Premier League
Perfect start for Ten Hag as United trounce Liverpool 4-0 on tour
Manchester United got their pre-season off to a flying start with a 4-0 rout of a lacklustre Liverpool in Thailand on Tuesday, giving new manager Erik ten Hag a big boost in his first match in charge.
Liverpool looked jaded and on the back foot for much of the match against a United side with superior fitness who capitalised on a slew of first-half errors in Bangkok with three goals in the space of 21 thrilling minutes.
The result is unlikely to trouble Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp. The German picked an experimental side, while United were nearly at full strength and Klopp played three separate outfield teams for half an hour each with the first two including a number of youngsters.
Yet United still outclassed their biggest rivals with Jadon Sancho, Fred, Anthony Martial and Facundo Pellistri all on the scoresheet and delighting Ten Hag, who praised his side’s spirit
“I know we have good players, now we have to construct a team,” he said.
“We have to not overestimate this result, we have to be careful. But still I’ve seen some really good things … we have a lot of creativity and speed up front, we have the potential.”
The encounter had a pre-season feel with Liverpool using more than 30 players and United over 20.
Liverpool had the best of the early action and drew roars from the crowd of 50,000 before United went ahead after 12 minutes, when a Bruno Fernandez cross was poorly handled by the Liverpool defence, allowing Sancho to fire into the bottom corner.
Liverpool came close to equalising soon after when new signing Fabio Carvalho’s shot beat goalkeeper David de Gea and cannoned off the far post, with Luis Diaz hitting the upright in the ensuing scramble.
But the fightback was brief, with Liverpool’s shaky back line exposed on the half-hour mark when Fernandez and Martial combined to lay the ball off to Fred, whose deft finish sailed over outstretched keeper Alisson Becker into the net.
United made it three moments later when Martial robbed Rhys Williams and coolly lifted the ball over Alisson, while Diogo Dalot almost added a fourth when his shot rattled the post.
United made 10 changes at halftime, after which Liverpool emerged better organised, with chances from their 75 million euros ($75.42 million) striker Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah, who was frustrated late on by De Gea and the woodwork.
United fended off a late Liverpool rally and completed the demolition with 14 minutes left, Pellistri latching onto an Eric Bailly pass on the counter and converting with ease after a one-two with Amad Diallo.
“The goals we gave away for United we really should get an assist for it to be honest,” Klopp said.
“But I saw a lot of good stuff from our guys as well.”
-Reuters
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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