Melvine Malard ready to her all in Euros duel against Man Utd pals
FRIENDS REUNITED France's Melvine Malard ready 'to give one hundred per cent' in Euros battle against Manchester United mates
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
MELVINE MALARD is relishing France's tough Euros opener against England and a few of her Manchester United pals later.
It is what the forward expects from her experience of playing alongside Red Devils stars Ella Toone, Grace Clinton and Maya Le Tissier.
Sign up for Scottish Sun
newsletter
Sign up
4
Melvine Malard has been in fine form for France scoring a hat-trick against Belgium ahead of their Euros opening clash with England
Credit: AFP
4
The France star is relishing going up against the Lionesses whose players include Man United's Ella Toone, Grace Clinton and Maya Le Tissier
Credit: Getty
4
Toone could be in line to start for England in the Euros holders' Group D duel with France in Zurich, Switzerland
Credit: PA
The in-form France ace, 25, who joined Man United from Lyon in September 2023, counts the Lioness trio among her mates.
Friends she enjoys going to battle with in pursuit of domestic honours in a Red Devils shirt.
But at 8:00pm tonight in Zurich, Switzerland, friendship will be put to one side with Malard and her compatriots hoping to topple the Euros holders.
Ahead of the clash at the Letzigrund Stadium, Malard said 'It's very special for me because we play England and I have good team-mates in England.
'All the (United) players (with England) are my friends.
'Maya is very strong. Sometimes in training the fight is hard against her, but I love it!
'Ella is a different type of player, very skilled and very intelligent on the ball.
'For me it's very good to play against these girls because we are friends. But I will be giving 100% for France.
"This is a very tough group because it's a group of teams with very different styles."
Unlike England, France are still waiting to achieve their dream of being crowned Europe's football queens for the first time.
While they reached the semis of the last Euros and World Cup, the team are yet to star in a major tournament final.
But following eight wins in their last nine international fixtures, Malard hopes this will be their year.
The 29-capped France forward and four-time Champions League winner added: 'Our objective is to go far in this competition.
'We need to have a lot of positive energy and not just for this moment (the game against England) but also for the chance of playing in the final.
'I don't feel any pressure. We know what we want and what we can do.
'It's the time for us to go far (in these Euros) because we would like to win at least one trophy and we can do that this month."
Along with England, France are in a group of death which includes contest debutants Wales and 2017 champions Holland.
However the team are likely to fancy their chances of giving their rivals a run for their money given their recent form.
Under head coach Laurent Bonadei, who took charge after Herve Renard's departure last summer, France have been in fine form.
Their last loss occurred last December with world champions Spain beating them 4-2 in a friendly.
Since then Les Bleues have been thorn in their rivals' sides with Norway, Switzerland, Belgium and Brazil amongst their beaten foes.
Their 5-0 friendly drubbing of Belgium in June included Malard bagging a hat-trick as they fired a pre-Euros warning.
The forward, whose senior club career began at Lyon in 2017, feels a mentality shift since moving to England has helped her form.
Malard said: 'My mentality has changed in that I'm more open than I was before.
4
France the Lionesses will also take on the Netherlands and Euros debutant Wales in the tournament's group stage
Credit: Getty
'I feel very good in England and the Man United fans have given me a lot of confidence..
'When you listen to people sing your name in the stadium, it's a very good feeling for the player.
"We play football for this energy, for this moment and in England I have that.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
40 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Man Utd transfer news: Benjamin Sesko alternatives eyed as Erik ten Hag considers reunion
Manchester United are having to consider striker targets should they miss out on Benjamin Sesko with Erik ten Hag and Bayer Leverkusen potentially going after Rasmus Hojlund Manchester United are looking to battle with Newcastle as they both eye RB Leipzig frontman Benjamin Sesko with the Magpies already seeing an offer for the Slovenian rejected. The Red Devils have now tabled an offer and do have the finances to pursue Sesko without selling any of their current players. Already they've spent more than £120million to land Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha but now want a No 9 to lead their line. Ruben Amorim is under pressure to make a far greater impact than he did last season but new recruits have been limited so far this summer. The United boss will hope his extended time on the training ground will aid his philosophy and game plan at Old Trafford. United still need to try and get a number of players off their books with time running out ahead of their Premier League opener in less than a fortnight. Here's the latest coming out of Manchester. Two back-up options to Sesko United are desperate to sign a new striker this summer and have Nicolas Jackson among their two back-up options if they fail to land Sesko from Leipzig with Newcastle also pushing to land the Slovenian. The Chelsea forward is on their shortlist with the Athletic reporting that the Blues are be open to selling Jackson this summer after signing Liam Delap and Joao Pedro, but only if they receive an acceptable proposal. French outlet L'Equipe, meanwhile, are reporting that PSG's Randal Kolo Muani is another option United are considering. Juventus were the frontrunners to land Kolo Muani, but it is claimed that deal has now stalled, which could allow those in Manchester to swoop back in. Hojlund's Ten Hag reunion Bayer Leverkusen are keen on a move for United's Rasmus Hojlund as Erik ten Hag considers signing the Dane for the second time in two years. It was during his second summer that the Dutchman spent more than £70m to land the striker from Atalanta. Hojlund has struggled for goals and is linked with a move away with the Bundesliga now a live option. Leverkusen, who have received plenty of cash this summer, could face competition from AC Milan, Inter Milan and Juventus according to Caught Offside. Amorim recently admitted he could offer no assurances that Hojlund would remain at Old Trafford beyond this summer's window, even though the player himself is keen to remain and prove that he is capable of cutting in it Manchester. Club bosses working on more deals Omar Berrada has insisted major figures at the club are working hard to strengthen Amorim's squad this summer. Speaking to reporters at the weekend, the United CEO said: "We have to do a lot of multi-tasking. "We have a team back home led by (director of football) Jason (Wilcox), the recruitment team, that is working around the clock to ensure that we continue to find opportunities to strengthen our squad. There are lots of late calls and early morning meetings to make sure that we stay on top of it. What we want to do is to win and to start winning titles as soon as possible."
Glasgow Times
2 hours ago
- Glasgow Times
Jorge Costa death: Tearful Jose Mourinho pays tribute to former Porto captain
Reports in Portugal say the former centre-back, who was Porto's director of football, suffered a heart attack at the club's training ground. 'It's part of my history that goes,' an emotional Mourinho said at Fenerbahce's press conference ahead of their Champions League qualifier against Feyenoord in Rotterdam. José Mourinho won in 2004 de Champions League met FC Porto. Jorge Costa was toen zijn aanvoerder. De voormalig profvoetballer overleed vandaag op 53-jarige leeftijd aan een hartstilstand. — Voetbalzone (@voetbalzonenl) August 5, 2025 'You have captains, you have leaders. It's not about the armband, it's about what you represent. 'Jorge was one of these guys I used to say 'clean the garbage' and let the coach do his job as a coach and not as a leader of the dressing room. 'That's perfection for a coach when the captain does this work. Of course I'm very sad, but let's forget football. 'Let's focus on him, Jorge, a young guy and his kids that I met when they were really kids and now, of course, they are grown men. 'O meu coração é azul e será sempre azul' #E2ERNO — FC Porto (@FCPorto) August 5, 2025 'Of course I am very sad but I'm here because if he could speak with me now he would tell me, 'Come on, do your press conference and tomorrow play the game and win mister. Forget about me'. 'That would be Jorge. So that's what I am going to try to do. Do my job today, do my job tomorrow, and then cry after.' Costa was a senior Porto player for 15 years between 1990 and 2005 and made 324 appearances for the club. As well as the Champions League, Costa won the UEFA Cup and eight Primeira Liga titles at Porto. He retired in 2006 after spending the final year of his career at Standard Liege in Belgium. 'He was a fantastic person who always got his point across. Everyone respected him because of his ability. He was a great lad.' Alan Curbishley pays tribute to Jorge Costa ❤️#cafc — Charlton Athletic FC (@CAFCofficial) August 5, 2025 Costa won 50 caps for Portugal and spent a season on loan at Charlton in the Premier League in 2001-02. Porto posted on X: 'Jorge Costa has left us. One of us, a leader, a captain, a role model. A symbol of FC Porto. Thank you for being FC Porto until the end. Goodbye, Jorge Costa.' Former Charlton boss Alan Curbishley said: 'He was a fantastic person who always got his point across. 'Everyone respected him because of his ability. He was a great lad.'
Glasgow Times
2 hours ago
- Glasgow Times
Russell Martin hails Rangers response as much-changed side hammer Viktoria Plzen
The Gers boss hit out at some of his squad following their deflating 1-1 draw at Fir Park on Saturday and Tavernier, midfielder Nicolas Raskin, attacker Kieran Dowell and striker Danilo were left out. New signing Oliver Antman, the Finland winger who joined from Go Ahead Eagles on Monday, made his debut – and was terrific – with left-back Jefte, midfielder Lyall Cameron and striker Cyriel Dessers returning while John Souttar was named captain. Oliver Antman, right, impressed on debut (Andrew Milligan/PA) Winger Djeidi Gassama scored after 14 minutes, Dessers added a second from the spot just before the interval and summer signing Gassama's fourth goal in three European ties put the Govan side into a commanding lead for the return leg of the Champions League third qualifier next week. Boss Martin said: 'I really enjoyed it. I'm proud of the guys. 'We had a really difficult afternoon/evening on Saturday, just because there was not enough running in behind, aggression, intensity with the ball. 'We were not just ranting and raving, we showed a lot of clips and we tried to do a lot of learning in the meeting room and on the pitch in the last couple of days and they took it on brilliantly. 'The guys that came in the team were fantastic. We're going to need everyone. 'You don't get dropped from this team, people come in and out quite a lot because we need to be fresh. 'So it's not easy to leave people out. But the guys that came out of the team came on and did brilliantly as well. So I'm pleased. James Tavernier was a second-half substitute (Andrew Milligan/PA) 'The thing I'm annoyed about is the last 15 minutes, we probably dropped a bit of intensity, but it's understandable with the schedule we've had.' Martin claimed Tavernier was understanding of Martin's decision to leave him on the sidelines. He said: 'Yeah, yeah, he was great – all the guys. 'I say my piece, if they have a piece to say, then it's really respectful and really honest. 'But I think the way he played when he came on showed you everything you need to know. So there's been no problem and I don't envisage there being any problems moving forward. 'Dani and Dowell came out as well, and no one person's harder than the other in terms of conversation. Russell Martin celebrates victory with his Rangers players (Andrew Milligan/PA) 'It's not easy when you care about the players and you're desperate for them to do well, it's not an easy conversation ever. 'I'm just always honest with them, why they're coming out, why I pick someone else, and they just don't have to agree at all, but hopefully they respect a bit of honesty. 'And I think their reaction when they came on the pitch tonight says everything, they were great.'
