Manchester United face a long road before they can mount a Premier League title challenge but signing Frenkie de Jong would make a huge difference , according to Jamie Carragher.
United have won all three of their pre-season contests under Erik ten Hag, including a 4-0 thrashing of Liverpool in their first outing under the Dutchman.
The Red Devils broke a number of unwanted records during their dire 2021-22 Premier League season, posting their lowest points tally (58) and worst defensive record (57 goals conceded) in the competition s history.
Despite United impressing during their tour of Asia and Australia, Ten Hag warned on Tuesday there was a lot of work remaining and Carragher echoed similar sentiments.
Asked by Sky Sports whether he feared United co…
Javier Mascherano said Lionel Messi has offered him several chances to take a penalty and score his first goal for Barcelona, though he has declined.
Mascherano has not scored in over 200 competitive appearances since joining Barca from Liverpool in 2010.
The 31-year-old has not found the net in club football since March 2008 when he was playing for the Merseyside club in a 2-1 Premier League win over Reading.
However, Mascherano insisted he is not worried by his goal drought.
Leo has offered me many times [to take a penalty] and obviously I ve said no, the Argentina international told TyC Sports.
I honestly don t feel like it. I do not like to force things that don t correspond to me.
The result should not change the obligati…
According to numerous sources, Nottingham Forest have just enter the race for Jesse Lingard by submitting a substantial offer to his representatives, and the talks are already in an advanced stage. The occasional England international already has an offer from West Ham on the table and is believed to be considering his response. There are other offers as well, coming both from the Premier League and abroad, but it appears it will come down to a straight choice between these two clubs.
The 29-year-old, who is a free agent since his contract with Manchester United expired at the end of last month, has already played for the Hammers, contributing with 14 goal involvements (nine goals, five assists) in 16 matches during his temporary spell at the London Stadium in the second half o…
Valencia are set to exercise their option to sign Denis Cheryshev from Villarreal on a permanent basis, according to .
The Russian international joined the youth system at Real Madrid in 2002 at the age of 12, and having played over 100 games for their B side he was promoted to the first team in 2012/13. However, he only made a single appearance for the Los Blancos and went out on loan the following season, first to Sevilla and then to Villareal. He returned to Santiago Bernabeu for the 2015/16 season, but his single goal in six games wasn t enough to persuade manager (at the time) Zinedine Zidane or club president Florentino Perez to keep him. He was loaned to Valencia for the second half of the season and joined Villarreal on a permanent deal in the summer of 2016. Two years …
Fiorentina president Rocco Commisso has urged Dusan Vlahovic to recognise how the club gave him his big break.
A host of wealthy European clubs are keeping a close eye on the 21-year-old striker, who is going from strength to strength with the Viola.
Arsenal and Atletico Madrid have been among the teams most recently linked, with Tottenham and Juventus also potentially keen on a deal.
Vlahovic joined Fiorentina as a teenager from Belgrade giants Partizan, making his Serie A debut in the 2018-19 season.
He has 18 club goals this season, netting on average once every 104.17 minutes. Only four strikers from Europe s top five leagues have scored more in 2021-22: Robert Lewandowski (31), Mohamed Salah, Karim Benzema (both 23) and Erling Haaland (19).
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Kieran Trippier has confirmed he attracted strong interest from Manchester United last year before returning to the Premier League with Newcastle United.
Trippier swapped a LaLiga title defence with Atletico Madrid for a relegation battle with Newcastle this month, with the England full-back joining Eddie Howe s side for a reported fee of £12million.
The 31-year-old spent two-and-a-half seasons at Atleti after leaving Tottenham in 2019, helping Diego Simeone s side clinch a LaLiga title last year.
There were reports since early in 2021 that Trippier wished to return to England, and United were heavily linked.
Trippier has now confirmed that United and Atleti held discussions before the 2021-22 season, after England s run to the final of Euro 2020, but…
Trent Alexander-Arnold conceded he struggled in the midfield experiment with England against Andorra on Sunday.
The Liverpool star has been a key asset for Jurgen Klopp at right-back, who allows Alexander-Arnold and left-back Andrew Robertson licence to attack.
However, with Reece James, Kieran Trippier and Kyle Walker offering Gareth Southgate a wealth of depth at right-back, England opted to move Alexander-Arnold, who has registered 40 assists in all competitions since the start of 2018-19.
The 22-year-old recorded an 81 per cent passing accuracy in the first half, which increased to 87.1 per cent at the end of the game after a second-half change back to the right flank.
He also produced a game-high six crosses and two key passes – only bettered by J…
Erik ten Hag hailed Antony as Manchester United s missing link after the forward marked his debut with a goal in Sunday s 3-1 win over Arsenal.
Antony only arrived from Ajax in an £86million (€100m) deal on Thursday but slotted straight into United s starting line-up in place of Anthony Elanga at Old Trafford.
Having already shown glimpses of promise early on, Antony required just 35 minutes to score his first goal for the club after being played in by Marcus Rashford.
The 22-year-old became the ninth Brazilian to represent United in the Premier League, and the first to mark his maiden appearance in the competition with a goal.
While pleased with an encouraging first display from Antony, Ten Hag insisted there will be more to come once the attacker ful…
Newcastle United have ended their search for a new head coach by appointing Eddie Howe on a two-and-a-half-year deal.
Graeme Jones had been in temporary charge of the Magpies since Steve Bruce departed by mutual consent following a takeover that saw Saudi Arabia s Public Investment Fund take an 80 per cent share in the club, becoming the richest owner in world football.
Brendan Rodgers, Paulo Fonseca, Lucien Favre and Roberto Martinez were linked with role before Villarreal coach Unai Emery snubbed the Premier League strugglers.
Instead, former Bournemouth manager Howe was on Monday confirmed as Bruce s successor after he watched on from the stands as Newcastle drew 1-1 at Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday.
Howe has been out of work since leavi…
What the papers say
Many of the papers speculate over Kylian Mbappe‘s future after the striker told Paris St Germain he did not want to extend his contract beyond 2024.
Metro says Manchester United will lead the race to sign the 24-year-old if Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani completes his takeover at Old Trafford.
The Times reports Real Madrid is the France international’s “most likely destination”, although Premier League clubs including Chelsea are expected to register their interest. Manchester City had also previously shown an interest in the forward but have since signed Erling Haaland.
Elsewhere, Arsenal are seeking buyers for winger Nicolas Pepe and have no plans to reintegrate the £72 million club-record signing into their first-team squad ahe…