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Ali McCann is getting his first taste of working with Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill this summer and is already noticing the difference. The Preston midfielder missed O’Neill’s first games back in charge of the national team in March through injury, but is in the squad for Friday’s Euro 2024 qualifier away to Denmark and next week’s home fixture against Kazakhstan. McCann was one of the first players elevated from the under-21s when former Northern Ireland boss Ian Baraclough was in charge, making his debut in October 2020, but had since been told what to expect under O’Neill by his team-mates. He has now been able to see it for himself. “It’s been great,” he said. “Even the last two training camps getting back into the swing of it has been good. “I’ve only heard good things, and you can see that on the training pitch. The coaching from all the staff, they all seem great. It’s quite exciting.” O’Neill is known for his meticulous planning and attention to detail, and that has been a stand-out feature for McCann. “I’ve noticed that massively,” he added. “All of the sessions we’ve done have had a purpose, so that bodes well going forward and if we can get it right going into Friday, we give ourselves a big chance.” Northern Ireland know they will be second-favourites in Copenhagen, with the trip to Denmark the most difficult fixture on paper in Group H. The challenge has only been increased by the long injury list facing O’Neill, and McCann’s return is a welcome one with Steven Davis, Stuart Dallas and Corry Evans still missing from the engine room. “It is not great with all those names being injured but that happens in football and it gives an opportunity for other people to step up,” McCann said. “If I do manage to play on Friday and Monday I’ll be giving it my all to get a result for the lads.” Should he play, McCann can expect to come up against a Denmark midfield anchored by Manchester United’s Christian Eriksen – a challenge the 23-year-old would embrace. “He’s quality,” McCann said of Eriksen. “You’ve seen it in the Premier League for years and for Denmark for years. “You just have to get close to him, because if you give him time and space to pick passes then he’ll be able to cut you open. I’m sure we’ll need to be aggressive. He won’t like if we get close to him and put a foot in, so that’ll be part of it. “You want to play these players because that’s the type of games you play football for. “I’ll be looking forward to it. It’s not just him, they have a squad full of quality. We will go there with a game plan and if we get it right we can definitely come away with something.” McCann is coming off a season in which he made 35 appearances for Preston as they finished 12th in the Championship, six points off the play-off places. But the Premier League remains the goal, and McCann wants to take inspiration from Luton reaching the top flight. “We were kind of in with a sniff (of a play-off place) over the last few games but just fell short,” he said. “There’s no reason why we can’t go and try to replicate what Luton have done, take that next step. “It’s a case of seeing what faces come in. We had a few loan players, there’s going to be a bit of turnover at the club this summer, so we’ll see what happens. Hopefully we’ll bring in some quality.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Rob Page welcomes break for Brennan Johnson ahead of Wales’ Euro 2024 qualifiers Brooks Koepka ready to ‘enjoy the chaos’ as he targets yet another major title Andy Murray left shaken by ‘heartbreaking’ Nottingham incident

Wales boss Rob Page has welcomed Brennan Johnson getting a late-season breather at Nottingham Forest ahead of Euro 2024 qualifying duty. Johnson has made over 50 appearances for the third successive season, featuring in every one of Forest’s 38 Premier League games as Steve Cooper’s side secured their top-flight status. But the 22-year-old forward appeared jaded in the closing weeks of the campaign and was dropped to the bench for two of Forest’s final three games. “You have to manage the pressure on your players and it’s probably not the worst thing that he’s found himself out of the team for the last few games,” Page said ahead of Wales’ Euro 2024 home qualifier against Armenia on Friday. “Because he scored so many goals, and because he is a constant threat – one of the best counter-attacking footballers in the Premier League – he set a precedent. “But you can get a level of inconsistency of performance with your players and it certainly won’t have harmed him in any way to have missed a few games at Forest. “He has to manage that when he gets a little dip in form.” Johnson scored eight goals in his first Premier League campaign and is a key player for Wales following Gareth Bale’s retirement in January. He missed the start of the qualifying campaign in March through injury and was the subject of a club-versus-country row, with Page suggesting Forest had not done enough to get Johnson fit for international duty. “You are always going to miss your best players, but we had to ask others to step up to the plate and the two performances against Croatia and Latvia were outstanding,” said Page, whose squad have been together at a Portugal training camp. “To finish off the Latvia game with the highest percentage possession we’ve had in the last five years shows we’ve got rid of the disappointment of the World Cup. “The players are embracing what we’re asking them to do moving forward and it suits the players. They also enjoy playing that way.” Page admits Wales need to sharpen their attacking play for a double-header with Armenia and Turkey after opening up in March with a 1-1 draw in Croatia and a 1-0 home victory over Latvia. He said: “While I was happy with the Latvia performance and how we controlled the game, that final detail at the top of the pitch is where we need to improve. “Having Brennan back fit, and Daniel James, Harry Wilson and David Brooks available is only going to help us achieve that. “With the personnel we’ve got, we can have two or three different formations without any problem. “The game plan might change within a game, but having players like Brennan will give us the opportunity to get higher up the pitch and score more goals. “We’ve got some good players and the problem now is finding out how to get them all into the same team.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Ali McCann loving international life under Northern Ireland boss Michael O’Neill Brooks Koepka ready to ‘enjoy the chaos’ as he targets yet another major title Andy Murray left shaken by ‘heartbreaking’ Nottingham incident

The F1 23 driver ratings crown Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso as the top two drivers on the grid, and deliver surprise placings to Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez.

Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott expressed concern in announcing star receiver Stefon Diggs is not present for the start of the team’s mandatory minicamp

American track and field champion Tori Bowie died from complications of childbirth, according to an autopsy report released by the Orange County, Florida, medical examiner's office.

By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Acting U.S. Labor Secretary Julie Su is in California to meet with West Coast ports

Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott expressed concern in announcing star receiver Stefon Diggs is not present for the start of the team’s mandatory minicamp

Eberechi Eze believes his injury nightmare two years ago gave him the platform for England recognition. The Crystal Palace midfielder is eyeing a senior debut after being included in Gareth Southgate’s squad for the Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia. The call came after Eze was named in England’s provisional Euro 2020 squad in May 2021 – only for a serious Achilles injury on the same day to wreck his dreams. His has fought back and insists his six months on the sidelines only gave him strength and confidence in his ability. Eze said: “I know without setbacks and difficult moments it’s hard to grow and be the person I am today. I look back at those memories fondly because I know it has helped shape who I am. “It’s hard to put into words. I look at things a bit differently. I saw it (the potential call) as I was on the right trajectory, even though I was injured, this was the level I could get to. It gave me the motivation to keep going. “I got a message which gave me an inkling I was going to be called up but being injured that was the end of it for a little while. It’s been a journey getting back to the standard and putting in the performances but it’s been a good one.” Eze scored 10 goals for Palace in the 2022-23 season – six after Roy Hodgson returned to replace Patrick Vieira in March to steer the Eagles to 11th in the Premier League. Hodgson initially signed the 24-year-old from QPR in 2020 and Eze credits him and his assistant Ray Lewington as big influences in his fight to return to the top. “He has got insane wisdom, it’s good to talk to him and hear what he has to say,” he added. “From the first day I met them they have been improving me as a person and a player. It has opened my eyes to more. I have grown so much because of them. “I am very grateful to Roy and Ray for all they did helping me to regain form, they helped me massively with performances and my mental state. In terms of them staying on (at Palace), it’s not my decision.” England travel to Malta for Friday’s Group C qualifier before hosting North Macedonia in Manchester on Monday. Eze, who chose England over Nigeria and has eight Under-21 caps, has the chance of featuring but is not taking anything for granted. “My main focus is training well, doing what I can do, being the best version of myself. All I can do is what I can do, that decision is for Gareth to make,” he said. “Naturally there is always something else you want, when you achieve them it’s on to the next thing (a debut), I am grateful to be in this position. I know I have worked hard but no-one is doing me any favours.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Rory McIlroy skips US Open media duty with PIF merger still in headlines Tottenham fan receives three-year ban for mocking Hillsborough disaster York hope to avenge memory of recent loss during Challenge Cup clash with Leigh

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The family of the late Eugene Melnyk struck a deal to sell a 90% stake in the National

A Tottenham fan has been banned from attending football matches for three years after being found guilty of mocking the Hillsborough disaster. The Crown Prosecution Service said that Kieron Darlow, 25, from Welwyn, made the gestures at the Liverpool v Spurs Premier League game at Anfield on April 30. Andrew Page, of CPS Mersey Cheshire, said: “Darlow admitted making a gesture towards the Liverpool fans and that this was a reference to the Hillsborough disaster. “He admitted that this was to suggest that fans without tickets had pushed forward in the tragedy and had been partly to blame for the crush that led to so many deaths. “He accepted at court that it was his intention that Liverpool fans should see this and that it would cause them harassment, alarm and distress. He admitted that his behaviour was unacceptable and regrets his actions. “Darlow knew what he was doing and it was done knowing what an impact the Hillsborough tragedy had on Liverpool fans and the city of Liverpool but he did it anyway. This sort of behaviour is not only morally unacceptable, it is criminal. “We hope this prosecution sends a message out to all football fans that their behaviour at football games is important and that, if it crosses into criminality, they will be met with the full force of the law.” Ninety-seven Liverpool fans died as a result of a crush at Hillsborough in 1989. An inquest jury ruled in 2016 that they were unlawfully killed amid a number of police errors. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live