Category: Football

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Bayern Munich director, Max Eberl, has hinted that Manchester United target Joshua Kimmich, may be on the wane, possibly opening up on an exit from the club this summer.

The 29-year-old German has won the lot at Bayern Munich and represented the Bavarians 374 times to date.

The midfielder has remained a mainstay in the first eleven this campaign having played 26 times in all competitions, but all does not seem well in the player or club’s camp.

The German outfit are having a tough time of it, having been dumped out of the German cup, sitting eight points behind Bayer Leverkusen in the table and having lost their first leg Champions League tie against Lazio.

Kimmich has been linked with a move away from the club regularly since the turn of the year, and Manchester United were even said to be leading the race for the star midfielder.

Eberl has just thrown some petrol on the bonfire of this rumour with his latest comments.

Speaking on the player’s future he commented, “Joshua’s had an incredible career path. He has mentality and quality. Now he’s maybe in a bit of a dark side.

“Joshua has a contract until 2025. I’m looking forward to the conversations with the players.”

On the one hand these comments could seem quite complimentary but on the other, it is a pretty clear critique of the current trajectory of the German’s career.

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🔴 Bayern director Eberl on Kimmich: “Joshua’s had an incredible career path. He has mentality and quality. Now he’s maybe in a bit of a dark side”.

“Joshua has a contract until 2025. I’m looking forward to the conversations with the players”. pic.twitter.com/3QHXNWgKpq

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) February 27, 2024

As expected, a player of Kimmich’s reputation has many admirers and he was linked to the Red Devils, as well as Manchester City, Liverpool and Barcelona at the end of December.

It was also reported that this summer could be a realistic departure date for the 82-capped Germany international.

It is unclear whether INEOS would sanction such a move however, even if a player of his ability became available.

It has been widely reported that the new part owners want to slash the wage bill and get rid of underperforming high earners, with not even last year’s top scorer, Marcus Rashford, being considered safe from a potential cull.

Moreover, it has also been reported that United’s likely new sporting director, Dan Ashworth, has already instructed his probable new side to reduce the age of their current playing squad.

Signing a player who has just turned 29 and reportedly earns €375,000 a week, seems the antithesis to the approach INEOS want to implement.

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Erik ten Hag says Casemiro will play against Nottingham Forest despite having suffered a concussion against Fulham on Saturday.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference ahead of tomorrow’s FA Cup tie, the manager confirmed “He was bleeding so had to come off [against Fulham]. He’s available for tomorrow.”

The boss also had a pop at former third-rate Liverpool star turned third-rate pundit Jamie Carragher, when asked his response to his comments following the Fulham game.

“Some analysts are very objective in their comments, very good advice,” Ten Hag replied. “Some are very subjective. Jamie Carragher from the first moment on has criticised and now he wants to make his point.”

However, he admitted that Carragher was partially correct when he said United were “poor defensively and can’t cope with counter-attacks” (via The Mirror).

“Probably in the first half an hour, yeah, he had a point. Fulham in their midfield set up surprised us a little bit and then we have to find the solutions. After half an hour we found the solutions.”

Asked on whether he has discussed his future with new board member, Sir Dave Brailsford, Ten Hag replied:

“About future? I know the future. But I also have to look at today and we have to work on the team’s development and progress and, of course, to win every game.”

More to follow …

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Manchester United midfielder, Donny van de Beek, is to be sold at the end of the season.

The Dutch midfielder has had a rancid career at Old Trafford to date.

Despite four seasons at the club, he has only played 62 times and scored two goals.

Van de Beek has also suffered two poor loans, previously at Everton and he is now currently struggling at Eintracht Frankfurt.

The Netherlands international was even left out of the teams’ Conference League squad and he is yet to register a goal or an assist in the Bundesliga.

Consequently, Football Insider claim that their sources have told them that the former Ajax man will be sold in this summer window.

“It is believed that the Dutchman will be one of many assets put up for sale as the club plan a major clearout of non-crucial players,” the outlet says.

“Well-placed sources have told Football Insider that the Red Devils will sanction his departure if their valuation is met”.

“His loan move to Germany included an option to buy reportedly worth £9.4million plus an additional £2.5million in potential add-ons”.

New part owners, INEOS, have made it a priority to shift players who are deemed surplus to requirements such as Anthony Martial in an effort to clear wage space and also squad members who make much more than the value they contribute to the team, like Raphael Varane or Casemiro.

However, selling the player will likely be easier said than done. One gets the feeling that the Dutchman has been on sale for the last two summers at least, but no deal has been done despite a plethora of the clubs linked to the player.

It has already been relayed by The Peoples Person that Van de Beek’s wages are double those of Frankfurt’s current top earner, Mario Gotze.

This significantly complicates any potential deal with the club he is currently on loan at.

The midfielder’s contract at United runs until 2025 and he makes a reported £6,240,000 a year.

On top of that, it is almost impossible to remember the last time the player played genuinely well.

What’s more, he has not found the back of the net in a competitive game since a 4-1 loss to Watford in November 2021, which would be Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s final game in charge.

INEOS will probably need to take a giant loss on the fee and the Dutchman will need to prioritise playing time over money and significantly lower his wage, in a way David de Gea and Jesse Lingard have chosen not to.

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Manchester United’s unbeaten start to 2024 ended at the hands of Fulham on Saturday as the Cottagers ran out 2-1 winners at Old Trafford.

United entered the contest on the back of four consecutive Premier League wins but they were far from convincing and it always felt like a reversal in fortunes was just around the corner.

With Luke Shaw and Rasmus Hojlund joining Lisandro Martinez on the sidelines, it was always going to be a difficult afternoon but at home, Erik ten Hag’s men were expected to put on a fighting performance.

It was anything but as Marco Silva’s men cut through the United press time and again and Casemiro was once again left chasing shadows for most of the game.

Casemiro keeps struggling

He had to be subbed off due to concussion in the second half and hopefully, he will be declared fit for the FA Cup game against Nottingham Forest on Wednesday.

But his form has been patchy to say the least this season and the manager’s tactical instructions clearly do not suit the Brazilian ace as he seems to have lost a yard of pace.

The former Real Madrid superstar earns a considerable wage at the Red Devils and INEOS are looking at ways to trim the bloated wage bill.

The 32-year-old has been linked with moves to Saudi Arabia and even his former club but as journalist Jorge Nicola pointed out, there is very little chance of the midfield general returning to Brazil at this stage of his career.

Return to Brazil not on the agenda

São Paulo fans are eager to see their former star play for them before his retirement but there is “no chance” of that happening as the player will have to take a massive wage cut to go back home.

As of now, the five-time Champions League winner still has the possibility of earning massive amounts if he chooses to join former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo in the Middle-East or if Sir Jim Ratcliffe decides to keep him on.

However, the player does have ambitions of returning back to his home one day and when that day comes, it will only be for Sao Paulo.

Casemiro is eager to play on for a few more years whether it be Europe or elsewhere and a return to Brazil is not expected anytime soon.

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Premier League giants Manchester United and Arsenal are reportedly prepared to press forward in their respective pursuits of Everton midfielder Amadou Onana.

Onana has been a long-standing target for United ever since he arrived in England from France.

Amidst Everton’s woes on and off the pitch, the Belgian alongside defender Jarrad Branthwaite – also a United target – have been the major positives for the Merseyside outfit.

A report covered by The Peoples Person earlier this month relayed that Newcastle are leading the race to sign Onana.

It’s understood that the Magpies have extensive reports on the player and view him as a potential upgrade to their current midfield options.

According to Spanish publication Sport, Barcelona are also admirers of the Belgian but the Catalan club face significant competition from Arsenal and United.

The Blaugrana admire Onana’s physical and athletic attributes and believe he would be an impeccable addition to their ranks.

Everton, who paid €35m for Onana want to almost double the sum they forked out. Sean Dyche’s side are seeking €60m for the 22-year-old.

The Toffees are prepared to let him leave if their asking price is matched.

Barcelona are only willing to part with €40m to secure Onana’s services. Even worse for Barca is that Arsenal and United are believed to be on the verge of moving in for the Everton star.

Sport state, “Arsenal and Manchester United have already shown their interest in having Onana next season and even presenting an offer when the market opens.”

“Both clubs have the capacity to pay this amount requested by Everton.”

“The English club [Everton] is not very interested in the Barça option taking into account that Barça is only willing to pay 40 million euros, 20 less than what Everton is asking for.

The newspaper adds that Everton have sent word to Barcelona that they are not in the business of making compromises and they’ll now lower their asking price for Onana. Everton are not considering accepting Barcelona’s offer.

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Manchester United are heading into the FA Cup tie at Nottingham Forest on the back of a limp 2-1 home defeat at the hands of Fulham.

Erik ten Hag’s men will hope to leave frustrations of the Premier League defeat in the rear-view mirror by making it to the last eight of the FA Cup.

The early team news suggests the Red Devils will have to dig deep to secure a win at The City Ground, as the side will be without a number of star players for Wednesday’s outing.

Ahead of the manager’s press conference, the club’s official site has shed light on the fitness levels of the likes of Rasmus Hojlund, Luke Shaw, and Casemiro.

Hojlund’s absence stifled Man United’s attack at Old Trafford over the weekend. The Denmark international had netted seven goals in his last six league games before getting sidelined with a muscle injury. It’s understood he’s out for the next couple of weeks.

Luke Shaw is also not going to feature against Forest. The Englishman is expected to remain out of contention for a few months. His understudy, Tyrell Malacia, is yet to make any competitive appearance this season. And as things stand, that is not going to change on Wednesday night.

Casemiro is the most recent injury concern for United after the Brazilian midfield veteran left the Fulham clash in the 53rd minute following a head collision with Harrison Reed.

Speaking about the issue in his post-match press conference, Ten Hag revealed:

“I actually don’t know [the issue] but he had to come off. He had to come off so we have to speak with the doctor, and the medical team, to see how he’s doing.

“He couldn’t continue the game. We have all seen that. We had to take him off and, hopefully, he’s better by tomorrow.”

The Dutchman should provide an update on the 32-year-old’s fitness in his pre-match conference on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the hosts are also likely to field a weakened midfield, with Ibrahim Sangare unavailable, having arrived injured from Africa Cup of Nations duty.

Akin to Ten Hag, Nuno Espírito Santo is also dealing with a crisis situation when it comes to full-backs. Left-backs Nuno Tavares and Ola Aina are both on the sidelines, leaving the Portuguese coach with only Harry Toffolo as his left-back option for the fifth-round FA Cup encounter against United.

Much to the relief of United’s backline, Forest’s top goal-scorer, Chris Wood, is also unavailable due to a hamstring concern.

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Luton Town manager Rob Edwards has said that he’s not worried about Ross Barkley’s astonishing links to Manchester United.

Over the weekend, a shock report relayed that United are plotting a swoop for Barkley.

It was stated that the club’s pursuit of Barkley is being driven by Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sir Dave Brailsford, who are both admirers of the Englishman.

When Ratcliffe bought French side OGC Nice in 2019, INEOS signed Barkley in the summer of 2022.

At the Allianz Riviera, the former Everton and Chelsea man scored four goals in 27 appearances. He has been a player reborn at Kenilworth Road.

Barkley has registered three goals and as many assists in 20 Premier League clashes. The player almost snatched a valuable point for the Hatters against United when he clipped the top of the crossbar with a glancing header in the dying embers of proceedings.

Edwards was asked about United’s reported interest in the 30-year-old.

The Luton Town boss said, “At the moment now, nothing can happen until the end of the season anyway, so I’m not going to lose any sleep over it at the moment.”

“And again, I don’t know if there’s any truth in it at the moment, so it doesn’t worry me. But if Manchester United are interested in some of our players then we’re doing something right and the player’s doing something right.”

“Again, I take that with a pinch of salt at the moment as we’re in February and there’s a while to go until the window opens again.”

Despite suggestions that United are pursuing Barkley, it’s unlikely that the 20-time English champions would seriously consider him.

Ratcliffe recently spoke about the type of players he wants to bring to Old Trafford and emphasised the need for young stars and individuals with a bit of flare who embody the values of the club.

Barkley doesn’t really fit this description despite his excellent form for Luton this campaign.

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There were incredible scenes at Carrington on Saturday as Manchester United u18s’ substitute keeper Cameron Byrne-Hughes was subbed on to play outfield.

The 16-year-old’s debut for Manchester United’s u18s will go down as a special occasion as it came on the left wing rather than in goal.

With United leading 3-0 over Middlesbrough, Adam Lawrence had already introduced his four outfield substitutes leaving only Byrne-Hughes on the bench when injury struck both Jack Kingdon and Ashton Missin.

Following Kingdon departing with a shoulder injury, Byrne-Hughes was seen delightedly changing to an outfielder kit on the sideline but his introduction was delayed as Lawrence initially opted to allow his side to see out the match with only 10 men.

But with the additional injury to Missin, Lawrence was forced to pull the trigger and hand Byrne-Hughes his debut in the final five minutes.

The natural keeper got straight into the action with a dribbling run down the left wing before slowing down the play and retaining possession with a simple pass.

With only eight natural outfielders on the pitch, United sat back for the dying stages of the match and held onto their clean sheet in a convincing victory that leaves them undefeated in the league.

The sight of a keeper playing outfield is an unimaginably rare occurrence, with the Premier League only ever having had one such occasion.

Famously known, former England international keeper David James was once pulled from goal to move up to play striker for United’s rivals Manchester City in a match coincidentally also against Middlesbrough.

In the last match of the 2004/05 season, manager Stuart Pearce crazily rolled the dice by subbing in substitute keeper Nicky Weaver and moving David James to striker despite having a natural striker on the bench in Jon Macken.

The move ultimately didn’t work out and Manchester City drew the match 1-1, failing to qualify for Europe.

Closer to home, United fans will remember Fabian Barthez’s love for venturing upfield.

In 2001, Alex Ferguson decided to give the French keeper his chance to impress outfield during the club’s pre-season tour of Asia.

Barthez replaced Ruud van Nistelrooy for the final minutes and dazzled the crowd with a quick nutmeg after his first touch.

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🔴🧤 #OnThisDay in 2001: French goalkeeper Fabien Barthez came off the bench for Man Utd while they were winning 7-1, to fill in as a winger…

Lovely nutmeg to be fair!#MUFC | @TheUnitedLink pic.twitter.com/gaJcnnsmqO

— The Sportsman (@TheSportsman) July 24, 2021

Looking further back, United keeper Ray Wood was knocked unconscious and suffered a broken cheekbone in an early collision in the 1957 FA Cup Final. In a time without substitutes, half-back Jackie Blanchflower moved to goal and remarkably despite his injuries Wood later returned to the pitch to play as a winger, although is said to have made little impact understandably.

Joining an illustrious crowd, Byrne-Hughes will be hoping to follow the career trajectory of Barthez and Wood by lifting the Premier League trophy with United.

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Manchester United legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer celebrates his 51st birthday today, 26th February.

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Have a great birthday, Ole! 🎂#MUFC pic.twitter.com/yRwTMuv36S

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) February 26, 2024

The Norwegian is undoubtedly one of the most loved players to have pulled on the red shirt, having scored arguably the most famous goal in the club’s history.

Late in May in 1999, Ole scored a goal in injury time, securing United’s historic Treble-winning campaign.

Solskjaer signed for United in the same summer Alan Shearer moved to Newcastle after infamously turning down Sir Alex Ferguson, in a sequence of events that would change the history of the club.

A £1.5million signing from Molde, Solskjaer came through the doors at Old Trafford without much fanfare, befitting of his humble character.

However, it didn’t take Ole long to leave his mark at the Theatre of Dreams, slamming home a much-needed equaliser against Blackburn Rovers just six minutes into his debut.

The soon-to-be-nicknamed ‘Baby-faced Assassin’ found the net on 18 occasions during his maiden season of a career that ended with 126 goals in 366 appearances for United, which included memorable moments galore.

Outside of his crowning moment in Barcelona, Ole’s long list of unforgettable strikes is plentiful.

His four goals from the bench at Nottingham Forest in an 8-1 away win came in the Treble season, as did his last gasp winner to knock Liverpool out of the FA Cup en route to the final.

A comeback goal against Charlton at the back end of his career after a long term knee injury plagued his final years will also live long in the memory for Ole and United fans.

Solskjaer became the very definition of ‘fans’ favourite’ during his playing days with his love for the club and commitment to the cause shining through.

After retirement in 2007, Ole moved back to his native Norway, taking the head job at Molde, the team where he started his professional journey.

Having secured their first ever league title and defending it the year after, Solskjaer earned himself a decent reputation as a coach and in the winter of 2018 got the call of his dreams.

United had just parted ways with Jose Mourinho and were looking for an interim coach to lift spirits and guide them to the end of the season – something Solskjaer was only too happy to accept.

His interim spell would produce one of his finest moments connected with the club after an improbable and incredible night in Paris secured United passage to the Champions League quarter-final and ultimately Ole the permanent position as United boss.

A second place finish and a heartbreaking Europa League final were the closest Ole got to adding to his list of United honours before he was eventually relieved of his duties in the winter of 2021.

Despite the struggles at the end of his tenure, United did play some outstanding football under the Norwegian which included a club record of 29 away games unbeaten in the league.

United’s current performance levels are only highlighting the style of play Ole implemented, which was perhaps undervalued at the time.

Ole remains a staunch supporter of United and every supporter around the globe will wish him many happy returns and all the best in whatever the future holds for the cult hero.

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Manchester United are set for a busy summer with INEOS taking charge of their first transfer window since taking control of the sporting structure at the club.

However, FFP restrictions are likely to hamper a huge splurge in the market after the club’s reckless overspending in recent years.

Reinforcements are required across the first team squad and INEOS will be looking at potential signings between now and the summer.

Bayern Munich wing back Alphonso Davies is a high-profile name likely to be moving clubs in the upcoming window, having failed to agree an extension to his contract in Germany that expires in 2025.

The German giants will want to cash in on a player who has a huge market value and who would be free to leave for nothing next summer.

United will no doubt be one of many teams interested in signing the electric Canadian who would represent a huge upgrade United’s current options in his position.

Davies can operate anywhere on the left side and given Luke Shaw’s continued injury woes and lack of depth in attacking areas, the 23-year-old would certainly bolster the quality in United’s squad.

However, with United currently struggling for form in the Premier League and crashing out of the Champions League with a whimper, it’s hard to see Erik ten Hag’s side being at the top of Davies’ wish list.

Unfortunately, United are falling behind the leading lights across Europe which is going to affect them going into the transfer market.

Furthermore, with Champions League qualification unlikely, United will be even tighter on funds in the the summer window, leaving a big bid for Davies even more improbable.

As reported by as.com, Bayern legend Steffen Effenberg believes Real Madrid is the most likely destination for the player. Effenberg feels Davies feels has had his head turned by the Spanish giants.

“If Alphonso Davies thinks about Real Madrid, then feel it. He is no longer at Bayern with his heart, passion and soul,” said Effenberg.

With Madrid showing interest, it makes it even more difficult for United, or anyone else, to get a look in, with the lure of plating for the 14 time European Cup winners often too much for players to turn down.

In all, it would be a major shock to see Davies turn out at Old Trafford next season but he would represent a major coup for the new regime if they can somehow tempt him to Manchester.