Even by Manchester United’s standards, the 24 hours from Wednesday to Thursday was newsworthy.
The first team were eliminated from the League Cup by fourth-tier Grimsby Town on penalties. The ‘any port in a storm’ adage simply wasn’t true for United in the fishing town of Grimsby. United were abysmal in the first half and the players need to own that.
Coach Ruben Amorim was emotional in post-match interviews. He’s under serious pressure and support for him is nosediving from fans who have sung his name at games until now. A superb communicator, he doesn’t always express himself as he’d hope when emotional after games and, ultimately, still speaking in a second language.
Amorim has a must-win game against promoted Burnley at Old Trafford on Saturday. But only a week ago, was well within his rights to say that pre-season had gone well and that his team had produced a good performance (and lost) in the opening Premier League match to Arsenal. He and his team need wins over everything else and should have had one at Fulham, but for a missed penalty and the woodwork.
Calm is rare in United’s orbit and the next few days will see none as the transfer window concludes. Alejandro Garnacho, 21, will leave for Chelsea for a £40 million fixed fee plus a profit of any future sell on fee.
The last few days were spent haggling over the terms of the payments once United had got Chelsea up from their original offer of £25 million. United know that had things gone differently they wouldn’t have been selling Garnacho, let alone for £40 million – which is still the fourth highest fee United have got for a player.
He was an exciting academy product who cost only €150,000 after leaving Atletico Madrid. Garnacho scored goals, he played a lot of games, but he and his family made one too many public and private transgressions to be considered suitable material for what Amorim hopes to build with his team.
Fans didn’t like seeing him wearing an Aston Villa shirt, nor his brattish behaviour. It really wasn’t to his benefit for him or his family to be using social media.
Midfielder Kobbie Mainoo, 20, asked to go out on loan on Thursday following a meeting at the Carrington training ground. United won’t agree to this. Mainoo has turned down several offers of an improved contract from United over the past year. He also, not unreasonably, wants to play football. United’s view is that he’s under contract, needs to work hard, fight for his place and prove his coach wrong. United are also trying to address long standing issues of overpaying young players before they’ve reached their potential.
United like Mainoo, but Amorim has long maintained that he needs to do more. Napoli, Newcastle United and Roma all want Mainoo on loan, but United need him as cover and would only likely let him go for a substantial fee, if they can bring in another player who is as good or better than Mainoo, which isn’t easy.
Rasmus Hojlund is the third player who appeared in a wonderful photo of three players sitting on an a pitchside advertising hoarding after a goal at Old Trafford in 2023/24. It’s sad that all three haven’t played a bigger part in United’s future, but when you finish 15th in the league, as United did last season, tough decisions need to be made.
Hojlund, 22, is set to leave since United need money following more than £200 million spent on players this window. The Danish striker was told that United would listen to offers for him three weeks ago, but he has been sidelined ever since. He wants to stay at United but it’s clear that he’s not currently in his coach’s plans. Hojlund has suitors across several countries and is expected to leave.
Bundesliga side RB Leipzig, flush with money after selling Benjamin Sesko, to United, and moving his huge wages off their books, are interested. It’s understood that United value Hojlund at around €50 million, Leipzig around €35 million. A compromise could be reached. AC Milan are also interested in Hojlund, though for a loan with an option to buy rather than a straight purchase.
Newcastle United have expressed interest, as did Fulham, but he was thought to be too expensive for their wage structure. Italian champions Napoli, who could afford his wages, have also shown interest, more so since Romelu Lukaku’s injury.
That was the last 24 hours for United. Who knows what the next will bring?
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10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
The specs
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Top financial tips for graduates
Araminta Robertson, of the Financially Mint blog, shares her financial advice for university leavers:
1. Build digital or technical skills: After graduation, people can find it extremely hard to find jobs. From programming to digital marketing, your early twenties are for building skills. Future employers will want people with tech skills.
2. Side hustle: At 16, I lived in a village and started teaching online, as well as doing work as a virtual assistant and marketer. There are six skills you can use online: translation; teaching; programming; digital marketing; design and writing. If you master two, you’ll always be able to make money.
3. Networking: Knowing how to make connections is extremely useful. Use LinkedIn to find people who have the job you want, connect and ask to meet for coffee. Ask how they did it and if they know anyone who can help you. I secured quite a few clients this way.
4. Pay yourself first: The minute you receive any income, put about 15 per cent aside into a savings account you won’t touch, to go towards your emergency fund or to start investing. I do 20 per cent. It helped me start saving immediately.
Blue%20Beetle
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Countries offering golden visas
UK
Innovator Founder Visa is aimed at those who can demonstrate relevant experience in business and sufficient investment funds to set up and scale up a new business in the UK. It offers permanent residence after three years.
Germany
Investing or establishing a business in Germany offers you a residence permit, which eventually leads to citizenship. The investment must meet an economic need and you have to have lived in Germany for five years to become a citizen.
Italy
The scheme is designed for foreign investors committed to making a significant contribution to the economy. Requires a minimum investment of €250,000 which can rise to €2 million.
Switzerland
Residence Programme offers residence to applicants and their families through economic contributions. The applicant must agree to pay an annual lump sum in tax.
Canada
Start-Up Visa Programme allows foreign entrepreneurs the opportunity to create a business in Canada and apply for permanent residence.
Specs
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Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi
Director: Kangana Ranaut, Krish Jagarlamudi
Producer: Zee Studios, Kamal Jain
Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Ankita Lokhande, Danny Denzongpa, Atul Kulkarni
Rating: 2.5/5
Silent Hill f
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Rating: 4.5/5
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
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Greatest Royal Rumble results
John Cena pinned Triple H in a singles match
Cedric Alexander retained the WWE Cruiserweight title against Kalisto
Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt win the Raw Tag Team titles against Cesaro and Sheamus
Jeff Hardy retained the United States title against Jinder Mahal
Bludgeon Brothers retain the SmackDown Tag Team titles against the Usos
Seth Rollins retains the Intercontinental title against The Miz, Finn Balor and Samoa Joe
AJ Styles remains WWE World Heavyweight champion after he and Shinsuke Nakamura are both counted out
The Undertaker beats Rusev in a casket match
Brock Lesnar retains the WWE Universal title against Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
Braun Strowman won the 50-man Royal Rumble by eliminating Big Cass last
BlacKkKlansman
Director: Spike Lee
Starring: John David Washington; Adam Driver
Five stars
