Premier League
MOURINHO EXTENDS MAN UTD STAY TO 2020
Manchester United manager, Jose Mourinho has signed a contract extension until 2020, with the option of a further year.
The 54-year-old’s previous deal at Old Trafford was due to expire in 2019. Mourinho said he was “delighted” that United “feel and trust that I am the right manager for this great club for the foreseeable future”.
He added: “I would like to say a big thank you to the owners and to [chief executive} Ed Woodward.”
The Portuguese, appointed as Louis van Gaal’s successor in May 2016, won the English Premier League Cup and Europa League in his first season.
This season United are second in the Premier League, behind runaway leaders Manchester City, with the club still in the Champions League and FA Cup.
“We have set very high standards – winning three trophies in one season – but those are the standards I expect my teams to aim for,” Mourinho added.
“We are creating the conditions for a brilliant and successful future for Manchester United. I love my players and it is a pleasure to know that we are going to be together for at least the next three years.”
Woodward praised Mourinho for his “exceptional work rate and professionalism”, as well as for “embracing the club’s desire to promote top-quality young players”.
He added: “He has brought an energy and a sense of purpose to everything that he does and I am sure that will continue to bring results for the fans and the club.”
What did I say to convince Sanchez? Nothing – Mourinho. Speaking at his news conference earlier on Thursday – before his new contract was announced – Mourinho hailed the club’s recent signing of Alexis Sanchezfrom Arsenal.
He said the Chilean had moved from a “fantastic club to a giant club” in the swap deal that saw Armenia midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan head the other way.
Mourinho said it was “a great deal for everybody” and confirmed Sanchez will be in the squad for United’s FA Cup fourth round tie at Yeovil tonight.
If Mourinho does stay at United until 2020, it will be his longest spell in charge of a team.
The former Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid boss spent three years at Stamford Bridge between 2004 and 2007, returning for a second two-year spell between 2013 and 2015.
He also managed Madrid over three years, between 2010 and 2013.
Other than Sir Alex Ferguson and Sir Matt Busby, who spent nearly 27 and 24 years in charge respectively, United’s longest serving post-war manager is Ron Atkinson, who was manager for five years and five months before making way for Ferguson in October 1986.
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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