Premier League
Ten Hag hoping for more of the same from Nigerian-descent Zirkzee after dazzling debut
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is delighted with how Joshua Zirkzee, a striker born in the Netherlands to a Dutch father and a Nigerian mother, has kicked off his Premier League career, and hopes for more of the same from his new striker when they travel to Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday.
Zirkzee, signed by United from Bologna last month, came off the bench to score their lone goal in a 1-0 win over Fulham in United’s Premier League opener last Friday, displaying the nimble dribbling skills that the 6-foot-4 Dutchman is known for.
“Very pleasing that a player who is a striker scores his first goal in his first game,” Ten Hag told reporters on Thursday. “That will give him confidence, we’re very pleased that it’s happened.
“I give the comparison last year with Rasmus Hojlund that when he scored against Brighton and the VAR looked, five minutes later they came to the conclusion the ball crossed the line in the assist and he had to wait three months for his first Premier League goal,” Ten Hag added.
“It helps absolutely (Zirkzee) scoring his first goal, it gives him confidence and gives us confidence as a team. Very good progress.”
Hojlund, who scored 10 league goals last season, remains sidelined this week with a hamstring injury, along with Luke Shaw, Tyrell Malacia and Victor Lindelof.
“(Lindelof) has an issue on his toe, hopefully he can return quickly but not available for the weekend,” Ten Hag said.
The manager was non-committal on the status of Jadon Sancho, who returned to United last month after a very public spat with Ten Hag last year which led to him finishing the 2023/2024 season with Borussia Dortmund. Sancho did not feature in Ten Hag’s squad against Fulham.
“We will see. You need them all (the players) throughout the season because it is survival of the fittest,” Ten Hag said.
“We have to manage it, the attitude of the players is very important, sometimes they will be disappointed they are not in the starting XI but they have to deal with it, you win as a squad.
“The prizes are decided next May and until then we need all the players in the squad and highly motivated, that is not an expectation, that is a demand on the squad. The team is always more important than any individual.”
-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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