BRUNO FERNANDES has bitten back at Sir Jim Ratcliffe over the Manchester United part owner’s brutal comments about the squad.

On Monday, the penny-pinching Ineos chief let rip as he called some of the players “not good enough” and “overpaid”.

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Bruno Fernandes has bitten back at Sir Jim Ratcliffe over his brutal squad comments[/caption]

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Sir Jim Ratcliffe called some of the Man Utd squad ‘not good enough’ and ‘overpaid’[/caption]

Ratcliffe even name-checked Antony, Casemiro, Andre Onana, Rasmus Hojlund and Jadon Sancho in his clearly-frustrated rant.

He told the BBC: “Some are not good enough and some probably are overpaid.

“But for us to mould the squad that we are fully responsible for, and accountable for, will take time.

“We’ve got this period of transformation where we move from the past to the future.”

Ratcliffe reserved special praise for United captain Fernandes. adding: “There are some great players in the squad as we know, the captain is a fabulous footballer.

“We definitely need Bruno Fernandes, he’s a fantastic footballer.”

Despite the nice comments, the Portugal star, 30, was quick to defend his troops.

Fernandes said: “We need to prove ourselves every day in training, every day that we have a game. We can’t relax at this club.

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“You know that there’s a big standard, a big attention that you get from the media, from everywhere.

“You need to realise that sometimes you need to put your focus on your game, trying to improve yourself.

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Bruno Fernandes scored twice as Man Utd reached the Europa League quarter finals[/caption]

“It’s not nice to hear certain things, obviously. I don’t think that any player likes to hear criticism or things that are talked about to you, that you’re not good enough or you’re overpaid or whatever.

“Everyone has their own contract. The club agrees to do the contracts at the time you come here or at the time you do a new contract or whatever.

“It’s about yourself proving that you can be important for the club.”

Fernandes played a starring role in Man Utd’s 4-1 Europa League win over Real Sociedad, scoring two penalties to reach the quarter finals.

United next face Leicester in the Premier League on Sunday evening as they aim to improve on their woeful season, currently 14th in the standings.

But Ruben Amorim has every faith in Fernandes. After the Sociedad match, the Red Devils boss said: “When we need it, (Fernandes) is always there.”

A WOMAN has left the internet stunned after showing off her giant watermelon-shaped pregnancy bump.

Samantha, from the US, was left in hysterics after realising her baby bump resembled the giant fruit.

tiktok/@lovvesammay

tiktok/@lovvesammay

The mum, who has since given birth, said: “I’m 39 weeks tomorrow.

“And I have a watermelon to show you guys because I’m not even exaggerating. Look at this.

“Literally the size of a watermelon.”

In the clip, Samantha was seen holding a watermelon in front of her stomach.

But as she took the melon away to show her bump you could see it was the exact same size and shape.

Every baby bump comes in different sizes, but Samantha’s seems to be less round and more pointy.

The mum was left stunned by her realisation.

She added: “Like, if you put this under your shirt, that’s me. Ain’t that crazy?”

And it seemed everyone agreed her pregnancy bump was crazy and people couldn’t believe how big it was.

Now she has given birth, Samantha revealed that her son weighed a massive 10lb 3oz.

“We all knew he was going to be a big baby,” she added.

The clip of her bump has since gone viral on her TikTok account @lovvesammay with over 12 million views and 819k likes.

People in the comments were quick to joke that her son should be paying rent and had built himself a ‘penthouse.’

One person wrote: “bro needs to pay rent.”

Another commented: “That baby got a 5 bedroom 2 story apartment with 3 car garage.”

“How many grown adults are in there?” penned a third.

Meanwhile a fourth said: “Baby on a pull out mattress.”

“You’re meant to chew the watermelon before you swallow it,” claimed a fifth.

Someone else added: “Baby is planking the whole 9 months.”

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WITH St. Patrick’s Day just around the corner, Guinness lovers are being warned that prices could soar 10% in the coming months.

This warning comes amid concerns about potential US tariffs on European goods, and follows Diageo’s announcement of a 4.2% increase in wholesale prices, effective from 1 May.

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Should prices climb by a further 10%, the average cost of a pint could approach £5 nationwide and reach approximately £6.22 in London[/caption]

While Diageo doesn’t set retail prices, the cost of a pint has already seen an 8% increase over the past year, with the average price currently at £4.48.

London continues to hold the title of the priciest spot to enjoy a Guinness, with the average pint costing £5.66.

Should prices climb by a further 10%, the average cost of a pint could approach £5 nationwide and reach approximately £6.22 in London.

The warning follows comments from Diageo’s finance chief, Nik Jhangiani, who stated that the company expects its profits could fall by around $200 million if the US imposes tariffs on Mexico and Canada in March.

John J. Hardy, global head of macro strategy at investment platform Saxo, suggested that Diageo’s warning serves as a form of “insurance policy” while the company waits to gauge the potential impact of Trump’s tariffs.

He said: “A 10% increase is a reasonable baseline estimate for tariffs on European imports, but [but] just like us, Diageo has no idea where the Trump administration will end with these tariffs.

“Diageo’s move to warn of a potential loss on tariff impacts is like the prudent purchase of an insurance policy as they try to assess the potential downside risks to their future results in a ‘base case’ scenario of tariffs being implemented.

“This allows them to justify the risk of weak performance beforehand and to claim some positive news upside should the tariff impact prove far smaller.”

Guinness has seen a surge in popularity in recent years and in January there were reports it could be sold off for as much as £8billion as Diageo eyes cashing in.

Those looking to enjoy a bargain pint this St Patrick’s Day can head to Wetherspoons, which announced earlier this week that it will be reducing prices on March 17.

The price of a pint of Guinness is set to drop from £3.60 to £3.15 in over 670 pubs.

As St Patrick’s Day aligns with the pubs’ Monday Club promotion, a variety of other drink prices will also be reduced on Monday, March 17.

Highlights include a pint of Ruddles or Worthington’s for just £1.49, a pint of Carling for £2.49, and a single measure of selected spirits (including a mixer) for £1.99. 

Additionally, two cocktail pitchers can be enjoyed for £14.25, while a pint of Strongbow or Abbot Ale will cost £2.39 each.

TOUGH TIME FOR PUBS

The pub industry is facing mounting pressures, including soaring energy bills, rising costs, and squeezed household budgets.

In April they will also be hit by upcoming hikes in employer National Insurance Contributions and the National Living Wage.

Several operators have warned punters to expect price increases as a result including All Bar One owner Mitchells & Butlers and Fuller’s.

As costs increase the British Beer and Pub Association has warned that more pub closures could also be on the horizon.

The trade body estimates that the cumulative impact of the Autumn Budget will create an extra £650million in costs for the sector.

Many pubs are also bracing for a planned reduction in the business rates discount for hospitality, leisure, and retail firms, which will drop from 75% to 40%.

Camra’s Corbett-Collins has also renewed calls for business rates reform alongside changes to help publicans stock more beers from independent brewers to support the industry.

Last month research revealed the most expensive beer brands and the areas where a visit to the pub will hit your wallet the hardest.

Brewers have also been impacted by escalating costs with many cutting product lines or reducing the strength of much-loved brews.

Punters were left fuming earlier when Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company (CMBC) announced it was ditching 11 classic cask beers.

The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) slammed the decision as “another example of a globally owned business wiping out UK brewing heritage”.

A number of major beer brands have slashed the strength of their lagers in a budget-boosting move too.

Hophead has reduced its ABV from 3.8% to 3.4% with landlords still being charged the same wholesale price.

Bottles of Banks’s Amber Ale were also changed from 3.8% to 3.4% in the middle of last year.

Meanwhile, Carlsberg Danish Pilsner, Grolsch Premium Pilsner and Banks’ Amber Ale have been reduced to 3.4%.

The move from a number of beer brands come after drinks started being taxed by alcoholic strength.

The change since August means that drinks are now taxed according to strength rather than type.

COLEEN Rooney claimed that being married to Wayne has at times made her feel “like a single parent.”

As a solo mum to Mabel, seven, I was gobsmacked to read the 38-year-old mum-of-four reveal life’s like a constant “WWE wrestling match” with her boys and that she was often left “juggling” her home alone whilst Wayne was away playing football.

Rebecca Tidy

Rebecca Tidy

Coleen Rooney has no idea what being a single mum is really like, says Rebecca[/caption]

Coleen, speaking to Westlife singer Nicky Byrne, 46, on the most recent episode of his podcast, compared her life to that of a single mum.

Ridiculous.

I’ve no personal gripe with Coleen but she has no idea of the challenges we face. Her comments: “You could never rely on a plan. You couldn’t make a plan. That was hard because I like a plan and I like a schedule and I like to stick to that. I found that hard” are so removed from my lived reality.

I know exactly what it feels like to be a single parent, as I broke up with Mabel’s dad when she was a baby.

And since that fateful day, the parenting has all been on me.

There’s nobody else to lean on when things get crazy.

Only last Tuesday Mabel, seven, was hit in the face by a cricket ball at school, losing two adult teeth and two baby ones.

Abandoning my work and pay cheque, I sped off to collect my blood-covered child from school.

We’ve never managed to get an NHS dentist, so off we went to our private dentist, which cost me an absolute fortune.

I was consoling my precious little one, while pretending that I wasn’t devastated for her.

It would’ve been unthinkably helpful to have another parent there to ease my emotional woes, even if it was only on the other end of the phone.

Speaking of health, I recently convinced myself that the black spot on Mabel’s foot was actually a cancerous mole.

It was a terrifying thought, as I’ve endured melanoma treatment myself.

Child’s health fears

Thankfully, it turned out to be just a verruca.

But I desperately needed a bit of reassurance at that moment.

Then after I learned it was verruca, I started to panic about who would care for Mabel if the worst ever happened to me.

Practical support too

It’s not all about the emotional support though.

There’s the practical stuff too.

Coleen’s clearly never had to combat an outbreak of nits alone.

It’s near-impossible to comb those bugs off the back of your own head.

We endured three bouts of nit treatment, and I’m convinced it was because I kept missing them from my own hair.

And any single parent will tell you that the house is never quite clean, no matter how hard you try. 

When you’re tidying up one side of the room, your child is trashing the other half.

There’s no one else to stop your kid enthusiastically covering the floor in glitter, glue and sellotape as you scramble to get things under control.

No time for… anything

As a single mum, people don’t realise that I’m with my daughter or working.

There’s literally no time for anything else.

It’s near-impossible to fit in a gym class or even a regular haircut when you’ve got limited childcare options.

Yesterday I looked into joining the local trail running club, but soon realised that it was impossible as none of the meet-ups ended before 8pm and I can’t find childcare that late.

I don’t attend the primary school PTA meetings, as they’re at 8pm when the kids are in bed.

Don’t even get me started on the financial side of things. 

Who pays the mortgage?

It’s a constant effort to pay the mortgage each month now that there’s nobody to share the bills with.

My ex doesn’t pay a penny towards our daughter.

Yet Wayne was earning a fortune, and Coleen didn’t need to lift a finger to get the bills paid.

There are definitely perks to having a partner in your corner too. And not just because it gives you flexibility to work late at busy times of year.

Coleen’s experienced big success with her Applied Nutrition supplement line, yet that wouldn’t have been possible if her hubby wasn’t a famous sports star.

Let’s not forget that it was the power couple’s celeb status that led to her reported £5 million deal for her upcoming Disney+ reality TV series.

And who did the parenting while Coleen was in the Australian wilderness on I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here!

I totally get that being married to a footballer can probably be tough, however, it’s nowhere near the same as parenting solo.

Pretending otherwise does a disservice to those millions of us who do soldier on alone.

Instagram/nickybyrneinsta

Coleen Rooney in an interview[/caption]

POLICE have uncovered a creepy well-preserved mummy hidden in an alleged smuggler’s house after a shock raid.

The mummy is thought to be that of a Christian person from the Middle Ages.

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Video from local authorities show the remains with its arms crossed.

It’s thought the unusual possession was destined for sale on the black market.

A house in the historic city of Niğde, Turkey, was busted as part of a crackdown on illegal trafficking of valuable archaeological relics.

Six suspects were detained by authorities, according to Turkish press.

The ancient mummy has now been handed over to experts for thorough analysis.

Turkey is rich with historical sites making it a target for artefact smuggling.

More than 26,000 cultural assets, including rare coins and sculptures, have been reclaimed by Turkey since 1980.

“As a result of a successful operation carried out by our Niğde Provincial Gendarmerie Command within the scope of combating cultural and natural asset smuggling, individuals trying to sell a historical mummy in Kemerhisar town of Bor district were detected and caught,” the Niğde Governorship said.

“As a result of the operation, a male-looking mummy, determined to belong to a Christian person from the Middle Ages, was seized at the residence of a person named HG, and a total of 6 suspects were detained in connection with the incident.

“We would like to thank our Gendarmerie for their devoted efforts to protect our country’s cultural heritage and congratulate them for their successful operations.

“We emphasise once again that we will continue to protect our cultural heritage with determination.”

THOMAS TUCHEL has made some big calls in his first England squad.

Earlier today, the German tactician’s first squad to face Albania and Latvia was announced, featuring some surprise omissions and major recalls.

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Thomas Tuchel has named his first England squad[/caption]

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Jordan Henderson was a surprise recall to the England team[/caption]

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Dan Burn was selected by England for the first time alongside Myles Lewis-Skelly[/caption]

The likes of Reece James, Marcus Rashford and Jordan Henderson were brought back into the fold by Tuchel.

Meanwhile, stars like Ollie Watkins, Morgan Gibbs-White, Eliott Anderson, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Jack Grealish missed the cut.

There were debut call ups for Newcastle’s Dan Burn and Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly.

While there are of course the usual suspects like captain Harry Kane, midfielder Jude Bellingham and goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.

But now Tuchel has selected his cards, how will he play them?

Tuchel was known at Chelsea for playing a back three, but when he moved to Bayern Munich he preferred a back four shape.

This England squad has stars who are very capable in both shapes.

However, we expect the 51-year-old to deploy his England team in a back four shape to start with.

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Tuchel said the call ups for Burn and Henderson were down to them bringing leadership qualities and character to the squad.

For that reason both could be named in his first starting XI to face Albania on March 21 in England’s first World Cup qualifier.

Tuchel is likely to keep his spine a tried and trusted formula, with Jordan Pickford in goal, Harry Kane up front and Declan Rice in midfield.

Guehi, who has arguably established himself as the Three Lions best centre-back in the last 12 months, may partner debutant Burn in central defence, with veteran Kyle Walker selected at right-back and Lewis-Skelly filling in at left-back.

Rice could provide the legs for Henderson in midfield which would also allow the Arsenal midfielder the license to bomb forward and join the attack.

Ahead of them, Jarrod Bowen’s pace and directness off the left will partner well with Cole Palmer’s creativity on the right wing and Bellingham’s dynamism behind Kane.

Alternatively, Tuchel could go to his famous 3-4-3 shape and go with a very experimental XI to help him get to know his squad.

A change between in the sticks with Dean Henderson in for Pickford could come about, while Guehi’s anchor a back three alongside Chelsea pair Levi Colwill and James, who are both familiar with a back three system.

An aggressive set of wing-backs may see Newcastle duo Tino Livramento and Anthony Gordon selected on either wing, while Rice and Bellingham pair in midfield able to shuffle back and forth.

Then Aston Villa duo Rashford and Morgan Rogers could start behind Dominic Solanke, which may give Tuchel a real idea about the true depth of his attacking options.

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