Latest news with #Nmecha


Daily Mirror
30-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
'I was loved by Pep Guardiola and rejected England - now I could join Man Utd'
Manchester United have been linked with Borussia Dortmund's Felix Nmecha, who previously spent time at Manchester City before moving to Germany Borussia Dortmund midfielder Felix Nmecha has been linked with a move to Manchester United. He would already be familiar with his surroundings, having spent much of his youth career with Manchester City. Nmecha was signed by Dortmund for around £25million (€30m) from Werder Bremen in 2023. While injury limited his game time during his debut campaign, the versatile centre midfielder has made 39 appearances this season and impressed for Dortmund at the Club World Cup, which could prompt a return to the Premier League. The 24-year-old, whose older brother Lukas also rose through the ranks at City, featured three times during his stint with Pep Guardiola's side. However, Nmecha eventually swapped England for Germany at both club and international level, having previously represented the Three Lions' age-group sides. Caught Offside has reported that United are interested in bringing Nmecha to Old Trafford as Ruben Amorim looks to rebuild his team. Dortmund are on the verge of selling Jamie Gittens to Chelsea but are said to be unwilling to cash in on Nmecha. It was previously claimed that the German club valued the Germany international at £42m (€50m). Reports in Germany, as per Manchester Evening News, suggested earlier this year that United may test Dortmund's resolve with a £40m (€48m) offer. Whether Nmecha does complete a move to Old Trafford remains to be seen, but Guardiola was aware of the player's potential before he left City in 2021. After a win over Oxford United in the Carabao Cup, Guardiola name-checked Nmecha as one of three players to watch out for, despite not handing the then-17-year-old his debut. "It is not easy to play in the big clubs like Man City," Guardiola told the Manchester Evening News in 2018. "You know my opinion of the competition they play in the second team so it's a little bit complicated but in pre-season we saw them. "Eric Garcia played amazing in pre-season and Felix Nmecha is a guy who has a good perspective too. Today Adria [Bernabe] played some minutes. It depends on them but if they have quality in some moments they can show us they can play." Nmecha was eventually given his first team bow in the second leg of City's semi-final with Burton Albion, which Guardiola's team started with a 9-0 advantage. Despite the lack of jeopardy, Nmecha was again one of several players praised by the City boss. "The young players were good, [Ian] Poveda was so clever with the ball, and [Philippe] Sandler as well," Guardiola told Sky Sports. "[Felix] Nmecha in the second half was good.' The City academy graduate ultimately struggled to earn more first team opportunities. He registered a Champions League assist during a brief cameo against Olympiacos in 2020 and was named in his sole Premier League matchday squad later that year. However, it took Nmecha little time to prove himself after leaving City and reuniting with his brother Lukas at Werder Bremen. In January 2022, Sport Bible reported that England were at risk of losing Nmecha, who had played for the Three Lions from U16 to U19 level. The midfielder was said to be in talks with the German federation over declaring for the country. His older brother Lukas had made the same switch after playing for England U21s. The warning proved to be prescient for Gareth Southgate, who had also failed to convince Bayern Munich midfielder Jamal Musiala to continue representing England a year earlier. The younger Nmecha made his Germany U21 debut in March 2022 and became a senior international 12 months later. He currently has four caps for Germany.. A move to United this summer would represent another type of synergy for the Nmecha brothers. Lukas, 26, recently sealed a return to England by signing for newly-promoted Leeds United as a free agent.


Al-Ahram Weekly
22-06-2025
- Sport
- Al-Ahram Weekly
We should be proud of ourselves: Sundowns forward Matthews despite loss to Dortmund
Both teams and the crowd of 14,006 at TQL Stadium sweat from high temperatures that forced a heat advisory and cooling breaks called at the referee's discretion. Temperatures approached 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 Celsius). The Sundowns opened the scoring early on an impressive breakaway that Lucas Ribeiro Costa finished in the 11th minute. Dortmund evened the score in the 16th minute when Sundowns goalie Ronwen Williams inadvertently passed to Dortmund's Felix Nmecha right in front of the net. Nmecha easily footed it in. Dortmund stole all momentum on the play and increased its lead to 3-1 at halftime. Serhou Guirassy scored in the 34th minute and Jobe Bellingham in the 45th. Khuliso Mudau's own goal on an attempt to deflect Daniel Svensson's cross in front of the net made it 4-1 in the 59th before Mamelodi centered itself and began putting pressure on the German club. The Sundowns scored two straight goals — Iqraam Rayners' double-header that first hit the post before his second effort scored in the 62nd and Lebo Mothiba's shot in the 90th minute. It wasn't enough for the South African club to overcome its mistakes. Of note: American midfielder Gio Reyna, forced to be with Dortmund rather than with the U.S. national team at the CONCACAF Gold Cup, dressed but didn't play for the second straight match. Key moment Nmecha's equalizer was made too easy for the Bundesliga club. Takeaways Dortmund rises to the top of Group H, passing the previously leading Sundowns, who approach a critical match against Fluminense on Wednesday. Dortmund will meet Ulsan on Wednesday. What they said 'I think we did very well first of all, but we just lacked a bit of concentration in a few little bits. ... But we did very well. I mean, we should be proud of ourselves. We gave them a hard time.' — Tashreeq Matthews, Sundowns forward. 'I think the conditions made it so difficult, especially for us, being a European team. They played a fantastic game, and I'm sure they're used to that kind of weather, but we definitely aren't. It's something we are going to have to adapt to as the tournament goes on, and that's just the demands of this competition. So yeah, it was really difficult, but in the game, you have to find little fixes and mechanisms to deal with it, to try and play fast.' — Jobe Bellingham, Dortmund midfielder. Find more details on group standings, match schedules, and competition statistics. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.) Short link:

21-06-2025
- Sport
Dortmund beats Mamelodi Sundowns 4-3 in blistering hot Club World Cup group stage match
CINCINNATI -- Borussia Dortmund was gifted an easy goal at the beginning of the match and held off a late response from the Mamelodi Sundowns on a fiercely warm day to win 4-3 in the Club World Cup group stage on Saturday. Both teams and the crowd of 14,006 at TQL Stadium sweat through high temperatures that forced a heat advisory and cooling breaks, called at the referee's discretion. Temperatures approached 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 Celsius). The Sundowns opened the scoring early on an impressive break away that Lucas Ribeiro Costa finished in the 11th minute. Dortmund evened the score in the 16th minute when Sundowns goalie Ronwen Williams inadvertently passed to Dortmund's Felix Nmecha right in front of the net. Nmecha easily footed it in. Dortmund stole all momentum on the play and increased its lead to 3-1 at halftime. Serhou Guirassy scored in the 34th minute and Jobe Bellingham in the 45th. Khuliso Mudau's own goal on an attempt to deflect Daniel Svensson's cross in front of the net made it 4-1 in the 59th before South African Mamelodi centered itself and began putting pressure on the German club. The Sundowns scored two straight goals — Iqraam Rayners' double-header that first hit the post before his second effort scored in the 62nd and Lebo Mothiba's shot in the 90th minute. It wasn't enough to overcome the mistakes. American midfielder Gio Reyna, forced to be with Dortmund rather than with the U.S. national team at the CONCACAF Gold Cup, dressed but didn't play for the second straight match. Nmecha's equalizer that was made too easy for the Bundesliga club. Dortmund rises to the top of Group H, bypassing the previously leading Sundowns, who approach a critical match against Fluminense on Wednesday. Dortmund will meet Ulsan on Wednesday. "I think we did very well first of all, but we just lacked a bit of concentration in a few little bits. ... But we did very well. I mean, we should be proud of ourselves. We gave them a hard time." — Tashreeq Matthews, Sundowns forward. "I think the conditions made it so difficult, especially for us, being a European team. They played a fantastic game, and I'm sure they're used to that kind of weather, but we definitely aren't. It's something we are going to have to adapt to as the tournament goes on, and that's just the demands of this competition. So yeah, it was really difficult, but in the game, you have to find little fixes and mechanisms to deal with it, to try and play fast." — Jobe Bellingham, Dortmund midfielder.


Hamilton Spectator
21-06-2025
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Dortmund beats Mamelodi Sundowns 4-3 in blistering hot Club World Cup group stage match
CINCINNATI (AP) — Borussia Dortmund was gifted an easy goal to start the match and held off a strong response from the Mamelodi Sundowns on a fiercely warm day to win 4-3 in the Club World Cup group stage on Saturday. Both teams and the crowd of 14,006 at TQL Stadium sweat through high temperatures that forced a heat advisory and cooling breaks, called at the referee's discretion. Temperatures approached 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 Celsius). The Sundowns opened the scoring early on an impressive break away that Lucas Ribeiro Costa finished in the 11th minute. Dortmund evened the score in the 16th minute when Sundowns goalie Ronwen Williams inadvertently passed to Dortmund's Felix Nmecha right in front of the net. Nmecha easily footed it in. Dortmund stole all momentum on the play and increased its lead to 3-1 at halftime. Serhou Guirassy scored in the 34th minute and Jobe Bellingham in the 45th. Khuliso Mudau's own goal on an attempt to deflect Daniel Svensson's cross in front of the net made it 4-1 in the 59th before South African Mamelodi centered itself and began putting pressure on the German club. The Sundowns scored two straight goals — Iqraam Rayners' double-header that first hit the post before his second effort scored in the 62nd and Lebo Mothiba's shot in the 90th minute. It wasn't enough to overcome the mistakes. American midfielder Gio Reyna, forced to be with Dortmund rather than with the U.S. national team at the CONCACAF Gold Cup, dressed but didn't play for the second straight match. Key moment Nmecha's equalizer that was made too easy for the Bundesliga club. Takeaways Dortmund rises to the top of Group H, bypassing the previously leading Sundowns, who approach a critical match against Fluminense on Wednesday. Dortmund will meet Ulsan on Wednesday. ___ AP soccer:


Fox Sports
21-06-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Dortmund beats Mamelodi Sundowns 4-3 in blistering hot Club World Cup group stage match
Associated Press CINCINNATI (AP) — Borussia Dortmund was gifted an easy goal to start the match and held off a strong response from the Mamelodi Sundowns on a fiercely warm day to win 4-3 in the Club World Cup group stage on Saturday. Both teams and the crowd of 14,006 at TQL Stadium sweat through high temperatures that forced a heat advisory and cooling breaks, called at the referee's discretion. Temperatures approached 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 Celsius). The Sundowns opened the scoring early on an impressive break away that Lucas Ribeiro Costa finished in the 11th minute. Dortmund evened the score in the 16th minute when Sundowns goalie Ronwen Williams inadvertently passed to Dortmund's Felix Nmecha right in front of the net. Nmecha easily footed it in. Dortmund stole all momentum on the play and increased its lead to 3-1 at halftime. Serhou Guirassy scored in the 34th minute and Jobe Bellingham in the 45th. Khuliso Mudau's own goal on an attempt to deflect Daniel Svensson's cross in front of the net made it 4-1 in the 59th before South African Mamelodi centered itself and began putting pressure on the German club. The Sundowns scored two straight goals — Iqraam Rayners' double-header that first hit the post before his second effort scored in the 62nd and Lebo Mothiba's shot in the 90th minute. It wasn't enough to overcome the mistakes. American midfielder Gio Reyna, forced to be with Dortmund rather than with the U.S. national team at the CONCACAF Gold Cup, dressed but didn't play for the second straight match. Key moment Nmecha's equalizer that was made too easy for the Bundesliga club. Takeaways Dortmund rises to the top of Group H, bypassing the previously leading Sundowns, who approach a critical match against Fluminense on Wednesday. Dortmund will meet Ulsan on Wednesday. ___ AP soccer: