Everton defender Ashley Young could be in for a dream family clash in the FA Cup third round when his side take on Peterborough United, where his 18-year-old son Tyler plays.
Peterborough travel to Goodison Park next month with Young keen to see his son in action at the League One club where he made his first senior appearance this season.
“Dreams might come true,” Young said in a post on social media Friday.
A former England international, Young boasts a remarkable total of 724 appearances for top clubs including Watford, Aston Villa, Manchester United and Inter Milan.
The 39-year-old is in a similar situation to LeBron James and his son Bronny, who became the first father-son duo to play together in an NBA regular-season game for the Los Angeles Lakers in October.
The third round will take place around the weekend of Jan. 11-12 and sees the 44 clubs from the Premier League and second-tier Championship enter the competition, joining the 20 lower-league and non-league sides who won in the previous round.
Information from Reuters and The Associated Press was used in this story.
Man United manager Ruben Amorim ‘doesn’t like’ chant from fans
Could Zirkzee be the solution in Man United’s attack? (1:07)
Gab Marcotti and Julien Laurens talk about Joshua Zirkzee’s performance during Manchester United’s 4-0 win over Everton. (1:07)
Rob Dawson, CorrespondentDec 2, 2024, 06:01 PM
Ruben Amorim has said he is uncomfortable with Manchester United fans singing his name and would rather they showed their support for the players rather than the coach.
United supporters have been singing “Ruben Amorim” to the tune of “Give It Up” by KC and the Sunshine Band since the Portuguese head coach’s first game in charge against Ipswich Town. The song could be heard all over Old Trafford during the 4-0 win over Everton on Sunday.
While Amorim is happy fans have already taken to him after just three weeks in the job, he insisted he would prefer if chants were used to support the players.
“I don’t like my chant, I don’t like it,” Amorim said.
“I feel a little bit, not embarrassed, but because I’m the coach, they have to chant for the players and for the club. So it’s not a good thing for me.
“I understand and really appreciate the connection with the supporters but I want them to support the team and the players because they are on the pitch and I’m outside the pitch.
“But I am really honoured by that, I feel a connection with the supporters but we know we need results to maintain that.”
Amorim is facing his biggest test yet as United manager when he takes his team to face Arsenal at the Emirates on Wednesday.
He’s been boosted by the availability of Bruno Fernandes, who is set to make the trip despite receiving treatment for an ankle injury after the win over Everton.
Leny Yoro could also make his competitive debut after recovering from the broken foot he suffered during the preseason tour of the United States.
Yoro, who signed for £52.2 million ($63 million) from Lille in the summer, has missed the last four months but Amorim is expecting the 19-year-old Frenchman to be part of the squad against Arsenal.
“I feel he is in a good moment now, his fitness is better, so I think he is going to be in the squad,” Amorim said.
“I think he’s a special talent, you have to be careful in this first moment, because we didn’t have too many training [sessions] together. He is training not alone, but with a small group of players.
“He is really fast, a modern defender and that is good when you want to press high and you leave a lot of strikers one against one.
“I think he can manage that. I think he is very good with the ball. I am really excited. I have to be careful, we have to manage the loads, the minutes in the beginning but I am really excited to see Leny Yoro playing.”
VAR coach challenges to be trialed in new competitions
Dale Johnson, General Editor, ESPN FCDec 2, 2024, 09:36 PM
The International Football Association Board (IFAB) on Monday approved expanded trials of Football Video Support (FVS), an alternative VAR system which gives coaches the chance to challenge decisions.
FVS, which was used at the U20 and U17 FIFA Women’s World Cups this year, was initially given the green light for testing by the IFAB in March as a cost-effective alternative to VAR.
Pierluigi Collina, the chairman of FIFA’s referees’ committee, told ESPN last month that he would be making an application at the IFAB’s Annual Business Meeting in London to have trials in more competitions.
Rather than reviews being overseen and controlled only by an official acting as a video assistant referee, FVS gives coaches the chance to make up to two challenges per match if they feel an error has been made.
At present, the challenge system is only intended for use in leagues with fewer resources, ideally with no more than four cameras, rather than top divisions like the Premier League. It could be used in a competition like the Women’s Super League, which has problems using VAR due to the wide-ranging size and type of stadiums used.
“We are at the beginning of the trial and the experiences at both the U20 and U17 FIFA Women’s World Cup will be carefully analysed but so far, we haven’t noticed anything unexpected,” Collina told ESPN. “Several FIFA member associations already showed the interest to participate to the trial.
“Making clear that FVS is not VAR is critical, in particular in terms of expectation. Because of the limited number of cameras, FVS won’t be able to show what VAR can show. Offside is an example: without cameras properly positioned, only clear offside can be spotted. This makes the on-field decision important too.
“FVS is designed to work with a limited camera set up, ideally up to four to five. With more cameras, the process of checking all of the footage and available angles may become very long as, and differently from VAR, there are not any video match officials selecting those clips to be seen by the referee.”
With FVS the coach makes a challenge to a decision and the referee then goes to the side of the pitch to view a replay of the incident. Unlike with VAR, there is only a replay operator who cues up the video. The match referee alone then assesses his own decision and isn’t told he has made a clear and obvious error in advance.
The IFAB was also presented with update to a trial which addresses goalkeepers holding the ball for too long, and sees the opposition given a corner or throw-in (two separate trials) if it is held for more than eight seconds after they have clear control. Premier League 2, a competition for the 25 clubs with “Category One” academies, has been part of this trial.
Also discussed was the trial which sees only the captain able to speak to the referee, trials involving public announcements after lengthy VAR checks and VAR reviews, developments in relation to semi-automated offside technology and the use of referee body cameras.
The IFAB’s Annual General Meeting on March 1 will take the next decisions in relation to these trials, and confirm any amendments to the Laws, to take effect from next July.
