Premier League
TOP PLAYERS NOW AVOID JOINING MANCHESTER UNITED, SAYS DIMITAR BERBATOV
Not long ago, the opportunity to sign for Manchester United was an irresistible lure for the world’s top players, but their crown has slipped so far that an offer from Old Trafford might now be met with a “thanks – but no thanks”.
With the January transfer window open for another week and United reeling with injuries and woeful form, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s squad is in dire need of an injection of quality.
Solskjaer said on Friday (Jan 24) he was hopeful of getting one signing “over the line” but, in reality, United need five or six.
There is a hardly a queue forming, though.
A deal for Sporting Lisbon midfielder Bruno Fernandes appears to have stalled while Inter Milan have reportedly rejected a loan offer from United for Matias Vecino.
With leading scorer Marcus Rashford facing a long injury lay-off, the rumour mill of potential United targets is in full swing, but former striker Dimitar Berbatov says his old club will find it hard to recruit the calibre of player they require.
Former striker Carlos Tevez’s name has even surfaced as a potential target.
“The sad part is, United will now have to work hard to convince players to come,” Bulgarian Berbatov said.
“In the past, you only had to say the name ‘Manchester United’ and you were there asking where do you sign. If you asked a group of players now, out of Manchester United and other big teams where would they like to go, United would probably be the last place they’d want to go.
“That is really depressing, and it shows just how much they have declined.”
United were booed off after their 2-0 home defeat by Burnley on Wednesday, a night that also featured protests against the club’s American owners. While they remain fifth in the Premier League, they are six points behind fourth-placed Chelsea and have lost three of their last four league games.
The spotlight is again on Solskjaer, but Berbatov believes the Norwegian can still arrest the United decline and that Argentine Tevez could be the man to spark an improvement.
“There have been reports linking Carlos Tevez back to United on loan, I say why not?!” Berbatov said in an interview for bookmakers Betfair.
“When you have these loan deals, it’s good to get someone who knows the place, knows the situation of the club and the fans.
“If there’s no other option, this could be the right one.
“I think Ole is still the man to stop the decline, but they need to do business in the transfer market and buy some players now. The question is who do they go out and get and do the players even want to come to Old Trafford?”
-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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