MANCHESTER, England: Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has revealed measures are in place to protect players’ mental health at a time when club captain Harry Maguire has been the subject of intense criticism.
England international Maguire has been dropped at club level and is fighting for his place at the World Cup following an alarming dip in form.
It has seen him suffer growing abuse on social media and raised questions about his future at United.
But Ten Hag is adamant protections are in place for all players and committed himself to returning Maguire to his finest form.
Addressing concerns over the 29-year-old defender’s mental health, the United manager said: “But it’s an aspect of top football. It’s an aspect of our work. We set conditions for that, to manage it.
“We also have experts around to help, to coach the players, the team in the right direction.
“I think he is doing quite well, but every player has room for improvement and if he believes in his skills he will quickly be back on the level and even more than he did. I am convinced of that because I see his capabilities and it’s really high.”
Maguire has endured a miserable start to the season – losing his place to Raphael Varane at United, before making high-profile mistakes in England’s 3-3 draw with Germany on Monday.
It prompted the center back to publicly apologize on Instagram, adding: “The tough times will make us stronger.”
Fellow defender Luke Shaw aired his own concerns for his club and international teammate.
“He’s taken a lot of stick — probably more than I’ve ever seen before in football,” Shaw told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“Everybody knows he’s an unbelievable player. At the moment the confidence might not be there because it could feel like the whole world is against him.”
United legend Rio Ferdinand tweeted: “Feel for Harry . . . every mistake being punished and scrutinized — comes with the territory though.
“Needs to be strong mentally to get through this!”
Maguire is out of Sunday’s derby against Manchester City with a thigh injury – but is unlikely to have started even if fit after being dropped following the 4-0 defeat to Brentford last month.
Ten Hag had initially shown faith in him when retaining him as captain after taking over the club at the end of last season.
And he insists he still has belief in the player.
“First of all, of course I have to coach him,” he said. “I have to back him. But I back him because I believe in him.
“In the period I worked with him in pre-season was good. Really good, training and games. So then he fell out — but it’s also to do with the good performance of the center backs who are playing now. But I can see even after he wasn’t in the team he trained really well, but more important, the quality was there.
“You see his career, almost 50 caps for England. For Leicester and Man United he’s performing really well. What you see is he has a high potential. Then it is about him.
“The players in the dressing room, the coaches, the manager, we all believe in him. Now it is about him. That’s what I told him. I’m sure he can do it. He will turn around this. I am really convinced of that.”
Ten Hag committed to helping Maguire return to finest form
https://arab.news/5mhbr
Ten Hag committed to helping Maguire return to finest form
- England international Maguire has been dropped at club level and is fighting for his place at the World Cup
- Ten Hag is adamant protections are in place for all players and committed himself to returning Maguire to his finest form
Chances of Alonso staying in Leverkusen ‘50-50’, says CEO
- Carro told reporters that “my gut feeling is that it’s 50-50” Alonso would stay
- “If a team he has played for comes, we would sit down and discuss it and we wouldn’t stand in his way”
MADRID: Bayer Leverkusen CEO Fernando Carro said Monday the club had a 50-50 chance of holding onto manager Xabi Alonso amid rumored links between the coach and Real Madrid.
Carro also revealed the club had a “gentlemen’s agreement” with Alonso, allowing him to leave to coach one of the clubs he played for as a player for a fee.
Alonso, who played for Real and last year took Leverkusen to an unbeaten league and cup double, has been linked with the top job at the Bernabeu, with current coach Carlo Ancelotti rumored to be headed for the exit.
Speaking ahead of the Laureus Sports Awards, where the club is nominated for breakthrough of the year after their debut Bundesliga win last season, Carro told reporters that “my gut feeling is that it’s 50-50” Alonso would stay.
“Xabi has no exit clause, but we have a gentleman’s agreement. If a team he has played for comes, we would sit down and discuss it and we wouldn’t stand in his way,” he said.
Carro said the club “needs clarity” and “the decision needs to be in the next three or four weeks. We cannot wait until the end of the season.”
“We are not naive, the position of the coach is very important for a club and it is true that we are preparing for next season with him.
“We have worked with him every day; he is fully committed to this preparation.”
After winning the title last season, Leverkusen have fallen back slightly and sit eight points behind league leaders Bayern Munich with four games remaining.
Leverkusen were eliminated from the Champions League by Bayern and were knocked out in the semifinals of the German Cup by third-division Arminia Bielefeld
Despite the drop off, the club is still on track for its second best points total.
Carro also said he believed star midfielder Florian Wirtz, 21, “has a contract until 2027 and I believe he will play for us next year.”
Damac seek to end winless run against Al-Nassr in Saudi Pro League clash
- The last time Damac defeated Al-Nassr was in Matchweek 25 of the 2021 season
RIYADH: Damac will be aiming to end a 1,474-day winless streak against Al-Nassr when the two sides meet on Tuesday in Round 29 of the Saudi Pro League.
The last time Damac defeated Al-Nassr was in Matchweek 25 of the 2021 season, securing a 3-2 victory.
Since then, Al-Nassr have dominated the fixture, with the overall head-to-head record showing eight wins for Al-Nassr, one for Damac, and two draws across 11 meetings.
Al-Nassr have scored 23 goals in those encounters, while Damac have managed nine.
Heading into Tuesday’s match, Al-Nassr sit third in the league standings with 57 points, recording 17 wins, six draws, and five losses this season. Damac are in 11th place with 31 points from eight wins, seven draws, and 13 defeats.
Later in the evening, Al-Ahli will take on Al-Wehda at King Abdulaziz Sports City Stadium in Makkah.
Both teams head into the contest on the back of strong performances. Al-Ahli thrashed Al-Fayha 5-0 in their last outing, while Al-Wehda claimed a valuable three points away at Al-Taawoun.
In their previous 29 league meetings, Al-Ahli have won 15 matches compared to just three victories for Al-Wehda, with 11 draws between them. Al-Ahli have scored 41 goals in those games, while Al-Wehda have netted 19.
Syrian striker Omar Al-Somah, a former Al-Ahli player, is the all-time top scorer in this fixture with 10 goals. The biggest margin between the sides came during the 2020–2021 season, when Al-Ahli secured a 4-2 win. Their most recent meeting was in Round 12 earlier this season, with Al-Ahli edging a 1-0 victory thanks to a goal from Algerian star Riyad Mahrez.
Al-Ahli currently occupy fourth place with 55 points, while Al-Wehda are battling relegation in 15th place with 26 points.
Norwich sack Thorup and name Wilshere as interim coach
- Norwich lost 3-1 at Millwall on Monday
- “Jack Wilshere ... will take charge of the first team on an interim basis ” Norwich said
LONDON: Norwich City have sacked Danish manager Johannes Hoff Thorup following a poor run of results and appointed his assistant and former England midfielder Jack Wilshere as interim coach until the end of the season, the Championship club said on Tuesday.
Norwich lost 3-1 at Millwall on Monday and have slipped to 14th place in the second-tier table with 53 points.
Sporting Director Ben Knapper said: “Whilst we made this appointment with a long-term focus and in line with our wider club strategy and direction, unfortunately recent results and performances have deemed it necessary for us make a change.
“Jack Wilshere ... will take charge of the first team on an interim basis for our two remaining Championship fixtures” Norwich added on their website.
The 33-year-old former Arsenal player Wilshere has been assistant coach at Norwich since October 2024.
‘We never gave up’: Dubai Basketball edge out KK Split in last-minute win
- The 87-82 victory over the Croatian team secured their 11th consecutive victory to take their record to 23-5
DUBAI: Dubai Basketball continues their dream debut season with a last-minute comeback, securing a 87-82 victory over Croatian side Split on Sunday night at Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai.
This secured their 11th consecutive victory, taking their win-loss record to an impressive 23-5. With just one home game remaining before the playoffs, the team has cemented its place as one of the standout teams of the season.
Dubai Basketball delivered a dominant first half, outscoring Split with quick offensive blows and solid defense. Dubai Basketball’s “Latvian Laser” Davis Bertans led the scoring with 25 points, earning the title of the night’s hero after a clinical shooting display.
“Our first half was very, very good,” said head coach, Jurica Golemac, after the match. “We played with intent, we executed well, and we were in control. But then, we thought it was finished, and Split didn’t give up. We gave them the chance and the hope that they could win this game.”
With momentum shifting, Dubai’s rhythm appeared to falter toward the final minutes of the game. “We started to not move the ball,” Golemac said. “We missed a couple of open shots. We played basket to basket, and that’s never good. They got momentum, and they were scoring tough shots — even with good defense.”
Split seized the opportunity with a burst of energy in the second half, clawing back from a 12-point deficit and even taking a narrow lead at one point in the final quarter. Their head coach shared his half-time message, telling his players to “to take control of our lives — (the game) is in our own hands.”
As the game tightened, Golemac made a decisive move, bringing on fan favorite Nemanja Dangubic to help the team from deep in the court. The city’s commanding forward responded immediately.
“In the end, I have to give credit to the players,” Golemac said. “We managed. We never gave up. With defense, we won the game. And with the great help of our fans, they never gave up on us, and they gave us the extra energy when we needed it.”
Reflecting on the team’s recent run of success, Golemac said: “This is the 11th game in a row that we are winning. The last couple of weeks we had easier victories, and I think everyone expected that tonight would be the same — especially after the way the game started. But as I always say, we play for 40 minutes. Not 10, not 12, not even 38. We play for 40.
“It’s hard to stay at a high-level week after week,” he said. “Now we need to analyze what went wrong, look at what we can improve, and get back to work in practice to prepare for the next game.”
The secret history of Formula 1 in Saudi Arabia
- In just 5 years, the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at Jeddah Corniche Circuit has become a fixture in the racing calendar
JEDDAH: As McLaren’s Oscar Piastri lifted the winner’s trophy on Sunday night, the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix marked a milestone that goes far beyond the checkered flag.
With its fifth edition concluded, Jeddah is now not just another Grand Prix for racing fans; it is the world’s fastest and second-longest street circuit in Formula 1 history.
In just five years, the Kingdom has turned its coastal circuit into one of the most talked-about stops on the Formula 1 calendar.
This anniversary is not just a celebration of fast cars and thrilling races, but also a testament to the Kingdom’s pursuit of global sports recognition.
As the roar of engines faded into silence and the grandstands emptied, the importance of this race in the Kingdom’s sporting history is just beginning to sink in.
Few know the backstory and how a series of off-track moves, quiet negotiations, and long-term ambitions brought the sport onto Saudi Arabia’s soil.
Before the first engine revved up in 2021, the wheels had already been set in motion.
Secret push behind the Grand Prix
Long before the first roar of Formula 1 cars echoed along Jeddah’s Red Sea coast, the idea of bringing the world’s fastest sport to Saudi Arabia was quietly gaining traction in various boardrooms in Riyadh.
It was not just about motorsport, it was a calculated move tied to Vision 2030: to diversify the Kingdom’s economy, elevate its global image, and position Saudi Arabia as a serious player in international sports.
The deal was not public at first. Whispers began to be heard in early 2018, shortly after Saudi Arabia secured rights to host the all-electric Formula E in Diriyah.
That event was seen as a trial, a soft launch into global motorsport. Behind the scenes, the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation and the Ministry of Sport began mapping a larger ambition: securing Formula 1.
The official announcement came in November 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, a bold move that stunned even some insiders in the racing world.
Critics questioned the timing, but for the Kingdom, this was the perfect moment.
Strategic move to choose Jeddah
The decision to host the race in Jeddah — and not the capital — raised eyebrows. But the logic was simple. Jeddah, a historical port, was undergoing a visual transformation.
Placing the circuit along the Corniche, with the glinting Red Sea as a backdrop, created a visual spectacle few other Formula 1 circuits could match.
But there was more at play. Jeddah is Saudi Arabia’s beating commercial heart, a cosmopolitan city and symbol of the new Saudi Arabia identity.
The Kingdom was not just launching a race, it was rebranding itself to the world, and Jeddah became the face of that campaign.
And then came the design: the fastest street circuit in Formula 1 history.
Designed by Carsten Tilke, son of renowned circuit designer Hermann Tilke, Jeddah featured 27 turns and blisteringly high-speed straights, challenging drivers in ways no other urban race ever had.
5 years of speed, stats, surprises, standout moments
Since its debut in December 2021, the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix has carved out its own identity.
Fastest street race: It is one of the quickest on the calendar, with cars averaging over 250 kph. In 2021, Lewis Hamilton clocked the fastest average qualifying lap on the circuit.
Second-longest: At 6,174 km, it is one of the longest circuits in the world.
Most turns at 27: Most Grand Prix tracks have 14 to 20, but Jeddah has 27 corners, with sweeping bends and blind apexes, making it technically demanding.
Built in under eight months: It was designed and constructed in less than a year, an incredible feat for a Grade 1 FIA-approved circuit. Over 30,000 tons of asphalt, 600,000 work hours, and thousands of workers were involved.
Historic debuts: The 2021 race was the first Grand Prix in Saudi Arabia, marking the Kingdom as the 34th country to host a Formula 1 contest.
Dramatic finishes: From the Max Verstappen-Hamilton showdown in 2021 to chaotic safety-car dramas and nail-biting late-race restarts, Jeddah’s circuit never delivered a dull contest.
Global spotlight: Over 140,000 fans attended the race weekend in 2023, with millions more watching worldwide.
But perhaps the most surprising statistic is that it has become one of the top-five most-watched races globally, according to F1 media tracking.
Looking ahead, the futuristic Qiddiya circuit is on the horizon. The new entertainment and tourism city is set to become home to one of the most advanced motorsport facilities in the region.
It is a project promising to blend adrenaline, innovation, and entertainment in a way the sport has never seen before.
