themanchestereveningnews--2020-09-11--Andy Cole sends advice to three Manchester United players

Manchester United forwards Anthony Martial , Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood will continue to thrive as long as they work for each other , according to Andy Cole .
The former United striker was a Treble winner under Sir Alex Ferguson in 1999 and gained a reputation as one half of a lethal Old Trafford strike pairing with Dwight Yorke .
He believes Martial , Rashford and Greenwood , whose goal tally between them last season was among Europe 's best in terms of attacking trios , will only get better .
“ They ’ re all young and energetic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ score goals , ” Cole told the official United website .
“ I can see them being at Manchester United for many years and hopefully with those guys contributing more goals , and from wide areas , then hopefully , this season , we ’ ll be up there trying to win some silverware.
” Cole believes teamwork is key to the chemistry between Ole Gunnar Solskjaer 's front three .
Rashford and Martial have a good friendship , while Greenwood is following in Rashford 's footsteps as the next big talent to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ If you have the opportunity to score goals and contribute towards the team and help your team-mates out , then do it , '' was Cole 's advice .
“ Being at Manchester United , you ’ ve got to be a team player .
It ’ s not all about you as an individual scoring as many goals as possible , you ’ ve all got to muck in .
“ They [ the relationships ] are key .
And those three look like they have a very good relationship off the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ watching the boys playing up front now , they all look like they enjoy it and they look like they ’ re very close-knit when they play together now which is great to see .
”

Manchester United forwards Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood will continue to thrive as long as they work for each other, according to Andy Cole.
The former United striker was a Treble winner under Sir Alex Ferguson in 1999 and gained a reputation as one half of a lethal Old Trafford strike pairing with Dwight Yorke.
He believes Martial, Rashford and Greenwood, whose goal tally between them last season was among Europe's best in terms of attacking trios, will only get better.
“They’re all young and energetic and have got good pace and can score goals,” Cole told the official United website.
“I can see them being at Manchester United for many years and hopefully with those guys contributing more goals, and from wide areas, then hopefully, this season, we’ll be up there trying to win some silverware.”
Cole believes teamwork is key to the chemistry between Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's front three. Rashford and Martial have a good friendship, while Greenwood is following in Rashford's footsteps as the next big talent to emerge from United's academy.
“If you have the opportunity to score goals and contribute towards the team and help your team-mates out, then do it," was Cole's advice.
“Being at Manchester United, you’ve got to be a team player. It’s not all about you as an individual scoring as many goals as possible, you’ve all got to muck in.
“They [the relationships] are key. And those three look like they have a very good relationship off the pitch as well.
“I enjoy watching the boys playing up front now, they all look like they enjoy it and they look like they’re very close-knit when they play together now which is great to see.”


themanchestereveningnews--2020-09-11--Fines issued after police crash Bolton wedding with 100 people celebrating

Fines have been issued by police after around 100 people were found at a wedding party in Bolton .
Greater Manchester Police said fixed penalty notices were handed out .
They said more than 100 people were in attendance at what they described as a wedding party .
No further details have been revealed .
No exact location in Bolton has also been specified by GMP .
Latest coronavirus figures published on Friday show the town has the highest infection rate anywhere in the UK , with 179.9 cases per 100,000 people in the local population for the week ending @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comparable figure for the town was 92.2 - meaning the infection rate almost doubled in seven days .
Bolton has been made the subject of an additional local lockdown .
New laws will also come into force from Monday banning social gatherings of more than six people across England .
But despite this , police have also revealed that fines were issued after a 60th birthday party was held in Bolton on Friday night .
The force did n't specify how many people were found in attendance there , and no further details @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the parties on social media .
The force said : `` Fixed penalty notices ( FPN ) have been served after a wedding party in # Bolton .
`` Also in Bolton FPNs were served tonight following a 60th birthday party .
Stricter lockdown measures were introduced across Bolton as Covid cases surged .
Pubs , cafes and restaurants can only serve takeaway , with venues having to close from 10pm .
A ban on meeting outdoors will be legally enforced , the council said .
People from different households in Bolton must @ @ @ @ @ @ @ either in the borough or elsewhere .
Fixed penalty notices for breaching Covid-19 legislation are £100 , but fall to £50 if paid within 14 days .

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Fines have been issued by police after around 100 people were found at a wedding party in Bolton.
Greater Manchester Police said fixed penalty notices were handed out.
They said more than 100 people were in attendance at what they described as a wedding party.
No further details have been revealed.
No exact location in Bolton has also been specified by GMP.
(Image: Daily Mirror/Andy Stenning)
Latest coronavirus figures published on Friday show the town has the highest infection rate anywhere in the UK, with 179.9 cases per 100,000 people in the local population for the week ending September 8.
Last Friday, the comparable figure for the town was 92.2 - meaning the infection rate almost doubled in seven days.
Bolton has been made the subject of an additional local lockdown.
New laws will also come into force from Monday banning social gatherings of more than six people across England.
But despite this, police have also revealed that fines were issued after a 60th birthday party was held in Bolton on Friday night.
The force didn't specify how many people were found in attendance there, and no further details were revealed.
GMP revealed details of the parties on social media.
The force said: "Fixed penalty notices (FPN) have been served after a wedding party in #Bolton.
"100 people were in attendance.
"Also in Bolton FPNs were served tonight following a 60th birthday party.
(Image: Manchester Evening News)
"#StaySafe."
Stricter lockdown measures were introduced across Bolton as Covid cases surged.
Pubs, cafes and restaurants can only serve takeaway, with venues having to close from 10pm.
A ban on meeting outdoors will be legally enforced, the council said.
People from different households in Bolton must not meet anywhere inside or outside, either in the borough or elsewhere.
Fixed penalty notices for breaching Covid-19 legislation are £100, but fall to £50 if paid within 14 days.


themanchestereveningnews--2020-09-11--Manchester United evening headlines as Solskjaer provides Pogba update

Here are the Manchester United evening headlines for Friday , September 11 .
Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has revealed that Paul Pogba may miss out on the opening game of the season against Crystal Palace next week .
The Frenchman is back in training after recovering from coronavirus .
But he will not play in Saturday ’ s friendly against Aston Villa and is in a race to reach full fitness ahead of United ’ s first Premier League game .
“ Paul ’ s had a couple of training sessions so he ’ s lost out on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , of course , ” .
“ But Paul is quick to get fit .
“ Of course , he worked really hard to get back after lockdown last time and played the majority of the games .
Hopefully he ’ ll be ready for next weekend .
I am not 100 per cent sure though.
” Mason Greenwood is training away from the rest of the United first team after breaking Covid-19 protocol while on England duty .
The 18-year-old returned to Carrington on Thursday having been kicked out of the England @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be a part of the squad that travels to Villa on Saturday .
After the incident involving the youngster and England teammate Phil Foden , Greenwood said in a statement : “ Having now had the chance to reflect on what ’ s happened , I can only apologise to everyone for the embarrassment I have caused .
“ It was irresponsible of me to break the COVID-19 protocols which are in place to protect players , staff and the public .
In particular , I want to apologise to Gareth Southgate , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had shown great trust in me .
“ Playing for England was one of the proudest moments in my life and I only have myself to blame for this huge mistake .
I promise my family , the fans , Manchester United and England that this is a lesson I will learn from.
” The 17-year-old was a United youth player until 2014 , when City paid £12,000 to bring him to the Etihad .
But now McNeill looks set to return to his former club in a transfer that could reach £1.35m @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 600 goals at youth level and remains highly-rated despite struggling for game time in City ’ s Under-18s .

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Here are the Manchester United evening headlines for Friday, September 11.
Solskjaer gives Pogba injury update ahead of Premier League opener
Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has revealed that Paul Pogba may miss out on the opening game of the season against Crystal Palace next week.
The Frenchman is back in training after recovering from coronavirus.
But he will not play in Saturday’s friendly against Aston Villa and is in a race to reach full fitness ahead of United’s first Premier League game.
“Paul’s had a couple of training sessions so he’s lost out on a few sessions because of the virus, of course,” Solskjaer told MUTV . “But Paul is quick to get fit.
“Of course, he worked really hard to get back after lockdown last time and played the majority of the games. Hopefully he’ll be ready for next weekend. I am not 100 per cent sure though.”
Greenwood training separately after breaking Covid-19 protocol
Mason Greenwood is training away from the rest of the United first team after breaking Covid-19 protocol while on England duty.
The 18-year-old returned to Carrington on Thursday having been kicked out of the England setup.
Greenwood is not expected to be a part of the squad that travels to Villa on Saturday.
After the incident involving the youngster and England teammate Phil Foden, Greenwood said in a statement: “Having now had the chance to reflect on what’s happened, I can only apologise to everyone for the embarrassment I have caused.
“It was irresponsible of me to break the COVID-19 protocols which are in place to protect players, staff and the public. In particular, I want to apologise to Gareth Southgate, for letting him down, when he had shown great trust in me.
“Playing for England was one of the proudest moments in my life and I only have myself to blame for this huge mistake. I promise my family, the fans, Manchester United and England that this is a lesson I will learn from.”
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United set to sign youngster from Manchester City
United have agreed a deal to sign Manchester City youngster Charlie McNeill.
The 17-year-old was a United youth player until 2014, when City paid £12,000 to bring him to the Etihad.
But now McNeill looks set to return to his former club in a transfer that could reach £1.35m.
The teenager has been credited with 600 goals at youth level and remains highly-rated despite struggling for game time in City’s Under-18s.


themanchestereveningnews--2020-09-11--Man City evening headlines as Richards reveals Ake concern

Here are the Manchester City evening headlines for Friday , September 11 .
Kane sent message of support to Foden after England incident England captain Harry Kane has revealed what he told Phil Foden and Mason Greenwood after the incident that resulted in their dismissal from the national team squad .
The youngsters were sent home after breaking Covid-19 protocol following the 1-0 Nations League victory over Iceland .
And Kane was quick to contact Manchester City midfielder Foden and Greenwood immediately after the news broke .
“ As a senior player it ’ s something you have to do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ The two lads have made a mistake and have to learn from it .
There is a lot of responsibility playing for England and they have to learn from it .
“ At the end of the day , the boys have made a big mistake .
I ’ m sure they would take it back if they could but I ’ m a believer you have to move on and learn from adversity .
“ I ’ ve texted them both and some of the other boys have too .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ not alone.
” Former City defender Micah Richards has admitted he is not entirely convinced by the signing of Nathan Ake .
The centre-back was brought in for £40m from Bournemouth earlier this summer as Pep Guardiola searched for defensive reinforcement .
But Richards has expressed some doubt over where the 25-year-old will fit in .
“ He had been on City 's radar for a long time .
Pep Guardiola really likes him and would have tried to sign him 12 months ago had the transfer fee been right , ” he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ someone who can play in central defence , left-back and maybe even as a holding central midfielder .
What interests me most is how he will cope with the demands of being at City .
“ Yes , he has played big games for the Netherlands but the demands on him are going to be so different .
I just wonder how he will play alongside Aymeric Laporte , as two left-footed central defenders never seem to work.
” The 17-year-old was a United youth player until 2014 , when City paid £12,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But now McNeill looks set to return to his former club in a transfer that could reach £1.35m , with an original fee of £750,000 .
The teenager has been credited with 600 goals at youth level but struggled to establish himself in City ’ s Under-18s .

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Here are the Manchester City evening headlines for Friday, September 11.
Kane sent message of support to Foden after England incident
England captain Harry Kane has revealed what he told Phil Foden and Mason Greenwood after the incident that resulted in their dismissal from the national team squad.
The youngsters were sent home after breaking Covid-19 protocol following the 1-0 Nations League victory over Iceland.
And Kane was quick to contact Manchester City midfielder Foden and Greenwood immediately after the news broke.
“As a senior player it’s something you have to do [speak to them],” Kane said . “The two lads have made a mistake and have to learn from it. There is a lot of responsibility playing for England and they have to learn from it.
“At the end of the day, the boys have made a big mistake. I’m sure they would take it back if they could but I’m a believer you have to move on and learn from adversity.
“I’ve texted them both and some of the other boys have too. I wanted them to know they are not alone.”
Richards admits concern over Ake signing
Former City defender Micah Richards has admitted he is not entirely convinced by the signing of Nathan Ake.
The centre-back was brought in for £40m from Bournemouth earlier this summer as Pep Guardiola searched for defensive reinforcement.
But Richards has expressed some doubt over where the 25-year-old will fit in.
“He had been on City's radar for a long time. Pep Guardiola really likes him and would have tried to sign him 12 months ago had the transfer fee been right,” he told the Mail .
“He sees Ake as someone who can play in central defence, left-back and maybe even as a holding central midfielder. What interests me most is how he will cope with the demands of being at City.
“Yes, he has played big games for the Netherlands but the demands on him are going to be so different. I just wonder how he will play alongside Aymeric Laporte, as two left-footed central defenders never seem to work.”
Manchester United set to sign youngster from City
Manchester United have agreed a deal to sign City youngster Charlie McNeill.
The 17-year-old was a United youth player until 2014, when City paid £12,000 to bring him to the Etihad.
But now McNeill looks set to return to his former club in a transfer that could reach £1.35m, with an original fee of £750,000.
The teenager has been credited with 600 goals at youth level but struggled to establish himself in City’s Under-18s.


themanchestereveningnews--2020-09-11--Mum brands Covid testing a farce after being turned away from 'empty' site

A mum has branded coronavirus testing facilities a farce after claims she was turned away from an empty site at Manchester Airport .
Annalee Wood has been trying to get a test for the last 24 hours , after her 11-year-old daughter was sent home from her school in Stockport with a cold .
She has been told her daughter can not return to school until she has completed the isolation period , or obtained a negative test .
Annalee phoned the 119 help line on Thursday and was on hold for an hour , only to be told the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ After agreeing to drive there , she was then told that there were no longer any appointments that afternoon for the whole country .
The mum phoned a friend who works for the NHS , and was told to try the drive-through test centre at Manchester Airport .
`` My friend told me she went to the site last week without an appointment and was seen straight away , '' Annalee told the M.E.N .
`` I went and there were about 30 staff on site that I could see , but there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it was completely empty .
`` They refused to give me a test unless I had a QR code and told me it was now government policy to have a QR code to get a test .
`` I asked them how I could get a code since 119 did n't even give me the option of Manchester Airport , and they told me they did n't know .
`` They said the last appointment they had given out was last Friday - nearly a week ago . ''
Earlier this week , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Test and Trace said laboratory processing in the country had now reached a `` critical pinch-point . ''
Widespread testing delays have been reported across Greater Manchester since schools reopened last week .
`` I understand there has been a back-log in the laboratories which is causing problems , but if that 's the case why are so many staff still on site , '' Annalee said .
`` I just think it 's outrageous .
I ca n't send my daughter back to school without getting a test .
`` She has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even been back for a week yet and I just do n't know when I 'll be able to get her a test .
`` I am now off work and my partner is too .
We have just come back from three months of furlough and now this . ''
Annalee says she tried 119 again this morning and was told she could book an appointment for Birmingham or Chester .
`` I feel like I 'm being backed into a corner because I want my daughter to go back to school @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's not just the inconvenience it 's the cost as well .
It 's going to cost me a day off work and at least £40 in petrol to get there .
`` I am 99 per cent sure she does n't have coronavirus but if she did I am in a car with her driving around all these different sites .
It 's a complete farce .
`` This pandemic started in March and it is now September and they still have n't got this right . ''
The Department of Health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no reduction in national testing capacity , and that test sites in areas with higher infection rates will be prioritised .
A DHSC spokesperson said : `` NHS Test and Trace is working and our capacity is the highest it has ever been but we are seeing a significant demand for tests including from people who do not have symptoms and are not otherwise eligible .
`` New booking slots and home testing kits are made available daily for those who need them and we are targeting testing capacity at the areas that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there is an outbreak , and prioritising at-risk groups .
`` Our laboratories are processing more than a million tests a week and we recently announced new facilities and technology to process results even faster .
`` If you do not have symptoms and are not eligible to get a test you can continue to protect yourself if you wash your hands , wear a face covering and follow social distancing rules . ''

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A mum has branded coronavirus testing facilities a farce after claims she was turned away from an empty site at Manchester Airport.
Annalee Wood has been trying to get a test for the last 24 hours, after her 11-year-old daughter was sent home from her school in Stockport with a cold.
She has been told her daughter cannot return to school until she has completed the isolation period, or obtained a negative test.
Annalee phoned the 119 help line on Thursday and was on hold for an hour, only to be told the nearest available test centre was Sheffield.
After agreeing to drive there, she was then told that there were no longer any appointments that afternoon for the whole country.
The mum phoned a friend who works for the NHS, and was told to try the drive-through test centre at Manchester Airport.
(Image: Annalee Wood)
"My friend told me she went to the site last week without an appointment and was seen straight away," Annalee told the M.E.N.
"I went and there were about 30 staff on site that I could see, but there was nobody there to be tested - it was completely empty.
"They refused to give me a test unless I had a QR code and told me it was now government policy to have a QR code to get a test.
"I asked them how I could get a code since 119 didn't even give me the option of Manchester Airport, and they told me they didn't know.
"They said the last appointment they had given out was last Friday - nearly a week ago."
Earlier this week, the Director of Testing for the NHS Test and Trace said laboratory processing in the country had now reached a "critical pinch-point."
Widespread testing delays have been reported across Greater Manchester since schools reopened last week.
"I understand there has been a back-log in the laboratories which is causing problems, but if that's the case why are so many staff still on site," Annalee said.
(Image: Annalee Wood)
"I just think it's outrageous. I can't send my daughter back to school without getting a test.
"She has just started Year 7 and hasn't even been back for a week yet and I just don't know when I'll be able to get her a test.
"I am now off work and my partner is too. We have just come back from three months of furlough and now this."
Annalee says she tried 119 again this morning and was told she could book an appointment for Birmingham or Chester.
"I feel like I'm being backed into a corner because I want my daughter to go back to school," she said.
"It's not just the inconvenience it's the cost as well. It's going to cost me a day off work and at least £40 in petrol to get there.
"I am 99 per cent sure she doesn't have coronavirus but if she did I am in a car with her driving around all these different sites. It's a complete farce.
"This pandemic started in March and it is now September and they still haven't got this right."
The Department of Health and Social Care say there has been no reduction in national testing capacity, and that test sites in areas with higher infection rates will be prioritised.
A DHSC spokesperson said: "NHS Test and Trace is working and our capacity is the highest it has ever been but we are seeing a significant demand for tests including from people who do not have symptoms and are not otherwise eligible.
"New booking slots and home testing kits are made available daily for those who need them and we are targeting testing capacity at the areas that need it most, including those where there is an outbreak, and prioritising at-risk groups.
"Our laboratories are processing more than a million tests a week and we recently announced new facilities and technology to process results even faster.
"If you do not have symptoms and are not eligible to get a test you can continue to protect yourself if you wash your hands, wear a face covering and follow social distancing rules."


themanchestereveningnews--2020-09-11--People with Covid-19 symptoms can't access test slots online as cases surge

Sick people with Covid-19 symptoms across Greater Manchester and members of their families are desperate for tests - but ca n't access them .
They have told how the dire situation was preventing their return to work or school .
Testing centres are also standing empty - as our images show .
Our photographers captured a seemingly-deserted testing site near Manchester Airport on Friday evening , with reports of people being tuned away because they did n't have slots .
One senior Manchester health source told the Manchester Evening News , as coronavirus cases continue to rise locally and seven @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : `` The wheels are falling off the national testing programme and the government seems to be unwilling and unable to respond in any other way except enforcement and lockdown .
`` Greater Manchester is the canary down the mine . ''
A further 3,539 laboratory-confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK have been recorded - the highest number of new cases since May 17 .
Coronavirus infection rates have nearly doubled in Bolton - and rocketed in other parts of Greater Manchester in a week , the latest figures show .
Bolton @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the UK , with 179.9 cases per 100,000 people in the local population for the week ending September 8 .
Last Friday , the comparable figure for the town was 92.2 - meaning the infection rate almost doubled .
Much of the region is still living by local lockdown rules .
Boltonians are still getting their heads around firmer local lockdown , while those Oldham also are still living by tighter restrictions than the rest of Greater Manchester .
Seven Greater Manchester boroughs/cities are the 'red alert ' zone and three are 'amber @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new test sites , the M.E.N .
has been inundated with anxious people telling us they simply ca n't book a test .
Many told us no home testing kits were available to order online either - and our research proved that to be the case on Friday .
One said : `` The government said earlier in the year we have a world beating system and everyone can get a test .
`` The truth is , they do n't have the capacity at all . ''
The M.E.N .
used postcodes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Greater Manchester to attempt to book a test online .
But on each occasion , the Gov.uk website said there were either no walk-through or drive-through slots , or home testing kits , available , or simply would n't load to show any results .
Matt Hancock , the health secretary , has insisted the testing problem is not capacity but demand - driven by asymptomatic people getting tests .
Those who have been successful in accessing options have told their stories .
One woman from Bolton , Samantha Costello , told how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Aberdeen Airport in Scotland for a coronavirus test - 340 miles away - after she developed symptoms .
She tried to get an appointment at a testing centre , but was told no slots were available .
The government 's under-fire online booking system gave her the option of tests at sites at Aberdeen Airport , in Leicester and in Wallasey on the Wirral .
`` I panicked as I have minor symptoms and need a test to rule out coronavirus so I can go back into my office , '' said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a swab at a mobile testing centre in Bolton despite no slots displaying as being free .
`` It was worrying at first , '' she added .
A dad trying to get a coronavirus test for his son shared video footage of the huge queue he faced at a walk-in centre , the Mosses Centre , in Bury .
Tony Kirvin , from Walmersley , said : `` We think my son has a cold but because he had a slight temperature , his school say he ca n't go in until @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
`` That 's absolutely fair enough but we 've had real problems accessing a test .
`` He 's now missed out on four days of education because we ca n't get one .
The queue was stupidly long .
`` I noticed some people were n't social distancing and others were n't even wearing masks .
`` There must have been between 60 and 100 people waiting .
It was ridiculous . ''
Bury council said testing sites had been busy , and more were opening this weekend .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said : `` The issue we 're seeing at local testing sites are a result of the total collapse of the national testing regime . ''
A mum meanwhile has branded coronavirus testing facilities ' a farce ' after claiming she was turned away from an empty site at Manchester Airport .
Annalee Wood had been trying to get a test for 24 hours after her 11-year-old daughter was sent home from her school in Stockport with a cold .
She was told her daughter can not return to school until she has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a negative test .
Annalee phoned the 119 help line on Thursday and said she was on hold for an hour , only to be told the nearest available test centre was Sheffield .
After agreeing to drive there , she said she was then told there were no longer any appointments that afternoon for the whole country .
The mum phoned a friend who works for the NHS , and was told to try the drive-through test centre at Manchester Airport .
`` I went and there were about 30 staff on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there was nobody there to be tested - it was completely empty , '' she said .
`` They refused to give me a test unless I had a QR code and told me it was now government policy to have a QR code to get a test .
`` I asked them how I could get a code since 119 did n't even give me the option of Manchester Airport , and they told me they did n't know .
`` This pandemic started in March and it is now September , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ right . ''
And a teacher who spent days trying to book a test for his sick father slammed the system as 'infuriating and bizarre ' after turning up to an 'empty ' testing facility .
The man 's son said he was repeatedly faced with online error messages and told the nearest available testing slots were miles from his home in Trafford .
`` I spent two days trying to get him an appointment for a test using the online system on the Gov.uk website , '' he told the Manchester Evening @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the time it was saying 'sorry something went wrong , try again later ' , but occasionally available slots would show up .
`` We were getting Oldham , Blackburn , Liverpool - I even tried to book onto these , but by the time I 'd got to the end of the application , the slots had gone or disappeared . ''
A slot at Manchester Airport testing centre then showed up .
`` We set off nearly an hour before the appointment , anticipating chaos due to the situation with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ total lack of availability , '' the son said .
`` The place was totally empty .
I mean not a single other vehicle there , or person being tested .
`` The site itself has , I estimate , five different testing bays , with space for hundreds of cars to queue for their test .
It was completely deserted . ''
The Department of Health and Social Care said there 's a drive towards a target of 500,000-a-day testing UK capacity by the end of October .
Booking slots are made @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and on the morning for afternoon appointments .
Improvements are also being made to the system of allocating regional testing slots to ensure the distance limit does not go beyond 75 miles , they said .
A spokesperson said : `` NHS Test and Trace is working , our capacity is the highest it has ever been and our laboratories are processing more than a million tests a week .
`` We are seeing a significant demand for tests but if you have symptoms we urge you to get tested .
New @ @ @ @ @ @ @ made available daily and you can help protect yourself if you wash your hands , cover your face and make space .
`` We are targeting testing capacity at the areas that need it most , including those where there is an outbreak , as well as prioritising at-risk groups and we recently announced new laboratory facilities and new technology to process results even faster . ''

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Sick people with Covid-19 symptoms across Greater Manchester and members of their families are desperate for tests - but can't access them.
They have told how the dire situation was preventing their return to work or school.
Testing centres are also standing empty - as our images show.
Our photographers captured a seemingly-deserted testing site near Manchester Airport on Friday evening, with reports of people being tuned away because they didn't have slots.
One senior Manchester health source told the Manchester Evening News , as coronavirus cases continue to rise locally and seven more hospital deaths were reported on Friday: "The wheels are falling off the national testing programme and the government seems to be unwilling and unable to respond in any other way except enforcement and lockdown.
"Greater Manchester is the canary down the mine."
A further 3,539 laboratory-confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK have been recorded - the highest number of new cases since May 17.
Coronavirus infection rates have nearly doubled in Bolton - and rocketed in other parts of Greater Manchester in a week, the latest figures show.
Bolton has the highest infection rate anywhere in the UK, with 179.9 cases per 100,000 people in the local population for the week ending September 8.
Last Friday, the comparable figure for the town was 92.2 - meaning the infection rate almost doubled.
Much of the region is still living by local lockdown rules.
Boltonians are still getting their heads around firmer local lockdown, while those Oldham also are still living by tighter restrictions than the rest of Greater Manchester.
Seven Greater Manchester boroughs/cities are the 'red alert' zone and three are 'amber'.
(Image: PA)
Despite councils scrambling to ready new test sites, the M.E.N. has been inundated with anxious people telling us they simply can't book a test.
Many told us no home testing kits were available to order online either - and our research proved that to be the case on Friday.
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One said: "The government said earlier in the year we have a world beating system and everyone can get a test.
"The truth is, they don't have the capacity at all."
The M.E.N. used postcodes on Friday for all 10 boroughs in Greater Manchester to attempt to book a test online.
But on each occasion, the Gov.uk website said there were either no walk-through or drive-through slots, or home testing kits, available, or simply wouldn't load to show any results.
Matt Hancock, the health secretary, has insisted the testing problem is not capacity but demand - driven by asymptomatic people getting tests.
(Image: Manchester Evening News)
Those who have been successful in accessing options have told their stories.
One woman from Bolton, Samantha Costello, told how she was given the option of going to Aberdeen Airport in Scotland for a coronavirus test - 340 miles away - after she developed symptoms.
She tried to get an appointment at a testing centre, but was told no slots were available.
The government's under-fire online booking system gave her the option of tests at sites at Aberdeen Airport, in Leicester and in Wallasey on the Wirral.
"I panicked as I have minor symptoms and need a test to rule out coronavirus so I can go back into my office," said Samantha, who luckily managed to get a swab at a mobile testing centre in Bolton despite no slots displaying as being free.
"It was worrying at first," she added.
A dad trying to get a coronavirus test for his son shared video footage of the huge queue he faced at a walk-in centre, the Mosses Centre, in Bury.
Tony Kirvin, from Walmersley, said: "We think my son has a cold but because he had a slight temperature, his school say he can't go in until he's been tested," he said.
"That's absolutely fair enough but we've had real problems accessing a test.
"He's now missed out on four days of education because we can't get one. The queue was stupidly long.
"I noticed some people weren't social distancing and others weren't even wearing masks.
(Image: Gov.uk)
"There must have been between 60 and 100 people waiting. It was ridiculous."
Bury council said testing sites had been busy, and more were opening this weekend.
But health and wellbeing boss councillor Andrea Simpson said: "The issue we're seeing at local testing sites are a result of the total collapse of the national testing regime."
A mum meanwhile has branded coronavirus testing facilities 'a farce' after claiming she was turned away from an empty site at Manchester Airport.
Annalee Wood had been trying to get a test for 24 hours after her 11-year-old daughter was sent home from her school in Stockport with a cold.
(Image: Daily Mirror/Andy Stenning)
She was told her daughter cannot return to school until she has completed the isolation period, or obtained a negative test.
Annalee phoned the 119 help line on Thursday and said she was on hold for an hour, only to be told the nearest available test centre was Sheffield.
After agreeing to drive there, she said she was then told there were no longer any appointments that afternoon for the whole country.
The mum phoned a friend who works for the NHS, and was told to try the drive-through test centre at Manchester Airport.
"I went and there were about 30 staff on site that I could see, but there was nobody there to be tested - it was completely empty," she said.
(Image: PA)
"They refused to give me a test unless I had a QR code and told me it was now government policy to have a QR code to get a test.
"I asked them how I could get a code since 119 didn't even give me the option of Manchester Airport, and they told me they didn't know.
"This pandemic started in March and it is now September, and they still haven't got this right."
And a teacher who spent days trying to book a test for his sick father slammed the system as 'infuriating and bizarre' after turning up to an 'empty' testing facility.
His clinically vulnerable dad, 60, developed a hacking cough.
The man's son said he was repeatedly faced with online error messages and told the nearest available testing slots were miles from his home in Trafford.
"I spent two days trying to get him an appointment for a test using the online system on the Gov.uk website," he told the Manchester Evening News .
"Around 80 per cent of the time it was saying 'sorry something went wrong, try again later', but occasionally available slots would show up.
"We were getting Oldham, Blackburn, Liverpool - I even tried to book onto these, but by the time I'd got to the end of the application, the slots had gone or disappeared."
A slot at Manchester Airport testing centre then showed up.
"We set off nearly an hour before the appointment, anticipating chaos due to the situation with trying to make an appointment and the total lack of availability," the son said.
"The place was totally empty. I mean not a single other vehicle there, or person being tested.
"The site itself has, I estimate, five different testing bays, with space for hundreds of cars to queue for their test. It was completely deserted."
The Department of Health and Social Care said there's a drive towards a target of 500,000-a-day testing UK capacity by the end of October.
Booking slots are made available the evening before for morning appointments, and on the morning for afternoon appointments.
Improvements are also being made to the system of allocating regional testing slots to ensure the distance limit does not go beyond 75 miles, they said.
A spokesperson said: "NHS Test and Trace is working, our capacity is the highest it has ever been and our laboratories are processing more than a million tests a week.
"We are seeing a significant demand for tests but if you have symptoms we urge you to get tested. New booking slots and homes testing kits are made available daily and you can help protect yourself if you wash your hands, cover your face and make space.
"We are targeting testing capacity at the areas that need it most, including those where there is an outbreak, as well as prioritising at-risk groups and we recently announced new laboratory facilities and new technology to process results even faster."


themanchestereveningnews--2020-09-11--What jobs the Gogglebox families do when they're not on the Channel 4 show

Watching telly and appearing on the telly while doing so may seems like a full time job .
And one we 'd happily volunteer for .
But , the families of much-loved show Gogglebox are n't just professional armchair critics .
The Channel 4 show , which first aired in 2013 , has gone from strength to strength and new families have come and gone .
The nation has been invited into the homes of complete strangers , but viewers soon learn a lot about the cast and they become just as families as a friend .
From laughing together @ @ @ @ @ @ @ families of Gogglebox are just like us watching .
It has previously been reported that each household receives £1,500 a month for filming two six-hour shifts of a TV marathon .
But many are left wondering what they get up to when the cameras stop rolling .
From a dancer who 's worked with the Black Eyed Peas to a former model , this is what the Gogglebox stars get up to when the cameras are off .
Sisters Ellie and Izzi joined the show in 2015 , and have become part of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on her Instagram page as an `` aspiring domestic goddess '' and a `` part-time couch potato '' .
She is mum to five-year-old son Bobby and seven-month old girl Bessie Rose .
Her elder sister Ellie , 28 , is a hairdresser in Leeds .
Jenny and Lee are one of the shows most popular duos who have us crying with laughter one minute or joining Jenny for a little emotional cry .
While it has never really been discussed what the best pals from Hull get up to outside of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they met over 20 years ago when Jenny was the landlady of the Crown Inn pub in and Lee was a regular customer .
Another pair to join the Channel 4 show in 2015 , Giles and Mary have been keeping viewers entertained ever since .
The couple , of more than 30 years , met when they were just 21 .
Mary was a model and Giles was studying at Wimbledon Art School .
Now Giles spends his time creating art and is an acclaimed artist .
He is also said to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Oldie .
Mary also works in magazines , acting as an agony aunt for online magazine The Spectator .
She has also written an etiquette book called How the Queen Can Make You Happy .
Despite still being relatively new to the show , having joined in 2018 , brother and sister Pete and Sophie have become incredibly popular with viewers .
The siblings , from Blackpool , also have a surprising family connection after it was revealed that they are the niece and nephew of ChuckleVision legend Paul Chuckle .
As @ @ @ @ @ @ @ window dresser in Blackpool , while Pete is reported to be an electrician .
Our Manchester stars , the Malone family are another fan favourite .
They ’ re known for their no-nonsense remarks , constant supply of sweet treats and their team of Rottweilers often seen getting in on the TV action .
Dad Tom Senior works as a lorry driver while mum Julie is a receptionist .
Tom Junior is a freelance model and streetdance choreographer who has performed with the Black Eyed Peas .
Brighton based Stephen has been on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first starred along with his then-boyfriend Chris but when the pair split , his mum Pat stepped in .
But before long Stephen was joined by his husband Daniel , who first started appearing in 2019 .
They couple are both hairdressers and own a salon together in Brighton called Lustig and Webb .
The Siddiqui family , from Derby , have been regulars on the show for years .
Baasit , Umar and their dad Sid are much-loved by viewers , but were sadly missed during the last series due to coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a secondary school since 2007 .
Umar has worked in the NHS as a Biomedical Scientist in Microbiology but also produces electronic music under the name Burk Hold Dear .
Bristol brothers Tremaine , Twaine and Tristan have appeared on the show since series eight in 2017 .
The trio are football mad , with Tristan formerly playing for Bristol City between 2007 and 2010 .
He is now playing for Bitton A.F.C .
Twaine is also a footballer and Tremaine is a chef .

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Watching telly and appearing on the telly while doing so may seems like a full time job.
And one we'd happily volunteer for.
But, the families of much-loved show Gogglebox aren't just professional armchair critics.
The Channel 4 show, which first aired in 2013, has gone from strength to strength and new families have come and gone.
The nation has been invited into the homes of complete strangers, but viewers soon learn a lot about the cast and they become just as families as a friend.
From laughing together, and sometimes even crying, the families of Gogglebox are just like us watching.
It has previously been reported that each household receives £1,500 a month for filming two six-hour shifts of a TV marathon.
But many are left wondering what they get up to when the cameras stop rolling.
From a dancer who's worked with the Black Eyed Peas to a former model, this is what the Gogglebox stars get up to when the cameras are off.
Ellie and Izzi
Sisters Ellie and Izzi joined the show in 2015, and have become part of the Gogglebox furniture.
Izzi describes herself on her Instagram page as an "aspiring domestic goddess" and a "part-time couch potato".
(Image: Channel 4)
She is mum to five-year-old son Bobby and seven-month old girl Bessie Rose.
Her elder sister Ellie, 28, is a hairdresser in Leeds.
Jenny and Lee
Jenny and Lee are one of the shows most popular duos who have us crying with laughter one minute or joining Jenny for a little emotional cry.
While it has never really been discussed what the best pals from Hull get up to outside of the show, what we do know is they met over 20 years ago when Jenny was the landlady of the Crown Inn pub in and Lee was a regular customer.
Giles and Mary
Another pair to join the Channel 4 show in 2015, Giles and Mary have been keeping viewers entertained ever since.
The couple, of more than 30 years , met when they were just 21.
Mary was a model and Giles was studying at Wimbledon Art School.
(Image: Channel 4)
Now Giles spends his time creating art and is an acclaimed artist. He is also said to be a contributor to the online magazine The Oldie.
Mary also works in magazines, acting as an agony aunt for online magazine The Spectator.
She has also written an etiquette book called How the Queen Can Make You Happy.
Sophie and Pete
Despite still being relatively new to the show, having joined in 2018, brother and sister Pete and Sophie have become incredibly popular with viewers.
The siblings, from Blackpool, also have a surprising family connection after it was revealed that they are the niece and nephew of ChuckleVision legend Paul Chuckle.
As for work, Sophie is a shop window dresser in Blackpool, while Pete is reported to be an electrician.
The Malone family
Our Manchester stars, the Malone family are another fan favourite.
They’re known for their no-nonsense remarks, constant supply of sweet treats and their team of Rottweilers often seen getting in on the TV action.
(Image: Channel 4)
Dad Tom Senior works as a lorry driver while mum Julie is a receptionist.
Tom Junior is a freelance model and streetdance choreographer who has performed with the Black Eyed Peas.
Stephen and Daniel Lustig-Webb
Brighton based Stephen has been on the show for many years.
He first starred along with his then-boyfriend Chris but when the pair split, his mum Pat stepped in.
But before long Stephen was joined by his husband Daniel, who first started appearing in 2019.
They couple are both hairdressers and own a salon together in Brighton called Lustig and Webb.
The Siddiqui family
The Siddiqui family, from Derby, have been regulars on the show for years.
(Image: Channel 4)
Baasit, Umar and their dad Sid are much-loved by viewers, but were sadly missed during the last series due to coronavirus restrictions.
Baasit has been a teacher in a secondary school since 2007.
Umar has worked in the NHS as a Biomedical Scientist in Microbiology but also produces electronic music under the name Burk Hold Dear.
The Plummers
Bristol brothers Tremaine, Twaine and Tristan have appeared on the show since series eight in 2017.
The trio are football mad, with Tristan formerly playing for Bristol City between 2007 and 2010. He is now playing for Bitton A.F.C.
Twaine is also a footballer and Tremaine is a chef.


themanchestereveningnews--2020-09-11--How do the families on Gogglebox get on the show and how much are they paid?

For the last seven years , many of us have spent an hour a week during certain periods watching people watching TV .
And actually enjoying it .
Of course , we can only be talking about Gogglebox which Channel 4 brought into our lives , inspired by British sitcom The Royale Family , in 2013 .
Tonight ( September 10 ) , the BAFTA award winning show is back for its 16th series .
Stalwart families such as The Malone 's , The Michael 's and The Siddiqui 's as well as sibling duo 's Sophie and Pete , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Lee will all make a welcome return .
But a big question always is , how did they get on the show ?
We 're sorry to say it 's bad news if you want to be the North West region 's latest telly star .
Gogglebox never advertises for applicants to appear on the show .
Show bosses have previously explained that they have predominantly only ever street cast .
So , basically , as they put it , been found and persuaded to be on the show .
Tom Malone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Q & A with fans on his Instagram page .
He explained : `` So you ca n't actually sign up for Gogglebox , they have to find you so they have a whole team of people that go out looking for new cast members , like going in pubs and speaking to people , ringing up businesses and asking who 'd be good for it so there 's no way to sign up . ''
As for how much you can earn , it has previously been reported that each household @ @ @ @ @ @ @ six-hour shifts of a TV marathon - but this has never been confirmed by Channel 4 or Gogglebox .
We guess that means we 'll have to keep talking to ourselves or pets while our favourite shows are on .
Gogglebox airs on Channel 4 on Friday night 's at 9pm .

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For the last seven years, many of us have spent an hour a week during certain periods watching people watching TV.
And actually enjoying it.
Of course, we can only be talking about Gogglebox which Channel 4 brought into our lives, inspired by British sitcom The Royale Family, in 2013.
Tonight (September 10), the BAFTA award winning show is back for its 16th series.
Stalwart families such as The Malone's, The Michael's and The Siddiqui's as well as sibling duo's Sophie and Pete, Izzi and Ellie and best pals Jenny and Lee will all make a welcome return.
But a big question always is, how did they get on the show?
We're sorry to say it's bad news if you want to be the North West region's latest telly star.
Gogglebox never advertises for applicants to appear on the show.
Show bosses have previously explained that they have predominantly only ever street cast.
So, basically, as they put it, been found and persuaded to be on the show.
Tom Malone Jr also confirmed this last month during a Q&A with fans on his Instagram page.
He explained: "So you can't actually sign up for Gogglebox, they have to find you so they have a whole team of people that go out looking for new cast members, like going in pubs and speaking to people, ringing up businesses and asking who'd be good for it so there's no way to sign up."
As for how much you can earn, it has previously been reported that each household receives £1,500 a month for filming two six-hour shifts of a TV marathon - but this has never been confirmed by Channel 4 or Gogglebox.
We guess that means we'll have to keep talking to ourselves or pets while our favourite shows are on.
Gogglebox airs on Channel 4 on Friday night's at 9pm.


themanchestereveningnews--2020-09-11--Why Greater Manchester could now be the canary down the Covid mine

If the week began with concern within the Greater Manchester system about Covid rates here , that concern is turning into genuine alarm in many quarters , now expressed in expletives .
Cases have continued to rocket since Monday .
Bolton ’ s infection rate is now six times the national average , at 179 cases per 100,000 people .
The borough has a positivity rate of around 10pc , according to today ’ s latest statistics , three times the level ministers generally feel comfortable with .
Tameside ’ s numbers have doubled in seven days , now also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as have those in Bury and Stockport ; the same seven boroughs are all still in the red and the other three appear to be on their way .
On Wednesday , Andy Burnham also warned of a ‘ significant ’ increase in hospital admissions - and while by no means everybody in the system here agrees the rise is necessarily that significant , there has been a rise .
There is now a growing belief among health figures that we are only two or three weeks behind France and Spain and that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in earnest in October .
Tameside hospital recorded the most deaths in the country this week , as cases in the borough jump into an older age bracket .
Yet even as those patterns have played out , the national testing situation has melted down further .
While some in the system believe the current situation had a certain inevitability , a deep sense of powerlessness has set in among an array of NHS and public health officials , senior councillors and backbench MPs spoken to by the M.E.N .
And while Matt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not capacity but demand - driven by asymptomatic people getting tests - and both he and the Prime Minister have attacked opposition critics this week as being unsupportive of the ‘ heroic ’ work being carried out by testing staff , on the ground , the picture is grim .
No drive-through , walk-through or home tests appeared to be available in Manchester either this morning or this afternoon via the NHS website , regardless of symptoms .
At the airport , people were turned away from the drive-through site this morning despite @ @ @ @ @ @ @ centre was empty .
MPs describe desperate but unsuccessful attempts to get worried symptomatic people tested .
Some readers still report being able to get a test without a problem - yet many others have faced an uphill battle .
“ I got turned away at Old Trafford , the Airport , Salford and the Etihad before walking in at Ancoats and getting a test because I had symptoms , ” one reader wrote on Facebook .
“ You can ’ t book online and the phone line makes you answer a load @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” One figure with close knowledge of the test and trace system said this afternoon : `` Trying to get a test in September is like trying to get an online supermarket shopping slot back in March and April . ''
They point to both a shortage of tests themselves and a shortage of lab capacity , the latter - according to several sources - driven by a lack of reagent chemicals in the pillar one system , which tests NHS and other frontline workers , and a lack of staff in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public .
“ There is a plan in place to get more tests , but the number of tests available now is currently the maximum that can be produced and processed , '' they say of the national system .
“ There is already a lag in tests being processed in some labs .
“ Even if more of the consumables can be manufactured and put together as kits , it would just lead to a longer and longer backlog of tests waiting to be processed at labs , because of the lack @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it would get to the point of the test having been taken too long ago to be able to process it.
” Even Bolton council struggled to get extra test capacity from government earlier in the week , it is understood , although that appears to now have been rectified , at least in part .
But overall , Greater Manchester ’ s system is now increasingly worried .
While usually conversations with senior figures here throw up ideas , today many figures sounded defeated .
“ It ’ s the sense of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ They ’ ve just lost control.
” Another says they are now more concerned than they have been since the peak .
“ People are worried , ” they say of the system as a whole .
“ Nobody is sure why it ’ s this bad and nobody is sure what to do.
” Many public health figures do have a sense of why it ’ s this bad , however .
They point to the virus remaining endemic among many of our boroughs over the summer , then seeing a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , particularly among younger demographics .
Yet testing itself is now an issue they can not control , even before anyone embarks on contact tracing .
One thing current patterns do at least demonstrate is that more testing is not in itself behind the rise in cases here - the testing rates in Oldham , Salford and Manchester had already dropped in the week to September 1 , according to analysis seen by the M.E.N , yet cases have stayed high and overall have continued to rise .
One senior council figure says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they could do , they are still going to try .
“ We ’ re now looking at how we can expand our own testing , ” they say , adding that this will potentially use a small amount of public sector lab capacity around the edges .
“ It wouldn ’ t be large scale , to be honest , more like on an emergency scale .
But we have to do something , as it ’ s such a sh*t show.
” In the background remains the looming question : does @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In Birmingham , where there are currently 68 people in hospital with Covid , seven of them in intensive care , the answer already appears to be yes .
`` We have seen hospital admissions double in a week and I expect it to double in the next week again - it 's an exponential curve , ” Dr David Rosser , chief executive of University Hospitals Birmingham , said this morning .
“ We are in the foothills of that curve . ''
Greater Manchester is not yet in the same position @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Burnham pointed to a ‘ significant ’ rise in hospital admissions here .
In reality a nearly third of them were in Tameside hospital .
The exact reasons for Tameside hospital ’ s high admission rates - and currently deaths , with the trust accounting for a over third of all those nationally in the last week - are unclear .
They may be down to an outbreak in the hospital itself , but we have been unable to get that confirmed .
Even so , multiple health figures say they believe the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the borough , making it an outlier in the conurbation .
“ They are the locality with elderly cases which are then getting sick .
The first locality to have that jump , ” says one .
On Thursday night Tameside ’ s director of public health Jeanelle de Gruchy , who is also president of the Association of Directors of Public Health , said existing social mixing restrictions - introduced across Greater Manchester at the end of July - ‘ haven ’ t had the impact that we would have hoped ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bringing a rise in the rates , ” she said of the borough .
“ The latest data suggests that the rate is going up really quite quickly now , ” she said .
“ We have got activity in the hospital which means that we ’ ve got an increase in over 65s .
“ We ’ re a bit ahead of everyone else I think , so the increase in community transmission is very worrying in that it ’ s now impacting on our care homes and in older people in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also unfortunately translating into deaths . ''
The view that social mixing restrictions have not had the desired effect is expressed more widely by both local politicians and officials spoken to for this article , many arguing the government ’ s current approach to localised lockdown measures - which in reality are not full lockdown , but a myriad of different socialising restrictions across the Greater Manchester boroughs , aside from the very recent bar closures announced for Bolton - are simply not working .
Certainly the infection rate graphs would appear to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be in total denial , ” says one senior figure , a claim Matt Hancock would clearly dispute .
But they believe it ’ s not that government can ’ t see the numbers , but that it isn ’ t responding correctly .
“ I think they are seeing it , but they just see lockdown and restrictions and that ’ s all they see , ” they add .
“ I don ’ t believe they are the things that will completely turn the situation round .
They might stem @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t think they reverse the situation.
” The region is the ‘ canary in the mine ’ , they warn , adding : “ If they keep pursuing with these lockdown policies we will end up back in a national lockdown , because every borough in the country is going to start triggering 75 cases per 100,000.
” Greater Manchester continues to believe that control over the track and trace system is a key part of the answer , but is waiting for the government 's verdict .
At present , many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ background data to help them track how the virus is spreading , whether that 's workplace information or data from pubs - although many also admit the enforcement of contact tracing within licensed premises has been somewhat varied by councils across the conurbation .
Either way , many feel Greater Manchester ’ s current situation should be flashing brighter warning lights on the government ’ s dashboard .
The R rate in the UK was today recorded as over 1 - meaning the epidemic is now growing again - but those numbers are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ north west , where that number is closer to 2 .
One public health figure says they believe that in the short term , bringing in the army would not be a bad plan , even if that was just to reinforce messaging , to hand out sanitiser in public places and join the ‘ boots on the ground ’ currently chasing up contacts door-to-door .
“ The almighty f*** up in the national testing programme is severely hampering our ability to manage this , ” they add .
Elsewhere in the conurbation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sector official says the system here is at the end of its tether - but that its experiences should be sounding a warning to other places .
“ The wheels are falling off the national testing programme and the government seems to be unwilling and unable to respond in any other way except enforcement and lockdown .
“ Greater Manchester is the canary down the mine .
”

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If the week began with concern within the Greater Manchester system about Covid rates here, that concern is turning into genuine alarm in many quarters, now expressed in expletives.
Cases have continued to rocket since Monday. Bolton’s infection rate is now six times the national average, at 179 cases per 100,000 people. The borough has a positivity rate of around 10pc, according to today’s latest statistics, three times the level ministers generally feel comfortable with.
Tameside’s numbers have doubled in seven days, now also creeping towards a rate of 100, as have those in Bury and Stockport; the same seven boroughs are all still in the red and the other three appear to be on their way.
On Wednesday, Andy Burnham also warned of a ‘significant’ increase in hospital admissions - and while by no means everybody in the system here agrees the rise is necessarily that significant, there has been a rise. There is now a growing belief among health figures that we are only two or three weeks behind France and Spain and that the infection rate trend will hit admissions in earnest in October.
Tameside hospital recorded the most deaths in the country this week, as cases in the borough jump into an older age bracket.
Yet even as those patterns have played out, the national testing situation has melted down further. While some in the system believe the current situation had a certain inevitability, a deep sense of powerlessness has set in among an array of NHS and public health officials, senior councillors and backbench MPs spoken to by the M.E.N.
And while Matt Hancock has insisted the testing problem is not capacity but demand - driven by asymptomatic people getting tests - and both he and the Prime Minister have attacked opposition critics this week as being unsupportive of the ‘heroic’ work being carried out by testing staff, on the ground, the picture is grim.
No drive-through, walk-through or home tests appeared to be available in Manchester either this morning or this afternoon via the NHS website, regardless of symptoms.
At the airport, people were turned away from the drive-through site this morning despite being able to see that the testing centre was empty.
MPs describe desperate but unsuccessful attempts to get worried symptomatic people tested.
(Image: Manchester Evening News)
Some readers still report being able to get a test without a problem - yet many others have faced an uphill battle.
“I got turned away at Old Trafford, the Airport, Salford and the Etihad before walking in at Ancoats and getting a test because I had symptoms,” one reader wrote on Facebook. “You can’t book online and the phone line makes you answer a load of questions and then just hangs up.”
One figure with close knowledge of the test and trace system said this afternoon: "Trying to get a test in September is like trying to get an online supermarket shopping slot back in March and April."
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They point to both a shortage of tests themselves and a shortage of lab capacity, the latter - according to several sources - driven by a lack of reagent chemicals in the pillar one system, which tests NHS and other frontline workers, and a lack of staff in the pillar two element that tests the general public.
“There is a plan in place to get more tests, but the number of tests available now is currently the maximum that can be produced and processed," they say of the national system.
“There is already a lag in tests being processed in some labs.
(Image: PA)
“Even if more of the consumables can be manufactured and put together as kits, it would just lead to a longer and longer backlog of tests waiting to be processed at labs, because of the lack of lab capacity.
"And then it would get to the point of the test having been taken too long ago to be able to process it.”
Even Bolton council struggled to get extra test capacity from government earlier in the week, it is understood, although that appears to now have been rectified, at least in part.
But overall, Greater Manchester’s system is now increasingly worried.
While usually conversations with senior figures here throw up ideas, today many figures sounded defeated.
“It’s the sense of powerlessness,” says one MP. “They’ve just lost control.”
Another says they are now more concerned than they have been since the peak.
“People are worried,” they say of the system as a whole. “Nobody is sure why it’s this bad and nobody is sure what to do.”
Many public health figures do have a sense of why it’s this bad, however. They point to the virus remaining endemic among many of our boroughs over the summer, then seeing a surge as people have started socialising again, particularly among younger demographics.
Yet testing itself is now an issue they cannot control, even before anyone embarks on contact tracing. One thing current patterns do at least demonstrate is that more testing is not in itself behind the rise in cases here - the testing rates in Oldham, Salford and Manchester had already dropped in the week to September 1, according to analysis seen by the M.E.N, yet cases have stayed high and overall have continued to rise.
One senior council figure says that while they feel limited in what they could do, they are still going to try.
“We’re now looking at how we can expand our own testing,” they say, adding that this will potentially use a small amount of public sector lab capacity around the edges.
“It wouldn’t be large scale, to be honest, more like on an emergency scale. But we have to do something, as it’s such a sh*t show.”
In the background remains the looming question: does this feed through to hospital admissions?
In Birmingham, where there are currently 68 people in hospital with Covid, seven of them in intensive care, the answer already appears to be yes.
"We have seen hospital admissions double in a week and I expect it to double in the next week again - it's an exponential curve,” Dr David Rosser, chief executive of University Hospitals Birmingham, said this morning.
“We are in the foothills of that curve."
Greater Manchester is not yet in the same position as Birmingham, although this week Andy Burnham pointed to a ‘significant’ rise in hospital admissions here.
In reality a nearly third of them were in Tameside hospital.
The exact reasons for Tameside hospital’s high admission rates - and currently deaths, with the trust accounting for a over third of all those nationally in the last week - are unclear. They may be down to an outbreak in the hospital itself, but we have been unable to get that confirmed. Even so, multiple health figures say they believe the virus has jumped to older people in the borough, making it an outlier in the conurbation.
(Image: MEN MEDIA)
“They are the locality with elderly cases which are then getting sick. The first locality to have that jump,” says one.
On Thursday night Tameside’s director of public health Jeanelle de Gruchy, who is also president of the Association of Directors of Public Health, said existing social mixing restrictions - introduced across Greater Manchester at the end of July - ‘haven’t had the impact that we would have hoped’.
“Unfortunately every day is currently bringing a rise in the rates,” she said of the borough. “The latest data suggests that the rate is going up really quite quickly now,” she said.
“We have got activity in the hospital which means that we’ve got an increase in over 65s.
“We’re a bit ahead of everyone else I think, so the increase in community transmission is very worrying in that it’s now impacting on our care homes and in older people in the community
“And it’s also unfortunately translating into deaths."
Salford has also seen a dozen care home outbreaks in the last week, including its first deaths since the start of August.
(Image: Mirror)
The view that social mixing restrictions have not had the desired effect is expressed more widely by both local politicians and officials spoken to for this article, many arguing the government’s current approach to localised lockdown measures - which in reality are not full lockdown, but a myriad of different socialising restrictions across the Greater Manchester boroughs, aside from the very recent bar closures announced for Bolton - are simply not working.
Certainly the infection rate graphs would appear to confirm that.
“The DHSC seem to be in total denial,” says one senior figure, a claim Matt Hancock would clearly dispute. But they believe it’s not that government can’t see the numbers, but that it isn’t responding correctly.
“I think they are seeing it, but they just see lockdown and restrictions and that’s all they see,” they add.
“I don’t believe they are the things that will completely turn the situation round. They might stem it or dampen, but I don’t think they reverse the situation.”
The region is the ‘canary in the mine’, they warn, adding: “If they keep pursuing with these lockdown policies we will end up back in a national lockdown, because every borough in the country is going to start triggering 75 cases per 100,000.”
(Image: Mark Waugh)
Greater Manchester continues to believe that control over the track and trace system is a key part of the answer, but is waiting for the government's verdict. At present, many insiders say there is a lack of background data to help them track how the virus is spreading, whether that's workplace information or data from pubs - although many also admit the enforcement of contact tracing within licensed premises has been somewhat varied by councils across the conurbation.
Either way, many feel Greater Manchester’s current situation should be flashing brighter warning lights on the government’s dashboard.
The R rate in the UK was today recorded as over 1 - meaning the epidemic is now growing again - but those numbers are being significantly driven by places in the north west, where that number is closer to 2.
One public health figure says they believe that in the short term, bringing in the army would not be a bad plan, even if that was just to reinforce messaging, to hand out sanitiser in public places and join the ‘boots on the ground’ currently chasing up contacts door-to-door.
“The almighty f*** up in the national testing programme is severely hampering our ability to manage this,” they add.
Elsewhere in the conurbation, another frustrated and experienced senior public sector official says the system here is at the end of its tether - but that its experiences should be sounding a warning to other places.
“The wheels are falling off the national testing programme and the government seems to be unwilling and unable to respond in any other way except enforcement and lockdown.
“Greater Manchester is the canary down the mine.”


themanchestereveningnews--2020-09-11--Corrie star who plays soap's newest villain auditioned for a different role

He 's causing chaos on the Corrie cobbles as the snakelike businessman Ray Crosby , but actor Mark Frost might have played another Weatherfield baddie .
Mark previously auditioned to play another villainous character on Coronation Street but the part went to someone else .
And things could have been very different indeed if Mark had landed the other role .
He went for the part of Pat Phelan 's sidekick Vinny Ashford who was played by former Emmerdale star Ian Kelsey .
Fortunately for Mark he did n't get the role , because Vinny met a grisly end back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his old pal Phelan on the dodgy Calcutta Street flats development to rip off hopeful homeowners and con them out of their hard earned cash .
Vinny did a bunk with the cash but Phelan managed to coax him back by befriending his mother Flora at her nursing home .
He then took Vinny hostage alongside neighbour Andy Carver , who he 'd held captive for months in a dingy basement of an old factory , and he forced Andy into shooting him dead before killing Andy and dumping both bodies in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ development .
`` I auditioned for one other role before , the sidekick of Pat Phelan played by Ian Kelsey , '' Mark said .
In 2018 Vinny and Andy 's bodies were retrieved by Phelan after he learned the lake had to be drained .
In gruesome scenes the serial killer dropped them in a column mould in the foundations of the mill and turned on the concrete .
Builders Gary Windass and Seb Franklin revealed the corpses encased in concrete after trespassing on the building site where Phelan was working .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ plunge to his death off the side of a lighthouse in a showdown with his wife Eileen , but he 'd actually gone into hiding .
He was later stabbed by his arch nemesis Anna Windass after returning to the street and carrying out a terrifying siege on Michelle Connor and Robert Preston 's wedding day .
Mark , 52 , is relishing the role of ghastly Ray .
`` I was struck with that it was really well written , '' said Mark , a lifelong Corrie fan who grew up watching @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he might burn fast and bright , so I 'm already on borrowed time , '' he laughed .
Describing his character , he says the bistro owner 'slid into street in serpent-like way ' and there 's been lots of fan theories as viewers try to work out what he 's there to do since he arrived last year .
Mark also runs a furniture and antiques emporium called Frost in Peckham and he 's been quizzed in the shop about Corrie .
On the reaction he 's received from Corrie fans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ really lovely , lots of shout-outs and call-outs .
`` I 've got one fan who comes in the shop for updates .
`` On a whole it 's been really really positive .
`` One person ran up to me through the throng in Euston station before lockdown and said 'you b*****d.' '' It came with a big smile .
`` A few other people turned around and gave me stick .
`` Some of the Mancunians say ' I love Ray ' as if he 's a role model . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Connor , played by Kym Marsh , away from Weatherfield in December .
After coming on to her he was then unveiled as the secret buyer of the bistro formerly run by her and fiance Robert Preston .
He then blackmailed Kevin Webster into handing over his garage after his girlfriend Abi Franklin set fire to his car .
He revealed he had dashcam footage of Abi and made her agree to sleep with him .
But when she turned up at a hotel to meet him , he turned her away after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had been prepared to go through with it .
Kevin , who reunited with Abi after her dalliance with Ray , was furious when he found out .
Mark added : `` He 's shameless in a way and completely at ease with who he is .
`` I grew up watching Johnny Briggs as Mike Baldwin and Larry Hagman as JR so I think he 's very much in that mould .
`` Someone who has made their own success and believes hard work and determination can get you anything .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or violent per se .
I just do n't think he likes to be crossed .
`` He 'd be determined to get revenge but would employ someone to do his dirty work .
Ray is about to be at the centre of another dramatic plot when a huge sinkhole opens up in the Platts ' back garden and he 's first to step forward and offer the family alternative accommodation in one of his hotels .
But viewers will discover that Ray is actually behind the sinkhole and , as owner of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all part of a bigger plot to buy more property on the street .
From Monday the soap is back to six episodes a week at 7.30pm and 8.30pm .

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He's causing chaos on the Corrie cobbles as the snakelike businessman Ray Crosby, but actor Mark Frost might have played another Weatherfield baddie.
Mark previously auditioned to play another villainous character on Coronation Street but the part went to someone else.
And things could have been very different indeed if Mark had landed the other role.
He went for the part of Pat Phelan's sidekick Vinny Ashford who was played by former Emmerdale star Ian Kelsey.
Fortunately for Mark he didn't get the role, because Vinny met a grisly end back in 2017.
(Image: Coronation Street)
Vinny teamed up with his old pal Phelan on the dodgy Calcutta Street flats development to rip off hopeful homeowners and con them out of their hard earned cash.
Vinny did a bunk with the cash but Phelan managed to coax him back by befriending his mother Flora at her nursing home. He then took Vinny hostage alongside neighbour Andy Carver, who he'd held captive for months in a dingy basement of an old factory, and he forced Andy into shooting him dead before killing Andy and dumping both bodies in the lake on the site of a mill development.
"I auditioned for one other role before, the sidekick of Pat Phelan played by Ian Kelsey," Mark said.
In 2018 Vinny and Andy's bodies were retrieved by Phelan after he learned the lake had to be drained.
(Image: ITv/Coronation Street)
In gruesome scenes the serial killer dropped them in a column mould in the foundations of the mill and turned on the concrete.
Builders Gary Windass and Seb Franklin revealed the corpses encased in concrete after trespassing on the building site where Phelan was working.
After confessing his crimes Phelan appeared to plunge to his death off the side of a lighthouse in a showdown with his wife Eileen, but he'd actually gone into hiding.
He was later stabbed by his arch nemesis Anna Windass after returning to the street and carrying out a terrifying siege on Michelle Connor and Robert Preston's wedding day.
(Image: ITV)
Mark, 52, is relishing the role of ghastly Ray.
"I was struck with that it was really well written," said Mark, a lifelong Corrie fan who grew up watching the show.
"I was told he might burn fast and bright, so I'm already on borrowed time," he laughed.
Describing his character, he says the bistro owner 'slid into street in serpent-like way' and there's been lots of fan theories as viewers try to work out what he's there to do since he arrived last year.
Mark also runs a furniture and antiques emporium called Frost in Peckham and he's been quizzed in the shop about Corrie.
(Image: ITV)
On the reaction he's received from Corrie fans he said: "It's been really lovely, lots of shout-outs and call-outs.
"I've got one fan who comes in the shop for updates.
"On a whole it's been really really positive.
"One person ran up to me through the throng in Euston station before lockdown and said 'you b*****d.'
"It came with a big smile.
"A few other people turned around and gave me stick.
"Some of the Mancunians say 'I love Ray' as if he's a role model."
Nasty Ray was responsible for driving Michelle Connor, played by Kym Marsh, away from Weatherfield in December.
(Image: ITV)
After coming on to her he was then unveiled as the secret buyer of the bistro formerly run by her and fiance Robert Preston.
He then blackmailed Kevin Webster into handing over his garage after his girlfriend Abi Franklin set fire to his car.
He revealed he had dashcam footage of Abi and made her agree to sleep with him.
But when she turned up at a hotel to meet him, he turned her away after taking clandestine photos as evidence that she had been prepared to go through with it.
Kevin, who reunited with Abi after her dalliance with Ray, was furious when he found out.
Mark added: "He's shameless in a way and completely at ease with who he is.
"I grew up watching Johnny Briggs as Mike Baldwin and Larry Hagman as JR so I think he's very much in that mould.
"Someone who has made their own success and believes hard work and determination can get you anything.
"I don't think he's psychotic or violent per se. I just don't think he likes to be crossed.
"He'd be determined to get revenge but would employ someone to do his dirty work.
Sign up to the free MEN email newsletter Get the latest updates from across Greater Manchester direct to your inbox with the free MEN newsletter You can sign up very simply by following the instructions here
"He's more sophisticated than Phelan."
Ray is about to be at the centre of another dramatic plot when a huge sinkhole opens up in the Platts' back garden and he's first to step forward and offer the family alternative accommodation in one of his hotels.
But viewers will discover that Ray is actually behind the sinkhole and, as owner of Kevin’s garage, it is all part of a bigger plot to buy more property on the street.
Corrie is screened Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays.
From Monday the soap is back to six episodes a week at 7.30pm and 8.30pm.


themanchestereveningnews--2020-09-11--Koulibaly 'doesn't want to miss out on Man City chance' and more rumours

Kalidou Koulibaly is desperate to join Manchester City this summer as he does n't want to miss out on another big transfer , according to reports .
City struggled at the back last season after failing to replace departed icon Vincent Kompany , a problem which was further compounded by injuries to Aymeric Laporte , John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi .
Their frailties at the back played a major factor in losing the Premier League to Liverpool and City have been looking to rectify the issue this summer .
The versatile Nathan Ake has already been recruited from Bournemouth and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quality centre-back to partner Laporte .
Napoli 's Koulibaly is the club 's top target but the transfer saga is being dragged out across the window .
It 's understood that City are in no rush to make a move for the Senegal international , waiting instead for Napoli to lower their valuation .
Club president Aurelio de Laurentiis has repeatedly talked about the potential transfer in the media and claimed that Koulibaly wo n't be sold unless his asking price is met .
While the two clubs may be at an impasse @ @ @ @ @ @ @ via SportWitness , reports that Koulibaly 's desire to make the switch is becoming 'obsessive . '
It has claimed that he feels like he has missed out on big transfers in the past and , at 29-years-old , knows he does n't have many more opportunities to complete a high profile move so he does n't want to let this chance pass him by .
However , it 's reported , the deal may be delayed even longer as De Laurentiis has tested positive for coronavirus and may be unable to participate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reportedly wanted by two clubs this summer .
The Argentine has fallen down the pecking order this past season and will likely fall even further following the arrival of Ake and potential signing of Koulibaly .
According to A Bola , via SportWitness , Otamendi 's former clubs Porto and Valencia are both keen on bringing him back .

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Kalidou Koulibaly is desperate to join Manchester City this summer as he doesn't want to miss out on another big transfer, according to reports.
City struggled at the back last season after failing to replace departed icon Vincent Kompany, a problem which was further compounded by injuries to Aymeric Laporte, John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi.
Their frailties at the back played a major factor in losing the Premier League to Liverpool and City have been looking to rectify the issue this summer.
The versatile Nathan Ake has already been recruited from Bournemouth and the Blues want to sign another top quality centre-back to partner Laporte.
Napoli's Koulibaly is the club's top target but the transfer saga is being dragged out across the window. It's understood that City are in no rush to make a move for the Senegal international, waiting instead for Napoli to lower their valuation.
Club president Aurelio de Laurentiis has repeatedly talked about the potential transfer in the media and claimed that Koulibaly won't be sold unless his asking price is met.
While the two clubs may be at an impasse, Naples paper Corriere del Mezzogirono, via SportWitness, reports that Koulibaly's desire to make the switch is becoming 'obsessive.'
It has claimed that he feels like he has missed out on big transfers in the past and, at 29-years-old, knows he doesn't have many more opportunities to complete a high profile move so he doesn't want to let this chance pass him by.
However, it's reported, the deal may be delayed even longer as De Laurentiis has tested positive for coronavirus and may be unable to participate in negotiations.
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Meanwhile, Otamendi is reportedly wanted by two clubs this summer.
The Argentine has fallen down the pecking order this past season and will likely fall even further following the arrival of Ake and potential signing of Koulibaly.
According to A Bola, via SportWitness, Otamendi's former clubs Porto and Valencia are both keen on bringing him back.


themanchestereveningnews--2020-09-11--Man United want to complete Sancho deal next week and more transfer rumours

Manchester United want to have Jadon Sancho signed by the time they get their Premier League campaign underway on September 19 , according to reports .
United got their transfer window rolling last week with the acquisition of Donny van de Beek from Ajax and MEN Sport understands that the club are working on up to three more deals this summer .
The priority target is Borussia Dortmund winger Sancho , as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is hoping to further strengthen his attacking options in order to mount a title challenge .
United are long-term admirers of the 20-year-old and are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after failing to do so twice previously in 2017 , when he left Manchester City , and 2019 .
The deal had been thrown into doubt after Dortmund officials stated that Sancho would be staying for at least another year and that his contract had been extended until 2023 .
However , United have n't given up on the deal and some progress was finally made this week in talks with Sancho 's representatives over personal terms and agent costs , though a deal is yet to be struck with Dortmund .
According @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now confident that the transfer will go through and they hope to have the England international in their squad when they kick off their league campaign against Crystal Palace next Saturday .
The report adds that Solskjaer has had several conversations with Sancho , in which he expressed his desire to move to Old Trafford .
Meanwhile , Bayern Munich ’ s Thiago Alcantara has reportedly picked which club he wants to move to .
Liverpool and United have both been credited with an interest in the midfielder and it is claimed by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ move to Anfield .
Central midfield is no longer a priority for United after signing Donny van de Beek .

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Manchester United want to have Jadon Sancho signed by the time they get their Premier League campaign underway on September 19, according to reports.
United got their transfer window rolling last week with the acquisition of Donny van de Beek from Ajax and MEN Sport understands that the club are working on up to three more deals this summer.
The priority target is Borussia Dortmund winger Sancho, as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is hoping to further strengthen his attacking options in order to mount a title challenge.
United are long-term admirers of the 20-year-old and are hoping to finally sign him this year after failing to do so twice previously in 2017, when he left Manchester City, and 2019.
The deal had been thrown into doubt after Dortmund officials stated that Sancho would be staying for at least another year and that his contract had been extended until 2023.
However, United haven't given up on the deal and some progress was finally made this week in talks with Sancho's representatives over personal terms and agent costs, though a deal is yet to be struck with Dortmund.
According to Norwegian publication Dagbladet, United are now confident that the transfer will go through and they hope to have the England international in their squad when they kick off their league campaign against Crystal Palace next Saturday.
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The report adds that Solskjaer has had several conversations with Sancho, in which he expressed his desire to move to Old Trafford.
Meanwhile, Bayern Munich’s Thiago Alcantara has reportedly picked which club he wants to move to.
Liverpool and United have both been credited with an interest in the midfielder and it is claimed by The Athletic that the 29-year-old wants to move to Anfield.
Central midfield is no longer a priority for United after signing Donny van de Beek.