Premier League
Paul Pogba breaks silence Man Utd’s 5-0 defeat by Liverpool
Paul Pogba has finally spoken out following his red card in Manchester United’s 5-0 defeat by Liverpool.
In a short statement posted to Instagram, alongside a picture of himself leaving the Old Trafford pitch after being shown a straight red card, Pogba wrote: “No time to feel sorry for ourselves… Wake up, step up and make the next days better!”
Pogba started the derby from the bench on Sunday and watched as United were ripped apart by Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool.
At the start of the second half, with the Reds 4-0 ahead, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer brought on Pogba for Mason Greenwood.
But the France international midfielder lasted only 15 minutes after he was shown a straight red card for a reckless challenge on Liverpool star Naby Keita.
Pogba caught the midfielder flush on the ankle and was initially shown a yellow card before a VAR review saw the decision overturned and the Frenchman was given his marching orders.
Keita, meanwhile, received treatment on the pitch and was eventually removed on a stretcher and taken to the medical room.
Pogba caught the midfielder flush on the ankle and was initially shown a yellow card before a VAR review saw the decision overturned and the Frenchman was given his marching orders.
Keita, meanwhile, received treatment on the pitch and was eventually removed on a stretcher and taken to the medical room.
Former Man United midfielder Paul Scholes was critical of Pogba after the match, saying the World Cup winner has caused “mayhem” at Old Trafford over the years. “Paul Pogba coming on to the pitch at half-time to try and help the team and maybe get a little respectability about it, tries to stand on the ball, tries to show how strong he is in the middle of the pitch… gives the goal away,” said Scholes.
“Then, later on, gets sent off with a ridiculous tackle. Now you’re 5-0 down with 10 men. You’d have to think if Ole’s still a manager there, will we see Pogba again in a United shirt?
“He’s caused mayhem over the last couple of years. Everyone knows what a talent he is, everybody
trusts him, every manager trusts him, tried to give him his head and let him be the player he’s been. “But with all the commotion, not signing his contract, almost holding the club to ransom, and then he comes on and does something like that.
“Look, he probably will play (again) won’t he? But I don’t think they will be missing anything if he doesn’t.
“He’s had numerous chances, he keeps saying he lacks consistency, but that is just (a lack of) discipline and disrespect for your manager and your teammates, what he’s done today.”
-Mirror
Thomas Partey, who formerly played for English Premier League soccer club Arsenal, has been charged with rape and sexual assault, London’s Metropolitan Police said on Friday.
Partey, a Ghana international, was charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, with the charges relating to three women and the offences reported to have taken place between 2021 and 2022, the statement said.
Partey’s management did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
He is due to appear at London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Aug. 5.
Partey, 32, was signed by Arsenal from Atletico Madrid for 50 million euros ($59 million) in October 2020 and became a key member of Arsenal’s first team.
He was first arrested in July 2022, though he was not named at the time and continued to play for Arsenal while investigations were ongoing.
-Reuters
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Five players including England forward Marcus Rashford and Argentina winger Alejandro Garnacho have informed Manchester United that they wish to explore a future away from the Premier League side, a club source said on Friday.
Brazilian midfielder Antony, Dutch defender Tyrell Malacia and England international Jadon Sancho are also looking to leave the club, the source added.
Rashford, who has made more than 400 senior appearances for United, has fallen out of favour with manager Ruben Amorim, played for Aston Villa on loan while United had their worst-ever Premier League campaign, finishing 15th in the standings.
Amorim had called Rashford’s work rate into question, saying he would rather put a goalkeeper coach on the bench than a player not giving their all.
Rashford said he was feeling fitter and better since joining Villa, where he scored two goals in 10 league appearances.
United also failed to qualify for the Champions League as they lost the Europa League final 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur. Garnacho, who was a late substitute in the final, voiced his displeasure on social media after the loss.
“Up until the final, I played every round helping the team, and today I play 20 minutes, I don’t know,” he wrote in a post . “The final will influence (my decision), but the whole season, the situation of the club.”
Sancho was on loan at Chelsea, where he made 31 league appearances last season. Antony, who joined United from Ajax Amsterdam in 2022 for a reported initial transfer fee of more than $100 million, scored five goals in 17 LaLiga appearances on loan at Real Betis.
Malacia joined Dutch side PSV Eindhoven on loan in February.
-Reuters
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Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes turned down the opportunity to join Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal in order to keep playing “at the highest level”, he said on Tuesday.
The Portuguese midfielder admitted that he had considered the move, which media reports said was worth four times his current salary, after being contacted by Al-Hilal’s president.
“There was that possibility, the president of Al-Hilal called me a month ago to ask me about it,” Fernandes, who is preparing to face Germany with Portugal, told reporters on Tuesday.
“It was a big offer, very ambitious. There was a waiting period for me to think about the future.”
Fernandes ultimately decided to stay at United and said he was motivated by his desire to continue playing at the top level and encouraged by his family and the club’s coach Ruben Amorim.
“I would be willing to do it if Manchester United thought so,” Fernandes added. “I spoke to the coach Ruben Amorim who really tried to talk me out of it. The club said they would not be willing to sell me, only if I wanted to leave.
“I spoke to my wife and family, and she asked me what my personal goals were in my career.
“It would have been easy to move there but I want to keep myself at the highest level, playing in the big competitions and I feel capable of it. I am happy with my decision.”
The 30-year-old Fernandes scored 19 goals and provided 19 assists in 57 appearances across all competitions for United last season, winning the club’s Player of the Year award for the fourth time.
However, it was a season to forget for the team, as they finished 15th in the Premier League, their lowest league finish in half a century, and lost the Europa League final to Tottenham Hotspur.
-Reuters
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