Southgate left holding the babies

PULL- OUT IN TOMORROW’S DAILY EXPRESS

LIVERPOOL are working with fans and tour operators in search of a resolution after about 1,000 supporters had their fl ights to tomorrow’s Champions League fi nal cancelled.

World Choice Sports said yesterday that with “deep regret”, three fl ights taking Liverpool fans to Kiev had been cancelled.

The operator said that due to so many fl ights heading to Ukraine ahead of Liverpool’s meeting with Real Madrid, Boryspil Airport had been unable to allocate times for the three planes. Up to 20,000 Liverpool fans are expected to make the journey.

World Choice added that it had done everything it could to secure slots, but that to “reiterate, the problem is with Kiev”.

That left upwards of 1,000 Liverpool supporters fearing their plans were in ruins, although the club and mayor Joe Anderson are hopeful of working GARETH SOUTHGATE’S World Cup preparations are set to be interrupted by the patter of tiny feet with Fabian Delph and Phil Jones both hoping to become fathers in the next few weeks.

The players trained yesterday at St George’s Park before being sent home to their families for two nights and will report back tomorrow ahead of the friendlies against Nigeria and Costa Rica.

Jones, though, could be back home later next week, with wife Kaya due to give birth any day now to the couple’s second child and boss Southgate has given the green light for the Manchester United defender to be at the birth. More problematic is Delph’s situation, after the 28- year- old revealed his wife Natalie is due to give birth to their third child on June 30, two days after England’s third group game against Belgium.

Again, Southgate is happy for Delph, above, to leave the World Cup camp. “Gareth’s been absolutely fantastic,” said Delph.