Tag: Manchester United

Manchester United came from 4-2 down in extra-time to beat Lyon 5-4 in a remarkable Europa League quarter-final to progress 7-6 on aggregate on Thursday.

United’s season looked over when Lyon came from 2-0 down to lead by two goals with just six minutes remaining at Old Trafford despite having captain Corentin Tolisso sent off.

However, a Bruno Fernandes’ penalty, Kobbie Mainoo’s strike and Harry Maguire’s header capped a stunning finale to set up a semi-final meeting with Athletic Bilbao.

“I felt that here everything is possible,” said United boss Ruben Amorim. “After the 4-3, the penalty from Bruno, you feel that you can change the game.”

The Red Devils sit 14th in the English top flight, and a defeat would have almost certainly meant missing out on European football entirely next season.

Instead, they are just three games away from a European trophy and the lifeline of direct access to the riches of the Champions League next season.

“Everybody in this moment believes it is possible,” added Amorim. “One moment can change a lot of things in the players’ minds.”

United’s history is built on dramatic late fightbacks, but few have been more remarkable than this to leave Lyon shellshocked.

The home side got off to a flying start thanks to a fine team goal as Fernandes released Alejandro Garnacho down the right, and his cross picked out Ugarte to slot in just his second goal since joining the English giants from Paris Saint-Germain.

Amorim’s decision to restore Andre Onana in goal was under scrutiny.

The Cameroonian had been dropped for Sunday’s 4-1 thrashing at Newcastle after two costly errors that led to both Lyon’s goals in last week’s 2-2 first leg draw.

Those mistakes came after a war of words with former Manchester United midfielder Nemanja Matic, who labelled him “one of the worst goalkeepers in United’s history”.

The 29-year-old rewarded his manager’s faith with a couple of important stops to prevent Lyon levelling through Paul Akouokou and Rayan Cherki.

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At the other end, a United side that have often looked laboured and lacking in ideas all season, suddenly clicked into gear in the first 45 minutes.

United doubled their lead in first-half stoppage time when Maguire’s long ball was expertly controlled by Diogo Dalot, who then fired in off the inside of the post.

Garnacho should have killed the tie off within minutes of the restart for the second half when he shot straight at Lucas Perri with Fernandes begging for a pass for a tap in.

But the defensive deficiencies and mental fragility of Amorim’s side were exposed in a collapse that threatened to cap a miserable campaign.

Alexandre Lacazette flicked on Moussa Niakhate’s header, and Corentin Tolisso swooped to head in and give the visitors a lifeline.

Nicolas Tagliafico then prodded in at the back post despite Onana’s attempt to scoop it off the line.

Just as Lyon were in the ascendency, Tolisso gave them a mountain to climb again with a soft second yellow for a trip on Casemiro.

Yet, it did not initially matter as Cherki confirmed his status as one of Europe’s rising stars with a powerful drive that left Onana motionless.

Lyon’s other prized asset, Malick Fofana, was then chopped down by Luke Shaw inside the area, and Lacazette confidently dispatched the resulting spot-kick.

Another penalty at the other end, though, kickstarted the fightback as Fernandes fired home after a VAR review for a foul on Casemiro.

Substitute Mainoo showed why he had been thrust into an unfamiliar forward role with a composed finish to level on 120 minutes.

Barely 60 seconds later, Maguire completed the comeback with a towering header at the back post.

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Manchester United announced plans to raise season ticket prices by five percent for the 2025/26 season on Monday, defying calls from supporters groups for the cost to be frozen.

There will be no rise in the cost of tickets for under-16s, but the club are introducing a new game categorisation for non-season-ticket holders, to allow for different pricing structures for higher-profile fixtures.

United fans have routinely protested at Old Trafford in recent months after the decision in November to scrap concessions to children and over-65s with all remaining tickets for this season priced at £66 ($85).

A fan advisory board (FAB), which met with the club, had pushed for a freeze on ticket prices.

Season tickets at Old Trafford have also increased by five percent in each of the past two seasons after an 11-year price freeze.

United chief executive Omar Berrada said in a statement: “We understand the importance of their backing for the team and have worked hard to come up with a pricing package that is fair and reasonable.”

The club’s co-owner Jim Ratcliffe claimed in a series of interviews last week that the English giants would have run out of money at the end of last year but for a series of cost-cutting measures and the hike in ticket prices, he has overseen.

United have made cumulative losses of £410 million in the last seven years after a series of expensive mistakes in the transfer market and in managerial hires.

They currently sit 13th in the Premier League and are reliant on winning the Europa League to lift a trophy this season.

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“We listened carefully to the strong arguments put forward by the FAB in favour of a freeze. However, the club has decided that it would not be right to keep prices unchanged while costs rise and the club continues to face financial issues,” added Berrada.

“We have kept the increase to the lowest possible level and protected our youngest season-ticket holders from any rises while ensuring the club remains financially strong enough to invest in improving the team.”

Among a series of changes to ticketing, United also plan to turn some general admission tickets close to the dugouts into hospitality seats that can be sold at a premium price.

Premier League leaders Liverpool announced last month that they would freeze ticket prices for next season.

“For several months we have argued long and hard that the club need to look at the big picture and freeze ticket prices for next season,” said the Manchester United Supporters’ Trust.

“Other clubs have done that already and at United it would have sent a powerful message about the need for everyone to pull together to get the club out of the very difficult position it finds itself in.

“We do note that the scale of the headline increase is less than many feared and we believe the enormous amounts of dialogue that fans groups have had with the club, alongside the public pressure exerted through the media and various protests, helped restrain the increase.”

Manchester United announced plans last week to leave Old Trafford for a new 100,000-seater stadium at a reported cost of £2 billion.

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Manchester United have introduced a new multi-faith room at Old Trafford to be used by fans of all religions during football matches.

Manchester United has announced the opening of a multi-faith room inside Old Trafford stadium, providing a dedicated space for fans of all religions to practice their religious rituals during matches and events.

The new multi-faith prayer room is located between the Stretford End and the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand.

The room can hold up to 20 fans at any time and will be open 30 minutes before kick-off, throughout the match, and 30 minutes after the final whistle.

Open to those of all faiths, the room was created in partnership between the Premier League side and the Muslim Supporters Club (MUMSC) – the club’s first official supporters group for Muslim fans, introduced this season.

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The MUMSC has provided prayer mats for those accessing the space, and with Ramadan having started just last week, those participating in the holy month will feel reassured knowing they can practice their daily prayers while continuing to attend live football matches.

This is an important step in football becoming a more inclusive space for those from all backgrounds.

The addition of the multi-faith room will mean fans won’t need to choose between their faith and football. Respect to Manchester United for working with their fans to ensure football can be a game for all.

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Aston Villa signed Marcus Rashford on loan from Manchester United for the rest of the season on Sunday to end the England international’s exile under Ruben Amorim at Old Trafford.

Once a hero for the United fans, Rashford has not featured for his boyhood club since December 12 and admitted earlier this season he was ready for a “new challenge”.

The 27-year-old had been linked with a move to AC Milan and Barcelona, but the European giants were put off by his reported £300,000-a-week ($372,000) wages.

According to Sky Sports, Villa will pick up at least 75 percent of that pay packet for the coming months, rising to 90 percent depending on performance-related bonuses and have an option to make the deal permanent at the end of the season for £40 million.

“I was lucky to have a few clubs approach me but Aston Villa was an easy decision – I really admire the way that Aston Villa have been playing this season, and the manager’s ambitions,” said Rashford in a Villa statement.

“I just want to play football and am excited to get started. I wish everyone at Manchester United all the best for the rest of the season.”

Villa moved to bolster their attacking options after selling Colombia striker Jhon Duran to Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr on Friday for a reported £64 million.

Unai Emery’s men have qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League and still have aspirations to qualify for that tournament again next season.

Villa sit eighth in the Premier League, eight points above 13th-placed United.

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Marcus Rashford scored 138 goals in 426 appearances since coming through the ranks at Old Trafford and has lifted the Europa League, two FA Cups and two League Cups as a Manchester United player.

However, his attitude and work ethic in training has been questioned by Amorim, since he took charge in November.

After last weekend’s 1-0 win at Fulham, the Portuguese coach sensationally claimed he would rather put the club’s 63-year-old goalkeeping coach, Jorge Vital, in the squad than Rashford.

“Our team should be so much better with Rashford, but he has to change,” Amorim said last week. “If he does change, we are more than welcome to put a talent like Rashford in, and we need it.”

“But in this moment I think it’s really clear that we have to set some standards. That’s all.”

A temporary switch to Aston Villa allows Rashford a fresh start to rehabilitate his tarnished reputation after his astonishing fall from grace.

He was part of England’s World Cup squad just over two years ago and scored a career-best 30 goals in the 2022/23 campaign.

But he netted just eight times last season and has seven in 24 appearances so far this campaign.

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Manchester United and Scotland great Denis Law has died at the age of 84, sparking a wave of heartfelt tributes to a man known at Old Trafford as “The King”.

Law was a member of United’s European Cup-winning side under Matt Busby in 1968, when they became the first English club to lift the trophy, though he was injured for the final.

Capped 55 times by Scotland, he remains his country’s joint all-time leading scorer with 30 goals alongside Kenny Dalglish and is the only Scottish player to win the Ballon d’Or, in 1964.

Law — part of the famed “Holy Trinity” at Old Trafford alongside Bobby Charlton and George Best — was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia in 2021.

His death was confirmed on Friday “with a heavy heart” by his family, who said “he fought a tough battle but finally he is now at peace”.

“We would like to thank everyone who contributed to his wellbeing and care, past and much more recently,” the statement added. “We know how much people supported and loved him and that love was always appreciated and made the difference. Thank you.”

Denis Law scored a total of 237 goals in 404 appearances during an 11-year spell at Old Trafford until 1973, which places him third behind Wayne Rooney and Charlton on United’s all-time list.

Manchester United said the club was mourning the loss of “the King of the Stretford End”.

“He will always be celebrated as one of the club’s greatest and most beloved players,” United added.

“The ultimate goalscorer, his flair, spirit and love for the game made him the hero of a generation.”

The Scotland national team called Law “a true great”, adding: “We will not see his likes again.”

Rooney paid tribute on X, posting: “Legend. Thoughts with all Denis’ family and friends.”

Former United and England captain Bryan Robson, who worked with Law in an ambassadorial role at Old Trafford, described the Scot as a “fantastic man”.

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“We have lost one of football’s giants both as a player and a gentleman. It’s incredibly sad,” Robson wrote in a column in the Daily Mail.

“Denis was more than just a fantastic footballer, he was a fantastic man. So generous with his time and everything delivered with that great sense of humour of his.”

Law began his career at Huddersfield Town and also had two spells with Manchester City plus one with the Italian club Torino.

He was sold for a British record fee three times during his career.

During his time at United, Law won the FA Cup and English top-flight twice, in 1965 and 1967.

However, a cartilage injury forced him to miss the famous 4-1 victory over Benfica in the European Cup final at Wembley in 1968.

Law is the only player to have two statues dedicated to him at Old Trafford, one as part of the “United Trinity” alongside Best and Charlton.

Law’s other previous clubs added their tributes. City, the current English champions, said the “whole of Manchester” was mourning.

In a reply to United’s X post, the club said: “The whole of Manchester, including everyone at City, is mourning with you.”

Huddersfield called their former player an “immortal” of football while Torino said he was an “iconic figure” in the club’s history.

In the years after his retirement Denis Law worked as a broadcaster as well as for numerous charities.

Former Scotland international Joe Jordan said he was a “proper icon”. “Denis was a special player and to lose someone like him, I think will affect an awful lot of Manchester United fans,” Jordan told the BBC.

“A proper icon for his ability on the field to score goals but he had a special edge to him, not just as a player but as a person. He was a special player.”

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Manchester United have signed Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui from Bayern Munich, the Premier League club announced Tuesday.

Fees for the pair were not disclosed by the English giants, but British media reports estimated the duo had arrived at Old Trafford for a combined £60 million ($77 million, 70 million euros).

Netherlands defender Matthijs de Ligt, 25, will now join up again with United manager Erik ten Hag, having played under him at Dutch side Ajax, after agreeing a five-year contract with the option of another year.

“As soon as I heard that Manchester United wanted me, I felt an excitement about the opportunity of a new challenge at such an historic club,” said De Ligt.

“In the conversations that followed, I was impressed by the vision that the football leadership set out and the role they saw for me in it.

“Erik ten Hag shaped the early stages of my career so he knows how to get the best out of me and I cannot wait to work with him again.”

De Ligt has already won league titles in three different countries with Ajax (Netherlands), Juventus (Italy) and Bayern (Germany).

He added: “I know what it takes to succeed at the highest level, and I’m determined to continue that record at this special club.”

Matthijs de Ligt bolsters United’s central defence following the departure of Raphael Varane, with fellow summer transfer window arrival Leny Yoro in danger of being sidelined for up to three months with a foot injury sustained against Arsenal in pre-season.

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Noussair Mazraoui, 26, also played under Ten Hag at Ajax, winning three league titles with the Dutch club and another with Bayern.

The full-back has also made 28 appearances for Morocco and reached the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup.

He has signed a four-year deal with the option of a further year and his arrival comes on the day that full-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s departure to Premier League rivals West Ham was confirmed.

“It’s an incredible feeling to be a Manchester United player, and I cannot wait to walk out at Old Trafford wearing the red shirt,” said Mazraoui.

“I know that I’m joining the club at an exciting time; everyone I’ve spoken to has the same ambition for us to win trophies together and I can feel the determination to achieve that.”

The new arrivals are set to be available for United’s season opener against Fulham at Old Trafford on Friday, with the Red Devils desperate to improve on last season’s eighth-place finish.

That left United a huge 31 points adrift of champions Manchester City.

They did beat their local rivals in the FA Cup final before returning to Wembley last weekend to lose to Pep Guardiola’s side on penalties in the Community Shield.

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Pakistan pace spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi was recently seen visiting the iconic Old Trafford, the home ground of English football club Manchester United.

Shaheen Afridi is currently enjoying his vacations in the United Kingdom, following a busy cricket season.

The star pacer was warmly welcomed at the Old Trafford, which is also called ‘Theatre of Dreams,’ and was also presented with a personalized Manchester United jersey.

The iconic red jersey emblazoned his surname Afridi and his shirt number 10, which was worn by football greats.

Manchester United shared pictures from Afridi’s visit to their social media platforms, with the caption “The eagle has landed.”

Shaheen Shah Afridi was recently named in Pakistan’s Test squad for the upcoming two-match Test series against Bangladesh.

However, he was replaced with middle-order batter Saud Shakeel as the vice-captain of the Test side as part of the selectors’ strategic decision aimed at managing Pakistan’s lead fast bowler’s workload management.

It’s worth noting that the Pakistan cricket team is scheduled to play nine Tests, 14 T20Is and, at least, 17 ODIs during the period from 21 August 2024 to 5 April 2025.

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Shaheen will participate in Pakistan’s training camp for the upcoming two-match Test series against Bangladesh.

The training camp will commence at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on 11 August and will be supervised by red-ball head coach Jason Gillespie and assistant coach Azhar Mahmood.

The first Test will be played at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium from 21-25 August, while the second Test will be held from 30 August-3 September in Karachi.

Pakistan squad for Test series against Bangladesh

Shan Masood (c), Saud Shakeel (vc), Aamir Jamal (subject to Fitness), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicket-keeper) and Shaheen Shah Afridi

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Manchester United have bought teenage French defender Leny Yoro from Lille, the Premier League club announced on Thursday.

United said they had signed the 18-year-old until June 2029. British media reported that United were paying Lille 62 million euros (52.2 million pounds) with 8 million euros in potential add-ons.

“Signing for a club with the stature and ambition of Manchester United so early in my career is an incredible honour,” Yoro told the Manchester United website.

“Since my first conversations with the club, they set out a clear plan for how I can develop in Manchester as part of this exciting project, and showed a lot of care for me and my family.

“I know about the history of young players at Manchester United and feel it can be the perfect place to reach my potential and achieve my ambitions, together with my new team-mates. I cannot wait to get started.”

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Leny Yoro made his professional debut for Lille in May 2022 and went on to make 46 Ligue 1 appearances for the club.

“Leny is one of the most exciting young defenders in world football; he possesses every attribute needed to develop into a top-class centre-back,” said Dan Ashworth, Manchester United’s sporting director.

Olivier Letang, the Lille president, said he was proud of Yoro.

“We’re always sad when a boy leaves the club,” Letang told the Lille website. “But we’re also happy and proud when these boys, who arrived young, become men and top-level footballers.”

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Erik ten Hag is set to remain as manager of Manchester United following a post-season performance review by club chiefs, British media reports said Tuesday.

The BBC said United were understood to be talking to the Dutchman about extending his contract at Old Trafford, which is about to enter its final season.

A poor second campaign for Ten Hag ended on a high note as he led United to a shock 2-1 victory in the FA Cup final against rivals Manchester City.

But the build-up to the match at Wembley was dominated by talk over Ten Hag’s future after a report said he would be sacked by United’s new co-owner Jim Ratcliffe regardless of the result.

United finished eighth in the Premier League — their lowest placing since 1990 — and crashed out of the Champions League at the group stage.

After the FA Cup final, the former Ajax boss, 54, admitted he did not know what the future held for him.

“The only thing I am doing is preparing my team, developing my team, progressing my team and individual players. This is for me a project,” he said.

“When I came in things were a mess. We are now better but by far not where we want to be.”

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Various managers have been linked with the United job since the end of the season.

Ratcliffe was reported to have held talks with Thomas Tuchel last week as speculation mounted over Ten Hag’s future but the former Bayern Munich and Chelsea boss reportedly ruled himself out of the running.

The club’s interest in Mauricio Pochettino is understood to have cooled even though he is now a free agent after leaving Chelsea.

Other managers linked to United have been Graham Potter, Thomas Frank, Roberto De Zerbi and current England boss Gareth Southgate.

Erik Ten Hag ended a six-year trophy drought for United in his first season by lifting the League Cup in 2023 and finished third in the league, encouraging fans that they might launch a Premier League title bid in 2023/24.

But they lost 14 games and ended with a negative goal difference, finishing a whopping 31 points behind champions Manchester City.

Ten Hag is United’s fifth permanent manager since the end of Alex Ferguson’s trophy-filled reign in 2013, following David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

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WEMBLEY: Manchester United upset Manchester City to win the FA Cup with a shock 2-1 victory at Wembley Stadium here on Saturday.

City were hot favourites to win a second successive Premier League and FA Cup double.

Yet Eric Ten Hag found a way to neutralise Pep Guardiola’s side as first-half goals from Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo put United on course to win the FA Cup for the first time in eight years.

Jeremy Doku squeezed an 87th-minute strike past Andre Onana’s weak attempted save but it was too late to rescue City.

Ten Hag celebrated by kissing the Cup as he held it aloft in the Royal box.

Asked if he was worried about his future, he said: “I don’t know. The only thing I’m doing is preparing my team.

“This is a project for me. When I came in I can say it was a mess. Now we are better. We are not where we want to be.”

Guardiola added: “Congratulations to United. It was a tight game. It can happen. At the end they scored two goals and we couldn’t score more.”

Having ended a turbulent season on a high note, if Ten Hag’s two-year reign does end, his exit would provoke memories of fellow Dutchman Louis van Gaal’s Old Trafford departure.

Van Gaal was fired just two days after United’s FA Cup final victory against Crystal Palace in 2016.

Ten Hag will hope a more apt comparison is Alex Ferguson’s 1990 FA Cup final win against Palace, which kick-started his remarkable run after calls for his sacking earlier that season.

Ferguson was in attendance as a match labelled Ten Hag’s funeral turned into a triumph for the much-maligned Dutchman.

United shareholder Jim Ratcliffe, who has control of football operations at Old Trafford, was also watching from the stands alongside co-owners Joel and Avie Glazer.

Linked with Thomas Tuchel, Mauricio Pochettino and Gareth Southgate, among others, there is still plenty for Ratcliffe to ponder after United finished eighth in the Premier League this season — their lowest final position since 1990 — and crashed out of the Champions League in the group stage.

Ten Hag believes a lengthy injury list was the root of the problems and can point to the two trophies he has won in three cup final appearances with United as proof of what he can do when his team are at full strength.

Ten Hag ended United’s six-year trophy drought by winning the League Cup last year and has now avenged their 2-1 loss to City in the FA Cup final 12 months ago despite finishing 31 points behind the champions this term.

United will also qualify for the Europa League, avoiding a first season without European action since 2014-15.

Manchester United benefitted from an unusually tepid Manchester City performance as their double bid fell flat in their first domestic defeat since losing at Aston Villa in the league 171 days ago.

Last weekend, City became the first team to win the Premier League in four consecutive seasons.

But Guardiola’s men looked hungover after the celebrations that followed their sixth title in seven years.

Content to sit deep with all 11 men behind the ball, United stifled City impressively and gleefully accepted their gift-wrapped opener in the 30th minute.

Diogo Dalot’s punt forward should have been dealt with by Josko Gvardiol, but the left-back hesitated as he looked for an offside flag.

Gvardiol headed the ball over City keeper Stefan Ortega, who had rashly rushed off his line, leaving Garnacho with the simple task of tapping into the empty net as Ten Hag clenched his fist in celebration.

Just nine minutes later, Mainoo punished more sloppy City defending.

Garnacho advanced unchecked down the right wing and found Fernandes, whose superb first-time pass reached the unmarked Mainoo for a clinical close-range finish.

Manchester City pushed harder after the interval but although Doku’s shot slipped through Onana’s grasp to set up a tense finale, it wasn’t enough to deny Manchester United.

As the final seconds ticked away, Ten Hag stood in the sunshine nervously waiting to celebrate a dramatic win that could earn an unexpected stay of execution or serve as his final fling.

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