Tag: Football

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Manchester United’s dismantled Southampton 3-0 away at St Mary’s on Saturday.

However, the early portion of the game was not smooth sailing.

Southampton looked the better side for 35 minutes, before Matthijs De Ligt scored his first United goal.

Two minutes prior to the opener, Cameron Archer missed a penalty, saved by Andre Onana.

The penalty was conceded by Diogo Dalot, who had a tough time defending against his right-wing matchup.

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Lined up opposite to Dalot was 18-year-old Tyler Dibling.

Dibling was terrorising Dalot on multiple occassions in the first half, even testing Onana’s gloves with a dangerous curling shot.

His hard work eventually paid off, winning a penalty after forcing Dalot to go to ground in the box.

Dibling’s talents have previously caught the eye of new United sporting director Dan Ashworth.

He is a big fan of the teenager and is monitoring his progress at Southampton, according to Givemesport.

While working for Newcastle in the past, Ashworth had tried to sign the winger.

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Multiple other clubs are thought to be vying for Dibling’s signature, including Newcastle, Crystal Palace and Stuttgart.

Southampton will try to convince Dibling to sign a new and improved contract at the club, with outside interest now looming.

Dibling is thought to be happy with his current situation and is enjoying life under head coach Russell Martin.

However, the teenager’s contract expires in 2026 and is the lowest paid player at the club.

He earns only £5,000 per week at Southampton.

Should United come knocking, they would be offering a significant pay rise and an opportunity to play for the biggest club in England.

In this case, Southampton may struggle to hold onto their young star.

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Alejandro Garnacho is quickly cementing himself as one of Manchester United’s top stars after his breakthrough season last year.

Last season the winger grabbed 10 goals and five assists in 50 games including braces against Aston Villa, West Ham and Chelsea, with a vital goal in the FA Cup final against Manchester City, opening up the scoring in United’s 2-1 victory.

His stunning performances have currently got him a nomination for the coveted Golden Boy award, where he is currently the third favourite to win.

Erik ten Hag’s comments on Alejandro Garnacho

Erik ten Hag has come out and said he believes that he will be regarded as one of the world’s greatest in time. Speaking to the Independent about his winger, ten Hag commented: “He has high potential, 100 per cent. He showed last season he can contribute, he can be a starting XI player.”

He continued: “But to make the jump to become a world-class player, a long way to go and it starts with very hard work.

“That brought him where he is now and that will bring him to that world-class player because – and that is where I agree – he has the potential (to become). I agree we need but I think every club in the top needs players with, let’s say, the X factor,

“We already have seen on occasions that he has shown this X factor, but also others in our squad already have shown it. So, if you want to be that player where your colleague is talking about ‘world-class’ then you have to do it consistently.”

Garnacho’s recent form

Well, Garnacho seems to have taken this on board and is delivering on the consistency.

With only two starts this season, and coming off the bench four times, Garnacho has already recorded four goals and three assists, contributing to four of the seven goals United scored against Barnsley in the Carabao Cup.

After the game, the 20-year-old took to Instagram to celebrate, saying: “What a night at Old Trafford!”

Showing support for his teammate, United captain Bruno Fernandes took to the post, commenting a very simple: “What a player” alongside a flame emoji, showing the form the Argentine is currently in.

With Fernandes contributing to two of the seven goals also, Erik ten Hag must be happy with the performances, especially on the back of their 3-0 win over Southampton which saw Marcus Rashford finally hit the back of the net again and new signing Matthijs de Ligt grab his first goal as a Red Devil.

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Manchester United are continuing to scour Europe for the best young talent for both their academy and their senior squad.

This summer saw The Red Devils sign “generational talent” Leny Yoro from LOSC Lille, with the 18-year-old looking to fight his way into the first team when he returns from injury.

With Manuel Ugarte and Joshua Zirkzee being only 23 years old, the club have been making a push to sign exciting yet capable young talent to rebuild their starting line-ups.

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Now, United are looking across the water to Germany, with strong interest in one of the Bundesliga’s top young wingers.

Manchester United target Borussia Dortmund winger

Manchester United are joining rivals Liverpool in monitoring Borussia Dortmund winger Karim Adeyemi.

So far this season, Adeyemi has got two goals and two assists in four games, bringing his totals for Dortmund up to 16 goals and 10 assists in 70 games.

The 22-year-old arrived at Dortmund back in 2022 from RB Salzburg for €30 million after an incredible 33 goals and 24 assists in 90 games.

Now, TEAMtalk has reported that Dortmund might not be able to resist a big-money offer for the winger. The report also explained that Newcastle United were also joining their Premier League counterparts in eyeing up a move for the 22-year-old next summer.

Adeyemi is reportedly interested in a move to England to help further his career, however, it’s not yet known how much the German giants would be asking for him.

The winger is part of Dan Ashworth’s plans for the next stage of developing the United squad after an impressive first transfer window with The Red Devils.

Adeyemi’s versatility makes him a great option for any club, being able to play across both wings or as a striker, bringing a great potential to cover a range of positions.

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Throughout the summer, Manchester United had been linked with a move for French midfielder Adrien Rabiot.

Rabiot’s contract with Juventus ended in July, with the veteran midfielder holding off on contract renewal conversations amid the United interest.

As a free agent, Rabiot and his agent, Veronique Rabiot, who is also his mother, were approached by several top clubs including Liverpool, Arsenal, Real Madrid and AC Milan, however, he rejected them all, holding out for an agreement with The Red Devils.

The 29-year-old was keen on moving to the Premier League, having not competed in the English leagues before, with it looking like a good move for United too, to strengthen their midfield for relatively cheap.

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Unfortunately, this didn’t pan out, however, new reports regarding Rabiot’s salary at Marseille have confirmed that the midfielder was carefully considering his options, rather than a move about money.

Adrien Rabiot and his salary

Reports from Romain Molina on YouTube claim that Rabiot is set to earn €2.5 million a year at the Ligue 1 side. However, it also explained that he was approached by AC Milan with a contract worth €7 million a year only a few weeks ago, which he refused.

This move of taking a contract worth €4.5 million a year less than Milan offered shows that Rabiot has been taking time and putting a lot of thought into his next move.

However, this seems contrary to previous reports that have indicated the delay and ultimate breakdown of the 29-year-old’s move to Old Trafford came about due to salary demands, with the same situation playing out in 2022.

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After signing Manuel Ugarte, Manchester United are still in the market for another midfielder.

With Scott McTominay’s recent departure and Casemiro expected to leave next summer, United need more depth in midfield.

Sverre Halseth Nypan is a 17-year-old Norweigan central midfielder currently being scouted by United.

However, Nypan would be a signing for the future, rather than an immediate senior replacement.

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Bayern Munich midfielder Leon Goretzka is “upset” at the club, according to sporting director Max Eberl.

“When Leon is there and ready to face the situation, he’ll be treated completely normally”, he said.

By ‘situation’, Eberl is referring to the process of finding a move away from the club.

“Leon’s a great guy. I like him a lot, even though he’s obviously upset at the moment.”

Manchester United have been long-term admirers of Goretzka, according to TheSun.

With a move away from Bayern looking very real for him, United could potential suitors for the German.

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Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Goretzka wants to stay at Bayern, despite being axed from the squad.

However, a move away may be inevitable with his contract expiring in 2026.

Bayern will be aware that the closer his contract comes to running out, the less his market value will be.

Therefore, the club may look to offload Goretzka next summer, or even as early as this January.

Goretzka has played only one minute of competitive football this season, following the appointment of Vincent Kompany.

Kompany even left him out of the matchday squad on Saturday.

After the summer arrival of Joao Palhinha, Goretzka is even further down in Bayern’s midfield pecking order.

United only have three holding midfielders in their senior squad: Casemiro, Ugarte and Toby Collyer.

Goretzka’s arrival would add some much needed experience to an already struggling midfield.

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Tonight saw a massive win from Manchester United over Barnsley in their EFL Cup Third Round match up.

The Red Devils dominated the match to a 7-0 win with braces from Marcus Rashford, Christian Eriksen and Alejandro Garnacho, with a penalty goal from Antony.

United held two-thirds of the possession and held Barnsley to only three shots, of which none were on target, significantly less than United’s 26 goal attempts with half of these being shots on target.

Rashford started the scoring in the 16th minute with an assist from Garnacho. The Argentine winger contributed to four of the seven goals, setting up both of Rashford’s goals.

Then in the 35th minute, United were awarded a penalty, which Antony coolly slotted home, before Garnacho grabbed his first right before halftime thanks to a Rashford assist.

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The second half saw Eriksen set up Garnacho’s second goal before Garnacho went on to set up Rashford’s second goal. Now, both Rashford and Garnacho have made it three goals in two games, striking up a formidable partnership.

Finally, Eriksen managed to grab his own brace thanks to Bruno Fernandes who set up both goals in the space of four minutes.

Erik ten Hag makes a point in the post-match press conference

Following the game, Erik ten Hag took to the press conference to address the media, having recently come under scrutiny from the club’s performances and his player selections.

Ten Hag has stressed that he is not dropping players if they are not in the starting XI. He emphasized the importance of having the right players coming off the bench to make a difference. This approach aims to reduce the risk of injuries, which have already plagued United.

Speaking to the journalists, the Dutchman said: “The conclusion from all of you [journalists] is not right when I pick 11 that I ‘drop a player’,”

He continued: “No, I pick a starting 11 because we have to rotate. We have more than 11 players who can be in the line-up in any match.”

Now, ten Hag will already be looking ahead to the club’s weekend Premier League match-up with Crystal Palace.

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Manchester United have looked to add depth in the striker position in the last two summer transfer windows.

In 2023, Rasmus Hojlund joined from Atalanta for a £64m fee.

This year, United signed Joshua Zirkzee for £36.5m from Bologna.

Adding a third weapon to their attacking arsenal would certainly help to solve United’s goalscoring issues.

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U.S. Lecce striker Nikola Krstovic revealed that he wishes to play for Manchester United in the future.

The Montenegrin international was not discreet with his words either.

“My dream is Manchester United”, he admitted after Lecce’s game against Torino on Sunday.

Krstovic is clearly eyeing a step-up in his career at some point in the future.

After the match, Lecce sporting director Mirko Vucinic told the striker to ‘think about the next one’.

If he had his choice, it seems that Manchester United would be first on Krstovic’s shortlist of potential suitors.

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The 24-year-old’s market value is estimated to be around €6m, according to Transfermarkt.

In 239 career appearances, Krstovic has scored 90 professional goals.

While he is yet to break out as a star in Serie A, he has had an impressive career playing in Montenegro, Serbia and Slovakia.

Should he earn his desired step-up in his career, Manchester United would likely have a very good chance of signing Krstovic.

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Over the summer Manchester United have been making a massive effort to not just recruit to their first squad, but to also sign some top talent for the academy which will form the Red Devils of tomorrow.

With massive signings like Sekou Kone from Malian club Guidars FC and Chido Obi-Martin from Arsenal, which is still awaiting finalisation, United are making a statement on their intentions for their youth squads.

When Sir Jim Ratcliffe took over, he made a point that he wanted Old Trafford and Carrington to become the centre of youth development in football, being home to the most exciting prospects of the future.

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Now, another one of United’s young signings is officially moving to United, months after the news first broke.

Samuel Lusale officially joins Manchester United.

News first emerged that an agreement had been made for United to sign Samuel Lusale from Crystal Palace back in July. The news came that Lusale had rejected a scholarship offer from Palace in favour of moving to Old Trafford.

Whilst the deal was completed, the move needed to be approved by both the Premier League and the Football Association to the move to take place.

However, eagle-eyed fans will have known the move was imminent, with his name being included in United’s official squad list for their 2024/25 Premier League campaign.

This move is certainly exciting from a United standpoint, with the 17-year-old bringing international experience to the Slovakia Under-17s and Under-18s squad.

Alongside this, he has a truly impressive endorsement from his agency, labelling him as: “a quick, dynamic winger who is regarded as one of the most exciting attacking players in the UK at under-16 level.”

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It continued: “Comfortable playing off the right or left wing, his electrifying pace and direct running with the ball makes him a constant threat to the opposition defence. He is often the source of goals and assists for his team.”

Lusale’s goodbye to Crystal Palace

Now, taking to social media, Lusale has posted a farewell to his former club.

In a post on Instagram, the winger said: “My journey with Crystal Palace comes to an end and a new door opens. I will always remember the memories I made at Palace, and without them, I wouldn’t be where I am today. But now, we move on to the next chapter.”

Lusale had loads of comments on the post, wishing him well with his future in the sport, with a vote of support from Chido Obi-Martin who is still awaiting his move to United to be approved.

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Manchester United take on Barnsley tonight at 8pm in their first cup tie of the season, a third-round EFL Cup clash.

Erik ten Hag will approach this competition with great seriousness, mindful of his 2023 League Cup triumph in his first season as Manchester United boss.

That 2-0 victory over Newcastle United not only secured his first silverware but also ended a six-year trophy drought at Old Trafford.

It marked a strong start to his reign.

Manchester United have a rich history within The League Cup.

United have clinched the trophy on six occasions — 1992, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2017, and most recently 2023.

Their history with competition started off badly though.

It began with a surprising early exit in 1960 when they lost 2-1 to Bradford City in the first ever League Cup.

The club had to wait until 1983 to reach their first final.

In that game, they narrowly lost to arch-rivals Liverpool despite a promising performance from a certain Norman Whiteside.

Since then, Manchester United have enjoyed significant success in the competition – evidenced by those six titles in just over 30 years.

As Erik ten Hag aims to add a seventh League Cup trophy to the club’s collection this season, he will be hoping for a convincing start against Barnsley.

With that in mind, here are Manchester United’s five biggest League Cup victories.

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Anthony Martial has not played a professional football game since December 9th 2023.

The Frenchman has been without a club since his contract expired at Manchester United on June 30th.

He held contract negotiations with Brazilian side Flamengo over the summer but the deal fell through.

Martial’s high salary demands were an obstacle in reaching an agreement.

It has been recently revealed that Martial is set to agree a deal with Greek club AEK Athens.

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The 28-year-old is expected to sign a three year deal at the club.

Martial’s contract will be the biggest contract ever given to a player in the club’s history.

He will earn €3m per year including potential bonuses, which adds up to €9m across the three years.

AEK intended to present Martial as a new player on Monday, before their home game against Volos.

However, this did not happen, with some papework to still be sorted out in the deal.

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Earlier today, Fabrizio Romano revealed that AEK are confident the deal will be sealed soon.

In 317 appearances for United, Martial scored 90 goals and won six trophies with the club.

Once the winner of the Golden Boy Award in 2015, Martial will look to kickstart his career again in Greece.

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