Former Liverpool star slams 40m new boy in Wolves defeatMichael Owen Questions Liverpools Faith in Kerkez After Wolves SetbackLiverpool left Molineux with more questions than answers after a dramatic late defeat to Wolves, and one former Anfield striker has already turned the spotlight on a 40 million signing struggling to settle into life on Merseyside.Michael Owen did not hold back in his assessment of Milos Kerkez following Liverpools 21 loss, suggesting the young left-back currently looks overwhelmed by the demands of playing for one of Englands biggest clubs. The criticism arrives at a delicate point in the season, with Liverpool fighting to remain in the Premier Leagues top four.Photo: IMAGOLiverpool defeat raises fresh questionsLiverpool appeared to be heading for a point after Mohamed Salah dragged the visitors level late in the match. Wolves had taken the lead earlier through Rodrigo Gomes, but Salahs strike with seven minutes remaining seemed to rescue something from a frustrating evening.Instead, Wolves snatched victory in injury time when Andres deflected effort slipped past the Liverpool defence, leaving Slots side stunned.The defeat leaves Liverpool fifth in the Premier League table and vulnerable to slipping further down should rivals capitalise in upcoming fixtures. More worrying than the result itself, however, is the sense that several key positions are in flux.Michael Owen, speaking after the game, suggested the clubs defensive reshuffle has weakened Liverpool compared to previous seasons.Im just not convinced about one or two of the players, Owen said. Full-backs youve gone from Trent and Robertson, possibly the best combination of full-back the Premier League has seen for a long, long time.It is a stark reminder of how influential Liverpools previous defensive structure once was.Michael Owen criticism aimed at KerkezMost of Owens attention was reserved for Kerkez, the 40 million signing brought in from Bournemouth last summer. While the Hungarian defender impressed at his previous club, the former Liverpool forward believes the step up has exposed cracks in his composure.I cant warm to Kerkez, Im afraid, Owen said. He looks like a bag of nerves, he looks like he doesnt want the ball, he looks like hes an emotional defender, hes playing like this all the time, its like, calm down, man.Owen continued by describing a player seemingly paralysed by pressure.Youre in possession of the ball a lot of the time, just relax. Its like hes in a trance constantly.Such remarks underline a concern that Liverpools current back line lacks the authority and assurance once provided by Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold.Defensive transition affecting LiverpoolKerkezs struggles do not exist in isolation. Liverpool have undergone significant changes across the pitch, and Owen believes the collective shift has weakened the side.Straight away in four places Liverpool are weaker, much weaker, than last season, he said.He pointed to several factors: ageing stars, key departures and injury issues affecting potential replacements. Owen even suggested that Liverpool may have moved away from Robertson too quickly.I think they pensioned off Andy Robertson a little bit too soon. I think he should still be playing now.In Owens view, Liverpools current transition has removed several pillars that once made them formidable.The departure of key wide players and the ongoing search for stability at full-back have created a team still searching for its identity.Pressure of Liverpool shirt proving challengeKerkez may yet adapt, but Owen believes the pressure of representing Liverpool can overwhelm players who thrived at smaller clubs.Liverpool is a different kettle of fish to Bournemouth, Owen said. Youve got to be able to manage pressure, all the eyes are on you.That observation captures a fundamental truth about life at Anfield. Success is not just about technical ability; it requires the temperament to handle scrutiny, expectation and relentless intensity.Owen acknowledged Kerkez could improve over time, but for now his advice to Slot is straightforward.At the moment Im sticking Andy Robertson straight back in.Whether Slot agrees remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: Liverpools defensive debate is only just beginning, and Kerkez now finds himself firmly at the centre of it.Original reporting referenced from Metros coverage of Michael Owens comments on Liverpool and Milos Kerkez.

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Several American athletes competing at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Games took part in a lighthearted video for Self magazine, revealing their Olympic crushes to viewers.The playful segment featured a number of Team USA competitors opening up about which fellow Olympians have caught their eye during the Games.Among those participating were gold-medal winning figure skaters Alysa Liu and Amber Glenn, alongside four-time Olympian and speed skater Brittany Bowe.The video offered fans a glimpse into the personal side of elite athletes, with several naming gymnasts and hockey players as the objects of their admiration during the Italian Winter Olympics.TRENDINGStoriesVideosYour SayLiu, who at 20 years old became the first American woman to claim the figure skating singles gold in nearly a quarter of a century, expressed her admiration for gymnast Suni Lee."I think my Olympic crush is probably Suni Lee," the newly crowned champion said."She's so pretty and very stylised. You know what I'm saying? I like that, yeah."Despite her candid comments about Lee, Liu has indicated she is content with her current relationship status.In a January interview with Cosmopolitan, the skater explained that her demanding training schedule and high standards mean she is happily embracing single life for the foreseeable future, prioritising friendships over romantic pursuits.Glenn, who secured gold in the team figure skating event at Milan, selected fellow gymnast Laurie Hernandez as the athlete she most admires.LATEST SPORTS NEWS:Wayne Rooney's friend sets record straight after former England star was spotted drinking with two womenPremier League and Championship forced to abandon British tradition as authorities braced for backlashAryna Sabalenka shows off stunning ring as tennis star gets engaged to 80m partner View this post on Instagram A post shared by SELF (@selfmagazine)"I have many Olympic crushes. Laurie Hernandez," Glenn revealed."I love that she's openly queer and that she is completely herself, a little bit of a nerd, just like me."The two-time Olympic gold medallist Hernandez publicly shared her queer identity through an Instagram post in December 2022.Glenn herself has been open about her sexuality, having come out as pansexual in 2019.The mutual openness about their identities appears to be a significant factor in Glenn's admiration for the gymnast.Bowe's answer in the Self video came as no surprise, as she named her now-fiance Hilary Knight, captain of the US women's hockey team."Oh my gosh, the one and only Hilary Knight. There's no thinking outside the box on that one," the four-time Olympian declared.Knight proposed to Bowe during the Winter Games, just one day before helping the American hockey squad defeat Canada in an overtime thriller to claim gold.Though Bowe did not reach the podium in the 1500m speed skating event in Milan, the 37-year-old boasts an impressive career record including 91 World Cup medals, 22 national titles and six world championships.Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter

Three athletes who were led off course when leading the US half marathon championship will receive compensation after ultimately finishing well outside the top three.

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An independent researcher believes he's discovered a legendary ruler's burial site a find that could be the first monumental Viking ship burial identified in England.Steve Dickinson, a British archaeologist, has identified a mound in Cumbria in northwest England that he believes may have been a Viking ship burial, in which elite individuals were laid to rest in a boat or ship.The mound, he believes, may hold the lost grave of Ivar the Boneless, the Viking leader who died around 873 A.D.NEW HELL HERON SPINOSAURUS SPECIES FOUND IN REMOTE SAHARA 70 YEARS AFTER FOSSIL CLUEDickinson calls the structure the King's Mound a translation of its Latin name Cuningishou and its exact location has been kept confidential as his studies continue.Speaking to Fox News Digital, Dickinson said the Viking Icelandic saga literature indicates that Ivar was buried "in England, in a mound on a boundary."He and his team pinpointed the mound's location from medieval documents and identified 39 smaller mounds around it.Excavators have found "significant" artifacts, Dickinson said, including ship rivets and roves evidence of a ship as well as lead weights used in trade.All appear to be consistent with a Viking ship burial.TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZWhile such ship burials have been found in Scandinavia, none in Britain have been definitively linked to a named Viking ruler, Dickinson said.Sutton Hoo, the most famous monumental ship burial in England, dates to the pre-Viking Anglo-Saxon period, he noted."This is rare, and, should my theory prove to be correct, it is the first such Viking ship burial to be found in Britain," the researcher observed.Dickinson has also found fleet bases and post-holes from the Viking Age, remains he believes were part of a 210-foot-by-43-foot royal palace.All pieces of evidence "give the strongest connections with him and his grave," he said.CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTERHistorians are still divided over how Ivar earned the nickname "the Boneless," Dickinson said."It is thought, from later historical records, that the epithet boneless refers to some kind of genetic disorder," he noted."Ivar also has some other nicknames, though: The Legless and The Dragon."Known for establishing a major settlement in modern-day Dublin, Ivar was part of the kingdom of Laithlind, a realm whose true location has long been contested."Though some scholars have suggested the kingdom of Laithlind lies in northern and western Scotland or southwest Norway, its name means marsh/lake-land," Dickinson continued."This description fits the part of Cumbria where I located the Kings Mound."Future fieldwork is planned for this summer, with opportunities for volunteers to take part."We aim to conduct scans of the King's Mound using ground-penetrating radar and geophysics later this year to let us see inside it," he said."We do not, at present, plan to excavate it. The sheer logistics and financing of this, and reasons of conservation and privacy, all lead to this."

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Pakistan's Sahibzada Farhan is now second in T20I batting rankings, just behind India's Abhishek Sharma, after scoring two centuries in the World Cup. Several Indian players, including Ishan Kishan and Tilak Varma, have entered the top 10. In bowling, Varun Chakravarthy leads, with Abrar Ahmed close behind. Sikandar Raza remains the top all-rounder.