Premier League
Man City win at Burnley marred by injury to De Bruyne
Champions Manchester City suffered an injury blow as captain Kevin de Bruyne hobbled off early on in their 3-0 win at Burnley in their opening Premier League game of the season on Friday.
Erling Haaland’s first-half double put City on course for a comfortable win but coach Pep Guardiola’s satisfaction at a solid start was tempered by the injury to his Belgian playmaker.
De Bruyne, 32, had also limped off in the Champions League final two months ago with a hamstring injury and Guardiola said it was a recurrence of that problem.
“Yes he is injured again. Same issue (as last season) he told me. So that is a problem. We need to go back and reflect with the medical team,” Guardiola told Sky Sports.
“He was feeling really good and playing really good in the first minutes. But unfortunately he is injured again. Maybe (he shouldn’t have started), but what happens in the first 15 minutes could also have come in the 50th, 65th or 70th.”
Haaland struck after four minutes and in the 36th — repeating his two-goal burst in City’s opening game of the last campaign when he went on to score a Premier League season-record 36 times and a total of 52 goals in all competitions.
Rodri added another late on but Guardiola was not entirely happy with City’s display.
“The first games are so important to see how our vibes are. To come here to a promoted side is always so tricky. We didn’t expect them to play with five at the back but we found the goal,” Guardiola said.
“After the goal we struggled, created problems for ourselves. But then Bernardo (Silva) and (Mateo) Kovacic drop deeper, we get possession going and then we improved.”
Haaland’s second goal was an exquisite finish into the top corner after a lay off by Julian Alvarez and the 23-year-old looked razor sharp as he began the new campaign in style.
“Good to start again after two months without football. And good to start with a win of course,” the Norwegian said.
“Julian (Alvarez) had a lot of space inside the 18-yard box so I knew if I got the ball I was going to shoot because I was close. I was just trying to think about finishing it if I got the ball, and I did it quite well! Was a good finish eh?”
-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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