Tag: Football

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When leaving a big club like Manchester United, often players struggle to live up to expectations.

Last year saw David de Gea leave the club, being replaced by Andre Onana, with the Spanish goalkeeper taking a year away from the pitch. Bringing his self enforced break to an end, the 33-year-old has now signed a contract with Italian side Fiorentina.

Also in Italy, Raphael Varane has recently joined Serie A side Como, however has already come off injured in his debut game, whilst Anthony Martial is still yet to find a new club.

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However, despite all these disastrous situations, one former United player has had a brilliant season away from Old Trafford.

Matej Kovar and his successful season away from Old Trafford

Matej Kovar joined Bayer Leverkusen last summer for €5 million after graduating from the United academy with several loans to Swindon Town, Burton Albion and Sparta Prague.

Leverkusen’s last season was truly incredible under the management of Xabi Alonso, with the Bundesliga breaking records on their way through their undefeated league campaign. However, Kovar was entrusted with protecting the goal through their cup runs and in the Europa League.

With 17 appearances across the DFB-Pokal, the Europa League and one match in the Bundesliga, Kovar has been incredible last season. Across these 17 matches, Kovar kept a really impressive seven clean sheets.

Leverkusen fought their way into the final of both the DFB-Pokal and Europa League, winning the former, however losing 3-0 to Atalanta in the Europa League.

Speaking with the Rheinische Post, Kovar called his time at United a “childhood dream” also commenting: “maybe I’ll come back one day”.

He continued: “It wasn’t an easy decision to leave everything behind at that age: the country, my friends, my family. But when Manchester United calls, you don’t have to think long. For me, a childhood dream came true. I had to take that chance.

“I was there for five years, enjoyed the time, met a lot of great people, and matured as a goalkeeper and a person. I’m grateful for the experiences.

“Of course, there were ups and downs, but they’re part of life. Maybe I’ll come back one day, that would be nice.”

Interestingly, United have included a buy-back clause when they sold the goalkeeper just in case he excels after leaving Old Trafford, which looks set to be the case.

This means that Kovar’s hope of returning to Old Trafford could be still very much on the cards.

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Already this year, Manchester United have undergone a considerable amount of change.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe became a minority stake holder at the club, taking over football operations. Nearly the entire operational directors have been replaced. The first team coaching staff look completely different, not to mention their new signings.

One man who’s new to the club is Chief Executive Officer Omar Berrada. The 46-year-old has joined from rivals Manchester City and is hailed as “one of the most experienced football executives at the top of European football”.

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Now, the club’s new CEO has spoken out about his process of joining the Red Devils and the off-pitch structure being created.

Omar Berrada comments on joining Manchester United

Speaking to the clubs supporters in the matchday programme for this Friday’s Premier League opener against Fulham, the new CEO welcomes the fans back for the new season and discusses joining the club.

Berrada’s letter to the fans reads:

“Dear fans,

“Welcome back to Old Trafford for our first Premier League match of the 2024/25 season. This is a particularly special occasion for me, as it marks my first game here as chief executive of this magnificent club.

“It is an enormous privilege to be taking my seat alongside all of you; I’ve been anticipating this for months. There is no better way to begin than right here, under the floodlights, with the incredible atmosphere that this stadium is famous for.

“It’s impossible to understand how big Manchester United really is until you’re on the inside. That’s one advantage all of you have had over me, but I’m catching up and I feel it more and more every day. It is a very easy place to fall in love with.

“Your support at Wembley was fantastic, where we just came up short in the Community Shield. We were disappointed not to win the game, but can take a lot of positives from it.

“When I was invited to join Manchester United late last year, I didn’t hesitate. As a child growing up my first memory of the club was my father telling me stories of legendary players like Sir Bobby Charlton, George Best and many others.

“It is impossible not to be aware of the weight of history. From the tragedy of Munich to the triumph at Wembley 10 years later, I am honoured to be part of a place where overcoming the greatest adversities and rising again to the greatest glories is in our DNA.

“We have had a busy summer so far, with transformation on and off the pitch. We welcome Joshua Zirkzee, Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui to the club; four excellent talents with a bright future here.

“That glorious history speaks for itself. When I walked through the doors for the first time last month, I was immediately struck by the enormity of the club and what it means to our fans here in Manchester and all over the world. I think it’s impossible to understand how big Manchester United really is until you’re on the inside. That’s one advantage all of you have had over me, but I’m catching up and I feel it more and more every day. It is a very easy place to fall in love with.

“We have had a busy summer so far, with transformation on and off the pitch. We welcome Joshua Zirkzee, Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui to the club; four excellent talents with a bright future here. We are delighted that club captain, Bruno Fernandes, has put pen to paper and committed his future to United and Erik ten Hag has extended his contract on the back of our FA Cup success. Dan Ashworth has joined as Sporting Director and Jason Wilcox as Technical Director. We are building a strong and talented football structure to work with Erik and ensure that we are focused on long-term success. We are also looking to build a world-leading non-football leadership team, which I know will help us to thrive.

“We are building a strong and talented football structure to work with Erik and ensure that we are focused on long-term success. We are also looking to build a world-leading non-football leadership team.

“I enjoyed spending time with our colleagues on the pre-season tour of the US, and I particularly enjoyed meeting so many of our American and travelling fans while we were there. We met with our new front-of-shirt partner Snapdragon at their home in San Diego and I was hugely impressed with how their market-leading technology will help us to perform.

“We are working hard to transform Carrington so that both our men’s and women’s teams have access to outstanding training facilities. You will be aware we have appointed a joint task force to explore options for the future regeneration of the Old Trafford area with a world-class stadium at the heart of it. It is the right time for us to be moving forward with both projects and our owners and the management team are completely committed to them.

“This is an eventful time for the club. Everything we do has to help us to perform on the pitch and that is our number one priority.

“This is an eventful time for the club. Everything we do has to help us to perform on the pitch and that is our number one priority. It is so important, particularly in times of change, that our bond with you supporters is closer than ever. This will continue to be an important priority for us. All of you must be central to everything we do.

“I look forward to meeting many of you at Old Trafford and over the course of the season. This is your club. I promise that I will always remember that and treat it with the care, dedication and respect it deserves.”

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Manchester United are still in the market for a left-back, having seen both of their senior squad options of Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia out for a considerable stretch of last season.

Last week, reports from Turkey claimed that United were making moves for Ferdi Kadioglu.

The Red Devils have had Kadioglu in their sights since the start of the summer after their disastrous situation with Shaw and Malacia last season.

The Fenerbahce star has had a great run with the club last season, coming second in the Super Lig, and making it through to the Quarter-Finals of both the Turkiye Kupasi and the UEFA Europa Conference League.

The 24-year-old old has also shown great versatility being able to play as a right-back as well, being called on in nine games across all tournaments, making up some of his 51 appearances last season.

Now, reports from Turkey have provided an update on United’s pursuit of the Turkish star.

Man United table an offer for the Fenerbahce player

According to a fresh report from the Turkish media, Manchester United have now tabled an offer for the defender.

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Sporx today report United are going up against Brighton in the race to sign Kadıoğlu, as both clubs look to bring in a left-back in this transfer window.

It’s claimed the Red Devils have offered the most money in the initial payment for the player, but Brighton’s offer is worth more when add-ons are taken into account.

Now Fenerbahce have a decision to make over which offer to accept, and this will be made by the Istanbul club’s president Ali Koc.

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We’re just a day away from the new English Premier League season starting at Manchester United host Fulham tomorrow night at Old Trafford.

New signings Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui are likely to be involved having completed their moves to United.

With over two weeks left in the transfer window, MUFC fans are wondering if any more new faces will come in the door.

Midfield is the next area likely to be reinforced.

If Scott McTominay leaves, who wanted by Napoli, then the need to bring someone in will only intensify.

Even before that, United were said to be looking at a range of midfielders.

Sky Sports reported that there were four players identified for Erik ten Hag’s side.

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One of those names was Monaco’s Youssouf Fofana.

The 25-year-old French midfielder only has a year left on his contract and is seemingly involved in a transfer battle between United and Serie A side AC Milan.

Paulo Fonseca, Milan’s manager, commented on their interest in signing Fofana as he seems to be a primary target for the club this summer.

Fabrizio Romano confirmed that AC Milan had a bid turned down by Monaco for the player yesterday. The Ligue 1 side were looking for an offer of €25m + €5m in add-ons.

It seems that the Serie A giants have taken little time in bridging that gap.

Sky Sports News are reporting this morning that AC Milan have made that exact bid this morning.

According to the broadcaster, the bid is being considered by Monaco at this present moment in time.

However, seen as that’s the asking price of the club for the player, it seems that the bid is likely to be approved.

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This now means that it’s likely United will need to look elsewhere if they want to bring in midfield reinforcements.

Sander Berge, Manuel Ugarte and Sofyan Amrabat are just three  of the other names mentioned as potential options.

Whoever that may be, it seems unlikely that it’d be Youssouf Fofana unless Man Utd hijack the move at the last minute.

Sky Italy: AC Milan have made a new offer for midfielder Youssouf Fofana at Monaco, who has been a target for Man United

The new offer is worth a total of £25.7m, broken up into an initial £21.4m payment plus £4.3m in bonuses pic.twitter.com/0Ul23IZWQC

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) August 15, 2024

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AC Milan are well and truly making it known that they’re fighting for one of Manchester United’s key targets this summer.

The Red Devils have done an amazing job of remodelling their defence this summer with the departure of Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Willy Kambwala, to be replaced with Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui.

United have also managed to beginning fixing their attacking options, with the signing of Joshua Zirkzee, however this still remains an area of concern as recently raised by former club captain, Roy Keane.

Keane raised his worries for the club next season, saying: “For all the nice play they have and good players, I still worry about the goalkeeper and striker.

He continued: “On paper they have a decent squad, but the reality is when they’ve played games, and last year with their record in the league they were so open.”

These comments were backed up by his concerns over the “spine” of the club with the limited transfer movement in the midfield department this summer.

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His concerns may now be even more valid, with United slipping down the pecking order for one of their two key midfielder targets.

AC Milan set on signing Youssouf Fofana

Fofana has already stirred up a lot of interest and several offers from across Europe.

West Ham United submitted an initial bid of €35 million for the France international which was accepted by Monaco, however the midfielder turned down the move.

AC Milan have already submit an initial bid of €20 million including add-ons, which was rejected with Monaco, holding out for €25 million plus easy add-ons. Reports from sports journalist Fabrizio Romano have announced that Milan have now revised this to be €20 million fixed fee as well as difficult add-ons, however it’s not yet known how Monaco have responded to their latest bid.

Former United and AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who acts as an operating partner to Milan owners, American investment firm, RedBird, has said: “God created the world in seven days: today is the first.”

He continued: “Will the midfielder arrive on the sixth day? It could be. We want to build a team that is as compact as possible.”

Now, Italian publication Gazzetta dello Sport has reported that Milan’s manager Paulo Fonseca has weighed in on their pursuit of Fofana. Fonseca commented: “the midfielder we are looking for is Fofana, we all know that”.

The report continued, referencing United’s preference of PSG’s Manuel Ugarte over Fofana, saying: “the white smoke for the Uruguayan to the Red Devils would be another assist for Milan in the race for Fofana”.

However, if United don’t seal a deal for Ugarte, they could whole heartedly turn their attention to Fofana, with an even bigger bid that Milan, yet still cheaper than a deal for Ugarte.

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Manchester United have been dealt a recent blow with one of the summer targets agreeing terms to join Brighton & Hove Albion.

The Red Devils are doing well so far in the transfer market, with four major signings so far to their name. Early on we saw Joshua Zirkzee and Leny Yoro join in quick succession, before Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui joined in a double swoop for the Bayern Munich duo.

Recently, Fabrizio Romano commented on United’s need to sign a centre-back, left-back, right-back and midfielder, with the Bayern pair ticking off the first two of this list.

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However, one of United’s targets for another highlighted position is now looking face United next season by joining Brighton & Hove Albion

Brighton & Hove Albion agree terms with Ferdi Kadioglu

Recent reports from Turkish publication Sabah have claimed that Fenerbahce’s Ferdi Kadioglu is looking likely to join Brighton & Hove Albion.

The Premier League club have submitted a €35 million offer for the left-back, which if accepted, will break the record for any player being bought from the Super Lig, with the current highest valuing €30 million.

It’s understood that Fenerbahce will be making a decision on the offer tomorrow, however such a large fee will make this extremely hard to reject.

United have been heavily linked with the left-back throughout the summer, being one of a whole host of clubs to target the star including Arsenal, Borussia Dortmund and Wolves.

The Red Devils have previously made a  €25 million (£21 million) offer for the Turkish defender, however this did not meet the €35 million asking price which Brighton have now agreed to.

Whilst Fenerbahce faced Lille last night to qualify for the Champions League, Kadioglu was not played due to injury. However, the Turkish media believe this is much more likely to be due an upcoming move to Brighton.

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It’s without a doubt that Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the greatest footballers of all time.

The five time Ballon d’Or winner has had a truly tremendous career, spanning just over two decades, a whole host of top clubs and an insane amount of silverware.

The Portuguese international has played in three of the top five European leagues, with Manchester United in the Premier League on two occasions, Real Madrid in LaLiga and Juventus in Serie A.

Starting his career coming through the Sporting Lisbon youth academy, Ronaldo was promoted to the senior squad at the age of 17 in 2002.

Only a year later, Ronaldo was on his way to Old Trafford for a mere €19 million. After six years at United, the Red Devils sold CR7 to Real Madrid for an incredible €94 million.

With nearly a decade in the Spanish capital, Ronaldo moved to Juventus in 2018 for an even higher fee of €117 million. Three years later, the legendary attacker was back at Old Trafford for another stint, with the Red Devils signing him for €17 million.

Now at Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia and the Portuguese star has reached a truly impressive milestone.

Cristiano Ronaldo scoring tonight reaches a new milestone

Tonight saw Al-Nassr take on Al-Taawon in the Super Cup Semi-Final, with Al-Nassr coming out on top 2-0.

The game saw Ronaldo set up the first goal before scoring himself in the second half. This goal set a new milestone for the star, with Ronaldo now having scored in 23 consecutive seasons as a professional.

Ronaldo’s consistent goal contributions have led him and his teams to win a ridiculous amount of silverware, including; three Best FIFA Men’s Player trophies, five Ballon d’Ors, four UEFA Best Player in Europe, 20 Golden Boot Awards, nine club Player of the Year awards, one European Championship, a UEFA Nations League title, five Champions League titles, four FIFA Club World Cups, three UEFA Supercup, seven league titles and 12 domestic cups.

Ronaldo’s impressive career has seen him play an incredible 1014 games, scoring 760 goals and grabbing 239 assists across all his clubs.

Of these 23 seasons, eight of the have been with the Red Devils, racking up 346 games, with 145 goals and 64 assists.

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Roy Keane is a true Manchester United legend having played for the Red Devils for 13 years, including wearing the captain’s armband across ten seasons.

The player-turned-pundit regularly comments on the state of the United squad and is regular feature for football in general for Sky Sports and ITV, helping to cover major tournaments like the recent Euro 2024.

In a recent interview with The Overlap, Keane discussed his predictions of United’s final league table position for next season following their recent signings.

Last season saw United’s worst finish since 1990 with the Red Devils coming eighth overall with a plague of injuries, having also crashed out of the Champions League group stage.

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Roy Keane raises areas of concern for United

In his interview, the former United captain raised concerns around Andre Onana, Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee, as well as the lack of a midfield signing this summer.

Discussing these concerns, Keane said: “It’s always a worry for me about competing and I still worry about the spine of that Manchester United team,”

He continued: “For all the nice play they have and good players, I still worry about the goalkeeper and striker.

“On paper they have a decent squad, but the reality is when they’ve played games, and last year with their record in the league they were so open.

“If you’re on about competing, I worry about the spine of the team.”

Keane’s hopes and praises for the coming season

In the interview however, it wasn’t all doom and gloom. The former Republic of Ireland international actually praised one of United’s recent signings.

Speaking about the club’s purchase of Matthijs de Ligt, Keane said: “I think he will be a good signing,”

The centre-back brings a wealth of experience and ability to the United back line which Keane is hoping will support the club to better this season.

Speaking about United’s chances in the coming season, Keane said: “I fully expect United will do a lot better than last year,”

He added: “They can’t finish eighth again, can they? They can’t be that bad. But we are talking about fourth here.”

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After signing Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui, will this be the end of Manchester United’s defensive acquisitions?

It doesn’t seems so.

With United suffering another defensive injury crisis, many thought that the club might bring in another low cost signing.

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Question marks are still hanging over the futures of Victor Lindelof and Harry Maguire, so speculation was that another defender may come in for cover.

Now, Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that the club is still considering the possibility of bringing in a low-cost left-footed center-back to serve as cover for Lisandro Martinez.

Manchester United have ‘spoken to the agents’ of Mario Hermoso

The Red Devils could still add a left-footed defender before the transfer window shuts, and Mario Hermoso remains among the options, according to Romano.

Manchester United have initiated contact with the representatives of a Spanish player, who recently became a free agent after departing Atlético Madrid at the conclusion of his contract.

Despite having secured deals for Bayern Munich’s Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui, Erik ten Hag is still focused on resolving the ongoing issues in the left-back position.

With both Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia unavailable for United’s upcoming season opener against Fulham, the club may need to rely on Lisandro Martínez or Mazraoui to cover the left flank.

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Fabrizio Romano revealed that United have spoken with Mario Hermoso’s agents, but nothing is advanced yet:

“They spoke to the agents of Mario Hermoso, but at the moment, still nothing advanced.

According to Fabrizio Romano, United continues to be in the running to sign Mario Hermoso, with the 29-year-old currently considering various options for his next career move.

The versatile defender, primarily known for his role as a central back, has also shown his capabilities on the left side of the defense.

Over the course of five years with Atlético Madrid, Hermoso has made 20 appearances as a left-back, showcasing his adaptability and value as a player in multiple defensive positions.

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Manchester United are right in the heart of a battle for one of their main midfield targets.

The Red Devils are set on signing two of their long term transfer targets, both of which play in Ligue 1. AS Monaco’s Youssouf Fofana and PSG’s Manuel Ugarte are at the centre of United’s plan to rebuild their midfield this summer.

Unfortunately for United fans, both deals are currently sat in limbo awaiting for an agreement on a transfer fee. It’s understood that The Red Devils are waiting on further sales to complete to raise funds to progress further and finalise a deal.

With the collective signing of Joshua Zirkzee, Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui coming to £150 million, and the sales of Mason Greenwood, Donny van de Beek, Alvaro Carreras Willy Kambwala and Aaron Wan-Bissaka only totalling £52 million, the Red Devils are in dire need of more sales this summer.

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However, United are now facing stiff opposition, with AC Milan revising their offer for one of United’s targets.

AC Milan submit second offer for Youssouf Fofana

Sports journalist Fabrizio Romano has recently reported that AC Milan have now revised their offer for Fofana.

The Italian club have been favourites to sign the France international for some time now. However, a delay in the deal over and agreed transfer fee opened the door for United to re-enter the race and begin their own negotiations with Monaco.

Now, the Serie A side have revised their initial bid of €20 million including add-ons to being €20 million fixed fee as well as difficult add-ons.

It’s understood that Monaco are still looking for €25 million plus easy add-ons, which could spark further negotiations, buying United enough time to be able to counter this bid.

However, one thing working against United is that Fofana has been clear since the start of the summer that he wants a move to San Siro to play for AC Milan.

With only two weeks left of the transfer window, we won’t have to wait long to see if Erik ten Hag’s side can convince the midfielder of a move to Old Trafford.

EXCL: AC Milan submit improved bid to sign Youssouf Fofana.

€20m fixed fee PLUS difficult add-ons.

Understand AS Monaco now ask €25m plus easy add-ons to let Fofana leave.

No agreement yet but talks ongoing, as Fofana has been clear since July: he wants AC Milan. pic.twitter.com/X3n5YHhjIP

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 14, 2024

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