Premier League
Zinedine Zidane, Antonio Conte make short-list of coaches targeted by Man United
Zinedine Zidane and Antonio Conte are both in the race to replace under-pressure Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer but the club are also reportedly considering Brendan Rodgers and Erik ten Hag.
The Red Devils are in disarray after a 5-0 mauling at the hands of fierce rivals Liverpool at Old Trafford on Sunday compounded a poor start to the season with Solskjaer fearing his time in charge may be coming to an end.
And according to The Sun, the club have drawn up a four-man shortlist of potential successors including the out-of-work pair, as well as Leicester’s Rodgers and Ajax’s Ten Hag.
United are understood to be keen to sound out ex-Real Madrid manager Zidane and former Chelsea boss Conte and gauge their interest in taking over.
Club chiefs are said to have told a prominent agent to get in contact with several leading managerial names to discern their contract demands and vision for United if they took over.
Although the Red Devils remain reluctant to sack Solskjaer, having handed him a three-year contract extension in July, the Liverpool capitulation was probably the nadir of his reign and could force the club’s hand.
Following a day of deafening silence at United, sources emerged to offer Solskjaer lukewarm support on Monday night more than 24 hours after the humiliating defeat.
Earlier, chairmen Joel and Avram Glazer held crisis talks with executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward and managing director Richard Arnold as the shock of losing so pathetically to their bitter rivals continued to reverberate around the club.
Meanwhile, Solskjaer spent two-and-a-half hours at the training ground around lunchtime after giving his squad and coaching staff the day off.
A vast and immediate improvement in performances and results may extend his stay of execution, but after another lavish summer of spending to bring in Cristiano Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane expectations are understandably higher.
It remains to be seen whether Rodgers’ links with Liverpool would affect his chances of landing the United job but he has impressed with Leicester since taking over in 2019.
He has introduced a free-flowing style of play and almost eclipsed several bigger names to qualify for the Champions League two seasons running, only to narrowly miss out twice.
Rodgers did manage to win last season’s FA Cup and the Community Shield at the start of the current campaign but ruled himself out of the running to take over at Newcastle last week.
Conte, who is available after leaving Inter Milan earlier this summer, won the Premier League with Chelsea in 2016-17 and retains a reputation as a bonafide winner.
Meanwhile, Zidane secured a record three consecutive Champions League titles with Real Madrid but left the Bernabeu in May.
Ten Hag has won nearly three-quarters of his 181 matches in charge of Ajax since joining from Utrecht in December 2017.
He masterminded their unlikely run to the Champions League semi-finals in 2019 – where they were narrowly beaten by Tottenham – and has a reputation for playing eye-catching football with young players.
The Dutchman has won two Eredivisie titles but it remains to be seen if he has the pedigree United would look for if they are to change manager.
It emerged on Monday that senior United players are now questioning Solskjaer’s tactics and leadership over concerns that he lacks the experience to get himself out of trouble and is too soft on them.
It is not the first time the 48-year-old has faced an uncertain future since he returned to the club in December 2018. Whereas United have previously offered Solskjaer unequivocal backing, however, the message on Monday night was less emphatic.
Sources stressed the need to pull together and move on from Sunday’s embarrassment, adding that there is nothing to say Solskjaer won’t still be in charge when United visit Tottenham on Saturday.
– Daily Mail
England and Manchester United defender Harry Maguire has been handed a 15-month suspended prison sentence by a Greek court over a 2020 incident in Mykonos, Sky Sports reported on Wednesday.
In 2020, Maguire was found guilty of repeated bodily harm, attempted bribery and violence against public employees after his arrest in a brawl in which two police officers were assaulted.
Maguire, who was detained for two days following the incident and denied any wrongdoing, was handed a suspended prison sentence of 21 months and 10 days but was granted a full retrial after appealing against Greek court convictions on multiple charges.
In accordance with the Greek judicial process, the filing nullified Maguire’s conviction before a full retrial in a more senior court. His retrial was postponed many times.
Maguire faced allegations of non-serious assault, resisting arrest and attempted bribery. The 32-year-old was convicted on all three counts but will face no prison time. His legal team will appeal against the guilty verdict, Sky Sports reported.
Maguire’s brother Joe and friend Christopher Sharman were also found guilty of offences related to the incident and received suspended prison sentences in 2020. They also denied any wrongdoing.
-Reuters
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Arsenal maintained control of the Premier League title race as they chiselled out a nervy 2-1 win over London rivals Chelsea to open up a five-point lead at the top of the table on Sunday.
Jurrien Timber’s 66th-minute header from a Declan Rice corner ensured Arsenal took three precious points, but it was a nervy afternoon in north London.
Mikel Arteta’s side moved to 64 points from 29 games, with Manchester City, who have played a game fewer, on 59.
Arsenal’s Jurrien Timber celebrates scoring their second goal with Gabriel Magalhaes REUTERS/Jaimi Joy
Defender William Saliba had given Arsenal the lead in the 21st minute from a trademark corner routine.
But it had looked as though an own goal by Piero Hincapie just before halftime would prove costly for the hosts until Timber came to their rescue.
Chelsea, whose six-match unbeaten league sequence under new manager Liam Rosenior was halted, ended the match with 10 men after Pedro Neto was sent off for a second yellow card.
-Reuters
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Premier League
Manchester United climb to third in Premier League table with come-from-behind win over Palace
Manchester United produced a stirring second-half comeback to defeat Crystal Palace 2–1 at Old Trafford on Sunday, with captain Bruno Fernandes inspiring the turnaround that lifted the hosts into third place in the Premier League standings.
Trailing inside four minutes after a dominant start by Palace, United responded through a Fernandes penalty before his pinpoint free-kick was headed home by Benjamin Sesko to seal victory against the 10-man visitors.
The win extended interim manager Michael Carrick’s unbeaten run to seven matches since taking charge in mid-January. United now have 51 points from 28 games and are unbeaten since the January 5 dismissal of Ruben Amorim, climbing into third for the first time since May 2023. Palace remain 14th on 35 points.
“It feels like a big result, we were behind and had to show some character,” Fernandes told Sky Sports. “There are a lot of games to go still, and it is important that we don’t feel that we are in the position that we need to be. We need to make as many points as we can.”
Palace, under Oliver Glasner, were electric in the opening half hour, capitalising on sluggish United play. Defender Maxence Lacroix powered home a header from a corner after muscling past Leny Yoro, scoring the earliest goal United have conceded this season.
The visitors nearly doubled their advantage when Daniel Munoz latched onto an Ismaila Sarr through ball, but goalkeeper Senne Lammens produced a crucial save.
United gradually found their rhythm before the break. Sesko forced Dean Henderson into action with a header from a Fernandes cross, and the Palace keeper also tipped a Fernandes free kick over the bar.
The turning point arrived in the 57th minute when Fernandes converted from the penalty spot after Matheus Cunha was dragged down by Lacroix. Following a lengthy VAR review, Lacroix was shown a red card, reducing Palace to 10 men.
Eight minutes later, Fernandes’ delivery again proved decisive as Sesko rose highest to nod home the winning goal.
United pushed for a third, with Casemiro’s volley drawing a diving save from Henderson and substitute Amad Diallo testing the keeper from distance in stoppage time. Joshua Zirkzee saw efforts blocked, while Kobbie Mainoo’s fierce strike drifted narrowly wide.
Carrick praised his team’s resilience. “The biggest thing for us to take from the game is really the first time that we have been in that situation going in at halftime,” he said. “Being in that position and how we react and showing that personality and belief… to then come back as we did in the second half is the biggest thing for me today.”
Palace pressed late but could not find an equaliser. Glasner admitted his side had let the game slip. “It feels like there was more possible today. A great first 30 minutes, but the red card changed it completely. The second goal just happened too quickly.”
For United, the victory reinforces growing belief under Carrick that a top-four finish—and a return to Europe’s elite competition—is firmly within reach.
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