Premier League
Man United: New manager, same performance level as Ronaldo again masks United flaws
BY PETER HALL
On paper, a Manchester United victory away from home in Europe, especially one that sends them through to the last 16 of the Champions League, is a thing to be celebrated.
But the manner of the 2-0 win in Villarreal on Tuesday night was all too familiar for United fans, with their team below par for much of the contest, before one particular star player bailed them out once more.
Before Cristiano Ronaldo struck in the 78th minute to break home hearts, however, United keeper David De Gea was forced to make several fine saves to keep Villarreal at bay.
And it was not the first time this season Ronaldo has come to the rescue. United may have reached the last 16 with a group game to spare thanks to their win in the Estadio de la Ceramica, but it has been anything but a smooth ride.
It is the third time this season that the Portuguese forward has scored the decisive goal in the final 15 minutes of a Champions League match.
His stoppage-time winner broke Villarreal hearts in the reverse fixture – a match where De Gea was again needed to keep the Spanish side out on plentiful occasions – before Ronaldo completed a 3-2 comeback victory over Atalanta with another late winner.
Not done there, Ronaldo then fired the pivotal last gasp equaliser in United’s last Champions League match at Atalanta – where a loss would have left them up against it to qualify.
In both games against Atalanta and Villarreal, United were second best for long periods of the match. Other poor performances were punished, with United losing seven of their previous 13 in all competitions before Tuesday’s trip to Spain – form which saw Ole Gunnar Solskjaer sacked as coach.
Michael Carrick has come in to take temporary charge, with his first Champions League match following the same pattern as his predecessor’s.
“The game panned out as I thought. When you’ve had results we’ve had and gone through what we have, it would be very foolish to think it would be freeflowing and everything would be wonderful,” Carrick said.
“I had a feeling it would be a tight game. I thought we’d be better after half time but it proved to be a little bit tougher at the start of the second half.
“We had players to change it, and in the end it worked out.”
Thanks to Ronaldo – and Jadon Sancho’s stoppage-time strike – it did work out for United, but it will take more than the sacking of Solskjaer to lift performance levels at 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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