Matias Fernandez-Pardo featured for Belgium at the World Cup (Picture: Getty)
Belgium World Cup star Matias Fernandez-Pardo has asked to leave Lille amid speculation linking him with Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea.
Fernandez-Pardo came through the academy at Gent before being snapped up by Lille for €10million (£8.5m) in the summer of 2024.
The versatile forward has gone on to register 12 goals and 11 assists in 71 games for the French side, with his form earning him a call-up to Belgium’s squad for this summer’s World Cup.
And while Fernandez-Pardo only appeared three times off the bench during Belgium’s run to the quarter-final, the 21-year-old has attracted interest from a host of top European clubs.
Reports in French outlet L’Equipe suggest that Premier League trio Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool are all interested in Fernandez-Pardo.
Spanish giants Atletico Madrid have also been credited with interest in the young forward.
Keen to force a move to a bigger club this summer, it is said that Fernandez-Paro has handed in a transfer request to Lille despite having three years left on his contract.
Fernandez Pardo has handed in a transfer request (Picture: Reuters)
However, at this stage, the Belgian appears likely to stay put, with Lille president Olivier Letang insisting Fernandez-Pardo is not for sale this summer.
‘The player is under contract until 2029, and his departure is not a topic,’ Letang said. ‘We are counting on him, he knows that, and we have been very clear with him.’
Asked if the player had a release clause, Letang hit back: ‘He never had a release clause. Every player I told could leave has left.
‘It’s the same old story as last summer, with yet another new agent.’
The young forward has made 71 appearances for Lille (Picture: Reuters)
While Fernandez-Pardo appears unlikely to leave, Lille could face a far bigger fight on their hands to keep hold of talented central midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi after his breakout performances at the World Cup.
Several top clubs have been linked with the 18-year-old, but it appears that Manchester City are leading the race to sign the teenager after direct talks with Lille.
Fellow Lille player Ayyoub Bouaddi is also wanted by top European clubs (Picture: Getty)
‘Many clubs are interested in him, but very few can afford him right now,’ he recently told Eurosport.
‘He’s already one of the best midfielders in the world and still has significant room for improvement. He’s only 18 and has his whole future ahead of him. He’s focused on continuing to develop and winning everything.
‘You have to look at his level. How much have players like Anderson or Tonali been sold for, who are much older, but without room for improvement, so you have an idea of the value of Ayyoub, who has a unique profile at only 18 years old.’
Asked about Bouaddi’s potential, Letang added: ‘Having worked with him for over three years, I can say he’s an extraordinary young man, unique in every way.
‘He belongs among the true sportsmen like Victor Wembanyama, Paul Seixas, Leon Marchand, or Kylian Mbappe.
‘I could mention Rodri, Sergio Busquets, (Johan) Cruyff, (Albert) Einstein, (Lothar) Matthaus, etc. But Ayyoub is unique and is himself, so he shouldn’t be compared.’
It might seem like ‘everyone has ADHD right now’ – but that couldn’t be further from the truth (Picture: Metro)
Confiding in a friend of mine after I was first diagnosed with ADHD, I opened up to her about my lifelong struggles with time blindness, lateness, general disorganisation, and emotional dysregulation.
I was relieved to finally have a label for what I’d been experiencing.
‘But isn’t it normal to get a little bit distracted sometimes? I probably have ADHD too, if that’s the case’ she said to me.
My heart sank, feeling both rejected and my experiences diminished in one simple interaction. I doubt she meant to upset me, but her words stung.
There’s an increasing perception that having ADHD is becoming a ‘trend’ or a ‘personality quirk.’ Just like OCD has been carelessly thrown about as being neat and tidy, ADHD is starting to become synonymous with making seemingly normal, harmless mistakes, like being 10 minutes late.
Now, Channel 4 has announced that, next month, it’ll be releasing a documentary titled ‘The Great ADHD Myth?’.
It promises to look into whether this condition is a ‘genuine neurodevelopmental disorder, or a social construct,’ and questions the notion that children should be given medication to help them cope.
It’ll also analyse whether people with ADHD have differently-wired brains, or whether our fast-paced world, with all its ‘ultra-processed food, phones, and regimented education system’ is merely serving as a ‘catalyst.’
People with ADHD have often had their diagnoses questioned over the last few years. In 2025, then-Health Secretary Wes Streeting announced an enquiry into ADHD and autism diagnoses, seeking to ascertain whether these two forms of neurodivergence are overdiagnosed.
The full results are expected to be published later this year, but conclusions from the interim report show while it’s true more people are being diagnosed, this doesn’t mean the actual incidence rate has changed.
We’re just more likely to receive answers now.
As a woman with ADHD, I’ve always found the ‘overdiagnosis’ argument completely insulting – and futile, actually. Clearly, the current systems need proper funding; they’re struggling amid a lack of sufficient investment.
But demonising people who are struggling is not the answer.
As soon as I first read about ADHD in women, I knew that I had it. I once lost my house keys and paid my landlord for another set, only to find them wedged down the back of the sofa when I moved out.
I also impulsively switched subjects during my GCSEs, A Levels and university; I had my library card revoked at the age of 10 after I failed to return the books I’d borrowed, and I’d spent my whole life feeling different.
So, does everyone really have ADHD now? Or are we just being equipped with the tools to navigate our own brains, and connecting with a like-minded community in the process?
Have ADHD diagnoses increased in the last few years?
In 2023, a study from UCL found that the number of people being diagnosed with ADHD has increased over the last 20 years, but this doesn’t mean that ‘everyone’ has it now.
Between 2000 and 2018, there was a twenty-fold increase in ADHD diagnoses, rising to an almost fifty-fold increase in prescriptions issued to men aged 18-29.
Largely owing to medical misogyny that favours research into symptoms in men and boys, women are still largely going undetected: the ADHD Foundation estimates that between 50 and 70% of the 1,000,000 women in the UK living with ADHD are undiagnosed.
There might’ve been an increase in people seeking help for ADHD in recent years, but that doesn’t mean that the condition is becoming more common.
It still only impacts between 2% and 6% of the world’s population.
ADHD impacts between 2% and 6% of the population (Picture: Getty Images)
Likewise, a 2025 review from King’s College London looked at 40 studies across 17 countries and concluded that the prevalence of ADHD (AKA, the number of people living with a condition within a specific timeframe) hasn’t increased since 2020.
The author, Dr Alex Martin, noted that while much of the media has been concerned about a ‘surge’ in ADHD diagnoses, both ‘assessments and help-seeking’ are snowballing – which goes some way towards explaining why it might feel like more people have it now.
There are also multiple barriers to diagnosis, including excessive NHS waiting times (as long as eight years in some parts of the UK), and the hefty cost of a private diagnosis, which averages out at £1,200 for adults. For many, self-diagnosis is their only option – and that’s valid.
It’s funny how politicians fear ADHD is being overdiagnosed – because people are struggling to get diagnosed in the first place.
It’s a miracle I was even assessed, and it still took me 23 years to receive answers, as society had no idea what to do with hyperactive girls like me.
Meeting the threshold for diagnosis
Getting an ADHD diagnosis isn’t an easy task, and psychiatrists certainly aren’t handing them out like they’re lollipops.
To qualify, adults need to align with at least five symptoms on the DSM-5, the framework that’s used to detect it.
As psychologist and clinical director Dr Andrea Pickering tells Metro, various symptoms of ADHD might seem relatable to the general non-neurodivergent public.
But what differentiates these symptoms between being a normal part of life and being suggestive of neurodiversity is the frequency with which they happen and how debilitating they are.
‘The key difference is that for someone with ADHD, these symptoms are persistent, pervasive and significantly impact their ability to function in daily life, across multiple settings such as work, school and relationships,’ Dr Andrea, from Clinical Partners, explains.
ADHD isn’t just being ‘scatterbrained’ or ‘disorganised’: in Andrea’s words, it’s a ‘neurodevelopmental condition rooted in differences in brain structure and function.’
And so, a diagnosis doesn’t just require checking off a few traits, but a ‘detailed evaluation to understand the full context of a person’s life and challenges.’
As part of an ADHD assessment, psychiatrists will look at the pattern, intensity, and consistency of symptoms over time, even going as far as to ask a parent or family member to testify that their loved one’s symptoms have longevity and started before the age of 12.
When I was diagnosed in November 2021, I asked my mum to fill out the forms for me. Thankfully, she was able to recall with colour the school reports that were constantly telling me I was bright but needed to pay attention to detail and listen more; the eye tics that saw me blinking multiple times in a row, and my persistently hyperactive nature.
I used to enjoy talking so much that I’d ask my parents if I could read my book aloud to them; my room was never tidy, and I had trouble paying attention, often doodling into the margins of my school exercise books.
So at the age of 23, I almost cried when I heard the words: ‘you have combined ADHD’ from my psychiatrist, as in one short moment, years of suffering were validated.
Thankfully, I’d been able to skip the lengthy NHS waiting queue and had the cost of my private diagnosis funded through Right to Choose, so I was diagnosed within a matter of months, rather than years.
Do you have ADHD, or is modern life just overwhelming?
The reality is that, in the modern world, many of us will be feeling burnt out and overwhelmed by information. So, is it any surprise that we’re increasingly distractible?
As Dr Andrea explains: ‘There’s certainly growing evidence that people feel their environment – especially constant exposure to digital devices, social media and multitasking – can reduce attention spans and increase distractibility, even in people without ADHD.’
With this in mind, the ‘human brain simply didn’t evolve to handle the level of information and stimulation we now face daily.’
‘But while modern life can make anyone feel distracted, ADHD is a neurodevelopmental condition with symptoms that are consistent, long-standing and impairing across multiple areas of life,’ she reminds us.
Whenever I hear people trivialising ADHD, I can’t help but feel angry.
It’s not a quirky personality trait: it’s an incredibly debilitating condition, and it’s exhausting navigating a world designed by and for neurotypical people. ADHD isn’t just being a little bit ‘scatty’: it’s so much more than that.
Neurodiversity is finally in the limelight, and with awareness increasing, so many more people are sharing their stories. No doubt, it’s saving lives.
But the truth is that awareness without understanding is useless, and to suggest that ‘everyone has it’ diminishes the experiences of those who actually live with it. And no, it’s not a ‘superpower.’
You don’t have ADHD if you just forget your wallet sometimes; you’re probably just a regular human being living in an increasingly hectic world.
A version of this article was first published on June 22, 2025.
Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@metro.co.uk
Yesterday, Joe sensed that Caleb Miligan (William Ash) was hiding something from him. He had rocked up to the depot to warn Caleb off interfering in his relationship with Noah Dingle (Jack Downham), and grew curious when his uncle simply did as he asked.
Joe knew that Caleb did this because he wanted to keep his nephew away from the depot, but had no idea that he’s currently flogging conterfeit goods.
Caleb, Kerry and Billy are flogging counterfeit goods through the depot (Picture: ITV)
Hiding at the depot allowed Graham to discover that Caleb, Kerry Wyatt (Laura Norton) and Billy are selling knock-off car parts within the company. He updated Joe, but didn’t reveal Billy’s involvement until the last moment.
Graham said that he could easily organise a tip-off to the police, but he wouldn’t be able to keep Billy’s name out of it.
Joe pondered over this as he headed home. While making the journey back to Home Farm, Joe had no idea that Billy and Dawn Taylor (Olivia Bromley) were spending time reminiscing about their relationship.
Billy misread the signals with Dawn at one point and tried to kiss her. Seconds later, Joe appeared behind them. We didn’t hear the front door or his footsteps, which means no-one knows just how much Joe actually saw.
Dawn and Billy weren’t quite sure what Joe saw (Picture: ITV)
If Joe witnessed Billy making a move on Dawn, shopping him to the police will give him the perfect opportunity to get rid of Billy for good.
However, it’s very possible Joe might take an even darker approach where his enemy is concerned.
An Emmerdale trailer released recently confirmed that Billy’s life will be in danger soon, leading to him lying unconscious in a pool of blood.
Is Joe going to say no to Graham’s idea of sending Billy to prison because he wants to have him killed instead?
But despite his moderate fee and low profile, Lammens quickly displaced Altay Bayindir to become the first choice under Ruben Amorim and his replacement Michael Carrick.
However, not everyone is as convinced by the Belgian heading into this season, with former Premier League winger Micky Gray adamant that the Red Devils need a more experienced goalkeeper between the sticks.
‘I’d still personally look at an experienced, quality goalkeeper,’ Gray told talkSPORT. ‘And people might go, “well, they’ve got Lamens”, who came in and did brilliantly.
‘He’s a young goalkeeper, and I know it worked eventually with David de Gea, who eventually became a sensation at Man United. He was a brilliant goalkeeper, one of the best they’ve ever had.
Senne Lammens joined from Royal Antwerp last season (Picture: Getty)
‘But do you give Lamens the time? Do you give him Champions League football? Do you give him Premier League football as well, two games a week? It’s a big ask.
‘There’s still quite a lot to be done at Manchester United, but I do expect them to be challenging, certainly for the top four again.’
United have already signed Karl Darlow on a free transfer from Leeds United to serve as a back-up to Lammens, who is yet to report back for pre-season training after his spell at the World Cup with Belgium.
Lammens made 32 Premier League appearances last season (Picture: Getty)
Lammens played second fiddle to Thibaut Courtois throughout the tournament, but saw his only appearance end in disappointment after he spilt an effort into the path of Mikel Merino, who steered home to give Spain a 2-1 victory in the quarter-final.
Lammens was distraught at full-time, but Tom Heaton has backed his United teammate to put the mistake behind him ahead of the new season.
‘It was obviously a challenging moment for him, but that’s the life of a goalkeeper,’ Heaton recently said.
‘As soon as you put the gloves on and go between the sticks, you have to be ready to deal with that.
Karl Darlow has arrived as Lammens’ back-up (Picture: Getty)
‘It is tough, but Senne is very strong mentally. I saw that from him as a young goalkeeper coming into Manchester United and dealing with it unbelievably well.’
Alongside the aforementioned Darlow, United have signed Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans from Premier League rivals Chelsea and Aston Villa as they look to bolster their options in central midfield.
And Gray was particularly impressed by the signing of Tielemans, saying: ‘It’s obviously early in the transfer window, but I think Youri Tielemans is the signing of the summer.
‘For the price that they’ve gotten for the experience that he brings. I’m not saying he’s the exact same replacement for what Casemiro brought to Manchester United.
‘I thought Casemiro, in the last six months of his Man United career, was absolutely brilliant, and the importance of some of the goals that he brought to Man United were key. But I think Tielemans can certainly bring that.
‘I think he will help with the experience of walking in the dressing room. He’s got that in abundance. I think he’ll help players like Kobbie Mainoo and what he brings to Manchester United certainly improves them. I personally think he does.’
Stones had attracted interest from a host of top European clubs following his departure from Manchester City at the end of last season, ten years after his £50million move from Everton.
Despite an injury-affected league campaign, the 32-year-old delivered a timely reminder of his quality with his performances for England at the World Cup this summer.
Stones started three games for the Three Lions as Thomas Tuchel’s side made their way to the semi-finals before a late defeat to eventual runners-up Argentina.
However, both Premier League clubs appear to have lost out in the race to sign Stones, with Sky Italy reporting that Inter have reached an agreement on a two-year deal for the central defender.
John Stones is set to join Inter Milan (Picture: Shutterstock)
Juventus are also said to have been interested in signing Stones, but Inter now appear set to complete a deal by the end of the week.
Cristian Chivu’s side, who won Serie A last year, have already signed midfielder Aleksandar Stankovic from Club Brugge and goalkeeper Ivan Provedel from Lazio this summer.
Inter also remain interested in trying to sign Cristian Romero, who is poised to leave Tottenham this summer after five seasons in north London.
Speaking to Sky Italy, Inter’s sporting director, Piero Ausilio, said: ‘It’s definitely a deal we are trying to sign with the player and the club.
‘These things take some time but there’s definitely interest. Let’s see.
‘We are interested in signing Cuti Romero. We have met his agent and we have already talked with Tottenham. Let’s see what happens.’
Reform UK have said Zack Polanski sharing an image of a man wearing a guillotine t-shirt and the words ‘making plans for Nigel’ is ‘incitement to murder’.
Nigel Farage reacted with fury after Polanski shared a series of pictures of a Green Party event on Sunday with his 713,000 followers.
One features a man with a colourful hat and a t-shirt that says ‘We’re only making plans for Nigel’ – an apparent reference to an XTC song.
It features a guillotine but doesn’t use Farage’s image or name explicitly.
The post was hastily deleted, but not before Farage posted a screenshot, adding: ‘This is what Zack Polanski has just posted on his Instagram.
‘If I were to post anything as inciteful then I would expect to be arrested, and so should Polanski.’
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In an online advert, the manufacturer says: ‘Who could Nigel be? And why the guillotine?
‘Whether it’s a nod to the XTC classic or a sharper bit of political satire, this design is for those who prefer their statements with a side of mystery.’
It is sweatshop-free and 100 per cent cotton.
It is understood Reform UK are reporting Polanski to the police over the post. The party’s home affairs spokesperson, Zia Yusuf, said in a video ‘this is incitement to murder’.
Nigel Farage has called for Zack Polanski to be arrested (Picture: Getty)
A Green Party spokesperson said: ‘Once this image was brought to [Zack’s] attention he immediately unshared the post. He unequivocally does not support this type of dangerous message.’
Nigel Farage has seen his popularity plummet in recent weeks with the rise of Andy Burnham, who has announced a host of policies to help ease the cost of living crisis.
A YouGov poll found Labour is up six points from its low of 16% recorded as recently as May, while Reform UK’s figure is the lowest recorded by our tracker since March 2025.
Nigel Farage’s top rival in the race has also taken on the Reform leader directly, with a promise not to ‘accept £5 million gifts from crypto billionaires’.
Binface emerged as an unlikely threat to Farage earlier this month, after the under-pressure party leader unexpectedly resigned as an MP so he could rerun in the resulting by-election.
The move appeared to backfire quickly, when all the major parties decided against taking part in a vote they described as a ‘stunt’ and ‘vanity project’.
As a result, Farage finds himself facing 33 opponents – a record for a UK parliamentary election – almost all of whom are fringe figures or comedy characters.
But it is Count Binface who has most captured the public imagination, with Sir Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves among those revelling in the idea of Farage spending his summer ‘arguing with a bin’.
It has been a largely frustrating start to the transfer window for the current Premier League champions.
Winger Christos Tzolis and back-up goalkeeper Illan Meslier are the only senior players to have arrived since Mikel Arteta masterminded the north London club’s first title-winning campaign in 22 years.
In their search for a potentially game-changing new recruit, Arsenal are now understood to have turned their attention to Real’s unsettled Brazil international superstar.
Mourinho, appointed for his second spell in charge at the Bernabeu earlier this summer, is understood to be on the verge of completing another blockbuster signing in the shape of RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomiande.
But the Ivory Coast international’s arrival would, it is claimed, have no impact on the future of Vincius.
Vinicius currently earns £400,000-a-week at Real Madrid (Picture: Getty
Rather than be put off by the initial obstacles that have been presented with, Arsenal are understood to be preparing a club-record offer to Vinicius in an attempt to convince him of their ambition and desire to make him the jewel in an already impressive crown.
Arsenal handed their prize asset, Bukayo Saka, a new £350,000-a-week deal midway through last season.
But they are prepared to offer significantly more than that in an attempt to land arguably what would be the biggest signing in the club’s history.
Vinicius currently commands a weekly salary of £400,000 but the Telegraph claim Arsenal are in a position more than match that and would be prepared to smash their current wage structure.
After learning that Matty and Stevie had been sleeping together, Dylan spiralled as he tried to process their betrayals. In an attempt to get revenge, Dylan reported Stevie to Flynn.
As he continued to struggle, Dylan reached a dark place. Things got so bad for him, he relapsed and started drinking alcohol.
Up Next
Thanks to the time he has spent getting to know his dad, Matty knew that turning away from Dylan out of disappointment that he had relapsed would only make things worse. He made it clear that he would be there for Dylan as he got control of his addiction again, leading to the father and son sharing a hug.
Elsewhere in the ED, this boxset saw Rida Amaan (Sarah Seggari) come to terms with her alopecia diagnosis. She was supported by friend and colleague Jodie Whyte (Anna Chell), who helped pick Rida back up whenever her confidence was low.
Speaking of Jodie, the character turned into a bit of a detective this mini-series, as she became passionate about exposing the truth surrounding a local housing development.
With the credits rolling on another fantastic finale episode, we sadly won’t be making any trips to the Holby City Hospital ED department for a little while.
Why is Casualty going off air and when will it return?
Between now and Casualty’s 40th anniversary at the start of September, there won’t be enough time to air another boxset. It’s because each mini series is 12 episodes/weeks long, and we only have just over a month until the start of September.
Teasing the big milestone event, star Neet Mohan told us: ‘I’m not sure how much I can say on this, but let’s say this. I think the team at Casualty constantly push themselves, and they’ve pushed themselves once again in the 40th to be even more ambitious than before and even more creative and really push what the show makes and what we do, and Rash is a part of this, as everybody is in this story in the 40th.
‘Rash is a part of that team, and hopefully you get to see Rash in the next stage of the character and there’s some really exciting stuff, but it’s great.
We’ll rejoin the Holby City Hospital ED team in September (Picture: BBC)
‘I’m really proud of that 40th episode of what we did, and I think the fans are going to love it, hopefully. Hopefully the fans are going to love it. Because I think we’ve put a lot of effort into it, and I think we’ve really pushed it, I think it’s good.’
So, while it is disappointing to be without Casualty on our Saturday nights once more, the build up to the anniversary will be even more exciting.
40 years is an incredible achievement for any TV drama, and if taking a short break means the anniversary gets the spotlight it deserves, it’s a trade-off many fans will happily accept.
