74
(^) Daily Mail, Wednesday, August 21, 2019
GUENDOUZI TO
GET A NEW DEAL
ARSENAL want to extend
the contract of Matteo
Guendouzi (below). The
midfielder was
one of Unai
Emery’s first
signings,
and
energetic
displays by the
20-year-old, signed for
£7.2m from Lorient, have
seen his value more than
triple. Arsenal want to tie
him to a five-year deal,
increasing his wages to
around £70,000 a week.
TOTTENHAM winger
Anthony Georgiou,
22, has joined Ipswich on
loan until January.
Capped six times by
Cyprus, he spent half of
last season on loan at
Levante B. Another Spurs
forward, Jack Roles, 20,
has been loaned to
Cambridge United.
FOOTBALL DIGEST
BURY’S plight worsened
yesterday as a sixth
fixture was suspended,
while owner Steve Dale
rejected an offer for the
financially stricken club.
Bury face expulsion
from the Football
League on Friday if they
fail to provide proof of
funding.
Saturday’s League One
game against Tranmere
has been suspended and
the EFL have booted
them out of the EFL Cup.
Dale knocked back a
takeover bid yesterday
before admitting he is
looking for a personal
settlement. Dale, who
has taken on some of
Bury’s debt, held talks
with another potential
bidder last weekend.
STRICKEN BURY
JUST TWO DAYS
FROM OBLIVION
ASTON VILLA have
apologised to all
ex-players who were
affected by the
reported
behaviour
of former
head of
development
Kevin
MacDonald (above).
Allegations of bullying
were made by a number
of ex-players and, after
an independent inquiry,
he has left the club.
Villa said MacDonald’s
behaviour ‘could not be
tolerated’.
CONTRIBUTORS: Jack Gaughan and Sami Mokbel
STAGS SUSPEND
TWO PLAYERS
MANSFIELD players Jacob
Mellis and Dion Donohue
have been suspended for
an alleged serious breach
of club discipline.
Police arrested two men,
aged 25 and 28, on
suspicion of assault in the
town centre on Friday
morning. A victim
suffered facial injuries.
Both players were left out
of the squad for last
night’s game against
Leyton Orient.
LIVERPOOL have
received an offer
from Nordsjaelland of
Denmark to take forward
Bobby Duncan, 18, on a
season-long loan. Duncan
is Steven Gerrard’s
cousin. He scored 32
goals for the Reds
academy last season.
74 RUGBY WORLD CUP COUNTDOWN
SLIMLINE MAKO
IS RARING TO GO
M
ako Vunipola
has been pushed
to gruelling
heights in prepa-
ration for his
potential England
comeback on Saturday.
But spare a thought for the
female airport assistant who had
to push the 19st prop between
terminals on a wheelchair
during the journey home for
his brother’s wedding.
after tearing a ham-
string during Saracens’
Champions Cup final
win in May, Vunipola
was unable to walk for
two weeks. He passed
most of the time in bed,
except for toilet breaks,
meals and a best man’s
speech for Billy, his
younger sibling, back home
in Tonga.
The surgery kept the 28-year-
old out of England’s warm-up
Tests against Wales, but he has
declared himself fit to face ireland
at Twickenham on Saturday.
‘i tore the tendon at the top of
my hamstring and the muscle
became detached from the bone,
so the surgeon had to go back in
and re-attach it,’ said Vunipola.
‘For two weeks, i wasn’t allowed
to strain my hamstring, so i had to
keep my leg straight. i went to
Tonga during those two weeks so
it was hard going around on
crutches and watching what i ate.
‘i was on crutches the whole
wedding day and the whole of my
holiday. The airport staff looked
after me. i was in a wheelchair and
some poor lady had to push me...
she was struggling a bit! i owe her
a big thank you.
‘in bed, i had to put pillows under
my leg. i had a pretty good set-up
with the TV and playStation.
plenty of FIFA. For me it was pretty
much heaven, but i was ready to
get out of bed by the end.’
unable to exercise, Vunipola
gained weight during the hours
consigned to his bedroom. Today,
however, he is almost the lightest
he has ever been. England’s reha-
bilitation staff remained in close
contact to condition the forward
back to fitness for Saturday’s Test,
in which flankers Mark Wilson,
Tom Curry and Sam underhill are
also in contention to return.
‘i’m excited about being back
playing because it’s been a tough
last four or five weeks,’ he said.
‘i’ve been doing ridiculous
amounts of running. i didn’t even
want to get on the scales, but i’m
near enough the lightest i’ve been
— 122kg (19st 3lb). The lightest
i’ve ever been was 121kg in 2016
and hopefully in the last two weeks
i can get lighter.’
Having come through his dark
days of rehabilitation, Vunipola
will spare a thought for Jack
nowell, Henry Slade and Ruaridh
McConnochie, who are all target-
ing a comeback against ireland.
Rookie flanker lewis ludlam
will also be absent because of a
mandatory rest period.
‘in 2015, i had only just started
my international career and when
you are that age you think you
have loads more World Cups com-
ing around,’ said Vunipola, whose
cousin Toby Faletau, the Wales
no 8, has been ruled out of this
year’s tournament in Japan.
‘i’m gutted for Toby and it rein-
forces that any day could be your
last, so you try to enjoy it as much
as you can, and enjoy the games
when you do play. now i’m 28, with
a few more injuries under my belt,
Vunipola sheds pounds ahead of England return
INTERVIEW
by Nik
Simon
who had
etween
hair
for
s
is
me8-year-
warm upENGLAND
v IRELAND
3 DAYS TO GO
Light relief: Vunipola
hopes to regain the
form that demolished
France in February
(below) GETTY IMAGESand for us as a team we have
talked about not taking any-
thing for granted.
‘Every day, i have to make
sure i am doing my best
to improve — and every
time i play, i play like it’s my
last game.’