The Mirror

Brennan Johnson’s decision to unplug from social media is getting a big like from Craig Bellamy.

The Wales boss reckons the Tottenham striker is already worth a cool £80million – that's almost twice the £47.5m figure Spurs paid Nottingham Forest for the 23-year-old just over a year ago. Johnson has scored in five successive matches for Spurs since he left the trolls behind following abuse over his previous five-game barren streak.

Now, as he aims to make it six-in-six at Brighton on Sunday, Johnson is being compared to former Brazilian superstar Ronaldo by Spurs, who stuck Johnson’s face on Ronaldo’s body on their channels following his midweek goal against Hungarians Ferencvaros in the Europa League.

“He has ridiculous talent,” said Bellamy, who hopes Johnson’s hot scoring streak can continue when Wales resume their Nations League campaign next week. His high intensity is through the roof and he is now elite, showing why Spurs paid that money for him.

“He could yet have a bad couple of years, but if I was in another job and he was worth £80m, I’d go and buy him for that. Trust me, he’s got every part of a footballer that makes him an elite player. That’s the player I see.”

Johnson’s turnaround came after Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou suggested the striker stopped scrolling through a cesspit of vile abuse. Bellamy insists he leaves it up to his players whether they choose to be on social media but reckons Johnson made the right call in bailing out.

“I completely believe in what works for you, works for you. I don’t get involved in any other part of it," he said. “I believe that what you do as an individual is okay with me, regarding social media. I choose not to use it. But for my players, you do what you feel is best for you – feel free. Whatever makes you play better.”

Although Johnson is making headlines as a goalscorer this season, it is his all-round contribution under Spurs manager Postecoglou that has impressed Bellamy. He said: “Spurs invested very heavily in that, but what really impresses me with him is that the team comes first. It is his work rate for the team – I love that. It’s so important. “

Nor can Bellamy – who took plenty of fan abuse himself during his days at Newcastle, Liverpool and Manchester City – understand why Johnson was subject to so much flak. “He’s a great character who is so easy to coach. He loves the group and the group loves him. He has all the traits of a really top class player," he said.

“Brennan is still young, but I see a humble kid with good morals who was brought up by good parents in a brilliant family structure. We are now seeing what a talent he really is.”

Former Tottenham attacking midfielder Rafael van der Vaart has hinted Spurs may live to regret their decision to sell Troy Parrott on the cheap following an exciting start to his AZ Alkmaar career.

Ange Postecoglou's side flogged the 22-year-old Republic of Ireland international to the Dutch outfit for £6.7million in the summer transfer window and also negotiated a 20 per cent sell-on clause. And Parrott, who hit 17 goals in Holland last season while on loan at Excelsior, has needed no time to settle in at his new club after recently netting four in the brutal 9-1 demolition of Robin van Persie's Heerenveen.

Van der Vaart has since said of the forward, once dubbed the next Harry Kane: “I think he’s going to be a really big player. I don’t know what it is. I saw him at Excelsior, but then he was more on the counter. Now he is a good, footballing striker, who actually has everything. He just needs to develop his killer instinct a bit.

“He can perhaps play football a bit too well to be a killer. Then you start wandering a bit and that costs strength. In the final phase you lack some strength to score. I really think he is a gem.” While Parrott was rated very highly by Spurs, he failed to force his way into the first-team picture following multiple loan spells with Millwall, Ipswich Town, MK Dons and Preston North End, respectively.

But he now appears to have found a home in the Netherlands and if he continues to score at will, it might not be long before he seals a return to English football where he undeniably has unfinished business. Speaking to De Telegraaf in the summer, Parrott admitted he felt the time was right to leave Spurs, stating: "It was important for me to go to the Netherlands. I was used to playing football in Ireland and England. It was time for a new environment, a new culture.

Speaking to De Telegraaf in the summer, Parrott admitted he felt the time was right to leave Spurs, stating: "It was important for me to go to the Netherlands. I was used to playing football in Ireland and England. It was time for a new environment, a new culture.

"I think AZ is a good place where players get the chance to develop. I have been at Tottenham for a long time, but it was time to move on.” And when asked if he could ever see himself returning to north London, the young attacker replied: “You never know how things are going to go in football.”

Ange Postecoglou has jumped to the defence of Timo Werner amid criticism over his form in front of goal.

The ex-Chelsea man is spending another season on loan in north London but is yet to show the prolific qualities he did previously in Germany. Werner didn't last long in Blue before they sent him back to RB Leipzig, but the Tottenham boss is confident he has a quality player on his hands.

Werner missed two golden opportunities during Tottenham's 3-0 success over Manchester United last weekend and was again denied in a one-on-one scenario when Tottenham played Ferencvaros in the Europa League on Thursday. Postecoglou though has likened the German to Brennan Johnson before he began enjoying his purple patch. The Welshman deleted his social media several weeks ago in light of constant criticism and has since scored in five successive games.

The Australian said: "It was 14 days ago those questions were asked of Brennan. It's where we're at in this world. We just think, 'he's missed two chances, so he's hopeless'. No, he's not hopeless. All footballers at this level are very, very good footballers. In terms of his general play, I think his last two games have been really good for us. He's been taking on his players, getting in the right areas.

He also added: "Yes, goals help. We've seen that with Brennan. But that doesn't mean he's not a good player and that's where I get really annoyed when they put everything on that moment to say he's not a good player. Of course he's a good player. He's a fantastic player. Scoring goals would help him, would help us, yes. But we'll persevere with him because I still think he's contributing to the team."

Dominic Solanke, as well as Johnson, was questioned in the opening weeks but the new frontman at Tottenham has since found his goalscoring touch and has just been named in the England squad with Postecoglou keen to underline how quickly it can all change.

Werner remains very much in the first-team picture and could get the opportunity to silence his doubters when the north Londoners take on Brighton this weekend. Since returning to English football with Tottenham the German has scored just twice - both of those strikes coming last year.

His best season when he was on Chelsea's books saw him score on 12 occasions. Those numbers though are a far cry from the kind of figures he posted whilst in the Bundesliga. His most impressive year at Leipzig saw Werner hit a career high 34 in 2019/20.

Ange Postecoglou says captain Son Heung-min is "unlikely" to be available for Spurs' trip to Brighton in the Premier League on Sunday.

The South Korea international, substituted with a hamstring injury during Tottenham's Europa League clash with Qarabag last week, missed out on their victories over Manchester United and Ferencvaros. Timo Werner could be in line for another start in place of the injured Son for Postecoglou's team, who have won five successive matches in all competitions.

The Spurs boss revealed last week that it is not sustainable for 32-year-old Son to play every match across a full season.

Postecoglou, who managed his 50th match as Spurs manager on Thursday in the Europa League, said: "Destiny (Udogie), we think will be OK. We train today and tomorrow, so he has to get through that. Sonny is unlikely, he's pushing hard, but the turnaround might be too quick for him to be available at this stage."

James Maddison scored during Spurs' win over Brentford last month and is showing signs of getting back to his best after much of last season was hampered by injury. However, the midfielder was not selected in England's squad for the upcoming matches against Greece and Finland by interim boss Lee Carsley and Postecoglou had words of encouragement to the former Leicester midfielder.

The 59-year-old said: "I'm sure he's disappointed but he's playing well, that's all you can do. These things come along at times, it's not always perfect in your career, you can't always get what you want.

"He's playing well for us, he's been outstanding all year and has made an impact in every game he plays. I'm sure he'll be selected again but you can't put everything in one basket or be disappointed or let it affect the way he's playing because he's been brilliant for us."

Dejan Kulusevski has been moved inside to a more central role this season, with Maddison dropping deeper next to Rodrigo Bentancur. Postecoglou talked up the impact of the 24-year-old Swede, adding: "Deki is doing great. He's been out of this world in many respects as to what he's able to do in a central role.

"We used him wide last year because we didn't have too many options out there and that's where he was comfortable in. We started using him inside and I felt he felt that it unshackled him a little bit. He has an unbelievable capacity to run on and off the ball, his physical numbers are ridiculous and he has the quality to hurt teams with that."

Tottenham have insisted they are committed to becoming more sustainable as a club, despite chartering a private jet to avoid a coach journey back from Manchester.

Spurs produced their best performance of the season to thrash Manchester United 3-0 on Sunday. Goals from Brennan Johnson, Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke saw the away side run riot at Old Trafford to make it a jubilant journey back to north London.

Most football supporters would expect their team to jump on the team coach and head down the motorway. But instead Tottenham were transported to a nearby airport to board a private flight – all in aid of saving their players a few hours.

The journey from Old Trafford to Tottenham’s training ground is 194 miles and, depending on traffic conditions, should take around three and a half hours. Including the journey to the two airports at either end of the flight, Spurs cannot have reduced that by much by flying – and their decision hasn’t gone down well on social media.

A video from James Maddison’s Instagram account, showing Micky van de Ven re-watching his assist for Johnson's early goal while sat on the plane, was reposted on Twitter by the official Premier League account, where it has been viewed over three million times. Yet a quote-tweet by a disgruntled fan has attracted 2.8m views and simply asks: “Why the f*** are they flying from Manchester to London?”

It’s a question which Mirror Football has asked time and again over the past few years, albeit in a not so blunt fashion. Last year we revealed the shocking prevalence of such short-haul domestic flights while BBC research has revealed that 81 flights were taken by Premier League sides in a two-month period which contained just 100 matches.

Asked to explain the decision to fly – which is around 40 times worse for the environment than taking the coach – a Tottenham spokesperson said: “Tottenham Hotspur is committed to minimising its environmental impact across all club operations, which will take time and effort. As part of this commitment, and as a signatory of the UN Sports for Climate Action Framework, the club has a policy in place to ensure all its playing teams – comprising of the men’s first team, women’s first team and academy age groups – travel to and from matches as sustainably as possible.

HAVE YOUR SAY! What do you make of Spurs flying back from Manchester? Comment below.

“This includes minimising air travel where possible, with team officials and delegates travelling on the team plane. During the season, the team will travel by coach for all distances under 2.5 hours, whereby player physical optimisation and performance is not compromised as a result.

“The club works with its official travel partner, Destination Sport Travel, to measure, manage and report on travel emissions, with the objective to reduce emissions where possible and identify sustainable team travel options. Destination Sport Travel is also working with the club to offset emissions where possible via the purchase of carbon credits verified by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.”

Recent analysis by campaign group Possible shows that 84 per cent of Premier League away games could be reached by coach in less than four and a half hours. Tottenham are far from the only club guilty of making short-sighted decisions and of putting performance above all other considerations, but this backlash compounds another jaw-dropping call from earlier this year, when they flew 21,000 miles to Melbourne to play a friendly against Newcastle.

James Maddison says he has been left pinching himself with Tottenham's new wave of teenage talent.

But Ange Postecoglou is unlikely to throw a quartet of academy stars in at the deep end away to Ferencvaros on Thursday evening because Spurs are on a mission to seal their progress to the knockout stages with minimal fuss.

Out of favour Sergio Reguilon is also in Budapest despite not being part of the squad submitted to UEFA alongside young hopefuls Alfie Dorrington, Dante Cassanova, Damola Ajayi and Will Lankshear.

Yet Postecoglou is expected to name a strong team against the Hungarian league leaders, managed by London-born Pascal Jansen.

And Big Ange downplayed the chances of an experimental line-up by admitting the kids have mostly travelled to make up the numbers in training.

“It’s a balance that we need 20 players for training,“ Postecoglou said. “But we brought a couple of young guys and Reguilon to make sure our training is really good.”

However winger Mikey Moore, 17, is an exception. He could feature off the bench having made three cameos in the past fortnight. And Maddison has been blown away by both the teenager’s potential and maturity, saying: “He's a man already.

“When I watch him play, he's very powerful and only going to get stronger as his body grows. He's a great kid. A really well-mannered, polite young man and that's a credit to his parents.

“That's the first thing you look to as a senior player. And then there's that ability which we see in training all the time and the Spurs fans want to see more of. I try to think of what the 17-year-old James Maddison would want to hear from a senior player and it's to be treated like a man but also give advice whenever possible.”

Maddison, meanwhile, admits he still has a point to prove after being omitted from England’s Euros squad. Postecoglou has described his chief creator’s recent form as “outstanding” and Maddison is putting it down to have a summer break that allowed him to return fully fit.

“I always want to prove doubters wrong and that's where I get my hunger from,” he said. “I feel really fit, maybe the fittest I've ever been. I feel confident and alive. I can only take care of what I do at a club level.”

Cristian Romero is likely to start having been banned for last Thursday’s 3-0 win against Qarabag, where Radu Dragusin was sent off and handed a suspension that he will serve tonight.

Captain Heung-min Son has stayed in London to continue his recovery from a hamstring strain.

And full back Destiny Udogie is ruled out with an issue sustained on Sunday that Postecoglou described as “nothing significant.”

Erik ten Hag revealed he's had discussions with Manchester United owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe on how they can improve after their 3-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.

The Dutchman's position at Old Trafford has been one of uncertainty scaling back to last summer when the club's hierarchy openly searched for his replacement before deciding to stick with Ten Hag and triggering a one-year contract extension.

However, a poor start to the 2024/25 season sees the Red Devils languishing in 13th place in the Premier League. And it has led to reports that he may have just two games to save his job.

After Sunday's (September 29) 3-0 home defeat to Spurs – their second in a row following an identical loss to Liverpool – the 54-year-old spoke to Sky Sports where he opened about the talks he's had with co-owner Ratcliffe since the loss to Ange Postecoglou's side.

"We're talking continually, but we are talking about how we can improve the process," he succinctly said, before adding: "We are all very impatient and our fans are and they are entitled to but we are definitely as well.

"We want to win every game and when we are losing, everyone is disappointed, frustrated but it's also our fuel to get better."

The Dutchman could yet see his job at least temporarily be taken by his new assistant and United legend Ruud Van Nistelrooy, who is said to be a popular figure among the dressing room.

When asked what his side need to do to bounce back with important games against Porto and Aston Villa on the horizon, Ten Hag said: "The most important [issue] to address is one you always need, to keep the belief.

"[To] stay in the game, you need to keep the belief so that's the most important message that we have to give because if you lose your faith you lose everything isn't it? We have to keep going and stick to the plan and move on."

Simon Jordan has laid into Gary Neville for his 'absurd' commentary during Manchester United's 3-0 thrashing at the hands of Tottenham.

United were humiliated on home soil thanks to goals from Spurs stars Brennan Johnson, Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke. But it was the manner of 10-man United's defeat which left Neville seething, as the former Old Trafford captain labelled their performance 'absolutely disgusting'.

The Red Devils have now lost back-to-back Premier League home games 3-0, including against arch enemies Liverpool, leaving manager Erik ten Hag at risk of losing his job. Despite the severity of the situation, Jordan has criticised Neville for the 'language' which he used while on commentary for Sky Sports.

Sifting through the wreckage of United's defeat on talkSPORT, former Crystal Palace owner Jordan claimed: "People get very critical that our agenda apparently in the studio is to constantly berate Ten Hag. I listen to the commentary from Gary Neville and the language that's being used is absurd.

"It is not a disgusting performance, it is a poor performance. But when you've got Manchester United people, who are the first ones to get very prickly if anyone else says anything about Manchester United, going in full tilt on the nature of performance... It was a poor performance against a very good Tottenham side. It wasn't disgusting. It wasn't an abhorration. You know, it's ridiculous."

Neville's most brutal criticism came shortly after captain Bruno Fernandes was sent off for a hotly-debated red card. "It is not as bad as I initially thought," he said of the challenge. "But it sums up Man United first half which has been an absolute disgrace. It's one of the worst performances I have seen under Ten Hag - and that is saying something. It is really bad.

Earlier in the game, Neville had also said: "It has been as bad as it gets - no urgency, no life in them. United have all the bodies back there, but they may as well be statues or mannequins. Tottenham are just cutting through at will. Manchester United in this first half-hour are really bad. The crowd aren't engaged at all."

Get involved! Do you agree with Simon Jordan? Have your say in the comments section.

He then lamented post-match: "The big story today is that in that first half. You can't say it came from nowhere because Manchester United have been inconsistent all season, but they have chosen to put in their very worst performance, their very worst possible showing.

"It was an absolutely disgusting performance in that first half in effort, quality, everything you want in a football team and there are going to be questions to answer for that group (of players) and the manager in the next week."

United hope to bounce back away to Porto on Thursday in the Europa League before travelling to Aston Villa.

The FA have launched their own investigation into homophobic chanting by Tottenham fans, Mirror Football can exclusively reveal.

Spurs travelled to Manchester United on Sunday and claimed a famous 3-0 win at Old Trafford. Goals from Brennan Johnson, Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke secured all three points, with United skipper Bruno Fernandes also being sent off.

But the game was marred by several incidents of homophobic chanting from the visiting fans. One of the chants was aimed at Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, with the lyrics believed to read: "Dom Solanke is f****** class, Mik Arteta takes it up the a***, 60 million down the drain, Dom Solanke scores again."

Another song was allegedly aimed at Mason Mount, with the ' Chelsea rent boy' chant heard as he replaced Kobbie Mainoo. Back in 2022, Mirror Football exclusively revealed that chant had been classified as a homophobic hate crime by the Crown Prosecution Service.

The FA have also heavily fined teams whose fans are heard singing the rent boy chant. Given the allegations about Sunday's game, Mirror Football can reveal that the governing body are aware and are looking into the matter.

Spurs themselves are also investigating the chants and condemned their own fans in a statement on Sunday night. The Premier League side branded their supporters' actions 'abhorrent and unacceptable'.

A club statement read: "The Club is aware of abhorrent homophobic chanting from sections of our away support at Old Trafford today. This is simply unacceptable, hugely offensive and no way to show support for the team.

"The Club will be working closely with the Police and stewards to identify anyone instigating or joining in with the chanting - we shall take the strongest possible action in accordance with our Sanctions and Banning Policy. Supporters in attendance today can report anything they’ve seen or heard in confidence to supporterservices@tottenhamhotspur.com.

"We shall be continuing our work with our LGBTQ+ supporters’ association, Proud Lilywhites, to ensure a welcoming and inclusive environment for all fans on matchdays.

"We are justly proud of our superb and loyal support, home and away. However, we all have a responsibility to act as ambassadors of Tottenham Hotspur and discrimination of any kind has no place at our Club."

The Proud Lilywhites welcomed news of the club's investigation and their strongly-worded statement. The group also moved to remind their fellow fans of the impact of homophobic chanting.

A statement from the group read: "Loved what happened on the pitch at Old Trafford; didn’t love the homophobic chanting off the pitch. Dom deserves better and as for the other one...

"We’re all Spurs fans just like you. When you sing these songs you’re telling us we don’t belong; and we do—as much as you do."

Ex-Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick’s transfer comments still ring true after Erik ten Hag’s latest window.

Despite receiving both personal and financial backing from new minority shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe - after being bestowed a new contract extension and just under £200million to spend - Ten Hag’s third season in charge has started abhorrently.

With just two wins from six and a pair of 3-0 embarrassments at the hands of rivals Liverpool and, most recently, Tottenham, recruitment at Old Trafford hasn’t helped proceedings. Players like Joshua Zirkzee, Matthijs de Ligt, and Manuel Ugarte - though in their early days - are yet to make a huge difference.

When Rangnick was in charge, he delivered a telling monologue, admitting that the club needed a complete rebuild and that signings needed to be specific, premier and suited in order to catch up to league-leading clubs. This warning-esque admission has evidently not been heeded.

"If you look at those two clubs who are currently dominating the Premier League [Manchester City and Liverpool], they did exactly that [rebuild]," Rangnick exclaimed in 2022 after a 4-0 defeat to Liverpool.

"They brought in two managers, but not only did they bring in two managers, but they also changed the whole thing with regard to formation and what kind of players we need. I mean, the headline of everything was, ‘How do we want to play.’ The team needs a rebuild, and therefore, for me, it's clear that there will be six, seven, eight, maybe ten new players.

"Before you sign those players, you need to be aware of who you want to play and what kind of football the new manager wants to play. Then, take it from there. Bring every single player fitting into that kind of profile."

Alas, the United board did not, and perhaps still does not, choose to listen. Rangnick departed that April to join the Austrian national team set-up, and the Red Devils continue to whiff on big money transfers, have a lack of long-term solutions and lose ground on those challenging at the league’s summit.

After parting ways with the Manchester club, Rangnick was entirely honest when asked about the board’s refusal to approach attacking targets, openly naming those he wished would have been signed.

"The answer at the time was: ‘No, there is no player on the market that would really help us,’" Rangnick stated in May of 2020. "But, there were a few, there were a few.

"[Luis] Diaz, who is now at Liverpool, [Julian] Alvarez who will be at Manchester City this summer, [Dusan] Vlahovic, who at the time still was with Fiorentina, so. Those are just three of them of them that come across my mind now.

"I spoke to the board and said: 'Shouldn't we at least speak and try and analyse if we could get a player either on loan or as a permanent deal?' But in the end, the answer was no."

Rangnick’s comments have been recirculated on social media following United’s poor start to the season and the Spurs drubbing, with fans quick to praise and support his insight.

One simply wrote: "This man knew the problem," while another added: "Man Utd signings have been horrendous. It's more like a player having a breakout season and Man Utd decides to buy him. I don’t think there’s any pre analysis over what kinda player is needed."

A third believes that the German should have remained in charge for longer, writing: "Should have stuck with this man and got rid of the rot in the players."