Premier League
CAVANI TO CLASH WITH THIAGO IN HIS DEBUT MANCHESTER UNITED MATCH
CAVANI SETS FOR MAN UNITED DEBUT AGAINST CHELSEA
Recruit from Paris Saint-German, Edinson Cavani is set to make his Manchester United debut this weekend.
Cavani and his Manchester United team-mates will welcome fellow title hopefuls Chelsea to Old Trafford this Saturday evening.
The match will throw up a reunion between the Uruguayan striker – who United signed on a free transfer on deadline day – and his former Paris Saint-Germain team-mate Thiago Silva.
Cavani is looking forward to catching up with his old comrade, who he’s anticipating going up against in the crucial match at the Theatre of Dreams.
“It will be great to be able to find him on the pitch,” Cavani said of Silva during an interview with EN24 News.
“Thiago is very professional, because he works so hard in training and in the pre-match warm-ups. Well, it won’t be easy!
“It will be complicated because he is a very good central defender and an excellent footballer. But it will still be a great experience.”
United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has refused to be drawn on the prospect of Cavani starting against the Blues but admits the 33-year-old will be available for the visit of the west Londoners.
“Edinson wants to tick all the boxes that he’s gone through in his programme to be ready and make an impact,” Solskjaer said in his pre-match press conference.
“His last preparation is going to be today and then I will have a discussion.”
The Norwegian added: “He might be ready for the squad as well for this weekend.
“He’s been training hard and been training well. I think he’ll be available for the weekend.”
Cavani – who left PSG in the summer following the expiration of his contract at the Parc des Princes – has been included in United’s match-day squad for Saturday’s game and will stay at the Lowry Hotel this evening with the rest of his new team-mates.
Manchester United will also be able to call on the services of captain Harry Maguire for the visit of the Blues following the England defender’s recovery from a slight muscle problem.
Alex Telles did not arrive with the squad as he is already staying at the Lowry Hotel after his recent move from Porto and he is set to be in the squad after his impressive debut in Paris.
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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