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• Erik ten Hag denies Man Utd squad is fractured after Alejandro Garnacho incident

  Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag confirmed Alejandro Garnacho has apologised for liking social media posts criticising his handling of the player and insisted the incident does not show the squad is fractured.

  The Argentina winger, who was taken off at half-time of last weekend’s 2-2 draw at Bournemouth, liked two messages on X, formerly Twitter, which were negative about Ten Hag.

  He quickly unliked both posts and has now apologised, leaving no issues around his involvement for this weekend’s FA Cup semi-final against Coventry at Wembley.

  Asked whether it suggested the group was not together, Ten Hag replied: “I wouldn’t point to that.

  “Alejandro is a young player, has to learn a lot. He apologised for it and after that we move on.”

  Experienced midfielder Casemiro has received criticism for his recent performances, with Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp suggesting his display against Bournemouth last week was like he was playing in Soccer Aid.

  But Ten Hag has backed the Brazilian and insisted he will bring United success.

  “I think we needed the six when I arrived here and last season Casemiro was fantastic,” he said.

  “I don’t think he ever scored so many goals as well but as a six, a holding midfielder, as a strategist, he was so important for the team.

  “This season he struggled with a bad injury he never had in his career, but he is such a winner. See his career, always in his career he has won, everywhere he was there will be success.

  “I trust he will give us success and I know he will need games and he will be better and I’m very confident about him.

  “He is a fighter, why he also won big trophies, he’s a personality and he’s a very important player and he will give us success.”

  Another player who criticised the club on social media was Jadon Sancho and the winger has since found his form on loan at Borussia Dortmund, who made it through to the Champions League semi-finals this week.

  Ten Hag said nothing has changed surrounding his future because of his performances in Germany.

  “We know Jadon Sancho is a fantastic football player, so that is not a surprise for us, that is not the issue,” he said.

  “Of course, I follow international football and follow the players on loan at other clubs.

  “It was a fantastic game, Dortmund against Atletico Madrid, great performance from Dortmund and for Jadon it’s good news. He made his contribution to the result for Dortmund.”

  Ten Hag hopes to be able to have Scott McTominay and Antony back in the squad against Championship outfit Coventry on Sunday.

  “Antony and Scott I expect them to be back,” he said. “Scott didn’t train all week, partial on Wednesday, today I expect him full. Antony did train all week.

  “We have some problems. Harry (Maguire) had a small injury, he didn’t train this week so far but now he is back on the pitch. We expect him to be back for Sunday, I hope.”

• We’ll throw everything at title bid – Trent Alexander-Arnold

  Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold insists the squad plan to “throw everything” at their final six matches of the season as they try to finish Jurgen Klopp’s final season on a high.

  Only a month ago the talk was still of an unprecedented quadruple with the Carabao Cup already in the trophy cabinet but FA Cup and Europa League exits, plus a slip-up in the league, has left them with just one focus.

  The task of overhauling Manchester City’s two-point advantage, and also getting ahead of Arsenal, is not an inconsiderable one but Alexander-Arnold said in the aftermath of their Europa League exit to Atalanta despite a 1-0 victory in Bergamo that the players had spoken about what remained of their campaign.

  “After the game we spoke quite positively about the rest of the season. We’ve got a month left and we need to give it everything,” said the England international.

  “That’s what we are going to do, we are going to throw everything at it and try to do all that we can.

  “We know it’s not in our hands any more but we need to be as good as possible and just be in the best position that we can to capitalise if teams do slip up.”

  Against Atalanta Alexander-Arnold made his first start since mid-February following a knee injury and in the first half in particular looked like he had never been away, dictating play after being given licence to roam from his nominal right-back position.

  The team faded in the second half and the 25-year-old was withdrawn after 72 minutes but he will have a key part to play in the last six matches.

  “I think I just ran out of juice in the second half but in the first half I was enjoying my football, finding passes, playing the game I love,” he told the club’s official website.

  “I think you can tell by the way I played it was special for me to be back out there and help the team win the game.”

  Liverpool head to Fulham on Sunday with the chance to overtake City, who play in the FA Cup semi-final, before a Merseyside derby against Everton at Goodison Park in midweek and then a trip to West Ham.

  “We have got a huge game that we need to go and win,” added Alexander-Arnold.

  “We have got a very difficult week ahead of us, three away games that we need to win and get results in and that’s our aim now.”

• Jess Park enjoying ‘incredible’ spell with title-chasing Manchester City

  Jess Park admits it has been an “incredible” last few weeks having seized the opportunity she was waiting for.

  With Jill Roord sidelined after sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament injury in January, Park, on loan at Everton last term, came into the Manchester City midfield for her first Women’s Super League start this season when champions Chelsea visited the Joie Stadium in February.

  The 22-year-old promptly set up the early Khadija Shaw finish that proved the only goal in that contest and has since scored three times and provided three assists across four further WSL victories for title-chasing City last month, including a 3-1 Etihad Stadium triumph over Manchester United in which she notched a brace and teed up Shaw once again.

  Park, the Barclays Player of the Month for March, also earlier this month returned to the England starting line-up for the first time in more than a year.

  “It’s been incredible,” she told the PA news agency.

  “It’s kind of hard to put it into words and I still think I’m reflecting on it but trying to look forward as well. We’re in an important position so I need to keep looking at the next game, but I am very happy with how it’s gone.

  “I’ve been working really hard since being back from Everton (for whom she registered five goals and five assists in 22 appearances). I feel like I got a lot of confidence from last season and I’ve just been waiting for that moment to make an impact and it came and I’ve been able to keep that going.”

  Park, whose City debut came aged 16 back in 2017, added: “Last year to start in games against every team, it was experience I needed.

  “I’d trained really hard for however many years with City and I just needed that exposure to the playing time, and I think that really helped me coming back this season, knowing that when I get that opportunity I’m ready to play.

  “I always had that drive to play and you think ‘is it going to come’, but I think I’m a patient person and I’ll work hard no matter what.

  “We (Park and City boss Gareth Taylor) have a lot of conversations, what I can work on, get better at, and putting the little pieces together, and that gave me a lot of trust in him, and it felt like he trusted me.

  “So I always felt like it would come at some point, I just needed to keep being patient and doing the things he’s telling me to.”

  Brough-born Park – who says her current central role “feels a lot more natural” having played it growing up before being utilised on the wing – was a City fan as a child.

  And she described the recent derby as an “incredible moment” adding: “I’d never played at the Etihad before so I was really looking forward to it, really excited and nervous – but as soon as the whistle went, I knew what I was doing and we knew as a team.

  “We all played fantastic. I’d been working so hard at the end product bit and it just kind of all came together in that game.”

  Of her watching parents, she said: “They were really proud, they always believe in me and were just happy I got the moment to show other people what they’ve seen in me the whole time.”

  Park has emerged as a key player in a City side who have won each of their last 12 WSL games and are behind leaders Chelsea on goal difference ahead of Sunday’s home clash with West Ham, one of four remaining games.

  “As a team we’re just all really focused on what we want to do,” Park said.

  “We have the goal and all we can do is control what we can and we’ll work hard at that every game, step by step. As long as we keep doing what we do well, anything could happen.”