Times Crossword 28,263 across down Yesterday’s solution 28,262
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access charge. SP: Spoke 0333 202 3390.1 2 3 4 5 6 789 1011 1213 14 151617 18 19 202122 2324 2526OEDIPUSREX GOOF
U E O P Y D I
SOFTSPOKEN OD I N
E R T T L T N G
MACARON I CHEESE
W U L N N E S R
ABDABS JETTISON
S A A R W A
TUMBL ING MOWGL I
E A L T S T O L
PANTOMIMEHORSE
A X T H N W P S
POMP NEEDLEWORK
E A R U R R Y
RINGCOMPOS I TOR1 Staff and volunteers each ringing
one caller, primarily lawmen (6,8)
9 Most of silver parts reduced in size
(9)
10 Fruit drink without the odd bits of
pip (5)
11 Admit altering order for small
marine arm (5)
12 Convincingly toppled leader in
seventies denied last drink (3,4,2)
13 Child following current affairs (6-2)
15 Improvised panegyric mother
recalled (4,2)
17 Address system in centre certain to
cause bother (6)
19 Fellow bachelor carrying less
weight (8)
22 Flaw is found in disheartened
team’s intimidatory tactics (9)
23 Sound coming from furrow on the
level (5)
24 Retro company regularly built in
circular windows (5)
25 Academic not for but against King
Edward? (9)
26 Wearying, as today’s successful
solvers must be? (7,3,4)1 Key way in reproduction method
where crosses accumulate (7,7)
2 Travelling collier, heading off
round eastern rock (7)
3 Case confined to research
establishment (5)
4 Person using drill interrupts
speaker (8)
5 Nancy’s son importing American
firearms (6)
6 Cons that are bound to work? (5,4)
7 Sally’s position in office (7)
8 Make the locks secure and calm
down! (4,4,4,2)
14 Scientist initially examining old
journal, in essence (9)
16 Bird very hot sitting on egg? (8)
18 Return, resolved to acquire
university education (7)
20 Starts using bags, a couple wife cast
out (5,2)
21 Third person tipped trendy vitamin
(6)
23 White House deputy turned up
European bug (5)Newspapers
support recycling
The recycled paper content of
UK newspapers in 2020 was 67%Benzema ousts
heroic Chelsea
Chelsea were ten minutes from one
of the great Champions League
comebacks, having overturned a
3-1 deficit to lead Real Madrid 4-3
on aggregate, before Rodrygo and
Karim Benzema put the home side
in the last four. Report, pages 68-69JUAN MEDINA/REUTERSKey is favourite
for England job
Elizabeth AmmonRob Key is looking increasingly likely
to the new England managing director
of men’s cricket after it emerged that
the other leading candidate, Marcus
North, was no longer in the running.
His appointment could be announced
by the end of the month.
Andrew Strauss had been filling the
position on an interim basis since
Ashley Giles’s sacking after England’s
4-0 Ashes defeat in Australia, but did
not want to take on the role permanent-
ly because of his family situation and
has been overseeing the search for his
replacement.
It is understood that interviews have
taken place in recent days but there
were a limited number of applicants. It
is expected that the England and Wales
Cricket Board (ECB) will make a formal
Continued on page 62Fury told to cut
‘crime boss’ ties
Martyn Ziegler, Neil JohnstonTyson Fury and other boxers, promot-
ers and administrators have been
warned to cut ties with the “crime boss”
Daniel Kinahan or risk being involved
in a criminal network.
Kinahan, his brother Christy and his
father Christy Sr have been sanctioned
by the US Treasury Department’s
Office of Foreign Assets Control (Ofac)
and have had their American assets
frozen, with a $5 million (about £3.8 mil-
lion) reward being offered for their
arrest and conviction.
Fury, who defends his World Boxing
Council (WBC) world heavyweight
title at Wembley Stadium on April 23,
has close links to Kinahan and was
pictured meeting him in Dubai in
February. He has previously praised
Kinahan for his role in guiding his
career but a representative for Fury
Continued on page 60Paul Hirst
Erik ten Hag has agreed to become the
new Manchester United manager.
It is understood that after further
discussions with the United hierarchy,
the 52-year-old Ajax head coach has
reached agreement on a deal to take
over from Ralf Rangnick at the end of
the season.
Ten Hag, who is set to sign a four-
year contract, could be announced
as United’s manager before the end
of this month. Provided there are no
last-minute hiccups, he will become the
fifth manager of the post-Sir Alex Fer-
guson era.
Ten Hag wanted assurances about
his involvement in transfer decisions
before committing to the job. RB Leip-
zig, the German club, were also inter-
ested in making him their head coach,
but he has chosen United instead.
United insisted last night that a
formal agreement had not been signed,
but the Old Trafford club have
described their hunt for a new manager
as being at an advanced stage.
Contracts of this magnitude take
some time to draw up, which is likely to
be one reason why it is taking so
long for United to announce Ten Hag’s
appointment.
It is understood that Ten Hag was
chosen as the club’s preferred candidate
about two weeks ago. It was then left to
Richard Arnold, the chief executive,
and co-chairman Joel Glazer to rubber-
stamp the appointment.
2GM Wednesday April 13 2022 | the timesSp ort
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the best – by those who know
Pages 64-65Rugby’s special one
Ten Hag to
become new
United boss
Ajax may not agree to an announce-
ment before their domestic season is
complete. They play PSV Eindhoven in
the Dutch cup final on Sunday and are
involved in a battle with the same club
for the Eredivisie title.
Ajax are four points clear of PSV with
five matches remaining. The league
leaders do not want any distractions in
the run-in and, according to sources in
the Netherlands, Ajax have rebuffed
requests from English journalists to
attend their pre-match press conference
at the Amsterdam Arena on Friday.
Ajax could receive up to £4 million in
compensation for Ten Hag, who wants
to bring Mitchell van der Gaag, his
assistant, with him to United. He is also
considering the possibility of adding
Steve McClaren, the former England
manager, to his backroom staff, and the
ex-United forward Robin van Persie.
Rangnick has been in charge of
United on an interim basis since last
November, when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
was sacked.
The team have failed to improve
under the German though, and look
likely to miss out on Champions
League qualification. They are seventh
in the Premier League, six points
behind the fourth-placed side,
Tottenham Hotspur.
Mauricio Pochettino, the Paris Saint-
Germain head coach, was the early
frontrunner for the manager’s job, but
after holding talks with Ten Hag,
United opted for him instead. Ten Hag
Continued on page 67Dutchman agrees deal after transfer assurances
*