Tag: Football

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In this transfer window, Manchester United are cooking.

Not only have the club brought in signings before the start of their pre-season tour even began, something that hasn’t happened for years, but there doesn’t seem to be any sign of that slowing down.

News broke earlier today that United are in advanced talks to sign Noussair Mazraoui from Bayern Munich.

The United hierarchy are not only getting players in, but they’re also getting them out.

Joe Hugill has just signed a one-year loan agreement with Wigan Athletic. That should provide the youngster with some much needed first team minutes this season.

Those two deals seem to be just the tip of the iceberg.

Another big move that the club are making progress in is their pursuit of Arsenal wonderkid Chido Obi-Martin.

Obi-Martin is a highly rated player and seen as one of the most promising youngsters in England right now.

It was revealed a week ago that the player had visited Carrington to discuss a move to United.

Arsenal are set to lose the player on a free and he’s able to speak to other clubs now.

It’s been reported that he’s also been in discussions with several clubs in Germany as the 16-year-old views up the next move in his career.

And it seems as if he wants a move to United.

The Twitter/X page AcademyScoop, who initially broke the story of Obi-Martin’s Carrington visit, has just tweeted that Manchester United are confident they’ll bag their man.

Apparently, the young Danish forward has told his nearest and dearest that his preference is to move to Old Trafford.

That surely will make things easier to bring him in the door.

If United pull this off, it’d be a huge statement of intent.

INEOS have already impressed by beating Real Madrid to the signing of Leny Yoro.

Taking one of their rivals best youth prospects in Chido Obi-Martin would be another statement signing and prove that the new regime is here to win.

Manchester United are confident that an agreement can be found for Chido Obi-Martin, with a final decision imminent.

The Dane has told those close to him that his preference is to join United. pic.twitter.com/hXCmg0t8tI

— SCOOP. (@AcademyScoop) July 26, 2024

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Former Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea has decided on his future in football after leaving Old Trafford last year.

The Spanish shot stopper has had a year away from football after leaving the Premier League club as a free agent. After being replaced by Andre Onana and dropped by the club, de Gea has taken a step away from football for a year to decide on his next steps.

The 33-year-old spent 12 years at United after arriving from Atletico Madrid in 2011 for €25 million. While at the club, de Gea had an incredible run of form, wracking up an impressive 35% clean sheet rate with 190 clean sheets in 545 matches, holding United’s clean sheet record.

This impressive achievement led the squad to winning the Premier League in 2012/13, the FA Cup in 2016, the Europa League in 2016/17, as well as two Carabao Cup titles and three Community Shield victories.

It’s no surprise that with such a impressive collection of silverware to his name, alongside the Europa League and UEFA Supercup titles he won at Atletico, de Gea was picked as Spains first choice goalkeeper, getting a total of 45 caps for the side.

Whilst the veteran keeper considered retirement after his exit from United, the 33-year-old has now hinted that his next steps are to be revealed.

De Gea decides his next steps

Taking to X, the prolific goalkeeper hinted that his next team would be revealed soon with a simple hourglass emoji being posted last weekend.

Reports from Gianluca Di Marzio, claim that De Gea is in discussions to join Serie A club Genoa, with the club holding internal discussions on whether to take the former United star or not.

The Athletic reported that De Gea received an offer to play in the Premier League again, however the ex-Red Devil does not want to play in England again after over a decade with United.

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Manchester United have received the green light on a move for target Morten Hjulmand, on one condition.

The Danish midfielder has been on United’s shortlist for some time now, showing great ability at Sporting Lisbon.

With the Red Devils rebuilding their squad to take the club back to the top of European football, a number of talented midfielders are being looked at to strengthen the middle of the pitch.

Currently United are stalling on a deal for PSG’s Manuel Ugarte in the hope of the French side lowering their demands.

Meanwhile, attention is turning to Hjulmand who is less aggressive than Ugarte, however possesses an incredible positional awareness.

Sporting Lisbon’s condition for Morten Hjulmand

Hjulmand is a vital part of the Sporting line-up, so it’s no surprise the Portuguese club have a condition on selling the midfield star.

Portuguese publication Correio de Manha reported that Sporting are only happy to sell the Denmark international if his release clause of £67.3 million (€80 million) is met.

The star signed from Lecce last summer on a five year deal and helped the club to securing another Liga Portugal league title.

Although technically Sporting are setting the terms of sale for the star, on the other hand it’s a strong stance of refusal to enter any transfer negotiations.

If United do decide to trigger the release clause, further sales will need to be completed to generate the funds to do so.

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Going out on loan is a great way for players to get game time.

With such large competition for places, not every player is going to be able to get the necessary gametime.

Last time out, Manchester United sent a number of players out on loan.

Hannibal Mejbri, Jadon Sancho, Donny van de Beek and Mason Greenwood were some of the high profile names out on loan in the 2023-24 season.

2024-25 will offer another opportunity to get loans organised and it seems that United are already underway with that.

It was officially announced last night that a Manchester United striker has signed a loan deal with a League One side for this season.

Joe Hugill, who scored in United’s most recent pre-season friendly against Rangers, has signed a season-long agreement with Wigan Athletic.

Wigan is located roughly 40 minutes away from Manchester – so it’s very much a local move for the youngster.

Hugill has already experience playing out on loan.

The 20-year-old was on loan at another League One side, Burton Albion, from January to the end of the season. He played 12 games for the Brewers and scored one goal.

Wigan Athletic will be hoping that Joe Hugill scores a few more goals for them this upcoming campaign.

The League One side’s confidence in the youngster seems incredibly high.

They’ve given him the honoured number 9 shirt for the season. That seems to indicate that they see him as part of their starting eleven already.

“I am very delighted to be here,” Hugill said after signing.

“It’s been a long time coming, but I am over the moon to get it done, and can’t wait to get started.

“To get the number nine shirt is a massive honour, and I will wear it with pride.

“Hopefully, I can show what I can do with it.”

The move comes after reports that United wanted to secure loan moves for both Joe Hugill and Radek Vitek for this season. With one move confirmed, it’s likely only a matter of time before the other is too.

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Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White has admitted that he is a Manchester United fan in an interview with Sky Sports.

When asked about the first kid he had, he said: ”It was the first AIG Manchester United kit and I had Cristiano Ronaldo on the back. United fan since I can remember, my dad supported them, my grandad supported them.”

He also mentioned Paul Scholes as one of his three favourite players.

Gibbs-White impressed in the 23/24 Premier League season, registering five goals and ten assists.

His contribution was key to Nottingham Forest’s survival, as they finished just six points above the relegation zone.

United have been linked to him for a number of months now, although there haven’t been any concrete approaches to bring him to Old Trafford.

The Englishman has predominantly been deployed as an attacking midfielder for Forest, a position that is firmly under Bruno Fernandes’ spell at United.

It therefore seems unlikely that he will join the Red Devils in this transfer window but he could be a viable option when Fernandes inevitably leaves.

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The Manchester United legend Paul Scholes believes that an experiened centre-forward should be signed in this transfer window.

“I think they’ve had one young one last year in Rasmus Højlund who they have had to rely on, and it was a little bit unfair. He’s a young player, still learning the game.”

“They’ve bought another young one [Zirkzee]… I would like to see an experienced centre-forward come and help with that and virtually guarantee goals,” he told Sky Sports.

The Red Devils scored just 57 goals in the Premier League last season, although many fans were more concerned with the defensive displays.

It was therefore no surprise to see the club sign a centre-back in Leny Yoro from LOSC Lille.

Hojlund (21) and Zirkzee (23) are both indeed young strikers, so Scholes’ suggestion for a more experienced gunman has merit.

United have been linked with Brentford’s Ivan Toney, although it appears that they’re reluctant to bid for the Englishman at this stage.

Paul Scholes also said that Erik ten Hag’s recent contract extension is a positive for the club and he hopes that the Dutchman will be given the time to get things right.

Scholes won a staggering 11 Premier League titles, three FA Cups and two Champions League trophies during his career with United.

He played alongside some of the club’s most impressive attackers of all time, including Eric Cantona, Wayne Rooney, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Cristiano Ronaldo.

But despite identifying some serious room for improvements, Scholes was optimistic that things were looking positive for his former club heading into the new season.

“There is definitely stability there, which is good,” he said. “From the outside looking in, from the backroom staff, it looks a little bit more stable.

“Signing two young players who, I’ll be honest, I haven’t seen loads of, but by all accounts, the defender [Yoro] has settled in really well.

“He looks a good player. I haven’t seen a lot of the centre-forward [Zirkzee] either.

“So we’ll just have to wait and see. Look, it’s great that the manager’s going to stay.”

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Major League Soccer (MLS) has had a surge in popularity in recent seasons.

After football superstar Lionel Messi moved to the United States, a host of big name players have made the move there as well.

Inter Miami have brought a host of former Barcelona legends such as Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets.

The club is, of course, part owned by former Manchester United legend David Beckham.

Beckham is not the only ex-United player who will have an interest in the MLS next season.

That’s because a former United defender is swapping England for the States.

Paddy McNair made his Manchester United debut in 2014 under the guidance of Louis van Gaal.

During his team at the club, McNair played with the likes of Wayne Rooney, Robin van Persie, Angel Di Maria and David de Gea.

McNair was a favourite of van Gaal’s and was consistently praised by the Dutch manager. Many believed McNair might have a long term future at the club.

However, when Jose Mourinho came through the door in 2016, one of the first pieces of business he did was sell the Northern Ireland international to Sunderland.

But it was at Middlesbrough where McNair truly found a home. He spent four seasons at the Riverside before being released on a free this summer.

San Diego announce ex-United player on free

McNair wasn’t on the free agency list for too long as San Diego FC have announced that they’ve signed the player on a three year contract.

The MLS side have also declared that they’ll be sending McNair back to England on loan to Championship side West Bromwich Albion until the end of the calendar year, with a return to San Diego set for January upon a successful visa application.

McNair will occupy an international roster spot for San Diego FC.

2025 will be the first season that San Diego FC will be competing in the MLS. They are a 2025 expansion team and will be playing their games at the Snapdragon Stadium in the city.

The signing of Paddy McNair is the club’s fifth signing in their history – with Mexico international Hirving Lozano being the biggest name signed by the club to date.

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For some time now, Manchester United have been pursuing Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite.

Branthwaite has been at the top of United’s defensive shortlist throughout the summer, however the deal for the Englishman has significantly stalled.

United have submitted two offered for the centre-back, however Everton have rejected them as being significantly lower than the €70 million valuation they have on the star.

Although personal terms have reportedly been agreed for the defender, an agreement of a transfer fee is the final step to confirm a move.

However now, Branthwaite himself has given a massive boost to United in their aim to sign the 24-year-old.

Jarrad Branthwaite has new stance on contract

Reports from the Daily Mail suggest that the 22-year-old doesn’t plan on signing a new contract with the Toffees unless Everton can match his agreed salary at Old Trafford. The figure that was reported as being agreed came to be £160,000 per week.

At this time, Branthwaite is understood to be earning approximately half of that at Goodison Park, getting around £70,000 per week.

Although this looks good for United, the defender’s current contract lasts until 2027, so there’s no pressure to enter renegotiations just yet.

However, if he refuses to sign a new contract, except for these specific terms, it could eventually force Everton to sell the star for less than they hope to when free agency become more of a concern down the line.

It’s understood that for now United are reported to have “stepped back” from transfer talks, choosing instead to concentrate on Bayern Munich’s Matthijs de Ligt.

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Lisandro Martinez is a vital part of Erik ten Hag’s side.

Earlier this summer the defender was listed as “untouchable” by Sir Jim Ratcliffe showing a very clear intent in retaining the 26-year-old.

Although Martinez has suffered with injuries throughout last season, the centre-back is still an essential part of Ten Hag’s plans.

The 26-year-old is currently enjoying a much deserved break after winning the Copa América with Argentina.

Ten Hag’s plans for Martinez

With Leny Yoro now part of the squad, Lisandro Martinez has a quality partner he can depend on. The 18-year-old defender is regarded as a significant acquisition and an ideal partner for Martinez.

However, recent report suggests that Martinez may be required to play two different roles in the upcoming season, if new signings in those positions aren’t made.

Journalist Steve Bates, in a column for GiveMeSport, indicates that Martinez may need to showcase his versatility this season.

Bates reports that United’s coaching staff believe Martinez can occasionally fill in at left-back and defensive midfield positions.

With Victor Lindelof potentially leaving, the club is still in search of another centre-back, with Matthijs de Ligt and Jarrad Branthwaite being prime targets.

Martinez’s ability to play multiple positions could greatly benefit the team next season, provided he overcomes his injury issues.

Last season, United faced problems at left-back, with Tyrell Malacia out for the entire season and Luke Shaw struggling with fitness.

The club is not expected to sign Sofyan Amrabat permanently following his loan spell last season.

So, it is expected Martinez could also provide cover in defensive midfield, allowing Kobbie Mainoo to play further forward.

This position isn’t new to Licha, as he played in this role under Ten Hag at Ajax numerous times before.

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Report states Bayer Leverkusen have ‘offered’ right wing-back Jeremie Frimpong to Manchester United.

United is reportedly exploring potential signings to bolster their full-back positions amid uncertainties regarding the fitness of Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia.

Both players faced significant injury setbacks last season, with Malacia missing the entire campaign.

The club is also assessing its right-back options, especially with Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s future in doubt due to interest from Inter Milan, Everton, and West Ham United.

Man United ‘offered’ Frimpong

According to a report by HITC via Manchester Evening News, Bayer Leverkusen has ‘offered’ right wing-back Jeremie Frimpong to Manchester United.

This potential move is being considered as United might seek a new right-sided full-back if Aaron Wan-Bissaka is sold before the transfer deadline.

Frimpong, who began his career at Manchester City, has been on United’s radar over the past year.

The club has held interest in the Netherlands international since 2023, when initial discussions with his representatives took place.

In addition to Frimpong, other names have also been linked with the full-back position at United.

Erik ten Hag had particularly shown interest Bayern Munich’s Noussair Mazraoui, who appears to be nearing a transfer to West Ham for €19.5 million.

West Ham had previously shown keen interest in Wan-Bissaka, but the Englishman rejected the move as he prefers a transfer to Inter Milan.

Consequently, West Ham quickly turned their attention to Bayern Munich and secured a deal for Noussair Mazraoui. It’s interesting to see how the market works sometimes.

The upcoming transfer window will be crucial for United as they aim to strengthen their squad, particularly in the full-back areas.

With several potential targets being discussed, it remains to be seen who the club will ultimately secure to enhance their defensive options.

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