Prince William continues to put Kate Middleton first.
Indeed, the Prince of Wales recently shared why he was not among Team Great Britain’s supporters in the crowd at the 2024 Paris Olympics and...
MICHAEL CARRICK revealed he congratulated Morgan Rogers on his Champions League success – a year after benching him.
Boro took a punt on the then Man City youngster when paying £1.2 million for him in July 2023.
After initially taking a few weeks to find his feet at the Riverside, the 22-year-old attacker’s form soon picked up and he left the North East club after just six months.
Aston Villa snapped him up in February in a deal that could rise to £15m and he instantly shone on the Premier League stage to help Unai Emery’s side finish fourth.
Now Rogers is starring in the Champions League and was one of Villa’s best performers in Wednesday’s 1-0 victory over Bayern Munich.
It marked a huge 12 month turnaround for the England U21 international as exactly one year to the day earlier he only appeared for the final three minutes of a 2-0 Boro win.
After watching his display against Bayern, his former Boro manager Carrick said: “I actually messaged him and said this time last year you were coming on as sub against Cardiff. It’s probably my fault [he left] for not starting him.
“It’s fantastic to see. We’d have loved to have kept him longer, and I told him that at the time, but the way that he’s kicked on is a credit to him.
“He was a joy to work with and try and help and he’s gone to a whole new level now. Just watching him on Wednesday, he looks so at home and comfortable in them surroundings.
“He’s not fazed by it and he’s getting the recognition he deserves.”
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As part of the deal that took him to Villa, Boro would receive a further payment if Rogers makes an England appearance.
And Carrick backed him to achieve that, saying: “If he keeps doing the right things, for sure.
“I do think that to get in the England squad you have to earn that over time and he’s certainly on track to take that next step as long as he keeps doing the right things. And, at the moment, he’s doing just great.”
Carrick is hoping he can lead his current Boro players to the top-flight to play against Rogers.
They travel to Watford on Saturday, managed by his ex-Man Utd team-mate Tom Cleverley, on the back of successive victories over Stoke and West Brom.
Carrick said: “Of course it’s a test. Every game is a test. I know Tom very well. The work that he’s doing is good.
“They’re a good team and we know we’re in for a tough game. But we’re going there confident within reason and we need to be near our best again to try and get the right result.”
PAUL POGBA will be able to return to Juventus training in just 12 weeks after having his doping ban reduced.
The midfielder was suspended for four years in February after testing positive for the banned substance DHEA.
However, his ban has now been reduced to 18 months by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the Daily Mail report.
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ERIK TEN HAG’S close friend told him to leave Manchester United in the summer.
The Red Devils boss came close to losing his job days after winning the FA Cup in May.
United chiefs considered his position before deciding to continue with Ten Hag at the helm, but poor form this season means the Dutchman is under renewed scrutiny.
He reportedly has one match to save his job and a heavy defeat to Aston Villa on Sunday could see him fired.
Close friend Leon Ten Voorde believes it is a “miracle” Ten Hag is still in his post and revealed he advised him to leave in the summer.
He told the De Ballen Verstand of TC Tubantia podcast: “I advised him to leave last summer. He won the FA Cup, so you leave through the front door.
“He’s had a lot of injuries this past year. But then trainers think: ‘I can turn things around’.
“How long does United think this can go on? That question is now hanging over United and Ten Hag again.
“In general, he is calm and relaxed. But I can’t imagine that this leaves you completely unaffected.”
However Ten Hag is confident he will turn things around at Old Trafford and he has been keen to point out his trophy record at the club.
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He also called for judgement of the team to be reserved until later this season, adding: “We will get there. Don’t judge us in this moment. Judge us at the end of the season.
“We are in the process and we will improve. We are now two seasons where we achieve finals. We have to develop and progress this team…
“We will work and we will continue and we will fight. You see the spirit and the connection between the staff and the team. Between the players, together, there’s a strong spirit.
“We want to achieve and we are in that [same] direction. We have that mentality and spirit-wise, but especially in some defending parts, we have to step up.”
DEAR DEIDRE: I WAS gutted to find out that the son I’ve been raising for six years is not mine after my ex had sex on a hen weekend.
Now my ex has introduced the boy to his biological father and stopped me from seeing him. I’m devastated – I don’t care if he isn’t mine, I have a strong bond with him and love him.
I’m 40 and my ex is 35. We weren’t ever married, and split up just over a year ago.
It was a nasty breakup and shortly after, she told me the child I’d loved since he was born wasn’t my son after all.
I thought she was lying to hurt me, so I got a DNA test done.
My ex got pregnant soon after we met and I never doubted he was my boy. He even looks like me.
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But the test proved that I couldn’t be the father after all. I was so gutted, I fell apart for a while.
At first, my ex let me see him regularly, but then she said I had no right as he isn’t mine.
She stopped my mum and dad and sister seeing him too. They are all in bits.
His little cousin keeps asking why he isn’t around.
I got a solicitor and have been fighting for access ever since.
I know he’s now met his biological dad but, from what I’ve heard, this guy wants nothing to do with him.
What keeps me awake at night is thinking he believes we’ve all abandoned him and that I don’t love him.
I don’t know if he’s been told I’m not his real dad. What would that do to him?
How can I learn to cope with this? And how can I build a relationship with my little boy, even if we don’t share DNA?
MORE FROM DEAR DEIDRE
Deidre says:
What your ex has done is unimaginably cruel, both to you and to her child.
It’s in his best interests to maintain a loving relationship with you, the man who he thinks of as a father, and with his grandparents and wider family.
Being a dad is, as you say, about far more than DNA.
You say you’re fighting for access. If you need more advice and support, please contact Families need Fathers (fnf.org.uk, tel: 0300 0300 363).
You can find further advice through Family Lives (www.familylives.org.uk, tel: 0808 800 2222).
Do consider having counselling. My support pack about this will tell you more.
