Tag: Manchester United

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Talented 18-year-old striker Ethan Wheatley just may be the latest youth product to have a go at the first team, having properly impressed in the U21s and U18s.

The young centre forward is extremely talented with lethal finishing ability. He is already on 15 goals for the season and 4 assists in all competitions.

His exploits have not gone unnoticed, and United recently rewarded him his first professional contract in January.

He has repaid this faith with 5 goals in the last 4 games, including a brace in the U18 Premier League Cup semi-final against Crystal Palace.

Erik ten Hag has already shown a willingness to trust our youth system, pushing youngsters like Alejandro Garnacho and recent breakout Kobbie Mainoo who is just sensational.

Neither of these lads is 20 yet, and they already have been one of the first names on the team sheet without fail this season.

The Dutch gaffer has also given some game time to young defender Willy Kambwala even throwing him in the derby in place of a struggling Jonny Evans.

He has also handed Premier League debuts to Omari Forson and Dan Gore showing lots of faith in youth.

This is in line with the 3 pillars of the clubs’ motto: Youth, Courage, Success.

This motto has driven the club for decades and given us players like Marcus Rashford and who can forget the class of ’92 that boasted of world beaters including: Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, David Beckham, Nicky Butt and the Neville brothers.

The trust Sir Alex showed these boys was returned a hundredfold with the service and success they brought to the club for the next 15+ years.

Erik ten Hag believes even more and more of the academy talent can break into his first team.

“You assess the potential of the player. We were convinced of those players and I think we still have, in the back of our squad, such young players who can also make those steps, like Kobbie and Garnacho, who have also made in the last couple of months.” Erik commented in reference to Mainoo and Garnacho while speaking before the Luton game a few weeks ago.

 

 

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Liverpool midfielder is expected to miss a couple of crucial matches, including an F.A Cup clash against Man United as he recovers from an ankle injury.

Gravenberch suffered a serious ankle injury after a tough challenge from Moises Caicedo and had to be stretchered off in Liverpool’s Carabao cup Final win against Chelsea.

It was ruled as a ligament issue, but not as serious as firstly thought.

“It’s a ligament injury, could have been much worse, but bad enough for being ruled out for this game, next game,” Klopp said in a press conference.

With all the injuries Liverpool have, the Liverpool manager was praying for miracles he is not sidelined for a long time.

“We will see. So, we need miracles with a few players, so that’s why I don’t want to rule out for too long.” he added.

According to thisisanfield, Klopp’s initial assessment was the midfielder would only be out for their mid last week F.A clash against Southampton and last weekend’s fixture against forest.

thisisanfield however understands that he may still be out for longer missing key matches, in particular a first leg date in the Europa League last 16 against Prague and a Premier League showdown with rivals Man City.

A return after the international break seems the more probable return date for the midfielder.

The news comes bitter-sweet for Liverpool fans: the good being he avoided serious injury, and the bitter being he misses s series of crucial matches as the season reaches its crescendo.

The club’s doctors consider him very fortunate to not have suffered serious damage and injury from that heavy challenge.

He remains on a long, long list of Liverpool injuries which may prove very costly considering they are still in contention for all remaining trophies fresh off winning the Carabao Cup and deeply engrossed in a title race.

The Liverpool injured list reads superstar after superstar with names like Allison, Jota, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Salah and Matip to mention just but a few.

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Ben Jacobs on Caughtoffside insists that Manchester United may join the race for top-rated young managers Roberto de Zerbi and Ruben Amorim should INEOS opt for a managerial change in the summer.

Chelsea are also reported to be in the race for the two young managers, should they choose to part ways with Mauricio Pochettino in the summer.

This managerial race could prove a very tasty one, with Liverpool also in the market for a manager as well as Jürgen Klopp’s 9-year reign comes to an end.

Manchester United and Chelsea have both been having torrid seasons, and there may be a managerial change looming over the summer.

According to Jacobs, both Poch and ten Hag are in quite similar situations: both are excellent managers having an under par season with their clubs, with the hierarchy looking to judge both of them at the end of the season.

In line with that, both managers have an important stretch of games between now and the end of the season to potentially decide their fates.

“Chelsea’s owners have always planned to judge Pochettino at the end of the season in a two-way appraisal, while Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS want to be fair to Ten Hag and take some time to assess him.

“Chelsea haven’t made any determination on Pochettino yet, despite growing fan discontent. In an ideal world, they don’t want to make a change, so nothing is pre-decided. It’s true, however, that the club appreciates Ruben Amorim, Roberto De Zerbi and Xabi Alonso.” Jacobs stated.

Liverpool is the only club of the trio that are definitely in need of a new manager. This may give them an edge in this managerial race, although they may lean towards going for their old midfield enforcer Xabi Alonso, who has been doing an amazing job at Bayer Leverkusen.

Brighton are keen to extend the Italian manager’s contract, so nabbing de Zerbi may be a tricky situation for the interested parties.

 

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Crystal Palace have already started looking at potential replacements for star defender and vice-captain Marc Guehi who is almost guaranteed heading for the door amid interest from big clubs.

The Englishman joined the Eagles from Chelsea for 18 million pounds and has since become a very important player for them.

This is as reported by The Daily Telegraph. According to the report, Palace are already dipping their toes into the European centre-back market.

Crystal Palace have set a 50 million pound for anyone who wishes to acquire the services of their star defender, according to this report. This figure will eclipse Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s transfer to Manchester United 5 years ago as the club’s record transfer sale.

He has been absolutely stellar for the London-club, garnering interesting all across the land.

A lot of the big clubs are interested in the 23-year-old, including Tottenham and Arsenal. Liverpool are however reported to be the favourites in the race for his signature.

Crystal Palace recently changed their manager after Roy Hodgson stepped down. It is only natural a major rebuild follows under new manager Oliver Glasner, and they could be seeking to cash in on Guehi and raise funds for the rebuild.

The defender only has two summers left on his contract, and this summer ideally remains the best time to cash in and offload him.

The summer is only a few months away and Palace chiefs are already started preparing a search for potential replacements for their skipper on account of his importance in that backline.

It does not help that Guehi is currently injured, unable to showcase his defensive abilities to potential suitors that include Manchester United.

He was forced off after 30 minutes in their 4-1 defeat at Brighton on the 3rd of February. He underwent surgery and is expected to be on the sidelines for about 8 weeks.

He will miss key international matches against Brazil and Belgium at the end of the month – games which may influence England manager Gareth Southgate’s squad selection decisions for the upcoming Euros in the summer.

 

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Manchester United have re-entered in the conversation to acquire ‘forgotten’ Chelsea academy product Trevor Chalobah.

According to a report by Fichajes, United are seeking to reinforce their defence as a part of their rebuild under Sir Jim, and they think Chalobah could be a key addition.

The defender has been with Chelsea since he was 6 years old, and he signed his first professional contract for the club in March 2018.

He quickly advanced through the youth ranks until he finally made the first team squad in the summer of 2021.

This was off the back of 3 consecutive loan seasons: first to Ipswich town, then to Huddersfield Town and finally Lorient before finally making his senior debut for the Blues.

His Chelsea honours include: an F.A Cup, the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup.

He was a pretty promising prospect at the start of his Chelsea career and despite the positive start, he has very much gone down the pecking order especially after the signing of Axel Disasi from Monaco and Levi Colwill being recalled from his Brighton loan spell.

He began the season injured and missed almost the whole of the season with only 4 appearances across all competitions and 206 minutes of play accumulated.

His early displays may still hold water to the potential he could still hold, and he could make for a good signing if he ends up leaving the bridge in the summer.

Manchester United has extensively suffered from injuries, especially to the backline.

In fact, as it is, the only fit senior centre backs are Rapha Varane and Victor Lindelof. The latter has sometimes had to play at left back as both United left backs have been injured for the better part of the season.

The report also mentions Bayern Munich and Inter Milan as admirers of the English international.

Chelsea have been splashing money left and right and for this reason, they are at risk of breaching Financial Fair Play. This puts them in a difficult position where they absolutely have to make sales before spending another dime.

 

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While speaking to FIVE, legendary Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has revealed two defenders the club was wrong to sell.

Rio had himself quite the sterling career at United decorated by tons of titles including 6 Premier Leagues, a Champions League and a FIFA Club World Cup.

He was part of perhaps the Premier League’s best centre back partnership alongside former illustrious captain, the Serbian wall Nemanja Vidic.

“I’ve said this many times, it was a travesty that they sold Jonny Evans. He should never have been allowed to leave,” said Rio.

“He was the best defender, the best centre back, when I left.

“When me and Vidic walked out of the door, the experience, the old timers, we were gone, he was the best defender that you’ve got.

“I just couldn’t believe that he was allowed to leave.

“Him and Chris Smalling, to be fair. I don’t believe they should have been allowed to leave, I thought they knew the fabric of the club.

“You need those types,” Rio pointed out.

Since he and Vidic left, United have struggled to find consistent solidity in that backline.

There have been numerous big signings like Victor Lindelof and Eric Bailly but none have quite measured up to what Rio and Vidic offered.

Jonny Evans left in 2015 for West Brom at an undisclosed fee where he played for 3 seasons, before Leicester City activated his £3.5m release clause.

Evans was released by Leicester at the end of the 22/23 season, which he served as captain.

He trained with his old club United before signing a short term contract to travel and play with the squad for pre-season.

Erik ten Hag was impressed and rewarded him with a one-year contract in September 2023.

He has had some playing time, with Lisandro Martínez injured for the majority of the season, and has been doing just fine.

Chris Smalling officially left Old Trafford in 2020 having spent a season on loan at Roma.

The English defender had been with Manchester United for 10 odd years, having been signed from Fulham by Sir Alex in 2010.

He was an integral part of Lous Van Gaal and Jose Mourinho’s tenures at the club.

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Portuguese winger Pedro Neto has been on fire this season, troubling left backs across the Premier League. He has added 3 goals and 11 assists to his sparkling displays, garnering attention from the big boys: among them Arsenal, Tottenham and Manchester United. Journalist Dean Jones confirmed these rumours while speaking to Givemesport.

He proceeded to comment that were he a Wolves fan, he would enjoy Pedro Neto because there is a good chance these are his last months in the gold and black.

Wolves certainly will not easily let go of the 23-year-old winger although Financial Fair Play may force their hand. He has been absolutely influential to their push towards surprise European football next season.

Arsenal have been the most interested in him, although playing time will be difficult to find as Arsenal have that right-wing comfortably filled by their star boy Bukayo Saka. Neto can also be deployed as a left-winger, or just behind the striker.

Arsenal have these positions already filled by Martinelli and Odegaard, further reducing how much game time Neto will be accorded at the Emirates. Leandro Trossard who fills in for Martinelli may also be preferred to Neto on account of him being right footed cutting in from the left.

Pedro Neto may be better suited at Tottenham, as their wingers have been massively inconsistent all season and can do with a bit of competition. Dejan Kulusevski is currently on 6 goals and 2 assists for the season, and his understudy Brennan Johnson is on 3 goals and 6 assists.

Spurs captain Son Heung-min is the only winger who has consistently produced for the London club, producing 13 goals and 6 assists. It is clear to see they do need some competition and quality to their flanks. Pedro Neto would be a good addition to their ranks if Spurs are willing to part with his around 40 million euros valuation.

The ideal destination would however be Manchester United. The Red Devils struggle to find consistent output on that right wing has been there for all to see.

Antony’s inconsistency and lack of final product has been a headache for Erik ten Hag especially after splashing 100 million euros on him. He is still yet to register a goal contribution all season and that is completely unacceptable for a Man United winger.

Argentine starlet Alejandro Garnacho has shown some promise the few times Erik has deployed him on the right, but he is naturally a left-winger. Pedro Neto would be a fantastic signing coming in from that right coupled with his intelligence to play short quick passes with an even more intelligent Bruno Fernandes.

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Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand highlighted how defender Jonny Evans coming off proved a big disruption to United’s setup.

‘Evans going off was a big disruption for our team because he’s a cool, calm, collected defender with experience,’ Ferdinand told Rio Ferdinand Presents FIVE.

Manchester United suffered a rather embarrassing defeat at the hands of their noisy neighbours on Sunday. The scoreline was perhaps not as disconcerting as that 6-3 demolition last season, but the contrast in performance was shameful to say the least, especially in the second half.

Like United legend Roy Keane likes to say, it was men vs boys in that second half.

The Red Devils started fantastically well, with Marcus Rashford’s rocket of a right foot blasting one off the crossbar into the top corner in the eight minute. Erik ten Hag came to the Etihad with a plan: defend well and catch City on the counter.

As retrogressive as it is to his usual possession-based philosophy, one cannot fail to acknowledge the numerous injuries depriving him of the freedom to play as he does. In all fairness it is impossible to go toe for toe with Man City with the available players.

The plan worked fantastically well especially in the first half, and we could have been 3 up at the half were luck on our side.

Fortunes changed in the second half when Man City starlet Phil Foden equalized in the 56th minute.

Part of why he had defended so well was the partnership of Rapha Varane and Jonny Evans. With a combined age of 66, the two old heads once again proved there is no substitute for experience. Their calmness and leadership at the back kept perhaps the league’s most potent attack at bay for a while.

Evans in particular was magnificent, especially considering he was playing whilst slightly injured. He may not be the fastest or most mobile but his communication and willingness to throw himself in front of every shot kept us afloat for the better part of the game.

He came off in the 69th minute shortly after City took the lead for young French-Congolese defender Willy Kambwala, and it was downhill from then on.

The 36-year-old, Evans, was starting in the Manchester derby for the first time since December 2012, and he did fantastic all things considered.

The result means United remain down in sixth, 11 points adrift the Champion’s League places. Man City on the other hand put them a point behind league leaders Liverpool ahead of their much-anticipated clash at the weekend.

 

 

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A report from Inter Live suggested that Manchester United are willing to offer around 60 million euros for Juventus and Brazil centre back Gleison Bremer. The club is in need of defensive reinforcements with centre backs like Evans in the twilight years of their career.

United’s most effective centre back partnership of Licha and Varane has been virtually inexistent this season on account of injuries, especially to Licha. Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof have both had some time on the sidelines with injuries as well.

Their defensive struggles have translated to an astonishing 39 goals conceded in only 27 league games this season. By contrast, they only conceded 43 goals all of last season and David de Gea ended up winning the Premier League golden glove.

Bremer has been very impressive for Juventus since signing for the Turin club in 2022 from city rivals Torino. His performances have caught the eye of soon-to-be United sporting director Dan Ashworth.

The Brazilian is a strong centre back who boasts of excellent aerial ability and ball-playing capabilities. His sense of positioning is excellent, and this makes him an excellent reader of the game. He is also surprisingly fast for a large defender.

He has said that he is inspired by legendary Brazil defender Lucio, who was quite the player in his day.

Bremer has already talked about his dream of playing in the Premier League. Tuttosport have taken this account and state that if Manchester United were to make an offer, he would find it ‘difficult to refuse’.

Speaking earlier this season, he said: “The Premier League is an exciting championship, I would like to play there one day. But I’m only focused on Juventus to win in black and white, we are one of the best teams in the world.”

CalcioMercato claims that the player’s agents and the clubs have reached an agreement on a fee that could be taken into consideration if there is solid interest in the summer.

Juventus are already making contingency plans in case the 60-80 million euros tag is reached by his suitors, including United.

Tiago Djaló was recalled from his loan spell with Lille back in January to be integrated into the squad, while Juve are also looking for more centre-back cover with the likes of Mario Hermoso being considered.

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According to The Independent, Manchester United are one of the favourites to sign Napoli hitman Victor Osimhen.

The Nigerian is already one of the most enticing forward prospects in all of Europe. At only 25, he is still relatively young and has cemented himself as one of Europe’s biggest stories with an astonishing release clause of 100 million euros.

Manchester United and PSG have emerged as early favourites to land the Napoli star’s signature.  It certainly is a surprise that he didn’t secure a move away from Naples last summer especially after the season he had and all the hype around a potential transfer.

The two European giants are not the only clubs interested in his signature, with other clubs like Chelsea and Arsenal interested as well.

PSG makes the strongest case, with their destroyer-in-chief Kylian Mbappé set to depart the Parisian club after 6 years defending their badge. That Mbappé-shaped hole will be near-impossible to fill for PSG, but a lethal striker like Osihmen will do just fine.

Most of PSG’s senior figures are leaning towards committing to trusting youth and the club’s youth system that produced players like Presnel Kimpembe and Bayern’s Kingsley Coman. Be that as it may, there is still a sort of expectation for a top club like Paris to attract and sign big names in Europe, and Osihmen fits the bill perfectly.

The Nigerian striker is a nightmare for defenders with his incessant pressing, which fits perfectly into coach Luis Enrique’s philosophy.

United’s case on the other hand is built on Sir Jim’s take-over and rebuild. There is a huge focus on overhauls, even in executive positions, with the CEO and football directors already replaced. The overhaul in approach will certainly include intelligent purchases, and an Osihmen grab would be fantastic.

Osihmen ticks all the boxes for a United forward: fast, excellent hold up play, great in the air and his most important attribute, relentless pressing. A combination of him and Höjlund upfront would create a kind of chaos Premier League managers and defenders certainly wouldn’t look forward to.

It is still March, but this already smells of a fantastic transfer saga come August.