Wednesday morning done deal: Man united complete the signing of £50m Defender after late swoop, MEDICAL is today as player set to be announced as Ten Hag

“I’m ready to join”: Man United top transfer target made a shocking revelation ahead of Old Trafford move

Manchester United are in a race against time to secure the signing of a left back to improve their defense before the transfer window closes.

Luke Shaw was one of the best players for Erik ten Hag in the last campaign and Malacia proved to be a quality backup. However, both the LBs are currently out injured.

Therefore, the name of Marc Cucurella is in the focus at Old Trafford and as per reports in Spain, the Chelsea star is close to moving to Man United.

Marca have come up with a headline stating ‘Cucurella, very close to Manchester United’.

The renowned Madrid based news source have mentioned that the former Barcelona defender would be ready to agree a move to Man Utd, who are currently negotiating terms to sign him on loan from the Blues.

The Spanish international was impressive for Brighton but has failed to shine at Stamford Bridge since moving to London last year.

In the 2022-23 campaign, he made 24 appearances in the Premier League as Chelsea ended up in the bottom half of the table.

The £110,000 a week star has only warmed the bench in the current season under Pochettino and it is not surprising he would welcome a move to Man Utd.

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Angry Man United fans all said the same thing after the chaotic opening game against Nottingham Forest

Manchester United fans are furious after a chaotic four-minute opener at Old Trafford that saw Nottingham Forest take a 2-0 lead early in their Premier League clash.

Taiwo Awoniyi opened the scoring for Forest in the second minute on Saturday after a quick breakthrough from United’s corner.

The 26-year-old Forest forward put the ball past Marcus Rashford in the center circle before plunging across United’s half and beating Andre Onana from close range.

United’s woes continued just two minutes later after Willy Boly hit a Morgan Gibbs-White cross and headed past Onana.

United fans criticize horrible opening game five minutes against Forest

“We are not a serious club. Even if we can come back with a 9-2 score. It’s embarrassing,” said one fan.

Another commented:
“Man United are so bad, what’s going on? This will be a long season.

A third person wrote:
“I don’t believe this United team is real. Incorrect. It’s not a real team. SMILE ALL butt. It is all in our imagination. It didn’t happen.”

“Manchester United is not ready for this season,” a fourth Twitter user posted.

Another person tweeted:
“I think United will have a long and miserable season.”

While the Friday fan simply said:
“This Manchester United is not united at all.”

Is United’s return still relevant? United manager Erik ten Hag was sure to be furious with his players in the first half.

The Reds came back through Christian Eriksen in the 17th minute after the United midfielder put the ball past Matt Turner from close range.

Rashford’s powerful low cross from inside the box helped Eriksen seize the opportunity, creating a fighting opportunity for United after a disastrous start.

United won a tough 1-0 win in this season’s Premier League opener against Wolves at Old Trafford.

But with the Red Devils having lost 0-2 to Tottenham, Ten Hag has faced harsh criticism over the team’s first two results this season.

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Man United hoping to sell prolific attacker if “better offer” from Saudi League pop’s up

Manchester United is now keen on adding new players but Anthony Martial’s stay at Manchester United might well come to an end before August is out, with Erik ten Hag willing to let the centre forward leave.

According to 90mins, the Frenchman is attracting interest from Saudi Pro League clubs, with Man United said to be “aware” of discussions taking place.

Thus far, only representatives of Martial and those of Saudi Arabian clubs are thought to have been in contact.

Nevertheless, Manchester United are “hopeful” that a “lucrative offer” will present itself in due course.

The club knows that getting a fee for Anthony Martial would be no small feat, with the mercurial striker on a heft contract worth around £250,000-a-week.

One thing is a concern to the club because his injury record certainly does not align with those wages, nor have his performance on the rare occasions in which he does make it onto the pitch.

Such was his promise as a youngster, AS Monaco were confident that the Ballon d-Or clause negotiated as part of his sale to Man United stood a very good chance of being activate.

Looking back on Martial’s time at Old Trafford, it now seems like an incredibly fanciful notion.

It would be difficult to gauge his current value given his aforementioned issues. Transfermarkt estimates that he would be worth around £12.9m, but United would be unlikely to fetch that price even from a Saudi Arabian club.

But simply getting his wages off the books would be a success at this stage. His annual salary of around £13m places a burden on the club’s ability to operate in the transfer market, as it counts towards United’s compliance with UEFA’s Financial Sustainability Regulations.

Any fee, therefore, would look like a bonus, although with the team light on strikers, Ten Hag is sure to push for a replacement should Martial leave the club.

For now, all Manchester United can do is wait to see what offers present it’s sellf, while keeping an eye out for a more reliable centre forward who could soon be on the move.
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Liverpool could qualify for the Champions League despite finishing fifth next season under the new UEFA rules

Liverpool are currently missing out on the Champions League next season but could be a different story if they finish fifth again in 2023/24

With less than two weeks left in the Premier League season, Liverpool’s hopes of qualifying for next season’s Champions League remain in check.

After Monday night’s 3-0 win over Leicester City, the Reds are one point adrift of Newcastle United and Manchester United are in fifth place. However, they played one game more than both the Magpies and Red Devils.

As a result, already sure of a top-six finish and Europa League qualification, they need at least one between Newcastle and Manchester United to win just one of their remaining three games, winning both of their last two games, if they are to secure a unlikely top four finish.

Newcastle play Brighton & Hove Albion at home on Thursday before hosting Leicester City on Monday and then ending the season at Chelsea. United meanwhile travel to AFC Bournemouth on Saturday before hosting Chelsea in the second leg on Thursday May 25 and ending the season at home to Fulham.

While Liverpool could reach maximum points in their remaining matches at home against Aston Villa and away against already relegated Southampton, it is still a huge challenge for every team above them to drop the points needed to ensure a place in the four possible finishes. head of the Reds.

In desperation, some fans may have wondered if there was a circuitous route for Jurgen Klopp’s side to next year’s Champions League. For example, if Man City won the tournament this season, would England secure a fifth qualifying spot? Unfortunately, the answer is no. Consequently, if Liverpool do not have at least one between Newcastle United and Manchester United, they will play in the Europa League next season.

In fact, it looks set to become more difficult for the Reds to re-qualify for the Champions League next season anyway, given the increased competition they will face.

Pep Guardiola’s dominant Man City will strengthen their squad as always, while Arsenal and Newcastle United will now enjoy the riches of Champions League football after years in the wilderness. Meanwhile, Manchester United could be financially buoyed by new owners this summer, while Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea look to support their new managers in the transfer market.

Add to that Robert De Zerbi’s Brighton side who came close to making the top four this year and would have considerable cash to spare following big-name departures. While it is premature to call them Champions League hopefuls, the Seagulls will be looking to build on their impressive campaign this year. Liverpool will of course improve, with a midfield refresh expected at least this summer. Alexis Mac Allister, Mason Mount and Ryan Gravenberch are all of interest, with other deals slated for the closing season as well.

The race for football in the Champions League is therefore likely to be even tougher in the years to come. So it’s good that fifth place doesn’t currently qualify for the European Cup, but that could change soon.

From the 2024/25 season, the Champions League format is set to change, with the tournament expanding from 32 teams to 36 clubs. The traditional group stage is abandoned, placing all 36 teams in a single table, with each of the qualifying teams playing eight matches, four at home and four away.

Teams finishing from first to eighth automatically qualify for the round of 16, with the knockout stage remaining the same as the current system from then on. Meanwhile, the teams placed between ninth and twenty-fourth will contest a two-legged play-off, with the eight winners also advancing to the round of 16.

So how will the four participants be determined?

Another team qualifies via the ‘Champions Path’ qualifying path, which shows competitions that fall outside the top 10 of the UEFA Country Coefficient. Meanwhile, the league that ranks fifth in the UEFA coefficient will also get an extra spot.

France currently occupy that spot, with the top two teams currently qualifying for the Champions League group stage and the third-placed qualifying for the third qualifying round. Under the new format, the top three teams would automatically qualify for the new league format, with their fourth team qualifying instead, rather than the Europa League group stage as before.

The last two places are reserved for the two countries with the highest coefficient scores of the current season. If the new format were introduced next year rather than in 2024/25, it would give England and Italy fifth place in Champions League qualification. Meanwhile, in three of the last four seasons, a Premier League side has reportedly been given one of the extra slots.

Liverpool’s transition campaign has come essentially a year early to take advantage of the format change, which would see the fifth-placed qualify for the Champions League.

And while the possibility of an extra place for English clubs could help them in their qualification race next season, assuming Premier League sides return to high performance, by winning the Europa League, with the champions of the European secondary competition will still have a place in the Champions League group stage competition under the new format.

However, Klopp will inevitably hope his side return to the top of the table and fight for titles rather than mere Champions League qualification as the 2023-24 season draws to a close.
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Erik ten Hag slams Man Utd players for ‘horror start’ against Nottingham Forest but praises team’s ‘personality’ for rallying to win 3-2

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag did not hold back in his criticism of his side’s dreadful start in their 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest

Ten Hag: United made ‘horror start’
Coach critical of sloppy goals conceded
Praised team’s personality after comeback
WHAT HAPPENED? The Dutch manager did not shy away from the fact his side had made huge errors early in the match, after conceding two goals within the opening four minutes at Old Trafford. Taiwo Awoniyi ran through the pitch unopposed to score the first while Willy Boly capitalised on slack defending to head in the second goal. United, helped by Forest captain Joe Worrall being sent off, turned things around thanks to strikes from Christian Eriksen, Casemiro and a Bruno Fernandes penalty.

WHAT THEY SAID: “It is a horror start, giving them two goals and making mistakes,” Ten Hag told a press conference. “But I am very pleased with the comeback, the leadership, how we stayed calm and composed and stuck to the plans and belief and turned it around. And I think we played very good football, out of our plan we scored very good goals.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: United have six points from three games but are yet to put in a convincing performance, having scraped a 1-0 win over Wolves then lost 2-0 at Tottenham before this topsy-turvy display against Forest. However, Ten Hag took comfort in the spirit his side showed.

“We have a lot of personality in this team, to stay calm after such a messy start is brilliant,” he added. “Not many teams can do it but we often bounce back and we did it again. If we show this belief and this character we can go far.”