Premier League

Jose Mourinho justifies team selection against Liverpool

Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has revealed that both Eric Bailly and Marcus Rashford had suffered minor injuries on international duty. The Red Devils drew 0-0 versus Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday afternoon with a couple of forced changes with Bailly and Marouane Fellaini not making the matchday squad. Rashford, however, had a cameo appearance in the second half in place of Anthony Martial, although he could not have much of an impact on the match.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Mourinho said, “I don’t think we have many options. Fellaini was injured with the national team, Bailly was injured with the national team and Rashford was injured with the national team. We don’t have many options. I never complain about that. I was just mentioning it to you because the next question is maybe why is Rashford not playing? Why is Bailly not even on the bench? But, okay, since the moment we know the players we have available, we thought about the match and we thought about our options and we made these decisions.”
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Mourinho still believes in the title

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho is adamant that his side can catch Manchester City in the race for the title despite falling eight points behind the leaders.

Jose Mourinho admitted that there have been some disappointing results for his side and that they were hoping to cut the gap between themselves and Manchester City, but that the poor results had come in difficult games (against Chelsea and Liverpool) and that he has no complaint against his players. (more…)

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United will miss out on the title – Craig Burley

Former Chelsea ace Craig Burley believes Manchester United will miss out on the Premier League title this season. The Red Devils have made a quick start off the blocks with 19 points from seven matches, and they are only trailing Manchester City at the top on goal difference.

Speaking to ESPN, Burley feels the Red Devils have made a step forward with resounding wins over the weaker sides, but there is a still a gap between them and the Premier League crown, he said: “I think clearly United have made a step forward, the results would suggest it. Against weaker teams last year they gave up points, they weren’t as clinical, they weren’t as strong, as organised. But I’ve not got them to win the league. I don’t think they’ve taken a big enough one for me but I do think they’ve moved in the right direction.” (more…)

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Robbie Savage backs Manchester United for the Premier League title

BT Sport Pundit Robbie Savage feels Manchester United will go all the way to lift the Premier League title this season due to the strength in depth in the Red Devils squad.


Jose Mourinho brought in the likes of Victor Lindelof, Romelu Lukaku and Nemanja Matic during this summer’s transfer window for a combined sum of over £140m.

While Lindelof has yet to take the playing field in the Premier League, Matic and Lukaku have already made a huge impression among the fans with convincing performances in the first three games of the campaign. The Red Devils clinched comfortable 4-0 wins over West Ham United and Swansea City until last weekend, and this has been followed with a domination 2-0 triumph over Leicester City on Saturday afternoon.

Pundits from across the United Kingdom have tipped Manchester City as strong favourites for the Premier League title, but Savage reckons Mourinho has options for any situation and can guide his side to league success in his second season in-charge, he said: “The options, especially looking at (Marouane) Fellaini. If they’re struggling in games they can put Fellaini up top for the long ball, diagonals. Zlatan Ibrahimovic now who has signed. The difference in options now, off the bench, on the field. That’s why I think they’re favourites to win the league.” (more…)

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Paul Pogba insists Zlatan Ibrahimovic still has his influence at Manchester United

France international Paul Pogba insists that Zlatan Ibrahimovic still has a huge influence at Manchester United despite being released from the club earlier last month.


The 35-year-old is currently recuperating from a cruciate ligament damage which curtailed his season in April. The Sweden international had an additional year on his existing deal, but United opted against the clause with the Swede unlikely to return until the festive period.

United boss Jose Mourinho has previously hinted that Ibrahimovic could earn himself a short-term contract on his recovery, and Pogba is delighted to work alongside the Swede, who has been undergoing his rehabilitation at the club’s Carrington base.

He said: “Obviously Zlatan is a leader, always a big leader, and he’s still a big leader because he’s still in the team. Even though he’s not playing he’s a leader outside of the pitch. Pogba is keen to develop more of the leadership qualities displayed by the likes of Ibrahimovic and United stalwart Michael Carrick.” (more…)

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Manchester United close in on Renato Sanches signing

Manchester United are reportedly on the brink of sealing a season-long loan for Bayern Munich midfielder Renato Sanches.


The Portugal international is widely expected to leave the Allianz Arena this summer with Bayern chief Karl-Heinz Rummenigge admitting the player could leave on loan.

He said, via The Sun: “He is a player who needs to play regularly. So if we feel he is not going to get enough game time, then we will loan him out, or maybe even sell him. Last season, particularly after the winter break, he didn’t get enough appearances. That wasn’t because of the coach, it was because of (Sanches) himself. I can confirm that AC Milan have got in touch with us, but I have the impression that they are not able to meet our financial demands.”

Sanches had attracted interest from Manchester United prior to his move from Benfica, but he nevertheless opted to join Bayern Munich, where had the chance to feature in the Champions League. However, the teenager failed to oust the likes of Xabi Alonso and Arturo Vidal from the starting lineup, and he was restricted to just nine starts – including two in Europe. (more…)

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Jose Mourinho has £100m left to spend

Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho could extend his spending spree this summer after being given the backing to spend another £100m on new signings.


The Special One has already spent £106m on Romelu Lukaku and Victor Lindelof in the transfer window, but this is only the start of what could be a busy summer for the Mancunian giants.

The Red Devils have been negotiating deals for a whole lot of players in recent weeks but they have been left disappointed with clubs sticking to their asking price. According to The Sun, the Special One has been given the go-ahead to pursue a deal for Perisic after having failed with an initial £26m approach for his services.

The Croatia international is considered as one of the most valuable players in the Inter Milan ranks, but Mourinho is confident that a fresh attempt of £35m would be sufficient to convince the Nerazzurri into a sale. Meanwhile, Mourinho could also move for another defender during this summer’s transfer window while the search for a central midfielder is still on with Tottenham Hotspur’s Eric Dier and Roma’s Radja Nainggolan leading the shortlist. (more…)

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PIRES BACKS ARSENAL STARS

Former Arsenal star Robert Pires says he is very confident that the current players of the club can put up a strong challenge for the Premier League title, despite the lack of Champions League football, and with serious competition in the forthcoming season.

Arsene Wenger, who managed the retired footballer, is still continuing in his role as manager after he decided to stay for two more years. The Frenchman has started spending money to add top players ahead of the season. (more…)

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Locadia dreams of Manchester United move

PSV Eindhoven striker Jurgen Locadia has highlighted his ambition to play for Manchester United at some stage of his career.


The 23-year-old missed a vast part of last season through injury, but he nevertheless managed to bag three goals and three assists in 14 outings. Speaking to Dutch broadcaster NOS, the marksman revealed his dream of making the big time with United, but admits that he may have to take an intermediate route with a mid-table English club.

Georginio Wijnaldum has been one of the top Dutchmen, who has made a mark in the Premier League, and Locadia is willing to go through a similar route in order to realise his dream. The Holland international joined Newcastle United back in the summer of 2015, and his standout performances at Tyneside earned him a switch to Liverpool 12 months later. (more…)

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UNITED HAVE NO EXCUSE TO FAIL AT EUROPA

Injuries, bad luck, wrong calls, fixture glut, Manchester United’s manager, Jose Mourinho has had no shortage of excuses to give for his side’s short-on-standard achievements so far this season.


Don’t get me wrong, a reasonable number of those claims are valid; like how Marcos Rojo got knocked the moment he formed a promising partnership with Eric Bailly. And then we have the scenario where it seems the universe has sworn to frustrate the living daylight out of United. How else do you explain the fact that Paul Pogba has hit the wood work more times he’s found the back of the net?

Let’s not even get into the task of analyzing just how many times the Red Devils have had to settle for a draw despite outplaying their opponents. They’ve had 14 so far this season, making a mockery of their 25-game unbeaten run set in yet another draw against Swansea.

These and many other self induced misfortunes are the reasons why the Red Devils are gunning for a 4th place finish – something Wenger might be proud of but certainly not the Glazers family – despite spending a €150 million summer war chest in addition to landing the Harvey Specter of club football – Mourinho – to oversee everything. (more…)

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