The Sun

THOMAS FRANK was interviewed by Sir Jim Ratcliffe for the Manchester United manager’s job the day before their 2024 FA Cup final triumph.

While Erik ten Hag was preparing for the make-or-break showpiece against Manchester City at Wembley, United co-ower Ratcliffe held discussions with prospective coach Frank in his London garage.

United spoke to several managers towards the end of the 2023-24 season amid the expectation that Ten Hag would be sacked.

Thomas Tuchel, Roberto De Zerbi and Kieran McKenna were among the other managers sounded out by United.

United had come eighth in the Premier League – their worst finish since 1990 – and finished bottom of their Champions League group in 2023-24.

Yet they progressed to the FA Cup final and, against all odds, defeated champions City 2-1 to spare Ten Hag of the sack at the end of that campaign.

Then Brentford coach Frank moved to Tottenham in the summer and in his new book, Thomas Frank – Diary from the Premier League: The Story of Denmark’s Greatest Coach, the Dane reveals that he interviewed for the United and Chelsea jobs on the same day.

“Sitting down to talk to two of the ten biggest clubs in the world – two hours apart – is quite unique,” Frank said to TV2.

“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*****g Frederiksværk – am I really experiencing this?’”

BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS

It is understood that even after United stuck by Ten Hag – who was eventually dismissed five months later – that Frank still spoke glowingly about the club on the off-chance he could be hired in the future.

After an end-of-season review, United decided to keep Ten Hag and triggered the one-year extension in his contract in July 2024.

However, he was finally sacked after four defeats from the first nine Premier League games last term.

Ironically, Ten Hag’s last win and final home game in charge of United was against Frank’s Brentford in October 2024.

MANCHESTER CITY boss Pep Guardiola suffered a hammer blow when highly-rated teen Han Willhoft-King chose to study law at Oxford University instead of challenging for a first-team role.

The defensive midfielder regularly trained with the senior squad after shining for the Sky Blues’ under-21 side following his exit from Tottenham.

But Willhoft-King aced the law national aptitude test after applying to universities and was offered a place at Oxford in January.

Despite rubbing shoulders with the likes of Erling Haaland and former fan favourite Kevin De Bruyne in sessions, the ex-England U16 international chose to walk away from the pitch.

Willhoft-King told The Guardian: “I wasn’t enjoying it. I don’t know what it was, maybe the environment. I’m bored often, as well.

“You’d train, you’d come home and you wouldn’t really do anything.

“If you contrast it to now, I’m struggling to find hours in the day.

“I’m either studying, going out with friends, playing for the university first-team, also my college.

“I always felt understimulated in football. Don’t get me wrong. I still loved it. But I always felt I could be doing more.

“I was wasting hours of the day. I needed something different and Oxford excited me.

BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS

“I guess that’s the reason. Injuries were a big factor but that’s the easy answer. I felt I needed something a bit more, mainly intellectually, which sounds quite pretentious.

“Best-case scenario – you’ll play for 10, 15 years and after that, what?

“I thought going to university would provide a platform for me to do something at least for longer than the next 10 to 15 years.

“So, it’s a bit of a long-term thing, as well.”

Willhoft-King joined Tottenham at the age of six, after playing alongside Arsenal duo Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri at grassroots level.

But he then turned down contract offers from Spurs and accepted a place at UCLA to start in January 2025.

Willhoft-King also signed a six-month deal with FC Cincinnati 2 in MLS Next Pro, but his head was turned when Prem giants Manchester City made an offer of their own.

“At that point, the plan was still to go pro and I felt like I’d always regret it if I didn’t join Man City,” added the 19-year-old.

“I would always say: ‘What if I’d taken that chance?’

“Now I’ve had that and I can step away from football knowing I’ve given it my best shot. That’s a lot more comforting for me.”

Willhoft-King did not enjoy training with Manchester City’s star-studded squad, which led to turning his attention towards getting a law degree at Oxford.

“Training with the first-team became a thing that no-one was really looking forward to, strangely enough,” he admitted.

“Because you would just be pressing.

“We would be running after the ball like dogs for half an hour, 60 minutes. It’s not a very pleasant experience, especially when you are trying to press De Bruyne or [Ilkay] Gundogan or [Phil] Foden.

“You can’t get near them, so the feeling of not wanting to do this overcomes being starstruck.”

LEDLEY KING has revealed he was told he would end up in a wheelchair if he kept his injury-plagued career going.

The former England and Tottenham star, 45, was beset with knee problems throughout his 13 year in professional football.

He would often play without ever training for Spurs but eventually hung up his boots for good following a doctor’s chilling warning in 2012.

King said: “It was a tough decision because it was 2012 and for the first half of the season, I’d felt as good as I’d felt in a long time.

“It was strange – I felt like I was doing well and we hadn’t lost any games that I’d played in.

“I was feeling so good that in fact I was training a day before the games, but I had a clash with a goalkeeper, and my knee just blew up.

“I ended up playing 23 games that season, but the second half of the season the quality wasn’t there so for the first time I wasn’t enjoying my football, and I felt that I wasn’t helping the team.

“At the end of that season, I sat down with my surgeon, and he basically said that I’m going to end up in a wheelchair if I kept on playing. So, I knew it was time.”

King went to Euro 2004 and the 2010 World Cup despite his injuries, which was a testament to his talent.

The one-club star made a startling claim about the motivation of some of his team-mates in that first tournament when speaking on Sky Bet’s In The Mixer podcast.

BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS

He said: “I had a mixed experience (playing for England).

“I remember going to the 2004 tournament. There were players that lacked motivation in the squad, because they didn’t believe that they were ever going to play.

“I was shocked by that. I don’t want to say that they’d almost given up, but it was almost like they knew whatever they did, they wouldn’t play.

“I didn’t believe in that – I played in the first game against France, I did well, but then I didn’t play in the second game.

“That told me that the shirt isn’t yours to lose – there was a hierarchy in the camp – and that makes it difficult.”

After quitting school at the age of 15, entrepreneurial Lewis went to work for his dad’s catering company.

Lewis began managing a super-club called The Talk of the Town – where the likes of Frank Sinatra performed – in the 1960s, and granted girl group The Nolans their first live show.

He then got a taste for business and took over the firm – turning it into a string of restaurants before flogging it in 1979 for a whopping £30million.

Lewis used his cash influx to invest in currency trading and was subbed The Boxer in a nod to his wild success and power in the investment ring.

Lewis forked out £22million in 2001 to buy a controlling stake in Tottenham Hotspur from Lord Sugar.

One particular investment on Black Wednesday in September 1992 helped elevate him to uber-rich status, as he successfully bet on the Pound crashing out of the European Exchange Rate as Britain tried to align it with other Euro countries.

He became a billionaire overnight – and the financial magic trick worked again years later with a big short against the Mexican peso.

Along the way, Lewis founded Bahamas-based investment firm Tavistock Group – which he has propelled into one of the most dominant private equity firms in the world.

But it’s not been all work and no play for Lewis, who has spent eye-watering sums on luxury items – homes, art and a superyacht worth £190million, which can house up to 16 guests.

In 2022, Lewis made history by selling David Hockney’s 1972 piece, ‘Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Tool Figures)’.

Having owned the piece since 1995, Lewis auctioned it off for £70.3million – setting a new record for artwork by a living artist.

However, his life of glamour, football and boats all came crashing down when US prosecutors charged him with insider trading and conspiracy in July, 2023.

They accused him of tipping off his girlfriend, jet pilots and other members of his inner circle with insider secrets that helped them make millions over several years.

On January 24, 2024, he pleaded guilty to security fraud and was made to pay a huge fine before being pardoned by Trump in 2025.

LAURA WOODS could not resist a dig at Tottenham in a hilarious video featuring baby Leo.

TV sports presenter Woods is a Gooner through and through.

As such, she loves nothing more than having a dig at north London rivals Spurs.

And it appears she is also attempting to put baby son Leo on the same path.

Leo, the son of Woods and former Love Island star Adam Collard, was born in January.

Woods had joked she was left “fuming” when Collard had their newborn in Newcastle merch.

However, she now looks to have accelerated her own plans to convert Leo to her club after he was seen on her Instagram story taking a pop at Spurs.

Woods, 38, shared an adorable video of Leo drinking from a mug.

She was hard asking: “What have you got?”

Leo then tilted the mug back to reveal some words on it which read: “Tears of Spurs fans.”

The video was also captioned: “Happy Monday everyone x.”

Woods returned to TV screens with TNT Sports in May, having announced her pregnancy in July 2024.

She moved exclusively to the broadcaster in 2023.

As exclusively revealed by SunSport, paperwork from her company, The Pig and I Limited — set up in 2014 — reveal her assets have now reached £1.5million.

Her wealth also increased from £635,000 to £1.5million from January to December 2024.

Assets include £1.2million cash in the bank.

Woods also forked out £300,000 in tax but paid herself a modest dividend of just £1,000.

Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn go punch-for-punch once again as both rivals look to make their fathers proud.

The blockbuster rematch takes place at the 62,000-seater Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday, November 15.

Eubank Jr narrowly outpointed his bitter foe after 12 brutal rounds in April to secure the bragging rights in what was certainly a Fight of the Year contender.

And the two British superstars will dance once more as Eubank Jr aims to do the double while Benn seeks revenge after suffering a first career loss.

WATCH EUBANK JR VS BENN 2 ONLY ON DAZN

Here’s everything you need to know for fight night…

INFO

How to watch Eubank Jr vs Benn 2 for £24.99

Eubank Jr vs Benn 2 ticket info – price, availability, how to buy

Date, time and undercard for massive fight

LATEST NEWS

Chris Eubank launches stinging attack on Eddie Hearn

Chris Eubank Jr adds to £140,000 watch collection

Major change to boxing coverage

VIDEO

Eddie Hearn confirms he will SUE Chris Eubank Jr

*If you click on a link in this boxout, we will earn affiliate revenue.

Ndombele joined from Lyon in 2019 with huge expectations after shattering Tottenham’s transfer record.

But he would go on to play just 91 times for the club, scoring 10 goals and is now set to leave one year before the end of his contract.

Richarlison almost broke the £50m mark when he arrived from Everton in 2022 as Harry Kane’s back-up.

And while his tally of 12 goals this season was a significant increase on the three from his opening Spurs campaign, he is being linked with a departure this summer.

Johnson was signed by Ange Postecoglou last summer and has impressed in patches during his first season in North London.

He scored five goals and 10 assists in 38 games and will look to build on that in the 2024/25 campaign.

Romero initially joined on loan from Atalanta in 2021, before his impressive displays saw him secure a permanent deal the following year.

He is two games shy of 100 for Spurs and, while he can be reckless with his tackling at times, is beginning to form a promising partnership with Micky van de Ven.

Maddison was handed Kane’s No10 shirt after arriving at Spurs and hit the ground running with three goals and five assists in his opening 11 matches.

But after getting injured against Chelsea in October, he failed to return with the same sharpness – managing just five goal contributions in 15 league matches as he missed out on England’s final 26-man squad for the Euros.

Sanchez joined Spurs from Ajax in 2017 and played more than 200 games across a six-year spell.

But he was always considered a somewhat erratic defender who did not play more than 20 games in a Premier League season from 2020 onwards.

Porro was another signing who originally arrived on loan in January 2023, before he signed permanently last summer.

He has 54 appearances for Spurs under his belt, scoring seven goals and impressing under Postecoglou this season.

Rapid Dutch centre-back Van de Ven was named Spurs Player of the Season in his first campaign at the club.

His pace, athleticism, and technical ability on the ball have made him arguably Postecoglou’s best signing to date.

Sissoko came to North London for a substantial fee after being relegated with Newcastle and went on to enjoy five years at Tottenham, playing more than 200 games.

Unfortunately for the French midfielder, he is best-known for giving away a controversial penalty for handball in the first minute of Spurs’ 2-0 Champions League final defeat to Liverpool in 2019.

Lo Celso joined on loan from Real Betis in 2019 – a deal that was made permanent the following season.

He has 10 goals and eight assists in 108 games, with some Spurs fans still unsure about the Argentine.

BENJAMIN SESKO will not report for international duty with Slovenia but Manchester United do not believe his knee injury is serious.

Sesko, who came off in the 88th minute of United’s 2-2 draw with Tottenham on Saturday, will continue to be assessed at Carrington this week.

Slovenia coach Matjaz Kek has indicated that the national team doctor should have been allowed to assess Sesko before a decision was made.

United manager Ruben Amorim is expected to provide a more specific update on the extent of Sesko’s injury at his pre-match press conference ahead of Everton‘s visit to Old Trafford on November 24.

Sesko will miss Slovenia’s World Cup qualifiers against Kosovo and Sweden over the next fortnight.

United officials spent hours coordinating with the Slovenian football association to communicate the news of Sesko’s lay-off.

Sesko, who came on in the 58th minute at Spurs, was forced off after spurning an opportunity inside the opponent’s penalty area.

That reduced United to ten men at 1-1 and they went 2-1 down in the 91st minute before Matthijs de Ligt’s last-gasp equaliser.

Amorim confirmed afterwards that Sesko had sustained a knee injury but was unsure as to the severity of it.

“I’m more concerned with an injury (than Sesko’s form), because it’s in the knee,” Amorim said. “And I don’t know, and we need Ben to be a better team.”

Sesko, 23, has not convinced since his £73.62million move from RB Leipzig in August.

BEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UK

The Slovenia international has scored two goals in 12 appearances and he was dropped at Spurs.

Amorim admitted last week that Sesko is a “control freak” who is “not relaxed” and “struggling”.

Kek indicated he was unsatisfied with the lack of clarity from United on the extent of Sesko’s injury.

He said: “With all due respect to a great club like Man United, we have officially not received anything yet; no papers, no documents.

“We want our medical team to take a look at it. Our doctor is an expert in this field, we don’t have just anyone in this position.

“I cannot comment, of course, I have certain information, and I am also in contact with Beni. I can’t say anything because officially we don’t know anything at all, United hasn’t contacted anyone from our camp.

“Of course, I am concerned about the player; the only thing that matters to me is his well-being. We are prepared to do everything for that, and we have never sent anyone onto the field if there was the slightest risk.

“However, the national team is something very special, and I expect maximum respect from everyone.

“Slovenia deserves that, even if on the other side there is a powerhouse like England, and something as extraordinary as the Premier League.”

Meanwhile, Lisandro Martinez has been granted permission to train with the Argentina squad at their training camp in Europe.

The centre-back will not figure in their friendly against Angola as he approaches his return from a nine-month lay-off, having ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in February.

SUNDERLAND have earned a new title this season, kings of scoring late.

Brian Brobbey’s spectacular overhead equaliser against Arsenal was the fifth time the Black Cats have struck in added time, underlining their knack for last-gasp drama.

Regis Le Bris’ promoted surprise package have already gained five points in added time from their first 11 matches, thanks to late winners against Brentford and Chelsea, plus Saturday’s dramatic draw at the Emirates.

They’re not alone in benefiting from the extra seconds, though.

The Premier League has seen a surge in stoppage-time goals, up almost 50 per cent this season and Sunderland are leading the charge.

Last season saw 105 goals scored across first and second-half stoppage time, averaging 0.28 goals per game.

This term, there have already been 45 stoppage-time goals in the first 110 matches, most of them in the second half, for an average of 0.41 per game.

Should that trend continue, there will be an extra 51 goals scored after the 90-minute mark over the full campaign.

The rise is no coincidence. Long throws are back and they’re stretching matches by more than a minute on average.

From fewer than two per match last season, there are now around four throws travelling at least 20 metres into the box per game.

SUN VEGAS WELCOME OFFER: GET £50 BONUS WHEN YOU JOIN

Players are drying the ball with towels and waiting for team-mates to crowd the penalty area, forcing referees to pause their stop-watches to stop time being wasted.

That has had a major effect on the clock. Across last season’s 380 games, refs, following PGMOL guidance to allow 30 seconds for goal celebrations before stopping the watch, played an average of nine minutes and 45 seconds of added time per match.

This season, that has risen by 63 seconds to 10 minutes and 47 seconds.

Officials believe those extra moments are largely down to the delays caused by long-throw routines, and they’re proving decisive.

This weekend alone, Spurs and Manchester United both scored in stoppage time at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, while Nottingham Forest and Brentford also grabbed late winners and Sunderland’s dramatic equaliser denied Arsenal victory.

Arsenal, Liverpool, Spurs and Brentford have each scored four goals in added time, while Leeds and Newcastle have conceded five.

Chelsea have been breached four times, and Wolves and Leeds have suffered the most frustration both seeing three points slip away in stoppage time.

But when it comes to the dying minutes, Sunderland stand alone at the top, turning extra time into their kingdom.

IN the absence of a striker, a defender bailed Manchester United out.

Matthijs de Ligt’s first goal of the season is only one fewer than Benjamin Sesko’s meagre tally of two goals in 12 games.

Sesko, signed for a costly £73.62million, cost United twice in their 2-2 draw at Tottenham. He spurned opportunities at 1-0 and 1-1, getting injured in a tangle with Micky van de Ven in the process of the second chance.

His premature departure through injury in the 88th minute left United with ten men and, inevitably, they conceded again to Richarlison’s fortuitous ricochet.

De Ligt bailed out Sesko almost as much as Ruben Amorim, defensive of his five substitutions.

Amorim explained that Harry Maguire and Casemiro were hurt. Sesko actually replaced full back Noussair Mazraoui in the first change just before the hour.

The United manager should perhaps know better than to introduce the loose Manuel Ugarte in tight matches. It was Ugarte who played Richarlison onside for his 91st-minute goal.

As much as United’s grandstanding first team operations manager Acacio Valentim celebrated De Ligt’s equaliser in the technical area, it was not a result worth celebrating.

Nottingham Forest was two points dropped for United the week before and Spurs seemed poised to be three points lost until De Ligt met Bruno Fernandes’s inswinging corner in the 96th minute.

United have won one in 11 Premier League away games. Amorim mentioned earlier this month that they are a different team away from Old Trafford and they were seconds away from losing to a fractious Spurs.

BEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UK

Tottenham fans booed at half-time and again in the second half at Thomas Frank’s decision to substitute Xavi Simons for Mathys Tel.

United were ahead for almost 50 minutes against a side almost mired in mutiny amid their listless home form. Spurs are now unbeaten in eight games against United.

It is reassuring for United supporters that Amorim is hitting the right notes. Unlike Valentim, he did not over-celebrate and remarked afterwards it was a missed opportunity.

Amorim felt United lacked the “bravery” to consolidate their advantage. He unwittingly contributed to that with an outright attacking change.

Sesko for Mazraoui was a substitution brimming with positive intent. Only there is little positive about Sesko.

His failure to get a shot off when played into the Tottenham area on both occasions was, again, reminiscent of Rasmus Hojlund. There are eerie parallels aplenty with those two.

Amorim saw this coming. He benched Sesko away to Spurs and Liverpool and probably would have at Manchester City had Mason Mount and Matheus Cunha not been unavailable through injury.

Director of football Jason Wilcox is quoted in press releases when United confirm a signing. Wilcox cited the “data” behind Sesko’s arrival.

That is about as close as we will get to a hint that Sesko was primarily a club-led recruit.

United needed a striker but the perfect profile – attainable, proven goalscorer, early-mid twenties and not over-priced – did not exist.

Sesko only ticks two of those boxes and his stage fright is a concern, albeit not as much as his knee injury.

Amorim has a tendency to make a mountain out of a molehill. He is so raw at post-match press conferences he can cause press officers to bury their heads in their hands.

Whether the prognosis on Sesko is good or bad, there is ample evidence to suggest Amorim favours a front three minus Sesko, with the attack sharpened by the Premier League proven Mbeumo and Cunha.

The caveat is United’s squad depth is lacking and Mbeumo and Amad could be out of play for up to a month at the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations, which gets underway on December 21.

United have been suckers for mid-season fixes up top in recent years. Odion Ighalo and Wout Weghorst were unbecoming signings.

Henrik Larsson, another mid-season striker arrival in 2006-07, is remembered wistfully by some United supporters but the truth is his impact was grossly overrated. Ighalo scored more goals for United than Larsson did.

United figures claimed last season that they did not move for a forward in the winter transfer window as they had no interest in a short-term fix.

But Sesko’s injury and AFCON threaten to expose United’s squad frailties. Joshua Zirkzee has not started a game since April but could be ushered in from the cold in winter.

Yet it was at Spurs last season that Amorim suggested Zirkzee was not an outright No.9. He’s right.

Zirkzee has not scored a Premier League goal since December 1.

TOTTENHAM were hit with more than just a late equaliser against Manchester United as Thomas Frank looks set to lose yet another attacker to injury.

Striker Randal Kolo Muani, who started his third straight Premier League game on Saturday, has withdrawn from France’s squad for the upcoming international break.

The 26-year-old was taken off at half-time at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with his side a goal down before late drama saw Spurs go ahead and proceed to throw it away.

Richarlison was picked on the left alongside Kolo Muani for the match and looked to have won the game in the 91st minute after diverting Wilson Odobert’s goal-bound shot with his head but Matthijs de Ligt equalised just moments before the full-time whistle.

The result leaves Frank with as many home league wins as he has fit senior strikers, one.

Even that one is debatable with Dane Scarlett, 21, having never started a league fixture for the club.

Richarlison is also a versatile front man but has been selected from wide in recent weeks.

Mathys Tel was a second half sub on for Xavi Simons and can play up front but is likewise preferred on the wing since his January move from Bayern Munich.

It was the Frenchman who got Spurs back into the game and he is now set for a bigger role in the team after Kolo Muani was forced to abandon his country’s international camp before it had even began.

A statement from France confirmed that Florian Thauvin comes in for matches against Ukraine and Azerbaijan in World Cup qualifying.

SUN VEGAS WELCOME OFFER: GET £50 BONUS WHEN YOU JOIN

Things could get worse for Tottenham with reports that Kolo Muani will be out for at least six weeks with the possibility of surgery meaning he could still be sidelined for months in a worst case.

Frank is already without Dominic Solanke, Dejan Kulusevski, and James Maddison through injury.

Kolo Muani has failed to score for Tottenham since joining on loan over the summer.

Speaking after the draw, Frank was hopeful that the injury would not be serious.

Frank said: “He actually struggled a little bit, but nothing big.”

The Lilywhites have a defining run of games coming up after the break with a trip to Arsenal next on the agenda.

They then travel to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League as well as going to Newcastle United and hosting Frank’s old employers Brentford before the first week of December ends.