Category: Football

6

Paris Saint-Germain are still in the running to sign Marcus Rashford from Manchester United this summer, sports journalist Ben Jacobs has warned.

As relayed by The Peoples Person, the Ligue 1 giants expressed an interest Rashford during the past summer transfer window following his standout performance last season during which he scored 30 goals in all competitions.

Instead, the Parisians were left disappointed when the England international decided to instead sign a new deal with United. But while Rashford’s commitment to Erik ten Hag’s team was a welcome development, this season has proven to be a trying time in the 26 year old’s career, with things not going to plan for both the player and the club.

While Rashford and United have battled on the pitch during much if not most of the current campaign, the star winger’s behaviour off the pitch has only added to United’s woes. Aside from controversially hosting a birthday party hours after United’s bitter 3-0 loss to Manchester City earlier this season, Rashford was also found guilty of going on a tequila bender, subsequently missing United’s training ahead of their FA Cup tie against Newport County.

Unlike the Jadon Sancho controversy, however, Rashford’s came to a satisfactory conclusion, with the 26 year old owning up to his mistakes and ultimately being welcomed back into the fold by Erik ten Hag following their reconciliation.

Since then, Rashford has been reinstated as the club’s starting left winger. While his performances have been rocky, he scored the crucial opening goal in a thrilling 4-3 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers right in his first game back since the controversy.

But while he may not yet be back to his peak form for United, this has apparently not dissuaded PSG from considering making a bid for Rashford when the summer transfer window opens.

Yesterday, Jacobs told CaughtOffside that there is still a very real chance that the Parisian club may look to swipe Rashford away from Old Trafford despite his commitment to United.

“Marcus Rashford is also a historical PSG target. The club were keen prior to Rashford extending his stay at Old Trafford, but after taking meetings in Paris they felt they were being used as leverage,” the sports journalist explained. For the reigning Ligue 1 champions, talent is not the only thing they’re looking for from Rashford.

Jacobs explained that the club remains aware that Kylian Mbappe’s future is still uncertain, meaning that a replacement should be found in case the Frenchman decides to depart Paris. Rafael Leao and Benjamin Sesko were also named as possible replacements.

Ultimately, the journalist believes that any potential move would hinge on Rashford’s desires, explaining: “Rashford would first have to indicate he has changed his stance on leaving otherwise PSG don’t want to waste time trying for a transfer without clear player buy-in.”

Still, with the transfer window not set to reopen until the summer, Rashford has the rest of the season still to focus on, with an impressive performance on the pitch crucial for the player no matter whether he decides to continue building his career at Old Trafford or secure a big-money move.

6

Brentford manager, Thomas Frank, has admitted that Manchester United target, Ivan Toney, will most likely be sold in the summer.

Speaking to Danish outlet, Tipsbladet, Frank claimed “it is relatively obvious that Ivan Toney will probably be sold this summer”.

However, the Brentford coach warned that this does not mean the player will come cheap.

“We also know what he is worth. I don’t think there are many strikers in the world who are better than him right now. He is a really skilled striker who is in his prime football age. Personally, as a coach, I would prefer to keep Toney but one day it could be fun to see him in a top team”.

The Brentford boss asserted that the club actually received no bids for the player in the January window despite a lot of speculation “but it will surprise me if there aren’t a lot of clubs that will be interested in him”.

The English forward had a wonderful season last year, scoring 20 Premier League goals, however things turned sour for him when he was banned for eight months for breaching FA rules around betting.

The 27 year old returned in January and scored a free kick in Brentford’s win over Nottingham Forest.

The striker has been rumoured to be a target for bigger clubs for a long time as United, Arsenal and Tottenham have all been linked with a move for him.

However, at one point it seemed that Brentford may have actually succeeded in keeping the player at the club has reports emerged that they were confident of tying the player down to a new deal.

Nonetheless, the striker had his say with an interview with Sky Sports where he claimed, “you can never predict when is the right time to move elsewhere but I think it’s obvious I want to play for a top club. Everybody wants to play for a top club that is fighting for titles”.

The Peoples Person has also recently given its view on the matter claiming that the striker should be United’s “undisputed number one target” for the strikers’ department.

With the player and now seemingly club open to a move, it may just come into fruition. The deal would certainly fall in line with INEOS’ strategy of signing British based players who have performed well in the Premier League.

3

Some members of Manchester United staff have revealed the stark differences so far between Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the much-maligned Glazer family.

This comes as Ratcliffe closes in on the ratification of his partial investment into the club by the Premier League.

The deal will see the British businessman granted full control of the club’s sporting operations, which he intends to subject to a radical overhaul.

Soon after the confirmation on Christmas Eve that Ratcliffe had struck an agreement with the Glazers, the petrochemicals billionaire and some of his most trusted allies and confidants held a series of meetings with club staff.

In these conversations, Ratcliffe and INEOS explained their vision and objectives going forward.

The talks were described as a breath of fresh air and very encouraging.

A number of United staffers spoke to ESPN and revealed the exact nature of what was said and even outlined the very notable differences between Ratcliffe and the Glazers.

One insider said, “Everyone left the room feeling 10-foot tall. All we have heard for years has been about cutbacks and engagement targets, so to hear somebody tell us that we are going to be a football club again was long overdue and a refreshing change. It was also nice to be in the same room as the person in charge. That has never happened with the Glazers.”

Another remarked, “Sir Jim said that we were as important to the club’s success as the players. He said that the club couldn’t move forward and succeed without us all working together, as one, and that we were all part of the same team with the sole objective of making everything better.”

Mark Ogden notes how different the perception of the Glazers is in England compared to their home country. They’re adored by Bucs fans in Tampa Bay, who apparently say “they brought hope” to the NFL franchise.

The Glazers bought the Bucs in 1995 from an unpopular owner and immediately invested in the team. They also built a new training centre and pumped funds into improving the stadium.

The Bucs won the Superbowl LV in 2021 after securing the services of legendary quarterback Tom Brady.

Darcie Glazer is known to host several parties and social gatherings related to the Bucs – a far cry from how she and her family have treated United since they arrived in 2005.

An insider at United relayed, “Sir Jim and his team were really positive when they spoke to us.” Another one added, ” Without saying it directly, they were saying, ‘We know it’s a bit s—, but we can make it better if we all work together.’ It was inspiring to listen to.”

Hopefully, the Ratcliffe era marks a much-needed departure from what everyone has grown accustomed to under the Glazers. Already, the early signs are promising.

3

TV presenter Richard Keys has strongly hinted that Jose Mourinho orchestrated his own sacking from Manchester United.

Keys went on to state that Mourinho knew he would be fired by the club weeks before he was officially relieved of his duties.

Mourinho was let go by the Red Devils in 2018 after a run of poor results. The final nail in the coffin was a disastrous loss at the hands of Liverpool.

His final days at Old Trafford were marred by dressing room unrest and publicly falling out with multiple stars.

In particular, Mourinho clashed with Paul Pogba. Fractures in his relationship with the Frenchman started appearing when the World Cup winner was stripped of the vice-captaincy.

The two were later filmed having a heated disagreement at the club’s training ground.

At United, the Portuguese coach won a Europa League and EFL Cup double during the 2016/17 campaign. He won 84 of his 144 matches in charge.

After vacating his post with the Red Devils, successive spells followed at Tottenham Hotpur and AS Roma. Both tenures ended in failure for Mourinho, who is now out of a job.

A previous report covered by The Peoples Person relayed that after his sacking at Roma, the 61-year-old is interested in a return to United as a possible replacement for Erik ten Hag.

Apparently, Mourinho feels he has unfinished business with the 20-time English champions.

Keys compared current under-fire Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino to Mourinho’s time at United. Chelsea were of course beaten 4-2 by Wolves last weekend.

The Blues are in turmoil and pressure is mounting on Pochettino to mastermind an upturn in fortunes or else he could be gone sooner rather than later

Keys explained that much like Mourinho when he was at United, Pochettino appeared flat and out of ideas during his side’s clash vs. Wolves.

The TV Presenter then gave some very interesting details of a previous private conversation he held with Mourinho.

“Jose Mourinho once called Arsene Wenger ‘an expert in failure’. The irony is that it was Mourinho who went on to become the expert – racking up £80m in pay-offs!”

“His latest sacking in Rome followed the usual pattern – row, rant, then retreat with the money.”

“He once told me he knew he’d be sacked at United for leaving Pogba out of three consecutive games – at a time when the Frenchman’s stock was at its highest. All planned. And it worked perfectly. He wanted the sack. He got it.”

Keys added, “Never mind that he went on to say that his biggest regret at Old Trafford wasn’t that he should have left at the end of the first season – but taking the job in the first place. How does that sit with those suggesting he’s got ‘unfinished business’ at United?”

The 66-year-old pointed out a scenario in which Mourinho could go back to Stamford Bridge if Pochettino were to leave.

7

Manchester United are poised to face Nottingham Forest in the fifth round of the FA Cup.

United advanced to the next stage of the competition following their January victory against Newport County at Rodney Parade.

Erik ten Hag’s men were forced to wait a bit longer to learn their actual opponents as Forest and Championship side Bristol City needed to play out a replay game.

The original meeting at Ashton Gate ended 0-0.

In a replay clash on Wednesday evening, Forest won on penalties to set up a match vs. United at the City Ground.

Divock Origi gave Forest the lead in the eighth minute but Bristol restored parity just six minutes later through Jason Knight.

The rest of the proceedings including extra time yielded nothing and so it went into a penalty shootout.

United’s away tie vs. Nuno Espirito Santo’s side is scheduled to take place on Wednesday 28 February at 19:45 GMT.

Should the Red Devils get past Forest and further progress in the FA Cup, their Premier League home game against Sheffield United on Saturday 16 March will be postponed.

This is because the FA Cup quarter-finals will be played on that weekend.

Last year, United came up against Forest five times. The 20-time English champions won four of these encounters although Forest won the most recent one at Old Trafford on 30 December.

Goals from Nicolas Dominguez and Morgan Gibbs-White sunk United 2-1. Ten Hag and his players have the chance to inflict revenge on their opponents and knock them out of a domestic tournament.

The Dutch coach previously stated that the FA Cup represents United’s best chance of lifting silverware and salvaging what has otherwise been a very disappointing season.

5

A video has emerged on social media seemingly leaking how Manchester United’s home and away kits for the 2024/25 season will look like.

The rumoured kits appear like they’ll finally have the Snapdragon logo for the first time.

Last year, United confirmed that they signed a lucrative sponsorship deal with U.S-based firm Qualcomm to put the company’s Snapdragon brand on the front of the club’s iconic jerseys.

Qualcomm will replace Teamviewer as the Red Devils’ front-of-shirt sponsor. It’s thought to be the largest jersey deal in football at more than the $80 million a year General Motors paid before TeamViewer.

It was relayed that the arrangement would take effect for the 2024/25 season and according to the leaked kits, it seems that this will certainly be the case.

The away kit is dark blue with red Adidas stripes.

The home jersey is obviously red and boasts of black stripes.

It’s important to note that there is no official confirmation that these kits will actually be the ones worn by the players next term.

They could also be early drafts or prototypes of several options under consideration.

At first glance, they give a strong impression of United’s iconic United’s 2002/03 shirts that featured the Vodafone sponsor logo.

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Classic. pic.twitter.com/e1ErOWAMLT

— Alex Turk (@AlexCTurk) February 7, 2024

That season, Sir Alex Ferguson’s men overcame an eight-point deficit from defending champions Arsenal to wrest back the title and lift the Premier League trophy.

Ruud van Nistelrooy finished as the campaign’s top scorer with an incredible 25 goals. The Dutchman also won the Player of the Season award with Fergie scooping up the Manager of the Season prize.

The major difference between the leaked kit and the shirt worn in 2022/23 is that the former will be made by Adidas as opposed to Nike which made the latter.

4

Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s 25% stake in Manchester United hasn’t even been ratified and yet, it can be argued that more changes have been brought about under them than in the previous decade of Glazer ownership.

The boyhood United fan has been extremely involved in the process.

Be it taking meetings, talking to fans about their concerns or taking on the Old Trafford project hands-on, it’s been a whirlwind few weeks.

The INEOS revolution is now gathering pace as Manchester Evening News reports Ratcliffe recently had another visit to Carrington.

His team was in Manchester to attend the Munich Memorial on February 6 but chose to make even better use of his time.

Therefore, a day before the memorial service, he visited Carrington and led a new round of meetings at the club.

Unsurprising to anyone who has seen how they operate so far, Sir Dave Brailsford accompanied him on this visit as well.

It is his third visit to the club in just over a month and this one, as per the report’s source, was him “getting down to business” and accelerating plans for when they get regulatory approval.

Currently, his team are doing a thorough audit of the existing structure at the club.

Therefore, their presence is paramount to getting the nuts and bolts tightened in a process that has clearly come in for a lot of criticism.

Consequently, the report states that Ratcliffe has been so involved in the process that when he is not at Carrington, United staff flies to Monaco to keep him in the loop.

Recently, The Peoples Person relayed a report that so huge has the scale of upheaval been that some at United are in the dark over INEOS’ plans.

More meetings with the chief decision maker will hopefully go a long way towards providing clarity regarding the same as United finally starts taking steps to shed itself from Glazers’ ownership malaise.

4

Former Manchester United academy product, James Weir, has been forced to retire due to injury.

The Preston born midfielder is only 28 years of age but has decided he can no longer continue owing to his injury problems that have plagued him throughout his career.

Posting on his personal Instagram, the former United man reflected on his career and thanked those involved in helping him break through into professional football.

The announcement comes after a long-running series of injuries that restricted him to just 26 league appearances since 2021.

The midfield man began his career at Preston’s youth team but made the switch to the Red Devils’ academy at the age of 13.

Weir rose through the ranks, playing for the under 18s and the under 23s. He would only ever make one appearance for the senior team, coming on as substitute in United’s 3-2 win versus Arsenal in 2015.

A game famed for another academy graduate’s announcement on the Premier League stage when a certain Marcus Rashford scored a brace on his league debut.

Weir would only play for 60 seconds as he came on as a 95th minute replacement for Ander Herrera and recently claimed in an interview with The Manchester Evening News, “I can tell my children and grandchildren that I played for Manchester United in the Premier League – although I may not mention the one-minute bit!”.

The academy product was one of many unexpected players who would make their United bow under the stewardship of Louis van Gaal.

Names such as Paddy McNair, Donald Love, Tyler Blackett and Cameron Borthwick-Jackson would all find game time during the Champions League winner’s reign.

The central midfielder, who played for England U19s, joined Hull and then had spells at Wigan and Bolton before heading to the continent, where he would don the colours of Slovakian team, Pohronie and Hungarian side, MTK Budapest.

His well-travelled career would see him finally play for FC Vion Zlate Moravce in Slovakia once more, before calling time on his career at only 28.

However, a cruciate ligament injury sustained in December 2021 would sideline him for 566 days and effectively end his playing career well before he hit his thirties.

Everyone in the Manchester United community will surely wish him a successful post-playing career.

4

Manchester United’s wretched first half of the season has left them with a mountain to climb to finish in the top four of the Premier League.

Erik ten Hag’s side have enjoyed somewhat of a return to form since the turn of the year but are still eight points behind fourth place – in 6th position.

However, changes to next year’s qualification rules mean that fifth place may be enough to secure a ticket to Europe’s elite competition.

With the Champions League adding an extra four teams next year, UEFA will be handing the spots to leagues who perform well in this year’s European tournaments.

United have blown their chance to leave their mark on the continent, having been dumped out at the group stage, earlier in the campaign.

Newcastle also fell at the first hurdle so United, and others, will be relying on England’s remaining representatives to go all the way in order to be granted the extra place.

This means Liverpool could be one of the sides to do United a major favour in qualifying for next year’s Champions League by getting to the latter stages of the Europa League, as reported by the Liverpool Echo.

Jurgen Klopp will be desperate to bow out of Anfield with a bang and winning another European trophy would be a fitting way to end his reign at the club.

United fans were left delighted at the news the German coach will be leaving Liverpool at the end of this season after the outstanding job he has done with their bitter rivals.

But, there could now be a scenario which sees United fans backing Liverpool success in order for them to sneak into Europe’s big time, next year.

However, United still have a lot of work to do before they can be thinking about any such issues, with Ten Hag’s men needing a big push to get into the top five.

Aston Villa and Tottenham are the two teams United will have their eye on. They lie eight and six points behind the pair who sit in 4th and 5th, respectively.

United travel to play an injury-hit Villa side at Villa Park this Sunday in what looks like a crunch game in the race for the top spots.

1

Former Manchester United CEO, David Gill, has claimed that Manchester United were never really that close to signing the legendary Ronaldinho in 2003.

Gill was speaking on Rio Ferdinand’s VIBE with FIVE podcast and when asked about the move for the Brazilian star he claimed, “to me, we were never that close. You could assess it, because I was involved”.

It is part of United folklore that United were inches away from signing the Brazil international before he ultimately signed for Barcelona.

Many fans of the Red Devils console themselves with the fact that even if they missed out on the opportunity to see Ronaldinho’s samba skills in the Premier League, the club ended up signing Cristiano Ronaldo later in that summer.

Gill continued the story by claiming, “we went over to Paris and met with his brother Roberto Assis, who was his agent”.

“We discussed it, then Peter [Kenyon] and I met them at Manchester Airport. We went through and did all the numbers. . .and Peter went back to Old Trafford [while] I looked after them and took them to their flight etc., and I just didn’t get a good vibe”.

Nonetheless, the former executive did let slip that a deal could have been done if it hadn’t been for Barcelona’s interest in the player.

“Barcelona were in there, and I’d done enough deals to know when you’re buying someone, ‘You really want to come here, don’t you?’”.

“I just felt if Barcelona hadn’t have been there, we’d have got him. But Barcelona were clearly his first choice, you know … we had the deal done, the numbers were done, so I don’t think it was anything we did wrong. It was just Barcelona came along”.

All sides miss out on top players, but the inclusion of Ronaldinho in a team with Ryan Giggs, Roy Keane, Paul Scholes and Ruud van Nistelrooy to name a few would have been a mouth-watering proposition.

Speaking on the incident last month, the former Brazilian international stated, “it almost happened with United. It was a matter of 48 hours, but Rosell had told me way before I got the offer: ‘If I become Barca president, will you come?’ I said yes”.

The Ballon d’Or winner went on to claim, “it was only a matter of details with United when Rosell called to say he was going to win the election there. And I had promised to him that ‘I’d play for Barca”.