'It's a shambles': Row over key worker school places as parents accused of taking spaces to avoid home learning

Manchester Evening News' Digital Donation on Friday - which raised £188.6k in financial contributions and new and used tech data packages for the region's children - Cash for Connectivity aims to fund the purchase of dongles, inexpensive hardware to connect laptops and up to five other devices per household to the internet.

direct to your inboxAs rain thrashes the streets of south Manchester, a mattress lies abandoned and soaked in an alley off Whiley Street in Longsight.It's a prime example of the area's fly-tipping problem.It causes genuine frustration for residents like John Collins battling to clear the streets of garbage. “It’s a regular thing - it’s been going on for years,” John, from Longsight, tells the Manchester Evening News .

straight to your inbox every day for freeFormer Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has described Thomas Tuchel as a 'man of detail' as the German prepares to take over from Frank Lampard at Chelsea.Lampard was sacked by Roman Abramovich on Monday morning after just 18 months in charge, with the Londoners ninth in the Premier League table following six defeats in 19 matches this term.

straight to your inbox every day for freeHere is your Manchester United morning digest on Sunday, January 24.Former Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane is infamous for being outspoken and showing his frustration live on air.The ex-United captain, turned Sky Sports pundit, has often displayed his opinions and anger at his old team whilst on television.One of Keane's first times as a pundit was back in October 2005 where he was on MUTV duty for United's 4-1 defeat to Middlesborough.The

straight to your inbox every day for freeOle Gunnar Solskjaer has credited his Manchester United signings over the last 12 months with transforming the mentality inside the dressing room, insisting the days when players moved to Old Trafford for a comfortable payday are over.The United manager made changing the culture in the squad a top priority when he got the job on a permanent basis and he believes the fruits of that work are being seen in some of the victories United are grinding out this

direct to your inboxProud dad Rio Ferdinand looked the picture of contentment as he cradled his baby son in matching loungewear.The 42-year-old former Manchester United player and his boy Cree were twinning in taupe tracksuits.Football pundit Rio completed the look in matching furry-lined slippers bearing his initials.He shared a photo on his Instagram and wrote to his 4.5m followers.    "Father & Son matching up day!! 1st of many #fatherandson.""Too cute," cooed one follower."Adorable,"

straight to your inbox every day for free"There was always a chance it was going to come to this," Gary Neville said, recently reflecting on the dark day Manchester United's stars gathered with Sir Alex Ferguson and his staff to watch Roy Keane's "destroyed" interview in 2005.It was an attempt to clear the air. It didn't work."This moment... was sort of coming," Neville admits, referring to a seemingly inevitable confrontation between his captain and his manager that proved fatal for the

straight to your inbox every day for freeFormer Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has revealed that he speaks regularly with Paul Pogba over the phone.Pogba has been in fantastic form recently, re-establishing himself as a first-choice pick under United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer following a period of uncertainty over his future.

straight to your inbox every day for freeRoy Keane insisted Paul Pogba "had to score" his golden chance against Liverpool and suggested Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes had games to forget. After a tepid first-half performance from both teams, United grew stronger in the second half and had two major opportunities to win at Anfield for the first time since 2016.

straight to your inbox every day for freeMicah Richards and Roy Keane were in disagreement at half-time over Manchester United's performance against Liverpool after the former Man City defender claimed they were overly negative.In a low-key opening 45 minutes, Liverpool started the game brightest with Thiago Alcantara and Xherdan Shaqiri pulling the midfield strings.United grew into the half and continued to pose a threat on the counter-attack, although Marcus Rashford was penalised several

straight to your inbox every day for freeRoy Keane insisted Ole Gunnar Solskjaer did not make a controversial decision in bringing Victor Lindelof into the Manchester United team ahead of Eric Bailly against Liverpool. The Swedish defender has been part of United's first-choice centre-back pairing for the last two years, alongside Harry Maguire at the heart of defence.

straight to your inbox every day for freeMarcus Rashford believes that his Manchester United teammate Bruno Fernandes would defeat club legend Roy Keane in a rap battle.Rashford was asked the bizarre questions while receiving the Football Writers' Association annual tribute award for outstanding services to the game.

Sign up to the M.E.N.'s Manchester Family newsletter for all the latest from school closures to ways to entertain the kidsParents are being reminded not to miss the deadline for primary school applications for children starting this September.Families across Greater MAnchester have until tomorrow, Friday, January 15, to submit their application to their local authority.If parents fail to apply, their child could miss out on a school place and with families dealing with so many issues and home

'needlessly' taking up spaces after some key workers said they'd been refused places for their children, despite working in schools and for the NHS.

straight to your inbox every day for freeDimitar Berbatov has slammed Manchester United players for being "too nice" and urged them to show their "dirty" side following their Carabao Cup semi-final defeat to rivals Manchester City.United were beaten 2-0 by City at Old Trafford, as Pep Guardiola's men booked a Wembley showdown with Tottenham Hotspur.