Premier League
Amorim says Man United could be in relegation battle
Ruben Amorim called it “embarrassing” as a Manchester United manager to be discussing the threat of relegation, but after Monday’s miserable 2-0 Premier League loss to Newcastle United he conceded that is the reality his team are facing.
Newcastle’s Alexander Isak and Joelinton headed early goals to hand Amorim’s team their fifth loss in their last six league games. They go into the new year 14th in the table, much closer to the relegation zone than the Champions League positions.
“I think (relegation) is a possibility and we have to be clear with our fans. We have to change something but this season will be really hard on everybody. It can make us stronger and we have to fight,” Amorim said.
“It’s also my fault in this moment, because I think the team is not improved, I think it is a little bit lost in this moment. So it’s a little bit embarrassing to be much as United coach and to lose a lot of games. But we have to cope with that, difficult moments in the life of everybody. So it’s a hard moment.”
Amorim has had anything but a dream start to his United career, suffering five defeats in his first eight league games — the worst record for a Manchester United manager in 103 years.
“Worrying times for Manchester United and Ruben Amorim,” former United defender Gary Neville said on Sky Sports. “He came in as a young manager and knew it was going to be a big job, but it is far bigger than he could have ever imagined.”
Neville called United “the worst pound for pound team in the country.”
There have been questions over Amorim’s commitment to his tactical 3-4-3 approach, and there were even more after Monday’s loss. The defensive issues that plagued former manager Erik ten Hag have haunted Amorim as well, with both goals on Monday coming largely thanks to blunders in the back line.
“Of course, I didn’t choose the players specifically for that position, but that I already knew,” Amorim said, when asked if he has the talent to play his formation. “I have to sell my idea, if I’m going to change all the time it is going to be even worse.
“But I understand that they have a lot of difficulties, because they spend two years playing one way, and then they are playing another, and with a lot of losses, is really tough on them, and you can feel it during the game.
“I have to sell my idea. I don’t have another one.”
One of the game’s ugliest moments came when Amorim took struggling Joshua Zirkzee off in the 33rd minute to boos from the Old Trafford crowd.
-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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