Manchester

THE UK was battered by 50mph winds and heavy rain last night, as the country braces for wet weather.

Forecasters have warned that it will rain every day next week, in what will be a very wet start to June.

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The news comes after Britain experienced one of its driest Mays on record, with some parts of the country prepping for droughts. 

The North-West and North-East have also experienced their driest starts to the year since 1929, with Brits basking in sweltering 27C heats. 

According to Met Office meteorologist Becky Mitchell, though, that seasonal abnormality has come to an end.

She said: “Last night’s rain won’t have brought May much closer to average.

“That being said, we still have a week left of May and we expect to see rain every day, so by the end of the month we could be closer to the monthly average.”

Fellow meteorologist Zoe Hatton added that showers will sweep across the country from Sunday onwards.

She said: “Across the north of the countryside of Scotland is likely to be wet and quite miserable initially.

“A band of rain will be moving eastwards overnight lingering in the far north of Scotland. Elsewhere it’s not going to be widely wet.

“There’s going to be low cloud in places which could produce outbreaks of rain across the Pennines and across higher ground in the south of England, but the main focus will really be northern Scotland.

“As the day moves on that band of rain will move eastwards and we’re going to see showers arriving from the west.

“The most likely places affected will be Northern Ireland, Scotland and the north of England, and some quite frequent blustery showers across parts of the country, but drier further south.”

Heavy winds peaked at 50mph in the north of England on Saturday, while temperatures across the country will peak at a meager 15C on Sunday.

Some southern areas, including London, could experience highs of 21C, though, on Wednesday and Thursday.

However, Becky has warned that the warmer weather might not return until the school half-term.

Temperatures will begin to rise after June 2, bringing an end to what is believed will be a very wet week. 

Over the last few months, Britain has experienced a variety of rare weather conditions with meteorologists warning of a tornado on May 21.

One spokesperson said: “It’s not out of the question that we could see a funnel cloud, maybe even a brief tornado across parts of the South East.”

Tornadoes form when hot, humid air collides with cold, dry air.

The cold air heads downwards, while the hot air rises – creating a funnel, which eventually spirals into a tornado. 

Due to the UK’s landscape and normally temperate weather, tornadoes are a rarity in Britain. 

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Erik ten Hag is on the brink of agreeing a deal to replace Xabi Alonso as manager of Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen.

Ten Hag has been out of work since being sacked by Manchester United in October.

The Dutchman has received a number of offers but opted to stay out of the game until this summer.

Earlier this month sources close to Ten Hag told BBC Sport the former Ajax boss was preparing to return at the beginning of July and was willing to assess any suitable offer.

Alonso, who is expected to replace the outgoing Carlo Ancelotti as Real Madrid manager, has quit Leverkusen after leading the club to their first Bundesliga title in 2024 in an unbeaten league campaign.

Leverkusen also completed a domestic double last season, beating Kaiserslautern in the German Cup final.

Although the club has not been able to maintain the same high standards this season, they still managed to finish second to qualify for next season’s Champions League.

Ten Hag has experience of German football after spending two years in charge of Bayern Munich’s second team from 2013.

The 55-year-old won the FA Cup and League Cup in his two full seasons as United boss, finishing third in the Premier League in 2022-23.

However, although United kept faith with him after extended deliberation in the wake of last season’s surprise FA Cup final victory against Manchester City, he was sacked on 28 October following a 2-1 defeat at West Ham.

RUBEN AMORIM has reportedly told his Manchester United players he will remain at the club next season – but Alejandro Garnacho will not be.

According to The Athletic, the under-fire manager addressed players at the club’s training ground on Saturday to inform them of his own plans.

And it was there that Garnacho is said to have been told to find a new club.

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Brennan Johnson scores the only goal as Tottenham beat Man Utd to lift the cup and qualify for the Champions League.

Tottenham beat Manchester United 1-0 to win the Europa League final, lifting its first European trophy in more than four decades to qualify for next season’s Champions League.

It is the first major title for Tottenham since it won the English League Cup in 2008, and its first European triumph since it won its second UEFA Cup — the equivalent of the Europa League now — in 1984.

Brennan Johnson squeezed in the winner at the end of the first half on Wednesday to help Spurs salvage a dismal season, in which it will finish near the bottom of the Premier League standings.

The title guarantees Spurs a spot in next season’s Champions League, and brings some much-needed relief for manager Ange Postecoglou after he struggled to keep his team on track all year.

The victory comes six years after Tottenham fell short against Liverpool in the Champions League final.

The defeat adds pressure on United coach Ruben Amorim, whose team sits in 16th place — just ahead of Tottenham — in the Premier League. The club will not play in any European competition next season.

United came close to equalising the match on Wednesday when a header by Rasmus Hojlund was cleared at the goal line by Tottenham’s Micky van de Ven in the 68th.

Deep into stoppage time, a header by Luke Shaw prompted a difficult save by Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.

It had been an even match, with neither team creating many significant scoring opportunities, until Tottenham got on the board in the 42nd minute after a cross by Pape Sarr into the area.

The ball ricocheted off Shaw and fell in front of Johnson, who seemed to get just enough of it to poke it across the goal line.

United pressed forward after conceding, but was not able to get the equaliser in front of a split crowd of nearly 50,000 at Athletic Bilbao’s San Mames Stadium.

United had last won a trophy in the 2024 FA Cup, and its last European triumph was at the 2017 Europa League under manager Jose Mourinho.

The Red Devils lost all four matches against Tottenham this season and is winless against its rival in seven straight games, with the last six under Postecoglou.

United and Tottenham had met in just one previous final — the 2009 League Cup when Alex Ferguson’s United won 4-1 on penalties after a 0-0 draw.

Tottenham striker Son Heung-min, who came off the bench in the 67th, finally ended his decade-long trophy drought with Spurs.

Want to follow along with the Europa League final but not sure who to support?

No problem! We’ve put together a quiz to determine whether you should be getting behind Tottenham Hotspur or Manchester United… and if you don’t like it, just sit back and enjoy the game.

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Pep Guardiola has said he will quit as manager of Manchester City if he is given a big squad to select from after the summer transfer market.

A number of Man City’s senior players were not included in the squad for Tuesday’s 3-1 win against Bournemouth and Guardiola says he is unhappy at leaving so many players out.

Abdukodir Khusanov, Savinho, James McAtee, Claudio Echeverri and Rico Lewis all missed out on Tuesday’s 20-man matchday squad as City moved to third in the Premier League and within a point of Champions League qualification.

But, despite this showing the depth Guardiola has at his disposal, the Spaniard wants to work with a smaller squad.

He said: “I said to the club I don’t want that [a bigger squad]. I don’t want to leave five or six players in the freezer. I don’t want that. I will quit. Make a shorter squad, I will stay.”

Guardiola says it is “impossible for my soul” to leave players watching from the stands.

“Maybe [for] three, four months we couldn’t select 11 players, we didn’t have defenders, it was so difficult. After people come back but next season it cannot be like that,” the 54-year-old added.

“As a manager I cannot train 24 players and every time I select I have to have four, five, six stay in Manchester at home because they cannot play. This is not going to happen. I said to the club. I don’t want that.”

City spent more than £200m on four players in January after suffering a number of key injuries. Kevin De Bruyne is one of those players who will definitely depart in the summer, while the future of Jack Grealish is in doubt.

When asked if it meant more exits were inevitable, Guardiola – who signed a deal keeping him at the club until 2027 – said: “It is a question for the club. I don’t want to have 24, 25, 26 players when everyone is fit. If I have injuries, unlucky, we have some players for the academy and we do it.

Guardiola said a big squad is unstainable and that it is important for “the soul of the team” that his players “create another connection with each other that this season we lost it a bit”.

All Premier League clubs can have a 25-man squad, but this is not an exhaustive list of all players eligible to play. A team can also include under-21 players who are eligible over and above the 25-man squad limit.

Manchester City’s website lists 28 first-team squad members, plus four players who are on loan elsewhere.

Guardiola has explained in the past, external why he prefers to manage a smaller squad, going into the 2023/24 season with 20 senior players.

In comparison, Chelsea’s official website lists 31 players in their squad list, with 21 other players out on loan, Brighton and Tottenham list 29 players, while Wolves name 30 players on their squad list.

Clubs with smaller squads than Manchester City this season include Arsenal with just 24 players and champions Liverpool , Aston Villa, Everton and Nottingham Forest with 25 squad players.

WATCH the shocking moments a brawl erupts between Manchester United and Tottenham fans as punches get thrown ahead of the Europa League final.

Up to 70,000 Man Utd and Tottenham fans have flooded the streets of sunny Bilbao in good spirits and with drinks flowing.

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However, the mood took a dark turn with footage surfacing on X of a brawl between the two sets of supporters.

In the shocking video, a large group of football hooligans are seen brawling as they throw objects and punches at each other.

Residents alerted authorities at around 9.20pm after they witnessed violent behaviour on Fermín Calbetón Street.

Witnesses say the fight broke out when two large groups of supporters began shouting and hurling insults,

It quickly escalated into a full-blown brawl, with both Man Utd and Spurs fans grabbing whatever they could to throw at each other.

One hooligan overturned a terrace table and used it as a weapon against the other group.

Drinks and bins were also hurled, creating a chaotic scene that posed a serious risk to local businesses and passersby.

Several local police patrols rushed to the scene after reports of the brawl and quickly restored order.

No arrests have been made so far, but officers have stayed in the area to keep the situation under control.

An ambulance was also dispatched, with several people treated at the scene.

However, after further assessment, staff determined no one needed to be taken to the hospital.

It comes as tens of thousands of Brits landed in Bilbao ahead of the highly anticipated final.

Some are braving an epic 32-hour-plus ferry ride which set sail at 10pm on Sunday evening and won’t arrive until 8am on Tuesday morning.

With flights to Spain rocketing over £1,000 after the Prem teams sealed their final spots, many took advantage of the cheaper sea-route option, which set them back £260 for a cabin.

The sky-high air prices are due to just six direct flights from Britain to the Basque region’s industrial port city each day.

And with only 65 hotels in Spain’s tenth largest city, accommodation has been fully booked for weeks.

Each club has millions of fans across the globe, but since there are just 14,000 tickets allocated to each team, bagging a seat to the showpiece event has been a tricky task.

Last night, precious tickets to the big game were selling on the black market for up to £10,000.

EasyJet was charging £1,823 to fly from Gatwick to Bilbao on Wednesday morning and return on Thursday morning, while the cheapest hotels for Wednesday night cost around £1,200.

But for those fans who managed to snap up the golden tickets, footage has shown them enjoying themselves.

A Bilbao bar was flooded with Brit fans chanting and drinking ahead of the anticipated final.

Spurs fans were also seen welcoming the team bus as it arrived in the city one day before the clash.

Footage taken by The Sun showed fans arriving to fill the streets of Bilbao about 40 hours before kick-off.

Both sets of supporters have been pictured marching through the streets, chanting songs with beers in hand as they gear up for the Europa League final.

Footie fanatics get the party started early

By Sun man in Bilbao, Dave Courtnadge

IT’S barely midday in Bilbao on the day before the Europa League final between Manchester United and Spurs – but it’s already getting lively.

I arrived in the city at about 9am after a 32-HOUR ferry ride from Portsmouth.

And the first thing a lot of fellow fans planned to do was find a pub for a well-earned drink.

Walking around the area around the San Mames stadium this morning, a fair few others had the same idea.

Many have had long journeys, stopping off overnight in another city to keep down the soaring cost of getting here, with some direct flights over £1,000.

So it’s no surprise many are already getiing the party started, or the Bilbao leg of the party anyway.

Spurs fan Gary, who flew out from London before an overnight stay in a Madrid hotel resembling a “prison cell”, joked as he supped a pint in the sun: “I’m just getting some practice in for tomorrow.”

The atmosphere has been brilliant so far, and hopefully that will continue.

There had been claims that Spurs fans are set to outnumber United fans by 5 to 1, with an estimated 50,000 supporters of the two English sides expected to arrive.

One Tottenham follower I spoke to joked that they had bought all the flights out of London to keep the Reds out.

Based on the number of Spurs shirts I’ve already seen, he might be right.

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For Spurs, the prospect of a first trophy since 2008 is also a chance to salvage something from a desperate Premier League campaign that – just like United – has redefined what domestic failure looks like for a so-called ‘Big Six’ club.

Their season has also featured furious fan protests over a perceived lack of investment by the club’s owner Enic and the approach of chairman Daniel Levy.

“Qualifying for the Champions League would be in the desirable category for Spurs, rather than essential,” says Maguire.

“They are the best-run business in the Premier League. They have the most profits historically. They have an ability to generate money from non-football activities to a far greater extent than any other club, so they’ve always got this as a support mechanism.”

At United, a second consecutive season out of the Champions League means the club will have to pay kit provider Adidas a £10m penalty under the terms of their deal.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, one former senior United figure predicts that the sponsorship revenue the club have prided themselves on over so many years could be at risk of “collapsing” if they are out of Europe for only the second time in 35 years, and that their brand value is now at a pivotal moment.

“Not being a European team creates more existential issues around the whole model” they told BBC Sport, pointing to the end of the Tezos sponsorship of the club’s training kit this summer.

“It’s not healthy, and people start to question whether you are still a ‘big club’. But win, and it keeps the wheels spinning. The cash will be ‘lifeblood’ that allows them to keep trading. If not, they’ll have to look at selling homegrown talent like Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo to give them the funds they want.”

Some United fans travelling to Bilbao will hope the match evokes memories of the 1991 Cup Winners’ Cup triumph – which helped spark the subsequent Sir Alex Ferguson glory years, and showed the club could perform again at a European level.

Others will look to 2017 as inspiration, when Jose Mourinho’s team won the Europa League final to rescue Champions League qualification after finishing sixth in the Premier League. But given how much worse United’s league performance has become, this feels much more significant.

Lose against Spurs, and many will feel that Ineos’ already ambitious Mission 21 plan to turn United into Premier League champions by 2028 could start to look like Mission Impossible. However, senior United insiders dispute the suggestion that this is “win or bust”, insisting that the cost-cutting programme the club are implementing is designed to give flexibility in the summer transfer window, and has been predicated on a ‘no-Europe’ scenario.

While they accept that winning the Europa League would provide a major boost, they say the key is fixing the club’s structure.

Both Amorim and his counterpart, Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou, have played down suggestions that the Europa League offers some kind of panacea. Indeed, with Spurs also on course for their worst-ever Premier League season, victory may not be enough to keep Postecoglou in his job, while Amorim seems secure in his, even if his team loses.

And yet there is no denying that there will still be a huge amount at stake on Wednesday, making this one of the most eagerly anticipated matches of the season.

While the neutrals can enjoy the jeopardy, United and Spurs fans will long for a much-needed sense of hope at the end of a season to forget. Here in Bilbao, a city known for its regeneration, lies a chance to kickstart a revival.

Lose, however, and the road to recovery will feel much longer.

“Of course, it’s important to qualify, but except for Newcastle who won the Carabao Cup, Liverpool won the Premier League and Manchester City that won the Community Shield – the other teams didn’t win trophies,” Guardiola said.

“So the other teams like Chelsea, who can win one title [Europa Conference League] against Real Betis, and [Manchester] United and Tottenham can win the Europa League.

“All the other teams, they are expecting of course to qualify for the Champions League but this is important for every club that play this in competition next year.

“We played a really good [FA Cup] final, not enough to win it, and we have the last two games, we need four points to be in the Champions League next year and this is enough and everyone has to be aware of that.”

With Liverpool Premier League champions and Arsenal sealing second spot, City have a fight to qualify for Europe’s elite club competition and a fascinating race has developed for the top five, with third-placed Newcastle and Nottingham Forest in seventh separated by a solitary point.

Results over the weekend means City have dropped to sixth in the table, but they hold a game in hand over the challengers which comes against Bournemouth on Tuesday (kick-off 20:00 BST), with the final round of games taking place on Sunday.

Cook’s most recent winter was the final step on the road to international cricket. Given he has been overlooked for so long, few would have blamed him had he given up and chased the dollars in short-form leagues.

Instead, he turned down “a few bits of franchise stuff” to play for England Lions in Australia, and was one of the standout performers in an otherwise disappointing tour. While the Lions failed to win any of their three matches, Cook claimed 13 wickets, a handy demonstration of his ability with the Kookaburra ball in an Ashes year.

“I made the right decision to go with the Lions and show what I could do in Australia,” he says. “It’s strengthened my cause for international cricket.”

At a time when England have altered their selection methods, Cook’s inclusion shows county performances can still provide a path to the Test team.

He perhaps should have been most aggrieved last summer, when the exceptionally green Josh Hull was given an opportunity after Mark Wood got injured. At the time, England director of cricket Rob Key explained the decision was down to styles of bowling, and Cook would have been in the frame had a replacement for Woakes been needed. Cook, therefore, had to wait a little longer.

“I just wanted to know what they wanted to see me doing,” says Cook. “It wasn’t a case of kicking up a fuss or moaning, I was just desperate to know how I could improve.

“It was never a case of ‘we don’t think you’re fast enough’. It was just trying to push the echelons of my pace as high as I could, honing skills, and a lot of it was just that the guys in front were better, which is true for bowlers like Jimmy and Broady.”

So Cook arrives in Test cricket battle-hardened, comfortable with his game and, in his opinion, “in a better place than if I was picked a year or two ago”.

At his best, he will provide England with control and accuracy. Holding length is one of his key skills. In the past five years, more than 77% of his deliveries in the Championship have been on a good length, comfortably the highest percentage of the top 10 seamers.

“It is not what the ball does but where it does it from that counts,” says Lewis, the former Australia seamer now on Yorkshire’s coaching staff. “He puts the ball in the right areas and asks questions enough times of batsmen.

“Batsmen get out in two ways: poor decision-making or bad shot selection. He puts enough balls in the areas to get one of those two options. He shifts the ball both ways but his ability to hold his length is pretty special.”

The last time Zimbabwe played a Test in England, 22 years ago, the series was famous for the debut of Anderson, the patron saint of English-style seamers like Cook.

Anderson marked his bow at Lord’s with a five-wicket haul. A choice was put to Cook – to claim a debut five-for of his own, or see Manchester United win the Europa League?

“It’s a no-brainer,” he says. “I’ll take the five-for. If we lose, I’ll be telling everyone the Europa League is an irrelevant trophy. Hopefully I can be greedy and can get both.”

TOM CLEVERLEY is reportedly in talks with a Premier League club just days after being sacked by Watford.

The former Manchester United star was axed by the Hornets earlier this month after missing out on the Championship playoffs.

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Cleverley, 35, took over at Vicarage Road in March 2024 as he replaced Valerien Ismael.

But he could be set for a quick return to the dugout with Southampton interested.

The Guardian have claimed that he is one of the leading candidates to take over at St Mary’s next season.

It is suggested that he has a “strong chance” of being appointed as the new Saints boss.

Cleverley has taken charge of 59 first-team games, winning 20, drawing 14 and losing 25.

The Southampton team is currently playing under caretaker Simon Rusk, who took charge after the sacking of Ivan Juric.

They are a top-flight club for two more games, which come against Everton and Southampton.

Juric was only in charge for 14 Premier League games after replacing Russell Martin.

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Cleverley does face competition for the job from fellow Englishman Will Still.

Still has left Ligue 1 outfit RC Lens following the end of the season in order to move back to England.

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The manager wants to spend more time with his Sky Sports presenter partner Emma Saunders.

His exit came just one season into a three-year deal.

Reports have claimed that Still is in “advanced talks” with Southampton over the vacant manager role.

In his final game, Lens beat AS Monaco 4-0 at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis.

Neil El Aynaoui netted twice while Adrien Thomasson and Anass Zaroury wrapped up the scoring.

The victory sealed an 8th-placed finish in the Ligue 1 table.

Still has also had interest from Hull City and has previously turned down Rangers.

Sheffield Wednesday‘s Danny Rohl is also believed to be in the running for the job.

Meanwhile, Watford have already replaced Cleverley with former Real Valladolid boss Paulo Pezzolano.

The Uruguayan becomes the 22nd manager to take charge of the Hornets since Gino Pozzo’s takeover in 2012.

Ethiopians Selemon Barega and Medina Eisa won the men’s and women’s 10km races at the Great Manchester Run respectively.

Barega, who was Olympic champion in the distance on the track at Tokyo 2020, won in 27 minutes and 49 seconds.

Uruguay’s Santiago Catrofe finished three seconds behind, while last year’s champion, Vincent Ngetich Kipkemoi of Kenya, was third with 27:58.

There were two British finishers in the top 10, with Alfie Manthorpe fifth and Welshman Dewi Griffiths in eighth.

Olympic 800m champions Keely Hodgkinson MBE and Dame Kelly Holmes were in attendance to start the men’s 10k and the half marathons.

In the women’s 10km, it was a comfortable win for 20-year-old Eisa in 30:42.

American Emily Sisson was second in 31:11, with Eisa’s fellow Ethiopian Gotytom Gebreslase in third.

British athletes Amy-Eloise Neale and Verity Ockenden finished seventh and ninth respectively.

EMI MARTINEZ is wanted by Manchester United and Barcelona after he hinted at an Aston Villa exit, reports in Argentina say.

Martinez joined Villa from Arsenal in 2020 – following eight years in North London where he was loaned six times.

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And he emerged as one of the best keepers in the league, also cementing his place as Argentina No1 before their 2022 World Cup win.

But Martinez – whose contract expires in 2029 after extending it in the summer of 2024 – appeared to hint that he is leaving the club.

He was seen tearfully waving to fans following Villa’s 2-0 home win against Tottenham – suggesting he is preparing for an exit.

And according to Argentine TV channel DSports, United and Barca are both interested in signing Martinez and the keeper has offers from both.

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The beef is building between Bruce Springsteen and President Trump.

The Boss did not back down on his fiery rhetoric against Trump on the third night of his “Land of Hopes and Dreams” tour in Manchester, England, on Saturday — a day after Trump lashed out against the legendary singer on Truth Social, calling him an “obnoxious jerk,” a “dried out ‘prune’ of a rocker,” and writing that he should “keep his mouth shut.”

Springsteen didn’t oblige. In a resolute three-minute speech from the Co-op Live venue, Springsteen thanked his cheering audience for indulging him in a speech about the state of America: “Things are happening right now that are altering the very nature of our country’s democracy, and they’re too important to ignore.”

He then repeated many of the lines that he used during a previous Manchester show — the same words that upset Trump to begin with, including the administration defunding American universities, the rolling back of civil rights legislation and siding with dictators, “against those who are struggling for their freedoms.”

Trump’s Truth Social post contained what appeared to be a threat, writing of Springsteen, “We’ll see how it goes for him,” when he gets back to the country. This did not dissuade the “Born in the USA” singer.

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“In my home, they’re persecuting people for their right to free speech and voicing their dissent. That’s happening now,” Springsteen said. “In America, the richest men are taking satisfaction in abandoning the world’s poorest children to sickness and death. That’s happening now. In my country, they’re taking sadistic pleasure in the pain they inflict on loyal American workers.”

In a steady voice, he listed the many concerns of those who oppose Trump, his enablers and his policies.

“They are removing residents off American streets without due process of law and deploying them to foreign detention centers as prisoners. That’s happening now. The majority of our elected representatives have utterly failed to protect the American people from the abuses of an unfit president and a rogue government,” Springsteen said as the crowd applauded and yelled its support. “They have no concern or idea of what it means to be deeply American.”

He finished on a positive note.

“The America I’ve sung to you about for 50 years is real, and regardless of its many faults, it’s a great country with a great people, and we will survive this moment. Well, I have hope, because I believe in the truth of what the great American writer James Baldwin said. He said, ‘In this world, there isn’t as much humanity as one would like, but there’s enough.’ ”

Springsteen has long been a vocal critic of Trump, and campaigned for former Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election. Trump is known for his angry diatribes against celebrities who criticize him, including Taylor Swift and Robert DeNiro.

A PRISON governor has been jailed over an illicit relationship with a drug gang boss who gifted her a £12,000 Mercedes.

Kerri Pegg was seen as a “rising star” in the Prison Service and quickly rose through the ranks to become governor at HMP Kirkham in Lancashire.

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But her career is now in ruins after she embarked on a relationship with inmate Anthony Saunderson, who was known as Jesse Pinkman after the series Breaking Bad.

Pegg, 42, has now been jailed after she was found guilty of two counts of misconduct in a public office.

One relates to the divorcee’s fling with Saunderson and the second by failing to disclose county court judgements about her debts.

She was also convicted of one count of possessing criminal property, the Mercedes car, from Saunderson.

Preston Crown Court heard Pegg released Saunderson on licence in 2019 despite not having the authority to approve the bid.

After he was granted his freedom, the prisoner used cash from selling 34 kilos of amphetamines to buy Pegg the Mercedes coupe.

On April 6, 2020, Saunderson was sent a message on Encrochat saying “car her for ya bird 12 quid or work” and a photo of the vehicle.

The court was told “12 quid” meant £12,000 and “work” meant drugs.

Saunderson asked “what work they want” and he was told “top or weed” – meaning cocaine or cannabis.

Two days later, he arranged for “17 packs” to be dropped off in Manchester to pay for the car.

The Mercedes was registered in Pegg’s name, with a pal messaging Saunderson: “Where u ya seedy man u and Peggy out floating orrel in the new whip?”

Law enforcement agencies cracked the criminal’s Encrochat and discovered he was involved in drug trafficking on a huge scale.

Saunderson, who was also known to his criminal pals as James Gandolfini -the actor who played Tony Soprano in the mafia TV Series – has now been locked up for 35 years.

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The court was told other messages revealed the “ongoing nature” of his relationship with Pegg.

Police searched her home on November 19, 2020, and found a toothbrush and flip flops containing Saunderson’s DNA.

Officers also discovered a haul of designer clothing and found Pegg was subject to a number of county court judgements for unpaid debts.

Prosecutor Barbara-Louise Webster said: “Her downfall was two-fold, the first, despite having a good income, she lived beyond her means.

“She spent all her income and more, incurring debts and she had county court judgements made against her.

“As a consequence, she became vulnerable and open to exploitation.

“The second was that she became emotionally and personally involved with a serving prisoner, Anthony Saunderson and later accepted an expensive car, a Mercedes C class, which was paid for by him out of his proceeds of criminal activity ie trading in drugs.”

Pegg joined the prison service in 2012 as a graduate entrant and worked at prisons in Risley, Liverpool and Styal.

By April 2018, she was a governor at HMP Kirkham, where Saunderson was serving a lengthy jail term.

He had been locked up in 2014 for his part in importing £19m of cocaine in shipments of corned beef from Argentina.

From the start, there were concerns about Pegg being inappropriately close to prisoners.

It was also noted that she spent a lot of time in her office with Saunderson.

In October 2018, he put in a request to be released on temporary licence.

Despite Pegg not having the authority to green light his release, she intervened and approved his application without notifying the official who should have dealt with the case.

Days later she was moved to another jail, later becoming duty governor at HMP Lancaster Farms.

Saunderson meanwhile was revealed as one of nine gangland figures responsible for producing amphetamines on an industrial, multi-million-pound scale.

The gang made and dealt 2.6 tonnes of amphetamines worth £1million – as well as trafficking heroin, cocaine, cannabis, ketamine, MCAT and diazepam.

Tarryn McCaffrey, from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), said: “Kerri Pegg’s conduct fell far short of what might be expected from any professional within the Prison Service, let alone one of such a senior grade as prison governor.

“She was clearly involved in an inappropriate relationship with Saunderson after he was released and the evidence points to this going back further, to a time when he was in jail.

“This relationship, and the fact that Pegg failed to disclose her debts to her employers, amount to a gross breach of trust and are therefore extremely damaging to public confidence.”

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The cup final against Palace will be one last Wembley appearance with City for midfielder Kevin de Bruyne, with the 33-year-old Belgium international leaving the club on a free transfer in the summer when his contract expires.

De Bruyne has won six Premier League titles, the Champions League, two FA Cups and the League Cup on five occasions while at City.

He is second in the list of most assists in the Premier League era, with 119 assists, behind only former Manchester United winger Ryan Giggs on 162.

“We would love for Kevin to finish with a trophy,” said Haaland.

“He has had an incredible time at Manchester City, it is ridiculous how many trophies he has won. Hopefully he will get one more trophy.

“He ranks right up there for me. To get the balls from him is a dream. It has been really special playing with him. Such a joy, and I am going to do everything I can to have this joy in the last few games.

“The future will be different with different players. When Kevin leaves we will need someone to replace him, although Kevin is irreplaceable in so many ways.”

Haaland helped City win the 2023 FA Cup final and the Community Shield in August, although they were not his first trips to Wembley.

Back in 2014, when he was only 13, he visited the national stadium to watch City beat Sunderland 3-1 in the League Cup final, with his father Alf Inge, a former City midfielder, sitting next to him.

“It is just as special to go to Wembley,” said the striker. “I have seen City win in the stands, have won as a player, and hopefully we can win there again.”

The aftermath of the West Ham defeat has been filled with stories about the plans United’s hierarchy have put in place around the final.

Limits have been placed on the number of tickets players are allowed – and what staff are entitled to.

There will be no parade in the event of a win against Tottenham. Instead celebrations will be restricted to a low-key barbeque at the club’s Carrington training ground when Amorim’s squad return on Thursday.

Evidently, Amorim and his players have the financial muscle to pay for their friends and family to get to Bilbao if needed.

However, others who work closely with the first team are not in the same fortunate financial position.

So, at a time when a second round of up to 200 redundancies are planned following the 250 jobs that were axed last year, Amorim and his players have decided to help out by paying for some tickets for the backroom team’s families.

“The situation is simple,” he said. “We have a lot of things, with people leaving and a lot of changes in the staff, so at this moment in our club sometimes it is hard to know when to give and when to take.

“We have to respect the people whose jobs are being taken to survive and rebuild.

“It is complicated for the club to start giving to other members of staff, which makes it a really hard position.

“That situation was explained so my reaction was to help.

“It is not going to change my life [financially]. To help the staff be there and comfortable means they will be better staff for the final.

“We talk to the players and the players have the same reaction – everybody wants their families there.”

Amorim has his own experience of a Europa League final, as a player in the Benfica side beaten on penalties by Sevilla in Turin in 2014.

Aside from the £100m financial windfall that qualification for the Champions League would bring, as a straightforward football match Amorim knows next week is not a game to lose.

“I will never say I was a finalist,” he said. “The feeling has to be ‘what a waste of time’.

“My message to the players is we have to win or it doesn’t matter.”

Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim says he is “far from quitting” his job after saying he may have to give the “space to different people” if their poor form continued following Sunday’s 2-0 defeat by West Ham in the Premier League.

READ MORE: How bad have Amorim’s United been in the Premier League?

KRISPY Kreme has delighted its fans by bring a sought-after flavour to the UK.

The American doughnut brand was hounded by its UK customers to introduce the Pistachio Overload flavour that had already hit stores in Australia.

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Krispy Kreme told The Sun that “Brits begged the brand to bring the new flavour to the UK after seeing the delicious nutty treat go viral in Australia last month.”

Not only has Krispy Kreme brought the flavour from Australia to the UK, it teamed up with a British company to produce the yummy taste.

The Pistachio Overload doughnut officially made it into stores on Monday (May 12), but was available at Krispy Kremes in Manchester a day earlier.

That was due to the fact Krispy Kreme had teamed up with the Mancunian brand, Blackmilk, to create the iconic dessert.

Blackmilk’s beloved Pistachio Cream spread is being used in the baking of the new doughnut flavour.

The green delight is topped with the Blackmilk cream, a white chocolate drizzle and candied pistachio nibs, while Krispy Kreme’s trademarked pistachio cream fills the doughnut.

Krispy Kreme confirmed to The Sun that Pistachio Overload will be available for £3.49 in all UK and Ireland stores until May 25.

It will land in Tesco UK branches on May 19 until May 25.

Krispy Kreme announced the doughnut’s arrival on social media and said it hoped the news would make up for the April Fools’ joke it had played on its followers.

On April 1, the brand posted a “message” from its managing director saying that after 87 years, it would be discontinuing its famous glazed doughnut.

The joke letter said the decision had been made in order to create space for the reintroduced, raspberry glazed doughnut.

The jam-filled treat was first discontinued in November 2024, causing a stir among sweet-toothed customers.

Even Alison Hammond begged the brand not to axe her favourite flavour on ITV’s This Morning.

The flavour is back by popular demand thanks to a nationwide public vote – dubbed “The Great Doughbate”.

This poll took place in Krispy Kreme shops and across social media between March 17 and 23.

Fans were given the opportunity to decide which discontinued favourite flavour to bring back.

The Glazed Raspberry was pitted against another fan favourite, Chocolate Custard.

However, the fruity flavour won out with the British public, receiving 66% of the total votes.

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The decisions come after a series of cost-cutting measures at the club which have included redundancies and the removal of free lunches for staff.

In addition, it has been established if United win, their intention is to celebrate by holding a barbeque at the club’s Carrington training ground.

Tottenham are yet to announce their plans in the event of victory but it is expected they will have a parade to show off the trophy.

Newcastle held a parade in the city in March to mark their Carabao Cup triumph, while Liverpool are due to host one on 26 May following their Premier League title success.

United have not held a trophy parade since 2013, which coincided with Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement. Players were famously irritated in 2008 to discover there was no such celebration to mark their Champions League triumph over Chelsea.

Hosting one this season would have been logistically tricky.

Unlike their last Europa League success, against Ajax in Stockholm in 2017 during Jose Mourinho’s time in charge, United will still have a Premier League game to play after the match in Bilbao – when Aston Villa visit Old Trafford on 25 May.

Immediately after that game, United fly to Asia for two post-season matches against local opposition in Malaysia and Hong Kong.

They return to Manchester on 31 May, after which players have to immediately report for international duty.

Portugal have a Nations League semi-final with Germany on 4 June, which would involve Bruno Fernandes and, if fit, Diogo Dalot.

World Cup qualifiers also take place in South America on 5 June and in Europe from 6 June.