mean, I’m all for making it more cut-throat, more competitive,” the Northern Irishman told reporters.
“Probably won’t be very popular for saying this, but I’m all for less players and less TOUR cards, and the best of the best.”
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