Paul Hirst
Erik ten Hag believes that he can break
the stranglehold that Manchester City
and Liverpool have on the English
game.
The day after City pipped Liverpool
to the Premier League title, Ten Hag
was officially introduced as the Man-
chester United manager at a press
conference at Old Trafford.
United finished 35 points behind the
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THREADBARE URAL1 Take a quick look at first of cases in
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4 Bet meat and oil are processed as
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9 Good painter works hard over
place with famous address (10)
10 Appeal of the Parisian father’s
embraced (4)
11 Militaristic state’s ability in spring
(6)
12 A few high on old tower (3,2,3)
14 Mistake demolishing English
house? (4)
15 Not happy in place surrounded by
sick (10)
17 Personal qualities frequently
destroy repeatedly on board? (4,6)
20 Holiday island where I party after
going back (4)
21 Support for prayer was intrusive
and regularly mixed up (4-4)
23 Drunken Arabs caught producing
wine (6)
24 Light pressure used with beer (4)
25 Present daily record outside
parliament, ultimately like many
peers (10)
26 Train around area for annual race
meeting (5,5)
27 Cut record company putting out
books (4)2 Conservative lot leading their
opponents in desire for
manufacturers? (5,6)
3 Equipment for tennis professional
with suitable final income (3,6)
4 What’s hot sun cracking wet earth?
(7)
5 A tortuous clue somehow about
the Spanish painter (8-7)
6 I’m less than impressed with
mammoth trade (3,4)
7 Home gets consent to opening (5)
8 Bible books exist to be raised as a
source of inspiration (5)
13 Circle pub argument — something
to be carried on outside? (11)
16 Weary time in plant garden with
elders (9)
18 His rank is unusual for a deity (7)
19 Outfit without basis to work on a
newspaper? (7)
21 Each year having a written test (5)
22 Island place (5)y(7HB7E2*OTSKMS( |||+$!=
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The recycled paper content of
UK newspapers in 2020 was 67%champions City and 34 points adrift of
Liverpool, who won both domestic cups
and will lift the Champions League on
Saturday if they beat Real Madrid.
The only time that City have not won
the Premier League title in the past five
years, the trophy went to Anfield, but
Ten Hag hopes the duopoly will
become a thing of the past.
“I admire them both, Manchester
City and Liverpool,” Ten Hag, 52, said.
“They both play really fantastic foot-ball. But you will always see an era can
come to an end and I am looking for-
ward to battle with them, and I am sure
all the other Premier League clubs will
want to do that.”
When asked whether the period of
City and Liverpool dominance could be
brought to an end before Pep Guardiola
and Jürgen Klopp leave their posts, Ten
Hag said: “I think, yeah.”
Ten Hag said that he had a “huge”
plan to bring the glory days back to OldTen Hag: I’ll stop the top two
Osaka wavers
on Wimbledon
Stuart Fraser
Tennis Correspondent, ParisNaomi Osaka has become the first
high-profile player to threaten to skip
Wimbledon after the ATP and WTA
tours removed all ranking points from
the grand-slam event.
The four-times grand-slam singles
champion from Japan cuttingly
referred to the oldest and most prestig-
ious tennis tournament as an “exhibi-
tion” as she spoke for the first time since
the decision, taken after Wimbledon
Continued on page 56Trafford but conceded that he would
need to produce results quickly.
“What we’re thinking is, ‘This is a
project and it takes time.’ But I also
know at this club, and at other clubs like
Ajax and Bayern Munich, that at the
top there is never time,” Ten Hag, who
will be assisted by Steve McClaren and
Mitchell van der Gaag, said. “But I don’t
see it as a risk.”
Avram Glazer, speaking in a rare
Continued on page 62Manchester United’s manager plots end to era of City and Liverpool dominance
Sp ort
Henry Winter’s awards
Briton out-hits Noskova to
make second round in Paris
Page 56Raducanu battles through
2GM Tuesday May 24 2022 | the timesHANNAH MCKAY/REUTERS; DAVID DAVIES/PAPhillips is
top of City’s
midfield list
Pol BallúsManchester City are considering
making a bid for Kalvin Phillips, the
Leeds United midfielder, as a
replacement for Fernandinho, who
is leaving on a free transfer.
The Premier League champions
would like a combative, energetic
midfielder to challenge Rodri to play
in the hole in front of the back four.
They had looked at Declan Rice
but were put off by West Ham
United’s £150 million asking price.
Aurélien Tchouaméni, the Monaco
midfielder, is another player that
City have scouted but the
£60 million asking price for the 22-
year-old is also thought to be too
high. Phillips, 26, has two years
remaining on his contract at Leeds.
Ferran Soriano, City’s chief
executive, has said that he wants to
keep manager Pep Guardiola “for
ever”. “The will is there. Why not?
It’s possible,” Soriano said.Who were his best players,
managers and fans of the season?
Page 60Cigarettes and alcohol? Well, almost,
with Pep Guardiola smoking a cigar
and Jack Grealish knocking back
a beer, inset, during Manchester
City’s victory parade. Pages 60-61