Tag: Football

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Manchester United will miss four players for their Premier League game against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

However, their injury fortunes have turned a tide recently, with multiple players returning to training.

Mason Mount, Rasmus Hojlund, Victor Lindelof and Tyrell Malacia are all back with the first-team at Carrington.

Hojlund made his first appearance of the season off the bench against Crystal Palace last Saturday.

Similarly, Mount came on as a substitute in United’s 1-1 draw to FC Twente in the midweek.

Leny Yoro, Luke Shaw, Lindelof and Malacia are all unavailable, but are making good progress in their recovery.

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For Spurs, Ange Postecoglu has hinted that one of their star players is a doubt for their trip to Old Trafford this weekend.

Heung-min Son came off with an injury in Spurs’ Europa League win against Qarabag on Thursday.

The South Korean international received on-field treatment before being substituted for Timo Werner.

When asked about Son’s condition after the game, Postecoglu was unsure about the severity of the injury.

“I haven’t spoken to him.

He said he felt a bit tired but I haven’t spoken to him or medicals yet”, he said.

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Son has a poor record against United, losing 11 games in 18 appearances against the Red Devils – more than any other side in his career.

He has also only managed to score four goals in those 18 games.

However, Son has had an electric start to this Premier League campaign, with four goal contributions in five matches.

The 32-year-old will undoubtedly be a big miss for Spurs, who sit one place ahead of United in 10th.

Tottenham are already missing two of their attacking talents for the game in Richarlison and Wilson Odobert.

If Son is also out, it’d be a major boost for a United side looking for 3 points to get their season back on track.

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Manchester United have finally secured the signing of 16-year-old Chido Obi-Martin, after a wait for clearance was concluded this morning.

The Premier League’s five-step clearing process was resolved, allowing the former Arsenal striker to officially join United.

Obi-Martin has been training individually in the summer.

The youngster has been posting videos on his Instagram looking sharp and focused waiting for the deal to go through.

Obi-Martin confirmed the deal on his Instagram story, posting a photo shaking hands with Manchester United legend Eric Cantona.

Despite Arsenal and Mikel Arteta’s strong efforts to keep hold of the talented youngster, Obi-Martin opted for a move to Old Trafford, seeing a clearer pathway to first-team football.

This decision may be influenced by United’s heavy use of academy graduates.

United academy graduates racked up a league-high 34,076 minutes in the 2023/24 season.

It is also believed that new Manchester United assistant coach Ruud van Nistelrooy played a big part in persuading Obi-Martin, with the youngster turning down more lucrative offers from Germany.

Obi-Martin demonstrated his immense goalscoring ability at Arsenal’s U18 level last season.

Netting 32 goals in just 20 games, including a staggering seven-goal haul against Norwich, the young striker was on fire.

He also made headlines by scoring 10 goals in an U16 clash against Liverpool.

This drew comparisons to Erling Haaland’s nine-goal feat for Norway’s U20 team.

Manchester United will be hopeful that Obi-Martin can replicate some of that success in senior football.

Fast-tracked to Arsenal’s U21s and training with the first team at just 15, Obi-Martin’s rapid rise has caught the attention of many.

With Danish-Nigerian roots, and eligibility to represent England, he looks to have opted for Denmark.

In this article, we’ll take a deeper look at why there is so much excitement around Obi-Martin and what makes him such a prolific goalscorer.

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Manchester United have had their fair share of transfer wars in the past.

Just this summer, United fought off interest from Real Madrid to sign Leny Yoro.

Four years ago, they beat rivals Manchester City to Bruno Fernandes’ signature.

Since Sir Alex Ferguson’s reign, Old Trafford has been the mecca of English football for international talents.

Many signings have proved to be blunders, while others have been reliable assets for United.

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Victor Lindelof has made 259 appearances for the Red Devils in seven years of service.

United signed the Swede from Benfica in 2017 for a £30.7m fee.

However, things could have gone very differently if Lindelof jumped the gun and did not wait for United to call.

Former AaB Fodbold manager Kent Nielsen revealed that the Danish club wanted to sign the defender, in an interview with Tipsbladet.

When he was at Benfica, Aab enquired about Lindelof’s availability but ultimately failed to pique his interest.

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“We were in Portugal on a training camp with AaB when I was the coach there.”

“We played a training match where we played one half against Benfica’s first team and then one half against Benfica’s U23 team, who play in the second tier”, he explained.

Nielsen went on to say that Lindelof had not even broken into the starting lineup at the time he scouted him.

“It’s very funny because we played, what’s his name, Victor Lindelof. He was playing in their second-best team at the time.”

“Afterwards, we asked about him to see if there was an opportunity to bring him in. Then a season and a half passed, and then he moved to Manchester United”, Nielsen said.

It is unlikely that Lindelof regrets his decision, winning two trophies in his time at United and establishing himself as a future cult hero at Old Trafford.

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Manchester United have scored five goals from an expected 10.21 in the Premier League this season.

Only Crystal Palace, Ipswich and Southampton have scored less.

Last season, United finished 8th with a -1 goal difference, scoring only 57 goals – just one more than 16th-placed Brentford.

This was the second-least goals scored by a United team in a single season, since the Premier League’s formation in 1992.

It is clear that Ten Hag’s side have dire problems in front of goal, hence the signing of Joshua Zirkzee over the summer.

However, one forward will not be enough to solve United’s problems after a historically poor goalscoring season.

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David Ornstein Reveals Manchester United Transfer Plan

David Ornstein reports that United will look to add even further attacking reinforcements in future transfer windows.

“Erik Ten Hag’s still trying to impose some sort of style and identity, and gel some of these new players into the team.”

“Zirkzee was the only attacking signing, and you did feel a bit more was needed there.”

“They will look to subsequent windows to improve in that department”, Ornstein said on the Back Pages podcast.

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United have missed the most big chances in Europe’s top five leagues this season (17).

Furthermore, they are conceding 8.5 shots per game in all competitions this season, compared to 16.6 last campaign.

It is clear that United’s summer signings have induced some improvement in their performances.

More chances are being created and fewer conceded.

However, United’s focal issue is finding a way to put the football in the back of their opposition’s net.

With INEOS and Dan Ashworth’s plan to strengthen United’s attack, this problem will hopefully be solved.

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Manchester United are currently looking at rewarding two of their young stars with new contracts, namely Amad Diallo and Kobbie Mainoo.

United are making it a priority to sign both stars up to new long-term contracts, highlighting how much value the club sees in the pair.

Diallo’s current contract with The Red Devils expires next summer, however, there is an option for a 12-month extension.

So far this season, Amad has been making the most of his opportunities, grabbing a goal and an assist in eight games, six of which he’s started.

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Speaking out about his future, Amad was very keen to pledge his long-term future to United, indicating his desire to stay at Old Trafford.

Speaking to Sky Sports, the winger explained that his dream is to lift the Champions League trophy but to do it with United.

Amad explained: “[My footballing dream is] to win more trophies with the club. I want to win a lot of trophies.”

He continued: “Champions League, Premier League, everything. I want to win with this club, that is my dream.”

It’s clear that the 22-year-old is passionate about the club, wanting to be a part of the squad which returns the team to their glory days.

However, there is still a while to go after draws to Crystal Palace and FC Twente in the Premier League and Europe League.

United’s next challenge is that of Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend who sit one place above them in the league table, right on the border of the top and bottom halves of the table.

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Manchester United are hoping to turn their luck around this weekend, coming up against Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League.

United currently sit one place lower than Spurs who have found themselves in tenth place. The London-based side are currently only above The Red Devils on goal difference thanks to two great wins over Everton and Brentford 4-0 and 3-1, having only lost by a margin of one, as opposed to United’s 3-0 loss to Liverpool.

However, Ange Postecoglou is at a bit of a loss going into the game this weekend, with two players currently unavailable for selection.

Spurs’ missing men

Unfortunately for the Spurs boss, he’s going to be facing Erik ten Hag with real limitations around his starting attacking lineup.

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It’s recently been reported that Richarlison and Wilson Odobert are out injured, with no clarity on when they’ll be returning to the pitch.

Alongside these two, Heung-Min Son is set to undergo a late fitness test to see if he’s ready for the match.

Speaking before the game, Manchester Evening News reported that Posteoglou commented: “Apart from Sonny, everyone’s ok, but I don’t think it’s too bad [with Sonny].”

He continued: “He wants to train tomorrow so we’ll see how he goes at training and make a decision from there. We have another day up our sleeve to give him every chance.”

United’s injured defenders

However, it’s not just Spurs struck with injuries. Whilst Rasmus Hojlund and Mason Mount have returned to the pitch, Erik ten Hag is still without four of his defensive lineup.

As it stands, ten Hag will still be without Luke Shaw, Victor Lindelof, Tyrell Malacia and Leny Yoro, thanks to long term injuries.

New signing Leny Yoro is yet to make his competitive debut for The Red Devils after fracturing a metatarsal, ruling him out until at least after the October international break.

Shaw looks set to return sometime after the international break too, with Malacia and Lindelof back in team training, indicating their return will be a little sooner.

Speaking before the game, ten Hag commented: “I think it will be a very intensive game.”

He continued: “It always is against Tottenham and I think it’s our style as well, I think it’s gonna be a very dynamic, attractive game.

“Every opponent has strengths and weaknesses. Tottenham have their strengths, definitely. Their philosophy is very clear, very attacking, but that also leaves space but they take into account and that can maybe help.

“But you have to be very good against Tottenham. If you want to control the game you need again a high performance level then we will create again, and then take your chances.”

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Cole Palmer has very quickly become one of Chelsea’s most prized players.

Last season Palmer grabbed 22 goals and 11 assists in 33 Premier League games. The England international has continued his impressive form this season with two goals and four assists in their first five league matches.

Reflecting on last season, Palmer has picked out a stoppage-time winner against Manchester United as his favourite goal since joining Chelsea, where The Blues won 4-3 over United.

Recent departure Conor Gallagher and Palmer gave the Blues an early two-goal lead before United’s Alejandro Garnacho grabbed a brace to equalise. Next United’s captain, Bruno Fernandes found the back of the net, turning the game on its head entirely.

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Ultimately Palmer stepped up and scored a penalty in the 10th minute of stoppage time just before his memorable goal moments later to secure the win for Chelsea.

After receiving the ball from a corner, The Red Devils gave Palmer too much space and time, allowing him to take a touch before hammering the ball home, through the crowded box to score.

Cole Palmer reacts to his favourite goal

Watching it back, Palmer told the Premier League show Uncut: “This is my favourite goal. I just couldn’t believe how much time and space I had. When I got the ball, I took a touch and then I took another one and I thought ‘where is everyone?’”

He continued: “Then there was just loads of players there so I thought ‘if I shoot on target, hard, I’ve got a chance’. When I got it, they were all pointing saying ‘mark him’, and none of them came out.”

Palmer was then asked if he was surprised by the space given to him with only seconds on the clock, to which Palmer replied: “Yeah, I was thinking, ‘what?’”

The Chelsea attacker added: “I don’t even know why I was there, I just went there. It was a good one.”

Explaining the emotion of the goal, he continued: “You don’t even know what to do. Just running and then I saw all of the bench coming and I thought they were going to take me out.

“I went to run to the manager first but then I saw Axel and Benoit and I thought, na, U-turn. So I ran the other way. Just emotion wasn’t it? We were losing it was the 96th minute and they were just passing it around us and then we scored two.”

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Manchester United were heavily linked with Denzel Dumfries throughout the summer transfer window.

The right-back was reportedly open to a move to Old Trafford if United came knocking.

United discussed a swap deal with Inter Milan, which included Aaron Wan-Bissaka, but negotiations were unsuccessful.

West Ham instead signed Wan-Bissaka in August for a £15m fee.

Dumfries’ current contract expires in 2025, after joining the Serie A side in 2021.

He is valued at €24m, according to Transfermarkt.

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If no new contract had been agreed upon with Inter, United would have likely been able to sign the Dutchman at a cut price.

However, Dumfries has reportedly signed a new contract with Inter until 2028, according to Italian news outlet Calciomercato.

Previous contract negotiations had stalled in the summer and the 28-year-old was strongly linked with a move away from Milan.

Aston Villa were competing with United for Dumfries’ signature, who is considered one of the best full-backs in Serie A.

Dumfries has made 102 appearances for Inter, scoring 11 goals and providing 17 assists.

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After negotiations with Inter were unsuccessful, United instead opted to sign Noussair Mazraoui from Bayern Munich for only £12.8m.

He has settled into life at Old Trafford smoothly, starting all five Premier League games for United.

Once Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia return from injury, Diogo Dalot will no longer have to fill in at left-back.

With Mazraoui’s recent performances, Dalot is facing serious competition for his position.

Although United missed out on signing Dumfries, their plan B may prove to be a better choice in the long term.

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Over the recent weeks, Manchester United have been adding to their ranks with the completion of several young stars moving to Old Trafford.

Whilst many of these signings were completed earlier this summer, due to the regulations around academy signings, requiring Premier League and Football Association sign-off, some deals are only now being completed.

First came the completion of Sekou Kone, the talented Malian midfielder who joined from Guidars after shining in last year’s Under-17s World Cup in Indonesia.

Then came Samuel Lusale, the exciting Slovakian winger from Crystal Palace’s youth academy who finally had confirmation from the Premier League last week.

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Then came James Overy, the Australian right-back who was previously registered with Perth Glory, but moved to Britain with his parents earlier in the year.

Now, United have officially completed on yet another exciting wonderkid, bolstering their ranks of the next class of Red Devils.

Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that former Arsenal star Chido Obi-Martin has officially signed for United.

Academy Scoop on X have reported that the Premier League’s five-step process to confirm the transfer has concluded this morning, making Obi-Martin free to move to Old Trafford.

His medical assessment and signature have already been done before the Premier League approval, so the striker is now officially a United star.

The Danish star is most certainly an exciting prospect to have at Old Trafford, being labelled as one of the most impressive youth talents to come out of the Arsenal academy.

Last season, Obi-Martin showed off his prolific goal-scoring abilities by grabbing an incredible 32 goals in just 20 under-18 games, including a seven-goal performance in one match.

BREAKING: Chido Obi Martin can now be considered new Manchester United player after Premier League approval!

PL’s 5-step process concluded this morning with positive feedback, as @AcademyScoop reports.

Former Arsenal talent joins #MUFC, medical/signature already done. pic.twitter.com/R3v1RdGVdc

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 27, 2024

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When discussing Manchester United’s all-time great midfielders, names like Bryan Robson, Paul Scholes, and Michael Carrick invariably come up.

A recent addition to Erik ten Hag’s squad aspires to earn a place among these Old Trafford legends through dedication and consistent performances.

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Owen Hargreaves, who played alongside Paul Scholes and Michael Carrick at Manchester United, holds Manuel Ugarte in high esteem.

Acquired for £42 million from Paris Saint-Germain on deadline day, Ugarte’s appearances have been limited so far.

He has started only twice—once in the 7-0 Carabao Cup victory over Barnsley and most recently in the 1-1 Europa League draw against FC Twente.

Following the match against Twente, Ugarte critiqued his own performance as United struggled against Ten Hag’s former team.

Despite this, the 23-year-old matched the highest number of tackles made by any United player in the game.

This showcased the defensive prowess that led United director Dan Ashworth to describe him as one of the world’s premier ball-winners in late August.

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Owen Hargreaves is confident that Ugarte fills a crucial gap in Manchester United’s midfield.

The 2008 Champions League winner believes that Ugarte, the fifth Uruguayan to don the iconic red shirt—and who feels honored to follow in the footsteps of Diego Forlan and Edinson Cavani—will quickly become a fan favorite.

His passionate style of play and wholehearted commitment on the pitch are qualities that resonate with supporters.

“This kid will deliver because he is a player,” Owen Hargreaves asserts, placing Ugarte among the best in Europe in his role.

“He’s a one-man press, tackle [machine]. He turns the ball over as good as anyone in European football.

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“The fans will love him. They have seen these players over the years. The Bryan Robsons, the Paul Inces, the Paul Scholes, the Michael Carricks…”

Hargreaves is certain that Ugarte will succeed at Manchester United, regardless of Ten Hag’s future at the club.

“He gives you that balance,” he adds.

“He’s not the best attacking player but, for protecting the defence and winning the ball back, he is just what they need.

“I love the fact they signed a kid like him because he’s got the heart of a lion.

“The fans love that type of player. He’s going to be perfect for United.”

Ugarte hopes to make his first Premier League start when Manchester United face Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

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