Premier League
Van Nistelrooy hopes to remain at United after permanent boss named
Manchester United interim manager Ruud van Nistelrooy said he would like to remain part of the club’s restructured management team once a permanent replacement for Erik ten Hag is appointed.
The former United striker got his team off to a victorious start in the post-Ten Hag era with an entertaining 5-2 League Cup victory over Leicester City in the League Cup on Wednesday.
“I came in as an assistant to help the club and now in this role I’m helping as long as I’m needed and in the future in any capacity,” Van Nistelrooy told reporters.
“I’m here to help, I’m here to serve, I’m here to give my everything for the club in any capacity, with so many people around me that want the best for the club and that will never change,” the former United and Netherlands striker added.
Two days after Ten Hag was sacked with United 14th in the Premier League, Van Nistelrooy’s first match in charge was memorable with captain Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro scoring two goals apiece, including a brilliant 25-yard strike from Casemiro that had a Van Nistelrooy vigorously pumping his fists in celebration.
“When you see these moments and you can share them with the players on the pitch and the crowd, it releases good feelings, and that’s what you saw I think,” the interim boss said.
He was pleased for the Brazilian midfielder who was the subject of scathing criticism after a 3-0 home loss to Liverpool this season that saw him substituted at halftime.
“I was delighted for Casemiro, the way he’s been training and helping the team and the club, he’s such an example, also to see the crowd’s reaction, they also know what he’s about,” Van Nistelrooy said
“Of course, going through difficult moments, the Liverpool game, a lot of criticism, it’s so hard, it’s not fair, he didn’t deserve that, if you see him train and prepare for games, he’s an example for us, and that was part of my celebration also.”
While the Old Trafford crowd sang Van Nistelrooy’s name after the final whistle, the Dutchman said it had been a difficult time since compatriot Ten Hag’s sacking.
“The days leading up to this were with mixed feelings, sad to see Erik go, he was the one who got me here, and in our first conversation the passion he showed for the club, that’s where we got connected, and it was sad to see him leave,” he said.
Although United are expected to appoint Sporting Lisbon’s Ruben Amorim as their new manager, media reports said the Portuguese will remain with his club until after the next international break.
That means Van Nistelrooy will be in charge on Sunday when United resume their Premier League campaign against Chelsea at Old Trafford.
United will travel to Tottenham Hotspur in the League Cup quarter-finals.
-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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