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Martinez expects Fellaini to be fit for Chelsea game

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Belgium manager Roberto Martinez has said that Marouane Fellaini should be fit to play in Manchester United’s match against Chelsea on Saturday. The Red Devils have a tough task ahead when they travel to Stamford Bridge.

Marouane Fellaini sat out both of Belgium’s matches during the international break due to a groin strain. Belgium beat Switzerland 2-1 before drawing Netherlands 1-1 at Brussels yesterday. Dries Mertens gave Belgium an early lead before left-back Arnaut Groeneveld netted the equaliser.

Martinez feels that will recover from his groin stain soon enough to play in Saturday’s match against Chelsea.

He said, “He should be fine, it’s just he wasn’t 100 per cent. He’s got an important game at the weekend and this wasn’t the game to use players who weren’t 100 per cent. We expect he should be fine in the next couple of days.”

Manchester United have had a roller coaster of a Premier League campaign so far. In 8 Premier League games, they have won four, drawn one and lost three. They are currently 8th in the Premier League table with 13 points, five points behind the top four.

Vinnie Jones warns Marcus Rashford

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181012 Fotboll, Nations League Soccer Football - UEFA Nations League - League A - Group 4 - Croatia v England - Stadion HNK Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia - October 12, 2018 England's Marcus Rashford looks dejected after the match REUTERS/Antonio Bronic © BildbyrŒn - COP 7 - SWEDEN ONLY

Former Chelsea player Vinnie Jones has warned Marcus Rashford to do much better in front of goal.

Rashford’s performance for England against Croatia was pretty disappointing. He could not be a threat in front of goal as England drew 0-0 in a match that they dominated.

While Jones believes that Rashford is a very talented player, he thinks that the youngster will have to be more effective in front of goal.

Jones said, “I am a massive fan of his, he’s a young lad and a great talent. When Rashford came on the scene I thought this kid is going to be the real deal, but he seems to have levelled out. You cannot keep missing like he’s missing, you’ve got to start putting the ball in the back of the onion bag. If you don’t score you do start getting a bit of stick, and players will start being irritated.

There was a good win on the table there against Croatia, but he never took one of the chances. If I was a player I’d be getting wound up about that to be honest.

In the Wimbledon and Chelsea squads, we would have started taking the micky by now. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not getting on his back, I’m a big fan of the lad.

I’m just saying to be up there with the best you’ve got to score. If you want to be a young Wayne Rooney or a young David Beckham, you’ve got to score these goals. He’s had enough chances, how many chances to the top calibre strikers get? So he’s only 20 – so what? If you’re good enough you’re old enough!”

Rashford will be hoping to make amends for his performance against Croatia today when England take on Spain at Seville.

Carrick praises Mourinho for sticking to Manchester United’s traditions

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Manchester United assistant coach Michael Carrick has praised Jose Mourinho for sticking to the club’s tradition of bringing players from the youth academy to the senior team.

Mourinho is well known for relying on experienced players rather than on the youth and his arrival of Manchester United created the fear of traditions being broken. However, the Portuguese has relied a lot on young players. The likes of Jesse Lingard, Marcus Rashford and Scott McTominay were all in Manchester United’s youth teams and are now frequently used by Mourinho.

It’s been more than 80 years since the last time Manchester United fielded a time without a player who previously played in the club’s youth setup.

Carrick said, “He does get the history. For the manager to put him [Rashford] in and play him… and Scott [McTominay] last year… and give them games, big games as well.

The manager has to take a lot of credit for that. That’s the constant challenge though isn’t it? That’s what everyone wants to see, that next one.

“They say it’s getting harder. But that’s a challenge for us as a club and for English football – you might not get tens and twenties, you might get five or six players – but it’s got to keep happening.”

Carrick added, “At the end of the day the academies are there to produce players and to give kids a chance of getting in first teams. Especially at United; you can’t ignore the history and traditions.

When people ask me: ‘What’s my role now [at the club]?’ That’s a big part of the club. You can’t just neglect the history of the club and what it stands for. And bringing players through is a huge part of that. It’s always been that one, two, three, four – more players in some eras.

That’s how it is and that’s how it should be. That’s the people in the academy constantly striving towards that and taking a pride in that. I think credit has to go to the club for Marcus and the amount of games that he has played.”

Manchester United’s next fixture is a Premier League clash against Chelsea on Saturday.

Michael Carrick refuses to talk about Mourinho’s situation

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Manchester United assistant coach Michael Carrick has refused to speak about Jose Mourinho’s situation at the club.

Jose Mourinho has faced immense criticism after Manchester United’s poor start to the Premier League. There have been several reports that Mourinho will receive the sack soon and Carrick will be the interim manager. Zinedine Zidane is heavily tipped to replace Mourinho.

Manchester United are currently 8th in the Premier League with 13 points from 8 matches. They are already out of the Carabao Cup after a shock defeat to Derby County on penalties. United haven’t lost a match in the Champions League but their 0-0 draw against Valencia at home was disappointing.

Carrick spoke to Manchester Evening news to promote his forthcoming autobiography. When asked about Mourinho’s situation at Manchester United, Carrick said, “Yeah… I wouldn’t really want to get into that, to be honest with you.

The biggest thing is he’s a winner. He’s desperate to win, he’s won wherever he’s gone.We’ve won trophies since he’s been here, we’ve got to win more, that’s what we strive towards but that’s the biggest thing for me, he’s a winner. He’s been unbelievable to me, he’s helped me, gone out of his way to make me feel a part of his team, and trust is the biggest thing, he’s trusted me.

So that’s a huge thing for him to do and hopefully I can repay him for that trust.”

Carrick also said that he is interested to become Manchester United’s manager someday. He said, “Do you know, I can’t answer that. Only because I’m, what, three or four months into the start of my coaching. I’d love to be a manager one day, whether that’s however long, could be whatever, I’m not blase enough to say, ‘I am going to be a manager’.

Manchester United’s next match is against Chelsea on Saturday.

Pogba says that it’s difficult to focus on football after World Cup win

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Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has said that it is difficult to concentrate on football following France’s World Cup win.

Pogba was an integral player in France’s World Cup win this summer where he also scored in the final.

The Frenchman however, is far from replicating his World Cup form for United this season. Pogba’s performances this season have been exactly like a sinusoidal wave- with ups and downs.

There have been numerous doubts about Pogba’s future, specially when there are reports of an ongoing rift between him and Jose Mourinho.

Pogba said that it has been hard for him to focus on football after winning the World Cup. He said, “It’s hard to concentrate, to start again, to hit hard, because we touched the stars. For us, it was the best trophy you can win as a footballer.

But we like challenges too. We have goals. For example, I’ve never won the Premier League, that’s an objective. I’d like to do that.”

Manchester United are currently 8th in the Premier League table with 13 points. Their next match is against Chelsea on the 20th.

Pogba is now training with the national team. France play a friendly against Iceland today before a Nations League fixture against Germany on Tuesday.

Also Read: Bailly could go to Tottenham

Eric Bailly could join Tottenham on swap deal

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Reports suggest that Manchester United defender Eric Bailly could go to Tottenham in a swap deal that could see Toby Alderweireld going the other way.

Manchester United have been hell bent on signing a central defender for quite some time. They were keen to sign either of Alderweireld or Harry Maguire during the summer but failed to sign any of the two.

Now, Manchester United have a very good chance of bringing Alderweireld to Old Trafford.

Reports claim that Mauricio Pochettino is a fan of Eric Bailly and Manchester United will use this to their advantage in an attempt to bring in Alderweireld.

Bailly joined Manchester United from Villarreal in 2016 on a transfer fee of £30 million.

The Ivorian has been quite disappointing this season. He has started five games but his performances have been quite underwhelming. Bailly started the match against Newcastle United but Mourinho replaced him after just 20 minutes.

Toby Alderweireld is in pretty fine form lately. He has done well for Spurs so far.

It’s been almost a decade since Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur did a deal together. After Dimitar Berbatov’s controversial move from Spurs to United while Tottenham had a done deal with City, the two clubs haven’t done any transfer business together since.

Apparently, even Arsenal is keeping close tabs on Eric Bailly.

Ed Woodward might sack Mourinho in the summer

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Reports claim that Ed Woodward will sack Jose Mourinho in the summer to save a chunk of money.

Jose Mourinho has come under heavy scrutiny after Manchester United’s performance this season which has so far been a roller coaster ride.

As a matter of fact, there were reports of that Mourinho would receive the sack this weekend. However, a 3-2 win against Newcastle United has saved Mourinho so far.

However, another reason why Ed Woodward won’t fire Mourinho now is because Manchester United will have to pay £29 million to the Portuguese.

If Mourinho gets fired in the summer, then the club will have to pay him £9.6 million.

Besides, the last two instances when Manchester United managers got the sack, it happened in the summer.

When David Moyes was in charge of the club, they were performing poorly and yet he wasn’t fired until it was confirmed that United would not finish in the top four of the Premier League.

Hence, there is a possibility that Mourinho will be fired only if United finish outside the top four of the Premier League.

Manchester United are currently 8th in the Premier League table and they will next face Chelsea on October 20.

Mourinho says there is ‘manhunt’ against him

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Mourinho says there is manhunt against him

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has claimed that there is a manhunt against him.

The Red Devils beat Newcastle in dramatic fashion yesterday at Old Trafford.

Goals from Kenedy and Yoshinori Muto gave the Magpies a 2-0 lead within 10 minutes. It seemed that United would face another embarrassing defeat.

However, substitute Juan Mata pulled one back through a terrific free-kick. Just 6 minutes later, Anthony Martial scored the equaliser. During the final moments of the game, Alexis Sanchez headed in the winner to finish a dramatic comeback for the Red Devils.

This win is Manchester United’s first at Old Trafford in 57 days.

The win was a major relief for Jose Mourinho who has come under tremendous scrutiny lately. As a matter of fact, there were reports suggesting that Mourinho would be sacked this weekend. However, the club dismissed such rumors.

In his post-match press-conference, Mourinho said that there is a manhunt against him. He said, “I am 55 years old. It is the first time I see manhunting. I can cope with it. I can live with it. Some of the boys, in spite of them not being the man that is hunted, they are not coping well with it.

The way we started the game they were panicking. Every ball into the box, even in some moments I thought we could score in our own goal. Marcus Rashford was sad on the pitch, Scott McTominay was scared on the pitch. Even older players commit mistakes that are not normal.

At half-time, we had a good conversation. We didn’t promise that we would win the match. We promised we would give absolutely everything without any fear, without any pressure, just the pressure of giving everything and of course they gave everything.We fought so much. They deserve even if game ends 2-2. The feeling would be a positive feeling because nobody can promise to win matches.

It is not easy for them [the players]. For me it is not easy too but I think life is made of experiences. Some are new and some are deja vu.

This is new, it makes me not just a better manager but even a better person. I understand things in the human nature nowadays and in the industry where I work, I used to love it, I still love it is but it is different.

There is too much wickedness in something that should be beautiful. I cope with it with some sadness. I am a mature, I am a big boy and I will deal with it.

As a friend of mine was saying to me this morning, if tomorrow it rains in London it is my fault. If there are some difficulties with the agreements of Brexit, it is my fault.

I have to be ready for all of this. I think a lot of wickedness and clear manhunting, in football is too much. It is my life. It is the life I love and since I was kid I work for this.”

When asked if there was any way to put an end to this ‘manhunt’, Mourinho replied, “No, I don’t think so.”

With the win, Manchester United are 8th in the Premier League table with 13 points. They are just four points behind the Top Four.

Manchester United’s next Premier League fixture is against Chelsea on October 20 after the international break.

 

 

Jose Mourinho to be sacked this weekend

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Reports claim that Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho will be sacked this week regardless of the team’s result against Newcastle today.

The Manchester United members want a change and apparently, former United stalwart Michael Carrick might replace him. However, Carrick will only be an interim manager while Zidane remains to be the favorite to become United’s permanent manager.

Things have been very gloomy for Jose Mourinho this season. Manchester United are in a bizarre position in the Premier League with only 10 points from 7 matches so far.

The Red Devils are out of the Carabao Cup after a humiliating defeat to Derby County on penalties.

Manchester United drew 0-0 against Valencia in a Champions League match at home. This came following a 3-1 defeat to West Ham last weekend.

Manchester United fans booed their players after their lackluster performance against Valencia. The Red Devils are yet to win a match at Old Trafford since defeating Leicester City in the Premier League opener.

Jose Mourinho is also having problems with several players. Currently, it seems pretty clear that Mourinho has a rift with Paul Pogba. He doesn’t seem to have much of a rapport with the likes of Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford either.

Provided Mourinho receives the sack, then it will be his second sacking in three years.

Jose Mourinho joined Manchester United in May, 2016 after the sacking of Louis van Gaal. Soon after joining, Mourinho guided United to a Community Shield. In the 2016-17 season, Manchester United won the Carabao Cup and the Europa League. Mourinho thus became the first Manchester United manager to win a trophy on his debut season.

Last season, he guided Manchester United to second place in the Premier League. However, this season, things have been anything but good for the Red Devils.

Manchester United offered hope in pursuit of Ajax Star

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Manchester United offered hope in pursuit of Ajax Star

The player’s representative hinted that his client is open to leaving

Jose Mourinho prioritized bolstering Manchester United squad in the summer transfer window after not winning a single silverware last season. They signed Fred, Diogo Dalot and Lee Grant before the transfer deadline.

However, the Portuguese was not happy with the outcome of the transfer window as he wanted few more players especially a high profile centre-back and a direct, fast winger to complete his squad.

The Red Devils are struggling right now after failing to win their last 4 fixtures across all competitions. They have made their worst start to a Premier League season ever, and the slowest in England’s top flight since 1989-90, with a 3-1 defeat to West Ham on Saturday.

However, it has been suggested that the manager will look to make few additions in the January transfer window to mount a Premier League title challenge and will be backed by the club.

The Premier League giants have been linked with a move for Ajax star Donny van de Beek in the past transfer window and is one of several much sought-after assets currently on the books at the Johan Cruyff Arena.

But the midfielder has shunned those admiring glances so far, with the exciting talent opting to further his development in the familiar surrounds of his homeland.

But United have been offered in pursuit of the Dutch International as he is reconsidering his options after starting just two Eredivisie games in 2018-19 and may be ready to open the door to his suitors in the upcoming recruitment windows.

Van de Beek’s representative Guido Alberts confirmed interest in his client and hinted that the player is open for a move.

He told Voetbal International: “It is true that this interest has been there for a while.

“Last summer it was already concrete, but Donny opted for a longer stay at Ajax.

“The past few months have gone differently than we had in mind.

“If his situation remains the same way for much longer, a transfer is a better option for all parties.

“These agreements have now also been made with [director of football] Marc Overmars.

“If the situation remains the same, a transfer can be discussed.”

Liverpool, Chelsea and Roma are also interested in signing the 21 year old.

Read Also: Jose Mourinho takes dig at Ed Woodward after Valencia draw