Category: Football

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Manchester United’s feeble attempts at resistance were ended by Manchester City in the second half with the defending champions claiming a 3-1 win in the Manchester derby on Sunday.

Erik ten Hag’s deluded comments at the end of the game could not hide the fact that the gulf in class was there for all to see. The Red Devils can point to injuries but not showing any courage and just wilting under pressure has been a constant theme this season.

Apart from an eighth minute stunner, Marcus Rashford struggled throughout the game and even fluffed two presentable chances in the first half.

The Dutchman later revealed he was playing through the pain barrier at the Etihad and that is why he had to be taken off in the second half.

United’s striker woes

That is not great news considering Rasmus Hojlund’s muscle injury and with Anthony Martial also out, the manager has no other specialist option at his disposal.

He could play Amad Diallo, Scott McTominay or Omari Forson as a false nine but it is clear to see why the Dutchman has been begging for additions up front since the summer.

The Dane, who recently turned 21, is just in his first season at Old Trafford and there is far too much pressure on his young shoulders. He needs help in the summer.

According to The Independent, the 20-time English league champions could be set to return for last summer target Victor Osimhen, who is said to have a €110m release clause in his current contract.

It is still a huge amount of money and INEOS do have plans of recruiting young talents but the opportunity to bring in someone who has proven to be elite while being of the right profile in terms of age and tactical ability could be too good to turn down.

As Miguel Delaney makes it clear, Arsenal and Chelsea were said to be frontrunners but the changed landscape at United following INEOS’ arrival could swing things in United’s favour.

However, their main rival seems to be Paris Saint-Germain who are about to lose Kylian Mbappe in the summer. And they need a star up front who can smash in the goals. Who better than last season’s Serie A top-scorer?

INEOS’ entry could serve as catalyst for Osimhen chase

“Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United are emerging as two of the main contenders to land the signature of Napoli’s Victor Osimhen this summer, with both clubs keen to make different statements in the transfer market.

“Interest remains, particularly among Chelsea and Arsenal, but changed situations at both PSG and United mean they are set to become big challengers.”

The Nigerian has 13 goals and four assists this time around, not as impressive as last season, but Napoli have really struggled this time around but he remains their top scorer.

United certainly do need a lethal frontman but whether the new co-owners will agree to such an exorbitant spend will be interesting to see. Napoli are known for being lethal when it comes to extracting the best price for their stars.

1

Liverpool’s academy star Luca Furnell-Gill has been handed a lengthy suspension after his involvement in a controversial encounter during the game against Manchester United’s U18 team.

The feisty meeting between the two rivals ended in a 4-3 win for United u18s at the end of January.

But the victory was marred in controversy with Furnell-Gill seen hitting Ethan Wheatley on two separate occasions, neither of which were penalised at the time by the referee.

The Liverpool Echo now report the Liverpool defender has been “banned for five games by the Football Association after accepting the claim of violent conduct”.

The first encounter occurred in the build up to United’s third goal of the match.

While following Wheatley in the play, Furnell-Gill jumped in the air to spin and punch the United attacker in the face.

Erupting screams could be heard from the United staff after the attack explaining that the played had been punched but both the players only received a talking to from the referee.

The encounter wasn’t done there though as the pair came to blows again later on when Furnell-Gill aimed an elbow into the face of Wheatley while tussling off the ball on the edge of the box.

Surprisingly the elbow seemed to be spotted by the assistant referee who immediately waved his flag but again nothing more than a talking to was given as a result.

The Liverpool defender has not appeared for his club since the match and is said to regret his actions.

The Liverpool Echo also added that Liverpool’s “academy director Alex Inglethorpe contacted Manchester United counterparts the morning after the game to apologise.”

Despite the controversy on the day, Wheatley still managed to score one goal as United secured the three points and continue to remain unbeaten in the league.

Wheatley didn’t let the moment get to him and has been having a very impressive season with 15 goals in all competitions, including another two goals on the weekend as United secured their place in the finals of the u18s Premier League Cup with a 5-0 demolition of Crystal Palace.

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Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly stepped up their interest in Sporting Lisbon star and reported Manchester United target Morten Hjulmand and have even scouts to closely monitor him.

Last month, a report covered by The Peoples Person relayed that Hjulmand is admired at United, ahead of the summer transfer window.

The midfield is an area of the pitch the Red Devils could be forced to address especially if Casemiro leaves the club.

It’s believed that new co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is eager to get rid of the Brazilian in an effort to offload his hefty wages from the books.

Should Ratcliffe succeed in ending Casemiro’s stay at United, the five-time Champions League will certainly need to be replaced.

The 20-time English champions are thought to have proposed the idea of including Facundo Pellistri in a deal to lure Hjulmand to join their ranks but Sporting Lisbon rejected it.

The Liga NOS giants are only keen on a cash deal and will demand that Hjulmand’s £69 million release clause is triggered.

It was subsequently relayed that United entered “formal talks” with Ruben Amorim’s side over the services of the midfield star.

According to The Sun, United may face competition from Tottenham Hotspur in the race to land Hjulmand.

The newspaper reveals that the North London outfit want the 24-year-old, who is apparently a self-confessed Arsenal fan.

“Spurs are claimed to have sent scouts to watch the midfielder in action.”

“Hjulmand, 24, has made no secret of his Arsenal obsession, however, and even has their crest tattooed on his upper left arm.”‘

Representatives from Tottenham were present during Sporting’s 2-1 win against Benfica on Thursday. Hjulmand impressed on that occasion and was one of the standout performers.

It’s believed that the English club “could launch a summer bid” for the player as they seek to procure upgrades on Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Oliver Skipp.

The Sun adds that as a kid, Hjulmand idolised Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira.

All signs point to the likelihood of United having a fight on their hands to beat other interested parties to Hjulmand’s signature in a few months.

Whether his Arsenal obsession proves to be a hindering factor remains to be seen.

2

Manchester United have been playing without a specialist right-winger throughout the season with off-field controversies limiting the options at Erik ten Hag’s disposal.

Recently, Alejandro Garnacho has been shunted out to the right wing and the young Argentine has made the most out of an unfavourable situation but he is much more accomplished down the left.

Omari Forson was also tried for a game while Amad Diallo has made a few cameo appearances. But neither has been trusted to get the job done consistently.

Facundo Pellistri’s future seems to lie away from Old Trafford as does the futures of Jadon Sancho and Antony. The Brazilian has managed a solitary goal and assist and has been one of the worst-ever club signing in history.

As for the England international, this was supposed to be the season where he truly made a mark for the red team in Manchester but his ego got in the way ultimately.

Sancho’s season thus far

Ten Hag, who supported him last season and even allowed him a break to rejuvenate mentally, called him out for his below-par training displays.

And the attacker retaliated by accusing the manager on social media of making him a scapegoat while also implying that the manager provided preferential treatment to certain players.

The former City academy graduate refused to apologise and he was banished from the first team. Things got so bad that United agreed to send him out on loan where they paid a majority of his wages.

Sancho once again arrived at Borussia Dortmund with United’s thought process being the Englishman would rediscover his form and they could sell him at a higher price.

But after a blistering start, Sancho has once again flattered to deceive with German media attacking his performances while club legends do not feel he is up to the standards required.

As for the player himself, he does not envisage a return to Old Trafford and Dortmund would like to use this to their advantage and hope for a reduced fee should United sell.

As per the latest HITC Football report, Dortmund not only do not want to pay an exorbitant transfer fee, they would like to keep the United winger on loan for another season with an option to buy him outright for a fixed fee.

“HITC understands that United and Dortmund are due to hold talks over the future of Sancho in the coming weeks. Sources have told HITC that United have made it clear to Sancho and his representatives that they believe a sale this summer would be the ideal scenario. The England international winger is understood to be in agreement.

New Dortmund offer

“Sancho is looking to rebuild his career at Dortmund, who are keen on keeping him beyond the end of the season. However, sources have told HITC that Dortmund are ideally looking for another season-long deal with an option to make it permanent.”

This shows that Sancho has not impressed the Bundesliga giants enough to warrant heavy expenditure in the summer. They are still not too sure of where the player stands and want another loan instead.

The proposed offer is also expected not to carry an obligation to buy but an option and this goes to show how far Sancho’s stock has fallen.

While a fee has not been mentioned, it is unlikely the 20-time English champions can recoup anywhere close to the €85 million they paid back in 2021.

INEOS are looking at a summer clearout and they plan to utilise the fee for strengthening the squad. Loaning Sancho is not part of that plan. And they should not bend their will to player pressure under any circumstances.

3

Manchester United players looked scared to touch the ball as they succumbed 1-3 to Manchester City in Sunday’s Manchester Derby at the Etihad.

There was no conviction in the team’s play with manager Erik ten Hag sounding more and more deluded by the day as he claimed the team was close to claiming a victory.

Despite such a lot being spent on recruitment, the gulf in class in quality of both first team squads were there for all to see and if Sir Jim Ratcliffe is to knock City off their perch, he will need to get this aspect right.

That is exactly why his first port of call has been to try and fix the broken system in place at the club under the Glazers who have never cared about the club’s on-field prospects.

Major plans in place under INEOS

A new CEO is already on his way while it is only a matter of time before Dan Ashworth joins as the Sporting Director. And according to Inter Live, he already has his eyes on two players who can come in and instantaneously improve the squad.

INEOS have plans for a summer clearout and the defence and midfield are in need of a revamp with Raphael Varane’s current deal coming to an end in June along with Jonny Evans.

Both Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof could yet be sold and finding a partner for Lisandro Martinez will be key if the Red Devils want to do well.

Same goes for the midfield with both Casemiro and Christian Eriksen struggling in the manager’s current system and a faster and more energetic option is required.

Ashworth had been planning to try and add Gleison Bremer and Nicolo Barella to Newcastle’s armoury but now that he is set to jump ship to Old Trafford, the duo will be targeted for United.

“The plan will be to send Juventus an offer of 60 million euros for Gleison Bremer. 80 million euros. This is the figure that Erik ten Hag’s team could end up placing on Inter’s table in the summer for Nicolo Barella.

“Both at the explicit request of Dan Ashworth, naturally in the event of the actual arrival of the current Newcastle Sporting Director as head of the Red Devils’ management.”

Ashworth’s plan

The 27-year-old midfielder has made 35 appearances in all competitions with Inter comfortably leading Serie A. He has scored twice while registering five assists.

Last season, he had registered nine goals and 10 assists in 52 appearances and was Inter’s second-highest assist-giver and fourth-highest goalscorer.

The European champion can play all across the midfield and his goalscoring and creative prowess could work a charm for Ten Hag in his high transition system.

As for the Brazilian, he has kept an impressive 13 clean sheets in 27 games and has been part of the Serie A team of the season for the last two years in a row, such has been his consistency.

4

Former Manchester United Champions League winner, Anderson, has completely stepped away from football and he is now the proud owner of an impressive herd of cattle.

The Brazilian international was a cult hero at United for his cheeky personality and incredible penalty in the shootout in the 2008 Champions League final, which saw the Red Devils’ claim their third European Cup.

Signed from Porto in 2007, the youngster made a positive impression in his first season at Old Trafford as the club won the Premier League and Champions League double.

However, the player’s time at the club would be clouded with his constant injury problems and jokes about his weight issues.

Consequently, the Brazilian midfielder could only manage to play 181 times for the Red Devils in eight seasons at the club.

He did however enjoy a trophy-laden spell, winning four Premier League trophies, a FIFA World Club cup, a Champions League and a League Cup during his time in England.

The player finally finished his playing career at Adana Demirspor in Turkey in 2020 at only 31 years old.

Interestingly, it has been revealed on former England international Peter Crouch’s podcast that Anderson has taken a rather atypical career move for a former professional sports star.

Commenting on a story that Rio Ferdinand had told him one day, the podcast host claimed that Anderson told his former teammate, “I’m going to earn enough money so I can buy 50 cows in Brazil”.

“He did and I believe now he has got hundreds of cows”.

“It’s what he wanted to achieve – he could have a farm.”

Crouch revealed Anderson’s business venture was something to do with producing high quality steaks.

The former Liverpool striker’s co-hosts did not believe him, so he sent a message to Rio Ferdinand and he replied, “Yeah he did, he used to buy cows”.

“I remember once we were talking about investing and he came in with the shout from the wide left, as random as you’d ever know: ‘Cows is a good market to get into’”.

“He’s buying f—ing cows man, I couldn’t believe it. That’s what he is into”.

“I think he has done all right you know, loads of people eat cows don’t they.”

5

Manchester United ended up surrendering meekly to Manchester City in the Manchester derby and were on the receiving end of a 1-3 scoreline at the Etihad on Sunday.

The result did not reveal the full picture as the visitors were by far the poorer team on the day even though they did take the lead.

Marcus Rashford’s eighth minute screamer aside, the Red Devils had very few chances of note and looked like a team that had come looking for a way to somehow escape with a point.

There was no real conviction and the players looked like they were scared to touch the ball and nobody showed the courage to hold on to the ball and play football.

Gulf in class

The gulf in class was there for all to see and while it did look like Erik ten Hag would slowly close the gap after a promising first season, this campaign the plan has gone for a toss and the team have regressed further than they have ever been.

Casemiro, who had a decent game against Pep Guardiola’s side, stated begrudgingly that Manchester City are the team to beat and the 20-time English league champions need to try and mirror what City have done in recent seasons.

“That is the big objective, we also have to be humble to accept that they are at the moment, not in history, as the history of Manchester United speaks for itself, but they are today the team to beat. Everyone wants to beat City.

“We have a mirror here, which is City, and they have been doing a great job,” the midfield general told ESPN Brasil.

The former Real Madrid superstar revealed that the plan was to try and hit City on the break and while United did create a few half-chances, it was nowhere near enough on a difficult day.

“We started well. We know that City like to have control of the game, but we were always comfortable. Of course, when they press you, they always create opportunities, but we also had some opportunities to make counterattacks. It ended up that We went back to the 2nd half and conceded the goal very early,” he argued.

Injuries have played a major role

“Afterwards, we tried to have a few more counterattacks to play, as this was our proposal, a challenge for us to play like this, on the counterattack, and unfortunately it didn’t fit. We ended up conceding two more goals on a pitch that is very difficult to play on,” he pointed out.

Injuries to key players like Lisandro Martinez and Rasmus Hojlund have not helped and the Brazilian made it clear that it was no excuse for so many poor games but the scale of the injury crisis has been quite unprecedented.

“It’s difficult… Especially at a club like United, you always end up having this ‘excuse’, as we say in Brazil, but it’s the truth. Every year, there are more than eight, 10 injuries. It’s difficult, it’s always making it difficult,” he said.

“We had several important players out today, like Rasmus (Højlund). When you play for Manchester United, you have to have an important group, but when you lose so many players like that, you always end up feeling it. We are trying, we are working hard and we are trying to do my best to be as high as possible in the table”, he added.

The hope that fans and it seems players have as well is for INEOS to fix this once-great institution that has been left to rot by the Glazers.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe is planning to change the structure at the club and he has already spoken to the players and it seems for the first time in a long time, there is genuine optimism surrounding the future.

Future under INEOS

The British billionaire has already insisted that his aim is to knock City off their perch and Casemiro is hopeful that such a future will come to pass.

“And of course, when people from outside arrive, who want to add and evolve the club’s level, it is always important. It is very clear that the company [ INEOS ] and the new owners want to do this.

“We have a mirror here, which is City, which has been doing a great job. I hope they [ new owners ] arrive and grow together with us, as it is important for the club to have people who want to grow here,” he concluded.

Whether he remains to see that future remains up in the air with INEOS keen on getting rid of his high wages with the new minority owners said to be unimpressed with the money the club threw at the Brazil international to make him come to Old Trafford in 2022.

9

Manchester United loanee, Facundo Pellistri, suffered an afternoon to forget on the Spanish east coast.

Granada were humiliated 5-1 against Villarreal, and in truth, were never in the contest.

The loan move started out so well with the player’s heroics in Barcelona, where he scored one and assisted another in a highly credible 3-3 draw for the Nazaríes.

However, he has not been able to repeat such performances and his last two appearances have been a disappointment to say the least.

Despite edging the possession, the Andalusians had only three shots on target in comparison to the yellow submarine’s ten.

Villarreal raced into a three goal lead in the first half and scored two more in the second, before substitute Theo Corbeanu scored a 91st minute consolation.

United’s Uruguayan winger was never really involved in the game, as his team carried very little threat going forward.

Sofascore gave Pellistri a humble 6.4 rating for his afternoon’s work.

The Uruguay international played 82 minutes before being subbed off towards the end of the encounter.

He did not manage any shots on target and finished the match with an incredibly low 0.15 expected assists.

The tricky winger was also unable to influence the game with his dribbling, as only one out of three attempts proved to be successful.

The former Peñarol attacker was also wasteful with a passing accuracy of 72% and losing possession 18 times for his side.

The young winger was able to put in a shift defensively as he made one clearance and had two interceptions for his side.

The loss was Granada’s 16th of the season and they are now ten points from safety, as they are staring down the barrel of relegation from the top division in Spain.

The team from Andalusia and Pellistri will hope they can bounce back next time out against Real Sociedad at home.

2

Manchester United are in the middle of a full-blown crisis at the back with manager Erik ten Hag forced into defensive alterations every game.

The worst-affected spot is full-back with the Dutchman only having Diogo Dalot as the club’s only fit defender at the moment.

Luke Shaw could be out for the season while Tyrell Malacia’s pre-season injury is yet to subside. The manager decided Alvaro Fernandez was not good enough while Sergio Reguilon’s loan was also cut short.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s injury has complicated matters even further and for the last few games, Sofyan Amrabat and Victor Lindelof have shared the role and have failed miserably.

International future

Without a fit senior option, the Dutch manager has called up highly-rated Harry Amass and Habeeb Ogunneye for training and it seems the latter is in the middle of a tug-of-war for his international allegiance.

The 18-year-old, who was on the bench for the Manchester Derby and the FA Cup game against Nottingham Forest, is an England U17 international while he also qualifies for Nigeria.

According to The Manchester Evening News, England want to ensure he stays in the system with England U21 manager Lee Carsley identifying him as a “possible future star”.

“An 18-year-old player at Manchester United is already being eyed by England as a potential future star – if the Three Lions can stop him from representing Nigeria instead.

“Ogunneye has played for England U17s three times. However, he also has Nigerian roots and could play for the Super Eagles. This means that England will want to keep him in their international youth system, hoping to see how he develops through the age groups.”

Who is Habeeb Ogunneye?

The London-born star is yet another United academy talent whose international future is the subject of attention with Kobbie Mainoo’s future the topic of debate last month.

Ogunneye plays mainly as a right-back but is said to have ambitions of playing as an attacking wing-back, a role very much in fashion nowadays and hence Ten Hag looking at him.

His debut, if it materialises, would allow Dalot to shift to the left, where is has handled himself effectively, and would lead to much better balance. But so far, Ten Hag has refrained from throwing the youngster into the deep end.

The defender had made his U18 debut back when he was just 15, that too in a Manchester derby. In his first start for the side, he registered an assist. He has broken through to the club’s U21 side and has played five times for them at right back.

Ogunneye signed his first professional contract at United in 2022 and is yet another example of United’s academy producing a bright generation of footballers.

41

Score an early goal out of nowhere, settle back and play for a result while hoping for a chance on the counter.

That was Erik ten Hag’s game plan for Manchester City and it was almost working too, even after Phil Foden scored one of his own “out of nowhere”.

However, a late flurry added gloss to the scoreline for City and they ran out ultimately as the victors.

The late flurry, coincidentally, also came when Ten Hag sent on Antony and later, Sofyan Amrabat.

It is a sign of United’s weak bench that when United wanted a goal, a defensive midfielder came on alongside a player feels like he hasn’t scored one in ages.

Well, at least Antony didn’t concede one and make it harder for United than it already was. Credit for that goes to Sofyan Amrabat.

The Moroccan was robbed in his own half by Rodri who slipped in a simple pass for Haaland in behind to score City’s third and end the game as a contest on the scoreboard as well.

In his eight-minute appearance, Amrabat managed to drop a disasterclass for the ages.

He lost possession two times in a game where United rarely had the ball in the first place, failed to complete his only dribble, lost both his ground duels, lost his aerial duel, and topped it off with an error leading to the goal.

Questions abounded over Amrabat struggling to match the intensity of the Premier League and they were once again answered in emphatic fashion.

Add to that Antony adding further pressure on United by either straying offside, or running into blind alleys with the ball only to lose it, and the reality of Ten Hag’s recruitment was laid bare.

The decision to not sign Amrabat permanently has turned out to be a masterstroke but it perhaps symbolises current United perfectly.

Even the one decision that ages well in the market is because the player has been worse than advertised.