SIR ALEX FERGUSON brutally labelled an England cult hero as one of the most “disappointing signings” of his Manchester United career.

The midfielder was marked as the man to replace long-serving skipper Roy Keane after an award-winning performance during the 2006 World Cup.

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During his 27 years at Old Trafford the Scot signed football geniuses like Cristiano Ronaldo and Eric Cantona.

He also picked up Keane, Nemanja Vidic and Park Ji-Sung who perhaps fell into the ‘signed for their mindset’ category.

But as well as several superstar signings, Fergie was also responsible for a few spectacular flops.

And the now-83-year-old revealed that two-time Champions League winner Owen Hargreaves fell into the ‘underwhelming’ category.

Hargreaves joined United from Bayern Munich in 2007, having built a reputation as one of nation’s best midfielders, especially after winning England’s Player of the World Cup in 2006.

And his career at Old Trafford started well, winning the Premier League and Champions League double in his first season.

Fans will also remember him scoring a penalty against Chelsea in the European final in Moscow, but Ferguson doesn’t recall his time so fondly.

Despite Hargreaves’ early success in a United shirt, Ferguson looked back on his decision to sign him with regret.

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Fans remember Hargreaves scoring a penalty in the shootout against Chelsea in the Champions League final in Moscow[/caption]

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In his autobiography ‘Sir Alex Ferguson: Never Give In’, the Scot claimed he had had doubts over Hargreaves from the start.

Ferguson wrote: “We started to put together a bid for him. But I studied his playing record and felt a tinge of doubt.

“I didn’t feel a strong vibe about him. David Gill worked hard on the deal with Bayern.

“I met Owen’s agent at the World Cup final in Berlin. Nice man, a lawyer. I told him we could develop Hargreaves at United.

“It turned out to be a disaster. Owen had no confidence in himself whatsoever.

“He didn’t show nearly enough determination to overcome his physical difficulties, for my liking.

“I saw him opt for the easy choice too often in terms of training. He was one of the most disappointing signings of my career.”

It turned out to be a disaster.

Sir Alex Ferguson

Things quickly went downhill in 2008, with a recurring patellar tendinitis problem virtually ending Hargreaves’ career.

He would make just five more appearances for United after his debut season, before joining Manchester City for one, injury-ravaged campaign in 2011.

Hargreaves, who won four Bundesliga titles in 218 games for Bayern Munich, scored just two goals in 38 appearances for the Red Devils.

The former midfielder now works as a pundit to TNT Sports.

A POPULAR British retailer which has returned to the high street after collapsing into administration is set to open more shops.

Shirtmaker T.M. Lewin is gearing up to open more stores in London, Manchester and Edinburgh after staging a dramatic comeback.

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T.M. Lewin is eyeing up further locations after opening a new store in London[/caption]

The retailer recently opened its first new store in the capital since 2020, when it fell into administration and shut all of its 66 branches.

The site in Bow Lane, City of London, stocks a range of formal shirts, office-wear and a new Clerkenwell Jacket.

But it is now eyeing up further locations across the UK in an expansion drive.

Dan Ferris, T.M. Lewin’s managing director, told The Times, which first reported news of the additional openings: “A big part of our three-year plan is to expand the real estate very quickly.

“We’re looking for another couple this year, and thereafter it’ll just be about opening as many additional outlets as we can.”

T.M Lewin was founded by Thomas Mayes Lewin and Geoffrey James Lewin in London in 1898, and supplied the RAF and Army with uniforms during the First World War.

The company made its shirts in Southend, Essex until the late 1980s, when production moved overseas.

However, the impact of the coronavirus pandemic led to the retailer falling into administration in 2020 and going online-only.

The administration process led to the closure of T.M. Lewin’s 66 branches.

In 2022, the business was forced to call in administrators for a second time as shoppers shifted to working from home.

RETAILERS MAKING A COMEBACK

T.M. Lewin is not the first retailer to stage a comeback in recent years despite a challenging economic backdrop.

The Centre for Retail Research said more than 13,000 stores, the equivalent of 37 each day, shut their doors for good in 2024.

This was after more than 10,400 stores closed permanently in 2023, the centre said.

However, some retailers have been bucking the closure trend and opening stores across the UK.

Others have been making major comebacks after going bust too.

Cath Kidston opened up a brand new store last October, after going into administration in June 2023.

Meanwhile, earlier this year ASOS revealed plans to relaunch a Topshop website.

The two names have joined a host of other brands that have announced they will make some form of return.

Toys R Us, Cath Kidston and M&Co all said last year they would be making a comeback after previously falling into administration.

Major brand Wilko is already back on the high street after closing 400 stores in 2023.

Its new owners, CDS Superstores, have opened branches across the UK.

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A NEW blood test to pick up early signs of a cancer which kills more than half of people within three months of diagnosis is being trialled by UK doctors.

The genomic test uses blood samples to look for markers of the deadly disease, which often has vague symptoms.

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The new blood test offers hope for pancreatic cancer, which has vague symptoms in the early stages, being detected sooner[/caption]

Currently, the UK doesn’t have a national screening programme for pancreatic cancer like it does for breast or bowel cancer. 

A huge issue is the disease is often diagnosed at a late stage because it frequently lacks noticeable symptoms in the early stages. 

But a new pancreatic cancer test is being trialled in patients with a recent diagnosis of type 2 diabetes – a known risk factor for the disease.

People over 50 with a new case of type 2 diabetes have a higher chance of also being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer within three years.

Early data suggests the Avantect test is 68 per cent accurate in picking up people with early stages of the disease, which kills almost 10,000 people every year in the UK.

It’s also 97 per cent accurate in ruling out people without pancreatic cancer.

The new clinical trial has been launched at the Cancer Research UK Southampton Clinical Trials Unit.

Zaed Hamady, consultant surgeon and pancreatic researcher at the University of Southampton, who’s leading the trial, said: “There is currently no targeted early detection or surveillance test for the disease meaning patients are often diagnosed late when they become really unwell.

“If we can develop approaches to detect the cancer sooner, then there are more options we may consider to treat the disease, and patients will have a much better chance of long-term survival.

“Although most people with diabetes will not go on to develop the disease, new onset diabetes is associated with a six to eight-fold increased risk.

“This patient group gives us a way to test how accurate the new diagnostic blood test is, and that could potentially help thousands of people in the future.”

According to researchers, newly-diagnosed type 2 diabetes patients often have similar symptoms as a person with early-stage pancreatic cancer.

This is because the cancer destroys the same insulin-producing cells that are also destroyed in diabetes.

‘Earlier diagnosis would have meant time to make more memories with our children’

Sean Cleghorn’s wife, Allison, discovered she had pancreatic cancer at Christmas 2020 but died four weeks later aged 54.

Mr Cleghorn, a father of three from Kingsclere in Hampshire, said: “The only symptom Allison displayed was some slight indigestion and then she was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in the autumn of 2020.

“Allison had always eaten healthily, was active and avoided processed food, so this diagnosis was puzzling for us.

“When we learned that new-onset type 2 diabetes was a potential risk factor for pancreatic cancer, we asked for further testing and a scan confirmed she had terminal cancer.

“We hoped she could have chemotherapy to prolong her life, but she became too weak and died four weeks later.

“Perhaps if she had been diagnosed sooner with a test like the one that’s currently being trialled, we may have had time to make more memories with our three children.”

Angelica Cazaly, senior trial manager for the trial, said: “We are asking people with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes who are attending GP surgeries or diabetic clinics whether they would like to take part in the study.

“Initially, we will collect blood samples from 800 people for testing.

“The results from the test, together with medical information collected from each patient, will help provide researchers with important information on how best to proceed with the rest of the study that will evaluate how accurate the test is at predicting pancreatic cancer.”

‘Exciting time for early detection research’

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Pancreatic cancer is considered the deadliest cancer, with just one in 20 surviving the disease for 10 years or more[/caption]

Around 10,500 people in the UK are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer every year and just one in 20 survive the disease for 10 years or more.

Samuel Levy, chief scientific officer of ClearNote Health, said: “Our early data demonstrate that our Avantect test can identify pancreatic cancer in stages I and II.

“We are excited to collaborate with the Cancer Research UK Southampton Clinical Trials Unit and the University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust on this transformative study that could redefine how pancreatic cancer is detected and managed for patients at high risk.”

Dr Chris Macdonald, head of research at Pancreatic Cancer UK, said over 80 per cent of people with pancreatic cancer are currently diagnosed too late for treatment.

He added: “This is an exciting time for early detection research, with tests using blood, breath and urine in development which, if shown to be successful in clinical trials, could save thousands of lives every year.

“Early findings from these tests are very promising, but more research is needed to ensure that they are as accurate as possible before they will be available in the GP surgery.”

FORD has announced one of its biggest recalls ever over an issue that could increase the risk of a crash.

The recall affects over a million cars across the US and worldwide, and concerns a fault with the rearview camera freezing or failing to display properly when the vehicle is in reverse.

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A software issue with the rearview camera could be putting Ford drivers at risk, leading to over a million vehicles being recalled[/caption]

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A trip to the dealership might not be necessary, with the fix being rolled out over Wi-Fi[/caption]

The issue is due to a software glitch in Ford’s SYNC 4 infotainment system which can put the rearview camera out of action when performing manoeuvres.

The affected models include the Ford F-150 (2021–2024), Bronco (2021–2024), Edge (2021–2024), Mustang Mach-E (2021–2023), and several others across the 2021–2025 model years.

Although Ford has issued a recall, owners won’t have to hand over their vehicles to a dealership as the problem can be easily fixed with an over-the-air software update – set to be rolled out later this month.

Owners whose vehicles have access to a decent Wi-Fi connection should automatically receive this update without the need to take their car into a dealership.

The American National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) confirmed the fault, warning: “A frozen or missing rearview camera image can reduce the driver’s view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.”

Ford has acknowledged the issue, stating it has no reports of injuries linked to the glitch.

However, the carmaker said it is “aware of one allegation of a minor crash resulting in property damage”.

A massive 1,075,299 vehicles are being recalled in total.

Reports from Motortrend suggest Ford estimates every single one of the affected units is defective.

If you think your Ford might be included in the recall, you can check by entering your VIN number on Ford’s recall site.

Owners of the affected models will begin receiving official recall notices in the post between 16 and 20 June 2025.

In May, more than 270,000 Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles were recalled due to potential brake system faults.

And back in February, around 240,000 Explorer and Lincoln Aviator SUVs were pulled over issues with faulty seat belt components.

Drivers are being urged to stay alert for the recall notice and ensure the update is completed as soon as it’s available, to avoid any risk while on the road.

SHUT UP SHOP

Earlier this month, it was revealed a popular Ford dealership is to shut down for good – ready to make way for another outlet from a massive auto shop chain.

The now-demolished DealMaker Ford, located on Route 68 in Oswegatchie, near Ogdensburg, New York, is set to transform into a new AutoZone store.

According to Watertown Daily Times, N.Y., the location will boast a huge 6,800-square-foot building, constructed by the property owner, DPMJ LLC, on the Route 37 portion of the property.

The project, which has received conditional approval from the town, was finalized during a city council meeting last month – although no timeline for the store’s completion has been released at this time.

AutoZone, which sells auto parts and related services, has 229 other locations in New York State alone.

The chain, which is expanding as part of an ‘aggressive’ plan, has opened 54 domestic stores in the US during Q3 2025, according to a recent report.

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