Manchester

               MANCHESTER UNITED, INTER MILAN BATTLE FOR DAN-AXEL ZAGADOU

According to Media Foot, Manchester United are keen on signing Dan-Axel Zagadou on a Bosman deal after his contract with Borussia Dortmund expired earlier this summer. However, the Red Devils will have to battle it out with Inter Milan for the defender’s signing. Zagadou moved to Borussia Dortmund from the Paris Saint-Germain youth setup in 2017. Regarded as one of the most exciting youth prospects at the time, the 23-year-old failed to make much of an impact during his time in Germany as he endured an injury-riddled spell at Signal Iduna Park.


In six years at the club, Zagadou played just 91 times for the Black and Yellows and missed more than 80 matches due to injury issues as per data from Transfermarkt. Given his struggles, Dortmund decided not to renew his contract this summer, and he has been a free agent since July 1, after his old deal with the Bundesliga outfit ran out. Zagadou has since been linked with several clubs, including Manchester United. However, the Red Devils will have to battle it out with Inter Milan for the signing of the 23-year-old French defender. (more…)

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Paul Pogba insists Zlatan Ibrahimovic still has his influence at Manchester United

France international Paul Pogba insists that Zlatan Ibrahimovic still has a huge influence at Manchester United despite being released from the club earlier last month.


The 35-year-old is currently recuperating from a cruciate ligament damage which curtailed his season in April. The Sweden international had an additional year on his existing deal, but United opted against the clause with the Swede unlikely to return until the festive period.

United boss Jose Mourinho has previously hinted that Ibrahimovic could earn himself a short-term contract on his recovery, and Pogba is delighted to work alongside the Swede, who has been undergoing his rehabilitation at the club’s Carrington base.

He said: “Obviously Zlatan is a leader, always a big leader, and he’s still a big leader because he’s still in the team. Even though he’s not playing he’s a leader outside of the pitch. Pogba is keen to develop more of the leadership qualities displayed by the likes of Ibrahimovic and United stalwart Michael Carrick.” (more…)

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Manchester United close in on Renato Sanches signing

Manchester United are reportedly on the brink of sealing a season-long loan for Bayern Munich midfielder Renato Sanches.


The Portugal international is widely expected to leave the Allianz Arena this summer with Bayern chief Karl-Heinz Rummenigge admitting the player could leave on loan.

He said, via The Sun: “He is a player who needs to play regularly. So if we feel he is not going to get enough game time, then we will loan him out, or maybe even sell him. Last season, particularly after the winter break, he didn’t get enough appearances. That wasn’t because of the coach, it was because of (Sanches) himself. I can confirm that AC Milan have got in touch with us, but I have the impression that they are not able to meet our financial demands.”

Sanches had attracted interest from Manchester United prior to his move from Benfica, but he nevertheless opted to join Bayern Munich, where had the chance to feature in the Champions League. However, the teenager failed to oust the likes of Xabi Alonso and Arturo Vidal from the starting lineup, and he was restricted to just nine starts – including two in Europe. (more…)

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Locadia dreams of Manchester United move

PSV Eindhoven striker Jurgen Locadia has highlighted his ambition to play for Manchester United at some stage of his career.


The 23-year-old missed a vast part of last season through injury, but he nevertheless managed to bag three goals and three assists in 14 outings. Speaking to Dutch broadcaster NOS, the marksman revealed his dream of making the big time with United, but admits that he may have to take an intermediate route with a mid-table English club.

Georginio Wijnaldum has been one of the top Dutchmen, who has made a mark in the Premier League, and Locadia is willing to go through a similar route in order to realise his dream. The Holland international joined Newcastle United back in the summer of 2015, and his standout performances at Tyneside earned him a switch to Liverpool 12 months later. (more…)

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Chris Smalling Taking the Criticisms from Jose Mourinho Positively

Chris Smalling has denied suggestions that he has fallen out of favour with Jose Mourinho.


There have been rumours that the duo are going through a rift, and it has been one of the primary reasons behind Jose Mourinho’s frequent criticism in public. The Manchester United manager has frequently criticised the commitment of players like Chris Smalling and Luke Shaw. Yet, the defender has taken those criticisms in a positive way. Smalling is currently on the sidelines with a new injury. His 2016-17 campaign has been blighted by injuries, and he has been able to make only 12 Premier league starts.

In the absence of a regular back four, Manchester United have struggled in most of the games. They have done 14 out of the 36 league matches. As a result, they are set to finish outside the top four in terms of league positions. (more…)

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Jose Mourinho Once Again Demands Players to Play through Pain Barrier

Jose Mourinho is likely to be without Chris Smalling and Phil Jones for a crucial Manchester derby on Thursday night.


It is understood that Smalling has a knee issue while Jones is likely to miss out due to a foot injury. However, the manager says that both these issues are rather minor and that the players should learn to play through the pain barrier in order to succeed. This is not the first time Mourinho has criticised one of his players at United. Earlier in the campaign, he lambasted Smalling and Luke Shaw for showing a lack of commitment. Back then, Smalling had suffered a similar injury and was out for more than a month.

The pressure on Mourinho is intense at the moment even after an unbeaten league run since October. Since the 4-0 loss against Chelsea, Manchester United have not suffered a defeat in the league. Yet, they have not been able to occupy the top four for long periods of the campaign. (more…)

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MAN UNITED SIGN GOALKEEPER

Manchester United have signed a goalkeeper Theo Richardson.


The keeper made the revelation on his personal Twitter after the deal was completed. The 18-year old was a former Leeds Under-18 star. He was the main man for the youth team but he was not offered a pro deal by the club.

“Good luck to #lufc second year scholar goalkeeper Theo Robinson who has been told he won’t be getting a pro contract and is free to leave,” Lufcyouth academy posted early last month.

Man United decided to seize the opportunity to offer the youngster a deal. He was undergoing trial at Old Trafford whilst on his second year of a two-year Elland Road scholarship.

Richardson has since changed his allegiance from Leeds to United on his public profiles. He was named in the 2-2 draw against Manchester City in the Premier League Under-18. He also featured in another match for the famous United youth team: he played the full game against Chelsea at Cobham though United lost 4-3. (more…)

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United Felt Déjà Vu after the Draw with Bournemouth, says Juan Mata

Juan Mata has admitted that Manchester United had a sense of déjà vu after being held to a 1-1 draw with Bournemouth during the weekend.


It was yet another disappointing result for a team, which has had several 1-1 draws already this season. Instead, stalemates have been the biggest problem for United in their attempts to get into the top four of the Premier League. Despite being unbeaten in the league since 4-0 loss against Chelsea back in October, United have been on a poor run of form of late. They have been unable to capitalise on rivals like Liverpool and Manchester City dropping points.

United have managed only two wins in the last five league matches. Two of those games have finished as 1-1 draws. Against Bournemouth, United had almost 70% possession while they also had 20 shots on target. In contrast, Bournemouth managed only three shots on goal and were unable to break down United after being reduced to 10 men. (more…)

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LIVERPOOL MUCH MORE DEFENSIVE – MOURINHO

Manchester United’s lavishness in concerting clear cut chances into great goals this season is a matter of concern to the manager, Jose Mourinho.


The Red Devil’s nine-game winning streak came to an end with Zlatan Ibrahimović’s late header that rescued the team from losing the match to Liverpool.

The $90 million Manchester United sign in, Paul Pogba missed a wonderful opportunity to put his side in the lead at the first half against Klopp’s side last Sunday. The France international dragged his shot too wide in an unpredictable opening 45 minutes bring the world’s most expensive player.

Pogba’s miss added to reducing the number of great opportunities converted by the club this term in the English Premier League to about 32.43 per cent, with united scoring just 12 to 37 opportunities they would reasonably have been expected to convert.

It was a strangely erratic display from the home team and Pogba chose a wrong day to have one of his least eminent performances, most notable for the first half incident. (more…)

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José Mourinho Not Surprised with Zlatan Ibrahimovic Impact at Manchester United

José Mourinho has revealed that he is not surprised with the impact striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has had on the team.


Ibrahimovic moved to the club on a free transfer from Paris St Germain in the summer. Many were sceptical about the impact a 35-year-old player could have playing in the Premier League for the first time in his career. Since it is a newly, it would take time for a player to adapt irrespective of how good he is, but this argument has not been true in the case of Ibrahimovic. After scoring his 10th goal in the last nine games, Ibrahimovic has managed to become one of the top scorers in the league.

He is only two behind top scorer Diego Costa. Mourinho says that Ibrahimovic came to the club not to just pick up a lot of wages and stuff here and there. As a manager who has previously worked with the Swede, Mourinho says that Ibrahimovic is one of the immensely hungry players out there and he always likes to get his 110% to the teams he represents. (more…)

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