Ten Hag is determined to end season on a high
WEST Ham United have announced the appointment of Julen Lopetegui as their new head coach.
The Spaniard, who left Wolves on the eve of the most recent Premier League season, will replace David Moyes and officially begin work on July 1.
Lopetegui has previously coached Porto, Spain, Real Madrid and Sevilla prior to his brief tenure at Molineux.
“I feel very happy, first of all, to be able to be part of the future of this big Club,” Lopetegui told West Ham TV. “We will try to put our stamp on the club.
“I feel that we have a fantastic platform. I think the last few years have been very good years to have this base, of course, but my ambition as a coach is always to be better and better, to achieve more and bigger aims
UNDER-FIRE Erik ten Hag says his sole focus is on winning the FA Cup rather than talk about the potential of it being his final match as Manchester United manager.
The Red Devils are looking to salvage a poor, injury-hit season by beating their neighbours Manchester City at Wembley tomorrow afternoon.
United bowed out of Europe before Christmas and limped home in eighth place - their lowest ever Premier League finish - as speculation continues over boss Ten Hag’s future.
Mauricio Pochettino, Thomas Tuchel and Kieran McKenna are among the names to be linked with the Old Trafford hotseat as ambitious Ineos consider how to take the club back to the top.
Asked about some people suggesting this weekend’s final could be his last match as United manager, Ten Hag chuckled and said: “I have nothing to say.
“I am just focusing on the job I have to do and that is first win the game on Saturday and then we are in the project. Keep going in the project.”
Ten Hag added: “I came here to win trophies.
“Saturday I have the next opportunity and we achieved this, earned this opportunity as a team and now we have to go for it.
“In the same time, in the last two years, of course after every season you review it and then we will see where we are in the project and things we have to change.
“We spoke lately about it. Underneath there are very good things players coming up, players developing, values coming up.
“And, in the same time, we have on Saturday a big opportunity to win the next trophy.” and to encourage and improve the players, the team, and to compete because football is about this - to compete. We are very ambitious about this.”
Lopetegui (pictured) will be in charge for the Hammers’ pre-season trip to Florida in July, where they take on Wolves and Crystal Palace.
West Ham technical director Tim Steidten said: “We are very pleased to welcome Julen and his staff to our club.
“He was a stand-out candidate to become our head coach and I am personally delighted that we have chosen to work together.”
Meanwhile, Darrell Clarke has
United’s injury issues have eased in recent weeks, with Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane returning along with Marcus Rashford and captain Bruno Fernandes.
Victor Lindelof, Mason Mount and Anthony Martial were pictured in training in the build-up to the final, but Harry Maguire will miss out along with left-backs Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia.
“Harry Maguire is unavailable but the rest, all the players you mentioned (Lindelof, Mount and Martial), are I think all available.
“Tomorrow final training and then been appointed as Barnsley’s new head coach, the League One club have announced.
The 46-year-old has signed a twoyear deal with the option of a third after rejecting the offer of an extended and improved contract at Cheltenham, and compensation has been agreed between the two clubs.
Clarke told the Tykes’ official website: “I’m absolutely delighted, can’t wait to get started. I’m proud to be managing this football club, I’m really looking forward to it.
“I didn’t need to be sold on the club, it’s got huge potential and I’m excited to get myself going and get we will make final decisions but if I oversee it now it looks good.”
Maguire sustained a muscle injury in training earlier this month and was expected to be out for three weeks.
Asked if the defender - who has been named in England’s provisional Euro 2024 squad - has suffered a setback, Ten Hag said: “I don’t think so, no. It’s just he didn’t make it, didn’t heal as we expected.”
Maguire is joined in England’s 33-man long list by United teammates Shaw and Kobbie Mainoo, but misfiring Marcus Rashford was overlooked the squad rebuilt and try to push on for a promotion challenge.”
Barnsley finished sixth in League One last season but lost out to Bolton in the play-off semi-finals.
Sporting director Mladen Sormaz said: “Darrell has a strong track record in the EFL and is an ambitious head coach who has consistently been able to get teams promoted and has spent a significant period of time at each club.
“We believe he’s the right man to help us achieve our aim of promotion to the Championship.”
Clarke took over at Cheltenham in October last year with the club having taken just one point from their first 10 league fixtures and although they won 12 of the 36 games they played under him, they were ultimately relegated to League Two. for the finals in Germany.
The 26-year-old was the most eyecatching omission from Gareth Southgate’s squad and has the chance to react on a big stage at Wembley this weekend.
“He looks good and that is a career, ups and downs,” Ten Hag said. “So, a down can also be fuel, that is what I see in training. He will be highly motivated. Speak with your feet, he is highly talented.
“He has already a big career and I am sure he will get over this and he will make even more goals.”
Ademola Lookman’s stunning hattrick fired Atalanta to their first silverware since 1963 as Bayer Leverkusen’s unbeaten season came to an end in the Europa League final.
Lookman, the London-born Nigeria striker who began his career at Charlton, produced two excellent first-half finishes and added a brilliant third 15 minutes from time as Atalanta romped to a 3-0 success in Dublin.
Victory gave Atalanta only the second trophy in their 116-year history, over six decades after the Bergamo side had won the Coppa Italia.
Gian Piero Gasperini’s team had lost to Juventus in the final of the Coppa Italia seven days earlier but they recovered from that setback to knock Leverkusen out of their stride.
And Lookman, once of Everton, Fulham and Leicester, provided the cutting edge to reward a polished allround performance.
Leverkusen came into the Aviva Stadium showdown fancied to savour more glory in a campaign that has almost defied belief.
Xabi Alonso’s side were on the brink of an invincible season having won the first Bundesliga title in their history.
Leverkusen had gone 51 games unbeaten and were contesting the Europa League final ahead of Saturday’s German Cup showpiece occasion against second-tier Kaiserslautern.
HEAD coach Matthew Mott believes the long-awaited return of Jofra Archer makes England “enormously better” going into the T20 World Cup next month.
The fast bowler is back on the scene after being sidelined for 14 months with elbow and back injuries but has yet to prove his fitness.
Archer was robbed of some vital game-time as England’s opening encounter of a fourmatch T20 series with Pakistan at Headingley on Wednesday was washed out due to heavy rain.
Mott is very much planning for him to be involved in the tournament, where England will play some of their group games in Archer’s birthplace of Barbados.
The Australian said: “That’s a huge boost, and I just think, personally, for him, it’s so exciting.
“He’s worked so hard. Our medical team worked so hard with him as well. His patience has been incredible, he loves competing, he loves playing, so he’s so excited to be back.
“He’s happy, he’s around the boys again and I think he’s going to go from strength to strength just a world-class player and always want him around.
“He does make it an enormously better side when you look at his numbers, his impact.
“I mean every team wants a proper fast bowler, someone who can put the opposition under pressure, bowl through all phases of the game.
“If the game’s drifting you bring him on he’ll make something happen, it’s just an incredible bloke to have back around.”
Mott says England know their best team for the defence of the 2022 crown they won in Australia and it will become apparent during the remaining three games against Pakistan, starting at Edgbaston on Saturday.
Jonny Bairstow, fresh from a stint at the Indian Premier League, hosted a barbeque for his team-mates in the build-up to the Headingley game and Mott expects him to be sizzling at number four.
“I wasn’t here the first day or two and they had that barbecue I think he was pretty excited to have everyone round to his house,” Mott added.
“Anyone who knows Jonny, he loves that barbecue. He’s back with his family, he’s around here for a while and it’s amazing how quickly you can recharge as a cricketer.
“His experience will be priceless over there. If we lose a couple of wickets he can basically be like an opener and take the game on against the quicks but equally he’s so damaging against spin as well.
“It can be tricky in the middle overs in the Caribbean, spin is a factor.”