Premier League
MAN UNITED TARGET, GREALISH WILL HAVE HIS AUDITION TONIGHT
Graeme Souness is not exactly angling for a job in Manchester United’s recruitment department. Even so, would they have taken note of his comments on Jack Grealish this week?
Grealish has been a long-term target for them, clearly a player that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer admires, and the Aston Villa man is a mooted £50million target for them in the window.
They have identified him as an addition that could help them step up another level. Competing for the Champions League places is not enough, and the aim in the summer will be to turn them into a top Premier League side.
Yet Souness is not convinced Grealish can bring that to Old Trafford. During the game against Liverpool on Sunday, he suggested the midfielder lacked intensity.
When asked for his assessment of Grealish, Souness told Sky Sports: ‘He has got quality but do the top teams carry passengers when they don’t have the ball?
‘No – they don’t have players that stand with their hands on their hips when they lose the ball.
‘Everyone rolls their sleeves up to be the first, second or third one to press. That is something that is not in his game right now.
‘I’m not denying he has talent – but for me there’s a big question mark.’
A stat that is regularly trotted out to back up the 24-year-old’s ability is that he is the most fouled player in the league.
He has been fouled 151 times in the 2019-20 season – a huge 45 times more than the next most fouled player, Wilfried Zaha.
It has often been suggested that it means opposition players are worried about him, and decide the only way to deal with him is by means that go against the rules of the game.
Yet Souness saw it another way. ‘When I was a player, I wouldn’t want to be the most fouled player in the league,’ he said.
‘That means I’m holding onto the ball too long. That means I’m not seeing the picture early enough, I’m taking extra touches when I don’t need to.
‘He has ability and he’s easy on the eye, silky on the eye. But, I am yet to be convinced by him.
‘When I was being coached at Liverpool, I was told that I had to make the striker’s mind up with my body movement.
‘I’m making them run where I’m looking to kick the ball. I think someone that gets fouled that much isn’t seeing the picture quick enough.
‘As an old midfield player, would I have liked to play against him? I would have loved to have played against him.
‘He allows me to get close to him, get physical with him. I don’t want to play Paul Scholes, Xavi or Andres Iniesta. They are too quick – they pop it off in one or two touches.
‘I want to play against people like him – he would allow me to mess him around.’
Grealish will have the perfect opportunity to prove Souness wrong on Thursday evening when Villa host United. If he can star in that game, it shows that he has the talent to feature for the opposition next season.
Yet there are fair doubts to be had over whether the Villa man is that standard of player. He has six assists all season, admittedly putting him joint 15th in the Premier League.
But that also means he ranks under Emiliano Buendia and Harvey Barnes, who both have seven. Neither have been touted for big money moves despite impressing.
It also puts him on the same level as Dwight McNeil and Ashley Westwood. Again, it is no criticism of them, just an acknowledgement that they are not being mentioned in the same dispatches.
He is also level with Daniel James, who has been criticised for his recent displays for United.
Admittedly, he has created 82 chances, the second best in the top flight. It could lead to doubts over whether Villa – relegation threatened – have the firepower to convert the opportunities he makes.
Yet only six of those have been touted as ‘big chances’. That actually means that Villa’s forwards are matching up to the quality Grealish provides for them.
While he is providing positions for them to have an effort at goal from, only six of them have been particularly good.
This is not to say Souness is entirely right. Grealish is clearly a talent and impressed at Old Trafford earlier this season. Solskjaer said on Wednesday that he would watch out for him: ‘Grealish scored a fantastic goal (last time we played).
‘There’s been loads said about him and we need to be aware of him, if he’s off the left, middle or right.
‘He attracts players to him but there’s not just one player in that Villa team, there are a lot of them.’
And he has been a talismanic figure for a poor Villa side. He dragged them to promotion last season, the run of form that took them to the play-offs from mid-table entirely coinciding with his return to fitness.
His agent Jonathan Barnett did hint at a move to a big side after insisting his focus was on keeping Villa up: ‘I think as far as his career is concerned, it would be great for him to play in the Champions League and develop his great skills and i’m not sure in which country or where that will be.’
When it comes to his goal of keeping Villa in the Premier League, Thursday night’s game is a perfect stage on which to do it. Help them win, contribute to them finishing outside of the bottom three and he’ll be remembered as a hero there.
On the making a big move front, conveniently enough it is also a great stage on which to audition. Show off in front of Solskjaer and it might just force his hand.
Souness has made it clear. When it comes to Grealish, he has his questions. It’s time for Grealish to answer them.
-Daily Mail
Bruno Fernandes has revealed he rejected a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia in favour of pursuing his Manchester United dreams.
United captain Fernandes is set to make his 300th appearance for the club in an Oct 25 Premier League match against Brighton at Old Trafford.
United have struggled for much of Fernandes’ time in Manchester and last season they finished 15th – which ranked as the club’s worst final top-flight position since 1973-74.
They also lost the Europa League final against fellow strugglers Tottenham to shatter their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League.
Fernandes was offered an escape route during the close-season when Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal reportedly expressed interest.
But he spurned the move to focus on unfinished business with the 20-time English champions, who last won the title in 2013.
“We always say we have an offer from Saudi because obviously wherever I have to go, they have to come. They can choose not, but I’d prefer them to come,” he said, in reference to wife Ana and his family.
“And obviously the first thing she said was ‘have you achieved everything you wanted to achieve at the club?’ Because she knows that I haven’t.”
Fernandes has sometimes been criticised for an overly emotional attitude on the pitch, with team-mates subjected to frustrated tirades.
But United boss Ruben Amorim accepts the Portugal midfielder’s fiery personality is part of his burning desire to win the Premier League and Champions League.
“The manager spoke with me,” Fernandes said.
“He said I was still part of the project. He wanted me to stay. The club said the same.
“I always said that if the club was like ‘Bruno, we want to cash in, we want to make some money, we don’t think you can be part of the future project’ or whatever, I would be like ‘OK, I have to find a solution for myself, whatever is best for me and my family, and I will leave’.
“But obviously that wasn’t the case. I felt that I was still part of the plan, that I could still help the club to achieve whatever was our aims.”
Fernandes has a contract until 2027, with the option of a further year.
And the 31-year-old has no intention of discussing his future with anyone until after the World Cup in 2026.
“As I’ve always said, I feel good here,” he said. “I want to achieve my dreams still. But obviously I can’t talk by the side of the club.
“I’ve seen a lot of news. I’ve seen a lot of people talking that I had an agreement to go already next season. If the club has done that agreement, it wasn’t made with me, so I haven’t spoken with anyone
.
“My agent also knows how I work, so if he wants to talk to me, it will be after the World Cup. Because until then, I won’t speak to anyone.” –
-AFP
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Manchester United’s Harry Maguire struck a late header to seal a thrilling 2–1 Premier League victory over Liverpool on Sunday, ending their nine-year drought without a win at Anfield and dealing a blow to the reigning champions’ title chase.
Liverpool, who have lost four consecutive games across all competitions for the first time since November 2014, dropped to fourth in the table on 15 points, four behind leaders Arsenal.
United, who won back-to-back league games for the first time since manager Ruben Amorim was appointed last November, climbed to ninth with 13 points.
United’s Bryan Mbeumo stunned the home crowd with a goal a minute after kickoff when Amad Diallo pushed forward before flicking a ball for the forward to run onto and fire home from inside the box.
Irate Liverpool fans thought play should have been stopped before the goal with Alexis Mac Allister down clutching his head after a collision with teammate Virgil Van Dijk.
SQUANDERED CHANCES
Cody Gakpo hit the post three times before finally scoring the equaliser in the 78th minute, when he tapped in Federico Chiesa’s cross.
But Maguire sent United fans into a frenzy with the winner in the 84th when Bruno Fernandes floated the ball in for the big defender to outjump Ibrahima Konate and power home a header.
“It means everything,” Maguire told Sky Sports.
“They’ve had the better of us over the last few years and it’s not been good for our club and we’ve have not given our fans enough days like today. It’s been a long time coming, coming to this ground and picking up three points.
“I’ve been here seven years now and to come to this ground every time and not get three points has been tough. So it’s for the fans, I hope they have a great night tonight.
There were shouts for a Liverpool penalty early on when Casemiro’s cross struck Diallo’s arm. But the VAR video referee determined Diallo’s arm was in a natural and justifiable position.
Liverpool had 19 shots to United’s 12 including several jaw-dropping near misses.
‘SLOPPY’ LIVERPOOL
Gakpo was lively all game, hitting the post twice in the first half, and then nearly making it third time lucky when he smashed another shot off the post shortly after the break.
He missed a sitter in the dying minutes, however, when he headed the ball well wide of the net.
An off-form Mohamed Salah squandered a brilliant chance in the second half when the ball fell to him unmarked at the far post, but he launched it wide, his face etched with frustration.
“I think we conceded a very sloppy second goal,” said Reds captain Virgil van Dijk. “We worked so hard to get back into the game and we created great opportunities to score the winner but if you concede a second goal like that, that is the disappointing part.
“We need to stay humble and stay working and keep our confidence as high as possible,” he added. “When things get tough, it is important we keep the mentality of being there for each other. It is a long season.”
-Reuters
Manchester United’s under-pressure coach Ruben Amorim will be given the full three years of his contract to prove himself and the club will become the most profitable in the world, co-owner Jim Ratcliffe said on Wednesday.
Amorim was Ratcliffe’s choice to replace Erik ten Hag last November but the Portuguese coach has struggled to turn around the club’s flagging fortunes, winning only 10 of his 34 Premier League matches in charge.
United endured their worst top-flight finish last season since they were relegated in 1973–74, coming 15th, and they missed out on Europe after being beaten by Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League final.
But Ratcliffe has issued his strongest statement of support for Amorim yet, comparing the situation to when Alex Ferguson struggled in the early years of his reign before becoming the greatest manager in the club’s history.
“I remember the clamouring for Alex Ferguson to be fired in his first two years,” Ratcliffe, who owns 30% of the club and controls the football side of the business, told The Times’ podcast The Business. “You look at (Mikel) Arteta at Arsenal. He had a miserable time for the first couple of years.
“We’re results-driven at the end of the day, but we have to be patient and we have to see through the results. I think there’s lots of good things at Manchester United. We have to be patient and we have a long-term plan. It isn’t a light switch.
“Ruben needs to demonstrate that he’s a great coach over three years.”
‘WE’VE MADE ERRORS’
While the American Glazer family retain majority control of the 20-time champions of England, Ratcliffe rejected suggestions they could instruct him to sack Amorim.
“It absolutely wouldn’t happen because it’s just a good working relationship. They come to the board meetings. We sit down and we talk about things,” Ratcliffe said.
“We’ve made errors. There’s absolutely no question that we’ve made errors as we’ve gone along and we’ve talked about it. But no one’s perfect.”
Asked to confirm whether Amorim would see out his contract, Ratcliffe said: “Yes. That’s where I would be. Three years, because football’s not overnight.”
Despite United’s stock falling on the pitch, off it they recently posted record revenues of 666.5 million pounds ($892.1 million) in the year to June 2025, albeit with a 33 million pounds loss.
Amorim’s squad was boosted by more than 200 million pounds worth of new signings in the summer.
“The better your squad, the better your football should be. So a lot of what we have done in the first year is spend an awful lot of time putting the club on a sustainable, healthy footing,” Ratcliffe, who completed his acquisition of a minority stake in the club in 2024, said.
“If you look at our results for last year we have the highest revenues ever. Profitability, the second highest. We’re not seeing all the benefits of the restructuring that we’ve done in this set of results, and we were not in the Champions League.
“Those numbers will get better. Manchester United will become the most profitable football club in the world, in my view, and from that will stem, I hope, a long-term, sustainable, high-level of football.”
Ratcliffe also said he wants to revive the club’s Academy that once churned out the likes of multiple title winners David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville.
“The academy has really slipped at Manchester United,” Ratcliffe said. “You don’t solve the academy problem overnight. It takes time. We just recruited a new academy director.”
-Reuters
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