Premier League
Van Nistelrooy sees positive in Man United’s fighting spirit against Chelsea
Manchester United’s interim boss Ruud van Nistelrooy believes the team can turn around their torrid season based on the “spirit” he saw in their two games since the sacking of manager Erik ten Hag.
Moises Caicedo’s second-half strike for Chelsea cancelled a penalty from United captain Bruno Fernandes in a 1-1 Premier League draw on Sunday to spoil United’s celebrations, but Van Nistelrooy said there were positives to be gleaned from their performance after a difficult few days.
The draw saw United climb one spot in the table to 13th after 10 games.
“We’re early in and the performances, with the spirit the players showed, is a foundation to build on… then football qualities will come out,” Van Nistelrooy said. “That’s the foundation to build on, and then there’s time to improve a lot in the ranking.”
Fernandes said he spoke to Ten Hag after the Dutchman was sacked on Monday with United languishing 14th in the table.
“Whenever you see a manager go you have to take some of the blame on yourself, it is because the team is not doing so well,” Fernandes said. “It is easier to get rid of a manager than 15 players.
“I spoke to (Ten Hag) and apologised to him. I wasn’t scoring goals, we are not scoring goals and I feel responsible.”
Van Nistelrooy said the days since Ten Hag was shown the door have been “very difficult” for the team
“Six days, the roller-coaster of emotions, obviously very sad seeing Erik leave, the next day you have to start to focus on getting the lads ready for a performance against Leicester (a 5-2 League Cup win on Wednesday), because 75,000 people are going to show up at Old Trafford, so we have the obligation, and the players feel that they have the obligation to do better.
“They looked also in the mirror, and their reactions Wednesday and today showed that they thought about things as well themselves.”
Van Nistelrooy’s positive view of Sunday’s performance was not shared by everyone.
Former United midfielder turned pundit Roy Keane said Ruben Amorim — Ten Hag’s permanent replacement who will take the reins as of Nov. 11 — should have signed a longer contract,
because “There’s a long way back for this team.
“This is an average United team,” Keane said on Sky Sports. “We don’t know what we are going to get from them, it’s hit and miss. At the end it was a bit more open, but really disappointed. It was so flat. From the manager’s point of view, this team is way off it.”
United’s nine goals through 10 games, third-worst in the league, are their lowest total at this stage of a league campaign since 1973-1974.
While Amorim was named United’s head coach on Friday, Van Nistelrooy has not yet spoken to the Sporting CP boss, but the former United striker reiterated that he is keen to remain with the team in some capacity after Amorim takes over.
“We all will be backing him and helping him to get Manchester United to where we all want it to be,” Van Nistelrooy said. “I think that spirit is the most important to have, and it’s not about individuals, it’s about the club.”
-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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