Premier League
Erik ten Hag under mounting pressure at Man United
Manchester United have kept their season alive by reaching the FA Cup final, but only by the skin of their teeth, and that has left manager Erik ten Hag under more intense pressure.
The Red Devils beat second-tier Coventry City 4-2 on penalties on April 21, after escaping a humiliating 4-3 defeat in extra time thanks to the VAR (video assistant referee) which ruled out their opponents’ goal for offside.
Ten Hag denied it was an embarrassment, preferring instead to focus on the achievement of reaching a second straight final against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, who won 2-1 last season.
But as the attention turns to their English Premier League home clash against Sheffield United on April 24, many feel that the Dutchman’s tenure at Old Trafford has all but ended.
The 54-year-old appeared to be on an upward curve in his first season in charge in 2022-23, ending a six-year trophy drought by lifting the League Cup and finishing third in the Premier League.
But any lingering goodwill has all disappeared as United limp towards the end of the campaign.
The beleaguered club, who are realistically out of the running to qualify for next season’s Champions League, have not won any of their past five matches – and may even find it a challenge to take on bottom-side Sheffield.
In four of those winless games, including the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley, they have carelessly tossed away winning positions in the final few minutes and they are paying a heavy price.
“With Man United you don’t know what you’re going to get. They are inconsistent, they give (opponents) chances… that’s what they tend to do,” said former United captain Roy Keane, who stopped short of criticising ten Hag.
“I don’t see character in this group of players, I’m getting to the stage where I’m almost disliking them.”
United are engaged in a wholesale shake-up of their backroom team under new minority investor Jim Ratcliffe, who must make a decision on whether he has seen enough from ten Hag to give him another chance.
Unlike Keane, there are other pundits who have ripped into the United boss.
Former Chelsea forward Chris Sutton believes the manner of United’s performance at Wembley has sealed the Dutchman’s fate, saying: “That performance will cement his sacking at the end of the season.”
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher felt the same, adding: “I think that result has just cost a Man United manager his job. I don’t see how he stays, I don’t.”
Ten Hag can point to a punishing list of injuries to his defenders but must also take some responsibility for the way several key players – including Casemiro, Marcus Rashford and Antony – have badly underperformed this season.
Gary Neville, another ex-United captain, said that reaching the FA Cup final had at least saved United and ten Hag an “absolute battering” from critics, but he could not be certain about the manager’s future.
“What we can say is that Erik ten Hag’s future is largely dependent on the FA Cup, as their performances in the league are gone,” he said.
Ten Hag must now prove he has what it takes, starting with Sheffield.
-AFP
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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