THERE is no concrete evidence that Earth is a tourist destination for aliens – despite increasing public acceptance of this possibility.

That said, there are several areas in Britain and the US that have become hotbeds for UFO or UAP reports.

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Today, UFOs are commonly described as unidentified anomalous phenomena or UAPs.

It is a modern term that refers to anything seen in the sky that cannot be attributed to natural phenomena or unclassified technology.

The West has a historic relationship with UAP – Area 51 in Nevada, Roswell in New Mexico and here in Utah we have Skinwalker Ranch in the Uinta Basin.

Richard Medina of the University of Utah

Manchester, United Kingdom

Manchester is home to 27 UAP reports since 2021 and is one of the top hotspots for alien sightings in Britain, followed by London and Liverpool.

Between 2021 and 2023, almost 1,000 UAP sightings had been reported in Britain.

Last year it was revealed by UFO Identified that there had been a total of 54 documented sightings in Greater Manchester, followed by 52 in London and 20 in Liverpool.

In 2015, a Ryanair flight was delayed in landing due to unexplained UFO sightings over the River Mersey.

A sighting of a reported UAP over Formby, Liverpool, described it as “two lights moving up and down at an angle, too far apart to be an aircraft or a drone.”

Wiltshire, United Kingdom

Wiltshire has a long and documented history of crop circle formations and UAP sightings, dating back to the 1950s.

Farmers have discovered crop circles on their land and locals claim to have seen ‘iridescent orbs’ shooting through the sky.

There are also claims that these UAPs kill flocks of birds and cause cars to break down.

Bonnybridge, United Kingdom

A quaint Scottish town called Bonnybridge is one of the most visited places in the world for UFO sightings.

Since the first reported glimpse in 1992, this sleepy village has averaged 300 UFO sightings per year.

The sheer number of reports has fueled speculation that the village is a portal to another dimension.

Although many villagers are ashamed of the association.

Local councilor Billy Buchanan has called on several prime ministers to investigate these strange apparitions.

Buchanan even rejected an apology from the Ministry of Defence’s chief UFO commentator, Nick Pope, who dismissed the reports last year.

Washington, USA

Washington, home to the White House, and neighboring Oregon, were both revealed in a recent report as two popular areas for UFO sightings.

Researchers from the University of Utah found that most hotspots are areas that are more open, rural and less brightly lit.

“The West has a historic relationship with UAP – Area 51 in Nevada, Roswell in New Mexico and here in Utah we have Skinwalker Ranch in the Uinta Basin and military activities at the U.S. Army Dugway Proving Ground,” say geographer Richard Medina, of the University of Utah.

“Plus, there is a robust outdoor community that recreates year-round on public lands. People are outside and looking at the sky.”

It’s no surprise that the Pacific Northwest is home to many of the country’s UFO sightings, thanks to our pitch-black skies and curious minds.

In 2022, Washington was named as the top state for alien sightings according to data from the National UFO Reporting Centerrecording more reports per capita than any other state.

That’s roughly 88 sightings per 100,000 residents – more than double the number reported from most states.

In Oregon, there were 69.7 UFO sightings per 100,000 residents in the Portland metro area alone between 2000 and 2023 – that’s almost 1,750 strange occurrences in the past two decades.

Nevada, USA

The mythology behind Area 51 in Nevada not only attracts tourists, but also reports of unidentified aircraft.

According to the National UFO Reporting Center, Nevada’s Lincoln County had the most reported UFO sightings among U.S. counties between 2000 and 2023, with 82.9 per 100,000 residents.

The National UFO Reporting Center is a non-governmental organization where people can submit reports about unusual phenomena in the US.

According to Centre’s Chief Technology Officer Christian Stepien, only a fraction of people who see something unusual in the sky actually file a report.

“I would estimate that people who see things that they think are UFOs or that are real UFOs — we think maybe five percent report that, maybe not even that,” he told Axios.

Most sightings are believed to be military activities, with Area 51 considered a top secret US Air Force facility.

Arizona, USA

Maricopa County, Arizona had about 56 UFO sightings per 100,000 residents between 2000 and 2023, according to data from the National UFO Reporting Center.

Other parts of the state – such as La Paz and Gila counties – are also reporting mysterious objects in the sky at an even higher rate.

That national average is roughly 34 observations per 100,000 residents.

New sightings were recorded in the southeastern US and the country’s central plains, while credible links were discovered between clusters of sightings and commercial and military air traffic.

“There are many factors that can contribute to the reporting of anomalous objects,” say geographer Simon Brewer of the University of Utah.

“By examining the spatial distribution of reports and how they relate to the local environment, we hope to provide a geographic context that can help resolve or understand reports from both the public and in military environments.”

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EAGLE-EYED England fans saw what Harvey Elliot did while starring for the Under-21s.

Liverpool star Elliott played in the Three Lions Euro U21 qualifier against Azerbaijan earlier today.

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The 20-year-old put in an eye-catching performance to score goals either side of half-time in a 5-1 win, with Noni Madueke, Jaden Philogene and Archie Gray also getting on the scoresheet.

However, it was something the midfielder did with his kit that got fans on social media talking.

Elliott could be seen with his collar up, covering a St George’s flag on the back of the new kit collar unveiled by manufacturer Nike earlier this week.

Whether Elliott has turned up his collar in response to the change or as a preference for how he wants to wear the kit is unclear, although he has previously worn shirt collars up while playing for Blackburn.

Some fans unhappy with the shirt situation took to social media and were happy to see the kit being worn that way, with one saying: “I guess Harvey Elliott isn’t a fan of the new collar. Old school collar upwards.”

A second said: “Keep going Harvey.”

While a third said: “Good boy .”

Another fan suggested the Elliott wore his gear because “he’s just the type of guy who thinks it looks cool.”

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Other fans compared him to an iconic Manchester United player and said: “He thinks so [Eric] Canton.”

A second said: “Eric Cantona will be proud.”

The cross in question has sparked debate among fans due to a change in the color of the cross: from traditional red and white to red, blue, purple and pink.

Footie legends – including Peter Shilton, David Seaman and Harry Redknapp – were all unimpressed by the change, while some fans branded the change as “woke”.

Many were also upset by the astronomical £124.99 price tag on the men’s and women’s kit, while children’s tops fetched a slightly lower £119.

Nike said the change was a “playful update” that paid tribute to the 1966 training kit – to date the year England won its only major senior men’s tournament.

The FA has also stated that the kits will NOT be recalled.

English football’s governing body said: “The new England 2024 home kit features a number of design elements intended to pay tribute to the 1966 World Cup winning team.

“The colored piping on the cuffs is inspired by the training gear worn by England’s 1966 heroes, and the same colors can also be found in the design on the back of the collar.

“It is not the first time that different colored St George’s-inspired designs have been used on England shirts.

“We are very proud of the red and white St. George’s cross, the English flag.

“We understand what it means to our fans, and how it unites and inspires, and it will be prominently displayed at Wembley tomorrow – as always – when England play Brazil.”

The Three Lions U21s will be back in action against Luxembourg on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Gareth Southgate’s senior side will play Brazil at Wembley tomorrow before hosting Belgium next Tuesday.

Southgate has given three players, Kobbie Mainoo, Jarrad Branthwaite and Anthony Gordon, a first call-up.

By Eleanor Dye

Published: 7:57 AM EDT, March 21, 2024 | Updated: 08:27 EDT, March 21, 2024

Door Connie Rusk voor Mailonline

Gepubliceerd: 19:38 EDT, 21 maart 2024 | Bijgewerkt: 20:05 EDT, 21 maart 2024

He appeared in the dock at Manchester Crown Court like a familiar-looking stranger, a vivid memory from a distant past.

Jamie Cassidy had once been one of the most promising young footballers at Liverpool, England’s most successful club, a player deemed good enough to train with his national team ahead of the 1996 European Championship.

Today, Cassidy was jailed for 13 years and three months for his part in a conspiracy involving South American drug cartels that saw 356kg (784lb) of cocaine with an estimated street value of £28million ($35.8m) flood cities across northern England.

Cassidy, now 46, did not have a “pivotal” role like his 50-year-old brother, Jonathan, who received 21 years and nine months, but it was nevertheless “significant”, according to the judge, Sir Ian Dove.

Jamie’s job was to “ensure things ran smoothly” once the drugs arrived in Liverpool from the Netherlands, hidden in modified vehicles. He acted upon instruction, being paid a wage for his “managerial” input, which involved taking care of collections and deliveries that amounted to around 150kg of the drug.

Huge profits were laundered every month but the Cassidys’ operation was stopped after the EncroChat messaging service, once the preferred tool of communication in the criminal community, was intercepted by French authorities.

Jonathan Cassidy and Nasar Ahmed, 51, pleaded guilty last month to conspiracy to import and supply class A drugs and to launder money, while Jamie admitted to supply and laundering. Like Jonathan, Ahmed received 21 years and nine months.

Having been held on remand since November 2020, former footballer Cassidy had more than three years to consider his future.

It might explain why on Wednesday, as he emerged from the steps that led from the cells in Manchester Crown Court, he seemed relaxed and focused, as the scale of the charges against him were laid bare in a legal setting for the first time.

In his closing notes, the judge suggested “it seemed likely” that Jamie had been drawn by his brother into a “business” that was also described as “sophisticated”.

Each of the offenders will serve half of their sentence before being released on licence.

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Across a hearing that stretched over two days, there was only a brief mention of Cassidy’s life as a footballer whose talent was so vast that his name sometimes appears in the same sentences as true Liverpool greats.

In 1994, two summers before Cassidy lined up with future internationals Michael Owen and Jamie Carragher in the Liverpool Under-18s team that won the FA Youth Cup by beating a West Ham United side that featured Frank Lampard and Rio Ferdinand, he played for England as they reached the quarter-finals of Under-16 European Championship in the Republic of Ireland.

As a centre-forward, the regard in which he was held was reflected by the fact he was given the No 10 shirt in that England squad while Emile Heskey, who six years later would join Liverpool from Leicester City for a record £11million fee, had to make do with No 12.

Carragher became a legendary figure at Liverpool, making 737 appearances, second on the club’s all-time list behind Ian Callaghan’s 857. Yet when it came to England junior selection, Cassidy was called up ahead of him and David Thompson, who later featured in 56 Liverpool first-team games before fruitful spells in the midfields of Coventry City and Blackburn Rovers.

Thompson came from Birkenhead, which is separated from Liverpool by the River Mersey. In the early 1990s, Cassidy and Carragher, born in the same school year, were regarded as the best two young players in the city for their age group.

While Carragher came from Bootle and went to Savio Salesian College, representing Sefton Boys, Cassidy played for Liverpool Boys having attended the Alsop comprehensive where future Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier taught when he lived in the city in the late 1960s and early ’70s.

Cassidy’s home turf was Walton and the warren of streets near City Road, close to Everton’s Goodison Park stadium, which became infamous in 1993 because of its proximity to the old railway line where two-year-old James Bulger was murdered by two 10-year-old boys.

Much of the reporting that followed painted an unremittingly bleak picture of the area and an “urchin” culture where children roamed freely after dark, causing havoc. There was little attention or sympathy given to a district that had been compared, in a paper published by the European Union, to some of the poorest parts of southern Italy and the old East Germany.

Before he joined Liverpool, Cassidy played for a Sunday league team affiliated with a pub called The Pacific. This brought him into contact with Carragher for the first time, because he was signed to another team in the same league, Merton Villa. Other young boys from The Pacific, such as Jon Murphy, Ged Hennigan and Dominic Morley, would make it into the youth systems of Liverpool and Everton. Yet Cassidy went the furthest.

In his early years with Liverpool, he played up front with Carragher. The pair were so good that the coaches at Liverpool allowed them to play two years above their age group, even though they knew they were not quite physically strong enough. This meant that, sometimes, one would replace the other at half-time.

To his family, Carragher is still “James”. He is only known as “Jamie” to the wider world because Steve Heighway, Liverpool’s academy director, started referring to him and Cassidy as “the two Jamies” when they were both selected for Lilleshall, the FA’s residential School of Excellence in the Midlands.

Upon returning to Merseyside from a visit to Lilleshall in 1995, Heighway wrote in his Liverpool match-day programme column, “Both boys are super players.”

David Thompson, Jamie Cassidy, Michael Owen and Jamie Carragher, Liverpool 1996 @Carra23 pic.twitter.com/CmHI8RTIaF

— Angies Liverpool (@angiesliverpool) April 15, 2020

Cassidy was also ‘Cass’, a player team-mates wanted on their side because of his subtle leadership qualities. His presence provided reassurance because of his consistency and his maturity. Some looked up to him, not only because of his talent but also because of his dress sense.

His football associates from the time – all of whom spoke to The Athletic on condition of anonymity due to the severity and scale of his criminal case – describe Cassidy as an “elegant” footballer, with a shot as ferocious as his tackles. If a challenge was there to be won, he relished it. In conversations, comparisons are made with Steven Gerrard, then three years his junior, and now one of the greatest players in Liverpool’s history.

While he was good in the air and an able runner, Cassidy was also left-footed, which gave him an added grace. Those who watched the youth teams at that time describe a footballer who had it all — one good enough to be invited to train with England’s senior squad, under Terry Venables, in the build-up to Euro 96.

The Liverpool team who won that FA Youth Cup is described by Carragher in his autobiography as a group of “scallies”, not necessarily high on talent but full of desire. Cassidy fitted right in, albeit playing on the left of midfield. That success was timely for Liverpool because the first team was under fire due to their performance in an FA Cup final defeat to arch-rivals Manchester United. Over the months that followed, Cassidy, Carragher, Owen and Thompson all got more exposure to senior training. Their performances were rewarded with new contracts, rising from £250 to £750 a week.

In December 1996, aged 18, Cassidy was given a squad number (22) and was selected on the bench for first-team game at Anfield against Sheffield Wednesday. Though he did not get on that day as Liverpool lost, 1-0, he was getting closer to a first-team debut.

Some of the coaches at Liverpool identified that he was different to Carragher and Thompson, who were obsessives. Carragher would treat training sessions like they were full-scale games and Thompson would tell senior figures in the squad that he was coming to take their place. Cassidy could be aggressive on the pitch but his otherwise calm demeanour led to questions over his body language.

Did he care enough? His team-mates thought so. This was evidenced when he flew into a tackle during a reserve game not long after snapping his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). A leg break meant he spent 18 months out in total, with those injuries having an impact on three seasons, just at the point his peers were breaking into the first team and establishing themselves.

There was some belief that this period caused him to lose a yard of pace, particularly damaging as football at the highest level was becoming more about physicality, especially in midfield. One person with an understanding of Cassidy’s position describes him as being “really, really unlucky”.

After another long period out, team-mates would stare at Cassidy’s legs at Melwood, the club’s former training ground. Above specialist shin pads, which looked like they were shatterproof, it seemed as though one of his knees had doubled in size.

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Owen became a global superstar because of his performances with England at the World Cup in 1998, and by the summer of 1999 he had represented Liverpool 86 times.

Carragher, meanwhile, had made it to 70 appearances, and Thompson had 25. Gerrard had also emerged from the youth ranks, playing in 13 games in the 1998-99 season.

Following a succession of setbacks and operations, Cassidy, aged 20, was still waiting for his first-team debut. All of this was playing out against a backdrop of vast cultural change at Liverpool instigated by manager Houllier, who was driving more professional standards. That shift ultimately led to some players, regardless of previous status, moving on.

According to administrators at the club, leading academy figures considered Cassidy to be a huge talent, though he was never quite in the same bracket as Owen and Carragher. These sources have told The Athletic that they cannot remember him causing any problems for the coaches, pointing only towards injuries as a reason he eventually left.

There was shock, however, when he signed for Cambridge United, nearly 200 miles away, in 1999. Cambridge were fighting to stay in the third tier of English football; many at Liverpool believed Cassidy could have made a fresh start at a higher level, earning decent money, for example, in Division One (now the Championship — England’s second tier).

Quickly, Cassidy lost touch with the players at Liverpool with whom he’d spent his teenage years. Most of the band of brothers who had won the FA Youth Cup in 1996 suddenly had less in common, and while some fell into the non-League system at clubs such as Barrow, Droylsden and Vauxhall Motors, others became associated with the game’s amateur scene in Liverpool.

Having entered a relationship with a woman, Cassidy slipped off the radar entirely. Some wondered whether he was too embarrassed or proud to try to work his way back up the football ladder, given how highly rated he had been.

If he lost his love for the game, he did not show it at Cambridge, but he made little impression on a dressing room dominated by senior professionals.

He stood out mainly because he was a Scouser, far away from home. Though it was obvious in training sessions he was technically excellent, he could not emulate team-mates such as Trevor Benjamin and Martin Butler, who would both sign for clubs higher up the food chain in Leicester City and Reading.

In a season when Cambridge finished two places and four points above the relegation zone, Cassidy started just four league games, with another four appearances from the bench.

He did not strike one of Cambridge’s most senior players at the club as a bad lad. “Quite the opposite, I liked him — a really nice kid,” he said.

Nonetheless, he continued, he seemed the type of player “that might need a rocket up his a**e now and then”.

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Cassidy’s career was over by the time he was 23. After brief spells at non-League sides Cambridge City and Northwich Victoria, he reappeared at Burscough, a sixth-tier club in west Lancashire, 18 miles north of Liverpool, partway through pre-season in the summer of 2001.

A match programme at the end of the subsequent campaign suggests he made just five appearances for the club, with three of them starts.

Money was tight at Burscough, and players were paid small sums, cash in hand. Yet the club were developing a reputation as a place where players could trampoline into the professional ranks, thanks to the manager John Davison, who worked as a schoolteacher, and his assistant, Peter King, who came from Liverpool and had a strong grip on a local football landscape where Burscough might naturally recruit.

Those who flourished at Burscough tended to be strikers, such as Michael Yates (who went to Dundee in the Scottish Premier League), Ryan Lowe (Shrewsbury Town), Robbie Talbot (Morecambe) and Lee McEvilly (Rochdale).

Cassidy, however, never really got going. One player thinks he arrived carrying a back injury. Had he been more established at the club, maybe he would have been sent to a specialist but he believes Burscough did not have the means to treat him.

After one training session, Cassidy seemed to disappear for a while. His absence was never explained. Though he returned to the squad, his stay at the club was ultimately brief. Even though he did play, some team-mates needed to be reminded of the data to prove it — he barely made an impression.

Elsewhere, Carragher and Owen were now Champions League players, having won their first trophies at Liverpool, lifting the League Cup, FA Cup and UEFA Cup (today’s Europa League) in the 2000-01 season. Cassidy, however, faded out of sight and mind.

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It is thought Cassidy turned to the building trade, where he worked with his father.

When he was arrested in 2020, a month after his brother Jonathan was apprehended after landing at Manchester Airport following a flight from Dubai, officers found an encrypted telephone with an Estonian SIM card in a search of his property.

On EncroChat, where drug deals were arranged with traffickers in the Netherlands who had connections to cocaine cartels from Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia and Ecuador, it was established by investigators that his user name was Nuclear Dog.

In April 2020, another EncroChat user going by Whisky Wasp engaged a contact by sending a photograph of his television screen. He was on Netflix, watching El Chapo, a dramatised TV series about a Mexican drug lord. Whisky Wasp joked that they shared the same birthday. He was, in fact, Jonathan Cassidy.

Judge Dove would later describe the comparison as a “stupid exaggeration”, albeit “one not so far from the truth to be fanciful”.

According to the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), Jonathan was the “leading” figure behind a cocaine import operation that delivered quantities of the drug on an “industrial” scale.

On Wednesday, it was revealed that, between March and April 2020, the Cassidy brothers were using EncroChat almost every day.

After Jonathan brokered agreements with suppliers in the Netherlands, Jamie “acted on direction” in his “operational role”, ensuring the drugs made their way around the north of England. From there, a third man, Nasar Ahmed, who was sitting beside the Cassidys’ in the dock today, dealt with the money. On at least one occasion, an exchange was made using a reusable bag from the Asda supermarket chain.

It was revealed that when one of Jonathan’s couriers was stopped by police as he met a supplier, “it did not dent his enthusiasm for the next deal”, and the following day, he went to work on EncroChat again.

When a consignment arrived in England, Jamie, as Nuclear Dog, sent his brother a list of clients and their shares. He was, in effect, the book-keeper in the operation. Subsequent correspondence suggests the pair considered using another encrypted device offered by the Sky organisation at the end of the April, but any change of direction at that point would have been too late to avoid the authorities.

On June 13, an administrator at EncroChat told users that the company’s domain had been seized by a “government entity” and that the service could no longer guarantee security. That entity turned out to be the French intelligence services.

On the same evening, online records showed investigators that Ahmed searched for Emirates airline flights to the United Arab Emirates. He was arrested in Bury, in the north of Greater Manchester, the following morning.

On July 8, Jonathan used his iPad to read an article about Mark Fitzgibbon, a Liverpool fugitive who had been arrested in Portugal following 16 years on the run. He also read stories on the Manchester Evening News’ website about police operations in the city.

That evening, he drove to Manchester Airport and flew to Dubai, where he told an estate agent that he had a budget of £2.3million to spend on a villa, which was later furnished with a bed costing £22,000.

By the end of the September, he searched the internet again, this time for his brother’s name, after he had briefly left the United Kingdom. Investigators established that he was trying to find out whether Jamie had been arrested.

It seemed the pair were in the clear but, the following month, Jonathan was arrested on arrival at Manchester Airport after returning from Dubai, telling officers that he “did not know what they were talking about”.

Jamie was arrested a month later. His defence tried to argue that he was the first of the three men to admit his part, yet this admission only came only after a long battle to try to prove the EncroChat evidence as inadmissible.

The smashing of EncroChat has ultimately helped the National Crime Agency carry out “the UK’s biggest law enforcement operation”, one which has since “dismantled entire organised crime groups”, leading to 746 arrests and the seizure of £54million in cash and more than two tonnes of drugs.

On remand, Cassidy was described by prison officers as a “positive role model for his peers”. In the three years since his arrest, he had taken on a role for the Samaritans and one letter partly read out in court heard how he had “listened to others in crisis, helping prevent callers from taking their own lives”.

Amid the prison population, he lived with drug users, coming to understand the impact of his decisions as a dealer. He admitted to being “ashamed” of what he had done and, in sentencing, the judge removed two years from Cassidy’s term due to his “redemptive behaviour”.

Cassidy will, in time, have the chance to rebuild his life, but for those who remember him from his early days, there is just regret at how a special talent was derailed.

(Top photo: Liverpool celebrate winning the 1996 FA Youth Cup, with Jamie Cassidy circled; Aubrey Washington/EMPICS via Getty Images)

CONOR BRADLEY admits the past three months have been ‘mental’ as he reflects on an incredible rise at Liverpool.

And the 20-year-old will be hoping to make another dream come true this week by scoring his first goal for Northern Ireland.

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Bradley flew to Romania with the squad last night, still buzzing from his breakthrough performance at Anfield, which included a first major trophy with this season’s Carabao Cup.

The rookie, who is currently learning from world-class right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold, said: “It was mental. I remember sitting on the bench at Arsenal and wanting to progress.

“They moved Trent to midfield and I came on as right back.

“I took on Gabriel Martinelli and it was a big test, but I did well and it just started to go from there.

“It was brilliant. My dreams have come true over the past four months.

“I now want to continue and keep this momentum going. I’ve been supporting Liverpool since I was a boy, so getting a trial with them was just crazy when I was 16.

“I would love to score my first goal for Northern Ireland, that would be a dream too. But quite a few of my big dreams have come true.

“Scoring for Liverpool, getting my first assist and performing at Wembley were also brilliant.”

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Not only that, Bradley scored in the 4-1 Premier League win against Chelsea and had two assists.

He has quickly established himself in the first team and in the hearts of the fans. And the boy from County Tyrone will be sure to add to his 13 caps in the two friendlies – in Bucharest tomorrow and against Scotland at Hampden Park on Tuesday.

He said: “I definitely didn’t think it would go so well.

“My ‘pinch myself’ moment was probably against Chelsea when I scored and got two assists and the fans were chanting my name.

“Honestly, I don’t think I’ll have a better night than this. But all the boys still treat me the same, they still call me names!

“It’s been a long time since I’ve been away with Northern Ireland, against Denmark in June. I missed them and I’m looking forward to being back.”

Northern Ireland failed to qualify for Euro 2024 this summer but Bradley is enjoying working behind enemy lines with boss Michael O’Neill.

Norn Iron was at the Etihad Campus, the training base of Liverpool’s title rivals Manchester City, this week. Bradley joked: “I’ve been trying to see if there are any tactics around. It’s strange being there as a Liverpool player, but the facilities are great.

“The future is bright, I’m really looking forward to the Premier League run-up. Hopefully I will have a medal at the end of the season.”

But Bradley will miss Reds boss Jurgen Klopp when the manager leaves at the end of the season.

He added: “He helped me a lot. He gave me my chance, so I will be forever grateful.

“When I found out he was leaving I was shocked and sad as he is the only Liverpool manager I have known.”

ROY KEANE gave Manchester United’s mascot the coldest shoulder during their FA Cup clash with Liverpool.

The club legend was on the pitch doing his pundit duties for ITV ahead of the thrilling quarter-final at Old Trafford.

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Keane, 52, was approached by the lover Fred The Red for a high-five during a commercial break.

But the Irishman wasn’t in the mood and really left him hanging.

Keane’s brutal criticism did not go unnoticed by footie fans, one of whom said: “Roy Keane has no time for mascots in football, not even Fred The Red.”

Another said: “He’s too cold.”

And another said: “Classic Roy Keane.”

One pretended to be Keane and commented: “Mascots?! Do me a favor.”

Another agreed: “Football mascots used to be so appreciated and cherished by all clubs.”

However, Fred The Red briefly hugged Keane and wrapped his left arm around the former fan favorite, much to the amusement of Graeme Souness.

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United booked their place in the last four of the tournament thanks to a sensational 4-3 victory over their bitter rivals.

Substitute Amad Diallo created incredible scenes at Old Trafford with a last-gasp winner in extra-time just minutes after Marcus Rashford’s equalizer.

And Keane believes the stunning win could be a huge turning point for his former side.

He told ITV: “Man United – I’ve been critical of them all season but they’ve found something somewhere.

“A little spirit, a little momentum.

“They got a bit of luck and sloppiness from Liverpool.

“Amazing, a huge turning point for a lot of these players, especially the manager. Old Trafford is bouncing.

“It’s been a tough season for everyone, great images, great for the young players to get through a big game.

“Honestly, a great ending to the game.”

Erik ten Hag’s troops will play Championship side Coventry City in the semi-finals in April.”

FANS are convinced Erik ten Hag is “doing business” after seeing four tactical masterclasses in the win over Liverpool.

Sir Alex Ferguson was in the stands to watch Manchester United’s 4-3 win over their rivals in the FA Cup to secure a semi-final against Coventry.

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Scott McTominay put the Red Devils ahead but Alexis Mac Allister and Mo Salah put the visitors ahead before half-time – with both goals infuriating Roy Keane.

Substitute Antony struck at the end of normal time to send extra time, only for Harvey Elliott’s deflected effort to restore Liverpool’s lead.

Marcus Rashford struck late, seemingly sending penalties, but there was yet to be a late, dramatic twist.

Another substitute, Amad Diallo, scored in the final seconds after a counter-attack to win the score 4-3.

However, Amad’s party was cut short after he took off his shirt and was sent away after receiving his second booking.

As Ten Hag chased the match in normal time, he first introduced Antony and Harry Maguire from the bench, and both would have a huge impact.

Christian Eriksen replaced Kobbie Mainoo in midfield before the Dutchman became a little more enthusiastic when centre-back Raphael Varane made way with just a few minutes to go and match-winner Diallo took his place.

However, after Antony’s late equalizer which forced Ten Hag into a reshuffle in extra time, but before any major changes were made, they once again found themselves behind through Elliott.

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At the break of the extra thirty minutes, Ten Hag threw one last dice roll in an attempt to put the Reds on the back foot.

Midfielder Mason Mount came on for defender Victor Lindelof, which resulted in captain Bruno Fernandes dropping back to finish the match at centre-half, as the ambitious change paid off for United.

Some may think it was luck, but others were quick to praise Ten Hag’s tactics.

One fan wrote on

“Fernandes in the center back.

“All the subs were the right ones to make.

“He went all in to win by trading attackers for defenders.

“Antony finished as left back.

“He means business.”

Another agreed, writing: “Ten witches tactics on the spot.”

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A third said: “What fair play in the FA Cup for Liverpool but my god ten witch tactics were genius.”

A fellow fan said: “This is by far Erik Ten Hag’s best game as Manchester United boss.”

While a fifth said: “Fair play to Ten Hag, he got those substitutions in the right place today.

“I know we have been sidelined for a long time and there are some recurring problems, but we persevered and we got a result.

“Both teams had chances to win but we took ours and Liverpool didn’t take enough of theirs.”

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A RARE Beatles record found in a charity shop has been flogged for more than £4,200.

The “incredibly rare” pressing of the Fab Four’s debut studio album Please Please Me was donated to the Cancer Research UK charity shop in Enfield, north London.

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Store manager Jaime-Marie Madden initially thought the record might be worth a few hundred pounds so kept it off the shop floor.

But it was discovered to be a first pressing of the original masters of 1963’s Please Please Me, which bears the black Parlophone label with gold text.

It was processed by a dedicated online trading team and listed on eBay with a starting price of £1,499.99.

But bids caused the price to soar before it eventually sold for a whopping £4,211.89.

Mrs Madden said: “When I first saw the vinyl I thought it might only be worth a few hundred pounds.

“The record was in good condition, with only a few stains, but the cover was quite damaged and worn, with a cut on the bottom, some scuffs, stains, aging and stains.

‘It even had a name written on the back.

“Thankfully, at Cancer Research UK we are trained to spot donations that can raise more money for life-saving cancer research.

“So after taking a few pictures and Googling the record, I knew we had something special.”

Ms Madden said she was thrilled that her spot had raised such a huge amount for Cancer Research UK, a leading cancer charity committed to saving lives through research, influence and information.

She added: “I packed it securely and sent it to our online marketplace team who spent more time researching the value of the item and then listed it on our eBay marketplace.

“I kept an eye on it and couldn’t believe my eyes when it sold for £4.2k.

“We are always grateful to people who donate to charity and we always try to get the most out of donations.

“It’s great to see this money going to such an important cause.”

Mike Kuklenko, vinyl record specialist from Harper Field Auctioneers And Valuers, said: “What a great story! Please Please Me by The Beatles, in this format is an incredibly rare record, and a great spot from Jaime-Marie.

“I’ve seen a few stories like this in my time as a professional vinyl appraiser.

“People have shared their old collections, thinking it would make a few quid, and I have been lucky enough to be the one to surprise them with the fact that they have one or two gemstones worth hundreds or even thousands of pounds.

“In this case, it’s fantastic to see all this money going to life-saving cancer research. What a find!”

It comes after a guest on Antiques Roadshow was stunned to discover how much money his John Lennon memorabilia would fetch at auction.

Together with auctioneer Raj Bisram, he proudly displayed the house number of the Beatles legend’s childhood home.

The song was originally mounted on the gate of Lennon’s aunt Mimi at 251 Menlove Avenue in Liverpool.

Explaining how he got the license plate, he said: “When John Lennon’s family decided to sell their house in 1965, a couple bought it and lived there for a few months and then moved out.

“Then the next couple who bought it didn’t tell them it was John Lennon’s house, so they moved in.

“They were having breakfast one morning and there were five people in their front yard taking pictures – then they realized they were living in John Lennon’s house,” he added.

Raj asked if he’d ever thought about selling it, to which the man replied, “I’ve never thought about selling it, and honestly, I don’t think I ever would. I just enjoy to have it in the family.”

But Raj believed he might change his mind.

He said: ‘If that went to a specialist Beatles sale it would easily make £5,000 to £8,000 but it could double that, it could really double that.

“I think this is a great little piece of Beatles memorabilia.”

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LIFETIME Man Utd fan Luke Littler couldn’t resist poking fun at Jurgen Klopp after the Red Devils dumped Liverpool out of the FA Cup.

The roof went off at Old Trafford when Amad Diallo scored a dramatic winner in extra-time to secure a 4-3 win.

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Boxer Tyson Fury, who was at the match, was said to have been delighted with the result.

But another famous sports star who couldn’t hide his joy was the darts sensation.

He went to X to take a sly swipe at the outgoing German manager.

Liverpool, who won the Carabao Cup earlier this season and are competing for the Premier League title, had a chance of a domestic treble.

However, that dream went up in smoke with a defeat at the Theater of Dreams.

That prompted Littler to share a tweet about a joke making the rounds on social media.

An image of Littler and Klopp clapping side by side is captioned with a hilarious joke.

It is asked: “What is the difference between Luke Littler and Jurgen Klopp?”

The punchline reveals: “Littler has more treble!”

Littler has since deleted the tweet from his X account.

But Liverpool only has itself to blame for not winning the exciting quarter-final.

The visitors rallied after Scott McTominay put United ahead after just ten minutes.

Goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Mo Salah gave them a 2-1 lead at halftime.

However, their superiority in the second half failed to control the match.

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Then, with just three minutes remaining on the club outcast, Antony’s equalizer took the match to extra time.

Liverpool took the lead again just before half time in extra time.

However, United weren’t done yet and a Marcus Rashford The goal was followed by Diallo’s winner as the home fans went crazy.