Latest news with #EriktenHag
The Sun
21 hours ago
- Sport
- The Sun
Transfer news LIVE: Luis Diaz set for Bayern medical TODAY, Liverpool ‘prepare HUGE Isak offer', Everton eye Grealish
Xhaka arrives in Sunderland Former Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka and his agent have landed in the North-East to complete a move to Sunderland. Swiss midfielder Xhaka, 32, is set to undergo a medical at the club and put pen to paper on a two-year contract. The Premier League new boys have agreed to pay Bayer Leverkusen £17m, with £13m initially and £4m in add-ons. Xhaka spent seven years at Arsenal before leaving for for Germany in 2023 and firing Leverkusen to a league and cup double the year after. His departure comes despite new boss Erik ten Hag demanding he stays. The ex-Man Utd manager said: 'His agent can say whatever he wants. 'But this club has already let three important players go, and we won't let any more go. 'Granit is a leader and still has three years left on his contract here. 'It's clear – Granit is a key player, he signed here for five years and still has three years left on his contract. 'He's too important to us to let him go.'
The National
a day ago
- Sport
- The National
Manuel Ugarte excited for new season after tough start to Manchester United career
Manchester United's Uruguayan midfielder Manuel Ugarte had a chastening first term in the Premier League after his £42 million move from Paris Saint-Germain just after the 2024-25 season had started. He was hit and miss for a team which was more miss, yet he also adapted well to the world's toughest league in a difficult position, playing well in some games. Ugarte's attitude, work rate and determination were all reasons why he was signed for big money by Erik ten Hag. How his successor Ruben Amorim, who he thrived under at Sporting in Lisbon, views him is key. Ugarte, at 24, remains relatively young. He also played well against West Ham in Saturday's 2-1 pre-season friendly win in New Jersey. 'I think we did well today, we controlled most of the game and we won,' he told The National afterwards. 'We won, which was important, but we keep working, we have a lot to improve. We have more games to play, we are good. I think it is important to have humility. "We must work day in, day out. I think I did well. We played well in midfield, we controlled the ball, we had the ball, we scored, we recovered.' Amorim also spoke about Ugarte during his post-match press conference. 'The first thing is adaptation to a new team, a new country,' he said. 'Sometimes, you just look inside the pitch but, off the pitch, you can have some trouble sometimes. 'He is more adapted and then he needs more confidence, it's also my job. If you look last year, take Bruno [Fernandes], who is always confident and look at the team, and the performance of the team if he doesn't perform well. "We can see today, when they are confident in their play, it seems like everyone can touch the ball and have confidence. It is more a team thing than individual.' Ugarte said there were mitigating factors behind the club's 15th place league finish - not least that he and several other players needed to adapt to a new league and club. 'Last year we made some changes, we changed our coach, we changed our formation,' Ugarte added. 'We got to know the Premier League. This year I am good; I am very excited. It is important to perform well in this club. You must have responsibilities when you play for United. I am very happy – and we must keep going'. Ugarte's debut season ended in disappointment when he was poor in the Europa League semi-final away leg win at Athletic Club, yet he also made two assists in that very same game in Bilbao. It was a mild surprise that he didn't make the starting XI for the Europa League final against Tottenham Hotspur, but form dictated the decision. Two months on, he is happier and ready to go again in a huge season for him and his team. He is also confident of improving after a season of adjustment. 'Without a doubt,' he said. 'I know the rivals, I know the teammates. All of this is important. Sometimes the connections take time to get to know each other. I already know the league, the rivals, which is important. "So I'm very happy, but we must keep going. We must improve things. We are all very motivated, because we believe in the coach, we believe in what he wants and that is very important.' After United 's first pre-season friendly against Leeds United, Amorim said his team needed more speed in midfield. 'It was the first game of the pre-season,' said Ugarte. 'As time goes by, the intensity goes up. I think it is important to mark the rhythm of the game, the intensity.' He maintains that the atmosphere in the dressing room in Chicago, where United play Bournemouth on Wednesday, with the new players is 'very good" and that "all three players who came are very good, good people, good players. It is important that everyone is together in the dressing room and we must keep going'. Ugarte speaks daily to fellow midfielder Casemiro 'about everything, football less, but we talk about everything, life, day to day things'. He chats with Kobbie Mainoo too. 'We talk about younger things, compared to Casemiro, because Casemiro is older. But we all have a good relationship, there is a lot of optimism on the team," he said. Ugarte also gets on well with new signing Matheus Cunha. 'A very good relationship, he speaks perfect Spanish,' he said, smiling. 'He speaks a lot too, but in a good way'.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Sunderland will look to intensify efforts for Bayer Leverkusen's Granit Xhaka
reports that Sunderland are now expected to intensify their efforts for Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Granit Xhaka. A decision is expected this week on the future of the Swiss midfielder, as despite it being previously reported that Sunderland may not be able to agree a deal with die Werkself, the newly promoted Premier League side has not given up. Leverkusen still demand €20m, but Sunderland are said to be open to paying the fee. Kölner-Stadt Anzeiger reports that die Werkself are open to a fee just below €20m. If Leverkusen receives this fee, Xhaka will be allowed to leave. Die Werkself head coach Erik ten Hag has continued to campaign to keep Xhaka at the club as Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong and Jonathan Tah have already left the BayArena this summer, while Lukas Hradecky could also follow out the door, this would leave Leverkusen with no recognised leader, as the axis of their title win and second place last season have departed. GGFN | Jack Meenan
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Three plotlines to get the blood racing ahead of West Ham match
Manchester United will face off against West Ham United in New Jersey on Saturday evening in their second match of pre-season. The Red Devils opened up their 2025/2026 season with a 0-0 draw with Leeds United and will be hoping for a win tonight. United have played against West Ham in 156 official games, winning 74. They have lost 50 times and drawn on 32 occasions. Here are three storylines to look forward to in the match. United looking to overturn poor recent record The Red Devils have historically had the better of the Hammers but this has not been true lately. West Ham finished one spot and one point ahead of United last year and did the double over them. They beat United 1-2 in London in controversial circumstances, as they were awarded a late, dubious penalty. The match would prove pivotal as Erik ten Hag was sacked shortly after. The Londoners also came out on top at Old Trafford, winning 2-0 in May. In fact, United have only won one of their last five matches against the Hammers, last winning in February 2024 when they beat them 3-0 at Old Trafford. Positive memories of New Jersey United will take on West Ham at the Metlife Stadium, which is the home of the NFL teams, New York Giants and New York Jets. There were positive memories last time out as United played Arsenal in a pre-season match here in 2023. Goals from Bruno Fernandes and Jadon Sancho were enough to give the Red Devils a morale-boosting 2-0 victory. United also played in the old Giants Stadium that was replaced by the Metlife in 2010. They beat Juventus 3-1 in a classic encounter back in 2003. Fans will be excited for Bryan Mbeumo debut Earlier in the week, United completed a deal for Bryan Mbeumo and he travelled with the rest of the squad to America. Supporters will be desperate to see their new £65 million purchase in action. The Cameroonian scored 20 Premier League goals last season and fans will be salivating at the impact he can have on United's attack. They will also look forward to seeing how his partnership with fellow new signing Matheus Cunha flourishes, who impressed on his debut last weekend. Featured image David Rogers via Getty Images Follow us on Bluesky: @
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Marcus Rashford: Tarnished Man Utd star seeks Barcelona redemption
Marcus Rashford is the boyhood Manchester United fan who lived his dream until a precipitous fall from grace ended his love affair with the club. The England winger on Wednesday joined Spanish champions Barcelona on loan in a deal that includes a purchase option, signalling a likely final exit from Old Trafford. Rashford appears to have secured the move he hankered after but there will be no hiding place at the Catalan giants. It was not supposed to be this way. The 27-year-old forward appeared to have the world at his feet when he signed a new five-year contract with United worth a reported £325,000 ($435,000) per week in July 2023. Fresh from scoring 30 goals in the 2022/23 season -- the first time a player had hit that mark for the club since Robin van Persie a decade earlier -- he appeared to be entering his prime. Rashford's approval rating was sky-high on and off the pitch after his role in forcing a British government U-turn over free school meals for disadvantaged children and his fights against racism and homelessness. The Manchester-born forward even featured on the cover of British Vogue in 2020 alongside supermodel turned mental health campaigner Adwoa Aboah as one of "The Faces of Hope". But Rashford clashed with former manager Erik ten Hag and the current boss, Ruben Amorim, and his United career quickly unravelled. - Boyhood club - The left winger joined United at the age of seven and emerged as a teenage prodigy in 2016, scoring twice on his United debut against Midtjylland and repeating the feat in his maiden Premier League appearance against Arsenal. Aged 18, Rashford became the then youngest England player to score on his debut, against Australia. He has won the Europa League and lifted two FA Cups and two League Cups, scoring 138 goals in 426 appearances for United. But there is a nagging feeling that a player blessed with talent and athletic ability has failed to fulfil his early promise. Rashford has not entirely been to blame for his struggles as a succession of managers deployed him as both a winger and a central striker, denying him the chance grow into one role. And his career has coincided with a decade in which United have lurched from manager to manager, and crisis to crisis, following the glory years under Alex Ferguson. - United troubles - The roots of Rashford's United exit can be traced back to December 2022. Just back from the World Cup in Qatar on a high after scoring three times, the forward found himself in trouble with Ten Hag after oversleeping and reporting late for a team meeting prior to a match at Wolves. Dropped and chastised by the Dutchman, he came off the bench to score the winner. Rashford was in hot water again in January 2024 after reports he had been seen in nightspots in Northern Ireland -- he missed training after reporting ill and did not feature in the club's 4-2 FA Cup win over Newport. As questions over his work ethic persisted, former United captain Gary Neville, now a Sky Sports pundit, warned him to "calm down", saying: "He's going through a dip in form but it can become your personality if you're not careful". But he endured numerous lengthy spells without a goal in Ten Hag's misfiring team. Rashford was left out of England's Euro 2024 squad and responded in limp fashion, managing six Premier League goals last season. A trip to New York, where he was pictured attending an NBA game during the November international break, was interpreted as further evidence that Rashford had lost focus. He scored the first goal of Amorim's reign in November but the Portuguese boss dropped a bombshell when he left him out of the squad for United's win at Manchester City in mid-December, questioning his attitude and work ethic. Days later a disgruntled Rashford said he was "ready for a new challenge" as the relationship soured and he signed for Aston Villa on loan in February. The forward made enough of an impact at Villa Park to earn a recall for England, now under the leadership of Thomas Tuchel. But Amorim has made it clear there is no future for him at Old Trafford. Now Rashford has a chance to reset, knowing he must prove himself all over again at one of the most demanding clubs in the world. smg-jw/mw
