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The clubs — Brentford, Fulham, and Sevilla — each took to social media to acknowledge the contributions of their Nigerian players and express pride in the national team’s achievement. ..Continue Reading
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Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim is sitting uncomfortably on the hot seat at Old Trafford at the moment.
The Portuguese was appointed by INEOS as Erik ten Hag’s replacement last November following an impressive run with Sporting. Unfortunately, he has failed to replicate that form at the Theatre of Dreams.
Amorim registered a 71% win ratio with the Portuguese club, winning 164 of his 231 games in charge. But at United, he has managed just 17 wins from 47 games so far, including a run of one win from five games this season.
That includes the dismal 3-0 defeat at the hands of Manchester City last weekend, which has seen his win percentage with the club drop to an alarming 36.17%.
United convinced Amorim to take charge in the middle of last season, and were considerate of his poor record at the end of the campaign. The Red Devils finished 15th in the Premier League last season and lost the Europa League final 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur.
INEOS invested over £200m in shiny new signings for their Portuguese head coach, hoping that a full pre-season could help his cause. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case.
The Premier League giants have lost three of their opening five games this season, scoring six goals and conceding nine. They are 14th in the league table, with just four points in four games, and were knocked out of the EFL Cup by League Two minnows Grimsby Town.
Recent reports have suggested that INEOS are still backing Amorim, and that he will be afforded until the end of the season to turn things around. Interestingly, Erik ten Hag was also given similar assurances and was sacked after nine games last season.
According to journalist David McDonnell, writing for The Mirror, Amorim will only be afforded three games to get his act together.
The defeat against Manchester City and the poor start to the season haven’t been taken lightly by the club hierarchy.
United face Chelsea next at Old Trafford on September 20, before travelling to the Gtech Community Stadium to face Brentford later this month. Their final game before October’s international break is against newly promoted Sunderland at the Theatre of Dreams, which, interestingly, is the eighth game of the league season.
By then, the Portuguese’s fate could be sealed, with the Premier League giants already shortlisting five candidates for the job.
Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner has been named as a possible option to replace Amorim at Old Trafford. Other names in the running are Fulham’s Marco Silva, Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola, former England head coach Gareth Southgate, and USMNT boss Mauricio Pochettino.
The Red Devils face Liverpool after the international break, and unless the Portuguese oversees an immediate change of fortunes, he may not be in charge at Anfield.
Interestingly, former United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is also available after parting ways with Besiktas last month.
Featured image Michael Steele via Getty Images
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With the transfer market in full flow, Manchester United are on a mission to build a squad that can compete at the highest level.
Although the club has signed plenty of attacking talent, including Benjamin Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo, and Matheus Cunha, there hasn’t been much movement on the defensive end.
Aside from wing-back Diego Leon, there haven’t been any defensive signings as of yet, begging the question – do Man United have sufficient coverage at the back?
At closer inspection, it appears that they do, and there are three centre-backs that manager Ruben Amorim should rely on regularly this coming season.
Leny Yoro
At just 19 years of age, Yoro has integrated seamlessly into the club since his arrival last season, appearing truly comfortable in Amorim’s setup.
Regularly playing at LCB during the pre-season, Yoro has the physicality and technical ability to hold the defensive line. He also happens to have the pace that’s necessary to burst forward and assist his attacking teammates.
Winning 61% of his ground duels in the Premier League and 63% in the Europa League last season, Yoro also proved to be a strong tackler with precise marking ability. He averaged 1.5 tackles per game in the Europa League and 1.4 per game in the league. (Stats via Sofascore)
Prior to the friendly match with Fiorentina on Saturday, Yoro had not been dribbled past in 12 successive matches, proving indestructible at present.
Matthijs de Ligt
Despite being fairly injury-prone, De Ligt has proven to be an anchor at the back, providing reliability to United at crucial moments last season.
He proved vital in United’s run to the UEFA Europa League title, particularly in the round of 16 tie with Real Sociedad.
With his great height, the Dutchman has won 66% of his aerial battles in the Premier League, making him invaluable from corners and free-kicks, while he also produced 90% passing accuracy and 95% passing from within his own half, making minimal blunders that handed scoring chances to opponents.
Together with Yoro, De Ligt is an imposing defender who could provide some much-needed reliability so long as his injury troubles don’t persist.
Ayden Heaven
Much like Yoro, Heaven is a young rising star with plenty of room for growth.
Although he suffered an injury last season and is still fairly unproven, the youngster is full of energy and showed just how much he wants to play for United with a passionate performance against Fiorentina.
In fact, he posted 100% long pass accuracy while winning 100% of his duels, both aerial and on the ground.
While it may be necessary to rest him fairly regularly and perhaps use a more experienced option, such as Harry Maguire, in his stead, Heaven should be given enough time on the pitch to grow. What’s more, United’s calendar is not as intense this season, given the lack of European football, meaning that there is a lower risk of overexerting the promising centre-back.
It’s also important to remember that while Luke Shaw has featured prominently at the back this summer, he is a converted full-back who clearly doesn’t exhibit the same form as he did prior to his lengthy injury issues last season. What’s more, time is not on his side, with his youth well behind him.
While De Ligt is an aerial specialist, Heaven has proven effective on the ground by winning 63% of his ground duels in the league last season, thereby perfectly complementing the Dutch star.
Should Amorim select Yoro, De Ligt, and Heaven as his regular trio at the back, United could produce a defensive masterclass next season, with three tall, quick, physically strong, and ambitious defenders at their disposal, passionately playing for the badge each time they take to the pitch under the Old Trafford floodlights.
Featured image Patrick McDermott via Getty Images
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Journalist Ben Jacobs has opened up and claimed that Chelsea have offered striker Nicolas Jackson to the likes of Manchester United, Newcastle and Milan in a bid to get him off the books this transfer window.
CHELSEA have already bolstered their attacking options this summer with a £30 million deal to sign Liam Delap from Ipswich Town and a £60m move for Joao Pedro from Brighton last month, and there is talk that they will continue their summer of spending.
The Athletic report that Jackson is not deemed as ‘untouchable’ at Chelsea and could be sold if they receive a high enough offer.
And after suffering their lowest goalscoring tally in Premier League history last season (44), the Red Devils could still look to strengthen their front line by signing Jackson, as per BBC Sport.
Now, according to Jacobs, Chelsea have been offering the striker to a number of clubs in order to get him out the club – He took to X.com and said: “Jackson has been offered to Newcastle, Manchester United and Milan recently.
“Former two clubs decided to focus on Benjamin Sesko instead of engaging now.
“There remains a realistic chance Jackson leaves with several clubs keen and likely to approach Chelsea in August.”
IcFootballnews Says…
Despite all the arrivals that have come to CHELSEA this summer, we can see the Blues keeping hold of Jackson as he is a very good option to have in that side. He has scored 30 goals in 81 games for the Blues and Enzo Maresca will surely continue to use the man next season
So the news that he has been offered to a number of clubs will surely come as a shock to many Blues fans, especially as Jackson was used so much by Maresca last season.
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Speaking ahead of Real Madrid’s highly anticipated LaLiga clash against Barcelona on Sunday, Ancelotti shared his thoughts during a pre-match press conference. ..Continue Reading
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Manchester United’s travelling squad to London for Sunday’s Premier League clash against Brentford includes Academy wonderkids Chido Obi, Tyler Fredricson, and Harry Amass.
As revealed by The Manchester Evening News, 21 members of the first-team squad were pictured at the railway station before their train to London.
Ruben Amorim had taken the likes of Sekou Kone, Jaydan Kamason, and Bendito Mantato to Bilbao to train with the senior stars in preparation for the clash against the Bees.
Given the Red Devils will play Athletic Club in their Europa League semi-final on Thursday, the head coach was expected to ring in the changes for the game at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Noussair Mazraoui had already been ruled out while Diogo Dalot is sidelined until the Europa League final should United qualify. This is why Kamason’s chances of earning a first team debut were considered quite high.
Harry Amass would come in for Patrick Dorgu, who is also very tired as per the head coach.
With Casemiro in need of rest after his heroics in Bilbao, Kone was also expected to partner Manuel Ugarte in midfield. Chido Obi was likely to receive his first start given Rasmus Hojlund is the only fit striker at Amorim’s disposal.
But given each position in the table is worth an estimated £3 million, Amorim did point out that he is eager to end the season on a high.
🚨🚨| Manchester United travelling squad to London:
Onana, Heaton, Bayindir;
Maguire, De Ligt, Yoro, Lindelof, Fredricson, Shaw, Amass, Dorgu;
Casemiro, Ugarte, Eriksen, Mainoo, Fernandes, Mount;
Garnacho, Amad, Hojlund, Chido. pic.twitter.com/qiT7zY6Kwj
— centredevils. (@centredevils) May 3, 2025
“Then every position we have in the Premier League, you win more money. So that is important. Then it is fighting for your pride.
“Of course, we don’t have anything to fight for. We have the second leg, which is really important for us. We know that, but we need to be competitive in every game.”
Given Thomas Frank’s side are in contention to qualify for the Conference League, they are expected to go all out to secure a win at their den.
It must be remembered that this list includes only those who were photographed so more could have travelled with the team.
We will get to know officially on Sunday before the game. Hopefully, Amorim hands a few more wonderkids their chance to shine against the Bees.
Confirmed United squad members vs Brentford: Onana, Heaton, Bayindir, Maguire, De Ligt, Yoro, Lindelof, Fredricson, Shaw, Amass, Dorgu, Casemiro, Ugarte, Eriksen, Mainoo, Fernandes, Mount, Garnacho, Amad, Hojlund, Obi
Feature image Matt McNulty via Getty Images
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