Premier League
Every Loss Is Damaging In United’s Fight For Top-four Finish –
Manchester United’s hopes of a Champions League berth took another hit on Sunday but the fact it was crosstown rivals Manchester City delivering the blow was secondary, captain Bruno Fernandes said.
United’s 3-1 derby loss to City at the Etihad Stadium left them 11 points behind fourth-place Aston Villa in sixth with 11 games remaining.
“Every time you don’t win a game it is a damage at this club,” Fernandes said. “We know what this club demands and we want to win the games we are involved in.
“We didn’t get the three points today but there’s still a long way to go. We know it is not everything in our hands because other teams have to lose points but we have to do our job.”
Marcus Rashford gave United an unlikely lead eight minutes into the game with a rasping strike measured at 72 miles per hour. His goal came days after he hit back at critics in a column in The Players Tribune and was one of the lone bright spots for United, who had just three shots to City’s 27.
The loss amplified the ongoing conversation around manager Erik ten Hag’s future, which has only increased since new co-owner Jim Ratcliffe took control of football operations, with changes expected off the pitch.
United have lost 11 of their 27 league matches this campaign, two more than all of last season. The two previous seasons with 12 league losses (2013-14 and 2021-22) led to managerial changes.
United had been unbeaten in their previous 143 league matches when leading at halftime with 123 wins and 20 draws — an illustrious run they saw end on Sunday.
“Manchester United will have to take their medicine today. Huge question marks for this team and the manager,” former United captain Roy Keane said on Sky Sports.
“Standards have dropped. We’re almost praising United. They’ve lost. They used to perform in the big games and compete,” he added.
“Now we’re sitting here saying they did alright, better shape. They lost 3-1.”
Ten Hag pointed to the fact that Rashford and Jonny Evans were playing with injuries on Sunday. United are also missing striker Rasmus Hojlund, who had scored in six successive league games before being sidelined with a muscle injury, and defender Harry Maguire.
“Absolutely they fought, the togetherness and the performance was very good,” Ten Hag said. “On another day we could have won this — small margins.”
Ten Hag said their 2-1 loss to Fulham a week earlier was more disappointing. United had been unbeaten in five consecutive league games until then.
“This year on we are really progressing and you have to get some points back,” he added. “Everyone can beat everyone and things can quickly turn around. Number five (in the league) can also be a position for Champions League so we have to fight for it.”
-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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