Stephen Frail claims former team-mate Craig Levein’s appointment as St Johnstone boss will have no impact on Motherwell’s focus ahead of their crucial clash on Tuesday night.
The 59-year-old former Scotland boss signed a contract for the cinch Premiership’s bottom side which runs until May, 2026.
Levein, whose previous clubs include Hearts, Dundee United and Leicester, succeeds Steven MacLean, who left the Perth club last week and he will face the struggling Lanarkshire side in his first game at McDiarmid Park.
Well assistant manager Frail, who played with Levein at Tynecastle, said: “Craig is a very experienced manager, I know him well from my playing days at Hearts and I wish him well in the job.
“The last time he was involved in the dugout was probably 2019.
“I haven’t spoken to him in a while, the last time I spoke to him he was at Brechin (club advisor) and I was briefly working with East Fife so it will be nice to see him and catch up because we were close as players at Hearts, he took me under his wing a little bit.
“They will be looking to get up the league but in terms of what we are doing – it doesn’t impact what we do.
“I am sure Craig will be trying to do as well as he can for St Johnstone but as I say it doesn’t impact on anything we are trying to do tomorrow night.”
Stuart Kettlewell’s men are in the middle of a slump with their 1-0 defeat to Kilmarnock at the weekend their sixth loss in seven matches and they have slid down to ninth in the table.
Frail defended Kettlewell’s record, saying: “We have assessed everything over the last few weeks. The manager has a 50 per cent win rate and a 70 per cent unbeaten ratio so we are not getting too hung up on it.
“There won’t be many managers getting questioned on that.
“We are disappointed and frustrated and we are doing everything we can to arrest (form), we have only taken one point from seven games.
“We believe we have the quality and players and believe we can get back to winning ways against St Johnstone which will be a very difficult fixture for us.”
Motherwell will assess the fitness of Calum Butcher and Brodie Spencer, as both sustained suspected broken noses against Killie.
The Fir Park club are waiting on the scan results on Paul McGinn’s “nasty looking” cheek injury which “possibly” means a long term absence.
Veiga calls for patience during Maresca's Chelsea 'process'
New Chelsea signing Renato Veiga has urged fans to trust the process under Enzo Maresca after their heavy pre-season friendly defeat to Celtic on Saturday.
The Blues were thrashed 4-1 by the Scottish champions in Indiana, which followed a 2-2 draw with League One side Wrexham in their first match under the Italian.
Chelsea had 10 shots on target in their defeat to Celtic and struck the woodwork twice, but their only goal came from the penalty spot as Christopher Nkunku converted.
They have also struggled in defence, getting caught playing out from the back three times in those games, leaving Maresca with problems to solve ahead of their Premier League opener against Manchester City.
However, Veiga, who played his first minutes in a Chelsea shirt on Saturday, remains optimistic the club will soon see the results of Maresca's tactics.
"Of course, it's about results and in every football game you want to win," he said. "Chelsea especially has to win every game. But we are in pre-season. The most important thing is the process, the connection between each other.
"When the time comes [to play Manchester City] on August 18, that is when it counts and when we have to win for sure.
"He [Maresca] is a very direct manager, very direct in what he wants. You just have to enjoy and learn the maximum that you can in every training session, to give everything you can in every session — that is very important for him as well, and after, you can replicate it on the pitch."
Veiga signed from FC Basel for a reported fee of €14million earlier this month, penning a seven-year contract with the West London club.
The versatile 20-year-old is yet to be told if he will definitely be part of Maresca's plans for the upcoming season, but he is relishing the chance to represent Chelsea.
"How can you say no to Chelsea?" he added. "For me, they are the biggest club in England.
"They have a very ambitious project, not only for the present but the future as well. Right now, the most important thing is the present and I am very happy to be here.
"I am a very versatile player. I just can't wait to get more opportunities to play for this club.
"I was watching them [Chelsea] at home [when I was young], buzzing about Didier Drogba's goals and N'Golo Kante's tackles. I just want to be able to live those moments as well."
Lindstrom joins Everton on loan from Napoli
Everton have completed the loan signing of Jesper Lindstrom from Napoli, the club confirmed on Friday.
Lindstrom will join the Toffees for the 2024-25 season with the deal including an option to make the move permanent at the end of the campaign.
The 24-year-old becomes the fourth addition at Goodison Park following the arrivals of Tim Iroegbunam, Iliman Ndiaye and Jack Harrison.
Lindstrom arrives after a difficult season with Napoli, playing just 416 minutes in 22 league appearances for the Serie A side.
The Denmark international arrived in Naples from Eintracht Frankfurt where he scored 14 goals in 80 appearances, helping the German side lift the Europa League in the 2021-22 season.
“I feel very good. It’s amazing to represent Everton," Lindstrom said in his first interview with the club.
"This is a big club, with big history, a good stadium and, as I’ve seen, very good facilities as well. I’m very, very happy to be here and I feel like this is a good fit.
“I actually heard of Everton’s interest a while ago – not only from now but previously. England is very similar to Denmark so I will feel at home quickly.
“I’ve spoken to the manager. It sounds as though he likes the way I play football and I can be a good fit for the team with my speed, so now I want to deliver."
The search for another attacking option out wide had been the priority at Everton, having seen Arnaut Danjuma return to Villarreal following the completion of his loan deal, and the sale of Lewis Dobbin to Aston Villa.
Everton managed 40 goals last season, the second worst in the Premier League ahead of Sheffield United (35), and Dyche believes Lindstrom has a lot to offer in the final third.
"Jesper is a player with very good ability who can operate in a number of different attacking roles, which will benefit us heading into the new season," said Dyche.
"He joins us with a range of different experiences. He is hungry and eager to succeed with us, and that's a strong starting point as we look to add more productivity to our attack."
Maguire labels England criticism 'ridiculous' following Euro 2024 display
Harry Maguire has defended his England team-mates after their performance at Euro 2024, labelling the criticism as "a bit ridiculous".
England reached back-to-back European Championship finals but suffered the same outcome in Berlin as they did at Wembley three years ago.
The defeat against Spain saw Gareth Southgate become the first head coach in the history of the tournament to end up on the losing side in two finals.
Southgate called time on his eight-year tenure in charge of the Three Lions two days after the tournament ended, winning 59.8% of his 102 games in charge.
Despite this, underwhelming performances in Germany saw cups thrown towards the former England head coach as supporters jeered the players.
Southgate came under fire for his defensive approach, though only Walter Winterbottom (383) and Alf Ramsey (224) have overseen more England goals than his 213.
However, Maguire has come to the defence of his team-mates.
“Yes, performances might not have been amazing but it is tournament football," Maguire told BBC Sport.
"It is not as expansive. There are far less risks taken. You can’t afford to make mistakes or get caught going out in a full press. You saw throughout the tournament there were not many high-scoring wins.
“I just don’t know what the media or fans expected of this team. Was it to go and beat Serbia 4-0 in the first game and then beat Denmark 3-0? Did they think it was just going to be a walk in the park?”
Under Southgate's stewardship, England reached more major tournament finals in four attempts (two) than they did in their first 23 appearances at the World Cup and Euros (one).
Maguire played 63 times during Southgate's time in charge, a total only bettered by Harry Kane (81), Kyle Walker (70), Jordan Pickford and John Stones (both 68).
Maguire was forced to miss the tournament having picked up an injury in May, forcing him to miss Manchester United's FA Cup success against Manchester City.
Euro 2024 was the first major tournament he has missed during his international career, having become a mainstay in central defence alongside Stones.
Maguire's 17 appearances at major tournaments saw him keep seven clean sheets, but he insisted that missing out on Euro 2024 was difficult for him to comprehend.
"To miss out was tough," said Maguire.
“It has been really frustrating, working all season to get myself mentally and physically at the top of my game and be in a position to feel I could really make a difference for Manchester United and my country."
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