United.

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Thoughts: Will any Lille Stars follow Walker to United?

United have remained quiet on the transfer front, but there are several Lille stars who would look great in Red

By Logan Plant / @plantlounited / August 17, 2021, 7:30 AM EST

Renato Sanches could be a wonderful replacement for Paul Pogba (Michael Bradley/Manchester Guardian)

Latest Transfer Buzz – New United boss Thomas Walker has now managed his first game for United. He’s played his hand as to who he may or may not favor, and he’s spent six weeks practicing with the team, and getting a sense of what he has. United have always maintained that the £122 million pounds they spent on Jadon Sancho, Raphaël Varane, and Cristiano Ronaldo, was all that they planned on spending this summer, but has anything changed now that Walker is on the job and has seen the team? With two weeks left before the transfer window closes, who could United look at?

For a club that is as active in the transfer market as Manchester United traditionally is, it’s been remarkably inactive in rumor mill. Since there are no names being linked to United, we can only speculate who may have the interest of the new boss. Without rumors, we are forced to look at who he’s worked with in the past, so here are the Ligue Un winning stars that currently lead LOSC Lille.

The most impactful player for Lille is former Bayern Munich wonderkid Renato Sanches. Bringing in a Portuguese star would certainly fit Manchester United’s transfer history. Sanches is an athletic midfielder who could handle the role Paul Pogba has filled in recent years. Sanches becomes a particularly intriguing option if Manchester United cannot come to terms with Pogba on a contract extension. Sanches is quick on the ball, has the high work rate that Walker loves and has long-range scoring potential, but he comes with the same injury questions as Pogba. It’s also not clear how he would fit onto a roster that also included Donny van de Beek, as the two are similar ages and at a similar development stage. Still, the Lille midfielder is one to keep an eye on.

Perhaps the two most promising young breakout talents that Lille have are centerback Sven Botman and striker Jonathan David. Botman, 21, would bring a size that would be intriguing. At 6-foot-5, he’s a physical presence on both sides of the ball and would be an athleticism upgrade over Harry Maguire. He has the level of technical ability and physicality that would fit well in the Premier League.

The Canadian striker Jonathan David would be fun to pair with the Canadian Manager Thomas Walker and it could make a lot of sense. United’s only two true strikers are 34 and 36 years old, and one of them is out contract at the end of the season. Adding a young striker will be a priority over the next year and David could be an excellent option if they can’t persuade one of the big fish, Mbappé and Haaland, to come to Old Trafford.

Jonathan Bamba is also an intriguing option as a winger. United have Anthony Martial, Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford, but they would certainly be interested in adding the super speedy Bamba, who has really excelled under Walker in recent seasons. Full back Reinildo is another interest option if Walker is not thrilled with the production he’s getting from Alex Telles and Luke Shaw. Reinildo not only possesses tremendous pace for a fullback, but his contract expires at the end of the season, and he could be itching for a move.

The last two names worth thinking over are Tiago Djaló, a 21-year-old centerback, and Amadou Onana, a 19-year-old defensive midfielder. Neither player has had their breakout for Lille yet, but both were youngsters that Walker has spoken very highly of in the past. If he thinks they are talented enough to make an impact at the Premier League level, he may just go get them.

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Manchester United
Starting IX

Starting IX
1 David De Gea
5 Harry Maguire
6 Paul Pogba
7 Cristiano Ronaldo
10 Marcus Rashford
17 Fred
18 Bruno Fernandes
19 Raphaël Varane
23 Luke Shaw
25 Jadon Sancho
29 Aaron Wan-Bissaka

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Manchester United Dominate in Southampton

United looked dominant in a 5-1 win at Southampton in which they controlled every aspect

By Felix Short | August 22, 2021, 4:21 PM EST

Cristiano Ronaldo celebrating his 29th minute goal in his signature style. (Michael Bradley/Manchester Guardian)

Southampton, England – Manchester United made the trip south to compete in what can only be described as a trouncing. United came to take care of business, and that’s exactly what they did, earning an impressive 5-1 win at Saint Mary’s Stadium in Southampton.

United controlled the game from the get-go, powering home three first half goals, and pushing the lead to 4-0 in the early second half, before taking the foot off the gas. United controlled 70% possession, and it was only a soft breakaway goal from Southampton’s Adam Armstrong in the 58th minute that kept United from earning an A in all facets. It was clear from the jump that Southampton had no chance, and only managed a meager six shots on goal the entire game.

Paul Pogba opened the scoring in the 12th minute after Cristiano Ronaldo earned him free space in the box, which Pogba made good use of. The United attack added a second goal only four minutes later after Jadon Sancho’s blocked shot fell at the feet of Marcus Rashford for the tap in. Cristiano Ronaldo put all doubt to rest in the 29th minute with a magnificent display of world class control in tight spaces as he maneuvered a few defenders in the box to get himself an open shot. This gave United a 3-0 half time lead.

Ronaldo again found the back of the net in the 49th minute after a beautiful long pass down the sideline from Fred gave Marcus Rashford the room to get in behind the defense. A simple cross to an open Ronaldo in front of net extended the United lead to 4-0. United switched to a back five after this in order to slow the tempo of the game but were still able to put up an extra goal in injury time. That became United’s first set piece goal of the year off a corner from Bruno Fernandes that found Edinson Cavani’s head, then the back of the net. (Pictured Right)

We finally got to witness the suffocating pressure that we’d seen from Thomas Walker’s Lille squad over the past few seasons, and it resulted in the new United man earning his first win in Red and three points on the season.

“We were really exceptional today,” said Walker after the game, “we controlled the tempo, our pressure was everywhere all the time. Our guys worked hard today, they got themselves some great opportunities and took advantage of them.”

Harry Maguire was the lone blemish on an otherwise tremendous day for the Red Devils. He was single handedly responsible for the poor defense that led to Southampton’s only goal in the 58th minute. He also earned a Yellow Card a few minutes later after a bad and unnecessary foul. There have been a lot of eyes on the United captain this summer as he’s clearly not a fit for Thomas Walker’s style of play.

After the goal from Maguire, United subbed on Victor Lindelöf for Jadon Sancho and switched to a back five to protect their lead. The move worked and Southampton didn’t get another clean shot on goal for the rest of the game.

Luke Shaw, despite missing last game in favor of Alex Telles, did get the start at left back against his old team, and played fine. It was his season debut.

Cristiano Ronaldo earned man of the match honors after dazzling the crowd with two goals and an assist, and he showed off the world class talent that he clearly still has. If Ronaldo is going to play like this, United are going to win a lot of games this season.

United next travel to Wolverhampton to take on the Wanderers on the 29th. As for Southampton, last week’s 2-1 loss to Everton, and this week’s blowout loss to United may point to them being early relegation favorites.

Southampton F.C.: 1
Goal Scorers: Adam Armstrong (58’)

Man United: 2
Goal Scorers: (12’), (16’), (29’), (49’), (92’);
Assists: , ,

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Rumor: United Interested in Signing Rüdiger

Sources inside the offices at Old Trafford have revealed that United would love to add Chelsea center-back Antonio Rüdiger to their defense next season

By Logan Plant / @plantlounited / August 24, 2021, 7:30 AM EST

Tony Rüdiger could be entering the final season of his Chelsea career (Michael Bradley/Manchester Guardian)

Latest Transfer Buzz – Manchester United have reportedly shown interest in bringing Chelsea defender Antonio Rüdiger to Old Trafford if he does not re-sign with Chelsea over the next four months. The German center-back’s contract expires at the end of this season.

At 28, the next contract will likely be the last big one for Rüdiger, who will be looking to cash in. Chelsea have a number of other defenders whose contracts expire at the conclusion of this season, and they may not be keen on spending £200,000 a week on Rüdiger’s wage.

Rüdiger’s career had something of a resurgence under manager Thomas Tuechel, who has helped Rüdiger become one of the most well-regarded defenders in the Premier League.

The interest from United clearly indicates that manager Thomas Walker isn’t completely thrilled with the center-backs currently on roster. With a demonstrated history of success in the Premier League and the athleticism and ball control that Thomas Walker loves, Rüdiger could be an ideal candidate to slot next to Raphaël Varane.

If Rüdiger does enter January without a new contract he will be a hot name for every team that can afford him, including Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.

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Premier League brought to you by Barclays

Manchester United
Starting IX

Starting IX
1 David De Gea
3 Eric Bailly
6 Paul Pogba
7 Cristiano Ronaldo
10 Marcus Rashford
18 Bruno Fernandes
19 Raphaël Varane
20 Diogo Dalot
23 Luke Shaw
25 Jadon Sancho
36 Anthony Elanga

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Wolves Stun United with Walk Off Goal

Pedro Neto sent Wolves fans home happy after a 94th minute goal gave Wolves a 2-1 win against Manchester United

By Felix Short | August 29, 2021, 4:05 PM EST

Pedro Neto celebrating his game winning goal in the final seconds. (Michael Bradley/Manchester Guardian)

Southampton, England – Manchester United suffered a heartbreaking 2-1 loss to Wolverhampton at Molineux on Sunday, in what will go down as the first and most heartbreaking career loss for new head man Thomas Walker. A 94th minute tap in by Pedro Neto gave Wolverhampton the one goal lead that would send their fans home happy.

There was very little separating these teams on Sunday, as Wolverhampton rode the home crowd and went toe-to-toe with the Red Devils. United seemed to have a slight edge in the game in the first half. This was capped off just before the half as they earned a 1-0 lead behind the demonstrated class of Paul Pogba and his right foot. The second half was a different story after Wolverhampton striker Raúl Jiménez found the equalizer in the 51st minute. It would be misleading to say that Wolverhampton took control of the game at this point, as the two teams traded blows with neither able to come up with significant chances on goal for much of the second half. That was until deep into injury time when substitute Hwang Hee Chan (Pictured Left) got loose on a counterattack and found Pedro Neto in front of goal with a cross for the game winner.

Thomas Walker took the blame for United after the game.

“I’m devastated for the boys,” he said, “I didn’t put them in a position to get a result. That’s entirely on me and I own up to that. I’ll learn from this mistake, and we’ll improve moving forward.”

So, what happened on the final play? Pedro Neto broke loose behind right fullback Diogo Dalot, who is known more for his offensive output than his defensive quality. The reason Dalot was given the start was because Walker knew that he needed to play more defensively on the left flank because of the ever-present counterattacking threat of Adama Traoré. With left-back Luke Shaw forced into more defensive duties, Walker wanted a better attacking presence on the right side than starter Aaron Wan-Bissaka could provide. The plan worked to keep Traoré in check as he was subbed off for Hwang Hee Chan without having much impact. United didn’t counter by putting in Wan-Bissaka however, electing to leave Dalot out there even as Luke Shaw began to creep up more offensively. The mistake proved costly as it was Luke Shaw’s offensive position that freed up space on the right wing for Hwang Hee Chan, and Diogo Dalot failing to come back defensively that freed up Pedro Neto on the left wing to come in for a wide-open game winner in the final moments.

The loss must be tough for the United faithful to swallow, but there were several other talking points that are sure to light up the message boards tonight.

Harry Maguire was not only benched after his poor performance against Southampton, but he didn’t even make the roster. Maguire has been the source of consternation for a while for United fans, but his exclusion from the roster was still a surprise. The team captain was not available for comment, but it is clear he is playing second fiddle to Eric Bailly and Raphaël Varane at this point.

Another poor performance came from the likes of Donny van de Beek, who came on for Paul Pogba around the 65th minute. The move was surprising and really hampered the United offense in the last twenty minutes of the game as van de Beek failed to impress. It was his first action of the season, but after he failed to make an impact last season under Ole Gunnar Skolsjær, it is fair to wonder if he has what it takes at this level.

Another surprise inclusion in the roster was that of Anthony Elanga, the young winger on the outside of the 4-4-2 that United deployed today. Elanga felt invisible in this game, although so did Jadon Sancho on the opposite side so perhaps it was a matter of the game plan. He was in there to help Luke Shaw defensively on the left side, so his offensive output was necessarily lacking. Still, it is noteworthy that three games into the season, Thomas Walker has already elected to give two starts to the youngster.

Paul Pogba (Pictured Right) will go down as United’s best player in the loss, having scored in his second consecutive game. Despite the goal, Pogba was subbed off around the 65th minute of a tied game in favor of Donny van de Beek. Pogba’s absence was noticeable.

“It’s incredibly frustrating,” Pogba said after the game, “When you know you can impact the game. When you know you can help your team win. You want to be out there and to not be is frustrating.”

United are still in contract negotiations to extend Paul Pogba, who is a free agent at the end of this season.

The Premier League season will pause today for the international break. Manchester United next host Newcastle on September 11th. After three games, United sit tenth in the table with 4 points. Wolves sit in 11th, with the same.

Wolverhampton Wanderers: 2
Goal Scorers: Raúl Jiménez (51'), Pedro Neto (94'); Assists: Hwang Hee Chan

Manchester United F.C.: 1
Goal Scorers: (45’);
Assists: n/a

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Rumor: Paul Pogba unhappy with sub off vs Wolves

Manchester United enter the Int'l Window Under Controversy

By Felix Short | August 30, 2021, 7:30 AM EST

Paul Pogba was not happy to see his number called off in Sunday's loss to Wolves. (Michael Bradley/Manchester Guardian)

Manchester, United Kingdom – Rumblings of unease have been reported in the United locked room centered around Paul Pogba. Pogba was subbed off for Donny van de Beek after scoring in United’s 2-1 loss in Wolverhampton on Sunday. Pogba was reportedly very angry in the locker room after the game, and many of his United teammates were unsure of the decision to put on van de Beek in a road game that was still tied.

The story is of elevated importance as United are currently working to find a contract extension with Pogba, who they once bought from Juventus for £89 million pounds. If he leaves for free after this season, it will be one of the more remarkably bad signings in United history after five seasons of injuries and inconsistency.

Pogba does seem to be thriving in new coach Thomas Walker’s system so far, having scored two goals in the team’s first three games and featuring more offensively than he has in the past. Pogba was relegated to a secondary midfield role under Ole Gunnar Skolsjær after the team brought in Bruno Fernandes.

The team has not commented on the situation, and Pogba has already left the club to join the French National Team for their world cup qualifying games this break.

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What I'm Hearing: Hahn, Hanssen, Mejbri

There is a lot of excitement about the crop of youngsters that make up the Under-23 squad

By Logan Plant / @plantlounited / August 31, 2021, 7:30 AM EST

Julian Hahn has become the unquestioned leader of the group at only sixteen (Michael Bradley/Manchester Guardian)

What I’m Hearing – Manchester United has one of the most celebrated youth academies in world soccer, having produced some of the legends of the game including the likes of David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Sir Bobby Charlton, Ryan Giggs and Phil Neville. Today, the youth academy is still an integral part of the lifeblood of United’s identity. With that in mind, here are some things I’m hearing about the youngsters.

Julian Hahn – The German center forward (pictured above) turned sixteen in March, but he has already become the undisputed leader of the Under-23 squad. United coaches are blown away by his leadership and believe he has the mental makeup of a team captain one day. He still has a ways to go when it comes to refined skill and production, but some of the coaches feel that the senior squad doesn’t have a better leader. This is Hahn’s first season above the U-18 team and he has already made a huge impact in the locker room and on the training grounds. The United Youth Staff feel as if he will absolutely maximize his natural talent and they believe his leadership will certainly help the development of their higher ceiling prospects.

Daniel Hanssen – Hanssen became the buzz name entering the season as the highly touted Norwegian youth joined the United Academy after being convinced by senior team boss Thomas Walker. Hanssen is one of the most promising young Norwegians in the ’05 age group, and United coaches were anticipating the opportunity to see him with their own eyes. It’s been a nondescript start for Hanssen, who has seen some action on the left wing, as opposed to his natural center forward position. I’m told the move is only to get him better acquainted with what his teammates are looking at. The club does want to see him improve his defensive effort, but I’m told that they can see the high ceiling that they expected to after all the hype that accompanied his move.

Hannibal Mejbri – All of that said, it’s Hannibal Mejbri who has proven to be the most inspiring youngster for the Under-23’s in their early games. Mejbri, who turns 19 in January, has four goal contributions in the Under-23’s first two games. I’m told that they believe Mejbri will make his senior team debut this season, and that he’s a few months away from being ready for first team football. The young coaches love him and think he absolutely has a future with the first team. He has such a dominant attacking mindset and is always putting himself in positions to attack. Of all the kids on the current U-23 team, he is the most likely to make his Senior Team Debut this season.