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Omar Marmoush mocked Erling Haaland after the Norwegian striker's acrobatic goal in Manchester City training.

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• Marmoush mocked Haaland
• Man City star scored an acrobatic goal in training
• Cityzens face Forest on Saturday

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Manchester City hitman scored an outrageous goal past Stefan Ortega with a scissor kick to garner praise from his team-mates. However, new signing Marmoush was not too impressed with Haaland's acrobatic effort as he jokingly told the forward: "That was for the camera. All for the camera. Here, here, here. For the camera!"

  Haaland then cheekily replied: "Where's the camera? Did you get it [on camera]"?

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• WATCH THE CLIP

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Marmoush has enjoyed a strong start since moving to City from Eintracht Frankfurt in late January. In his eight appearances thus far, the Egyptian has scored three goals, bagging a hat-trick in only his third Premier League appearance against Newcastle United last month. Haaland experienced a sudden dip in form in December and January, but he has now rediscovered his scoring touch and is on course to reach the 30-goal mark for City for three seasons in a row.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER CITY?

  Pep Guardiola's side will be back in action in the Premier League on Saturday as they take on Nottingham Forest in a difficult away fixture.

While you can’t guarantee what the results are going to be, you can be sure that watching Tottenham Hotspur play will result in 90 minutes of pure entertainment at the moment.

Ange Postecoglou’s side are still struggling to put their inconsistent streak behind them, but continue to play some of the most aesthetically pleasing and attacking football in the Premier League, as evidenced by their league-high haul of 23 goals.

In fact, the North Londoners are scoring so frequently across all competitions that even some players you wouldn’t usually associate with scoring are finding themselves surprisingly high up in the club’s top goalscorers list, including one player who’s recently been compared to a sensational international with an enormous valuation.

Spurs' top goalscorers

So, before we get to the player in question, let’s look at Spurs’ actual topscorers, and coming in at number one is the club’s most inform attacker, Brennan Johnson.

The Welsh international endured a slow start to the campaign that even saw him deactivate his Instagram account following abuse from so-called fans.

However, following a late winner against Coventry City that kept the team in the League Cup back in September, he has been utterly unstoppable and currently has an impressive tally of seven goals and one assist in 17 appearances for the club.

Just behind him is record-signing Dominic Solanke, who also had a bit of a plodding start to life in North London but has since found his shooting boots and has six goals – including a brace against Aston Villa – and two assists to his name in just 15 appearances, which has been enough to earn him another call-up to the England squad.

Now, once we get into third place, there are three players all tied on three goals a piece, including the usual suspects of James Maddison, who also has four assists in 15 games, and club captain Son Heung-min, who has three assists to boot in his 11 games so far.

However, the final name to make it into the club’s top three scorers for the season so far is probably not someone most fans would expect to see so high up, even though they are immensely talented and could one day earn the club a huge payday.

Spurs' surprise scorer

So, the Spurs ace who is currently tied on three goals for the season so far is Pape Matar Sarr, who has found the back of the net against Qarabağ FK and Ferencvaros in the Europa League and scored a screamer against Manchester City in the League Cup.

However, while it’s certainly a bonus for Postecoglou and Co to see the talented midfielder help out with goals here and there, that is not what makes him such a unique talent.

Instead, it’s his ability to help his more senior teammates run games from the middle of the park thanks to his impressive technical ability, surprising physical strength, general football intelligence, and ability to carry the ball forward into dangerous areas.

He showed a number of these traits in his sensational performance against Aston Villa just over a week ago, which earned him a 9/10 rating from football.london’s Alasdair Gold and led to GOAL’s Mitch Fretton calling him a “monster,” which wasn’t even hyperbolic, as he made three clearances, two interceptions and blocked one shot during his 90 minutes on the pitch.

On top of him now cementing himself as one of the first names on the teamsheet in N17, the Senegalese international has also now won comparisons to a certain rival player worth a fortune: Declan Rice.

Yes, according to FBref, which looks at players in similar positions across Europe’s top five leagues before creating a ten-man list of the most comparable players, the Englishman is the fourth most similar midfielder to the Lilywhites star.

To better understand how this conclusion was reached, we can examine the underlying metrics in which the pair ranked very closely, metrics including but not limited to progressive passes and carries, non-penalty expected goals per shot, passes into the penalty area, successful take-ons, miscontrols and ball recoveries, all per 90.

Now, while the Spurs faithful might not be too keen on their exciting midfield talent being compared to one of those lot down the road, their opinions may change when they notice the Gunners ace’s valuation of €120m per Transfermarkt, which comes out to about £100m.

If Sarr continues to play as well as he has been this season and is as similar to Rice as the data and analytics suggest, then given the fact he’s still just 22 years old, it does not seem impossible that he, too, will one day be worth £100m or more.

Ultimately, even if a fee that high never makes it into Daniel Levy’s hands, Tottenham have clearly got an incredible talent in Sarr.

Their own Saka: Ange could save his job by unleashing "fearless" Spurs ace

The incredible talent could help transform Spurs’ season.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Nov 12, 2024

Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney and ex-boxing world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury are set to co-manage the England team at Soccer Aid 2025.

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• Rooney and Fury to co-manage England
• Soccer Aid to be played on June 15 at Old Trafford
• Neville & Bonucci among star players

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  The former Manchester United star and the ex-world heavyweight champion will come together for a noble cause as they are all set to manage Soccer Aid charity's England team. Rooney will also take part as a player in the annual charity match, which is designed to raise money for children’s aid charity Unicef. The other co-managers for England are Harry Redknapp and Line Of Duty star Vicky McClure. The players' list includes Red Devils legend Gary Neville, Paddy McGuinness, singer Tom Grennan, reality star Sam Thompson, Olympian Sam Quek, Dragons’ Den star Steven Bartlett, Olympian Sir Mo Farah, and One Direction star Louis Tomlinson.

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• WHAT TYSON FURY & WAYNE ROONEY SAID

  Fury said of the exciting venture: "Tyson Fury: England manager. Who would ever have thought it? I have had some big fights in my career and the prospect of leading my England team to victory this June fills me with just as much excitement as any heavyweight fight.

  "Everyone knows that I am a huge Manchester United fan too, so it’s even more special for me that the game is at Old Trafford this year – and I get to manage one of my heroes, Wayne Rooney. How can we lose? The work Unicef does all around the world is so special and so important. I really hope that you can come along and support us this summer."

  While confirming his participation, Rooney added: "I enjoyed the last time I was involved at Soccer Aid so much that when the call came for the 2025 match it was a really easy decision. I’m a big boxing fan, so to do it alongside Tyson Fury is fantastic. It really sums up how brilliant Soccer Aid is.

  "We have this in common: we’ll both be taking it incredibly seriously. Obviously it’s great to lace-up the old boots again – and see some old friends – but the cause is the real reason we are doing this. Unicef needs our help. So, I promise we’ll put on a show for you this June if you buy your tickets to help raise money for Unicef and for children around the world."

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  England will be competing against the Soccer Aid World XI FC team. The World XI, as of now, has only confirmed the participation of Gladiator star "Diamond" Livi Sheldon, and ex-Italy international Leonardo Bonucci.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Unicef UK ambassador Robbie Williams co-founded the concept in 2006, and since then the charity has raised over £106 million. The match will be played at Old Trafford on June 15.

The Blues' head coach has launched a fierce defence of his playing style, but a derby win would silence his critics

At the start of the season, the vast majority of Chelsea fans would have bitten your hand off to be in the fight for a Champions League place come March. But even though that is the reality, there is a sense that the chances of the campaign being deemed a success hang in the balance.

A tantalising early-season title push has turned into a turgid slog for a top-four place, with serious questions being asked of head coach Enzo Maresca's tactics as his side struggle for consistency, causing him to fire back in a barbed press conference.

But as we approach the run-in, Chelsea are still on course to surpass most people's expectations this season – including their own fans. A London derby against fierce rivals Arsenal now looms, and it provides Maresca with the perfect opportunity to prove a point and demonstrate the progress he's made.

• AFP
  

  Slow burn

  Maresca certainly hasn't been an instant hit with Chelsea fans in the same way that his predecessors Antonio Conte and Thomas Tuchel were, but that is a reflection of his determination to do things his own way rather than pander to anyone else – even the supporters.

  He seems keen to maintain a steely demeanour, breaking into a smile every so often in his press conferences and showing his passion in his goal celebrations, but none of it feels performative or over the top; you won't catch him diving into the crowd like Conte or sprinting down the touchline like Tuchel.

  There were the first signs that the fanbase was warming to Maresca in early December following the 5-1 victory at Southampton that sent Chelsea second and into the title race conversation, with the travelling support chanting both his name and 'We've got our Chelsea back' after the full-time whistle.

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  Impatience with patience

  Maresca, however, has certainly learnt how fickle football and fans can be in the months since; amid an alarming downturn in form that saw Chelsea slip from second to sixth at one stage, those positive sounds from the stands were replaced with chants of 'We want our Chelsea back' from certain sections.

  There is also the perception that the manager doesn't talk up his side and their aspirations enough, instead insisting they were not in a title challenge and actually ahead of schedule by even challenging for a top-four place, while he was content to 'focus on the league' following the dire FA Cup exit at the hands out Brighton.

  Although the ship finally seems to have steadied after two tumultuous months, with the Blues reclaiming fourth place courtesy of consecutive victories over almost-doomed Southampton and Leicester City, there remains some disgruntlement towards the Italian coach's patient, often slow, possession-based playing style.

  The crowd's displeasure was audible on several occasions during the laboured victory over the Foxes last Sunday, with one backwards pass from Enzo Fernandez proving to be particularly provocative when more adventurous options were available.

  Bizarrely, Maresca claimed that is exactly how he wants his team to play after the game. "The good thing is that Fernandez knows that if he doesn’t play back, I will change (substitute) him," he said. "If the ‘keeper plays long, I will change him. This is what we have."

• AFP
  

  'Not PlayStation football'

  In what was one of his most impassioned post-match press conferences to date, Maresca launched a fierce defence of his approach after the murmurs of discontent and warned his detractors among the Chelsea fanbase that football is "not a PlayStation" game.

  "The people have to understand this is our way, our style, and this is the way we are going to play," he insisted. "When a team creates the amount of chances we created, you have to be happy. It’s not easy.

  "Leicester, until minute 83, were 0-0 against Arsenal; the same thing happened against [Manchester] City. If you think football is just a PlayStation [game] and you win easy, no way – every game is difficult. The way the players have done is fantastic.

  "We need our fans. I said two days ago our Champions League target will be with our fans supporting us, and especially when you play at home. We need them behind the players with the spirit they showed."

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  Undeniable progress

  Maresca is undoubtedly a victim of the success he had earlier in the season, when Chelsea were playing with confidence and relatively free of injuries to propel themselves into the title race. Now the fans have had a taste of past glories, there is an insatiable thirst for more.

  But despite a tough couple of months where the Blues only won twice in the Premier League between December 22 and February 22, the west Londoners still find themselves in the top four. It could have been a lot, lot worse.

  There are uncanny parallels to Maresca's time at Leicester, where he also faced criticism for his tactical approach. Even though the Foxes frittered away a healthy lead at the top of the Championship, they were still promoted as champions at the end of the season.

  Many expected Chelsea to struggle under Maresca when he took over, but he has maintained their Champions League push throughout the campaign so far and even given a glimpse of what is perhaps to come in the future in that brief title challenge. The Italian tactician has always insisted that his side are ahead of schedule, with the expectation they will return to Europe's elite club competition at the end of in 2025-26, so if they can grind out qualification this season – by whatever means possible – that must be deemed a success.

Manchester City’s academy has produced some fantastic players over the years. Some of those are members of Pep Guardiola’s first-team squad.

Of course, Phil Foden is the most prominent of those, and he has become one of the best players in the Premier League, having been named the PFA Player of the Year last season. The likes of Rico Lewis and James McAtee are also playing for City’s first-team, with Lewis especially a key player.

However, Cityzens academy graduates also go on to have good careers away from the club. Morgan Rogers is a prime example of this, and he is thriving under Unai Emery at Aston Villa. However, perhaps the best City academy star who is now shining at another club is Cole Palmer.

Palmer’s City career

Palmer’s rise over the last 18 months or so has been absolutely phenomenal. At present, there is arguably “no better player in the Premier League”, according to pundit Jamie Carragher, while he is also now an important player for England, scoring in the Euro 2024 final against Spain.

He did not really get the chance to show what he could do during his time at the Etihad Stadium. After graduating from the academy of the club for at under-18s and under-23s level, the 22-year-old managed just 41 appearances for the club in total.

Palmer scored six times and grabbed two assists, including a strike in the UEFA Super Cup and the Community Shield against Arsenal.

He left the club to join Chelsea in September 2023 for a fee of £42.5m, and the attacker has been simply sensational at Stamford Bridge. Palmer has scored 32 goals and grabbed 20 assists in just 59 games for the Blues so far.

Last season, he managed 33 goals and assists in as many Premier League games, and won the PFA Young Player of the Year award.

Guardiola admitted that he wanted Palmer to stay at the club last season, but could not convince the talented winger to remain at the club. He was full of praise for the City academy graduate, calling him “an incredible threat” before the FA Cup semi-final between City and Chelsea last term.

Looking back on it, selling Palmer certainly seems like a blunder by City. However, given the attacking talent City have, the likes of Foden for example, it might not be too costly. There was another former player who they may regret selling more, especially given the issues in the side this season.

The former player City may regret selling

The player in question here is Spanish right-back Pedro Porro. The 25-year-old joined the Cityzens in 2019 for a fee in the region of £5.5m from Girona. However, he never played for the club and made a move to Sporting after a loan spell at Real Valladolid.

He spent a year on loan in Portugal before joining the club permanently, costing just £7.2m, and thrived in Lisbon. In 98 games for the club, he scored 12 goals and grabbed 20 assists. Tottenham Hotspur signed him in the 2023 winter window, on a loan deal with an obligation to buy him for £39m.

The Spaniard has dazzled for the Lilywhites so far, playing 68 times for the club. He has scored nine goals and grabbed 12 assists, with one of the goals coming away to the Cityzens, in Spurs’ recent 4-1 thrashing of the Premier League champions.

City could certainly have done with Porro this season. They are having issues at right-back, with Kyle Walker looking a shadow of his former self. In fact, as the stats from Squawka show, the Spaniard is bettering the City number two in several key metrics.

That includes the number of chances created per 90 minutes, with 1.7 compared to one, and the number of duels won per game, with 3.9 to Walker’s 3.3. As football statistician Statman Dave described him, Porro is a “complete” player.

Looking back on the deal to sell Porro to Sporting in the first place, it might be one City regret more than the decision to let Palmer go. Whilst they have plenty of competition in those attacking areas, the Cityzens are short of numbers defensively, and given Walker’s performances this season, could have done with reinforcements.

Guardiola may well wish he had Porro available to him now because his fellow Spaniard could have been incredibly useful to help fix what has been a poor season so far.

Man City must finally sell £100k-p/w star who was once Pep’s "best signing"

The Man City ace has been poor this season.

By
Joe Nuttall

Nov 27, 2024

Arsenal v Manchester United is one of the biggest grudge matches in English football.

A fixture often filled with heated exchanges, late tackles and plenty of drama, the two have met hundreds of times, with each Premier League still showing remnants of when their rivalry was at its fiercest.

A decent chunk of those meetings have been in the FA Cup.

Arsenal and United both have rich histories in the competition – especially when they’re paired together. Here, we’ve recalled the seven best FA Cup clashes between them.

FA Cup 2024/25: Cup final details, results, TV picks & more

Find all the latest and key FA Cup info here ahead of the weekend’s final between Crystal Palace and Manchester City.

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By
Ross Kilvington

May 12, 2025

7

Man Utd 4-0 Arsenal (2008)

Red Devils batter much-changed title rivals

Arsenal were on course for a first league title in four years when they met United in the fifth round of the 2007/08 FA Cup, and as such, manager Arsene Wenger opted to rest a host of first-team players. It proved to be a poor decision by the Frenchman.

To nobody’s surprise, the likes of Justin Hoyte, Armand Traore and Nicklas Bendtner couldn’t keep up with United, who ran out as comprehensive 4-0 winners thanks to a brace from Darren Fletcher and goals from Wayne Rooney and Nani.

Arsenal’s season began to unravel soon after. They went on to win just one of their next eight games in the Premier League as their title hopes slipped through their hands and into United’s, who went on to be crowned champions.

6

Arsenal 0-1 Man Utd (2004)

Scholes strike defeats Invincibles at Villa Park

Arsenal were in the midst of an unbeaten league season and on an 18-match unbeaten run in the FA Cup when they took on United at Villa Park in the semi-finals in 2003/04.

United, seemingly incensed by their rivals’ good form, were up for a fight – and gave the Gunners just that.

After scoring the eventual winning goal in the 31st minute, Paul Scholes put in an awful challenge on Jose Antonio Reyes, which, while unpunished, left the Spaniard with ligament damage.

Roy Keane also got away with a number of questionable challenges, while Freddie Ljungberg broke his hand as the Gunners’ hopes of a famous treble were literally hacked short.

5

Man Utd 1-2 Arsenal (2015)

Welbeck returns to dump United out

Just one day after Radamel Falcao completed a big-money loan move to United in September 2015, Danny Welbeck, a product of the Red Devils’ academy, left the club to join rivals Arsenal in a £16 million move.

“We let him go because of Falcao,” United manager Louis van Gaal said following his departure.

Six months later, Welbeck returned to Old Trafford for the first time and scored the winner, which he celebrated wildly, to steer Arsenal into the semi-finals of the FA Cup and end United’s realistic hopes of silverware for the season.

With Falcao left on the bench, United responded quickly to Nacho Monreal’s opener through Wayne Rooney, but imploded as Welbeck’s strike was followed by the sending-off of Angel Di Maria, who literally saw red after confronting referee Michael Oliver.

The Gunners then saw off Reading and Aston Villa to secure a second successive FA Cup triumph.

4

Arsenal 0-0 Man Utd (2005)

Vieira seals tense final despite United domination

United completely dominated the 2005 FA Cup final, but it was Arsenal who prevailed as winners by way of penalties.

The Red Devils had four times as many shots as their opponents, eight times as many shots on target and 12 times as many corners, but couldn’t find a breakthrough, with Wayne Rooney coming closest when he hit the post in the 66th minute.

In the shootout, Paul Scholes saw his effort saved by Jens Lehmann, before Patrick Vieira stepped up to score the winning spot-kick with what was his last kick of a ball in an Arsenal shirt. Arsene Wenger conceded after the game that his side “were a bit lucky”.

3

Man Utd 0-2 Arsenal (2003)

Giggs misses and Beckham booted as holders progress

Arsene Wenger rested Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp when Arsenal met United in the fifth round of the 2002/03 FA Cup, but it proved not to matter as replacements Francis Jeffers and Sylvain Wiltord proved too much for the Red Devils in what was a typically ill-tempered affair at Old Trafford.

After three yellow cards in the opening seven minutes, United had the chance to take the lead when Ryan Giggs ran through on goal and rounded Arsenal ‘keeper David Seaman. However, with an empty net, the Welshman put the ball over the bar.

The miss proved to be pivotal, as shortly after, midfielder Edu put the Gunners in front with a deflected free-kick before Wiltord doubled their advantage just after the break.

The aftermath of the game was then overshadowed by an extraordinary dressing room incident that left David Beckham requiring stitches courtesy of Sir Alex Ferguson’s flying boot.

Arsenal went on to win the trophy, beating Southampton 1-0 in the final.

Mikel Arteta's 9 best signings at Arsenal

Mikel Arteta has made some wonderful signings during his time in charge of Arsenal.

By
Ross Kilvington

Nov 5, 2024

2

Arsenal 3-2 Man Utd (1979)

The Five-minute Final ends in Gunners glory

The 1979 FA Cup final was decided in five minutes of pure, unadulterated chaos.

Arsenal had taken a 2-0 lead by half-time thanks to goals from Brian Talbot and Frank Stapleton, and with 86 minutes on the clock, looked set to avenge their loss to Bobby Robson’s Ipswich Town in the previous year’s final.

However, United then inexplicably drew level, scoring twice in two minutes through Gordon McQueen and Sammy McIlroy, the latter of whom took advantage of some truly awful defending from the Gunners.

Almost as soon as McIlroy had finished celebrating, Alan Sunderland stole in at the back post to score the winner for the Gunners, clinching their first trophy in eight years. Utter madness.

The top 10 FA Cup finals of all time – ranked

Some finals fail to live up to the billing, but sometimes the magic of the FA Cup shines through.

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By
Alex Caple

May 25, 2024

1

Arsenal 1-2 Man Utd (1999)

Giggs wondergoal settles epic semi-final replay

In the last-ever FA Cup semi-final replay, the fixture got a fitting send-off in 1999 thanks to Arsenal and United, who gave us a game for ages at Villa Park.

David Beckham had given United the lead early on before Dennis Bergkamp levelled for Arsenal in the second half. After Roy Keane was sent for an early bath, Phil Neville then conceded a penalty in the 90th minute to hand the Gunners a chance to win the game.

But Peter Schmeichel saved Bergkamp’s spot kick and the tie went into extra-time, where Ryan Giggs would score the winner with one of the greatest FA Cup goals of all time, dribbling through four Arsenal defenders before slamming the ball into the roof of the net.

In 2019, Gary Neville described the match as the “best game of football I have ever played in.”

“It was the only time in a match where I ever smiled when I was playing – the only time I have done that in a pressure moment as it was enjoyable as well as exciting,” he said, adding: “You know when you just feel: ‘This is something special.'”

The best grudge matches in English football

These teams don’t need to share a postcode to hate each other…

By
Barney Lane

Nov 27, 2024

Manchester United told they need a figure like Sergio Ramos in the dressing room to bring the best out of a young talent like Leny Yoro.

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• Yoro snubbed Real Madrid to join Man Utd
• Defender has struggled to find his feet at OT
• Gallas believes an experienced head would have helped him

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  United successfully fended off competition from Real Madrid to land the highly-rated French defender from Lille for a £52 million fee plus add-ons. The teenage centre-back signed a five-year contract at Old Trafford, with the club holding an option to extend it for another 12 months.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Despite the excitement surrounding his arrival, Yoro has yet to make a significant impact at United. The teenager endured a frustrating start to life in England after suffering an ankle injury, which kept him sidelined until November. Even after regaining fitness, he has struggled to meet expectations, as United continue to leak goals at the back. Yoro’s lack of experience has been evident, and the high-pressure environment at Old Trafford has made it difficult for him to settle and perform at his best.

• WHAT WILLIAM GALLAS SAID

  Former Chelsea and Arsenal defender William Gallas has weighed in on Yoro’s struggles, suggesting that the young centre-back needs an experienced leader to guide him through his development. According to Gallas, while Yoro is an immensely talented player, he may have joined United at the wrong time, as the club continues to be in turmoil.

  Speaking to , Gallas said: "Yoro is a talented player and I think it was normal for him to take the next step to go to Manchester United, I think it was the right club but at the wrong time. United are struggling and for young players like him, it can be really difficult to improve when the pressure is so high. You need time."

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Gallas compared Yoro’s situation to Raphael Varane's early days at Real Madrid when the Frenchman moved from Lens to Spain. The former United defender had the benefit of learning from Ramos, who was a leader in Madrid’s defence and Gallas believes Yoro should have benefitted if he had a veteran to mentor him.

  “I hope Yoro will really have the opportunity to learn," Gallas said. "If you take the example of Varane, he had the experience of Sergio Ramos to learn from. Who has Yoro got at Manchester United?”

Enzo Maresca has fully turned things around at Chelsea since his arrival, the Blues finding themselves second in the Premier League after 16 games played, and top of the UEFA Conference League after five games.

In their five Conference League games, Chelsea have scored 21 goals, including an 8-0 victory against Noah. Meanwhile, they have only conceded four goals in five games.

Maresca has shown faith in the squad options he has, including academy graduates, making 11 changes in most games, in order to keep his entire squad fresh, and competing on all fronts.

The same is expected against Shamrock Rovers in their next game, with plenty of rotation set to take place, as one eye is already on the weekend.

Chelsea team news

Wesley Fofana and Reece James both remain out through injury. Whilst neither would likely play in cup competitions, the knock-on effect on the squad means Tosin Adarabioyo is likely to start in the Premier League, meaning he is less likely to also feature against Shamrock.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Benoit Badiashile is also unavailable due to an injury picked up last week, further adding to the centre-back issues when rotating the team, and Mykhailo Mudryk is also out for the time being through suspension, which could see minutes for Tyrique George at left-wing.

João Félix is also a doubt, whilst others such as Cole Palmer and Roméo Lavia aren’t available due to not being selected in the Conference League group stage squad.

The absence of Felix could be a big one which requires multiple rejigs to Maresca’s plans, as the Portugal international has often taken the Palmer role in this second unit.

Maresca's attacking options

Christopher Nkunku has been playing as a striker in the Conference League, with Nicolas Jackson being rested for Premier League games. The 27-year-old Frenchman has made 23 appearances in all competitions this season, scoring 12 goals and providing two assists in 903 minutes played.

But in the absence of Felix, Nkunku would likely drop slightly deeper, playing in his preferred number ten position, able to drop deep, link play, get on the ball more often, and create for others alongside himself. This would see the striker position become available, with Marc Guiu being the player who has benefited from these sparing minutes this campaign.

Guiu has made nine appearances since joining the Blues this summer for a fee of around £5m, scoring three goals, all of which have come in the Conference League, where 224 of his 382 minutes have been played.

The 18-year-old striker has shown his ability to be a nuisance in the box, willing to get his shots off (shown by his 5.17 shots per 90), and pressing with high intensity, always looking to do his part off the ball, as well as on it. Nkunku has shown his creative numbers are far superior, and by dropping him to the number ten position, he will have even more chances to impact the game in this way.

But there is another option Maresca could choose to hand those minutes to upfront, with an academy graduate who has been called “the next big thing from Cobham” by talent scout Jacek Kulig.

Why Shumaira Mheuka must be unleashed

Shumaira Mheuka made his debut against Astana last week, coming from the bench in the 78th minute, taking one shot (off target) and winning two of his three ground duels.

The 17-year-old has made 14 appearances for the U21 side this season, scoring two goals, providing one assist and totalling 1,003 minutes played.

The young English forward thrives in and around the box, having excellent movement to find himself in dangerous positions, having brilliant ball manipulation in order to shift it himself and find a yard to get a shot away, and also using his body well to protect the ball.

Maresca will have a tough decision on his hands, as Guiu will be knocking on the door for minutes after scoring twice against Astana last week. However, whilst Mheuka might not start the game, it should be a good chance to give him more minutes in the senior team, as he looks to gain his reps and experience this season.

And Mheuka isn’t the only academy graduate in line for some minutes against Shamrock Rovers, as two players, in particular, are even expected to start the game on Thursday night, having also started last week against Astana.

Other academy graduates who could feature

Both Tyrique George and Josh Acheampong are expected to be involved in the Conference League game this week, with Mudryk unavailable, and Jadon Sancho likely being rested ahead of the Premier League game against Everton this weekend.

This will likely see George start in his favoured left-wing position, allowing him the freedom to cut inside on his stronger right foot.

In the absence of James and Fofana (both right-side defenders), extra pressure is on the likes of Malo Gusto and Adarabioyo, which will likely mean they are also rested for the weekend’s game. This could see a second consecutive Conference League start at right-back for Acheampong.

Both George and Acheampong are highly rated by the club, with the latter even signing a new five-year contract yesterday, with Maresca stating he believes “Josh needs to stay close with us rather than going on loan”, insinuating the 18-year-old defender is a part of the plans not only for the future, but also the present.

Exciting times, indeed, in both the short-term and long-term at Stamford Bridge.

Beware Jackson: Chelsea chasing "monster" who'd be their own Gyokeres

Chelsea can sign their very own Gyokeres with “true monster”

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Real Madrid are eyeing a £46 million ($60m) bid for Bournemouth teenage defender Dean Huijsen, who Chelsea also want to sign.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Real Madrid interested in Dean Huijsen
• Los Blancos eye £46m bid
• Defender made Spain debut this month

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  reports that Madrid are keen on the defender, who made his Spain debut last week and has impressed in his debut Premier League season for Bournemouth. The Blues are also keeping tabs on him – but whether the Cherries are willing to sell for below the reported £55m ($71m) release clause is a different question.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Carlo Ancelotti's side have been short of defenders this season due to injuries, while Antonio Rudiger and David Alaba are both aged 32. Declaring for Spain has increased Huijsen's profile in the country and a move to the capital could see him become one of the national team's key players.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  The report states that Bournemouth could be offered players on loan to sweeten the deal, with striker Endrick and attacking midfielder Arda Guler mentioned. Guler is said to be the preferred option of the two.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR HUIJSEN?

  Huijsen is a key member of a Bournemouth side aiming to qualify for European football for the first time in their history. They are also still in the FA Cup and take on Manchester City in the quarter-final on Sunday.

Ruben Amorim predicted that his side would have to “suffer” in the early phase of his Manchester United tenure, but not even the Portuguese tactician could have foreseen quite how much suffering there would be…

The former Sporting CP boss had enjoyed a 34-game unbeaten run in the league prior to the defeat to Arsenal earlier this month. Now he’s already chalked up four Premier League losses in just over a month in charge. That’s what United can do.

Not that the young coach is faultless, yet after the collective woes endured under his predecessor Erik ten Hag, much of the blame must fall the way of this group of players. In the words of ‘Orange Juice’, perhaps it’s time to ‘rip it up and start again…’

A total squad overhaul may appear hasty, with Amorim still needing time to get his ideas across, yet for too long this misfiring crop have underwhelmed, as was the case again in Thursday’s grim 2-0 defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Devoid of ideas in attack, outfought and outrun in midfield, and feeble in defence, this is a team that deserves to be languishing in 14th in the Premier League table.

Man Utd's worst performers vs Wolves

Where to begin?

Well, an obvious place to start would be that man Bruno Fernandes, with the United skipper foolishly picking up a second yellow card just after the break, following a needless, late challenge on compatriot Nelson Semedo.

For the third time this season, the Portuguese playmaker has seen red, and while he may have had justifiable complaints regarding his dismissals against Tottenham Hotspur and Porto earlier in the campaign, there was no excuse this time around.

The 30-year-old’s overall performance in that number ten berth – which saw him win just three of his 12 ground duels, as per Sofascore – was in stark contrast to Wolves’ main man, Matheus Cunha, with the Brazilian grabbing a goal and an assist, while winning 13 ground duels in what was a real all-round performance.

Cunha’s dynamism and work ethic was also in stark contrast to young Kobbie Mainoo in the centre of the park, with the 19-year-old midfielder – who scored that last-gasp winner at Molineux back in February – rightly hooked on the hour mark after squandering the ball 11 times from just 37 touches.

Injury and managerial upheaval has no doubt impacted the Englishman this season, after the highs of earning a place at Euro 2024 last season, yet time should be afforded him to get back to his brilliant best.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Time, however, is not something that should be gifted to one of his floundering teammates, with supporters no doubt having seen enough of a certain Andre Onana.

Why Andre Onana needs to be replaced

It must be said that it wasn’t too long ago that the Cameroonian looked like United’s “best player this season” – as per journalist Steven Railston – having produced numerous key moments in the early knockings of 2024/25, including his double save away at Crystal Palace.

With that in mind, it may then be hasty to say that the former Ajax man should now be ditched, although recent weeks have laid bare just why he is not up to scratch. At a time when United – and new boss Amorim – are in need of calm, Onana merely provides chaos.

The 28-year-old is not alone in that, of course, yet Amorim’s early reign has already been littered with goalkeeping mistakes. Against Nottingham Forest, Onana somehow failed to keep out Morgan Gibbs-White’s long range effort, having also been unable to deal with Chris Wood’s looping header.

That was followed by another comical error when attempting to play out from the back against Viktoria Plzen, while the Red Devils’ first-choice stopper was also culpable at Molineux, having allowed Cunha to remarkably net directly from a corner.

With Altay Bayindir having suffered similar against Spurs last week, perhaps this latest blunder is a result of a tactical issue, yet the manner in which Onana watched as the ball sailed over him was meek indeed. It’s no surprise that journalist Samuel Luckhurst branded him a “pushover”.

The £120k-per-week stopper – who received a 3/10 match rating from Luckhurst – looks far more like the player who wilted during United’s Champions League group stage debacle last season, in which he made at least two errors leading directly to a goal.

To have been at the centre of so many mistakes after joining in the summer of 2023 is frankly not a good look, with it no surprise that Amorim has reportedly already seen enough, amid claims that the new boss wants to replace Onana in January.

Selling the £47.5m man in the winter window may appear an unlikely and bold move, yet on the evidence of recent form – which has seen United suffer three straight defeats – no one in the squad is safe.

The Old Trafford side have accepted less for far too long. No more.

Dream 1st Amorim signing: Man Utd can axe Zirkzee for the next Ibrahimovic

Ruben Amorim could land his next Viktor Gyokeres by making a marquee swoop in 2025

By
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