Roy Keane in his statement slams two Manchester United players after Tottenham defeat

Manchester second game of the season went not as expected  since Tottenham’s midfield dominance allowed them to take control in the second half on Saturday and Keane singled out two Man United stars for their poor performances.

Roy Keane has openly slammed Manchester United’s midfield for being lightweight. 

Roy Keane accused two players Mason Mount and Bruno Fernandes of looking like ‘schoolboys’ against Tottenham and questioned Erik ten Hag’s training methods.

Manchester United were well beaten in north London with Tottenham’s second-half dominance bringing them two goals. Pape Sarr rifled home the opener from close-range four minutes after the break, with Lisandro Martinez deflecting the ball into his own net close to full-time.

Erik ten Hag’s side was unable to produce any consistent threat going forward, with an out-of-position Marcus Rashford ineffective while Alejandro Garnacho and Antony were frustrating on either wing. In midfield, Fernandes and Mount produced little quality and left Casemiro exposed defensively once again in the away match.

Tottenham’s second-half dominance came via Yves Bissouma and James Maddison, who ran the midfield and created chances going forward. And Keane believes the lack of fight in United’s midfield allowed them to do so, adding that a lack of fitness in the final minutes suggests an issue in training.

“They just looked lightweight,” Keane told Sky Sports. “You look at the six players high up the pitch, when you’re out of possession, they’re giving you absolutely nothing.

“You can almost carry one or two that don’t give you much but can be match-winners, but United are carrying too many players who are not seriously at it. When these players think ‘okay I’ll forgive you for not doing the defensive stuff but you better be really good when you’re getting on it’, and they’re not doing that.

“When I look at Mount and Fernandes, out of possession they look like schoolboys! They haven’t got the physicality to get the ball back. We make excuses all the time for them, we’re told Ten Hag is a brilliant coach but we need to see it.

“They looked flat here. I’d like to know what they’re doing on the training pitch. Are they over-training? They don’t appear to be full of energy.

“Every time I watch United, towards the end of games they’ve got a goal in them but I didn’t see that today. When it was 1-0 or 2-0, I thought it’s game over and I genuinely never felt like that with this Man United team.”

The transfer window is in full swing and United have got their hands on three players well in advance of the September 1 deadline, with Rasmus Hojlund joining Mason Mount and Andre Onana at Old Trafford.

A goalkeeper, a midfielder and a striker were Erik ten Hag’s priorities heading into the summer window, but that doesn’t mean their business ends here, with further incomings and outgoings still on the cards..

Our team of United experts will be on top of all the goings-on at Old Trafford for the remainder of the summer window and beyond, and you can get the latest updates and inside information to your phone by joining our new free WhatsApp community below.

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The 10 biggest transfers in Europe in the 2023 summer transfer window

The 2023 summer transfer window is yet to officially open but that hasn’t stopped clubs from doing some big deals. Brighton have already made a record signing with money received from Liverpool.

Here are the biggest deals so far. Players are ranked by size of the initial fee, with add-ons stated.

All the summer’s Premier League deals are here.

1) Pedro Porro (Sporting Lisbon to Tottenham) – £39m

The Portugal right-back became Tottenham’s property having initially joined the club on loan on deadline day in January. He cost £5million for half a season, in which time he played for three different managers, and Spurs were obligated to pay another £39million this summer. Porro is primarily a wing-back so let’s see if he can play in a back four for Ange Postecoglou.

2) Alexis Mac Allister (Brighton to Liverpool) – £35million plus £20m add-ons

Brighton and Liverpool kept the fee under their hats but some Liverpool fans want you to believe they bagged the World Cup winner for the cost of a Tesco meal deal. We have to assume that if Mac Allister is a success, then the Reds will be liable for around £55million, which could still turn out to be a bargain, especially if he adapts to playing a deeper role.

3) Joao Pedro (Watford to Brighton) – £30m

Brighton didn’t wait for the end of the season to get Pedro signed, or for the Mac Allister money to clear in their account, before announcing a club-record deal three weeks before the end of the season. The Seagulls welcomed ‘a brilliant young talent’ and many Watford fans concur.

4) Giacomo Raspadori (Sassuolo to Napoli) – £25.8million

The Italy forward has already won a Scudetto with Napoli having spent last season on loan. The Serie A champions are obligated to cough up €30million to keep Raspadori having paid €5million to borrow the 23-year-old for a year.

5) Terem Moffi (Lorient to Nice) – £25.8million

West Ham and Bournemouth both wanted Moffi in January but the Nigerian forward opted instead for Nice, who must pay €30million having borrowed him since January. Lorient will also bank 15 % of whatever fee Nice might receive for the 24-year-old, who scored six goals in 16 appearances through the second half of the Ligue 1 season.

6) Hamed Traore (Sassuolo to Napoli) – £21million

Along with Raspadori, Sassuolo also loaned out Traore, this time for the second half of the season in anticipation of banking another fat cheque from Bournemouth. The midfielder only played seven games but, two games before the end of the season, the Cherries said: “Conditions within the original loan agreement have been reached, and the Ivorian is now contracted until June 2028.”

7) Benjamin Sesko (RB Salzburg to RB Leipzig) – £20m

Manchester United were interested – some reports suggest they still are – but Sesko agreed last August to stay under Red Bull’s wing, swapping Salzburg for Leipzig. The Germans will reportedly pay £20million for the 19-year-old, though they may welcome the opportunity to flip the forward swiftly if United or Newcastle make a decisive move.

8) Nicolas Seiwald (RB Salzburg to RB Leipzig) – £17.2m

The Austria midfielder becomes the 20th player to move between Salzburg and Leipzig since Red Bull took over the German club. Seiwald was reportedly a target for Arsenal and Roma but Leipzig agreed a deal for the 21-year-old in February, with a contract signed until 2028.

9) Chris Wood (Newcastle to Nottingham Forest) – £15m

Wood moved to the City Ground in January, with the incentive of a permanent move if certain, mysterious criteria were met. The Times reported that three starts would be enough to make Forest liable for £15million – he managed five before a season-ending thigh injury in March.

10) Ivan Ilic (Hellas Verona to Torino) – £13.5m

Similarly, ex-Man City midfielder Ilic joined Torino on a six-month loan deal from Hellas Verona with a conditional obligation to purchase. The Serbia international offered two goals and three assists in 14 appearances, presumably going over and above whatever minimum requirement was set.

Read next: Jude Bellingham next: Ranking every €100million transfer, with Jack Grealish in top three…

The Spaniard is out of contract with United at the end of the month, although reports have claimed that the 32-year-old has reached an agreement over a new deal.

De Gea won the Premier League’s Golden Glove award for 2022/23 after keeping 17 clean sheets in the top flight this season.

However, United’s No.1 has faced criticism due to several high-profile errors and it’s understood that Erik ten Hag is keen for the club to recruit a new goalkeeper with better distribution.

‘He kept 17 clean sheets in the league. Yes, of course, you’re going to concede but to win the Golden Glove for yet another season is remarkable,’ McCarthy told 947 Joburg.

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PSG set to sell Kylian Mbappé to Man Utd as Qatar takeover nears

Manchester United to sign Kylian Mbappé from Paris Saint-Germain this summer should Sheikh Jassim’s takeover bid prove successful: PSG planning transfer

Paris Saint-Germain are set to sell Kylian Mbappé to Manchester United this summer if Sheikh Jassim’s Qatari-backed takeover bid for Old Trafford proves successful.
Mbappé will not sign a one-year contract extension into his contract with PSG, meaning his contract will expire in 12 months. Mirror Football understands the French club’s priority is to ensure he doesn’t leave without a transfer fee, meaning they are set to monetize the superstar this summer.

The French superstar has confirmed he intends to stay with the Ligue 1 champions beyond this summer, but it is clear PSG will push for his departure, aware the alternative is to lose a historic transfer fee altogether.
However, relations between the club and Real Madrid remain tense. That relationship deteriorated during the previous saga surrounding Mbappé’s future, when several transfer offers, especially public ones, for Real Madrid were rejected by the French club. The Blancos were hopeful of seeing Mbappé enter as a free agent in 2022, but he extended his contract in Paris.

Last weekend, Florentino Perez, president of Real Madrid, answered a question about a future move by Mbappé: “Yes. But not this year.” That announcement came just days before Mbappé outlined his future plans and could speed up a possible move to this summer, given Real Madrid’s needs and PSG’s intention to raise funds.

Real Madrid’s focus is now on the forwards after Karim Benzema confirmed his departure from the Spanish giants last week, while Eden Hazard, Asensio and Mariano Diaz – the latter of whom was the only recognized centre-forward in the first Real Madrid team – all leave as free agents this summer. However, it is Mbappé who holds the power. All signs are that he will leave Parc des Princes this summer and the French club’s QSI owner is preparing to sell the striker to United, according to El Pais, as they prefer to do business with Sheikh Jassim if his takeover offer were to be successful. . , then Madrid.

United are desperate for an elite striker this summer but have backed out of the move to their first-choice target Harry Kane, while the switch to Napoli striker Victor Osimhen is priceless. While Mbappé would claim an England record fee, relations between the two clubs could allow for a sensational deal.

Paris Saint-Germain chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi is believed to have played a key role in Sheikh Jassim’s bid to buy United. While the PSG boss insists his role would not go beyond offering advice, the shared Qatari track record and exact funding source behind United’s offer is the subject of a further examination.

Also cont….. 

“There are not many alternatives to Kane for Man Utd,” Saha said. “Victor Osimhen is an obvious one at the moment, though, he’s scoring a lot of goals for Napoli. Very fit, very strong and agile. But it may take him more time to adapt.

“There is a young boy in Hojlund at Atalanta. But no one offers the guarantees like Kane does.”

The Serie A duo aren’t the only ones on Saha’s radar, but the pair have caught the eye this term. Osimhen is the leading scorer in Serie A, helping Napoli win their first league title since 1990, while 20-year-old talent Hojlund scored five goals in two Euro 2024 qualifiers for Denmark in March.

Another man linked with a move is Randal Kolo Muani. The Eintracht Frankfurt star scored for his country at the World Cup, but won’t come cheap with Bayern Munich also linked.

“I think Randal Muani would be a very good signing for Man Utd,” Saha added. “Not only as a number 9, he can play either side of a three. He’s a very clever player, very quick, sharp with his feet and very intelligent.

“He’s already established a good link with Kylian Mbappe for France. He’s aware of everything, he has the talent to go short or long, he’s very clever and he will be a real danger in the Premier League if he comes, especially with [Marcus] Rashford and [Jadon] Sancho.”

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Bruno Fernandes named Manchester United captain

Bruno Fernandes has been named Manchester United’s new captain.
The Portuguese midfielder has worn the armband for United on several occasions and Erik ten Hag has confirmed he will now manage the team on a permanent basis.

Fernandes has scored 64 goals and provided 54 assists in just 185 games for the club since joining in 2020. As captain, two-time player of the year Sir Matt Busby will continue to aim for the highest standards within the squad as United strive for success in the 2023/24 season and beyond.

Fernandes captained United in 42 out of a possible 62 games in the 2022/23 season, including both domestic cup finals. The match came for Harry Maguire long before he appeared at Wembley in the League Cup final, just to be ready for the trophy presentation.
Fernandes, 27, also led United in Ten Hag’s first friendly as manager when he faced Liverpool in a friendly against Liverpool last July in Bangkok. Together and embarrassed, they won the Bangkok Century Cup and a bond quickly formed.

Fernandes was the inevitable choice. Last season he led United flawlessly apart from an anomaly at Anfield where he fell out with club staff over a replacement, despaired over a linesman and brought down the tools in a 7-0 victory.

Although Fernandes is now officially recognised as United’s captain, figures at the club have stressed a coterie of leaders remain in the squad. Raphael Varane captained United in their first two pre-season matches against Leeds and Lyon, Casemiro’s input is highly regarded while the homegrown contingent of Luke Shaw, Marcus Rashford and veteran Tom Heaton served in the leadership group Ten Hag often consulted last season. United expect them to continue to support Fernandes now his appointment has been confirmed

Saudi Offers Rejected

According to Fabrizio Romano, Fernandes isn’t about to join the exodus of names making the move and has repeatedly turned down talks from Saudi clubs.

Romano believes there has been more than one approach for the 28-year-old and that part of his decision to reject the move is down to him becoming Manchester United’s new captain.

Understand Bruno Fernandes rejected more than two approaches from Saudi one month ago.

It’s only Manchester United for Bruno who’s expected to become the next permanent captain.

England regular Harry Maguire was removed as captain of Manchester United captain by manager Erik ten Hag earlier this month.

The Englishman was made the skipper of the club by Ten Hag’s predecessor Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in 2020. However, Maguire has been in and out of the team under Ten Hag, and is unlikely to feature regularly this season.

The England center-back said that he was “extremely disappointed” but will “continue to give my all” in the shirt of Manchester United.

Maguire started only eight games in the PL last season as the Dutch manager preferred the partnership of Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane over him.

After discussions with the manager today he has informed me he is changing captain. He outlined his reasons to me and whilst I’m personally extremely disappointed, I will continue to give my all every time I wear the shirt.

“Everyone at Manchester United thanks Harry for his contribution as captain over the past three and a half years,” United said in a statement. “The manager will announce the new captain in due course, after he has informed the players.”

Maguire has made over 170 appearances for United since being signed from Leicester for 80 million pounds (now $105 million) in 2019.

Maguire hasn’t been a ‘hit’ amongst the Old Trafford faithful and his departure would not diminish the club’s hopes of aiming a silverware either. Former Leicester City-defender has been linked to West Ham United off late but with time on his side, Maguire’s final destination remains a mystery.”