Champions League great Jaap Stam has called on Ruben Amorim to get the time he needs to come good at the Dutchman’s former club Manchester United and believes his struggles suggest Erik Ten Hag wasn’t the core of the problems at Old Trafford. In an exclusive interview with SpaceportSweden, the retired Premier League winner also suggested that Arne Slot could already have the right player to step into the void that would be left by Mohamed Salah should the Egyptian leave Liverpool this summer. He also responded to Cristiano Ronaldo’s recent claim to being the greatest player of all-time as well as the comments by Gary Neville that identified Stam as a United legend, a label that the Dutchman himself is not so sure about. Read the full interview below. Ruben Amorim needs more time and support from Manchester United to be the success he was appointed to be We can see that Ruben Amorim is playing with a new system, they go from wing back to wing back and they’re not using the midfield in the build up or to create enough opportunities. They don’t try to find players between the lines and it’s difficult to watch at times. The manager has lost a lot of games and you can see him asking his players to press on the touchline. They don’t always do that because the opposition is clever and that is how they want United to play. Amorim needs more time, it was a difficult moment when Erik ten Hag left and from what I read he wanted to take over as manager in the summer, working with these players is not bringing him joy at the moment. The club needs to get to the summer and they need to back the manager. He needs support from the club if he is to be a success. However, if things keep going the same way then it will get very difficult for Amorim.  Everyone speaks well of Ruben Amorim and his interviews and press conferences, but we need to be realistic about what we have seen on the pitch. Performances have been far from convincing and Manchester United keep losing games, they are so inconsistent and things have to turn around. Ruben Amorim’s struggles shows that the manager wasn’t the only problem at Manchester United during the Ten Hag period When a manager leaves and the team continues to struggle, sometimes coaches might look at the situation and consider themselves right. But I don’t think Erik ten Hag will be like that, it just tells you that it’s not only the manager that is the issue but how the team is constructed. You have to look at how decisions are made to bring players in in terms of having the right level of quality and intensity to be a Manchester United player. Quality elsewhere is no guarantee that they will be able to turn up and perform with a new manager and more has to be done when signing new players. Manchester United’s owners need to stick by Ruben Amorim and get him to the summer — starting the job mid-season wasn’t his idea in the first place Ruben Amorim will already be thinking about getting to the summer to start fresh with new players and his own ideas and have time to get those ideas across to players. He can use pre-season and weeks behind the scenes on training sessions and working on his system. First he needs to get through this tough period. I was once due to become Clarence Seedorf’s assistant at AC Milan in the summer but he was asked to start earlier after the team was struggling and the manager was sacked in the middle of the season. Things didn’t go to plan and he was also sacked before the season was over, so his job was gone and my job as an assistant manager was gone too. Things can change very quickly in football so you cannot afford to look too far forward. But hopefully the owners at Manchester United are not like they were at AC Milan at that time. Jamie Carragher had a nice complement for Virgil van Dijk Jamie Carragher saying that Virgil van Dijk is better than the highest level of football is a nice compliment for him, he is one of the top defenders in the world at the moment and it’s good to praise players when they are doing well. Van Dijk is doing outstanding work and he is so important for his team-mates and them playing well will give him even more confidence. It makes him look even better as a defender. Gary Neville calls me a Manchester United legend – I don’t think I can agree I like Gary Neville and it was nice to hear his opinion of me as a defender, he is a very honest and outspoken person too so I take that as a big compliment. When it comes to being a legend of Manchester United, I always consider that I only played for the club for three seasons. I think a true legend needs to play for six or seven years at the same club and perform at their highest level in every season. I appreciate how highly Gary thinks of me, but it’s difficult to speak about yourself as a player. I do know that I was rated very highly when I was at the club because people spoke about me and my performances all over the world. It’s nice when people talk about you after you have retired also, it means they haven’t forgotten about you. Cody Gakpo can replace Mohamed Salah as Liverpool’s star man It’s incredible how well Mohamed Salah is performing still, he has been outstanding for several seasons. For Cody Gakpo, this is his first consistent season of being an important player for the club which is normal when you arrive in a new country. He has been very impressive and I see a player that is full of confidence with a physicality and a presence. He takes players on and creates opportunities and scores goals. I would like to see him take over from Salah as Liverpool’s star but he still needs to prove that he has that consistency week in and week out. I cannot agree with Cristiano Ronaldo that he is the best player of all time I cannot agree with Cristiano Ronaldo that he is the best player of all time. You have to consider Diego Maradona, Lionel Messi, Pele, Johan Cruyff and other players who are talented in different ways. Ronaldo is of course up there with the best players of all time, even at the age of 40 he is playing at a high level and is so fit and is still scoring goals. It’s unbelievable the level of football that he is still at and he deserves a lot of credit, he built up his career in Portugal and went to the UK, Spain, you name it. He has written history and changed how he plays during his career. Having said that, I can’t agree that he is the best player in history. A lot of people prefer Lionel Messi but you have to have respect for Ronaldo and what he has brought to the world of football. He has such a presence and is up there with the best ever. Johnny Herbert: Max Verstappen is showing how brilliant he truly is, Lewis Hamilton needs a big race in China to keep control at Ferrari and how George Russell must respond to Toto Wolff’s next great project Kimi Antonelli Johnny Herbert has called upon Lewis Hamilton to up his game or risk becoming a secondary concern for Ferrari after his disappointing debut in Australia in an interview with SpaceportSweden. Speaking ahead of the second race of the season in China, Herbert also touched upon the impressive showing by Max Verstappen to keep competing despite the problems at Red Bull. The former F1 driver also gave advice to George Russell over what he needs to do to keep ahead of Kimi Antonelli, the young starlet who has the favour of Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff. Read the full interview below. Question: What did you make of Melbourne as a curtain raiser? Johnny Herbert: The order of running was almost the same as towards the end of last year with the McLarens, the Red Bulls and the Mercedes dominating. The one who probably threw a little bit of a spanner in the works, was Williams with both cars being in the top 10 on the grid. Lewis Hamilton’s unhappy debut is an opportunity for Charles LeClerc who has already seen off one great Ferrari before Johnny Herbert: The one thing we did learn was how quick Lewis’s teammate Charles LeClerc is.  I always go back to when he first came into Ferrari when Sebastian Vettel was there, and Charles took over that team. He’s very strong mentally. The concrete has really set for him within the team. Lewis was very happy after the little bit of testing they’ve done with the car. But the Ferrari didn’t  perform as well as we all expected it to.  It is up to Lewis now to chip away at Charles who passed him at the end of the race. From a racing point of view he is the man who is more comfortable in the cockpit.  We are now going to have to see how Lewis responds. Ferrari are making bad decisions to undermine the potential of their driver ticket this season — no wonder Lewis was upset with them Johnny Herbert: There were decisions made and strategy calls which were wrong. We’ve seen that before from Ferrari. It has got a lot better. But they made the wrong call in Melbourne. That’s something they’ve got to get on top of. Lewis was very vocal which is interesting. It’s going to be interesting to watch. Modern-day engineering – radio communication has got to work both ways and Lewis was very much sort of, ‘I know, I know, I know.’  It did seem fairly obvious that rain was coming! They stayed out there way too long. And then by that point, when the rain came, they were done.  They were never going to be able to come back from it. It was a fundamental call to get the weather communications in a better place. Red Bull, Mercedes and McLaren got it right. Lewis needs a big performance in China or he could lose his grip on being the lead driver at Ferrari to LeClerc Johnny Herbert: It was an important weekend this time out in Australia too. It was very instructive. Charles does seem to be very happy with the situation that he’s in. He’s comfortable with the car at the moment, although it is not competitive enough at the present time. That is where Lewis has got to be able to put the pressure on, and by putting the pressure on, I mean beating him. That’s what we need to start to see in China. It is early days, and the conditions were not great, but that’s no excuse.  Lewis will be very frustrated with his performance. He needs to raise his game. He’s aware of it. We’re all aware of it, and I’m sure Ferrari are aware of it. But he’s up against a very competitive younger man in Leclerc. Lewis must learn from Schumacher’s example over how to tame the monster that is Ferrari Johnny Herbert: He would have made his feelings known. But the cockpit is not always the right place to do it. We have seen it from Michael in the past. I think the time to do it is actually when you have your debrief, and then you really have to try and iron it out and make sure everybody’s very aware that we can’t make this mistake again. Anthony Hamilton showed what a great environment he built to make Lewis the right kind of champion in how he comforted Isack Hadjar Johnny Herbert: I think what he did was lovely. It just showed that thought process that he’s had with coming through different ranks with Lewis and then he sees that happen to another driver and he’s there and he wants to put an arm around him and give him some kind words.  I think it just shows he’s got the right emotional intelligence. It’s not something you see very often, another father especially going up to another driver. I think it was kind, and I think it was lovely and hopefully that’s something that he will be able to take that positive energy with the words that he said to him in a difficult situation.  Good on Anthony for doing that. It’s a shame because Hadjar did really well in qualifying on a circuit that’s really hard to get a lap time out of. It’s a really good test for the drivers. The biggest thing as he mentioned was the embarrassment of going off on his way to the grid for his first Grand Prix.  He just needs to harness all the positivity surrounding him. It is an experience, it’s a harsh hard experience but I think he’s got a lot of positives to take from it and I think he will carry those through into China. Dr Marko Helmut called Hadjar’s emotions embarrassing but all will be forgotten as he learns from what happened in Australia Johnny Herbert: It is hard and the expectations are always very high. And when you do make those mistakes, it doesn’t matter if it was on the formation lap or lap one or lap 10, there’s always a certain amount of embarrassment because you crashed the car.  Tears aren’t something we see very often. The biggest tears I remember was Rubens Barrichello when he won his first race at Ferrari, and he was pouring his eyes out when he was on the podium. It’s nice to see emotion every now and again. We’ve all done things that we’re embarrassed about. I know you can look at tears as a negative and say, ’You can’t be emotional in F1, and you’ve got to be hard.’ All the characters in the sport are different, every single driver on that grid. Max is very harsh, and you don’t really see that sort of emotion from him. You don’t see that much emotion from Lewis.  Some show it, others didn’t.  Michael Schumacher never did. He was inscrutable! Hadjar will learn from this. He will take on board the type of comments from Helmut and he’ll make sure he won’t get himself in that situation again.  It’ll get forgotten very, very quickly. Kimi Antonelli proved he is the first among equals among F1’s rookies this year Johnny Herbert: He’s had a very good test schedule in the run up to this first Grand Prix. Kimi did a really positive job, and his pace was pretty much on par or thereabouts with George. So, there are really good signs. Considering the tricky conditions, he kept himself out of trouble. He put himself in the right places at the right time and was able to capitalize on it.  Thankfully, he didn’t get the five second penalty for the unsafe release, which is when they saw some extra video which cleared him. When you have that review you have to have something that’s new.  Overturning the five second penalty was the right decision. It’s clear why Toto Wolff sees Antonelli as his project Johnny Herbert: We’d seen it in his F3 and his F2. It’s something that Toto has been very keen on. But it’s only one race, because we all know that it’s down to doing it every single time at every single track that you go to. But in those tricky conditions he’s got the chance in a car that does seem to be a little bit more competitive.  With George and now with Kimi hopefully they’re going to be in a stronger position as the races go by. What happened with Liam Lawson? Johnny Herbert: It didn’t really happen for him at all. You have got to say that is a bit of a worry. It didn’t happen this weekend. Yes, it’s the first race. But fundamentally the pace wasn’t quite there, especially in qualifying and then of course he had the mistake in the race itself, which is always something that doesn’t go down very well.  People might say it was really tricky. Yes, it was, but they’ve had so much experience from their karting days, Formula 3, Formula 2, they have been in a Formula 1 car before. So, it’s not as if it’s the first time they’ve experienced it. But there are those extra little pressures that come into play. It’s something that you see where once again your teammate is doing a good job and you’re struggling that little bit.  It’s a mental game as we all know. Hopefully the support mechanism at Red Bull will be able to put an arm around his shoulders and give him that reassurance that everybody is behind him. But at the end of the day, you have to deliver. It is now on him from China right through to the end of the season. He cannot make those sorts of mistakes. The pressure is on him to perform.  Tsunoda had a strong weekend after being overlooked by Red Bull in the summer Johnny Herbert: He did very well and got some positive comments from Helmut Marko and rightly so. He showed a lot of raw pace, did it once again in qualifying, and he has improved himself as the years have gone by. So, it was good to see that performance from him, especially in qualifying. It’s something hopefully that Racing Bulls can capitalise on, especially in the early part of the season. Have Red Bull made a mistake by choosing Lawson ahead of Tsunoda? Johnny Herbert: We are going to have to wait and see. It’s always going to be down to the driver, who’s got to be able to perform.  Lawson has done 11 grand prix. He has got to raise his game. He’s got to be able to grab it by the scruff of the neck and deliver. Because if he doesn’t, then in a very short space of time, suddenly all those negative comments start to come out. And they start to get into your head. And then you have a double mental problem trying to get the best out of the car. Verstappen had said the Red Bull wasn’t going to be really competitive, so he must be pleased with how things turned out? Johnny Herbert: He drove brilliantly. He really did have that bit between his teeth. He was very aware that they have not quite got the car to beat McLaren at this particular time.  But it is Max Verstappen and Max will always be in the mix. They’re not a million miles away, they are not far away and if they had a little bit of luck this weekend it could have been a very different story.  He’s a real champion and you can’t write him off. He’s going to be there with thereabouts in China and the races after that. He will fight to the death. You can’t rule him out.  The performance of the car wasn’t that faraway. That’s why he was only a second behind Lando going over the line. Poor old Jack Doohan was desperately keen to make an impression on his home track, but it didn’t go well did it? Johnny Herbert: He made an impression, it was just the wrong impression! He did very well throughout the weekend going to qualify with all the pressure on him and all the ramblings about Colapinto and Flavio Briatore. Then unfortunately it went a bit awry for him in the race. These are the best drivers in the world with the best cars in the world and you can’t make those mistakes. That goes for all the other drivers who did make mistakes, even Carlos Sainz. There were a lot of other drivers that didn’t go off the circuit. Kimi didn’t go off the circuit and he was one of the least experienced guys on the track. Given how many of the rookies struggled in Australia, is F1 having too much of a good thing by pushing so much youth into the mix? Johnny Herbert: No, it is good. It’s good to see the next generation that are there. You have two guys. Lewis and Fernando who are towards the end of their careers and you want to see these young whipper snappers come in.  We have seen some really good talent come through F3 and F2 over the last couple of years. Bortoletto is one of those. He did a good job in qualifying. It didn’t work out for them in the race, and he was another one that made a mistake. He impressed me. Kimi did a great job in the race so that’s good to see and he’s in a high- pressure team. Bortoleto’s not. so there’s a little bit less pressure and less expectation. Some guys are able to jump in a car and do the job straight away. This new generation is something that is only going to be exciting for the future and we’ve got a good few talented young ones who are going to be in a hot seat at some point in their careers. What did you make of Mercedes overall? Johnny Herbert: All I would say is they were quite literally in the same position as they were last year in many respects. It wasn’t really a jump forward. But it was the normal order of things in the top 10. Alpine probably dropped out. One of the worst ones was Hass. They were the ones who completely dropped off the radar compared to where they were last year.  That was a bit of a disaster for Ollie Bearman. And for him, with all the positive stuff that we had in his first race at Ferrari, all the positive stuff with those couple of races that he had with Haas and then he had a nightmare over this weekend. But it’s one of these situations where you’ve got to go, ‘It was tough, it’s done, let’s reset and start again.’ Bearman has shown that he’s got the strength to get through it. The biggest challenge he’s going to have is fighting against Ocon. That’s really what he’s got to focus on, because they’re not in position at the moment where points are probably going to be available. All he can aim to do is beat his teammate. What was your biggest takeout from the weekend?  Johnny Herbert: I think it was Lando and his maturity which shone. That’s something that we wanted to see. Even he was critical of himself last year. But it looks as if he’s really, really worked hard to put himself in this position. I think this is where he’s suddenly going to be taking control of the situation that he that Max had control of last year. So this is a really important time for Norris to be able to capitalize and take control of this and put pressure on Max for the first time. Before it was the other way around. He’s now going to be the one who’s the hunted instead of doing the hunting. That’s a positive thing for him because I think he’s more than capable of coping with being hunted. He’s got a teammate who’s hunting him in his own garage, as well and one (Max) next door. That’s only a good thing and with everything that I saw this weekend I thought he was brilliant. I know it’s early days, but from what we’ve seen can McLaren take both titles? Johnny Herbert: Yep. Nothing has changed! This is a great opportunity for them given what is coming in 2026. This is their time. Lando to win, Oscar second. He’s really going to be very hungry to keep himself in the mix. He probably isn’t really thinking so much about Max. I reckon he’d be thinking about Lando. If he beats him, then he wins the championship.  Third Max.  Four is George. He has such a confident way about him. He beat Kimi who always has Toto’s arm around him.  He’s really taken to being number 1. Kimi could well finish fifth  How does George deal with all this fawning over Antonelli? Johnny Herbert: Be himself. George is just very confident, he knows why he’s there, he knows how to work within the Mercedes system, he knows how to apply himself out of the cockpit, he knows how to apply himself when he gets in the cockpit. He’s super confident. Some people think it’s arrogance. What’s wrong with being arrogant? Max has got arrogance, Michael had arrogance. Senna too. They’ve all got arrogance, and you need a certain amount of arrogance. It’s about how you  put it out to the world to see and George I think does it very well for the world to see. That’s what we are now seeing from Lando too. George has always had this confidence. Lando is growing into that.  George is very aware of Kimi and Toto. But George has had a wonderful experience with him, with Lewis. It’s a positive thing for Mercedes; one guy who’s taking over the mantle and they can focus on hopefully maturing Kimi. It will be very tough for Kimi because George is always the one who’s the leader of the team. The toughest part for the Kimi is how do you beat George? On the track yes, but you’ve got to beat him in the garage, you’ve got to beat him in the debriefs, you’ve got to beat him back at the factory. And that’s where George comes across someone who’s a very hard nut to crack.

Christian Danner: Schumacher’s nasty tricks wouldn’t be legal now, Norris no longer intimidated by Verstappen and Hamilton looks lost in a Ferrari

  In an exclusive interview with SpaceportSweden, retired Formula One driver Christian Danner, who is a commentator for German TV channel RTL, backs McLaren for the upcoming China and Japan Grand Prixs. The German, who drove for Jaguar Racing and Arrows BMW, believes Red Bull will still suffer this season from the Christian Horner investigation, which cleared him of any wrongdoing. Danner, who also competed at Le Mans, said he could understand why British racing legend Johnny Herbert couldn’t stand ‘arrogant’ Ralf Schumacher. He added that Michael Schumacher was unpopular with other drivers because of his behaviour on the track. Schumacher’s wife, Corinna, and son, Mick, don’t talk about the icon’s tragic ski crash in 2013 at all, he added. And Danner has vowed never to talk to the “terrible” race director who made him the first ever Formula One driver to be disqualified for dangerous driving. Q: What did we learn from the Melbourne GP? CD: “I like these kinds of races and how you are watching drivers who master conditions, and drivers who don’t. That’s where it becomes visible for the general public. “It’s not a video game, it’s very different and you can crash old or young. “I learned Hamilton is not on top of this situation at all, yet. “He didn’t look like he knew what he was doing, it was too much for him in the race. He was struggling obviously and had a lot to catch. “But it was a perfect start for Lando Norris. It was a different Norris compared to last year, very few mistakes and he was not intimidated by Max Verstappen. He was a much stronger person psychologically.” Q: Who comes out on top at the China GP and Japan GP? CD: “In China it’s very early in the year so there might be cold, bad weather there. In Japan it’s the same thing, they may have fairly cold weather at this time of the year so we will see. “I don’t like to predict in detail too because we’ve got four teams, McLaren, Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari, and they’re all close enough to each other to actually have a thorough race with each other. “So my prediction is that there is an advantage at McLaren at this moment in time. Whether they can use it or not depends on a lot of things, and luckily the opposition are close enough that the racing is most probably going to be good.” Q: After those, we have the infamous Saudi Arabia track. Who are you backing for that? CD: “In Saudi Arabia, it’s a street circuit and it’s fairly high speed. “If you have a car that works properly then you’re fast everywhere, as McLaren did last season. For me the question is not so much who’s going to win it, but how.  “Look at Hamilton and Leclerc at Ferrari. This is going to be very, very interesting because the Ferrari is a car that’s quite predictable, quite nice to drive.  “Leclerc is fantastic and you’ve got Hamilton there trying to establish himself as the new superstar, and these sort of things I’m following much more than simply who is going to win the race.” Q: What are you expecting from Lewis Hamilton in a Ferrari this season?  CD: “Hamilton is a very strong character and a very special character too. The way he introduced himself to Ferrari was done in a very Hamilton way with all the pictures and the fashion, him being in red. “It was a bit theatrical but it was nice to watch. And it was well made, typical Lewis. So far he’s done everything extremely well. He’s got himself a flat in Milan, he’s learning to speak Italian. It’s all fantastic.  “But what counts is the lap time and that’s where problems are going to arise for him because it’s not going to be easy to beat Leclerc, he is not going to be covered by Niki Lauda, Toto Wolff or the British press any longer.  “Italians are very emotional and they’re exceptionally direct, if there is something they don’t like they will say it because Ferrari are more than a racing team. “So if Lewis is struggling they will let him know that this is not what they wanted. It’s going to be a whole lot of new experiences for Lewis, living in a different environment, professionally living in a different environment, you know.” Q: Do you think he can win a record eighth title in a Ferrari?  CD: “Well, in a way, I hope Hamilton wins because it would be history in the making. “But is it very likely? No, it’s not very likely as far as I’m concerned. I don’t think it’s very likely he’s going to win the championship, clearly not in the first year.  “In the second year we will have to find out and see, however.” Q: Do you think it would be bad for the sport if Verstappen won this season easily? CD: “It is clearly not bad for Formula One to have a driver dominate the season, just look back at the Schumacher years.  “He started from pole and won the race. He did one pitstop, two pit stops, four pit stops, and he still won the race, year after year.  “Was that a problem for Formula One? No, it wasn’t. It was maybe a little boring, but it depends on your point of view.  “I’m talking to a lot of people over here who tell me that these years were really interesting.  Did it do any harm to Formula One? Clearly not.  “Any domination period of a driver is a piece of Formula One history and the fact that you can actually witness how he’s performing is absolutely fantastic because one of the best drivers in the world is proving and showing his talents. That’s great to watch. “It’s never boring and it doesn’t do any harm at all.” Q: Do you think Verstappen will go on to win more titles than Schumacher and Hamilton? CD: “There are a few guys like Fernando Alonso who should have won a minimum five or six world championships, but he didn’t for whatever reasons. From his own way of treating teams to bad luck. “So you can never say that this is going to happen or that Verstappen is going to win another three titles. You can’t predict that.” Q: Who do you think the surprise package will be this season?  CD: “The surprise packages might actually turn out to be two teams, Williams and Alpine. Carlos Sainz did a very good job at Ferrari and he is going to continue doing a good job at Williams.  “Whether the car is actually fast enough or not, we can’t know. The same applies to Alpine. I think from a technical point of view, they are the team with more potential because they’ve got a very good technical director with a very good updated wind tunnel. “Flavio Briatore shuffles the money and keeps everything under control in his very own style.” Q: Do you think either of those could finish in the top five?  CD: Well you have Ferrari, McLaren, Red Bull, and Mercedes. Red Bull and Mercedes, as far as we can actually see, only have one competitive car. Is Lawson going to beat Verstappen? Not very likely.  “Is Kimi Antonelli going to beat George Russell? Very unlikely. They might be at the same level occasionally, but I think it’ll be difficult.  “So from a constructor’s point of view, they are not going to get the maximum amount of points. McLaren will, Ferrari will and Alpine will.  “With Williams, probably more than Alpine, from a driver’s point of view they have a good chance because they’re more at the same level, the drivers they have.” Q: What was your experience like with Michael Schumacher?  CD: “I knew Michael quite well. I retired from Formula One a year and a half before he started.  “So from a generation point of view, we were quite close together. I have had the pleasure to follow his career doing my job as TV expert and commentator for German television, and I actually saw him all the way through his career. It was very, very impressive. “As usual in Formula One it does take a superior driver, but any wonderful driver is not going to get anywhere without a wonderful team and a wonderful car.  “And the way he got it together was outstanding. People used to say it was Schumacher who did all the motivational work. Well yes, fine, let him motivate you, but you do need the Ross Brawns and the Rory Byrnes of this world to build you a car that’s fast enough. “Hamilton didn’t win the championship because he was just driving faster than anybody else. He won it because he had a superior engine in a superior car.  “And of course he drove immaculately well. So it’s a team thing.” Q: What was Michael like in person behind the scenes?  CD: “Well on the track, Schumacher was occasionally quite nasty. In his manoeuvres he was quite unfair. “Just listen to what Mika Hakkinen has to say and what other people like friends or Nick Heidfeld have to say. “You just have to watch how many people he drove off the track. He used a lot of nasty tricks, which are luckily not allowed anymore because they were seriously dangerous. “In that respect he wasn’t a very popular man among the other drivers at all actually. I can only see that and say I think it was probably not fair.   “But to watch him drive a car was such a pleasure because he had such car control and such a specific driving style which was very hard. It was an incredibly intense driving style.  “He could go faster than others because of his way of driving. It’s difficult to explain but I adored him for that. And from a human aspect, I always got on with him. We weren’t close friends because his social life was rather different to mine.  “He had a different group of friends and a different lifestyle and everything. But I did get on with him very well whenever we met, whenever we had a chat or whenever we did something together which happened occasionally because for the past 27 years, I actually traveled to every single Grand Prix.  “It’s the Formula One family thing, you kind of run into the same people all over again. In that respect I got on with Michael quite well.” Q: Have you spoken to any of the Schumacher family since the tragic accident? CD: “Last year in Monza I spoke to Corinna, sometimes a little bit to Mick. I’ve known Corinna ever since she was Heinz-Harald Frentzen’s girlfriend, so it goes way back. “Whenever we see each other, we say hello and we have a coffee together. It’s the Formula One family.  “Don’t forget, no matter how old you are and from which generation Formula One you’re coming from, there are not many people in this world who’ve actually been there and who did it in a way we did. “There is a bond between the Formula One people, even when they have retired. From the driver’s point of view, the bond is much better once the driver has retired.   “A lot of guys from the 1980s I have a very good relationship with, which I never had when I was racing.  “I spoke to David Coulthard a few times about that, and when he retired, it took him about a year to understand that.  “It’s not an ongoing fight or an ongoing war, it’s actually quite nice. We are a very privileged group of people, the ex-Formula One people, the drivers in particular, but also the families as I just mentioned.  “But Corinna and Mick don’t talk about the accident. It’s their way of handling the issue. Q: Johnny Herbert said he liked Michael but couldn’t stand Ralf Schumacher, what did you make of those comments? CD: “I know Herbert quite well because we were racing each other and we actually spent a good time of our racing lives together in Japan.  “We had a great time together and a lot of laughs but some hiccups in our careers with a lot of ups and downs. I’m very fond of Herbert because he’s got a very good way of absorbing things and observing things.  “I’m quite close with Ralph although he’s not a friend of mine because he lives in South Africa and he lives in Saint Tropez. He’s got his partner and it’s all a very different world to my world. But I respect him.   “I talk to him on the phone occasionally, and I can say that Ralph is for me a lot easier to deal with than Michael was. So for me it’s more the opposite to what Herbert is saying. “But I see what Herbert is saying because Ralph had in his career a few arrogant periods, let’s put it that way. At this moment in time, he’s clearly over it and I actually enjoy talking to him.  “We exchange opinions sometimes on Formula One because he’s working for TV, I’m working for TV. There is a cooperation between our two TV stations, so we are in the same environment.  “So even if I disagree sometimes with what he’s saying, because he’s sometimes very hard, very strict, we get on with him perfectly well and he’s got a good sense of humor, which I think always helps.” Q: Marc Surer said recently it was a scandal that you have German brands in Formula One, but not a Grand Prix. Do you agree? CD: “I think it’s a disaster and a scandal that Germany doesn’t have a Formula One Grand Prix. I couldn’t care less whether it’s Hockenheimring or Nurburgring or wherever, it’s terribly bad not to have a Grand Prix in Germany. “The reasons are clear in Germany, there is no public money spent on motor racing at all. So that means that all the other countries in Europe take their money from the areas in the regions like in Belgium and Barcelona and so forth to actually pay the fees. “But In Germany, this is not happening. It’s not allowed.”   “So in that respect, you can’t have enough money to have a German Grand Prix which is in itself a huge disaster because other sports like football are fine, they get all the money they want. A new stadium? A piece of cake.” Q: Are there any new locations in the world you would like to see on the Formula One calendar?  CD: “I’d much rather see less than more because I am absolutely convinced that we are running too many already. 24 is hardcore.  “I think what’s happening is we’re diluting the whole soup a little bit. I fully understand Formula One for what they’re doing because they are making a more profitable business model, which is what they’re doing and they’re doing it extremely well.  “However, as a motor racing fan I’d much rather see more European races. I’d much rather see less races in total. I could happily live with 18 races.” Q: Do you think Red Bull’s off-track problems last year could carry over to this season? CD: “The investigation gave them a lot of trouble and a lot of problems within the team. The serious problem is Adrian Newey. Losing Adrian means a lot more to a team than you think in the first moment because I know Adrian really well, he was working with me in Formula Two.  “He has more talent than most of the others, and also one of the few who’s actually done the whole thing from chassis to suspension to aero. Plus the packaging underneath the skin of the car. “He’s a wonderful character and he’s extremely good at what he’s doing. The way he’s thinking is very special. So to come back to your question, the answer is yes, Red Bull are going to suffer big time from the fact that he’s not there anymore.” Q: You were the first driver to be disqualified for dangerous driving. How do you feel about that now?  CD: “Well I don’t look back in anger. I still feel that they treated me very unfairly and the person who did it, the race director, is still alive and I know him.  “So ever since that day, he is not for me, he’s just terrible. I never forgive him, never, ever. It was a big mistake.  “But is there anything I have to complain about now? No. I have had a career which brought me from Renault 5 Racing to Formula One. I’ve done Le Mans and IndyCars, and ovals and street circuits, and I did everything there is out there without a scar. I’m alive.  “I don’t have any broken legs and I don’t have any broken necks. I’m healthy and I’m still enjoying myself in this environment.   “So if I look back, With a sour feeling to the fact that Jackie Hicks disqualified me in Monaco, it’s the wrong approach. I’m happy to look ahead and I’m proud of what I’ve done and what I’ve achieved. Q: Do you think Hamilton will feel the same way about the director, Michael Masi, from Abu Dhabi in 2021?  CD: “Hamilton will never forget it and I think he shouldn’t. I got on with Masi really well, and I spoke to him after all the scandals and everything. “But what he did was just wrong. It was Hamilton’s championship, and he took it away from him. As far as I’m concerned, there was no reason for him to do it.  “So I’d understand if he has bitter feelings about it, but if Lewis looks back to what he’s done in his career, he’s earned so much money, had so many successful weekends and wonderful moments. “There is no reason for him to be bitter about it. He can be angry, sure but if you look back, everything as far as Lewis is concerned ran pretty damn well.”

Ex-Red Bull chief Richard Hopkins: Arrogant Schumacher stopped inviting me for coffee, Hamilton has gone to Ferrari to tick a box but will struggle and Daniel Ricciardo could have won Verstappen’s titles but he’s damaged goods now

Richard Hopkins, Head of Operations at Red Bull from 2013 to 2015, told SpaceportSweden he predicts the winner of this weekend’s Melbourne GP will win the championship. He said success changed “manipulative” Formula One great Michael Schumacher, comparing the transformation to Elon Musk’s rise to power. Schumacher was a brilliant person but a terrible sportsman, he added. Hopkins, who worked at Mclaren from 1992 to 2007 as a mechanic and later parts and logistics manager, thinks Williams will be the surprise package this season. And he believes Ayrton Senna is the GOAT of Formula One, claiming he’d have cost Schumacher some of his titles had he stayed alive. Hopkins now lives in Australia, where he is the founder and director of P-ONE Technology. What are you expecting from Lewis Hamilton in a Ferrari? “I don’t necessarily think Lewis Hamilton has gone to Ferrari for the money, he doesn’t need more money. I’m sure he’s being paid at Ferrari what he was being paid at Mercedes, or anywhere else for that matter. “I think Hamilton has gone there for the Michael Schumacher factor, for one. “I think he wants to tick the Ferrari box, because every Formula One driver wants to drive for Ferrari. It is Ferrari. Maybe he believes with his experience and seven world championships under his belt, he can be part of a change at Ferrari like Schumacher was back in the day, but I personally think he may struggle with the culture. “Similar to when Ayrton Senna left McLaren to go to Williams although okay, the car wasn’t working right. “It’s not home, it’s not what he’s familiar with. A bit like Daniel Ricciardo leaving Red Bull. A lot of athletes, whether it’s football or any sport, there are places and managers they feel comfortable with and perform best at. “It’s what makes F1 teams successful, it’s having that culture, that family environment where you feel comfortable to perform. I just don’t think it’s going to gel in quite the way he’s hoping it will.” Do you think he knows that? “I’m sure Lewis, probably, in the back of his mind has probably got his own doubts anyway. Overriding any doubt is probably confidence in his own ability, technically and other, to make changes at Ferrari in a similar way to how Schumacher did. “And wouldn’t it be romantic? Winning his eighth championship, one more than Schumacher, at Ferrari, where he had all his success. It’s going to take more than a year for Hamilton to turn around the team. “It’s going to take at least two or three years, if indeed that’s possible, and I think it won’t take too long for Lewis to realise that actually, maybe it won’t happen. At some point this year he’ll realise it’s not what he thought it was. “Or maybe he will realise it’s what he thought it was because it’s in the back of his mind already. I haven’t got a crystal ball, maybe it’s a little bit of my experience, maybe it’s a little bit of knowing Lewis, but that’s what I think. “Alain Prost didn’t fit in at Ferrari, that turned sour, he called that car a truck which probably upset a lot of people at Ferrari. Plus Nigel Mansell didn’t really gel at Ferrari. It’s always been fractious in the modern era. “It’s an awkward place. You’ve got the whole country of Italy expecting you to perform. There is so much pressure. Hamilton can handle the pressure of course, but it’s whether the team can handle the pressure. Do you think Hamilton would secretly admit that? “I think if you took Hamilton for a few beers, he would admit that in the back of his mind he’s going there because it’s ticking that Ferrari box, to say I can retire knowing I’ve driven for Ferrari. The team isn’t winning at the moment, so if it doesn’t win in 2025 and he doesn’t win or finish on podiums, he’s got the perfect excuse to blame the team. “If he wins, or gets closer to winning a championship it will all be down to him, obviously. So it’s a kind of no-lose situation in some ways. He’s being paid a fortune to tick the Ferrari box, and it’s an open opportunity. “If it’s a success he can take the credit for it, and if it fails he can blame the team. It’s perfect.” What was your experience of Michael Schumacher like?  “Schumacher stopped inviting me for our usual coffee catch-up when he started to get success, which is a bit of a metaphor I suppose. Schumacher was a very success-driven individual. These guys started racing early, in the karting years, and already had success growing up.  “But it’s very different winning karting races to winning your first big F1 race, then your second and then going toe-to-toe with Senna and Prost. “Here’s this Schumacher guy, around 1992, only really in his full year of F1. This was after how he got into F1, following Spa in 1991 when Jordan lost out and he started at Benetton where he won a championship. It was meteoric, and that’s only because the guy was so good. “He was in that top echelon, with Senna, and maybe now we talk about Max Verstappen in that same bracket along with Hamilton. Did success change Schumacher? “I think the more success came his way, the more powerful he got. It’s like one of these superhero movies where you have the villain, not that Michael was a villain, who was sapping the energy and getting stronger and stronger because of it. “He stopped inviting me for coffee in around 1994 or 1995. We used to walk into the circuit together and have a bit of a chat on the way to the paddock. We’d have a little espresso by the trucks and we’d talk about everything other than motoracing, actually.  “Then I always had to get into the garage. He was a driver and I was a mechanic, so it wasn’t like we were lounging for a couple of hours, we all had stuff to do. Then he moved to Ferrari and then those coffees stopped. “The more power he got, the more his confidence became arrogance. All successful drivers and people, from business to sport, are like that. “You’ve only got to look at Elon Musk and Donald Trump, look at where they’re going with their power. It does change people. For some people it doesn’t and for some people it does.  “But it changed Schumacher. I think that fuelled his need for success and more championships, it drove him on and indeed he won more races and championships. “So if he didn’t have that character trait maybe he wouldn’t have won all those championships, but he did and he did win those championships.  “He was a lovely human being outside of the car, to go and have a chat with him or for dinner, an amazing guy. Great human being but within the confines of a race track, put a helmet on his head and he certainly changed. The red mist descended as they. “He could be manipulative, absolutely. I think we all can, to a degree, as human beings. We read situations and scenarios and we try to play things to our advantage. We learn it in the playground at school, don’t we? “So certainly the opportunity to go to Ferrari, where he went with Ross Brawn and the other engineers, was a great one because they took all the intel out of Benetton and dumped it onto Ferrari.  “Obviously Brawn and Schumacher were formidable as a team together. A brilliant engineer and a brilliant driver, put that in any team and then put it in Ferrari who had financial backing. Certainly Schumacher took that opportunity and made it his own. “For sure, he manipulated situations to be favourable for him. He was a great competitor, but was he a great sportsman? History will show that he wasn’t a great sportsman. He did things in the sport that didn’t tick that sportsmanship box. Damon Hill in 1994 in Adelaide, for example, Villeneuve in 1997 another, and what he did at Monaco where he parked it at Rascasse to stop rivals getting a faster time.  “That’s not cricket, not how we do it. And the irony is he didn’t have to do that. He was good enough to not do that, but it’s the way he was wired. But that’s putting Schumacher on a pedestal of negativity when other drivers who have come before and after were not angels either. “Drivers will do whatever it takes to get that advantage, look at Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber in the the ‘Multi 21’ incident, where fundamentally Vettel was told to pull over and let Webber take the lead because that was the arrangement they had, and he didn’t let that happen, and nor should he have done.  “Best to ask for forgiveness afterwards, was his view. That’s the mentality of drivers, win at all costs. They will take situations and put them to their advantage.” Do you think the winner of the Melbourne GP also wins the championship? “I think the winner of the Melbourne GP wins the championship because of the way the regulations are now being crafted and how cars are now so reliable. Last year, we had one of the only Grand Prixs where all competitors finished the race. “In previous years gone by, everyone was there with fingers crossed. You always pursued performance, if you could make the car reliable then fantastic but there was no point turning up with a reliable slow car, you had to turn up with a fast car. So invariably the first race of the year, I’m sure if you had a graph of every year in front of you, you would see the number of competitors finishing Grand Prixs improving as the years went on because reliability has improved as the years have gone on. “But you turn up with your car and you’ve only got to remember Jackie Stewart’s team in 1999, Johnny Herbert and someone else, they both burst into flames on the grid. Both cars, having gone through all that pain of getting those cars ready with testing and everything else. “They were flying cars all the way from Milton Keynes to Australia and they both failed at the start of the pit in the first race of the year. That used to be fairly normal, the jeopardy. It was roulette, it was a game of chance. “That has now largely gone because the regulations have dictated that engines and gearboxes must last a certain distance, a number of races. You very rarely see gearbox and engine failures. “I remember only five years ago there were the debacles of a five or 10 grid place penalty, and sometimes McClaren had so many engine failures when they were using Honda engines that they finished around 25 miles down the road. So you don’t see that anymore because the penalty is far too severe. “So we don’t see those failures anymore, the grid is tight but the pecking order remains. So it might only be a 10th of a second between teams, but it’s always pretty much the same. You can predict the top 10. Who gets into Q3 in qualifying, invariably it’s the same race-on-race. “So if you look at Melbourne this year, 2025, you take the quickest car and you stick it on pole, chances are you’re going to win the race because you have the fastest car. You’re not going to experience any reliability issues because all cars are reliable, pretty much. It’s only going to be an accident or weather that may halt anything. “If you look at the races last year, the races that were dry and then wet again were the only occasions where there was disruption. Hence why I think if you get pole position in Melbourne, chances are you’ll win that race and you’ll probably win the championship. “Put it this way, if you’re one of these betting people and you’re in pole position, the odds of that driver winning the championship will go all the way.” Who would be in your top 5 this season? “I think the two McLaren drivers, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, will be in the top five. McLaren have done an amazing job. It wasn’t that long ago that Alonso was driving at the Japanese Grand Prix, on the radio down the main straight criticising. That wasn’t that long ago and McLaren really were in trouble. “Zak Brown has made some really good strategic decisions with that team. He’s employed some really good people, and they have turned it around. That is so difficult to do in F1, it doesn’t happen. You don’t see people come back to the front in a short period of time.  “We did it at Red Bull which was a bit of a Leicester City story really, it was the team that never should have won, the fizzy drinks company that became the force they are today. But McLaren have obviously been there, they’ve had the highs, they’ve had the lows, they were in quite a deep low with these regulations and they have pulled it out of the bag. “They have done a great job. They have to do something fairly significant to mess this up. They are at the top now. Norris is a great driver, Piastri is a great driver. They were pushing each other last year, I think they were a bit too friendly with each other and I don’t think we’ll see that happening again this year. They will certainly be in the top five. “Verstappen will certainly be in the top five, I think George Russell will be in the top five and I think Williams will be knocking on the door. Williams will be the great shake-up. Certainly top 10 Q3 qualifying, it will be exciting. “I will put Charles Leclerc in the top five too. But I think Hamilton will be on the fringes. I think frustration will start setting in. It will only go one way, he’ll either win the championship and he’ll get his eighth and take all the glory for turning Ferrari around, or it will go completely the other way and he’ll retire before the season ends. I can’t see there being any mediocrity, but we’ll see.” You know Daniel Ricciardo well. Should he walk away from the sport? “If you were to Google ‘lost his mojo’, I think an image of Daniel Ricciardo would come up.  “I don’t think Ricciardo should walk away from the sport, but I do think he should walk away from driving which I think has largely happened anyway. “Whether the guy is still looking for a drive in Formula One, I think that is probably just his PR team making sure nobody forgets who he is. F1 teams have ambassadors, Prost at Renault and Schumacher at Ferrari. I think Ricciardo would be an amazing ambassador for F1, not for a team in F1. “Everybody loves him, he’s huge in the states. He made some wrong decisions. He made the wrong decision in leaving Red Bull, he should never have left Red Bull. Of course everybody was excited about Verstappen and that was misinterpreted not by Daniel, but I think by his management team and he was persuaded to make the phone call to Christian Horner.  “Maybe financially it was a better decision to go to Renault rather than stay at Red Bull. But if he’d have stayed at Red Bull he’d be fighting for championships and maybe those championships Verstappen won, Ricciardo would have won.  “We spoke earlier about the best drivers I’ve worked with, Senna takes the prize there. Mika Hakkinen was just supremely fast, naturally talented and couldn’t drive slowly. No matter what he did, he had to be quick. I don’t think Ricciardo was ever the quickest driver, but he has supreme race craft. “He was an amazing driver, but he didn’t have the yellow crash helmet of Senna who would just get behind you. Senna said so himself, if I’m going to overtake you, you either let me overtake you or we’re going to crash. That was the threat he had. That’s similar to what Verstappen has, he gets past people using fear tactics. “Ricciardo didn’t do that because he’s a guy who got past people with supreme skill and talent, outmanoeuvring people, following a driver for two or three laps and seeing where they were weak before acting on that weakness and his strength. “He was just a great racer. Do you lose that race craft? No, but you lose confidence, for sure, and he lost confidence in his own ability, knew he’d made some poor decisions along the way and by the time he got to McLaren it was pretty low. “When you get that low, it’s very difficult to come back out of it. He’s damaged goods now, if you were a team would you want Ricciardo in your team? I don’t think so. Would you get him in on personality? Great, he might attract some great sponsors, but if you want to win races he’s not your driver. “I love the guy, I’ve got a lot of time for him, he’s an amazing human and he’s an amazing racing driver but unfortunately it just didn’t work out for him. Unfortunately because of the media nowadays, social media, we know about this. “If you go back to 1980, or 1981, there were many examples of a Ricciardo. But we just didn’t know about them. Murray Walker and James Hunt would only talk about the guys in the top three, they had no idea who else was in the race, who was winning and losing, because technology didn’t allow it. “Social media didn’t hype up anyone who wasn’t doing well, they were just forgotten. But of course nowadays with Ricciardo, it’s all on social media.” Marc Surer said that had Senna not died, Schumacher would have won less than seven. Do you agree? “I agree with Marc Surer, I think Schumacher would have one less title had he stayed alive. Senna left McLaren, went to Williams, so wouldn’t have won the championship in 1994. It’s fairly common knowledge that Senna, even after three races, was questioning his decision of moving from McLaren to Williams. “Would he have gone back to McLaren? If he had, he probably wouldn’t have won a championship for a few years until McLaren became good again in 97, 98 and 99.  But if Senna was at McLaren, would it have worked? It’s ifs, buts and maybes.  “But a talent like that would not have languished and not won championships. So yes. Would he have won as many championships as Schumacher did, or would he have just taken championships away from him? Senna had won three, so maybe he’d have won another couple, which would have put him onto five.  “And maybe those two that he would have won, would have been two that Schumacher wouldn’t have won, so maybe they would have both been on five and Hamilton would be on seven, clear in the distance for championship wins.”

Boxing author Tris Dixon: Sport no better than WWE if Chris Eubank Jr isn’t punished for egg slap, Gervonta Davis should rematch Lamont Roach and Oleksandr Usyk beats Mike Tyson but not Muhammad Ali

Speaking to SpaceportSweden, Boxing Life Stories host Tris Dixon says he’d be curious to see Tyson Fury fight Anthony Joshua but that it isn’t a top fight anymore. Dixon, who has penned books including the biography of Floyd Mayweather, doesn’t believe Chris Eubank Jr and Nigel Benn deserve the platform they are getting for their upcoming fight. He believes Eubank Jr has had a better career than Benn and fought better fighters, but the result depends on who is comfortable at the weight. Dixon also explained why Sky Sports commentator Ian Darke was the funniest guest he’s had on his show. Q. What should Gervonta Davis do next after his draw with Lamont Roach? TD: “I want to see Gervonta Davis rematch Lamont Roach before he fights anyone else.” Q. Should Chris Eubank Jr be punished for slapping Conor Benn with an egg? TD: “I don’t think Conor should receive any punishment, the flashpoint was Chris Eubank Jr raising his left hand and putting the egg in Benn’s face forcefully. That’s not the done thing in boxing, it was a cheap shot. “So there should be repercussions because if you have no penalties then what are we? The wild west or are we WWE? I think there needs to be rules and guidelines. It’s a dangerous thing. I know that people have been concerned that bits of egg may have broken off into Conor’s eye. “I think Eubank Jr does deserve a punishment but also this is a sport where fighters have thrown tables at other fighters, numerous brawls and we’ve seen fighters bitten before. The bar is low but it doesn’t mean people should be able to do that sort of thing without repercussions.” Q. What are you predicting for that fight and has the press conference changed that? TD: “I agree with Eddie Hearn in the sense the mania will add to the fight. Eddie likened what might happen now to Nigel Benn’s fight with Iran Barkley where he just went and completely mauled him, and ultimately outfought and was too much for him. “Barkley has always sworn that Nigel was a dirty fighter as a consequence of what happened in that one round. But I do think that Conor will go hard at Eubank Jr and I don’t think there will be much of a feeling-out process. “I think ultimately someone will be going out on their shield. And I think in terms of who wins, it will be down to who suits the weight the best. Is Eubank Jr going to have to boil down too much, and is the hydration clause or the amount he can put on going to suit him? “Or is Conor jumping up in too much weight to fight? I think the winner will be who is most comfortable at 170lbs on fight night. I don’t know who that’s going to be. “I’m not remotely comfortable picking a winner because of the weight issue. We don’t know how depleted Eubank Jr will be and how affected Benn will be given his last two opponents, who were at best average, went the distance with him. So it’s hard to gauge. This is a unique match in unique circumstances.  “That’s even before you factor in inactivity and their ages. I suppose you’d have to say Eubank Jr has had the better career so far, and has certainly fought better opponents. And with that in mind Eubank Jr is definitely the best fighter Benn has fought.  “But I don’t think you can say the same for Eubank Jr, I think he’s fought better fighters than Benn.” Q. Eddie Hearn warned the ‘game changed tonight’ after the footage went viral, what do you think he meant by that? TD: “I don’t think this was specifically about boxing as a whole, I think it was about the fight, the build-up and what we can expect through the build-up. I don’t think it is strictly to do with the game as a whole changing, I think there are factors outside the sport stronger than a kick-off at a press conference. “Frankly, while we’ve not seen an egg stunt before, we have seen things get out of hand many times. I think back to the 80s with Mark Keylor and Errol Christie. “Then in the 90s with Herbie Hide vs Michael Bentt. Then you had Lewis and Tyson. So I don’t think the game has changed in that respect, he was just talking about how there will be no peace for either camp now.  “It’s far more personal than it was before now Eubank Jr has put hands on Benn.” Q. Are you seeing signs boxing is starting to echo WWE, where the out-of-ring antics are dwarfing the acting itself? TD: “You could say there have been these signs forever. People talk about Muhammid Ali and Gorgeous George all those years ago. I think it’s perfectly relevant but also we are in a period now where influencers are trying their hand at boxing. People need to bring their own audience to sell tickets and PPVs. “We know this stuff sells. We kind of wish it didn’t, but we know that it’s part and parcel of the sport. I don’t think this is a particularly new thing and I don’t think it marks a new advent of what will be expected. “I do think if it happened all the time then things like this wouldn’t be blown up, and I’m not saying that’s a good thing, but I am saying if it happened all the time then people would just start to roll their eyes and think this is just par for the course. “Things like this just show personally that this is not a fight that is aimed at the hardcore fans. There probably aren’t 70,000 hardcore boxing fans in the UK so this is a fight that reaches outside that market. “When you look up their records, there’s no way they merit this platform, but you have to give them credit because there’s something between them they have harvested that clearly has made this a must-watch fight for hundreds of thousands, perhaps even millions.” Q. Boxing and UFC are reportedly in talks over a league-style format in Saudi Arabia. Could this be a good idea? TD: “We’ve heard about this league-style agreement with Saudi Arabia and it’s interesting. I think boxing does, and has always needed, one overarching governing body and I don’t think it will ever have that. “If one thing starts, then something else will pop up as a competitor, and we will be no further forward. We’ve seen that with the UFC, we’ve seen that with Bellator, PFL, some of them have thrived so I don’t think anyone will be able to feasibly take over.  “Plus what is a league? Is there a difference between a league format and governance for the sport? I think that’s interesting. If there’s a league format, how does that work? Is it going to be a select amount of people, and like the Premier League everyone fights each other twice and you see where you are at the end of the season? “Or is it going to be an FA Cup-style thing, where the loser goes home? I’m not adverse to blue sky thinking in boxing, there are ways the sport can be updated and I’ve never claimed to have the answers, but there is the opportunity for something different to come along. I’m much more concerned with governance than I am a league. “I would rather there be pension funds, retirement homes, retirement plans, round-the-world year-round drug testing. There are things we can do around safety for fighters. And enhance their lives after boxing before we start to look at the bells and whistles of a league.” Q. Would you like to see Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua? What would your prediction be? TD: “I’m a little torn on this. Not if Tyson Fury is happy in retirement. We had this opportunity where Joshua had the belts, and I think Fury had the only one he didn’t have, and that would have been the perfect time.  “But boxing seems to be intent on doing this to itself and building these guys up and having these fights way too late when frankly the appetite is no longer what it was. You can’t knock the numbers that Mayweather vs Pacquiao did, but as a fight it was better five years. “You might be able to say the same thing about Amir Khan and Kell Brook, as a fight it was certainly better years before but it still did amazing numbers. So the business just doesn’t make sense where the money is at its best when the fighters are not. “I’d be curious to see Joshua vs Fury, but it’s not the top of the agenda fight that it was several years ago. That’s very frustrating when it would have done huge things for British boxing. It still would, but I don’t think it has the same gravitas it would have done, certainly if they were champions.” Q. Who has been your favourite guest on Life Stories so far? TD: “I remember being hugely entertained by Ian Darke, the commentator. I remember going to his house a little nervous because I have such respect for Ian, and just leaving in stitches to the point where I was aching from laughter. “I went to Teddy Atlas’ house and sat down for a couple hours, that was great. Frank Bruno was very open, I’ve had a great relationship with Ricky Hatton and Joe Calzaghe over the years, and they were both great guests.  “I think one of the craziest ones, and the feedback I get the most from is Richard Towers the Sheffield heavyweight. That was mental, that was a wild ride. I don’t want to say it never got better but the first one with Adam Booth probably did the biggest numbers, that or possibly the George Groves one. “There have not been many I haven’t enjoyed. Micky Ward has been so great to me throughout my career that I’m just really pleased we had an hours’ chat, getting on like mates. So it’s very hard to pick. Q. Peak Usyk faces peak Mike Tyson, how does he fare? TD: “I think if Usyk were to ride out the early storm against Mike Tyson, you’d have to give him a good chance and I think if you pick him against Muhammad Ali at all, then it’s hard to pick against him given he beat everyone apart from a few guys at the end. “You can’t pick against Ali. But in answer to the question, Usyk would fit in with any time and would create his own set of problems for any heavyweight in history. We didn’t have a southpaw world champion until Michael Moore in the mid 90s, so there were not a tonne of good southpaws at heavyweight. “So Usyk would have been a real handful for any of them I’m sure, he doesn’t have a conventional style you can prepare for, he is as tough as nails. He’s taken those big shots, and he packs enough power to get respect off the giants, so he deserves to be mentioned in that conversation and breath the others do. “I think I would pick Usyk over Tyson, but I don’t think he’d beat Ali. But then, who does?”

Malik Scott Interview: Deontay Wilder Has Huge Options, He Would Knock Ngannou Out!

  Former professional boxer turned world championship level trainer Malik Scott has spoken about the current state of the heavyweight division in an exclusive interview with Spaceportsweden. Scott has teased a blockbuster match-up between Deontay Wilder and Francis Ngannou which could take place in Africa, as he continues to train the former world champion boxer. Scott has also discussed how he cleared the air with Jamie Carragher, how his wife Kate Scott could make her boxing debut and why Micah Richards can be the Misfits heavyweight world champion. Deontay Wilder vs Francis Ngannou, what are your initial thoughts? Is it something that excites you and Deontay? Malik Scott: ”It’s tough because at this point of our lives, especially Deontay, I would believe that any fighter that’s in the second half of their career that has had this much success, what gets them excited is the revenue. It’s the number. That’s what would get them going and get them motivated – and get him going and get him motivated. He has to be paid very, very well. Like every other athlete has to be paid very well, that’s in the second half of their career. ”It’s something to get excited about because it’s Wilder and Ngannou. Especially them doing it in Africa, two African kings going at it and basically providing a better life – not that they don’t have a good life, but they adding on to the life that they had – going against each other for the type of money that they will make. And doing it in Africa would be incredible. And if there’s one man that can get this done, it’s Turki Alalshikh.” What ballpark figure are we talking about that Deontay needs to be offered to take the fight? MS: ”Deontay and Ngannou fighting in Africa. That’s really tough because it’s not a title-sanctioning fight, it’s more of a fight for the entertainment of two big men, two big punchers going at it. So the type of number that it would take, there is no telling. I don’t think any of us would know that besides Deontay and Ngannou. But I also hear Ngannou. I’ve seen a couple interviews where the only name that he’s saying is Deontay. That’s a good thing because Deontay is big time boxing. It goes to show, regardless of his last couple of outings, he still has big options out there on the table. And it’s just up to him on not just what he wanna do, but when he wanna do it and if he wanna do it.” I’m sensing maybe the motivation isn’t there unless it’s a big payday. Is that roughly where we are? MS: ”No, I would say that’s a wrong read, but I would definitely say the revenue is very imperative. It is very important because these fighters are getting in here putting their lives on the line, especially Ngannou. Ngannou knows what it feels like to get knocked out cold. He experienced that the first time when he stepped into a boxing ring. And Deontay knows what it feels like to get hit with big shots by these big heavyweights guys. So it’s not just Deontay. I believe this is very important for Ngannou too. It should be important for all fighters, all heavyweights. These are two concussive punchers. Money is very imperative. Them going against each other. Money is definitely imperative.” How do you evaluate how Francis Ngannou dealt with being put down by Anthony Joshua? MS: ”It was a heavy knockdown. The knockout was even worse. But I will say this, those right hands that he hit AJ with, those right hands could clip any man. Especially that second right hand. When Ngannou got up after the first knockdown, he was still out on his feet. I don’t even know how he got up. But when that second right hand from AJ hit him, anybody AJ would have hit with that right hand would have been lights out – because that’s AJ. AJ got a chance to get his back foot on him. He had a chance to bend his knees. He had the chance to put his right shoulder back and he delivered everything from his right side and went right through Francis Ngannou. I don’t know nobody that that same punch wouldn’t have affected like that. So we can’t really judge that because it would be different when he fought Tyson Fury. Tyson Fury couldn’t do that. Nothing, nowhere near close to that. We shouldn’t judge him really off the AJ fight. We shouldn’t really judge him off getting hit with Anthony Joshua’s best shot and being knocked out cold. Everybody that Anthony Joshua hit with his best shot, they all have been out cold. Ngannou was concussed, very much so. He came out there, he was trying to jab, trying to move his head. He’s not a boxer. He’s just doing a little bit that he learned in a short time. You’re wrong to expect him to go out there looking like a boxer. He wasn’t gonna go out there looking like that and don’t forget he’s in there with Anthony Joshua. It was really just a matter of time, the way the fight was progressing in such a short time. It was a matter of time and AJ was really switched on that night and when AJ is switched on like that, he’s very dangerous.” What do you think of Francis Ngannou saying he is a bigger puncher than Deontay Wilder? MS: ”I haven’t seen Ngannou work enough with 10 ounce gloves in a boxing ring. Is he a big, strong, heavy-handed guy? Yes. But with Deontay, Deontay’s power is blessed because he gets to the target so fast. He puts his hip through you, he puts his shoulder through you. It’s just so many different dynamics with the way Deontay has always knocked guys out. He has a long resume of knocking guys out cold. That didn’t happen overnight. I haven’t seen Francis Ngannou enough in a boxing ring to think his power comes close to Deontay Wilder’s. I just haven’t.” What are your early evaluations of Francis Ngannou as a boxer? MS: ”When he fought Tyson Fury, I was very impressed. I’m a fair man, so I like to be fair and be honest at the same time. When he fought Anthony Joshua, the fight went so quick. The first big shot he got hit would basically put him down. But we got to give this dude credit. He’s coming right into boxing, fighting the cream of the crop. This is totally different. He’s fighting the cream of the crop knockout artists. He’s not like Conor McGregor that’s coming over to boxing and you’re fighting the cream of the crop but the cream of the crop is a boxer – somebody that uses angles, gets on their toes. You’re going to get plucked up a little bit but you ain’t going to get concussed fighting Floyd Mayweather. Francis left the Octagon, came to boxing and is fighting guys that can concuss you. In the heavyweight division it is a totally different type of decision that he made than these other guys that tried to go into boxing.  He hopped right out of the Octagon and went in with the heavyweight champion of the world. That’s a movie. Francis Ngannou, his journey is a movie. They have to be doing his story.” Will Deontay Wilder put Francis Ngannou to sleep? MS: ”I think Francis Ngannou is doing well. I think he’s a very brave man, I think he’s very courageous. He’s always called out the best in the UFC. He’s calling out the best in boxing. His journey is unmatched. He literally earned it the hard way. Everything he had, it came from his hard work which is his hands. If we get to go against him he is going to get to feel the wrath of Deontay Wilder because the closest thing he felt to it was AJ. But AJ and Wilder power is different. So if he thinks AJ can hit him with his best shot and hurt him, imagine if Deontay Wilder hit him with his best shot. He goes to sleep, just like he did with Anthony Joshua.” How do you prepare Deontay Wilder for Francis Ngannou? MS: ”There’s enough footage of him to do film study because his base is his base. His MMA base is a little bit different from his boxing base because he’s just not a boxer. So his MMA base is a lot more mastered because he did that longer. But his boxing base isn’t really that good. It looked like something that he’s trying to get better at. He’s learning on the job and he has committed to a hell of a task to be learning on the job. Usually when guys are learning on the job they fight basically nobodies and they get to learn their craft on the job. Imagine you’re a football player but you’re going against the Eagles in your first game. You have to commend him. We’d put it together and Deontay would go in there and be himself. And if Deontay gets to him the same way AJ got to him, then he’ll be knocked out again.” Where is Deontay Wilder’s mind at right now? MS: ”He got through a lot of recovery stuff that he was doing to his body. He’s really just into real estate, working out, spending time with his kids. He went so long without having time to do so many things that now that he has the time, he’s really just zoning in on it. I’m about to see him now in a little bit too.” What happened with fighting on the BLK Prime Card in April? MS: ”We’re in a place now where things can be true and things can’t be true. And we’re in a clickbait time now too, so you gotta keep in mind that you just never know the truth. So the way I handle that is I go right to the source. And if I can’t get the information from the source, then that means nothing must be happening. And if it is happening, then you will hear from the source. I know if the deal is big enough and Deontay Wilder’s involved in it, then we will all hear from Deontay Wilder. But what I can tell people is he’s so happy with his investment in real estate. He’s so happy to spend this much time with his kids. He did everything right to make sure that boxing is not something that he needs.  Boxing is not something that Deontay needs. He’s always been keen on being in the position that he’s in right now.” Does Deontay Wilder carry on or does he retire? MS: ”Fighting is in Deontay’s heart. He’ll fight again. Deontay will fight again. He just moves on his own terms and does things how he wants to do them. Especially when it comes to the business aspect of things because like I said he doesn’t need this, so he ain’t going to do it if all the terms are not right. He’s still Deontay Wilder. He’s still big time boxing and people still want to see him. He’ll fight again.” Is Turki Alalshikh going to keep coming with the money? MS: ”What Turki has done with boxing has been crazy. Think of a match that you could think of and you’d be like ‘Wow, I would love to see them fight’. It’s either that fight is getting made or it’s cooking and about to get made If Turki says he wants Deontay Wilder and Francis Ngannou in Africa and both of them want to do it, then the fight is going to happen.” What country in Africa could the fight take place? MS: ”I don’t know but Deontay always wanted to fight in Africa anyway. So I’m sure he’s very excited about it. If there’s something that he’s going to entertain, this is something he’s always wanted to do anyway. There’s so many times he was supposed to go over there just to visit and do a couple events for people that wanted him to come over. So I’m sure if everything is right he definitely wouldn’t mind going over there.” How big is Deontay Wilder vs Francis Ngannou in Africa? MS: ”The best way I can answer that is we know Ngannou wants to do it. Turki is saying this thing can happen. Deontay is going to fight again. So it’s all just a win. Boxing fans can be very fickle sometimes. And not just the fans, just the way things go. I don’t know when the last time Francis was in the ring so there’s just no telling. I know he wants the Wilder fight. He always speaks about it. But we just have to see. Him and Deontay will do big numbers, especially in Africa.” What was your CBS debut like? MS: ”They came in and basically asked me if I would mind hopping on for the segment. We went over it for about two minutes and it literally happened at the end of the game. It was a real spontaneous move. I hopped on, people enjoyed it, I enjoyed it. You know how I feel about that panel. It was just good. And Jamie has been getting it ever since.” When did you make the decision about the hoodie? MS: ”Well I had that hoodie and we just put a little flare onto it for the show. It was good. People loved it. About six or seven months ago, Jamie Carragher was on the Champions League coverage – he works on the panel with my wife, Kate Scott, Thierry Henry, and Micah Richards – they were doing a game and it was an outside game and Kate was explaining to Jamie that she was loyal to Manchester United. Jamie acted like he didn’t hear it so he said ‘Loyal to who? Not to Malik.’ And that went pretty bad. And it was probably the wrong kind of joke. And it just got out and when the word got to me, I put a couple of statements out that really went crazy.  I was just verbally protecting my wife on the internet about that thing Jamie said. So time passes and here I am at the game the other day and I have my Champions League sweatshirt on and the best panel on sports is up there. They came to me asking would I hop on the last segment. I didn’t have the hoodie like that but by the time I got up there I had Jamie’s name crossed out and they basically asked me what I had on so I opened the shirt and I said, ‘I’ve got to get me another one because I basically crossed Jamie’s name out on that’. That was a little get back at him from the beginning of the story, just the comment that he said about Kate. Then as the show went on they were asking me my favorite (on the panel). Of course, I’m going to say my wife. The one that I married is my favourite, Kate Scott. Then I said Micah. Then Jamie said, ‘Who’s next?’ I looked at Jamie with a face and I said, ‘Don’t you do it, Jamie’. And then we all had a good laugh and it was just good. It was a really good experience. That’s a very good crew. Best panel in sports in my opinion, chemistry wise. The producer really hit it right on the button with them. They got a great thing going. It was incredible. They got the right individuals there and it was fun more than anything.” Do you regret saying you would turn up in a physical manner to Jamie Carragher unless he apologised? MS: ”I didn’t have any plans on fighting Jamie. But at the same time, I put it out there because my wife was hurt and I’m here to protect my wife and that was that. But Jamie, when we see each other, we shake hands, give each other big daps, have a laugh and move on.” Social media said Jamie looked a bit intimidated by you. Do you want to shut that down? MS: ”It wasn’t his first time seeing me. We’ve seen each other earlier. Me and Jamie always see each other, so it’s not an intimidating thing. It’s just a respect that men have with each other. That’s all it is. I respect him, he respects me, and my wife respects him, and he’s going to respect my wife. And he does respect my wife.” There’s no grudge there at all? MS: ”Not at all, man. No. I love that whole panel. All love.” We saw you with Micah on the pads. Has he got a bit of power? MS: ”To my shock, he was very coordinated. It didn’t take me long to get him in a good base at all. You could tell he dibbed and dabbed with boxing before. I put him through a good session. We got together that morning, did a good session. I think we had some coffee beforehand or after, something like that, and talked about life. Micah’s good. Heavy-handed, obviously strong. He’s not slow. Athletic and got coordination. I enjoyed the whole session. I’m trying to get him in another session.” Do you think he could be Misfits heavyweight world champion with you training him? MS: ”If he wanted to, absolutely. I’m backing Big Meeks, baby. If he he wanted to do it I would train him, I would get with him and he would go and win that s***. Absolutely.” If you trained Micah from 12 years old, do you think he could have made it as a fighter in any way? MS: ”He’d be the heavyweight champion of the world. If he trained since he was 12 years old and I trained him the whole time, he’d be the heavyweight champion of the world.” What about Kate’s boxing debut? MS: ”It’s the schedule more than anything. The schedules just don’t go. We just do so much, But that’s something that is always on the table. We just have to find the time. It’s very time consuming to get in a full camp, five days a week, working in between time. We talked to Mams (Taylor) about it a few times, he’s definitely still interested. They will love it on a platform, just to make the time. That’s all.” Does that happen this year in your opinion? MS: ”There’s no telling. I can’t even say, I doubt it. But it’s never no telling. You get those pockets of time, you’re able to do it.” Is your son a future champion? MS: ”Absolutely. He’s fighting at 140lb in the Golden Gloves right now in Pasadena, California. So once he wins that, there’s going to be other tournaments. He’s going to do it the right way, you got to get these amateur fights in, then we go from there. But more than anything he has incredible character. I’m big on character because that’s something I’m always praying for. So it’s the character first, then it’s the athletes, then the goals get accomplished. So more than anything, right now we are getting his bags ready, we’re about to go to the gym. He’s just left school. He’s in college. Go to the gym, come back, have dinner, then move on to the next day.” How is married life treating you? MS: ”Incredible, best thing that ever happened to me.” Has it changed you as a person? MS: ”I’m sure it has. I don’t smoke in the house. I have my man cave, though, so it’s cool.” Is Tyson Fury retired? MS: ”I don’t think so. He said that but I think he and Anthony Joshua will fight.” What do you think happened to Daniel Dubois? MS: ”I do not know. He got sick from what I heard. But I do know one thing, I hope whatever it is that they got it taken care of, that he’s better because it’s health first.” In an exclusive interview with pokericons.com, Manchester United legend Louis Saha has revealed his sadness about Marcus Rashford’s ongoing omission from Ruben Amorim’s first team and believes that the England international only has himself to blame.  During a wide-ranging interview, two-time Premier League title winner Louis Saha also discussed the fortunes of former clubs Everton and Tottenham and all the biggest stories dominating the football news cycle including the latest transfer rumours.  Premier League observations Q: Who do you think has been the Premier League’s top striker this season?  Louis Saha: It’s funny because it starts with a question with the quality and the numbers of strikers. You have an obvious one at the moment: it’s still Haaland, he’s the best striker in the Premier League by a distance.  Other than Haaland, I’m struggling. You’ve got Isak at Newcastle who is having a brilliant season, but I would out him in the same category as Ollie Watkins at Aston Villa and Dom Solanke at Tottenham. They’re good players, but they’re not superstars in the mould of Harry Kane or Robert Lewandowski.  Back in the day, the superstars in the Premier League were the forwards. We’re in an era now where it’s a bit different, goals typically come from all over the park and there aren’t that many superstar nines that teams always look towards to win them games. I think it’s sad that there are less out and out goal machines in the game these days.  Q: Which players would you pay money to watch in the Premier League this season? Louis Saha: Over the last few years, it would have been Kevin De Bruyne, without doubt. At this moment in time, I have to say Amad Diallo. I love to see Diallo play. I love the boy, his capacity to excite me. Rashford was another player that used to really excite me, but I can’t put him in the list because he’s not playing at the moment. He used to get me off of my seat. When the boy was on fire, when he was dedicated to his game, I would have paid money to watch him.  Cole Palmer is probably the only other player (that I would pay to watch). He’s a special player and he plays with so much freedom, so credit to Chelsea for giving him that freedom to express himself because in the Premier League these days, I’m seeing too many creative players being asked to play conservatively. There’s a lot of robots in the Premier League that are slaves to their manager’s tactics. Palmer and Amad are completely unique in the sense that they play with so much freedom.  Q: Who has underwhelmed this season? Louis Saha: I expected a lot more from Phil Foden this season, even if he has picked up his form recently. I’m also really surprised by what Jack Grealish has delivered this season – I’m expecting a lot more from those two players in the second half of the season.  Looking at Manchester United, Mason Mount has disappointed me since he joined the club. I know he’s been injured, but he has not shown the courage and the personality that he had when he was at Chelsea, I was really hoping that he picked up his form and blossomed into an important player for Manchester United this season but it hasn’t happened for him.  Phil Foden, Jack Grealish and Mason Mount have been the three biggest flops for me this season. Those guys have so much talent, so I have expected much more. I want to see every player with such talent expressing themselves with freedom because they are the ones who make us go crazy in the stands. These players need to remember that they are not going to war; there is nothing to fear from trying to express yourselves on the pitch.  Premier League headlines Q: Kyle Walker is heading for Italy. How do you think he will be remembered in the all-time greats of the Premier League?  Louis Saha: I think Gary Neville is still up there when it comes to the greatest ever right back in the Premier League era, but Kyle Walker isn’t too far behind him in second place.  Walker is a top player. He has proved that he’s a very consistent player for England as well. He has not faced a lot of opponents that have a good day against him, so he’s definitely one of the best.  The only thing that is a bad mark against him, and I don’t know how fair this is, is all of the off-the-field stories that have dogged him for the last few years. People don’t talk about the player and his performances without talking about his personal life, and that’s a shame, but having that kind of reputation stops you from becoming one of the absolute legends of the game. You have to have a perfect private life away from the pitch.  Even though the off-the-field stuff has nothing to do with his ability, it’s always mentioned and that is the difference between the legends, and the great, great players. It doesn’t help you when you want certain personal accolades. Like the Ballon d’Or where we have seen Vinicius and Rodri. I’m sure he will still be considered a legend at Man City, and in the Premier League.  Without the off-the-field issues, Kyle would have been more widely respected.  Q: What did you make of Erling Haaland signing a 9.5-year contract and the timing of that? Is there any danger with doing a deal for that length?  Louis Saha: As a Manchester United fan, I was gutted when Manchester City and Haaland announced that he was signing a new bumper contract. I was really upset that he didn’t sign for Manchester United when Ole was there – I know that we could have had him and that looks like one of biggest transfer mistakes that United have made in the last decade!  As a football fan, I’m pleased that he has committed his best years to the Premier League. As I said, when you look around the division for world-class strikers; superstars, I think he’s the only one. I’m glad that we will get to enjoy him in the Premier League and that he won’t be joining Real Madrid or Barcelona.  I’m very pleased that the Premier League can still be the main attraction when it comes to excitement during the season and also the main attraction for top, top players.  I’m not judging La Liga or the Bundesliga in a bad way, but those league’s aren’t anywhere near as competitive as the Premier League. Keeping one of the best in the word, is good news for the Premier League.  I also like the commitment from him and his club. They’re in it for the long-haul to win trophies and the news will give everyone associated to Man City a boost because of all of the issues that are happening behind-the-scenes. I also like his loyalty. It’s a huge contract, but it is deserved. I also don’t think there’s any danger that after signing a deal like that, Haaland’s desire will falter. He looks determined to smash all the goalscoring records in the Premier League.  Q: Despite the CL result can you see City going unbeaten and pushing Liverpool all the way for the title despite their injuries and bedding in new signings. They usually go on a strong run in the last few months of the season. Louis Saha: You can see that it’s a difficult season for Manchester City. Having those types of bad runs never happened to Pep Guardiola, and it’s never happened to Man City in the last 10 years. They have a lot of things going on outside the club in terms of the court cases that they have. The Haaland contract was some respite during a bad season. Recent results have also improved in the Premier League, but they had a horrible night in Paris last week.  I can see them going on one of their runs again this season, it wouldn’t surprise me to see them win 10 in a row. They haven’t been able to find the right solutions in midfield since Rodri got injured. I think they still look vulnerable, even with the new signings but that doesn’t mean they don’t constitute a threat.  This is a transitional season for them. I think they need to make a lot of changes in the summer to come back and challenge for everything. For them to come back into the title race, they would need to win every single game, and, from what I’ve seen of them this season, I don’t think they’re capable of doing it. I also don’t expect Liverpool to lose that many games this season.  Perhaps City can have a decent season in the Champions League, but I think in the Premier League, the best they can hope for is the top four.  Q: Are you surprised that there still hasn’t been any movement from Liverpool on the contracts of Virgl, Mo and Trent?  Louis Saha: It’s a tough one. We know that they Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mo Salah and Virgil are all top, top players.  The big question is: out of all of the players, who has the passion to want to continue their Liverpool career? From the noises that we’ve heard, Virgil and Mo are the two players that have said they want to stay.  It’s not an easy situation for the club to manage. Sometimes, even if players have been absolutely brilliant for you, and these three players absolutely have, the club may not be able to give them what they want or they may think that from a business point of view, it’s better to let them go. They may want to give Virgil and Mo big new contracts because of their age.  As a player, you want to feel that love from the club; you want to feel wanted. You want to be told the club wants you for many more years. I think Salah probably deserves a little bit more grace if he decided that he doesn’t want to stay. I think he may want another challenge after being so successful for so long, and perhaps he feels a bit disrespected that he hasn’t been offered the contract that he wants from the club. He’s been quite vocal about his disappointment at not being offered a new contract, but I think from what he’s done this season, he couldn’t have done anymore to secure a new deal. Why Trent and Virgil’s contract situation is different from Mo’s  Louis Saha: Virgil and Trent’s situation is a little bit different. One is the club captain and the other is a local boy – academy graduate – so perhaps we expect them to show the club a little bit more loyalty. It’s a different situation to Salah, for me.  Trent could be a one-club legend like Carragher and Gerrard, he would probably be Liverpool’s next captain, but it seems like he wants to go to Real Madrid.  I feel like Van Dijk is favourite to stay, because he’s the captain, the leader, and you want to see him show that leadership by signing a new contract.  It’s a really difficult situation for Liverpool. Allowing bug players to run down their contracts used to be really where, but it’s happening more and more these days. The only guys that do well out of it are the agents!  Q: Out of the three players, who do you think will stay and who do you think will leave?  Louis Saha: I think that Van Dijk will stay. That feels like the easiest of the contracts to get signed from a Liverpool point of view. It looks like he wants to stay, so they should just get it done.  Salah has come out and said that he is closer to leaving than staying. I think out of the three, I would put Van Dijk as the most likely, followed by Salah, but it looks like Trent will be heading to Spain.  Manchester United Q: Do you think Hojlund (he has scored just 2 Premier League goals this season) and Zirkzee (he has scored just 3 Premier League goals this season) are capable of delivering the goals United need from their strikers in the years ahead? Louis Saha: I think that Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee are good players. They work hard, you can see that they’re trying their best. Can they score 20 goals a season? Not right now, maybe in the future, but certainly not at the moment. I am not saying that they don’t have the quality. The reality is that these are two players that have been thrown into the deep end of Premier League football. Manchester United are in a transitional period, and it’s difficult to blood players while the club are under so much pressure. It’s really difficult for them.  I think they need players around them to show them what it takes to be a top striker at Manchester United, and there is nobody there that can do that at the moment. When I joined, it was easy for me because I had some unbelievable players to learn from like Solskjaer and Ruud van Nistelrooy, I had players to teach me but also players that would challenge me to raise my level of performance otherwise I wouldn’t play.  At the same time, having players of that level at the club took the pressure off my shoulders.  In this United team, the players are nervous. Hojlund and Zirkzee are nervous. They are not being given the best conditions to develop into top players because of the situation at the club at the moment.  Q: How far can Amad go? Louis Saha: Amad can go very far. He has the capacity to develop into one of the games superstars. I love his humility and at the same time, I love his determination. He’s a player with guts. He’s got the guts to grab the opportunity that he has been given. He’s got the skills and he’s also got good body strength.  He reminds me a little bit of Raheem Sterling when he first broke through. People thought they would be able to knock him off the ball because of his size, but they couldn’t.  What Amad’s done in terms of energy, in terms of his impact, it’s unbelievable.  I remember back in the day, I saw Cristiano, I saw Wayne Rooney, I saw Giggsy train. He’s got the same dedication. He’s got the same desire. He’s got the same level of dedication.  You can see that Amad is obsessed about his football, you can see that he wants to entertain the fans, and he’s got a real connection with the United fans. Ruben Amorim can play him in any position, and he knows that he will get a performance out of him. Amorim should give him the keys to this United team. They should build around this guy because he’s that good.  I really like what he’s doing. The enthusiasm that he’s got, it’s brilliant. I watch football to see guys like Amad play.  Q: What are your thoughts on Rashford situation Louis Saha: The Rashford situation is a really tough one. it’s a tough one because he’s one of those players, that, on their day, really excites me. We all know what he is capable of when he wants to do it – he can give any defender nightmares. He was a forward that was unplayable on his day, a player with the capacity to win you the Premier League on his own.  Something clearly isn’t right with him. He has too many distractions around him – something has happened to him. Is it people in his entourage telling him things or giving him bad advice? I don’t know.  When you have Rashford’s ability, when you have the type of quality that he has, and you’re continuing to be overlooked by your manager, then something isn’t right. Amorim’s comments about preferring his goalkeeping coach must be because of how upset he is with Rashford.  I don’t think that Marcus has helped himself. He needs to take a long hard look at himself in the mirror, the only person to blame for what is happening to him at Manchester United is himself. Don’t blame anyone else.  Nobody benefits from Rashford’s ongoing absence Louis Saha: Nobody is benefiting from this ongoing situation, apart from maybe the club who signs him. Because of what Amorim has said about the player and his application, because everyone in the football world knows that he is unwanted at Manchester United, any team that tries to sign him will be looking to get him on the cheap.  His next club is the only one that will benefit from all of the negativity towards Rashford at Manchester United, and I’m sorry, but I can’t understand how Marcus didn’t anticipate the consequences. He loves Manchester United; that’s the team that he supports, and you’re letting it come to an end like this? I think it’s really sad.  Amorim is the boss, Rashford must understand that Louis Saha: Amorim is the boss, and you can do nothing about that. You have the choice: roll up your sleeves and be a professional for the club that gave you everything or throw your toys out of the pram because you feel like you’ve been disrespected.  We’ve seen plenty of players leave Manchester United in difficult circumstances that are still adored by the fans. Ronaldo recently, then we had guys like David Beckham and Roy Keane back in the Fergie days.  It could have been such a different story for him. I’m really upset by the current situation and how it is coming to an end.  I’m sure that he wanted to remain in that club all his life, winning titles, but it won’t happen.  If Rashford was in my era, with Fergie, this wouldn’t have happened Louis Saha: It would have been good if Rashford was in my era, he would have played and won titles alongside the top players. Unfortunately for him, he broke into the team when United was in a period of transition and in many ways, he was the hero that they needed at the time, but also, you have to say that the club failed him because they were not able to have a team that was strong enough to challenge for the biggest prizes in football.  That’s why Rashford broke in at 16-17 instead of 19-20.  He didn’t have the opportunity to grow around players that had won everything with the club.  I’m very upset, very frustrated, because you know how good this boy is, how exciting he can be on his day. It’s lose-lose. Rashford is still the best player at United but his attitude will out clubs off him Louis Saha: The manager is upset, he said in his interview, he would have preferred to have Rashford in his squad, but he can’t because he’s not committed. He said he would rather play with his goalkeeping coach up front!  At the end of the day, I expect every single Manchester United player to work hard, fight for their place. If you don’t dedicate yourself to being the best, then you’re out. Those are the standards.  At this moment, there are too many players trying to impose their own influence on the club rather than listening to the manager.   Rashford’s got a massive salary. His performances in the last two years have been really bad. I’m sure some clubs will be attracted to taking a gamble on him because they know how good he can be, but everything that has happened will also scare a lot of managers as well. Marcus needs to change. Wherever he ends up, he will need to change. I just hope that he wakes up and realises that he has the ability to be one of the best players in the world; I still think that on ability alone, he’s the best player at Manchester United. I would love to see him apologies and fight for his United future, but I think that is really unlikely and if it and when it comes to an end, there will be a lot of sadness from all parties.  Q: If you could sign one player for Manchester United in January, who would it be and why?  Louis Saha: Victor Osimhen is the striker I would do everything to bring in to Manchester United. I love him as a player. I think he’s the only striker out there who is transferable that would be a guaranteed success.  I also think that Osimhen is the type of player that would help the other strikers at United. They would be able to learn from him, while he would carry ost of the pressure of scoring the goals in the team. That would enable Hojlund and Zirkzee to play with more freedom.  He can also help the other players in the team. His link-up play is so good, he’s solid on that.  At the moment, the United strikers don’t win enough 50-50 challenges. They don’t go behind the defenders enough, they don’t have the best movement in the box. Osimhen would solve all of those problems.  I would love to see the club make an offer for him, whether it is in January or in the summer. He would be a revelation in the Premier League.  Q: Garnacho to Chelsea, would it be sad? Louis Saha: If Manchester United sold Alejandro Garnacho to Chelsea, then it could be sad, certainly for the fans. I don’t know the situation financially, perhaps the club will have to sell him because they need to raise funds if Amorim wants to bring in. his own players.  Unless United absolutely need to sell for financial reasons, then I don’t see the point in selling him in January. With where United are, with the Rashford situation, the club needs as many players in the squad that are capable of scoring and creating goals and Garnacho is one of them.  For me, it would be a really strange decision to sell him, especially if you can’t use that money to sign a replacement.  The one thing that I would say is that a player like Garnacho and Mainoo as well, they become attractive options to sell because from a PSR perspective, academy products are counted as pure profit. If you cash in on these guys, then maybe you can do something special in the transfer market.  This might be an unpopular opinion, but football is a business as well. These are two players that have been massively hyped up, but for me, from what I’ve seen of them, there’s no guarantee that they can go on and become the next Giggs or the next Paul Scholes – I haven’t seen everything from them that makes me think these two players are non-transferable. I don’t see them as world class players yet, just prospects, and if the money is good, then maybe you take it while you can.  Q: Is Nkunku a good player for United to bring in? Louis Saha: Yeah, I think Christopher Nkunku would be a brilliant signing for Manchester United. If they could bring him in in January, then I would be very pleased.  He’s a top player that I’ve followed since he was at PSG. When he signed for Chelsea, I was very surprised because they already had several players that could play in his position.  I think he’s been really unlucky, because for me, his best position is playing just behind the striker and there is no way that he can get into the team in front of Cole Palmer, who has been one of the best players in the Premier League since last season.  He’s very mobile. He’s a very, very busy player. Believe me, I know him well. I followed his entire career. He’s a top player, and unless he’s injured, he guarantees you goals and assists. When I look at Mason Mount, how much hope that we had for him, I think it will be really difficult for him to come back to the player that we all saw at Chelsea.  I don’t think Nkunku would have the same problems. We know he hasn’t played much, but when he has, he’s been effective.  I think he would be an excellent signing if Manchester United can do it. I think he would fit nicely into Amorim’s system.  Arsenal Q: Can they win a trophy this season as they are long overdue? / Does Mikel Arteta need to win a major trophy this season to show that he’s the real deal?   Louis Saha: You can lose momentum if you don’t win something, and that would be the main danger for Mikel Arteta and Arsenal. From the last two years, looking at what Arsenal are doing this season, he may have lost a bit of momentum, so the team is not playing as well. They’re not scoring with the same kind of style; they’re scoring from set-pieces. I think it’s a bit strange to see Arsenal, a team that in the last two seasons under Arteta played with so much freedom, come to rely on so many goals from set plays.  bit strange in some ways to speak about Arsenal this way. They used to play football that excited any fans, and I don’t think that’s been the case at all this season, so it’s a bit of worry. They may have to compensate, become more ruthless to win things and to challenge for the titles.  After getting this team so close, Mikel now needs to win some major silverware because Arsenal fans are demanding success.  In terms of trophies, Manchester United have lifted more than Arsenal in the last two years. Obviously, one club has challenged for the title for the last few seasons and is building, but the reality is that United have won more titles. I don’t think that United have been more successful over the same period, but in a trophy sense, they’ve won more. That’s not normal. That’s not normal when you have such a good team.  I think it’s really important for Mikel, his players and his staff to put their hands on something this year. They definitely need to win a major trophy this season to silence a lot of the critics and also maybe some of the doubts that certain fans may have about their ability to win the biggest prizes in the game under Arteta. It will be a painful summer if they don’t win anything.  Q: Can Arsenal win the title with Kai Havertz? Louis Saha: Havertz is a false 9, and we’ve seen Manchester City win the Premier League playing with one, so of course, if Havertz scored more goals, then Arsenal could definitely win the title with him up front.  I think Havertz is a good player. He links things up nicely and brings others into play, he has a good connection with his teammates. It’s the chances that he misses that frustrate, and those become even more analysed when Arsenal are struggling to get players like Martinelli, Trossard and Odegaard contributing goals.  He had three good chances against Wolves and he should have buried at least one of them.  I do think that Arsenal could do with bringing in another forward that can help Havertz. They would love to be able to sign a striker that will guarantee at least 20m Premier League goals in a season, but those players are hard to find.  Even Pep Guardiola realised that he needed a focal point, he needed a 9, and he went out and got Haaland. Football is changing all the time. He knew he needed to adapt his game to keep winning titles, which is why he signed Haaland.  The reality is, and I know this from experience, if you have a player that can score 25 goals plus, then you’ve got more of a chance of winning the Premier League.  Tottenham Q: After Tottenham’s latest defeat, do you worry about the future of Ange Postecoglou? Louis Saha: Yes, I’m concerned about Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham future, but I think that Mr. Levy should keep him as the manager for the rest of the season. I still believe in him. He definitely needs to improve the results of the team. He needs to get some players back, because he hasn’t been helped with all of the injuries.  When you’re not playing with your best players, it’s always going to be tough.  Tottenham aren’t defending correctly. Attacking, they can still provide a lot of threats, but they are missing those elements where they can’t defend correctly, and that is down to key players being injured.  The issue with them this season is that they can disappear for 20 minutes and lose a game. I don’t know why that keeps happening, but certainly in the Premier League that has been their story this season.  The biggest challenge for the manager is to get them performing consistently. It’s to find that formula that makes them really aggressive, hard to beat.  Mentally, something has to change because there is too much potential in his squad for them to be where they are in the Premier League table. It’s been a really strange and difficult season for them.  They need to keep the faith with Postecoglou. If they sacked him, the next manager would inherit all of the same problems and Spurs then go back to that rinse and repeat strategy that has held the club back since Poch was there.  Everton Q: David Moyes was recently appointed Everton’s new manager. Were you excited by that appointment by the new ownership?  Louis Saha: Yes, I was really excited to see David Moyes, my old Everton manager, go back to Goodison Park.   You can see straight away that he has made them more solid and has brought an element of aggression to the team, while also asking for more from his attacking players.  When you’re in a team like Everton, you have to understand that you’re not going to create 10-15 chances to score goals because of the quality you have, so you have to be had to beat and you need your players to be completely dedicated to the defensive side of the game and to take their opportunities when they come.  That is exactly what David Moyes has done at every single club he has managed. From my experience working with him, I can tell you that he is a man with a real passion for football. He wants his teams to build a connection with the fans by giving absolutely everything for the badge. That’s the minimum he demands. He wants to create a hostile environment when his teams play at homes, and when I was there, there wasn’t a single team in the Premier League that enjoyed coming to Goodison.  That’s the Moyes formula. I think his appointment is very good for the club. I think Everton now has a better version of David Moyes after all of his other experiences managing in the Premier League and in Spain. He has definitely improved as manager since the last time he was there. I’m really excited for Everton with him in charge.  Fulham Q: Your old team Fulham have been linked with Paul Pogba could you see him joining them and if not, where do you think he will end up? Louis Saha: I think it’s gonna be an interesting few days for Paul as the transfer window comes to a close.  He needs a club, that’s for sure. He’s on the free, so in many ways that takes a bit of the pressure off him because he can sign for a club when the transfer window closes, but from Paul’s perspective, he will want to get onto the grass with his new teammates in training as quickly as possible.  The best thing for Paul is that he starts training with a club now, getting his fitness and tactical understanding to the best possible level. He will also want to know what kind of role he is going to play.  Would Fulham be a good fit for him? They are a club that would welcome him with open arms, and I think he would be a massive asset for them, he would fit in well there.  But if Paul Pogba is available, believe me, I would love to see him back at United at this moment in time. That’s how good he is. When he is fit and firing, he could go into the Manchester United squad and become one of the best players quite quickly.  There are a handful of players that really excite me. Amad excites me. Neymar excites me. Pogba excites me. There are only a handful of players in this world that can do what Paul Pogba can do. It’s as simple as that, and that is why I would love for him to write another chapter with Manchester United. Newcastle United Q: You know how passionate the Newcastle fans are, would a new stadium and the revenues that come with that catapult Newcastle into the title-challenge conversation?  Louis Saha: Well, the kind of revenue that a new stadium would bring would definitely put Newcastle in the bracket of challengers.   With the difficulty of PSR rules, that is the kind of mathematics and the type of business that you need to do as a club.  Even for a big club with the history of Manchester United, we’ve seen with their own announcements that they think they need to upgrade Old Trafford to compete with the biggest clubs in the world.  That is the reality of elite football clubs: if you don’t have a big stadium with the type of facilities that brings in huge revenues, you will struggle now, especially with the PSR rules.  Newcastle is a massive club. I actually think that they are a club that can challenge for the title, but a new stadium and the revenues that go with that would supercharge that challenge.  They need a bit of improvement in the squad, but I don’t think that they are far off. They are close. If they can get their numbers right in terms of revenue, then there is absolutely no reason why Newcastle can’t take the next step. Of course it will take time, it isn’t going to happen overnight but having that infrastructure in place will secure the foundations of the team to be competitive for years and years.  They have so many fans in that region. It will be great, but you need to find a way to get the right fans as well. It’s strange what I’m going to say, but I remember back in the days the stadium was a bit smaller, and the atmosphere was absolutely crazy.