Premier League
With call for Hag’s sack becoming louder and louder, Mourinho eyes Man United return
After a devastating 4-0 defeat of Manchester United on Monday night by Crystal Palace, the call for the sacking of the coach, Erik ten Hag expectedly became louder. Former coach, Jose Mourinho has indicated his wish to return to the club.
Mourinho was sacked as Manchester United manager after a mixed two-and-a-half seasons in December 2018 but the Portuguese believes that he has unfinished business at Old Trafford
According to Mirror in the UK, the Portuguese is very keen on a sensational return . He is however aware the club don’t want him back.
Mourinho, 61, has been out of work since being sacked by Roma in January and has told confidants of his strong but fanciful desire to be given a second chance as manager of the Red Devils.
The ex-Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid boss was sacked by United in December 2018, bringing to an end a mixed two-and-a-half-season tenure which saw them win three trophies but fail to seriously challenge for the Premier League title.
That was long before Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s arrival at the club and although Mourinho considers the new United co-owner his friend, he doesn’t expect to be approached if the Red Devils sack Erik ten Hag.
Ten Hag’s role has come under increasing scrutiny over the past few months, with Monday’s dreadful 4-0 defeat away to 14th-placed Crystal Palace serving as the nadir to a wretched season.
Should Ratcliffe and Co pull the trigger, the Manchester Evening News report that Mourinho would be willing to ‘walk’ back to Old Trafford
The Portuguese, who’s aware that a reappointment isn’t likely, recently claimed that Ten Hag has been given considerably more support than he received during his time at United – comments which irked the current Red Devils boss.
“My relationship with (former United executive vice-chairman) Ed Woodward was good,” Mourinho told the Telegraph. “Good as in the personal point of view. Even now we sent an SMS. But from a professional point of view it was not the best.
“I am who I am. I am a football man. Ed comes from a different background and what Ten Hag has in his time at Manchester United I didn’t have. I didn’t have that level of support. I didn’t have that level of trust.
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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