Thomas Frank has lifted the lid on a remarkable moment from his Brentford tenure, revealing he was interviewed for the Manchester United job inside Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s garage — just hours before holding another meeting with Chelsea. The Tottenham boss says he still can’t believe he spoke with two of the world’s biggest clubs on the same day before United eventually chose Ruben Amorim.

• Frank reveals talks with Man Utd in Ratcliffe's garage

  Frank has revealed that he was formally interviewed by Manchester United during their search for a new manager in the summer of 2024, and the unusual talks took place in Ratcliffe’s garage. It came as the Red Devils were weighing up potential successors to Erik ten Hag before eventually delaying the change until six months later. Frank also travelled across London later that same day to discuss a separate vacancy with Chelsea, who ultimately appointed Enzo Maresca instead.

  The Dane, then Brentford manager, had been firmly established as a Premier League success story, having guided the Bees into the top flight and cemented them as a stable mid-table force. His work placed him on the radar of both clubs as they conducted parallel managerial searches ahead of what they hoped would be major rebuilds. But while both sides admired his progression, neither interview resulted in an immediate job offer.

  Frank has revealed that the interview with Ratcliffe occurred while Manchester United’s squad were travelling to London ahead of the FA Cup final, which they went on to win 2-1 over Manchester City. That victory gave Ten Hag a temporary lifeline before the club replaced him with Amorim the following November. Frank, meanwhile, remained with Brentford until Tottenham triggered his release clause in 2025.

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  Spurs boss reveals back-to-back interviews in 2024

  Speaking to Danish outlet TV2, Frank described the surreal nature of the day in detail, insisting the experience alone proved just how far he had climbed in his coaching career: “Sitting down to talk to two of the ten biggest clubs in the world – two hours apart – is quite unique.”

  Reflecting on the moment he found himself walking between the two milestone meetings, he added: “I know I didn't get either job, but it was still huge. I remember walking through Battersea Park between the two interviews and thinking: ‘Thomas Frank from f*cking Frederiksvaerk – am I really experiencing this?’”

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  Frank finally got his big move in 2025 with Spurs

  Frank’s account of the day was included in an upcoming book, , which charts his rise from Danish football to managing in Europe’s biggest league. It also details the significance of him becoming someone considered by clubs that dominate the modern game financially and historically. For Frank, the episode symbolised not disappointment, but validation — the proof that his meticulous work had been noticed beyond Brentford’s buzzing west-London bubble.

  Chelsea’s interest came at a time when the Blues were again struggling for stability, while United explored several candidates ahead of a transition in leadership after Ineos took a controlling role in football operations. The fact that Frank was seriously interviewed by both within hours of each other underlined his rising reputation. While neither club opted for him then, it cemented his name among the elite managerial conversation.

  The following year, Frank finally received his major move. Tottenham parted ways with Ange Postecoglou in 2025 after a 17th-place finish, sparking an overhaul that saw Spurs activate Frank’s clause. The Dane took charge in June and has since overseen a respectable start, with five wins and three defeats leaving Spurs firmly in the top-four race after 11 matches in the league.

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• Frank's story so far at Tottenham…

  Frank’s Tottenham remain unbeaten in Europe and are now preparing for a major test against league leaders Arsenal after the international break. His side have shown promise under his intense, structure-focused style.

  As for Manchester United, Amorim is now firmly in post, though their long-term direction under Ratcliffe continues to evolve. Frank’s revelation serves as a reminder of just how close the managerial landscape can shift, and how different the Premier League might look had that interview in a billionaire’s garage ended differently.

  For Frank himself, the door to the biggest benches in world football has clearly opened once, and there is little doubt it could open again. Spurs may prove the beginning of a journey that sees his name linked with such jobs for years to come.

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O Palmeiras ganhará um importante trunfo nesta reta final emocionante de Brasileirão 2023. Após dois jogos em Barueri, o Verdão retornará ao Allianz Parque para os últimos dois jogos como mandante no campeonato.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasPalmeirasOpinião: ‘Agora o palmeirense precisa fechar mais do que nunca com o Palmeiras’Palmeiras28/11/2023BrasileirãoSão Paulo e Fluminense podem prejudicar rivais? Veja combinação necessária para atrapalhar Flamengo e PalmeirasBrasileirão27/11/2023FinançasCandidatos ao título, Palmeiras e Flamengo lideram ranking de gastos na Série A; veja comparação com G6Finanças27/11/2023

➡️ Siga o Lance! no WhatsApp e acompanhe em tempo real as principais notícias do esporte

Terceiro melhor mandante da competição, atrás apenas de Fluminense e São Paulo, o Verdão conta com o ótimo aproveitamento dentro de casa para ficar cada vez mais perto do título brasileiro desta temporada.

Atuando ao lado do seu torcedor neste Brasileiro, foram 16 jogos, com 11 vitórias, dois empates, três derrotas, com 27 gols marcados, 12 gols sofridos e seis jogos sem sofrer gol.

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Lembrando que das três derrotas como mandante, uma delas foi na Arena Barueri, diante do Santos, enquanto os revezes para Botafogo e Atlético-MG foram no Allianz Parque.

Diante do América-MG, próximo adversário do clube, o Palmeiras jamais perdeu atuando no Palestra Itália/Allianz Parque. Em nove jogos, foram seis vitórias e três empates.

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Para o duelo desta quarta-feira (29), diante do Coelho, o Verdão contará com casa cheia, mas por conta dos shows que estão sendo realizados no Allianz Parque neste mês de novembro, o setor norte estará parcialmente bloqueado, fazendo com que a capacidade do estádio diminua em cerca de 10 mil pagantes.

➡️ Abel revela o que o Palmeiras precisou para buscar empate com o Fortaleza e se manter na liderança do Brasileirão

A bola rola para Palmeiras x América-MG nesta quarta-feira (29), a partir das 21h30 (horário de Brasília), e você poderá assistir o jogo na Rede Globo ou pelo Premiere FC.

Adam Lallana would be “interested” in becoming the next manager of Southampton.

Since winning the 2024 Championship play-off final, it has hardly been the future that Southampton would have anticipated. Russell Martin, who guided them back to the Premier League, was replaced by Ivan Juric mid-season, following a turgid start to the 2024/25 campaign.

Juric was unable to turn around Southampton’s misfortune, as they became the first club to be relegated from the English top flight with as many as seven games remaining.

Will Still, who made a reputation for himself with Reims and Lens, joined in the summer. Despite his promise and an influx of summer signings, though, Still also struggled for form. After just two Championship wins in 13 matches and a three-game losing streak, Southampton parted ways with Still and have since been on the hunt for a new manager.

Now, it would appear that an unlikely candidate would happily take on the role were he offered the job.

Lallana to replace Still?

Following the 2024/25 season, Adam Lallana called time on his 19-year playing career. The midfielder, who came through the ranks at Southampton, played for the Saints for eight years until joining Liverpool in 2014. Six years later, Lallana moved to Brighton before returning to St. Mary’s, for a single season, in 2024.

As per Sky Sports, Lallana, who currently works as a first-team coach with the Saints, would be “interested in becoming a head coach”.

Across his playing career, Lallana played with some incredible managers, including Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool and Roberto De Zerbi at Brighton. Lallana has been outspoken about his “love” for De Zerbi, who now manages Ligue 1 side Marseille. No doubt then that he would look to draw from the Italian for inspiration in his own coaching career.

Despite his enthusiasm however, it appears that he is “an unlikely option at this time, given his lack of experience in the role”.

Southampton are aiming for a swift return to the English top flight, though their start to the 2025/26 season suggests that they may fall short of the mark they were aiming for.

Lallana could, no doubt, start his career as a first-team head coach in the coming years. With Southampton, however, it could well be too much, too soon for the former midfielder. He would be inheriting a club that desperately need lifting from the slump they find themselves in and a more-experienced option may better benefit the Saints at this time.

Southampton consider short-term deal for new manager

Third-wicket stand of 141 with Haseeb Hameed overhauls Glamorgan with ease

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay17-Aug-2025Nottinghamshire 282 for 3 (Haynes 124, Hameed 58*) beat Glamorgan 278 for 9 (Byrom 62, Root 56) by seven wicketsJack Haynes starred with a century as Notts Outlaws kept their qualification chances at arm’s length with a comfortable run chase against winless defending champions Glamorgan.The 24-year-old Haynes struck a well-timed 124 with some late acceleration to chase the sub-par 278 for 9 set by the hosts.Ben Slater and Haseeb Hameed played supporting roles in the seven-wicket win, the latter combining with Haynes for a 141-run third-wicket stand.Eddie Byrom notched up back-to-back half-centuries with 62 while Billy Root also passed 50 to hold together the Glamorgan innings. One positive for the winless side was 18-year-old Romano Franco picking up a first professional wicket at the third time of asking.After being inserted, Glamorgan got off to a racing start, as has tended to be their way in this competition. Byrom and Asa Tribe’s 71-run opening stand left Notts’ bowling attack – hit by the absence of players in the Hundred – with cause for concern before Tribe’s fun was ended by 18-year-old debutant Byron Hatton-Lowe.Byrom, the steadier of the two openers in terms of strike rate, continued calmly as he watched on for Henry Hurle, playing a first Glamorgan game of 2025, to be dismissed.Kiran Carlson was unable to kick on, as was Will Smale who suffered a ball-watching run out to leave the hosts with just five wickets in hand with more than 20 overs to bat, a theme too common in their campaign.Root held the fort in a knock of few boundaries for 56 before Dan Douthwaite’s blistering cameo added some impetus, the hosts still left short.Zain Ul Hassan was able to contain in a seven-over new-ball spell while Ned Leonard leaked at the other end, Slater enjoying a rather comfortable start.After Ben Martindale was dismissed, a period of experience was due with Slater and Haynes adding 75 before Hameed struck an unbeaten 58 to ice the run chase.Franco impressed in his 10 overs but poor fielding, including a drop by Andy Gorvin with Haynes on 68 proved costly.Tribe followed as the third player in the game to take a first wicket for his club, after Hatton-Lowe and Franco, although the damage was done.

تحدث محمود حسن تريزيجيه لاعب فريق الكرة بـ الأهلي، عن تفاصيل علاقة لاعبي القلعة الحمراء فيما بينهم، موضحًا رأيه في المقارنة بين ييس توروب المدير الفني الحالي، والإسباني ريبيرو، المدرب السابق.

وقال تريزيجيه في تصريحات تلفزيونية عبر قناة “إم بي سي مصر2”: “كل اللاعبين في الأهلي يتمنون الخير لبعضهم البعض ويحبون بعضهم بصدق، وأنا شخصيًا لو هناك من يلعب في مركزي أتمنى له النجاح أكثر مني، لأن الهدف هو خدمة النادي”.

وأكمل: “نلتقي بشكل منتظم والأجواء العامة بيننا رائعة، حتى وإن كان هناك من يتعجب من استقرار الكيان، نحن نركز فقط على مصلحة الفريق ولا يوجد أي خلافات بين اللاعبين، فميزة لاعب الأهلي أنه لا ينشغل بما يُقال خارج الملعب، وكلنا أصدقاء”.

وأضاف: “كارلو أنشيلوتي طلب ضمي مرتين، مرة أثناء قيادته لإيفرتون ومرة مع نابولي، لكن تعرضت لإصابة منعت انتقالي لإيفرتون، ولما كنت في قاسم باشا كان يريدني في نابولي، لكن الإدارة رفضت وقالت إنه لاعب في فريق صغير ولا يمكن ضمه حتى يلعب لفريق كبير، كنت أحلم باللعب لريال مدريد”.

وعن فرص الأهلي في دوري أبطال إفريقيا، قال: “نعم، هدفنا التتويج بالبطولة وهي على شرفنا، وفي الأهلي ليس هناك نجم واحد، الكل فريق متكامل، وتوروب يتفوق على ريبيرو، الأخير لم يكن موفقًا في الأهلي”.

وواصل: “وأرى أن منتخب مصر قادر على تحقيق إنجاز على غرار المغرب في كأس العالم، بالعزيمة والثقة سنفعل ذلك بإذن الله”.

“عايز أعتزل دولي”.. تريزيجيه يكشف كواليس ليلة بكاء محمد صلاح في غرفة ملابس منتخب مصر

وأكد: “توقعت أنني سأهز الشباك في مباراة القمة أمام الزمالك وأخبرت اللاعبين أنني سأحصل على ركلة جزاء، وأوضحت لهم كيف سيتحرك الحارس صبحي، وأتمنى أن يتولى علي ماهر تدريب الأهلي مستقبلًا، ليس لأسباب شخصية بل لـ أدائه”.

واستطرد: “لا أعتبر نفسي نجمًا ولا أكبر من زيزو أو إمام عاشور، كلهم نجوم وكل لاعبي الأهلي كبار، أتبع قلبي ولا أتحايل بالكلام”.

وعن أصعب تجاربه في التعامل مع المدربين، أضاف: “تعرضت للظلم من بعض المدربين خاصة في مرحلة الناشئين، كان هناك من يُقيمني بأنني لا أصلح للعب كرة القدم، وهذا كان مؤلمًا لي كوني ضعيف البنية وأعتمد على المهارات”.

وأتم: “كنت أذهب للمنزل وأبكي، وكان سيتم تجنيسي لمنتخب آخر، حتى جاء علي ماهر وأعطاني الفرصة للعب في الفريق الأول وأنا بعمر 16 ونصف، ومن هنا انطلقت رحلتي”.

Bharat Arun is the new bowling coach of Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) ahead of IPL 2026, the franchise confirmed on Wednesday. Arun’s new role brings an end to his four-year tenure as a bowling consultant with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).Arun is likely to have an expanded role within the LSG set-up – responsible for scouting and overseeing the year-round development of their young quicks.”It’s an honour to join the Lucknow Super Giants, a franchise that reflects professionalism, ambition, and vision at every level,” Arun said in a statement. “My conversations with Dr. Sanjiv Goenka and the management were incredibly energizing – there is a clear intent to invest in young Indian talent and build a long-term legacy.”What excites me most is the vision for long-term development. LSG has invested in a young, talented, and dynamic group of Indian fast bowlers – Akash deep, Avesh Khan, Mayank Yadav, Prince Yadav, Mohsin Khan, and Akash Singh – and I see immense potential in each of them. My mission is to help shape them into a cohesive, fearless, and tactically sharp pace unit that can challenge the best batting line-ups in the world.”LSG are also set to bring in Carl Crowe as spin consultant. Crowe is credited to have helped Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine in their bowling reinvention during his time at KKR. LSG are likely to make a formal announcement soon.Arun’s role was previously managed by former India pacer Zaheer Khan, their team mentor in IPL 2025. LSG failed to make the playoffs and finished seventh.Related

• KKR and head coach Chandrakant Pandit part ways after three seasons

At KKR, Arun was originally contracted for three years, before he was offered an extension for another season that took him up to the end of IPL 2025, where KKR finished eighth.Arun’s exit is part of a wider support-staff overhaul at KKR. On Tuesday, the franchise had announced that head coach Chandrakant Pandit had chosen to part ways with the team. At the time, there was no formal announcement of Arun’s exit.Arun comes with a solid body of work, having had two fruitful stints with the Indian team, first from 2014-2015 and, more recently, from 2017 to 2021. In between, he was also part of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) backroom between 2015 and 2017.

After a year outside of Major League Baseball, first baseman and designated hitter Trey Mancini appears ready to take another crack at a return.

Mancini is signing a minor-league contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks, according to a Friday afternoon report from Jeff Passan of ESPN.

The 32-year-old has not played in the big leagues since 2023, when he slashed .234/.299/.336 with four home runs and 28 RBIs in 79 games for the Chicago Cubs.

Mancini remains best known for his association with the Baltimore Orioles, for whom he played from 2016 to '22. He slugged 35 home runs and drove in 97 runs for the Orioles in 2019, providing one of the lone bright spots on a 54-108 team.

In 2020, Mancini was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer—an illness that cost him that season. He returned in 2021 with a 21-home run campaign that won him the American League's Comeback Player of the Year award. He later won a World Series with the Houston Astros after an Aug. 2022 trade.

The Diamondbacks are scheduled to open their season on March 27 against the Cubs.

It took 12 years, but third baseman Nolan Arenado's play finally and truly took a dip in 2024.

In each of his first 11 years, Arenado either won a Gold Glove, made the National League All-Star team, or both. In '24, he did neither, and his St. Louis Cardinals accordingly missed the playoffs for the second straight year.

At 33, Arenado has three years left on his contract, and his name has surfaced frequently in trade rumors this offseason. On Wednesday afternoon, ESPN's Buster Olney reported that Arenado had a particular team in mind.

"Given that Nolan Arenado vetoed the potential deal to the (Houston) Astros, what some of his friends say is important: They think he would really like the idea of going to the (Boston) Red Sox, if Boston and the Cardinals work out terms," Olney wrote on social media. "Arenado's current mindset: 'Highly, highly motivated.'"

That's positive news for the Red Sox, a team in an intriguing position: while Boston has missed the playoffs three years in a row, its farm system is renowned as one of the best in baseball.

Arenado, a top-10 finisher in the NL MVP race in six of the past 10 seasons, slashed .272/.325/.394 with 16 home runs and 71 RBIs in '24.

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O Flamengo divulgou em suas redes sociais, nesta sexta-feira (26), imagens do novo uniforme número 1 para a disputa da temporada 2024. Em parceria com a Adidas, fornecedora do material esportivo, o Rubro-Negro revelou a nova vestimenta, que faz alusão ao “amor que vem de berço”.

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O vídeo promocional, que duração de um minuto, conta com a presença de Pedro, Luiz Araújo e De La Cruz, além de Gabigol, que aparece nos segundos finais pedindo a benção na entrada do vestiário, assim como fazia com Denir, funcionário histórico do clube, que faleceu aos 75 anos no início de 2024.

A nova camisa do Flamengo já está disponível nas lojas oficiais do Rubro-Negro. O valor base do novo manto é R$ 349,90, mas o valor pode subir por caso seja personalizado.

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Camisa Flamengo I 24/25Camisa Flamengo I 24/25O novo manto da Nação Rubro-Negra está disponível em até 7 tamanhos no site oficial da Adidas. Aproveite!Compre em primeira mão

A equipe carioca estreia o novo uniforme neste sábado (27), em amistoso contra o Orlando City, dos Estados Unidos, pela FC Series. A bola rola a partir das 15h (de Brasília), em Orlando, onde o rubro-negro realiza pré-temporada.

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Head coach admits team “exposed” in record defeat, despite having already sealed series

Firdose Moonda07-Sep-2025

South Africa’s coach Shukri Conrad labelled his team’s record 342-run defeat to England in the third ODI “embarrassing” while captain Temba Bavuma said the performance “doesn’t do us justice” after their recent ODI success. South Africa have beaten both Australia and England 2-1 in series over the last month.Their loss in the third match in England, which was a dead rubber, came after a comprehensive win in game one and a nail-biting triumph in game two. That secured a first series in England since 1998. But the magnitude of the defeat in Southampton, which comes after a 276-run loss against Australia – also in a series that was already won – asks questions of how quickly and dramatically South Africa switch off, especially when the result does not matter.”Any excuse is better than none. We were definitely off today. And against a top side like England, when you’re not on top of your game, you do get exposed,” Conrad said at the post-match conference. “A similar thing happened in Australia, where after going 2-0 up, it was a complete aberration. They got in excess of 400 as well. But if we were going to be poor at something, we’d rather be poor at games that aren’t clutch games. We’re not making light of today’s defeat. That was slightly embarrassing.”Related

Concern for South Africa as Bavuma suffers calf strain

Jofra Archer: 'There was an ooh or an aah every single over'

Stats – England record the biggest win in men's ODIs

Bethell, Root tons, Archer four-for see England hand out record thrashing

Both defeats – South Africa’s two heaviest in ODIs – have come when they have fielded first and were accompanied by lack of discipline and dropped catches. Against Australia, South Africa bowled 15 wides and put down Alex Carey, who went on to finish the innings strongly. Against England, they bowled 19 wides and dropped two catches including Jamie Smith on 23 and Jacob Bethell on 44. Bavuma said at the post-match presentation that bowling that many extras was “far from ideal, not good enough” and said it “could be complacency”, while Conrad believed a wayward bowling performance impacted the rest of their skillset.”The bowling affects the fielding and the other way around, but nine out of ten times, Matthew Breetzke is taking that catch [off Smith, who offered a chance off a leading edge in the covers],” Conraid said. “We’re not going to read too much into that, but it’s a difficult one because when that edge is not there and something doesn’t go your way and the harder you try, it’s just not there. I’m not offering it as an excuse because it’s not supposed to be like that, but the fielding wasn’t at the usual high standard that we set. All in all, yeah, it was an embarrassing performance in the field.”Among South Africa’s bowling lows were Nandre Burger’s 0 for 95, which was the most expensive in their history, and Codi Yusuf’s 0 or 80, the worst by a South African debutant. Some of that may be down to inexperience especially in the absence of pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada, who has not played an ODI in either Australia or England as he recovers from ankle inflammation.Conrad confirmed Rabada could have been “really pushed and forced through today” but South Africa decided they “didn’t want to take any risks with him” ahead of the T20Is next week. “The T20 is the priority for us. When we earned the right to give him another rest, we definitely exercised that because with the T20 World Cup looming, we want to make sure that we get a good take on that. We’ve obviously got two massive Test series [against Pakistan and India] coming up.”Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, who was rested, and Marco Jansen, who has not played since the World Test Championship final where he broke his thumb, will all be back for the T20Is. A new concern is Bavuma, who could not bat after hurting his calf – but as he is not part of the T20Is, he will be assessed on his return to South Africa. Bavuma’s injury was among the reasons South Africa’s batting stumbled to their second lowest total in ODIs – 72 – as they went in pursuit of a target of 415 for which Bavuma said there is “no real formula”.In the end, they were blown away by a searing opening spell from Jofrra Archer, who took 3 for 1 in his first three overs and finished with 4 for 18. Archer’s first wicket was Aiden Markram, who nicked off against a short, wide ball and sent the rest of the line-up into freefall.”Aiden lost his wicket to a pretty innocuous delivery, and that probably summed up the day,” Conrad said. “And then from there, before you know it, you’re four down. Obviously, the disruption of Temba not being able to bat, that played a part as well but it is very difficult to explain. If you’re not on top of your game, if the edge is not there, then you’re going to get exposed.”Bashful as they were in this match, Bavuma also highlighted South Africa’s achievements over the last month after beating both Australia and England with a game to spare. “There are lots of positives in the series, coming to England away with a fairly inexperienced side and we wouldn’t want today’s performance to diminish that,” he said. “There are shining moments so we’ll try to highlight those. They can’t be wiped away by one performance.”