ITV put up United front

ITV Sport will be reuniting Manchester United team-mates Roy keane and Ryan Giggs for Portugal v Wales in the Euro 2016 semi-finals. Joining them as pundits are Lee Dixon and Craig Bellamy, with Welsh greats Ian Rush and Mark Hughes pitchside in Lyon.

The Beeb’s retort to ITV beating them to sign Giggs is that he wouldn’t have won a place in their top three analyst team of Alan Shearer, Rio Ferdinand and Thierry Henry. l

THE sudden departure, after an internal review, of deputy building and services manager Ah-Heng Turner, who had been a Wimbledon mainstay for 22 years, remains the talk of staff. But All England Club chief executive Richard Lewis and Championships director Sarah Clarke couldn’t get away fast enough when asked to explain Turner’s exit. IT has raised eyebrows that BBC sports reporter Sally Nugent returned from the Euros to host Manchester City’s unveiling of Pep Guardiola, and cast aside her Beeb neutrality by flinging her arms around him. City explained that they like to use TV professionals for such occasions. The BBC say Nugent was given permission. l

THE final word on Leo the Lion, England’s doomed Euro 2016 mascot — it’s emerged the player carrying Leo had been voted the worst performer in training. Those chosen included Chris Smalling, Jack Wilshere, John Stones, Wayne Rooney and Joe Hart, of whom only Smalling had a reasonable tournament. EURo 2016 star Hal Robson-kanu embodies the teamwork ethic of semi-finalists Wales. But that wasn’t always the case.

Your Sports Agenda columnist watched Hal play when he was the stand-out performer in the Year 7 Twyford High School football team from Acton, West London. And in those days he only passed to his friend Andrew.