Ginny’s Destiny further strengthened Paul Nicholls’ already formidable hand in the novice chase division with an all-the-way victory at Cheltenham on Friday.

The champion trainer has unearthed a particularly deep crop of young chasers to go to war with this winter, including a trio of Grade Two winners in Stay Away Fay, Knappers Hill and Hermes Allen.

This seven-year-old’s rise through the ranks has been a little more unheralded – but having impressed in handicap company at the track’s November meeting, he took the next step up the ladder with another excellent front-running display in the Cheltenham & South-West Racing Club Novices’ Chase.

The challengers queued up to have a pop at the 5-2 shot racing down the hill, but one by one he saw them off under a typically well-judged ride from Harry Cobden and he had enough up his sleeve once pressed by 2-1 favourite Grey Dawning to win the day by three-quarters of a length.

“He puts them to the sword and he keeps galloping. He had improved a lot at home and worked brilliantly the other morning,” said Nicholls.

“Claudia (Reid), who rides him and Pic D’Orhy at home, said to me he is not far behind Pic D’Orhy the way he is improving, so she might be right.

“I might look at the £75,000 race at Warwick on January 13 (Hampton Novices’ Chase), as I think three miles around Warwick would be perfect for him.

“He is a good horse. Ground-wise, the softer it is, the better for him.”

Go Dante (7-2 favourite) provided his owner Barbara Hester with a birthday winner and a first success at Cheltenham in the Catesby Estates Handicap Hurdle.

Sixth in the more competitive Greatwood Hurdle last month, Olly Murphy’s inmate hit the front two flights from home and stuck to his guns to see off Doddiethegreat by a length and a quarter in the hands of Sean Bowen.

Murphy said: “This has been a long time coming. I’m not surprised. He is one of those horses that every time he runs, I go racing thinking that he will win.

“He has obviously won his races, but just not at a level I would have liked him to. He has had a lot of issues – he has broken his pelvis, and he had a schooling incident last season.

“Something like a Betfair Hurdle is what we could look at. He has loads of ability and that was great.”

La Malmason (11-4 favourite) gave leading Irish trainer Gavin Cromwell his sixth Cheltenham winner of the season in the Cheltenham Racecourse Food Bank Collection Mares’ Handicap Chase.

Cromwell said: “She is a lovely mare and she jumped well enough. I think she is progressive. She didn’t pick up as good as I thought she would but listen, she has won.

“She unseated Keith (Donoghue) one day. When she is good, she is very good, but she has been making novicey mistakes. The last day at Down Royal, the last three fences were taken out and the winner (Found A Fifty) was very good, as he went on to be second in a Grade One.

“It is nice to see her find her feet and hopefully she can go on from here.”

The Venetia Williams-trained Cepage rolled back the years to lift the Unibet Middle Distance Chase Series Veterans’ Handicap Chase.

“He is still rattling around here at a rate of knots,” said the trainer. “All credit to the owners for giving him the time come back from various injuries. It has taken me this long to put the cheekpieces on him, but I was keen to reserve them for a decent race.

“He is a quirky horse. Jess, who is leading him up, and is my assistant, rides him all the time. Even at the age he is now, which is 11 going on 12, he has to be legged up in the barn, otherwise he might bolt. He is still daft as a brush!”

There were emotional scenes after the success of White Rhino (3-1 favourite) in the concluding Citipost Handicap Hurdle.

The training partnership of Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero lost one of their stable stars in the preceding Glenfarclas Crystal Cup after Gesskille, a winner over the Grand National fences in last month’s Grand Sefton, suffered a fatal injury.

Jockey Henry Brooke, who was also on board Gesskille, showed great strength of character to dust himself down and steer White Rhino to victory, but was fighting back the tears afterwards.

He said: “It’s emotional. I’ve composed myself a bit now, but I’ve had a winner at Cheltenham and I could nearly say it’s the worst day of my racing career so far.

“I’m gutted to lose that horse (Gesskille), he means so much to the whole yard, but you can’t take it away from this lad here (White Rhino) – he’s done his job.

“We’ve got to pick ourselves up. Gesskille has been a massive part of my career and I’ll be indebted to him for a long time.”

Guerriero added: “You would swap it around and not have a winner and have Gesskille back, but that is the way it is. Gesskille was a stable star and he literally put us on the map. He has been amazing. To lose him is so sad, but that is racing, unfortunately.

“White Rhino has been brilliant for these owners – he has been a star. We might try and get him qualified for the Pertemps Final and maybe come back here for the Festival.”

A tilt at Randox Grand National glory looms large for Latenightpass after landing the Glenfarclas Crystal Cup at Cheltenham.

The 10-year-old has spent much of his career on the point-to-point and hunter chase circuit for the husband and wife team of trainer Tom Ellis and amateur rider Gina Andrews, memorably claiming the 2022 Foxhunters’ Chase over the National fences at Aintree.

Having finished fourth when defending his crown on Merseyside in the spring, connections decided on a change of tack late in his career, and there was plenty of encouragement to be taken from his cross-country debut and first start for Dan Skelton when second to Foxy Jacks at Prestbury Park last month.

With Andrews again in the saddle, Latenightpass was the 3-1 favourite to go one better four weeks later, and after travelling well, he found plenty for pressure following the final obstacle to score by four lengths from Francky Du Berlais.

Skelton said: “I thought coming away from last time that he acquitted himself very well but, to be fair, I don’t really know the horse that well.

“Tom (Ellis) trains him and, throughout all this, Bridget (Skelton, Gina Andrews’ sister) has done all the work on him.

“It has just been my name on the licence. He has been a massive addition to the team. Not all of them take to it, but he did.”

Asked about a tilt at the Grand National, the trainer added: “I’d say it is blindingly obvious (to have a go). I wouldn’t say he was superior there, as you have the likes of Galvin and Minella Indo, who you meet off level weights at the Festival.

“I think it is very acceptable to come back for the Festival and run against them without the expectation that you are going to beat them off level weights.

“I think Silver Birch ran in the cross-country race before winning the Grand National. I’m not saying we should be favourite for the Grand National, but I think he more than deserves his chance.

“He has got experience (over the Aintree fences), he stays the trip well. When you come out of hunter chases, you don’t know if you belong in a higher grade. I think he has probably now suggested twice that is the truth.”

There were also plenty of positives to take from the performance of Henry de Bromhead’s Minella Indo, with the 2021 Cheltenham Gold Cup hero appearing to relish his first cross-country experience on his way to finishing fourth under top-weight of 12 stone.

“After the schooling he had done at home, we were hoping he would put in a jumping performance like that,” said his rider Rachael Blackmore.

“He had to carry a lot of weight around there, so I thought it was a really good run. He took to those fences very well and he was a very enjoyable ride around them.

“Henry and the Maloneys (owners) will decide if he comes back in March, but it was a really great run and I very much enjoyed riding him.”

There was a sad postscript to the race, with Gesskille – a winner over the National fences in the Grand Sefton on his most recent appearance – suffering a fatal injury.

Ex-Formula One world champion Jenson Button is getting back behind the wheel after entering next year’s World Endurance Championship.

The 43-year-old, who won the F1 title in 2009 with Brawn and competed in over 300 grands prix, has signed up with Hertz Team JOTA and will drive a Porsche 963 in the top hypercar class.

Button competed in the Le Mans 24-hour race earlier this year and appeared in the 2018-19 WEC for SMP Racing, but has now agreed to commit to a full eight-date season.

He told www.fiawec.com: “I’m excited to be racing with Hertz Team JOTA in the 2024 World Endurance Championship alongside my team-mates Oliver Rasmussen and Phil Hanson. Both already have a lot of experience in endurance racing and that is key.

“Endurance racing is about teamwork and there is no better team than Hertz Team JOTA to be taking on the big manufacturers in hypercars. I’m already looking forward to the first race in Qatar but also know there’s a lot of work to be done so that we arrive prepared.”

Frederic Lequien, chief executive of WEC, welcomed the addition of a high-profile competitor to his roster.

“It’s an honour to have Jenson Button – a hugely successful driver across many racing disciplines – competing full-time in the WEC next year,” he said.

“With nine manufacturers in the hypercar category next year including star names such as Jenson confirmed on the grid, everything is now in place for the WEC to have its most spectacular season yet.”

Everton have announced they are to remain at Goodison Park for an extra season as competitive matches will not be played at their new Bramley-Moore Dock stadium until the 2025/26 campaign.

The new waterside ground is still on schedule to be completed by the end of 2024 but a decision has been taken not to move mid-season.

“Firstly, and to be absolutely clear, our decision to not move in mid-season is not because of a construction delay,” said interim chief executive Colin Chong.

“It is a club decision driven by a combination of commercial insight, a comprehensive review of the logistics required, an analysis of the potential impact upon our football operations and, importantly, fan feedback sourced as part of our recent stadium migration survey.

“Everton Stadium remains firmly on track, as scheduled, to be completed in the final weeks of 2024.

“All of this does mean that next season, 2024-25, is scheduled to be our last at Goodison Park.

“By the time we close the gates for the final time, Goodison will have been our home for nearly 134 years.”

Celtic assistant manager John Kennedy has reminded the players to focus on performances and ignore the pressure over points.

The cinch Premiership champions were briefly 10 points ahead of Rangers but that was cut to five points, with the Light Blues still holding a game in hand, following last weekend’s defeat by Kilmarnock.

Kennedy feels Celtic are far better served focusing on their game ahead of Saturday’s visit of Hearts rather than obsessing over capitalising on Rangers’ Viaplay Cup final commitments.

Kennedy said: “The thing for us is just to concentrate on performances, not get drawn into ‘you must win every game’ and the pressure.

“We don’t want to get too caught up in ‘what is the gap now?’ and ‘we need the points’.

“We need to concentrate on what makes us a good side because when we come away from that and we start thinking too much, that’s when things slow down, that’s when you start second-guessing yourself.

“So for us it’s full committal to the way we play. We know if we do that properly, more often than not that brings the points, which obviously gives you the lead we are sitting with now.”

The Celtic coaching staff have reinforced the key principles of their game in the wake of their 2-1 defeat at Rugby Park.

“It’s the same process as when you win a game,” Kennedy said. “There’s maybe the added pressure if someone is listening to what’s going on in the press, the media or fans and everything else.

“But ultimately when we get them in this building we can control the message, which is very much about ‘this is what we did well’ and ‘this is what we certainly didn’t do well’.

“Second half last week, we have addressed that. That’s an example of Kilmarnock putting a bit more pressure on us and coming totally away from the way we play. We end up in a game where the ball spent more time in the air than it did on the ground, and that’s not how we play.

“We lost control of the game because we came away from how we play, and Kilmarnock had a bit of pressure, but we know we can still handle that.

“We showed them examples of Atletico Madrid pressing us at Celtic Park and playing through it no problem, there were examples the other night, a very good side pressing, you play through that and created chances.

“It’s all in the mind in terms of that respect, and the players have embraced that and taken it on board.

“Hopefully, going forward, we can be really strong in how we play and our convictions in that.”

Celtic have since bounced back with a Champions League win over Feyenoord and have the added bonus of Daizen Maeda and Cameron Carter-Vickers returning from injury. Maeda has been out for six weeks with a knee problem and his absence has been felt.

“We want to be as fast and keep the intensity of the game as much as we can, and Daizen triggers a lot of that for us,” Kennedy said. “He shuts down the times teams get to set up attacks, even if a team want to play direct, he can get to the ball without them being able to play accurate long balls.

“But on the flip side, he attacks the back line and penetrates any sort of space the opposition leave.

“So having speed in our team is really important and when he’s not there you recognise that, you sometimes lack in certain areas of the game.

“It’s good to have him back. To be fair, he’s an absolute machine. He wanted to be involved before now but we had to put the reins on him a touch because he still had a bit of an injury there.”

Mauricio Pochettino insists he is “not crazy” for believing in Chelsea’s chances of success despite a growing injury crisis ahead of Saturday’s meeting with Sheffield United.

Chelsea have seen defenders Marc Cucurella and Reece James and goalkeeper Robert Sanchez all join Pochettino’s list of sidelined talent this week.

Pochettino revealed James, who was forced off in Sunday’s 2-0 loss to Everton, is feeling “down” as a result of his latest hamstring problem after already sitting out a lengthy spell of the season with a similar issue, while Sanchez is likely to be absent for at least a few weeks after sustaining a knee problem.

The Blues boss, who looks set to hand goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic his first start and a potential debut to Christopher Nkunku for 12th-placed Chelsea, remained full of enthusiasm for his overall ambitions at Stamford Bridge, maintaining he still considers it an “amazing” opportunity.

Pochettino said: “I think it’s so exciting, this project. We knew that it was going to be difficult and yet it’s more difficult because of the circumstance. You always expect to have unexpected circumstances, but not a lot. We are suffering after five, six months.

“But that is a challenge and it can be a very good thing for us. We are never going to give up and we are going to fight. I think the situation will make us be smarter, cleverer, evolve the coaching staff.

“I think the challenge is massive, but I really believe that we can succeed. It’s only a matter of time, but sometimes it’s a lot to be patient and believe in the way that we are doing.

“The thing, of course, that is the most difficult thing in football is to keep believing when you don’t get the results that you want. For me, [time] is not a problem. We will succeed. For sure, you will see.

“Maybe today you can say ‘this guy is crazy’, but I am not crazy. I know what I am doing.”

The prospect of summer signing Nkunku’s debut was a much-needed boost, but Pochettino warned that Chelsea nonetheless “need to be calm and quiet, not to put all the pressure on him”.

He also insisted the club “have the confidence” in Petrovic to step up in Sanchez’s absence despite the goalkeeper having played just six Premier League minutes.

Meanwhile, the Argentinian boss vowed the club would do all they can for their injury-plagued skipper, whose previous hamstring issue forced him out of action for nine matches to start the season.

Pochettino added: “We need to go in depth in the situation. He is a little bit down because he was very excited to come back and I think his coming back was perfect because it was step-by-step.

“It was a perfect way to build his confidence and be in full recovery. That [injury] for him is difficult to accept. He’s very disappointed, he’s frustrated. Now we need to be careful in the way that we are going to talk, but to also assess and try to find the best solution for him to be consistent.

“We are going to support him and to try to help and of course we are all thinking about trying to find the best solution to be with the group as soon as possible, make a full recovery and then try for that not to happen again.”

Mikel Arteta has called for managers and referees to work together to improve the game after the Arsenal boss avoided punishment for a recent outburst.

The Spaniard was charged by the Football Association after labelling the decision to award Anthony Gordon’s goal in a 1-0 defeat to Newcastle last month a “disgrace” and “embarrassing”.

It was announced on Thursday afternoon, however, that Arteta had escaped a fine or a touchline ban after an independent panel ruled the FA charge E3.1 was not proven.

Arteta, who returns to the dugout this week having been suspended for last weekend’s loss at Aston Villa after picking up three yellow cards, said he was pleased with the process.

He also explained why he was so passionate in the aftermath of the defeat at St James’ Park and cited the record number of Premier League managerial sackings last season as a reason why making the correct refereeing decisions is important in the long-term.

“I think it was a really good, well-run process,” he said.

“It gave the opportunity for both of us to say how we felt and the reasons behind it. OK, the outcome is that I’m not charged, but I think we have to draw a line now and look at how we can be more constructive and learn from it and move forward.

“I felt a lot of sympathy to be fair as I explained the pressure we feel as managers and how important details are for our job. I love what I do so much and I want to continue doing it. The reality was that 14 managers lost their jobs and we depend on results.

“When the outcome is that important we get really emotional about it. Nobody remembers three weeks ago when you lost a game because of a certain reason. So, I think it was a really good process.

“It was done. I defended my opinion. I expressed my opinion. I’m fully supportive of how we have to improve the game. Refs are a big part of that and they know that.

“Managers are a big part of that. We have the duty to do that. It’s good to discuss things in an open and honest way. This is what I tried to do.

“It’s not about them, it’s we. We want to do the game better. It’s about how we can improve on the touchline to make life easier from the players’ side, their (officials) side, technology-wise and the clubs. It’s all about us. We’re all in this together, it’s not about separate people trying to do their bits. That’s not going to work, we have to do it together.”

Part of the FA’s charge that was dismissed by the panel was the suggestion that Arteta’s profile as a Premier League manager should have been taken into consideration – given how far his comments would travel.

Previous FA charges against the likes of David Moyes, Jose Mourinho and Jurgen Klopp have also cited their high-profile positions as reason for punishment following their respective indiscretions.

“We have a huge duty,” he replied when asked if those managers should be held to a higher standard.

“It’s part of our role to conduct ourselves in the best way and represent the game, our league and our clubs in the best possible way.

“This is what we try to do everyday. Sometimes better, sometimes worse but it is our intention (to do our best).”

Arteta also attended a meeting of the PGMOL, the Premier League and other Premier League managers two days before the Newcastle game – where the issue of VAR was on the agenda.

The written reasons published by the independent panel suggested Arteta had “participated” in the meeting and this was taken into account when he then criticised VAR and officiating on November 4.

But Arteta was tight-lipped when asked what he had brought to the table at the meeting.

“Those are private meetings that I can’t explain what we discussed. I’m sorry,” he said.

The ruling of the panel means Arteta will be on the touchline throughout Arsenal’s festive programme, starting with Sunday’s visit of Brighton.

“They are a really good side,” Arteta said of the Seagulls – whose 3-0 win at the Emirates Stadium last season all-but ended Arsenal’s title hopes.

“It’s true that last year when we had the game in control, we conceded and then the game completely broke up and we struggled in the last 15 minutes of of the game. We’ll have to play better and be very efficient which is key against them.”

Under-fire Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag does not fear for his job as his absentee-hit, confidence-sapped side prepare to travel to bitter rivals Liverpool.

The afterglow of a promising first season in the dugout has long since disappeared, with the Dutchman’s position under intense scrutiny after a wretched start to his second campaign.

United’s Carabao Cup defence ended last month and Tuesday’s lifeless 1-0 home loss to Bayern Munich in their Champions League group finale saw them eliminated from Europe with a whimper.

Now comes the unenviable task of travelling to Premier League leaders Liverpool, who start the weekend 10 points ahead of their misfiring sixth-placed rivals.

United’s 12 defeats in 24 matches in all competitions has heaped the pressure on Ten Hag, but he is not worried about the axe ahead of the trip to Anfield.

“No, there’s no concern because I’m here to win and I have to make the team play better,” the Dutchman said.

“If you play good, even then I say good is not good enough, and now we are inconsistent, so I have to work on that the team is going to play for longer periods in a high level.”

The fact United are in a state of flux, as the wait for confirmation of Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s partial takeover rumbles on, has perhaps given Ten Hag more time than others would have got.

Asked what gives him the confidence he retains the backing of everyone at the club, the United boss said: “I feel that (backing), yeah, and they tell it to me.

“That’s fine and that’s OK, but I’m focusing on the process. I’m focusing on making this team play better. I am focusing on make the individuals better and that’s my concern.

“That is all I’m doing – focusing on the right thing and that is the team.”

United’s team need a lot of attention judging by this season’s meek performances, with last weekend’s humiliating 3-0 home loss to Bournemouth the nadir.

In truth, the Red Devils have not been the same since losing 7-0 at Anfield in March, just a week after ending their six-year wait for a trophy by lifting the Carabao Cup.

It was a record defeat in this fixture and some United fans fear the season could reach a new low on Sunday.

“I think everyone knows, I think everyone is highly motivated when you go to Anfield,” Ten Hag said.

“It’s a great place to go and you know it’s going to be tough, and I think what every top footballer wants is to have that challenge, so you have to look forward.

“Last year of course we take that in our memory, but you have to also take the benefit from it, learn from it and on Sunday we can prove that.”

Skipper Bruno Fernandes faced particular criticism after March’s Anfield annihilation and will miss the return after picking up a needless fifth booking of the season for dissent.

The United captain’s absence compounds an eye-watering list of absentees, including injured Lisandro Martinez, Casemiro, Tyrell Malacia and Amad Diallo.

Mason Mount, Christian Eriksen and Victor Lindelof have also been laid low recently, while Jadon Sancho remains banished from the first team.

Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw went off through injury against Bayern and the former has joined the lengthy list of absentees, which Anthony Martial remains on through illness.

But Ten Hag provided a positive update on Shaw after his hamstring complaint and says Marcus Rashford is back from the illness that ruled him out of Tuesday’s loss.

“Harry will not be available for the coming games but we don’t think it is a long-term issue,” the United boss, who would not reveal his captain for Anfield, said.

“Luke Shaw trained this morning, so we think he’s available for Sunday. Marcus Rashford is available, Martial not.”

Dan Skelton lowers Protektorat’s sights in a bid to get his season back on track in Saturday’s Favourite From The Sun Now Daily Handicap Chase at Cheltenham.

The eight-year-old has proved his worth at the very highest level over the past couple of seasons, most notably finishing third in the 2022 Cheltenham Gold before making a spectacular start to last season in the Betfair Chase at Haydock.

However, he subsequently failed to fire as a hot favourite in the Cotswold Chase, finished fifth on his second tilt at the Gold Cup and put up a disappointing defence of his Betfair crown last month.

As a result, Protektorat will run in a handicap for the first time in over two years this weekend and will have to concede upwards of 15lb to each of his rivals.

“It’s obviously something a little bit different, running him in a handicap with a lot of weight (12 stone),” said Skelton.

“Not many get in the handicap and I wanted to go somewhere with him before Lingfield (Fleur de Lys Chase, January 21).

“He was a close second in the Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham the last time he ran in a handicap, so we will give it a go.”

The next horse in the weights is the Paul Nicholls-trained Threeunderthrufive, who finished second in the Badger Beer at Wincanton on his seasonal reappearance.

Owner Max McNeill said: “We feel he’s a very good horse. He ran a great race at Wincanton, but the winner (Blackjack Magic) just kept going. That was his first run after a wind op and they always say the second run is better.

“He’s back up to 150 now and it’s a shame he’s still not going off 147 as he went up 3lb for the run at Wincanton, but that was fair.

“I do think he will run well. He ran a cracking race in the Scottish National last season (finished fourth).

“We had considered the Becher at Aintree last weekend, but that heavy ground wouldn’t have suited him and Paul also thought he didn’t want to possibly scare him over the National fences before he ran in it, because potentially you can end your National dream early.

“We thought about waiting for Ascot’s Silver Cup, but with that being two-mile-seven it might just be on the sharp side for him, so of all the big staying handicaps over Christmas, we felt this suited him best. I think he goes there with a good each-way chance.”

Irish hopes in the three-and-a-quarter-mile contest are carried by Gavin Cromwell’s Malina Girl, who bids for a second successive win in the Cotswolds having struck gold at the November meeting.

“She’s gone up a few pounds (11lb) for winning the last day, but she’s off a nice weight and Conor (Stone-Walsh) claims 5lb off as well,” said Cromwell.

“She seems in good nick and she knows how to win around the track. She took her last race well and is a hardy little mare.”

The only Graded race on Saturday’s card is the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle, which has unsurprisingly attracted a number of promising staying types.

The likely favourite is Nicky Henderson’s £200,000 purchase Shanagh Bob following a dominant debut under rules at Plumpton, while Destroytheevidence brings experience to the table for Kim Bailey, having won three of his five starts over hurdles to date.

Ruth Jefferson’s Kerryhill and Cadell from Lucinda Russell’s yard are two interesting northern raiders, with the pair having finished first and second respectively in a novice hurdle at Kelso last month.

Jefferson said: “He did what he needed to do at Kelso and has come out of it well. The French Furze (at Newcastle) was abandoned and so we needed to make a new plan – and this was our new plan.

“You could bob round as an odds-on favourite in another ordinary novice and learn no more; yes, the bubble might burst on Saturday, but it might burst at some point anyway.

“I can’t see why he wouldn’t stay three miles and the ground shouldn’t be a problem.

“Most of the horses in the race have won a point-to-point and a novice hurdle. It might be our bubble that bursts, but it might be somebody else’s as well.”

Pep Guardiola does not expect Erling Haaland to be fit for Manchester City’s Premier League match against Crystal Palace on Saturday, and admitted the Norway striker is a doubt for next week’s Club World Cup fixtures.

City’s top scorer, who has 19 goals this season, missed last weekend’s win at Luton and the midweek victory over Red Star Belgrade with a foot injury, and has been receiving treatment in Marbella.

Haaland reported back at City on Friday morning and Guardiola said he would be assessed by club doctors before any further decisions are made.

City are due to travel to Saudi Arabia after Saturday’s match for the Club World Cup, with a semi-final against opponents yet to be determined on Tuesday. Either the final or the third-place play-off will follow on Friday.

“Haaland arrived today and the doctors will see him and we will see how he feels,” Guardiola said.

“He had treatment away. Hopefully he can travel to Saudi and we will see if he is able to play in the first game or the second game, or when we come back. I don’t think he will play [against Palace] but maybe he surprises me.

“It is not a fracture, just stress. Sometimes players recover quickly, some longer. Day by day, week by week, we see how he feels. The moment he doesn’t have pain he will play.”

City’s come-from-behind win at Kenilworth Road last Sunday ended a run of four league games without a win, and any talk of a mini-crisis of form has disappeared in the last week, with a young side earning a 3-2 win in Serbia with the help of goals from debutant Micah Hamilton and 20-year-old Oscar Bobb.

Both players are already older than the more established Rico Lewis, part of last season’s treble-winning squad, pointing to more encouraging work being done by the club’s academy, which besides first-team players has also contributed to the balance sheet with several youngsters sold on.

“For all the big clubs, the academy is an important part of many things,” Guardiola said. “We just see what happened in the last five or six years with academy players. They help us or they make a career away with a good transfer for the club to be sustainable economically.

“I know how important it is for our fans, our people to identify the young lads like Rico, Phil (Foden), Micah as well. Coming from being seven, eight, nine years old and being in the first team is something phenomenal.

“We continue to work on that and hopefully in future we can have more players like this.”

Palace will head to Manchester without a win in their last five Premier League matches, four of them defeats, but they enjoyed a famous win at the Etihad in October 2021 and have proven stubborn opponents on many occasions.

“It has always been a tough game,” Guardiola said. “How they defend is brilliant and they don’t need much at set-pieces with (Joachim) Anderson and the other guys. I don’t remember easy games against Roy Hodgson teams. With Patrick (Vieira) also, but especially with Roy.”

Asked if he could imagine still being in the game at Hodgson’s age, 76, Guardiola laughed.

“I don’t think so, but you never know!” he said. “To have the fire and passion inside to still be there and the team is really good.

“They played incredibly well against Liverpool, unfortunately they had a player sent off and with 10 against 11 against Liverpool it is almost impossible, but 11 against 11 I don’t know what would have happened.”

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has paid little attention to Manchester United’s current troubles and believes the fact his side were one of the first to expose their weaknesses is of little relevance ahead of Sunday’s encounter.

Erik ten Hag’s side were humiliated 7-0 at Anfield by their arch-rivals in March in the largest defeat for either side in the clubs’ 211-match history as United crumbled in conceding three times in a seven-minute spell either side of half-time, shipping a further four in 22 minutes late on as the hosts ran riot.

Those deficiencies have been exploited by a number of other teams this season, though not quite to the same extent, with United having lost half of their 24 matches in all competitions to ramp up the pressure on Ten Hag.

But Klopp still remains wary of the old enemy, saying: “I never like when the headlines about United are not great before we play because it’s like ‘OK, then it is the game where they can put everything right’.

“The more bad things people say about them, the stronger they will show up. That is always the case. I don’t like that.

“I don’t follow United closely enough to know exactly what the problem is there but I saw Erik ten Hag was manager of the month last month and saw they were the team in form in the last month so how can it be all wrong? I just don’t understand it.

“The situation with Man United – and don’t get me wrong – it’s just not important for us as we just prepare for our team.

“I try to understand the situation of the opponent before a game, I really do, because I think it is important to know why they are motivated and want to put things right and sometimes I tell the players (his opinions) and sometimes I don’t tell the players.”

Before their humbling at Anfield last season, United were making a late charge to join the title race with eight wins and just one defeat in an 11-match run.

Ten Hag’s sixth-placed side are already 10 points behind Liverpool, the current leaders, and an eighth Premier League defeat of the campaign would almost certainly end already distant hopes of reeling in their rivals.

But Klopp insists inflicting more pain on their long-time adversaries is not a motivating factor.

“No. I have to think if I ever did that… I would probably say no. There is one thing we go for and that’s three points on a match day,” he added.

“If something helps for motivation? If it would be round about four matchdays before the end of the season and with that we could make the last step I would probably mention it but in this situation that’s just not important.

“The 7-0 we knew that day it was a freak result that happens once in a lifetime. If it helps anyone for the next game it is the team who lost 7-0 and not the team who won 7-0.

“If you take it all out of consideration and just play a football game against the historical rival of Liverpool at home at Anfield that itself must make it a special game and that’s what I want to see from us, a special game.

“It is a home game. It is for the people. We know what it means. No-one would expect us not to care. We care a lot (but) we cannot go nuts before the game already.”

Klopp’s main selection decision is around who to pair with Virgil van Dijk at centre-back with Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez having a half each alongside impressive 20-year-old Jarell Quansah in the 2-1 Europa League defeat to Union Saint Gilloise.

Dysart Enos looks like having every chance of finally breaking trainer Fergal O’Brien’s Cheltenham Festival duck judged on her latest impressive victory in the opening race at Prestbury Park on Friday.

The Ravenswell Farm handler has yet to enjoy success at the sport’s showpiece event, but has come close on several occasions and is a regular visitor to the winner’s enclosure at his local track’s other meetings.

Dysart Enos, whose three bumper wins included a Grade Two success at Aintree, predictably outclassed her rivals on her hurdling debut at Huntingdon last month, but she had more on her plate taking on the geldings in the British EBF “National Hunt” Novices’ Hurdle.

The 5-6 favourite proved more than up the task, though, jumping significantly better than she had done at Huntingdon and travelling like much the best horse in the field into the home straight.

Beat The Bat did his best to stay in the race on the run to the final flight, but Dysart Enos was not for catching and found plenty on the run-in to pass the post with two and three-quarter lengths in hand.

“You say the race at Huntingdon was an egg and spoon race, but Mary (who was third that day) has been placed in a Listed race at Newbury,” said O’Brien.

“She did everything she had to do that day at Huntingdon. It was lovely to come here, but I was questioning it yesterday as everyone was saying ‘why are you going to Cheltenham’?

“The reason I wanted to bring her was that she is quite hot, and I didn’t want to come here in March having had an easy passage through just picking and choosing our races. I wanted her to see Cheltenham.

“If she got beat today, of course I would have been disappointed, but it wouldn’t have been the end of the world. I wanted her to come here and see Cheltenham and get some of the atmosphere.”

Paddy Power make the winner a 4-1 joint-favourite from 6-1 for the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at the Festival in March, which O’Brien confirmed as her main objective.

He added: “We’ll aim for the mares’ novice and she would only have one more race beforehand, if that.

“She is very special as we have never had anything so quick.”