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Ratcliffe says some Man Utd players not good enough

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Manchester United co-owner Jim Ratcliffe with Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak before the Manchester City v Manchester United match at Etihad Stadium on December 15, 2024. REUTERS/Phil Noble/File

A number of Manchester United players are “not good enough” while some others are being “overpaid”, the club’s co-owner Jim Ratcliffe said on Monday as manager Ruben Amorim faces an uphill task to turn around the side’s fortunes.

Ratcliffe gave his backing to Amorim, who took charge in November following the sacking of Erik ten Hag, even though the Portuguese has struggled to turn around the team’s fortunes with United down in 14th place in the Premier League.

Since the 40-year-old Portuguese took charge, United have won five of 17 league matches and exited both domestic cups.

Thousands of fans protested about the club’s ownership before Sunday’s draw with Arsenal and British chemicals billionaire Ratcliffe attempted to address their concerns in a wide-ranging BBC interview on Monday, saying many of the problems were already there when he acquired a 25% stake in his childhood club and took charge of football operations.

“We’re buying Antony, we’re buying Casemiro, we’re buying (Andre) Onana, we’re buying (Rasmus) Hojlund, we’re buying (Jadon) Sancho… whether we like it or not, we’ve inherited those things and have to sort that out.

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“For Sancho, who now plays for Chelsea and we pay half his wages, we’re paying 17 million pounds ($21.87 million) to buy him in the summer.”

Sancho, whose fee was 73 million pounds when he joined in 2021, is currently on loan at Chelsea while winger Antony, who cost 81.5 million pounds, is on loan at Spanish club Real Betis.

“Some players are not good enough and some probably are overpaid, but for us to mould the squad that we are fully responsible for, and accountable for, will take time.”

Ratcliffe has some sympathy for Amorim, saying the former Sporting coach is an “outstanding young manager”.

“If I actually look at the squad which is available to Ruben, I think he is doing a really good job to be honest,” Ratcliffe said. “I think he will be there for a long time.

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“You are beginning to see a glimpse of what Ruben can produce. I think you saw a glimpse of it against Arsenal.”

Ratcliffe, whose buy-in to the club was largely welcomed by the fans, said the 20-times English champions are in a period of transformation and that tough decisions were being made.

United have made job cuts this season and the 72-year-old Ratcliffe said the club would have run out of money by the end of the year if no corrective actions were taken.

He did, however, rule out selling youngsters such as Kobbie Mainoo and winger Alejandro Garnacho to help balance the books.

“The club had got bloated so we reduced that and will finish it with a lean and efficient organisation,” he said.

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“United would have run out of cash by the end of this year – by the end of 2025 – after having me put $300m in and if we buy no new players in the summer.

“It’s an uncomfortable period and disruptive and I do feel sympathy with the fans … My only interest here is returning Manchester United back to greatness again.”

Ratcliffe said he fully-supported Amorim’s tough stance on forward Marcus Rashford who was frozen out of the first team before joining Aston Villa on loan in January.

“He wants a dressing room that is full of people who are totally committed to winning football matches. He won’t tolerate people who don’t have 100% of that attitude. The players have to be in the same box,” he said.

“(Rashford) has moved out of Manchester and maybe that’s a good thing for him. I’m pleased he’s doing well because he has got tremendous talent, but for whatever reason it wasn’t working for the past couple of seasons.”

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-Reuters

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Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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Former Arsenal soccer player Partey charged with five counts of rape

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 Premier League - Arsenal v Manchester City - Emirates Stadium, London, Britain - February 2, 2025 Arsenal's Thomas Partey during the warm-up before the match REUTERS/David Klein/File Photo

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.

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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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Rashford, Garnacho among five players seeking Man Utd exit

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Premier League - Manchester United v Newcastle United - Old Trafford, Manchester, Britain - December 30, 2024 Manchester United's Marcus Rashford warms up as a substitute during the match REUTERS/Phil Noble/File Photo

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.

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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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Fernandes rejects Al-Hilal offer to stay at Manchester United

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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.

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“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.

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-Reuters

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