Guardiola confirms injury blow after 2-0 win at Nottingham Forest

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has said goalkeeper Ederson could miss the most crucial stage of the season after coming off injured during the 2-0 win at Nottingham Forest.

Ederson took a blow to the shoulder after clashing with Forest’s Willy-Arnaud Boly early in the match.

The Brazilian continued to play until half-time, when Guardiola replaced him with Stefan Ortega.

Ederson was seen leaving with his arm in a sling.

“It doesn’t look good. We see tomorrow with the doctor,” Guardiola said when asked about Ederson’s injury.

City’s next game is against Wolves on Saturday.

Rashford to be fined £650,000 after partying at nightclub

Manchester United striker, Marcus Rashford will be fined two weeks’ salaries worth £650,000 after he was caught partying in a nightclub on Thursday.

According to The Sun, Man United have now decided to slap Rashford with a hefty fine for partying in Northern Ireland.

The England international reported ill for training on Friday and subsequently missed Man United’s 4-2 win against Newport County on Sunday.

Man United blamed Rashford’s omission on ‘illness’ despite the player being spotted in a Belfast nightclub.

The Red Devils’ boss, Erik ten Hag has already insisted that he will ‘deal with’ the issue.

Ten Hag, however, refused to confirm if Rashford had lied to him or not over the nightclub visit.

Asked about Rashford’s absence after Man United’s 4-2 win against Newport County, Ten Hag said in his post-match press conference: “In what sense? He reported ill, for the rest it’s an internal matter, I’ll deal with it.”

Manchester United’s flight to Newcastle cancelled

Manchester United’s flight to Newcastle on Saturday has been cancelled because of the cold weather.

Instead, the Red Devils’ squad will take a three-hour train to their game.

United travel to Tyneside looking to bounce back from their 3-3 draw with Galatasaray in midweek.

The players had arrived to drop their cars off at Manchester Airport from 10am, but were informed they would be driving to the North East.

Temperatures in Manchester dropped below -5 degrees Celsius overnight.

On Saturday morning, the Met Office issued another yellow warning for snow and ice.

At least nine football matches in the Scottish leagues have been postponed due to the freezing temperatures.

Ten Hag names four Man Utd players that must step up

Manchester United manager, Erik ten Hag has picked out four of his players who he expects to step up and lead the team out of the crisis they are currently facing.

The Red Devils are on the brink of Champions League elimination, following a 4-3 defeat at FC Copenhagen in midweek.

Ten Hag’s men have also lost five times in 11 Premier League fixtures, leaving them eighth in the top flight.

There is time to turn things around in Europe and domestically but plenty needs to change on the field, which Ten Hag hopes his senior players can help facilitate.

“We have such characters who can do it. I will mention Andre Onana, Harry, Scott McTominay, who in such moments show leadership.

“And Bruno, of course. We have enough players with character and personality to step up and lead the team. But it’s also on others to step up. Casemiro and Licha Martinez are not there, so others have to fill in,” Ten Hag told a press conference on Friday.

Manchester City overtake Real Madrid as the world’s most valuable football club ‘brands’

Treble-chasing Manchester City have surpassed Real Madrid as football’s most valuable brand in the world.

The Premier League club will see its brand value soar 15 percent this year to £1.29billion by adding the Champions League to their Premier League title and FA Cup win if they beat Inter Milan this Saturday.

That saw them overtake reigning European champions Real Madrid, whose brand value dropped three percent to £1.26bn, according to an analysis by Brand Finance.

However, Brand Finance said Real remained the strongest brand in world football and were most likely to be considered ‘the best club in the world’ by fans.

Barcelona came third in the ranking, with a five percent increase in brand value to £1.185bn, with Manchester United leaping ahead of rivals Liverpool into fourth spot.

United is worth £1.174bn (up 11 per cent) and Liverpool £1.173bn (up nine per cent).

United’s successful season under Erik ten Hag had ‘reconnected the team with the fans and laid the foundations for a renewed bid for future success,’ the report said.

Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich occupied sixth and seventh spots before three Premier League clubs – Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea – closed out the top 10.

Arsenal’s brand value had risen 16 per cent to £782million following their strong challenge for the Premier League title.

Chelsea’s had risen by two per cent to £742m off the back of a disappointing campaign and lower half finish, making them only the sixth-highest English club. Spurs’ value rose five per cent to £774m.

Brand Finance said fellow London clubs Brentford and Fulham were new entries into their top 50 chart, at 43rd and 49th positions respectively.

Newcastle United were reported to have the fastest-growing brand value of any United Kingdom club following an increase of 33 per cent to £216m in the wake of their Saudi takeover in 2021.

Hugo Hensley, Head of Sports Services at Brand Finance, said: ‘Manchester City has achieved an extraordinary feat by surpassing Real Madrid to become the champion of football club brands.

For five years, the City team has exerted its dominance in English football, securing four Premier League titles in the past five seasons.

‘However, the club’s performance in this year’s ranking highlights that Manchester City are performing off the pitch in terms of building a strong brand and attracting fans and sponsors, and setting the stage for what could be an iconic Champions League final against Inter Milan.’

Manchester United set to pay Harry Maguire £10million to leave the club

Manchester United are set to pay Harry Maguire £10million pay-off to leave the club this summer.

Saturday’s FA Cup final is likely to be Maguire’s last game as a United player with the 30-year-old captain set for a place on the bench against Manchester City at Wembley.

Manchester United paid £80m for Maguire to sign him from Leicester in 2019, but he is now valued at closer to £30m due to his age and the fact he is two-thirds of the way through a six-year contract.

Maguire has another two years left on the £190,000-a-week deal, and it’s anticipated that he would earn only half that amount at a new club – leaving United to foot a £10m wage bill to get him off their books.

England manager Gareth Southgate warned last week that Maguire’s lack of first-team football at United cannot ‘continue forever’ if he wants to hold down an international place.

And Ten Hag spoke about the player’s predicament on Monday, admitting ‘that no-one would be happy with this situation – he is not as well’.

The United boss says it’s up to Maguire to make a decision about his future, and club sources echoed those comments on Wednesday night.

Maguire is one of a number of players facing an uncertain future at United after the Cup Final with question marks hanging over Anthony Martial, Fred, Scott McTominay, and Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

Manchester United rules out permanent deal for Dutch striker Wout Weghorst

Manchester United have reportedly decided not to sign Wout Weghorst on a permanent deal this summer, with Erik ten Hag instead drawing up a four-man shortlist for an alternative striker.

The Burnley forward joined United on loan in January but has since scored just two goals in 26 appearances.

He arrived during the first half of the campaign on loan at Besiktas, where he scored nine goals in 18 games.

Weghorst also impressed for the Netherlands at the Qatar World Cup, but he has failed to make an impact at Old Trafford.

The 6ft 6in target man started the first 19 games he was available for in all competitions, only to slip down the pecking order with substitute appearances.

The 30-year-old is yet to find the net in 13 Premier League matches, which has led to criticism that he is not good enough for a club of such size.

Due to his struggle, Manchester Evening News are reporting that a permanent move to United is not on the cards for him this summer.

Weghorst still has two years remaining on his Burnley contract having joined the Clarets for £12.5million from Wolfsburg in January 2022.

A new striker is the priority for United this summer with Tottenham’s Harry Kane their top target.

Manchester City billionaire owner, Sheikh Mansour named Vice-President of UAE

The UAE has appointed Sheikh Mansour as their new Vice President.

In a statement carried out by the state news agency Wam, Sheikh Mohamed made the vice presidential appointment in his capacity as Head of State.

The UAE president issued a resolution, with the approval of the UAE Federal Supreme Council, to appoint Mansour bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister of the Presidential Court as UAE Vice President.

The president also named his son Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed as the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, the richest of the UAE’s seven emirates, a post that has traditionally signified the next in line to the presidency.

Sheikh Mansour has served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Presidential Court, along with a number of key positions in business and with Abu Dhabi’s wealth funds.

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed was named as president last May following the death of his half-brother Sheikh Khalifa.

Man United forward Mason Greenwood cleared of rape, assault charges

Manchester United forward Mason Greenwood have been cleared of all criminal charges one year after he was charged with rape, assault and using coercive behaviour, authorities in UK announced.

His trial was initially scheduled to begin in November this year but the withdrawal of key witnesses and the emergence of new evidence abruptly changed the direction of the situation.

Greenwood was arrested in January last year by the Greater Manchester Police and charged with one count of attempted rape, a count sexual assault and repeatedly engaging in controlling and coercive behaviour following a series of clips of the incident posted on social media by his alleged ex girlfriend.

Immediately after the arrest, the England international was released on bail and had remained suspended from the first team squad by Manchester United pending the outcome of the legal proceedings.

He was rearrested in November 2022 for breaking his bail conditions before he was released on bail again.

In a surprising twist on Thursday afternoon, the Crown Prosecution Service announced that “the withdrawal of key witnesses and new material that came to light meant there was no longer a realistic prospect of conviction.”

The CPS added:

“In these circumstances, we are under a duty to stop the case. We have explained our decision to all parties. We would always encourage any potential victims to come forward and report to police and we will prosecute wherever our legal test is met.”

Meanwhile, the club is yet to release a statement about the latest development as speculation continues to build up about the future of the youngster, currently on a £75,000-a-week wage in a contract that runs until summer of 2025.

David Beckham plans on buying Manchester United football club

David Beckham is reportedly open to holding talks with potential buyers of Manchester United after The Glazers announced they are ready to sell the football club.

According to Financial Times, the United legend is open to holding talks with interested parties bidding for the club. The report states:

“The former England captain’s history with United and affinity with its fans could prove vital to any bidders if the Glazers go ahead with a deal, the people said.”

“The current owners said they would “consider all strategic alternatives, so an outright sale is not guaranteed.”

“One banker close to the process said United could be sold for close to £7bn. “A bidding war could send it higher, they added.”

“However, some footballing finance experts have said that even a £4bn-£5bn price tag was too high for a club that was unprofitable last year.”

“At these valuations, prospective owners need to have deep pockets, with investors perhaps based in the US or the Middle East eyeing the football club, analysts said.”

“While Beckham alone might not have the wealth to buy Man United, his global reach and affinity with the fans could prove to be a huge boost to any buying parties.”

The Glazers, who bought Man United for £790million back in 2005, put the Old Trafford club on the market on Tuesday.

The family is looking for as much as £8billion to sell the club. In another development, British billionaire and lifelong Man United fan Sir Jim Ratcliffe is ready to launch a bid to take over the Red Devils after his attempt to buy the club in the summer proved fruitless.

He also tried and failed to buy Chelsea last season. Ratcliffe owns petrochemical giant Ineos and is one of the richest men in the world.

Cristiano Ronaldo ‘offers’ himself to Real Madrid for six months as he plans to end his Manchester United nightmare

Cristiano Ronaldo has reportedly offered himself to Real Madrid to end his Manchester United nightmare.

The 37-year-old Portuguese accused the Red Devils of betraying him in a tell-all interview with Piers Morgan last week.

Amid the fall-out with United, Ronaldo has now offered himself to the Spanish giants on a six-month contract, according to Sport.

The Spanish outlet claim Ronaldo wants to return to the Bernabeu as a replacement for the injured Karim Benzema in January.

The Ballon d’Or winner was forced to pull out of France’s World Cup squad after picking up a thigh injury.

Man United are looking to terminate Ronaldo’s contract seven months early without paying any of the £16million he is predicted to earn by June 2023.

Manchester United could ”terminate Cristiano Ronaldo’s contract- Litigation and Sports Lawyer, David Seligman

Manchester United might want to terminate Cristiano Ronaldo’s contract following his bombshell interview with Piers Morgan.

In snippets from Ronaldo’s interview with Piers Morgan, Ronaldo accused the club of ‘betraying’ him and blasted manager Erik ten Hag, adding he doesn’t ‘respect’ the Dutchman.

He also slammed his former teammate, Wayne Rooney for his constant criticism. Litigation and Sports Lawyer, David Seligman took to Twitter to say that United could have the right to terminate Ronaldo’s contract due to a ‘material breach of the implied duty of trust and confidence’.

According to him, the 37-year-old could be dismissed as United (the employer) have lost confidence in Ronaldo (the employee) to such an extent that is not feasible for him to return to work.

His now-deleted Tweet read: ‘After that interview, Man United would likely have grounds to terminate Ronaldo’s contract – material breach of the implied duty of trust and confidence as well as express terms regarding bringing club into disrepute.’

Cristiano Ronaldo insists he’s “as committed and dedicated as always” to Manchester United

Cristiano Ronaldo has insisted that he remains as committed as ever to Manchester United after talks with coach Erik Ten Hag.

Ronaldo was an unused substitute in last Wednesday’s game against Tottenham, and he left the bench before full-time to storm down the tunnel at Old Trafford.

Ten Hag later confirmed he had wanted to bring Ronaldo on, but the Portuguese star refused and left the ground instead.

He was later banished from his squad for Saturday’s clash with Chelsea and made to train with the youth team.

However, Ronaldo has since been brought back into the first-team, and is expected to feature against Sheriff in the Europa League on Thursday night, October 27.

He took to Instagram on Thursday morning to post a message to fans that he is still focused on performing for the Red Devils.

‘Back on track, with the same commitment and dedication as always!’ he wrote.

Cristiano Ronaldo breaks silence after storming out of Old Trafford following his refusal to come on against Tottenham

Cristiano Ronaldo has broken his silence after storming out of Old Trafford shortly following his refusal to come to be brought on against Tottenham on Wednesday, October 19.

The Portuguese was named on the bench for Manchester United’s clash against Tottenham, which his team went ahead to beat Antonio Conte’s side 2-0.

Few minutes before the game could end, Ronaldo was seen marching down the touchline and into the tunnel. The Portuguese also left the stadium in anger.

Writing on Instagram, Ronaldo explained that ‘sometimes the heat of the moment gets the best of us’ as he apologise for his display. ‘I haven’t changed. I’m the same person and the same professional that I’ve been for the last 20 years playing elite football.

He added: ‘I started very young, the older and most experienced players examples were always very important to me. Therefore, later on, I’ve always tried to set the example myself for the youngsters that grew in all the teams that I’ve represented. d respect has always played a very important role in my decision making process.’ ‘Unfortunately that’s not always possible and sometimes the heat of the moment gets the best of us.

‘Right now, I just feel that I have to keep working hard in Carrington, support my teammates and be ready for everything in any given game. Giving in to the pressure is not an option. It never was. This is Manchester United, and united we must stand. Soon we’ll be together again.’

His apology came after United released a statement on Thursday revealing Ronaldo had been banished from their squad for the trip to Chelsea on Saturday afternoon while it is believed he will be training away from the senior squad for the time being.

Manchester United coach, Erik Ten Hag vows to ‘deal’ with Cristiano Ronaldo after he stormed down the tunnel before full-time for not being brought on

Manchester United coach, Erik Ten Hag has vowed to take action against Cristiano Ronaldo after the Portugal striker stormed away from Manchester United’s victory over Tottenham at Old Trafford before full-time.

Ronaldo was an unused substitute in the game and toward the final minutes, he stormed down the tunnel in the 89th minute.

Sportsmail revealed he may even have left the stadium before the match finished.

Ten Hag didn’t give an answer when he was asked if Ronaldo had been given permission to leave.

The United manager simply said: ‘I have seen him, but I didn’t speak to him. I will deal with that tomorrow, not today. We are celebrating this victory. ‘I don’t pay attention today. I will deal with it tomorrow.

I want to keep the focus on the team and a magnificent performance from all 11 players and the subs who came on. It was a squad performance.’

It is the second time Ronaldo has left a United game without permission under Ten Hag.

In July, the 37-year-old exited Old Trafford at half-time after being substituted in a pre-season friendly against Rayo Vallecano.

Ten Hag described the incident as ‘unacceptable’ but pointed out that Ronaldo wasn’t the only United player who went early.

Choosing Chelsea over Manchester United my best decision – Mikel Obi reveals

Former Super Eagles captain, Mikel Obi has revealed that picking Chelsea over Manchester United during his controversial transfer in 2006 was the “best decision” of his career.

Recall that the midfielder, who retired last week at the age of 35, was the subject of a bitter dispute between the Red Devils and the Blues in 2005, before signing for the London club the following year.

Despite initially signing for the Manchester side from Norwegian club Lyn Oslo,Mikel made a U-turn and moved to London.

Mikel became one of the club’s most decorated players, winning the Champions League, Europa League, two Premier Leagues, two League Cups, and four FA Cups in an 11-year spell which ended when he left Stamford Bridge in 2017.

Speaking with BBC Sport Africa, Mikel said:

“I don’t regret any decision I made because I enjoyed everything I achieved at Chelsea – it’s the best decision I have ever made in my life.” “I signed a pre-contract for Manchester United when I was 17.

If you are a kid and you see Sir Alex Ferguson right in front of you with the contract, of course you will be tempted.”

Manchester United players convinced Cristiano Ronaldo is already plotting January move away from Old Trafford

Manchester United players still expect Cristiano Ronaldo to push for a move away in January.

Back in July, Ronaldo told the Premier League club that he wanted to leave after they missed out on Champions League football last season, but his request was rejected and he ended up staying at the club.

Despite scoring 24 goals last season, Ronaldo has started just one league match this term – United’s humiliating 4-0 defeat against Brentford with Erik ten Hag preferring Marcus Rashford up front instead.

However, it has been reported that United’s first-team stars think the Portuguese icon will have his sights set on an exit at the start of 2023 due to struggling to adapt to ten Hag’s style of play ‘All the players loved it when Ronaldo came back to United last season but they are frustrated he missed pre-season,’ a source told The Sun.

‘The manager put a lot of work into giving the squad detailed information about what he wanted them to do and how he wanted them to play.

‘Ronaldo is not up to speed with that and is relying on instinct when he plays. But that doesn’t work in Ten Hag’s system.

‘He often demands the ball too early in build-up play and drops deep for the ball, but that means when the ball is wide there is no-one in the middle to hit it into.

‘It’s clear that the success they have had this season is from following tactical instruction rather than the individual brilliance they relied on last season.

‘Ronaldo is likely to find himself on the bench again going forward.’

Cristiano Ronaldo called for captain Harry Maguire to be demoted and said he was part of the problem at Man United, new report reveals

Cristiano Ronaldo reportedly called for Manchester United captain Harry Maguire to be dropped last season because he was “part of the problem”‘ at the club.

The Portuguese striker returned to Old Trafford last season but failed to help the club avoid a sixth-place finish in the Premier League.

Details have now emerged surrounding the Portuguese striker’s demands, from team selection to formation tweaks.

According to the Athletic, Ronaldo was part of a group of players who went up to Rangnick at Carrington in February this year. Among them were Raphael Varane and Paul Pogba but Ronaldo’s message came through clearly when he said:

‘Maguire is part of the problem.’ Rangnick is said to have told the players including Ronaldo that it was ‘inappropriate’ to speak about Maguire when the player himself was not present.

A few players from the group subsequently apologised to the interim boss, who departed the club in the summer.

Ronaldo also had a view on the team’s formation and during the impromptu meeting told the manager in no uncertain terms how he wanted them to set up.

The 37-year-old wanted to play alongside Edinson Cavani up front but his pleas fell on deaf ears.

The report helps shed light on the summer of discontent at Old Trafford – which has largely been overshadowed by Ronaldo pushing to leave.

Ironically, Maguire, who Ronaldo called to be dropped, has also been out of the team during their recent games with the striker only starting from the bench.

Eager fans tweak Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Wikipedia page to name him owner of Manchester United a day after the billionaire expressed his desire to buy the club

Eager Manchester United fans have tweaked British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Wikipedia page to incorrectly name him as owner of the club.

Ratcliffe, the billionaire owner of chemicals company Ineos, on Wednesday, August 17 announced plans to take over at Old Trafford amid calls for current owners, the Glazers, to depart.

The Glazers have faced protests from supporters ever since their arrival in 2005 over financial constraints they have placed on the club, while withdrawing millions of pounds in dividends payments for their own personal profit.

Coupled with Manchester United’s dismal start to the season, the pressure on their unpopular owners to sell the club has increased.

The club’s supporters have now taken their eagerness to another level as they have doctored the Wikipedia page of the 69-year-old.

After being tweaked by an eager fan, Ratcliffe’s occupation on Wikipedia briefly read: ‘Chairman and CEO, Owner of Manchester United’ before being swiftly deleted.

Manchester United almost lost tonight’s match

Manchester United’s already slim Premier League title hopes were dealt a blow as they were held to a goalless draw in a drab encounter at Crystal Palace.

The visitors dominated possession but struggled to create many meaningful chances, with Nemanja Matic going closest in the first half when he brought out a decent save from Vicente Guaita.

Palace did not manage a shot on target until early in the second half when Jordan Ayew fired straight at keeper Dean Henderson after a good one-two with Christian Benteke.

But the hosts almost pinched it right at the end when Patrick van Aanholt was put in on goal, but he was denied by Henderson.

The draw means Manchester United are 14 points behind leaders and local rivals Manchester City before the two sides meet on Sunday.

The point for Crystal Palace moved them on to 34 points and 11 points clear of the relegation zone as Roy Hodgson’s side edge closer to securing another season of Premier League football.

This is the start of a potentially season-defining month for Manchester United. After facing their city rivals on Sunday, they have games against AC Milan in the Europa League, as well as an FA Cup quarter-final at Leicester.

It was, therefore, important they made a strong start to March. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side have only lost once in the Premier League since 1 November, but too many of their recent games have ended in draws.

This was a match they really needed to win to keep up the pressure on Manchester City, but they were far from their best as they displayed a severe lack of creativity.

Even Bruno Fernandes, so often their attacking spark having contributed to 25 goals this season, was below par as he struggled to make an impact on Wednesday’s game.

Indeed, for large periods of this fixture the increasing thickness of the fog that had descended over Selhurst Park was the most exciting thing to develop, as Manchester United played out their third goalless draw in a row.

The lack of attacking threat will surely be a growing concern for Solskjaer going into a crucial period of their season.

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