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Manchester United begin their sixth reboot under new management since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement with a former star of the glory days urging the players to rediscover their “nasty” streak.

Cup wins in each of his two full seasons in charge were not enough to save Erik ten Hag, who was fired last month and replaced by Ruben Amorim.

After a delayed arrival, the 39-year-old Portuguese manager inherits a team enduring its worst start to a Premier League season – heading to Ipswich on Sunday in 13th place.

Former United striker Dimitar Berbatov told Sky News: “We need to be more nasty on the pitch.

“I remember when we used to train in the training ground, it was like a war.”

Dimitar Berbatov with the Premier League during Manchester United's victory parade in 2011.
File pic: Reuters
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Dimitar Berbatov won the Premier League with United in 2009 and 2011.
File pic: Reuters

The Bulgarian added: “I’m going to yell at you. I’m going to curse you. I’m going to scream at you. And it’s nothing personal.

“When everything finished in the dressing room, we are still friends. We can hug and everything. So I want to see United going out there and not be so nice at times.”

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Berbatov, who scored 48 goals in 108 appearances for United, won the Premier League in 2009 and 2011 in an era dominated by Sir Alex.

But the team has not lifted the trophy since they won a record 20th league title in 2013 – when the Scot retired as manager.

Dimitar Berbatov
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Dimitar Berbatov

Amorim already knows how to win silverware having won the Portuguese league twice at Lisbon club Sporting

“He has that winning mentality – let’s hope he’s going to bring that into the team,” Berbatov said.

“So maybe that winning mentality and striving for going for the Premier League title is lost in a way.”

Dimitar Berbatov celebrates scoring against Blackburn Rovers in 2010.
File pic: Reuters
Image:
Berbatov said Amorim ‘has that winning mentality’.
File pic: Reuters

Berbatov watches from afar, hoping Amorim quickly gets the players to believe him as Sir Alex did so successfully for 26 years at United.

“Of course, you manage them tactically but knowing how to speak with them is the most important,” he said. “You have 25 egos into the team who everybody thinks he’s the best ever.

“So now you need to know how to speak with them, how to treat them with who you need to be more polite… and it’s a very complex process.

“But Sir Alex mastered it and he knew exactly how to speak with everybody individually. Sometimes he manipulated you to believe certain things for the good of the team.”

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The former striker also watches now with a sense of awareness about wellbeing, from players to fans, and is backing a campaign to earn a mental health charity up to £20,000 – based on key injury time moments with the LiveScore app.

“It’s good to share because you’re going to feel great,” he said. “Trust me, I’ve been there. I didn’t share after a while.

“Now, in my stage in my life, I share with my wife, with my friends, with my dad or my mum still and… I feel good now. So my advice is don’t be ashamed.”

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Protesters throw powder on Tower Bridge during London Marathon

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Protesters throw powder on Tower Bridge during London Marathon

Two pro-Palestinian demonstrators have thrown red powder on Tower Bridge – just moments before leading runners in the London Marathon went past.

The protesters were arrested on suspicion of causing a public nuisance and remain in custody, said the Metropolitan Police.

A video shared by Youth Demand, which is calling for a trade embargo on Israel, shows two people jumping over a barrier that separates spectators from the race course.

The pair, wearing t-shirts that say “Youth Demand: Stop Arming Israel”, are then seen standing in the middle of the road on the bridge.

Pic: LNP
Image:
Pic: LNP

They throw red powder in the air as an official marathon car goes past displaying the race time.

A motorbike with a cameraman on board continues along the route, while a second motorbike stops and one of the riders gets off and pushes the pair out of the way, just before the men’s elite runners pass.

Several police officers then jump over the barrier and detain the pair, the footage shows.

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There appeared to be no impact on the marathon.

More than 56,000 participants were expected to take part in the 26.2-mile race through the capital.

Sabastian Sawe of Kenya won the men’s elite race in a time of two hours, two minutes and 27 seconds, while Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa shattered the women’s-only world record in two hours, 15 minutes and 50 seconds.

Assefa beat the previous best of two hours, 16 minutes and 16 seconds set last year in London by Kenyan Peres Jepchirchir.

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Badenoch does not rule out local coalitions with Reform

Pic: LNP
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Pic: LNP

The Metropolitan Police said in a statement: “At around 10.38am, two protesters from Youth Demand jumped over barriers at Tower Bridge and threw red paint on to the road.

“Marathon event staff intervened to remove the protesters from the path of the men’s elite race which was able to pass unobstructed.”

The force added that they were “quickly supported by police officers who arrested the protesters on suspicion of causing a public nuisance”.

The Met said the paint “appeared to be chalk-based” and was not expected to “present a hazard to runners yet to pass this point”.

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Kemi Badenoch does not rule out local coalitions with Reform after next week’s council elections

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Kemi Badenoch does not rule out local coalitions with Reform after next week's council elections

Kemi Badenoch has not ruled out forming coalitions at a local level with Reform after the council elections next week.

Speaking to Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, the Conservative leader did however categorically rule out a pact with Nigel Farage’s party on a national level.

“I am not going into any coalition with Nigel Farage… read my lips,” she said.

However, she did not deny that deals could be struck with Reform at a local level, arguing that some councils might be under no overall control and in that case, “you have to do what is right for your local area”.

“You look at the moment, we are in coalition with Liberal Democrats, with independents,” she said. “We’ve been in coalition with Labour before at local government level.

“They [councillors] have to look at who the people are that they’re going into coalition with and see how they can deliver for local people.”

She added: “What I don’t want to hear is talks of stitch-ups or people planning things before the results are out. They have to do what is right for their communities.”

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A total of 23 councils are up for grabs when voters go to the polls on Thursday 1 May – mostly in places that were once deemed Tory shires, until last year’s general election.

It includes 14 county councils, all but two of which have been Conservative-controlled, as well as eight unitary authorities, all but one of which are Tory.

Ms Badenoch has set expectations low for the Tories, suggesting they could lose all the councils they are contesting.

The last time this set of councils were up for election was in 2021, when the Conservative Party was led by Boris Johnson who was riding high from the COVID vaccine bounce.

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Counter-terrorism police investigating after two women injured in Leeds

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Counter-terrorism police investigating after two women injured in Leeds

Counter-terrorism police are investigating after an incident involving a crossbow and a firearm left two women injured in Leeds.

Police were called to Otley Road at 2.47pm on Saturday to reports of a “serious incident involving a man seen with weapons”, West Yorkshire Police said.

Officers arrived at the scene to find two women injured – and a 38-year-old man with a self-inflicted injury. All three were taken to hospital, with the man held under arrest, but their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

“Two weapons have been recovered from the scene, which were a crossbow and a firearm,” Counter Terrorism Policing North East said in a statement.

The incident happened on the ‘Otley Run’ pub crawl, with one venue saying it was closed for the evening due to “unforeseen circumstances”.

Officers guard one of the crime scenes in Leeds
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Officers guard one of the crime scenes

Officers inside the cordon in Leeds
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Officers inside the cordon in Leeds

Counter Terrorism Policing’s statement added: “Due to the circumstances surrounding the incident, Counter Terrorism Policing North East have taken responsibility for leading the investigation with the support of West Yorkshire Police.

“Extensive enquiries continue to establish the full circumstances and explore any potential motivation.”

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper described it as a “serious violent incident” and said she was being kept updated by police.

“Thank you to the police and emergency services for their swift response,” she said. “My thoughts are with the victims and all those affected by this attack.”

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