Lucy Bronze aiming for Olympic gold after The Best triumph

direct to your inboxA man was arrested after bragging about buying the 'best drugs in Manchester' on the bus - right in front of plain clothes police officers.Officers from Greater Manchester Police's Transport Unit were travelling on the service as part of their daily patrols when they came across the man who they say was shouting and intimidating passengers.He was also 'openly talking' about having bought drugs, unaware the officers could hear him.As a result he was detained and during a

straight to your inbox every day for freeThe EFL has confirmed clubs in the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup will be allowed to make up to five substitutions, providing a boost for Manchester City and Manchester United.Until this stage of the competitions, clubs were only allowed to bring on three substitutes, in accordance with the rules initially voted for by Premier League and EFL clubs.

straight to your inbox every day for free First-team coach Kieran McKenna has backed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's inclusive approach to bring success back to Manchester United after revealing what the Norwegian is like to work under. United begin 2021 second in the Premier League after a run of eight wins from their last 10 league fixtures and McKenna has revealed how Solskjaer has invested trust in his staff and in his squad and is beginning to reap the rewards from that approach.

direct to your inboxThe Army is being drafted into Greater Manchester from today to help carry out 'targeted' asymptomatic testing for coronavirus, the government has announced.The Ministry of Defence said 800 military personnel including soldiers would deploy to support community testing plans drawn up by Greater Manchester Combined Authority.The news comes as the latest Covid-19 vaccine - from Oxford AstraZeneca - was administered for the first time on Monday.The MOD said personnel from nine

direct to your inboxSales of vinyl LPs boomed in 2020 as music lovers sought solace in records on lockdown. Here, Manchester Evening News chief reporter Neal Keeling pens a personal take on the phenomenon.Walking onto the second floor of HMV in Manchester's Arndale rekindled memories of finding solace when I was a teenager - and broke.I could have been back in the 1970s in my Midlands hometown, at school, or in Leeds at the Polytechnic, in 1979-81, as an impoverished undergraduate.During both

straight to your inbox every day for freeJose Mourinho has aimed a fresh dig at Manchester United star Bruno Fernandes, arguing that players who score penalties should not be listed in the Premier League's top scorers.Fernandes sits third in the Premier League scoring charts this season, netting 11 times for United, five of which have come from the penalty spot.

direct to your inboxDozens of chickens have been dumped across Greater Manchester after 'panic buyers' bought them to lay eggs. The RSPCA has warned that the birds are being dumped in huge numbers due to lockdown and fears of the return of bird flu.

direct to your inboxThe year 2020 has finally come to an end.But as Greater Manchester is placed under Tier 4 of the government's latest Covid alert system, the region is once again being advised to stay at home to save lives.Luckily, there are plenty of things on TV to keep us company while non-essential shops, cinemas, restaurants and bars remain closed.Films including Transformers, James Bond film Spectre, The Inbetweeners 2 and Pulp Fiction will be airing on Freeview channels this

straight to your inbox every day for freeBruno Fernandes has aimed at cheeky dig at his Manchester United teammates for not helping him increase his goals and assist tally for the club.Fernandes has scored 18 goals and provided 14 assists in only 29 Premier League matches since arriving from Sporting Lisbon last January. The attacking midfielder helped United finish third in the league last season - and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men currently sit second going into the new year.

Do you know a great vegan restaurant we've missed? Let us know in the comments below. This is a newcomer for the city and is due to open for takeaway at least in early January.Four Side comes from local chef Dan Hope, who was also the man behind Firebird Hope and Krum doughnuts.He's now taking over the old Earth Cafe site (the cafe sadly closed down this year) with his fully-vegan, Detroit-style square pizzas, with around nine flavours on sale at any one time.The alcohol-free restaurant will

Christmas over-indulgence or need to stretch your legs and get out into nature, these local walks are sure to blow off the cobwebs.

straight to your inboxFrank Lampard says Hakim Ziyech could return against Manchester City on January 3, should the game go ahead.City's most recent Premier League fixture against Everton was postponed on health grounds after a number of positive Covid tests in the Blues squad, and the Chelsea game could be in doubt if more cases emerge. However, no new positive tests were returned when the City squad were tested on Wednesday, and first-team training has resumed.

direct to your inboxPolice taunted a 'drug dealer' who ran away from his car, saying his product 'isn't the best'.Officers in Middleton said the dealer fled from an uninsured car and left a 'big bag of drugs' behind.They told the man 'feel free to give us a call on 101' if he wanted his car back.Police also described the drugs as 'full of dust and scraps', saying it 'isn't the best'.Get the latest updates from across Greater Manchester direct to your inbox with the free MEN newsletterYou can

straight to your inbox every day for freeManchester United have been handed a major injury boost ahead of their game against Wolves tonight, with Marcus Rashford in training.Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has staggered his side's training programme this week to deal with fixture pile-up over the festive period. Some small groups have trained outside and Rashford, Juan Mata and Facundo Pellistri were among the group going through drills at a snowy Aon Training Complex in Carrington on Tuesday morning.

direct to your inboxWe take a look at Manchester City Women's calendar year, from Nick Cushing's departure to Lucy Bronze's Best in the World award.With the division decided on points per game after the league was curtailed, Manchester City finished second in the Women’s Super League and earned themselves a spot in the 2020/21 Champions League.The final game of the season, a 3-3 draw between City and Chelsea at the Academy Stadium, ended up being the title decider.