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Amorim Is the Right Man for Man Utd, Says Ugarte 

Football - Friendly - Hong Kong v Manchester United - Hong Kong Stadium, Hong Kong, China - May 30, 2025 Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim. (Reuters) 
Football - Friendly - Hong Kong v Manchester United - Hong Kong Stadium, Hong Kong, China - May 30, 2025 Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim. (Reuters) 
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Amorim Is the Right Man for Man Utd, Says Ugarte 

Football - Friendly - Hong Kong v Manchester United - Hong Kong Stadium, Hong Kong, China - May 30, 2025 Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim. (Reuters) 
Football - Friendly - Hong Kong v Manchester United - Hong Kong Stadium, Hong Kong, China - May 30, 2025 Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim. (Reuters) 

Finishing 15th in the Premier League was nowhere near good enough for Manchester United last season but the players still have faith in manager Ruben Amorim, midfielder Manuel Ugarte said.

Amorim took charge of United in November last year but guided them to just seven wins in 27 league matches and their worst-ever finish in the Premier League.

They also failed to qualify for the Champions League as they lost the Europa League final 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur.

"We have to improve things," Ugarte told British media.

"We are all very motivated, because we believe in the coach, we believe in what he wants and that is very important," added the Uruguayan, who also played under Amorim at Sporting.

"Last year we made some changes, we changed our coach, we changed our formation.

"You have to have responsibilities when you play for United. Sometimes the connections take time to get to know each other. I already know the league, the rivals, which is important."

United will play two pre-season matches in the US, taking on Bournemouth in Chicago on Wednesday and facing Everton in Atlanta on Sunday, before returning home to face Fiorentina at Old Trafford on August 9.

They begin the new Premier League season against Arsenal on August 17.

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Vinicius Responds to Critics with Stellar Display as Real Madrid Thrash Monaco

Real Madrid's Brazilian forward #07 Vinicius Junior (R) celebrates scoring his team's fifth goal with Real Madrid's Spanish coach Alvaro Arbeloa during the UEFA Champions League league phase day 7 football match between Real Madrid CF and AS Monaco at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid on January 20, 2026. (AFP)
Real Madrid's Brazilian forward #07 Vinicius Junior (R) celebrates scoring his team's fifth goal with Real Madrid's Spanish coach Alvaro Arbeloa during the UEFA Champions League league phase day 7 football match between Real Madrid CF and AS Monaco at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid on January 20, 2026. (AFP)
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Vinicius Responds to Critics with Stellar Display as Real Madrid Thrash Monaco

Real Madrid's Brazilian forward #07 Vinicius Junior (R) celebrates scoring his team's fifth goal with Real Madrid's Spanish coach Alvaro Arbeloa during the UEFA Champions League league phase day 7 football match between Real Madrid CF and AS Monaco at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid on January 20, 2026. (AFP)
Real Madrid's Brazilian forward #07 Vinicius Junior (R) celebrates scoring his team's fifth goal with Real Madrid's Spanish coach Alvaro Arbeloa during the UEFA Champions League league phase day 7 football match between Real Madrid CF and AS Monaco at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid on January 20, 2026. (AFP)

Vinicius Jr delivered a scintillating performance to inspire Real Madrid to a commanding 6-1 victory over Monaco in the Champions League on Tuesday, silencing recent criticism ​from fans.

The Brazilian winger, named UEFA's man of the match, orchestrated the rout with several dazzling dribbles, two assists, and a spectacular goal.

However, the 25-year-old admitted after the match that the booing he has faced from the Bernabeu crowd in recent weeks had taken its toll.

"This performance means a lot, because of everything that has been happening in ‌recent days," ‌Vinicius told TNT Sports.

"The change of ‌coach, ⁠losing ​the (Spanish Super ‌Cup) final, being knocked out of the Copa del Rey – playing for the biggest club in the world comes with high demands. Sometimes we don't understand the boos, but I know the size of the club and the weight of the shirt."

The hostility peaked during Saturday's LaLiga match against Levante, where Vinicius ⁠was jeered throughout, particularly during the announcement of the starting lineup.

Fans were left ‌disillusioned after a turbulent month that ‍included a Spanish Super Cup ‍defeat to Barcelona, an embarrassing 3-2 Copa del Rey exit ‍to second-division Albacete, and the abrupt sacking of manager Xabi Alonso after just seven months in charge.

Media reports of internal tensions, including clashes between Alonso and Vinicius, further darkened the mood at the ​Bernabeu.

But Tuesday's emphatic display, led by Vinicius, appeared to turn the tide.

"The only thing I can do ⁠is on the pitch – to give my all. I won't always be technically perfect, but I will always give 100% for the team," Vinicius said.

"I don't want to be booed at home, where I feel comfortable. But the fans have their rights, and I am here to evolve. I want to stay at Real Madrid for a long time."

Since joining Real Madrid in 2018, Vinicius has been integral to the club's successes, winning the Champions League twice. He scored in both finals – against ‌Liverpool in 2022 and Borussia Dortmund in 2024, the year he also won FIFA's The Best Award.

Sports

Veteran Monfils Exits to Standing Ovation on Australian Open Farewell

Gael Monfils of France acknowledges to the crowds after losing his Men’s Singles first round match against Dane Sweeny of Australia at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, 20 January 2026. (EPA)
Gael Monfils of France acknowledges to the crowds after losing his Men’s Singles first round match against Dane Sweeny of Australia at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, 20 January 2026. (EPA)
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Veteran Monfils Exits to Standing Ovation on Australian Open Farewell

Gael Monfils of France acknowledges to the crowds after losing his Men’s Singles first round match against Dane Sweeny of Australia at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, 20 January 2026. (EPA)
Gael Monfils of France acknowledges to the crowds after losing his Men’s Singles first round match against Dane Sweeny of Australia at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, 20 January 2026. (EPA)

French entertainer Gael Monfils was bundled out of the Australian Open in the first round on Tuesday in a brave farewell to a tournament he has lit up so many times.

The 39-year-old, one of the most colorful and popular players in men's tennis, battled all the way but Australian qualifier Dane Sweeny prevailed 6-7 (3/7), 7-5, 6-4, 7-5 in an epic lasting nearly four hours.

There was an on-court presentation and standing ovation afterwards for Monfils, who said: "Somehow it is the finish line, but thank you so much for an amazing ride.

"I have a lot of great memories here."

Monfils, who has won 13 ATP titles in a career stretching back to 2004, said in October that this year would be his last in tennis.

Launching his 20th Australian Open campaign, Monfils outlasted Sweeny, who is 15 years his junior, in an attritional first set.

Roared on by a partisan full house at Melbourne Park, Sweeny fought back to seize the second set and level an enthralling match.

Monfils, now ranked 110 but who rose to six in the world in his pomp, looked to be struggling physically in glaring sunshine.

The French veteran was frequently bent over double between points, one hand on his left knee and the other using his racquet to stay upright.

He alternately grimaced and grinned.

Monfils saw a trainer after losing the second set but still trudged out for the third, and was soon broken on the way to losing the set.

In a raucous party atmosphere, Monfils summoned reserves of energy from somewhere to race into a 4-1 lead in the fourth set, only for Sweeny to peg him back.

Sweeny clinched on his first match point before collapsing to the court.

He faces American eighth seed Ben Shelton in round two.

Paris-born Monfils has never won a Grand Slam but he has frequently gone deep in the biggest tournaments, including making the quarter-finals in Melbourne in 2016 and 2022.

Monfils married Ukrainian player Elina Svitolina in 2021 and they welcomed a daughter, Skai, a year later.

Sports

Morocco's Igamane Suffers ACL Injury

Morocco's forward #07 Hamza Igamane reacts as he misses his penatly during the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) semi-final football match between Nigeria and Morocco at the Prince Moulay Abdellah stadium in Rabat on January 14, 2026. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP)
Morocco's forward #07 Hamza Igamane reacts as he misses his penatly during the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) semi-final football match between Nigeria and Morocco at the Prince Moulay Abdellah stadium in Rabat on January 14, 2026. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP)
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Morocco's Igamane Suffers ACL Injury

Morocco's forward #07 Hamza Igamane reacts as he misses his penatly during the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) semi-final football match between Nigeria and Morocco at the Prince Moulay Abdellah stadium in Rabat on January 14, 2026. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP)
Morocco's forward #07 Hamza Igamane reacts as he misses his penatly during the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) semi-final football match between Nigeria and Morocco at the Prince Moulay Abdellah stadium in Rabat on January 14, 2026. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP)

Lille striker Hamza Igamane suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in Morocco's Africa Cup of Nations final against Senegal, the Ligue 1 side announced on Monday, casting doubt over his participation in this year's World Cup.

The 23-year-old was on the bench ‌for the ‌final, which Senegal ‌won ⁠1-0, before ‌coming on in extra time as the sixth substitute. He lasted seven minutes before going off injured, leaving Walid Regragui's side to finish the match with ⁠10 men.

"Tests carried out on the ‌player have unfortunately confirmed ‍a serious ‍injury. Hamza Igamane has indeed ‍suffered a rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee," Reuters quoted Lille as saying in a statement.

"Hamza will be unavailable for several months," it added, with ⁠the injury coming five months before the 2026 World Cup, where Morocco will face Brazil, Scotland and Haiti in Group C.

Igamane, who joined Lille from Rangers in the close season, has scored nine goals in 21 games for the French ‌side in all competitions.