Premier League
Doomsday postponed for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, likely to be in charge for Man Utd’s trip to Tottenham
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is likely to be in charge for Saturday’s game against Tottenham, 90min understands, with the club’s hierarchy seeing that fixture as a better barometer of their current standing.
United were humiliated by bitter rivals Liverpool on Sunday, convincingly losing 5-0 at Old Trafford to suffer one of their heaviest ever defeats in the Premier League.
The result comes a little over a year after Spurs, managed then by former boss Jose Mourinho, embarrassed United 6-1 on their own patch, and has poured further – and more significant – pressure onto the shoulders of Solskjaer, who many detractors feel isn’t capable of taking the club to the next level.
Former Chelsea boss Antonio Conte, who left Inter at the end of last season after winning Serie A, has been strongly linked with taking over from Solskjaer, and 90min understands that he’s open to succeeding the Norwegian should he be dismissed.
However, United’s board are yet to make a definitive decision on Solskjaer – even though the manner of the defeat to Liverpool shocked some of his most stringent supporters at the club – and they are keen to see whether or not he can deliver an improved performance against Spurs
Rumours of dressing room unrest and players losing faith in Solskjaer’s ability have been speculated, but 90min has learned that the board have not spoken to any senior players – they want to avoid a situation where it looks like the manager is being squeezed out from within.
Nevertheless, the club are doing their due diligence on potential candidates to take over, should Saturday’s game offer no further improvement.
Conte is the obvious option, but former Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane is also out of work and available immediately. 90min sources indicate he’d be interested in hearing what United have to say, despite reports elsewhere suggesting he’s not keen to take on the role.
The Red Devils see both Conte and Zidane as preferable candidates because the Glazers ideally want to avoid spending millions of pounds on compensation and legal fees, should they attempt to prise an employed manager away from their club.
That would rule the likes of Mauricio Pochettino, Erik ten Hag and Brendan Rodgers out of contention in the short-term, although they fit the profile of manager that United would want to employ in the future.
–90min
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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