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Scottish Sun
32 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Luke Shaw ready to quit Man Utd with injury-hit star offered mega-money swansong in Saudi Arabia
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) LUKE SHAW faces a Manchester United exit and the injury-hit star could be gone by January. England left-back Shaw, 30, is aware of serious interest from Saudi clubs and is ready to listen to offers. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 Luke Shaw could be on his way out of Old Trafford Credit: Rex He still has two years left on his Old Trafford contract but fears his Red Devils career might be nearing an end. Shaw made just 12 appearances last season after missing the first three months with a prolonged calf problem and is facing limited opportunities. He did start May's 1-0 Europa League final defeat to Tottenham but in a back-three due to a shortage of centre-backs. Shaw is likely to be behind Patrick Dorgu in the left-back pecking order and Ruben Amorim also has high hopes for new boy Diego Leon who has signed for £3.3m from Paraguayan club Cerro Porteno. The physically imposing 18 year old played the first half of last weekend's 0-0 friendly draw with Leeds in Sweden and the Amorim said: 'He did really well. 'He's learning things, he's powerful, he's going to be a very good player.' Meanwhile, Diogo Dalot has been a regular starter a left wing back in the United chief's favoured 3-4-2-1 system. Shaw is in the United squad that begin their pre-season tour of the USA with a clash against West Ham on Sunday - and also featured against Leeds - but knows he is liable to be making up the numbers once the Prem kicks off next month. 4 4 Youngster Diego Leon is tipped for a big future at United Credit: Getty BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS His United career began in heartbreak with a double leg break due against PSV in only his eighth game back in September 2015. Shaw later revealed that surgeons considered amputation due to blood clots discovered in the after-math of the injury. Man Utd hunting Jackson as Chelsea's demands revealed | Transfers Exposed That cost him eleven months on the sidelines and began a nightmare run of problems that has seen him miss almost FIVE YEARS of his United and England career. Shaw is seen as a popular and influential figure within the dressing room and Amorim is in no hurry to dump him or his £150,000 a week wages. But the player himself is determined to make up for so much lost time and knows he faces a tough decision on his future over the coming months. Should he decide to leave it is unlikely United would be difficult to deal with in terms of a fee considering all those injuries and his lack of appearances - only 27 in the last two campaigns. Amorim, meanwhile, is not prepared to break the bank for a new No 9. Fans hoped Alexander Isak's decision to tell Newcastle he wants out of St James' Park might encourage United to bid. But with United's spending on Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo topping £130m this summer, the club are not in a position to go large unless there are significant exits. SunSport revealed Chelsea's Senegal star Nicolas Jackson was eyeing Old Trafford as a potential destination, but the Blues want £80m for him. But United are in no position to push the boat out - opening the door for under-pressure Rasmus Hojlund to stake his claim during the three-match Premier League Summer Series tournament against West Ham, Bournemouth and Everton. On Thursday night Aston Villa moved to dismiss reports United had proposed an audacious swap deal, offering rebel Alejandro Garnacho in return for England striker Ollie Watkins. 4 TRANSFER NEWS LIVE - KEEP UP WITH ALL THE LATEST FROM A BUSY SUMMER WINDOW
Daily Mail
33 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Mason Mount insists he's ready to fight for his place after Man United's £130m splurge on Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha
Mason Mount is backing himself in the fight for places at Old Trafford this season despite Manchester United spending more than £130million on Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha. Both new signings play in the two No.10 positions in Ruben Amorim 's 3-4-2-1 system, bringing them into direct competition with Mount. But the 26-year-old former Chelsea star is confident in his ability to hold down a regular first-team place after finally fighting his way back to form and fitness at the end of last season. 'One hundred per cent,' said Mount at United's hotel base in Chicago on their pre-season tour of the US. 'I mean, any time you do get that opportunity to be on the pitch, you want to do something. You want to affect the game. That's always the way I've looked at it. 'Any opportunity you get, you've got to try and take it. I'll always back myself. I know what I can do. But we're a team and we're all working together in that. 'Obviously with the new signings coming in, they're going to elevate us to another level and we all need to be at that level to really perform. 'It's competition. When you're at a club like Manchester United, there has to be that competition there to perform. As a group, we want to win and we're all in that together. We want to perform as a group. We know last season wasn't good enough so it's about kicking on, as I said. 'Looking forward, the new lads that have come in have been brilliant in training so far, and the first couple of weeks is not easy. So it's about integrating them into the group and making them feel as comfortable as possible and I think we've all done that. 'They know what's coming with the Premier League and the games and how difficult it is now; what they've done in the Premier League already, the amount of goals they've scored, the amount of assists they've created, that's exactly what we need. 'We're working together to try and improve that because last season we didn't hit those goals or assists as much as we could have done.' Mount has had an injury-plagued two years since joining United from Chelsea for £60m in 2023, making just 46 appearances and scoring four goals. But he was a regular after returning from a three-and-a-half month lay-off at Nottingham Forest at the start of April, rewarding Amorim's faith in him. 'He's definitely given that confidence to me from the first day he came in, speaking to me, and I know what he wants, and I feel like I know how he wants the team to play,' added Mount. 'So, yeah, it's been brilliant and definitely having the manager's confidence in me to go out there and perform, it definitely helps as a player. 'At the end of last season, obviously getting back and feeling really, really good, playing some games and having some goals and getting back involved in the goals was obviously very important for me. 'Still, obviously, I want to kick on and we want to do that as a team. So, it was a positive end for me at the end of the season to get back and play some games. But, yeah, want to push on for more now.' Mount scored three goals towards the end of the season and also picked up three yellow cards in his desperation to make up for lost time. 'I was getting far too many yellow cards for my liking! I think I've always had that in me. It's just when you're at the end of last season and I was coming back. At the beginning I was obviously not starting games. I was watching games and when you have that opportunity to come into the game, you want to have an impact and you want to get straight into the action. You want to do something. I got too many yellow cards and I had too many fouls.' Mount has been taking extra care to try and stay fit as he looks for a sustained run of games. 'Yeah, we've definitely looked at it in more detail,' he said. 'The small things matter massively in this day and age and in football now. 'When you've had small setbacks, it's about how you correct that and how you push on, and I think we've done that. We've looked at it and looked at why, and I feel we're in a really, really good place now going into this season. 'I had a good off-season and rested. I think that was probably one of the most important things, to take the rest. I slowly built up some sessions in the off-season, and that was from the staff here. 'They give us a little schedule to work off and just build up on our training. The first message was to rest for the first week or so and then build up and be ready because when we come back to pre-season, we know it's going to be kicking on and trying to get to the levels as quick as possible because we've got games here (in the US) and we've had a game already (against Leeds in Stockholm). 'It can't be a slow progression. We've got to try and kick on and get to the levels as quick as we can because, as I said, this game's coming thick and fast and the next minute it'll be the first game of the season, so we have to be ready.'
Daily Mail
33 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Inside Man United's striker options: Priced out of a move for Alexander Isak and with Viktor Gyokeres Arsenal-bound - who SHOULD Ruben Amorim go for?
Manchester United finally got the Bryan Mbeumo deal over the line after agreeing a £71million fee with Brentford, and have now set their sights on bolstering their fire power upfront. The signings of Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee over the last two seasons have proved something of a damp squib, with the duo registering a measly 33 goals between them in 144 combined appearances. Arsenal have seemingly pulled off a coup in bringing in Viktor Gyokeres, which will have been enough to induce an ulcer in Amorim, whose pursuit of the rampant Swede has been extensively documented since he took over the reins at Old Trafford. The former Coventry man was a proven focal point in Amorim's system at Sporting, racking up an impressive 66 goals in 68 appearances under the Portuguese. Now, Amorim and Co will have to refocus their efforts ahead of the new season, as the squad embarks on a three-game tour in the U.S. Sir Jim Ratcliffe has looked to tighten the purse strings since purchasing a 27.7 per cent stake in the club and assuming football operations, making a swathe of high-profile job cuts in the process, therefore any striker acquisitions will likely be dependent on outgoings. One player who the Red Devils will likely not be targeting is Alexander Isak, who Mail Sport revealed is looking to leave Newcastle, but will likely require a fee beyond United's means to bring to Old Trafford. United recently left their 'bomb squad' - Alejandro Garnacho, Tyrell Malacia, Jadon Sancho, and Antony - behind to train at Carrington, and will be hopeful that any club is tempted to the shop window, even if the latter two go for a significant loss. Here are some of the contenders to take the workload off Hojlund and Zirkzee up top next season… Benjamin Sesko Age: 22 Appearances: 224 Goals: 100 Assists: 26 The RB Leipzig frontman was initially pursued by Arteta this summer, but Gyokeres' interest in joining the Gunners led to them cooling interest in the Slovenian. Sesko is a powerful, physically imposing (6ft5in) forward who would suit Amorim's system, with darting runs in behind becoming a signature move at the Red Bull Arena. He is not too dissimilar – in style or stature – to Gyokeres, but less productive, registering 39 goals in his 87 appearances at Leipzig. At just 22 years old though, he has a high ceiling and would be an investment for the long-term, even at a price above United's current comfort level. The German club were reportedly asking for between €80m to €100m (£68m to £85m) for their star striker, which may well be a bridge too far for United unless they manage to offload some of their wantaways. Jean-Philippe Mateta Age: 28 Appearances: 308 Goals: 119 Assists: 19 Mateta's Crystal Palace career has gone from strength to strength since the arrival of Oliver Glasner last February. The battling Frenchman is a proven Premier League product who can press relentlessly and make clever movements in the box, all qualities that United have earmarked for their first choice No 9. He has goalscoring nous, converting 15 times in the league last term, nearly double the tally of United's top scorer Bruno Fernandes on eight. According to Transfermarkt, he has a current market value of £26m, which would make him a bargain compared to others on this list, though United's history of getting bullied in negotiations makes that a somewhat unrealistic fee. Still, Mateta's profile suggests he should thrive in a 3-4-3, and he would be an upgrade on Amorim's current options. Ollie Watkins Age: 29 Appearances: 444 Goals: 162 Assists: 74 Watkins endured something of a tumble back down to Earth last season, which may sound ridiculous when you consider he netted 16 times in the league – the 7th most of any player in the league – and set up a further eight for Villa. But that's a testament to the phenomenal form he was in the previous year, which saw him contribute 34 league goal involvements – only pipped by Cole Palmer with 35 – on the way to the Birmingham team's return to the Champions League. It is because of those dizzying heights that top clubs maintain an interest in the England international, and the Villains will likely demand a fee deserving of that potential. Watkin's potency against the top Premier League will be another draw for United. The striker averages more than a goal a game against Liverpool and Arsenal, and has netted a combined seven against Spurs, City and Chelsea. He is the most proven goalscorer on this list, and if he can replicate his Villa form into his 30s, the Red Devils could quickly pull themselves back into European contention with his signature. Nicolas Jackson Age: 24 Appearances: 173 Goals: 51 Assists: 27 When Jackson arrived at Stamford Bridge from Villarreal in 2023, many baulked at the £32m price tag for a player with only twelve top flight goals. Wayward shots, goal droughts and high-profile misses have led to a slightly unwarranted perception of Jackson as incapable of succeeding in a top Premier League team, but the Senegalese striker is more than capable of being deadly on his day. He is strong in transition and works hard at the top of the pitch to facilitate more dangerous players like Palmer – a style that he could replicate in front of the likes of Bruno, Cunha and Mbeumo. The arrivals of Joao Pedro and Liam Delap this summer – and their impressive form at the Club World Cup – look to have pushed him down the pecking order, which may convince Chelsea to drop their current asking price of £80m-100m if the forward demands a move. Christopher Nkunku Age: 27 Appearances: 356 Goals: 113 Assists: 71 The French international has flopped since arriving from Chelsea for £52m in the summer of 2023, hitting the back of the net just six times in his 38 Premier League appearances. His time at Stamford Bridge has exposed a brittleness that may not suit the extreme physicality of the Premier League, but the West London club have dropped their asking price from £65m to £43m since the start of the window, according to The Athletic, making him one of the more affordable options for the United top brass. His versatility at the top of the pitch would provide some depth for the front three positions of Amorim's system, which could prove especially useful with the departure of Rashford and the others who are likely to follow. But United are looking for a focal point to their attack, and Nkunku's lack of credentials in that role – at least in English football – makes him one of the weaker options on this list. Dusan Vlahovic Age: 25 Appearances: 302 Goals: 130 Assists: 24 Vlahovic's scintillating Fiorentina form convinced Juventus to part with £66.6m for his services in the 2022 winter window, but he has lacked the same bite since joining the Old Lady, who are reportedly desperate to offload the striker before he is out of contract next summer. In addition to making a £66.6m loss, his salary will reportedly increase by around £1.3m in the final year of his Bianconeri contract, causing further consternation amongst the Juventus board. Vlahovic is another imposing figure of Gyokores and Sesko ilk, who can run in behind, and who would provide the presence that Hojlund has failed to show up top. But he has underwhelmed during his two seasons in Turin, notching up 58 goals in 145 games, and just about hitting double figures in the league last year. Juve have reportedly offered their Serbian striker in their pursuit of Jadon Sancho amid their interest in the winger, offering the possibility of a win-win for both teams. What remains to be seen is if Amorim would be keen to sanction such a deal – a lack of action suggests not – and with Milan reportedly closing in, this seems the unlikeliest of the bunch.
