It is a homecoming with a difference: not to the place where it all started, but to the ground where it almost finished. Christian Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest on the Parken Stadium pitch at Euro 2020. His life could have ended, yet he is almost two years into a comeback. And it remains remarkable that Eriksen has returned to play for one of the game’s biggest clubs (Manchester United’s recent travails aside), at a World Cup, and in the Champions League. Eriksen has appeared at the Parken Stadium since, most recently in a 3-1 win over Kazakhstan three weeks ago. Now, once again, Denmark’s national ground will welcome arguably the greatest Danish footballer since Peter Schmeichel and the Laudrup brothers. Also there will be the most-expensive-ever Danish footballer, with the £72m Rasmus Hojlund alongside Eriksen in United’s ranks. Eriksen might be there from the start this time. Erik ten Hag might have erred in United’s meeting with FC Copenhagen two weeks ago, initially benching Eriksen for a first half where the Danish champions were the more impressive side. But with a practised assurance in possession, a Dane helped his side assume the initiative thereafter. It seems a relatively safe assumption that Eriksen will start the rematch. And yet his fluctuating status is a sign of United’s midfield conundrum, his strengths and weaknesses indicative of the mismatched and very different options. It is a simplification to say that those who can run aren’t particularly good with the ball at their feet and those who can excel with the ball aren’t particularly good at running; but perhaps not much of one. The immobility of Eriksen and Casemiro can be an issue: bringing in Hannibal Mejbri or Scott McTominay adds graft, but at the expense of craft. The young Tunisian’s hapless first half against Galatasaray prompted Ten Hag to send for Eriksen as an antidote; a player who could combine the Scot’s athleticism with the Dane’s technical ability may be United’s ideal. The difficulties may be compounded by Ten Hag’s preference for man-marking in midfield, sometimes submitting a less athletic player to an unfair contest; Eriksen spent the first half of the Manchester derby struggling to track Bernardo Silva. It may explain why – especially as Casemiro seems to be slowing – he looked to be reinvented as a specialist substitute. And yet, there were three games – against Galatasaray, Brentford and Copenhagen – where Eriksen had to be summoned at half-time to fix a broken midfield; twice United ended up winning, and the defeat by the Turkish side could scarcely be blamed on the Dane, who still made a difference. Damningly and undiplomatically, Ten Hag said he removed Casemiro for Eriksen against Brentford because he “wanted more football”. And, for a manager who has spent £400m, a 31-year-old free transfer, a player who finds it difficult to play 90 minutes, has a unique skill set: Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes can attempt ambitious passes, but Eriksen is the only genuine playmaker. When Ten Hag attempted to explain his ethos – and how he was trying to fuse the best of Ajax with United’s traditions and current players – on Friday, it was notable he put Eriksen in a category of his own. McTominay and Fernandes were mentioned along with Marcus Rashford, Antony and Hojlund among players who can press in the final third and benefit from direct attacks. Those qualities were matched “with the passing of Christian Eriksen”, said Ten Hag. Perhaps, had Casemiro been fit rather than out for several weeks, he might have been bracketed alongside his fellow veteran. Instead, it suggested that Eriksen is the lone passer. The Dutchman’s words can confuse. His deeds are instructive, though. Twice, Eriksen was preferred to Sofyan Amrabat: first when the Morocco international was brought off at the break when Copenhagen visited Old Trafford, then when Eriksen started as the deepest midfielder at Fulham on Saturday. It is a harder strategy to employ when a specialist defensive midfielder is required. The context suggests Ten Hag’s midfield plans are in ruins. The summer recruitment brought in Mason Mount, scarcely a like-for-like replacement for Eriksen, with the intention of constructing a new trio with Casemiro and Fernandes. It promised a different dynamic: more high pressing, removing one deep-lying distributor. Go back a year and Eriksen was supplying assists in copious quantities. Results suggested he and Casemiro were well matched: after United lost the first time they started together, they won on 15 of the next 18 occasions. How United would settle for that kind of record now, with any midfield combination. Instead, they have the sense that, Fernandes apart, there are no automatic choices now – that the heart of the team is in a state of flux. But Eriksen is the midfield’s artist and, as he returns to his homeland, the Danish public can at least savour the sight of the player and the man they almost lost. Read More Man City v Young Boys LIVE: Latest Champions League updates Outclassed Newcastle left on the brink of anticlimactic Champions League exit FA asks Mikel Arteta and Arsenal for observations after referee comments Man City v Young Boys LIVE: Latest Champions League updates Outclassed Newcastle left on the brink of anticlimactic Champions League exit FA asks Mikel Arteta and Arsenal for observations after referee comments

Tottenham Hotspur's Pedro Porro has discussed Real Madrid's interest in Harry Kane. Bayern Munich and PSG are also monitoring the England captain.

The Justice Department has closed its investigation into the possible mishandling of classified documents found at former Vice President Mike Pence's home and will not bring any charges, according to a letter from the DOJ obtained by CNN.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct 30, 2023--

A Colorado judge has denied a motion by Donald Trump’s attorneys to dismiss a case challenging his eligibility to run for president because of the “insurrection” clause of the 14th Amendment

Google says it has made a significant step in identifying disease-causing genes, which could help spot rare genetic disorders. A new model named AlphaMissense is able to confidently classify 89 per cent of all possible “missense” variants in genes, identifying whether they are likely to cause diseases or benign. That compares with just 0.1 per cent of all missense variants that have been confidently classified by human experts. Missense variants happen when a single letter is substituted in the DNA, which in turn leads to proteins with a different amino acid. That small change can have significant effects – Google likened it to the way that changing a letter in one word can change the meaning of the whole sentence. Most of those variants are benign: the average person has more than 9,000 of them. But some of them can be disastrous, leading to rare genetic diseases. The new AlphaMissense looked at existing information about missense variants, and how commonly they are seen in humans and closely-related primates. It looked for those that were rarely seen, classifying them as pathogenic, and from that was able to use that information to analyse other protein sequences – giving not just a verdict on whether they were likely to cause problems, but also how confident it was. Experiments, conducted by humans, which look to find those mutations are expensive and slow: they require people to examine each unique protein and designed separately. Google says that the new system means that researchers can “preview” those results for thousands of proteins at a time, helping them decide where to focus. The company has used its systems to release a vast catalogue of “missense” mutations, so that researchers can learn about what effect they have. In some cases, those variations can lead to conditions such as cystic fibrosis, sickle-cell anaemia, or cancer, and understanding them could be key to researchers studying ways to treat or prevent those diseases. It is just the latest health breakthrough from Google’s Deepmind division, which is looking to use artificial intelligence to both identify and treat a variety of conditions. The new system was built on AlphaFold, the breakthrough model that helped unfold proteins, the building blocks of life. The research is described in a new paper, ‘Accurate proteome-wide missense variant effect prediction with AlphaMissense’, published in the journal Science. The catalogue is being made “freely available to the research community”, Google said, and the company will release the code behind the AI system. Read More BBC removes some Russell Brand content as monetisation suspended on YouTube Google Bard can now link to Gmail and other apps to help with responses Long-form video content is here to stay, says YouTube UK boss

Khartoum has become lawless after four months of war, forcing some residents to arm themselves.

A unit of Signa Prime Selection AG filed for insolvency in a Berlin court on Friday, Der Spiegel

(Reuters) -Cryptocurrency lender BlockFi emerged from bankruptcy on Tuesday, clearing the way to repay its creditors 11 months after it

Casemiro is set to miss a key stretch of Manchester United’s season after Erik ten Hag revealed the midfielder will be sidelined with a hamstring injury until after Christmas. The 31-year-old midfielder has struggled for form and fitness in his second season since his eye-catching switch to Old Trafford from Real Madrid. Casemiro sustained an ankle injury on Brazil duty last month and returned against Newcastle last Wednesday, only to be taken off at half-time of the 3-0 Carabao Cup defeat. United confirmed the Brazil international had sustained a hamstring issue that would keep him out for “several weeks”, but Ten Hag has now suggested the midfielder may struggle to play again this year. Left-backs Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia may return in the coming weeks but Casemiro and Lisandro Martinez, who is out with a foot injury, are set to miss the 10 matches before Christmas. “I have some time schedules, yeah,” Ten Hag said. “But it’s always difficult to project that because there can always be setbacks during the rehab period. “I’m always a little bit holding back on such issues. I expect some back but, for instance, Casemiro and Martinez are really strong injuries and I don’t expect them back before Christmas.” Among the 10 matches Casemiro is expected to miss before Christmas is Wednesday’s key Champions League group game at Copenhagen. The 31-year-old was suspended for the reverse fixture two weeks ago, when Andre Onana’s stoppage-time penalty save and Harry Maguire’s header secured a 1-0 win at Old Trafford. The latter has enjoyed a resurgence of late but brain injury charity Headway questioned the decision to allow him to continue playing after a head collision in Saturday’s 1-0 win at Fulham. Maguire completed the match and is in United’s 23-man squad to face the Danish champions. “So, we did all the protocols during and after the game, so he is ready to play,” Ten Hag said. “There is not any indication (of concussion). “He was fine in the game so no problems. He played a very good game.” United’s squad also includes Victor Lindelof and Marcus Rashford, who missed the trip to Craven Cottage through illness and a leg issue respectively. “100 per cent (fit),” the United boss said. “Rashy missed one game out. A small knock but he’s back.” United will hope the pair’s return can help continue their revival after making hard work of beating Copenhagen on home soil, having lost their Group A openers against Bayern Munich and Galatasaray. “They played a very decent game and I thought we didn’t play a good game,” Ten Hag added. “But, still, we won. I think it was a deserved win but we have to do things better. “We are aware of that because you have to lift the performance if you want to get the result in.” Read More The Fulham star set to show Man United the midfield move they should have made Manchester United confirm Casemiro injury blow ahead of crucial run Erik ten Hag says ‘only a matter of time’ until Manchester United form improves Manchester United ‘have got to move on’ from humbling derby experience Erik ten Hag reveals Casemiro injury latest ahead of Manchester derby Man City v Young Boys LIVE: Champions League result and reaction

Cal Raleigh and Tom Murphy hit back-to-back, two-run doubles in a four-run first, Logan Gilbert threw 6 1/3 strong innings and the Seattle Mariners beat the skidding Arizona Diamondbacks 5-2 on Friday night

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is acknowledging that he took three trips last year aboard a private plane owned by Republican megadonor Harlan Crow