Premier League
Mancini Emerges as Candidate for Man Utd Job as Visa Delays Interim Manager
Roberto Mancini has emerged as a surprise candidate for the Manchester United job when interim manager Ralf Rangnick steps down in the summer.
Mancini is currently in charge of Italy, whom he has led from disaster to European Championship glory since taking over in 2018.
However, more recent times have not been so good. First, the Azzurri crashed out in the UEFA Nations League Finals at the first hurdle and they then missed out on automatic qualification for the 2022 World Cup after slipping to disappointing draws against Switzerland and Northern Ireland.
Italy must now navigate a tricky playoff route to make it to Qatar with a semi-final clash with North Macedonia likely to be followed by a one-off game against Portugal for a place at the showpiece event next winter.
According to the Telegraph, United are weighing up an approach for Mancini amid Italy’s struggles. At present, the 57-year-old is committed to the national team, but if they fail to qualify he could become available.
The report does not rule out the possibility of Mancini having his head turned if United come calling when he’s still under contract.
One stumbling block in a potential deal would be the Italian’s past relationship with bitter rivals Man City, whom he managed between 2009 and 2013. However, it is not seen as so much of a problem as to rule Mancini out of the running completely.
90min understands that the former Inter manager is not United’s top choice, though. That remains Mauricio Pochettino, who is currently in charge of Paris Saint-Germain. PSG turned down the club’s initial advances as they do not want to let their head coach depart without formulating a backup plan.
United were also interested in Leicester City’s Brendan Rodgers, but Pochettino is very much their priority for the time being.
Meanwhile, Michael Carrick will stay in charge of the team for their clash against Arsenal this week as interim manager Ralf Rangnick awaits his work visa, the Old Trafford club said yesterday.
Rangnick on Monday agreed to join United from Lokomotiv Moscow, where he was the head of sports and development.
But he will not be on the bench when Arsenal visit tomorrow due to legal red tape.
“Ralf Rangnick was announced as interim manager on Monday but, while the club follows the regulatory process around a work visa, Carrick will continue at the helm,” a United statement said.
“Michael has communicated this to players and staff at Carrington in a busy week for the club.”
The 63-year-old German will eventually take charge at United until the end of this season before moving into a two-year consultancy role at the troubled Premier League outfit.
Carrick has been working as United’s caretaker boss since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s sacking.
The former United midfielder, who had served as Solskjaer’s assistant, has overseen a 2-0 Champions League win at Villarreal
and Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Premier League leaders Chelsea.
United host Crystal Palace on Sunday, by which time Rangnick could be in the dugout.
They are then scheduled to play their final Champions League group fixture at home to Swiss club Young Boys on December 8.
That game could be switched to a neutral venue given the new travel restrictions in response to the emergence of the Omicron variant of Covid-19.
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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