The Stagcom 23rd May Round Up
You guessed it; another whirlwind of a weekend has passed by! Yet again, stories were at a plenty and we have kept on top of it all to keep you updated!
Action Packed United
Where to begin with Manchester United? On Saturday, news broke that Jose Mourinho is to replace Louis van Gaal at Old Trafford next season! There has been no official word from the club as yet, but every well respected journalist has reported the story, and no-one at the club has moved to deny reports. It seems easy to forget that on the same day, United claimed their first trophy for three seasons with a 2-1 win over Crystal Palace in the FA Cup Final.
Jason Puncheon looked to have been the hero for Palace when he scored late in the second-half, but Juan Mata's deflected effort levelled the match just three minutes later. Local lad Jesse Lingard was the cup final hero as he scored the winner with a stunning volley in extra-time. However, the FA Cup win was not deemed good enough to save van Gaal and Mourinho will be in the dugout at Old Trafford next season. It's hard not to get excited over that prospect!
England Euro Preparations Begin
England kicked off their Euro 2016 preparations with a 2-1 victory over Turkey yesterday evening. With some question marks still hanging over Roy Hodgson's squad before he announces the final 23 next week, it was an opportunity for some fringe players to cement their place. It was a disjointed performance from England, with little fluidity going forward and the same defensive frailties that have been clear for some time.
Harry Kane gave England an early lead before Turkey equalised shortly after. Jamie Vardy won a penalty in the second-half but Kane shot wide from the spot, but Vardy spared his strike partner's blushes with a late winner; pouncing on a loose ball from a corner. Not long until the Euros get underway now, lads!
England Thrash Sri Lanka
England made light work of Sri Lanka; winning by an innings and 88 runs. Play was wrapped up on Saturday afternoon after England's bowling attack rattled through the Sri Lankan batting order. James Anderson took his second five-wicket haul in two days to finish with match figures of 10-45. England's first innings total of 298 looked modest at first, but the tourists couldn't get anywhere near that total across two innings to make it the 13th shortest Test in history. A great start to the summer for England!
Haye Lands Hayemaker
David Haye continued his comeback with a second-round stoppage of Arnold Gjergjaj. The former heavyweight world champion felled his Kosovan opponent three times before the referee finally stopped the fight in the second-round. Haye's next fight will now see him come up against American veteran Shannon Briggs. The ultimate aim of Haye's return to ring is to get a fight against either Tyson Fury or Anthony Joshua, with the latter looking a more realistic option. One thing's for certain, either of those would provide a much sterner test than Haye's two comeback fights so far!
Image credits: Breathe Sport, UEFA, BBC Sport, Coral