Linfield manager David Healy felt his side deserved to take the game to extra-time, at the very least

Linfield and Glentoran both fell at the first hurdle in the Europa Conference League last night.

David Healy’s Blues had the prospect of another all-Ireland second round qualifier in their sights against Shelbourne, but fell just short against Nomme Kalju.

Linfield twice took the lead at Windsor Park but were reduced to 10 men and were eventually undone by an injury-time goal for the visitors.

“I always feel it’s a missed opportunity when we don’t win here – that’s the belief I have in the squad of players,” Healy said to BBC Sport NI.

“European games are as challenging as they can be, but you can’t legislate for going down to 10 men.

“It [extra-time] was the least we deserved tonight, but you don’t get always get out of a game what you feel you want or need.”

The home side started well and Kalju goalkeeper Henri Perk made a great save at full stretch to deny Darragh Leahy from opening the scoring on the volley.

The pressure told and Ethan McGee levelled the tie with a brilliant header from Adam Frizzell’s corner.

The whole direction of the tie shifted just before the half hour mark when Kalju were awarded a penalty and Linfield were reduced to 10 men.

Goalscorer McGee was penalised for a handball in the area and was shown red. Chris Johns saved the penalty from Oleksandr Musolitin, but the Ukrainian buried the rebound.

Healy brought on Kieran Offord and Dane McCullough at the break and striker Offord made his mark, latching onto McCullough’s long throw and blasting home, within four minutes to make it 2-1 on the night, 2-2 overall.

Johns kept Linfield in it with a super stop to deny Bogdan Vastsuk, but they were a threat at the other end and Offord almost got another, only to fire straight at Henri Perk in the Kalju goal.

Two minutes into injury-time, Linfield were punished for failing to clear their lines and Mihhail Orlov produced a moment of real quality with a strike into the top corner from the edge of the area to win it.

Meanwhile, Glentoran lost 2-0 away to Latvian side RFS, making it 4-1 on aggregate.

Modou Saidy scored for the hosts after just five minutes and Janis Ikavnieks doubled their lead 16 minutes into the second half after a slip from Glens goalkeeper Billy Crellin.

Sign up to our free sports newsletter to get the latest headlines to your inbox

Homely Italian restaurant La Famiglia has been a Chelsea favourite for more than half a century for everyone from Princess Diana, who dined there with Prince William a few weeks before she died, to Kate Moss.

But the future of the discreet west London venue is now in jeopardy after raising the wrath of one disgruntled neighbour, who has instigated a licensing review.

The row centres on the garden room which backs on to residential properties and was extended in the early 1980s.

One neighbour, who started renting a flat in a house adjoining the restaurant in 2024, began lodging complaints with the local council by January the following year.

La Famiglia has a licence for the garden until midnight, but hastily restricted service to 11pm to appease the neighbour. They also directed a member of staff to act as ‘noise marshal’ every night, telling customers to quieten down if things became too rowdy.

Those two measures have hit profits considerably, but the compromise was not enough.

The neighbour then filed complaints about the singing of Happy Birthday waking his two-year-old child.

So the restaurant banned singing in the garden room last October. ‘It has got ridiculous,’ a supporter tells The Chelsea Citizen. ‘No matter what they do to keep him happy, he comes back with more complaints. He is now demanding that they stop serving food at 9pm in the garden.

‘If that happens, it may make the restaurant unviable because a second sitting would no longer be possible. It would be a disaster.’ The friend adds: ‘In all these years, there have never been any complaints from neighbours.’

Now, celebrities and local regulars are writing to the council ahead of a licensing sub-committee meeting.

The allegation before the committee is on the grounds of ‘public nuisance and protection of children from harm’.

Playboy star Cara drops control of green charity 

Cara Delevingne, who recently appeared on the cover of Playboy magazine, arriving at the premiere of Wuthering Heights in January this year

She’s a woman of passionate enthusiasms, whether it’s for the stripper pole and mirrored ceiling she installed in the Los Angeles house she shares with elder sister Poppy or going for it hammer and tongs at the Burning Man Festival in Nevada – as she did with such verve in 2022 that she returned to LA a shadow of her usual vibrant self.

So I’m intrigued that, a week or two ago, Cara Delevingne discreetly relinquished her controlling interest in Initiative Earth, the charity she established in 2020 with the aim of improving the ‘physical and natural environment’ by seeking ‘to influence public opinion [and] governmental and other bodies’.

Cara’s representatives didn’t respond to requests for comment. But the 33-year-old model, singer and actress has plenty to keep her busy, as she’s just demonstrated by posing, naked from the waist down, on the cover of Playboy magazine.

She skipped Keir’s farewell party, held in the garden she’s shared with him in Downing Street, but it seems unlikely Chancellor Rachel Reeves can dodge reality for much longer. It’ll be a bracing experience for Reeves who, on appointment, let out her south London house and spent £20,000 of taxpayers’ money on the flat at No 11, where she replaced a portrait of Churchill with a woollen tapestry of an ‘unknown woman’. The Treasury’s annual report, just published, discloses that her use of the flat was recorded, for tax purposes, as ‘a benefit in kind’ worth just £115-a-week. Away from the subsidised splendour of Government, a similar rental property could easily cost £2,500-a-week.

Wales’s new First Minister, Rhun ap Iorwerth, once played guitar in a rock band called 69 but prefers to be in the shadows these days, at least when it comes to music. Asked what the most creative thing he does is, Rhun, 53, says: ‘Composing music. As I’m far too shy to get on stage and sing now, it’s great to hear my daughter [Siwan] play some of my music with her own band, Tant.’ He’s following in the footsteps of another wannabe rock star Tony Blair, who sang with the band Ugly Rumours. 

Tartan warrior Gordon Ramsay visited Scotland’s national team in Massachusetts ahead of their World Cup opener. But, unlike some Scots, the Glaswegian TV chef was cheering on England before their semi-final against Argentina. ‘This is a monumental evening, not just for the next two hours, but, fingers crossed, at 10 o’clock we’ll be celebrating the World Cup game,’ he told guests at Wednesday’s launch party for Gordon Ramsay Hell’s Kitchen at The Cumberland hotel in London, where the match was shown on big screens. 

Charlotte catches co-host at Palace party in HER dress

Laura Tobin (L) and Charlotte Hawkins (R) both attended a garden party at Buckingham Palace 

Good Morning Britain star Charlotte Hawkins received a right royal shock when she arrived at Buckingham Palace for a garden party.

She discovered that not only was fellow presenter Laura Tobin a guest – but she had pinched her dress!

‘I didn’t know she was going to be at the same garden party,’ Laura admits. ‘She turned up and went, ‘That’s my dress!’. I said, ‘I’m so sorry.’

Meteorologist Laura, 44, explains: ‘I took it from her wardrobe at Good Morning Britain, but hadn’t asked to technically borrow it.’

It’s not the first time that Laura has raided a colleague’s wardrobe. She previously confessed to pinching one of Susanna Reid’s fascinators to wear at Royal Ascot.

Oscar nominee recounts a very indecent proposal 

She was nominated for an Oscar for her performance alongside Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell in the film Swing Shift. But Hollywood star Christine Lahti says she was advised early in her career to sell her body for roles.

‘I was told by this casting director that I was never going to make it because I am not conventionally beautiful and that I was too tall,’ says Christine, 76, who’s starring in The Smile Of Her, at London’s Marylebone Theatre.

‘It was so crushing to hear that I’d never make it in the business unless I became a sex worker.’

She tells me: ‘He said this was just the way it was done and he listed five really famous and respected actresses that he claimed only made it because they slept their way to the top.’

By OLIVIA KEMP, SHOWBUSINESS REPORTER

Published: 00:11 BST, 17 July 2026 | Updated: 03:19 BST, 17 July 2026

She was visiting Capri – but Amal Clooney looked more like she was dressed for a trip to Bedrock.

Her outfit drew comparisons with Fred Flintstone as she joined her movie star husband George on the Italian island.

The cartoon caveman famously favours a ragged orange tunic with black spots, and a blue tie.

The look was echoed in Mrs Clooney’s vintage suede Mugler skirt and matching halterneck top in earthy orange and turquoise tones, with fringe detailing.

Advertisement

The human rights lawyer, 48, who regularly appears in best-dressed lists, paired them with an Aquazzura handbag and oversized sunglasses.

She and Clooney, 65 – who looked cool in a white polo shirt and cream trousers – were seen at one of Capri’s most exclusive homes, the secluded Villa Bragaglia.

The visit fuelled speculation that the couple could be looking for another home in Italy.

Hidden among dense Mediterranean vegetation and accessible only on foot, the villa has been on the market since 2021 and offers sweeping views across the Bay of Naples towards Mount Vesuvius and the island of Ischia. 

Advertisement

Amal Clooney’s outfit drew comparisons with Fred Flintstone as she enjoyed a stylish day out in Capri

George Clooney, 65, looked cool in a white polo shirt and cream trousers as he toured one of Capri’s most exclusive homes, the Villa Bragaglia

Advertisement

Commissioned in the 1940s by Italian film director Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia, it features marble reception rooms, chestnut parquet floors and ancient Roman artefacts alongside a separate guesthouse set within large landscaped grounds.

The visit comes more than two decades after Clooney bought the 18th century Villa Oleandra on the shores of Lake Como for a reported £7.46million. He has since transformed it into one of Italy’s most famous celebrity homes, reportedly purchasing neighbouring properties to expand the lakeside compound, which is now estimated to be worth more than £74million.

Set in Laglio, around six miles north of Como, it previously belonged to the American Heinz family. The property now features a swimming pool, tennis courts, home cinema, gym, and a garage housing Clooney’s collection of vintage motorbikes.

The Capri outing follows the news that the actor will be honoured with the Golden Lion for lifetime achievement at the Venice Film Festival in September – leading him to joke: ‘It probably means I’m old, but I’ll take it.’

Advertisement

US President Donald Trump has alleged that China played a role in rigging the 2020 presidential election, claiming Beijing illicitly accessed American voter data

Advertisement

US President Donald Trump has alleged China had involvement in manipulating the 2020 election, when he was defeated in both the electoral college and popular vote by Joe Biden.

During his prime-time address on Thursday, July 16, Trump announced he is immediately declassifying and releasing “critical intelligence, claiming to be revealing shocking vulnerabilities in election infrastructure.

“This evidence shows that the election system we have dangerously exposes and really exposes like levels never thought possible to hacking, exploitation, and foreign interference,” he said.

“Just as disturbingly, this vital information has for many years been covered up and hidden from you.”

Trump claimed China unlawfully obtained access to US voter information.

Advertisement

“That information includes names, addresses, phone numbers, political party preferences, and other sensitive data that would be needed to register to vote and engage in other nefarious activities. Which is exactly what was happening,” Trump said.

Voter information is typically publicly available on record in the majority of states.

Before his address, Trump suggested it would feature “really big news” regarding election security.

He informed reporters on Tuesday: “It doesn’t get bigger, because without free and fair elections, you don’t have a country.”

Trump has maintained for years that his defeat to Biden resulted from voter fraud.

Biden secured victory with 306 electoral votes and 51.3% of the national popular vote. Trump obtained 232 electoral votes and 46.8% of the popular vote.

In January 2021, US intelligence released a report concluding that foreign interference played no part in the 2020 election. The findings were made public by the Biden administration the following March.

“We have no indications that any foreign actor attempted to alter any technical aspect of the voting process in the 2020 US elections, including voter registration, casting ballots, vote tabulation, or reporting results,” the report, issued under Trump, said.

“We assess that it would be difficult for a foreign actor to manipulate election processes at scale without detection by intelligence collection on the actors themselves, through physical and cyber security monitoring around voting systems across the country, or in post-election audits,” it said.

“I knew I was putting myself out there by sharing my story online, and of course I wondered how people would react. That was probably the hardest part.”

A few weeks ago Antrim Camogie shared a promotional video that lasted four and a half minutes.

It traces Maeve Kelly’s battle, physical and mental, from being the 2021 Intermediate Player of the Year through successive injuries, rehabilitation and now a return to the type of form that sees her back enjoying inter-county camogie.

“I knew I was putting myself out there by sharing my story online, and of course I wondered how people would react. That was probably the hardest part,” admits Kelly now.

“But looking back, I’m really proud that I did it. People ask me questions about my recovery all the time, and many don’t realise everything I’ve been through.

“For a long time I felt guilty, useless, unmotivated, and almost like I was a bad person for feeling the way I did. I kept thinking I should just be able to deal with it.

“Sharing my story felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I probably still have a lot more I could say, but the kindness people has shown has been overwhelming. The messages and comments have reminded me that I was strong and resilient, even when I didn’t believe it myself.

“A lot of people have related to my story because GAA is an amateur sport, and injured players don’t always have the same support systems that professional athletes do. It’s very easy to find yourself in a dark place, so it’s reassuring to know that others understand.”

Kelly’s problems began a couple of months after she scored 1-5 from play as Antrim beat Kilkenny 2-21 to 2-13 in the Croke Park sunshine. They had lost the 2020 Covid final on a frosty night the previous December in Kingspan Breffni.

“Róisín McCormick and I had been taken on to the Antrim senior panel in the middle of our A Level exams a few years earlier when it was a struggle to get players to train and play for the county. By 2021, we probably had the best players in the county wanting to play and really working together. You could see that from the performance we put on in Croke Park.

“To come that far in such a short period was amazing and we just wanted to push on at senior level in 2022. I was buzzing, we all were. We wanted to really make a mark against the best players in the country.

“A short time after the final I started to feel this dull pain in my foot. I eventually had an MRI scan and discovered I had shattered my navicular bone and had to have two pins inserted. I was out for the rest of the club season and all the 2022 season basically.

“I found it very difficult to deal with missing county. It would take me so long to build myself up to go to a county training session and then I was literally ready to break when I would get home. There are others in the panel who have suffered long-term injuries like Colleen (Patterson) and they would be at training every night encouraging everyone. I found that I just couldn’t be that person.

“I also felt a lot of guilt. Everyone had made the All-Ireland success, yet I was picked out as Player of the Year, going around schools, getting awards here, there, everywhere. Then I could contribute nothing the next year. So, I had to reach out to someone to get some counselling.”

Kelly got the all-clear to go back training in June 2022 and was back playing just as the club championships were getting under way in the autumn. She was flying in the first championship game between Ballycastle and champions Loughgiel.

“I was playing centre-half back, not my usual position, but was having a great game. (Antrim manager) Elaine Dowds was there and I was really enjoying it. Just before half-time, I felt something in my knee. I wanted to sit out the second half but ended up in full-forward. Long story shortened, I had done my ACL.

“I still can’t tell you how I felt when I found out. I felt that mentally I couldn’t put myself through another year of this, never mind the physical rehabilitation. I knew I couldn’t slog out another nine months of this. The body probably could take it. The mind definitely couldn’t.”

A couple of Kelly’s friends had been taken through rehab by Aaron McAufield and they recommended him to her.

“I live in Ballycastle and he wasn’t handy for me. I was in my final year of teaching practice and I just hadn’t the time.

“But I got back playing two years ago. I was okay, I wasn’t playing anywhere near the level I had been or I wanted to be at. I had this constant fear of picking up another injury.

“So I reached out to Aaron last September. I wanted to feel strong and confident in my body again. I was also struggling with some mental blocks after my ACL injury, and I knew I needed support to rebuild both physically and mentally.

“Aaron is a strength and conditioning coach who specialises in GAA performance, particularly ACL rehabilitation and injury prevention for GAA athletes. His style of training really suited me because every programme was tailored to the individual, while still being delivered in a group setting.

“That meant you got the best of both worlds—you were following a plan designed specifically for you, but you also had the craic with other athletes who understood what you were going through. It was therapeutic, almost a form of counselling.

“The result is that I have had a very good season so far this year. I feel a lot more confident about myself, not waiting for an injury to happen and the season has gone well for Antrim. We learned a lot in Division 1A. We completed three-in-a-row Ulster championships and we are through to an All-Ireland semi-final.”

Doing a video for McAufield’s Lifestyle & Performance Gym was a form of payback but there were residual benefits.

“I finally feel good about myself again and I am able to speak openly without feeling guilty or disappointed in myself. For the first time in a long time, talking about everything felt easy, and instead of feeling ashamed, I actually felt proud of how far I’d come.

“For a long time, I hid my emotions because I thought I had to be strong and convince myself I’d be grand. The reality was that I wasn’t okay.

“Mental health is so important. Talking to someone can make such a difference. It sounds like such a simple thing to do, but at the same time it’s often the hardest step to take. No one should feel like they have to go through difficult times on their own, and reaching out for support is a sign of strength, not weakness.”

“The reaction to the video honestly has been amazing. If sharing my experience can help even one person get through a difficult time, then it’s worth it.”

Want to see more of the stories you love from Belfast Live? Making us your preferred source on Google means you’ll get more of our exclusives, top stories and must-read content straight away. To add Belfast Live as a preferred source, simply click here .

Click here to sign up to our sport newsletter, bringing you the latest sports news, headlines and top stories

Dr Lillian Glass concluded it was “one of the most restrained public speeches” she had seen by the US President, who claimed voter fraud in the address, but there was one moment when emotion broke through

Donald Trump’s body language during a landmark address was something “we’ve rarely seen,” a body language expert has declared.

The US President addressed Americans nationwide at 2am in the UK. During his 26-minute speech, delivered from the White House, he alleged China had played a major role in ‘election fraud’ and called on Congress to pass the ‘Save America Act’, which would require photo ID proving voters are American citizens to register to vote.

Trump, who recently celebrated his 80th birthday, displayed a demeanour “we have rarely seen,” according to Dr Lillian Glass. The body language expert with 40 years experience said a “calm and direct” Trump “didn’t ad lib and go off script as he usually does”.

She told The Mirror : “We have rarely seen Trump this serious and this contained and controlled.

“He did not show any over-the-top emotionalism as he does in many of his speeches. This speech was different.”

Dr Glass put this down to the President’s desire to appear “confident” and ‘present what he described as evidence supporting his statements’.

She added: “From beginning to end, he stood erect behind the podium with excellent posture. His facial expression remained serious throughout the speech.

“There was virtually no smiling, no joking, no wandering off topic, and none of the improvisation that has become one of his trademarks.

“Rather than speaking emotionally, he concentrated on presenting what he described as evidence supporting his position. He appeared determined to stay on message and allow the audience to focus on the information he was presenting rather than on his personality.”

However, Dr Glass did spot the one moment when emotion did break through and the Republican President became more animated.

“Only once did I notice a significant shift,” she continued. “When discussing opposition to what he called the “Big Beautiful Bill” [the Save America Act] and election-related issues, his vocal emphasis increased and a bit more emotion came through.

“Even then, it was not anger. It appeared to be conviction and determination.”

The Californian-based concluded it was “this was one of the most restrained public speeches I have seen President Trump deliver”.

During the address, Trump announced he will declassify and release ‘critical intelligence, revealing shocking vulnerabilities in our election infrastructure’.

“This evidence shows that the election system we have dangerously exposes and really exposes like levels never thought possible to hacking, exploitation, and foreign interference,” he said.

“Just as disturbingly, this vital information has for many years been covered up and hidden from you.”

Trump claimed that China illicitly gained access to information on US voters.

It follows years of claims by Trump and hardline Republicans that his 2020 election defeat to Joe Biden was the result of voter fraud.

Biden won the election with 306 electoral votes and 51.3% of the national popular vote. Trump secured 232 electoral votes and 46.8% of the popular vote.

The US intelligence community produced a report that concluded there was no foreign interference in the 2020 election. This was done before Trump’s first term ended in January 2021.

“We have no indications that any foreign actor attempted to alter any technical aspect of the voting process in the 2020 US elections, including voter registration, casting ballots, vote tabulation, or reporting results,” the report said.

Subsequent enquiries have led officers to believe that the attack in the Ramshill Road area of Scarborough at around 2.30am on Wednesday (July 15) was targeted rather than a random assault on rough sleepers, police have confirmed.

A 41-year-old man from Leeds was arrested on Thursday (July 16) and remained in custody at the time of publication.

Recommended reading:

It comes after a 34-year-old woman was arrested on July 15.

She has since been released on conditional bail while further enquiries are carried out, police said.

The alleged victims were taken to hospital for treatment to facial injuries and are recovering from the attack with no lasting injuries, North Yorkshire Police said.

A spokesperson said: “Enquiries are continuing into the attack.

“Anyone with information who has not yet spoken to the police is asked to contact North Yorkshire Police on 101.

“If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

“Please quote reference 12260134286 when passing on information.”

What is a Japanese manicure?

Alex_Doubovitsky via Getty Images

Is a “Japanese manicure” good for your nails?

Last summer, Manchester United rounded off their pre-season tour of the US against Everton in the futuristic Atlanta Stadium where Argentina ended England’s World Cup dream on Wednesday night.

It was the third year in a row that United had toured America, a decision that owed much to the their £300million shirt sponsorship with California-based tech firm Snapdragon, and a preference for training Stateside where the facilities are best in class and the players can enjoy relative freedom compared to the more feverish reception in the Far East, for example.

The United stars were able to go shopping on Rodeo Drive without too much interference when they stayed at the SLS Beverly Hills two years ago, and were regularly seen in the upmarket shops and cafes around the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Chicago last summer.

Sir Alex Ferguson used to love the relatively low profile United had in the US and Jose Mourinho was particularly fond of Los Angeles, although Louis van Gaal raged against the commercial demands on his players.

Showpiece tours, playing big teams in big stadiums (more than 109,000 watched United face Real Madrid in Michigan in 2009), keep the sponsors happy and are also highly lucrative.

United are understood to have earned £7.5m from participating in the Premier League Summer Series against Bournemouth, West Ham and Everton a year ago. The club are said to have brought in a similar figure from their first post-season tour to Malaysia and Hong Kong a couple of months earlier. If plans had gone ahead to visit Saudi Arabia in the middle of last season, United would have expected to earn around £5m a game.

Bruno Fernandes arrives in Chicago ahead of United’s USA extravaganza in 2025

So tours are about more than pre-season preparation and engaging with a global fanbase that has taken United to the US on so many occasions, as well as the Far East, South Africa and Australia over the years.

The club usually add on a friendly in Scandinavia, or even Scotland in recent years. Typically, there is at least one game at Old Trafford too, but the pitch is still being prepared after it was ripped up for the first time in 14 years, and won’t be ready until the first home game of the season against Ipswich on August 30.

However, rather than touring this summer, United have decided to spend the entire pre-season in Europe – starting with Saturday’s game against Wrexham in Helsinki.

They then face Rosenborg in Trondheim a week on Friday, Atletico Madrid in Stockholm on Saturday, August 1, and Paris Saint-Germain in Gothenburg on Saturday, August 8.

Michael Carrick and his players will fly in the day before the games and leave straight afterwards – apart from the clash with Leeds at Dublin’s Croke Park on Wednesday, August 12 which will form part of a one-week training camp in Ireland.

United then finish off their pre-season programme against AC Milan in Wroclaw on Saturday, August 15, before beginning the 2026-27 campaign with a lunchtime kick-off at newly-promoted Hull City a week later.

So why have the Premier League’s biggest club gone from globe-trotters to day-trippers this summer?

The main reason is the World Cup. Like most big clubs, United have had a number of stars at the tournament in North America, and each of them is contractually entitled to up to four weeks’ holiday after their World Cup is over. For Kobbie Mainoo, Marcus Rashford and Lisandro Martinez, that won’t be until this weekend. Bruno Fernandes, Matheus Cunha, Amad Diallo, Senne Lammens, Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui are already on the beach.

United’s new signing Andrey Santos is expected to be included in a big squad to face Wrexham in the 36,000-capacity Olympic Stadium in Helsinki on Saturday

David Beckham and Ole Gunnar Solksjaer on United’s tour of south-east Asia in 2001 – United’s US fans felt shortchanged when Beckham was sold before a tour in 2003

While new signings Andrey Santos and Karl Darlow are expected to be included in a big squad to face Wrexham in the 36,000-capacity Olympic Stadium in Helsinki, Youri Tielemans isn’t due to report for pre-season for several weeks after playing for Belgium as the World Cup players make a staggered return.

First-team regulars like Harry Maguire, Mason Mount, Luke Shaw, Bryan Mbeumo, Benjamin Sesko, Joshua Zirkzee, Leny Yoro, Ayden Heaven and Patrick Dorgu have been back in training for a week and are set to feature in Finland, but the absence of so many other stars meant United felt it was better to take a different approach this summer.

Supporters want to see the biggest names. American fans felt short-changed when United sold David Beckham to Real Madrid weeks before their US tour in 2003, and a year later Ferguson had to send for Paul Scholes, the Neville brothers and Mikael Silvestre, who were resting after Euro 2004, when the quality of United’s squad was criticised following a goalless draw with Bayern Munich in Chicago.

Another World Cup factor that influenced United’s decision not to tour America in particular was a feeling that the US ‘soccer’ market would have been saturated after nearly six weeks of non-stop games across the country, with tickets selling at premium prices. Convincing fans to pay again for friendlies featuring a weakened United team would have been a challenge.

Their Premier League rivals have had other ideas. Liverpool are travelling to America to play in Nashville, New York and Chicago. Manchester City are going to Hong Kong and South Korea, Tottenham are in New Zealand and Australia, and Chelsea in Australia, Hong Kong and Indonesia.

United’s schedule still offers up some big attractions. After all, they are playing European champions Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico and a Milan side managed by their former head coach Ruben Amorim.

It’s unclear how much money they will make from their six games – or how much they might lose by not touring – but it feels like a football-first decision to give Carrick and the players he has available the best opportunity to prepare for a season that sees United returning to the Champions League.

United won’t even stay in Sweden for the week between their games in Stockholm and Gothenburg. The only training camp away from Carrington will be in Dublin as United return to Carton House in Maynooth, where they spent several days during a 24-day gap in the fixture list in March.

Harry Maguire is expected to be involved in Helsinki having been back in pre-season training for a week

Advertisement

They were happy with the facilities, which were so well prepared that Gaelic football team Armagh had to abandon their camp when they arrived a few days earlier because the pitches had already been marked out for United.

The club have planned ahead for Helsinki, too and are taking over the city’s official World Cup fanzone in Musiikkitalo Square on Friday and Saturday. Admission is free and there will be competitions and giveaways, as well as a Q&A session with former United defender Wes Brown. More fans will also gather at Bierhaus Kamppi.

On Friday, United are hosting a coaching clinic with local grassroots team PPJ involving 40 young players aged between 7 and 11 years old, who will be given tickets to the game to see Carrick’s side kick off what is going to be a very different pre-season.

The 20-year-old has been serving an indefinite sentence after being convicted of two robberies which left two women and police officers seriously injured

Advertisement

An escaped prisoner has been arrested after absconding from North Manchester Hospital, where he had been transferred from a secure a hospital facility to receive medical treatment.Sudanese national Marwan Jumaa, 20, who is deemed to be a risk to himself and others, is serving an indefinite secure hospital sentence for attacking two women.He escaped after being transferred from his secure hospital facility to North Manchester Hospital for medical treatment on Tuesday evening.Police had issued an urgent appeal for any information or intelligence on his whereabouts, but announced in the early hours of Friday that he had been arrested by a member of Lancashire Constabulary.

Advertisement

A Greater Manchester Police (GMP) statement said: “Thank you to everyone who shared and responded to our appeal earlier this evening to help locate wanted man Marwan Jumaa.“Following extensive enquiries, we can confirm that Jumaa has been arrested by our colleagues at Lancashire Constabulary. He is currently in their custody.”Detective Superintendent Nicola McCulloch, of GMP’s serious crime division, said: “This has been a fast-paced investigation which has involved a significant number of officers and resources from Greater Manchester Police.“An observant Lancashire Constabulary officer recognised Jumaa and acted swiftly to arrest him. He will now be returned to a secure hospital facility.“I would like to thank the public for their support following our appeal. Our call handlers received a considerable amount of information from members of the public and that assistance has been invaluable in helping us locate Jumaa.

“We are extremely grateful for the support shown throughout this investigation.”A CCTV video, which showed Jumaa casually leaving the hospital unaccompanied in a light blue T-shirt, had earlier been circulated by police.Court records seen by the Press Association show that in January this year Jumaa pleaded guilty to three offences at Woolwich Crown Court.The offences, all committed on July 17 last year in London, were assaulting an emergency worker, a police officer, the robbery of a woman and inflicting grievous bodily harm on a second woman.Jumaa had been held at HMP Belmarsh in March and sentenced for the offences in April this year.