25/05/2026

SPORTS MONDAY | MAY 25, 2026

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Pep Hart ache Guardiola admits not letting England star ‘prove himself’ is biggest City regret

Ű BY DAMIAN SPELLMAN

Concluding his thoughts, he said: “If in that I failed, I do apologise, but it never, never was my inten tion or the intention of the club.” The Spaniard’s departure brings to an end one of the most successful managerial reigns in English foot ball history with Guardiola having won 20 trophies over the past 10 years. The occasion will be marked by the opening of the Etihad Stadium’s newly-expanded North Stand, which is to be renamed “The Pep Guardiola Stand” in his honour. “I can just say thank you so much to the club for delivering this to me and to my family,” said Guardiola, who hopes the stand will continue to inspire players after he has left. He said: “I like to feel that my vibe or my energy will be there forever. I like that feeling in the bad moments, when someone looks and it says ‘Pep,’ OK I will send good energy for the team, for the club.” Guardiola had hoped to sign off by winning the domestic treble but Tuesday’s draw at Bournemouth meant City could no longer catch Arsenal at the top of the Premier League. – The Independent

P EP GUARDIOLA has revealed his deepest regret during his tenure at Manchester City, admitting he wishes he had given England goalkeeper Joe Hart a proper opportunity to prove himself. The 55-year-old Spaniard, who oversaw his final match in charge of City yesterday against Aston Villa, made the candid confession ahead of his departure. Hart was swiftly sent out on loan to Torino within weeks of Guardiola’s arrival in 2016, with Claudio Bravo subsequently signed that same year, followed by Ederson the following season. Speaking to Sky Sports , Guardiola stated: “I want to confess, I have regrets. When you take a lot of deci sions, a lot, lot of decisions, you make mistakes.

“But there is one regret that I have deep inside for many years, that I didn’t give a chance to Joe Hart to be with me to prove him self how good a keeper he was.” He elaborated on his feelings, adding: “I should have done, not because… all respect for Claudio, all respect for Ede who came in, they were important, but in that moment, I could have said, ‘Okay Joe, let’s try to do it together. “If it doesn’t work, okay, we’ll change it.’ But it happened. Life is sometimes… I have to take decisions and sometimes I’m not fair enough.” Guardiola reflected on his decision-mak

ing process, noting: “Maybe with time then and learning… But I regret it from that time. In that moment, I said, ‘I believe in that.’ “Always I am stubborn in my decisions, when I believe in that. When I have doubts, I talk with people, but when I’m completely sure, 100%, I say, ‘Guys, we have to do it in that way,’ and I have been at a club that has sup ported me absolutely in everything with that.” He acknowledged that managing human emotions is among the most challenging aspects of football management, particularly concerning players not in the team. Guardiola insisted he always endeavoured to handle such situations with “humanity and respect”.

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24/05/2026 (SUN)

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Bruno Fernandes poses with the 2025/26 Premier League Player of the Season award after a standout campaign for Manchester United. – @manutd/Instagram

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Bruno named player of the season BRUNO FERNANDES has pipped title-winner Declan Rice to the Premier League player of the season award after a sensational individual campaign. The Manchester United talisman has pro duced a season for the books, equalling the assist record of 20 that was first set by Arsenal great Thierry Henry in 2002/03 before Kevin De Bruyne notched the tally for Manchester City in 2019/20. Fernandes’ main competition for the award was Arsenal midfielder Rice, who has been integral to the Gunners ending their 22-year wait for a Premier League title. But after also being named the Football Writers’ Association’s men’s footballer of the year – the first United player to claim the acco lade since Wayne Rooney back in 2010 – Fernandes has so far edged out the England star for individual prizes. Fernandes also boasts eight Premier League goals to his name this term, racking up a total of 28 goal contributions across 37 games to help guide a resurgent United team to Champions League qualification. Such an outcome looked unlikely when Ruben Amorim was sacked in January, the club struggling to inspire in sixth place. However, Fernandes’ performances were consistently strong even through that period of team adversity, and he has remained a standout during the club’s rise up the table under Michael Carrick.

Hull celebrate promotion HULL BOSS Sergej Jakirovic and his players cried tears of joy after their “incredible journey” culminated in a lucrative promotion to the Premier League on Saturday as the Championship’s “spygate” drama finally came to an end. Oli McBurnie clinched Hull’s 1-0 win over Middlesbrough in the playoff final at Wembley, scoring the £205 million (RM1.05b) tap-in with just seconds left in world football’s richest match. The Tigers are back in the Premier League for the first time since 2017 after a remarkable renaissance over the last 12 months. Hull only avoided relegation to the third tier on the final day of last season, with goal difference saving them from the drop, before the club was hit with a damaging transfer embargo. Jakirovic’s sixth-placed team sneaked into the Championship playoffs on the last day this season before beating third-placed Millwall in the semifinals.“A lot of players were crying with happiness at the final whistle. It’s incredible,” Jakirovic said. “An unbelievable journey, so many problems, so to achieve the Premier League is incredible.” Scotland striker McBurnie, in his first season at the club after arriving from Las Palmas, said: “I’m speechless for the first time ever. “That game summed us up, we knew we weren’t going to have all the ball. Middlesbrough are a top team, we knew we’d be up against it but we felt we’d have one chance and I felt like it was written for me to get it.”

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