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December Storylines: Manchester United

Can United handle nine games in twenty-nine days?

By Felix Short | December 1, 2021, 7:30 AM EST

Can this United team take a step to Championship Contender? (Michael Bradley/Manchester Guardian)

Manchester, England – Manchester United currently sit in sixth place with 21 points. They own a 6-3-4 record, but have an action-packed schedule in December that should give them the opportunity to make up ground on league leaders Chelsea.

Is Fred the starter over Scott McTominay and Nemanja Matić?

Fred has been ridiculed by United fans ever since stepping into the spotlight at Old Trafford. He came to United after a £47 million transfer from Ukraine’s Shakhtar Donetsk in the summer of 2018, and has been inconsistent, and at times error-prone, ever since. Needless to say, few Manchester United fans haven’t gotten at least one headache from Fred’s play over the years. Yet, this season he seems to really be grabbing the new system by the horns and running with it, and it appears that Thomas Walker is noticing and letting him do just that. Fred has now started seven of the last nine games, with Scott McTominay making only five starts, and Nemanja Matić making zero. In that time, Fred has played very well defensively, and has had moments of offensive contribution that United fans haven’t really seen from him before. He scored a goal on November 7th against Manchester City. He also earned an assist against Young Boys on November 3rd. But more than his statistical impact, he’s been key in closing the gap in the midfield in Thomas Walker’s unique high-press low block defense. That spot requires a tireless worker with great athleticism, and it’s a role that Fred has seemed to shine in. So, is Fred becoming the locked in holding midfielder in big games? It appears that may be the case right now.

Can United get a Paul Pogba extension?

The Paul Pogba drama continues as we enter December without a contract extension for the star midfielder. Once January 1st rolls around, Paul Pogba will be free to negotiate a contract with any team in the world, and United will surely have trouble getting him to sign on the dotted line without a hefty battle for his signature. If United are serious about resigning Paul Pogba, and if Pogba is serious about staying at Old Trafford, then this is the month for that to happen.

Pogba has made fifteen appearances for Manchester United this season, scoring five goals and earning seven assists. To start the season, Pogba looked like a different player, and many thought that indicated that Thomas Walker had found a way to activate a new level for Pogba. Fans were hopeful this meant that Pogba and Walker were getting along swimmingly, and that a contract extension may be around the corner. However, he has since returned to form and there has been no extension. United bought Pogba from Juventus in the Summer of 2016 for £89m, so to lose him for free next summer would be crushing financially. Since his return to Old Trafford, he’s made 221 appearances and scored 43 goals in all competitions.

Can United handle a slog of a December schedule?

Manchester United find themselves in sixth place as the calendar turns toward December, but this is the crucial month so far in the campaign. United is slated to play nine games over the next 29 days, starting tonight against Arsenal. One of those games will be against Atalanta in the Champions League and another against Chelsea in the EFL Cup, but United still have seven league games in December, and how they fare over the next 29 days could determine whether they are a legitimate title contender, or if they’re just a pretender who keeps the “there’s always next year” mantra going another year. Aside from Arsenal tonight, the other six games are all against teams outside the ‘big six’, so there is plenty of opportunity to bolster their point total and put themselves in a good position moving forward. Does United have the depth to be able to handle that? Guys like Donny van de Beek, Harry Maguire, Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard have all played relatively small roles this season, but Thomas Walker will surely look to them for valuable minutes as United goes back-to-back-to-back for the entire month. Can those guys deliver? Can their stars stay healthy? This is the big month for United.

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Real Madrid-Bayern Munich Complete Big Deal. FB Lucas Vázquez will go from Madrid to Munich in January. Deal confirmed-€28.5m. Here we go! #Bayern


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Arsenal No Match at Old Trafford

Manchester United dominated play against an Arsenal team that has struggled to find its footing this year

By Felix Short | December 1, 2021, 11:59 PM EST

Edinson Cavani won man of the match after scoring twice and recording an assist. (Michael Bradley/Manchester Guardian)

Manchester, England – Manchester United entered Wednesday night’s game with Arsenal searching for a home win and that’s exactly what they got, defeating the Gunners 3-1 in a game they controlled from the outset. Arsenal was without top keeper Aaron Ramsdale, whose been dealing with a thumb issue in recent weeks. Manchester United would be without Raphaël Varane after he injured his shoulder against Chelsea. Fortunately for United, they had the top scorer in the league and were ready to put on a show.

The game did start ominously for United, as Bruno Fernandes was tackled by Cédric Soares in the 7th minute, injuring his shoulder, and forcing him to leave the game. Thomas Walker’s side was forced into converting formations, replacing Bruno with Scott McTominay. The change would work though, as Scott McTominay was crucial in United’s first goal. In the 19th minute, McTominay made an impressive line breaking pass to Edinson Cavani, who put the ball on Cristiano Ronaldo as he ran for goal. Having gained a step on his defender, Ronaldo had all he needed to find the back of the net and to give United a 1-0 lead.

Ronaldo would have a chance to return the favor to Cavani in the 36th minute, when he found the Uruguayan star for another great chance. Arsenal keeper Bernd Leno made an excellent save to force the ball wide of net. It wouldn’t matter as Cavani would get his goal on the ensuing corner kick, as Fred’s ball sailed perfectly to the forehead of Cavani, then into the back of the net. United would take this 2-0 lead into the break, clearly the better team.

That would continue out of the break. United got their first great chance in the 48th minute when Jadon Sancho put the ball on net, only to be kept out by an acrobatic save from Leno. United would hit pay dirt just one minute later, when Eric Bailly played a long, accurate ball past the midfield, to the feet of Edinson Cavani. Cavani turned, found space from 25 yards out, and took his chance. He couldn’t have placed it better as the deep ball went top left corner of the net. There was nothing Leno could do about it.

Arsenal was able to recover a bit, notching a goal of their own in the 59th minute. Martin Ødegaard and Emile Smith Rowe played a little give and go, with Ødegaard finishing the play, putting the the ball behind David De Gea for his fifth goal of the season. United took this as a sign, brought on Harry Maguire to form a back-five, and closed out the game with the bus parked. Arsenal wouldn’t get another serious chance on goal in this game, as United took the win, and the three accompanying points, 3-1.

“I really enjoyed the way we played today,” said United manager Thomas Walker immediately following the game, “I’ll have to go watch the tape, I’m sure there will be things to work on. But at this moment, it’s just exciting to watch them play the way they are playing. They’re having fun and when excellent footballers go out and have fun, they produce results like we saw today.”

Edinson Cavani won man of the match, capping what has been a surprising turnaround for the 34-year-old. Cavani has spent his career as a pure striker, but Thomas Walker seems to have unlocked something with Cavani playing more as a False 9/Ten/Attacking Midfielder/Second Striker. His play added two goals and an assist to his season tally, and this isn’t the first time he’s been effective in that role. His stat sheet doesn’t light up because he’s been the guy who makes the pass before the pass, but Cavani does now have four goals in fourteen games on the season. That’s not bad for someone whom many thought would struggle for minutes after Cristiano Ronaldo was brought back to Old Trafford.

United as a team seems to be rounding into form. They’ve won four of their last six games in all competitions and seemed to have really turned the corner with their defense. It may be difficult to see in the box score, but any observer can tell that they’ve been playing well lately on that side of the pitch. Thomas Walker seems to be pressing the right buttons for this team now and has clearly developed as he becomes more accustomed to the Premier League.

With the win, Manchester United stays in sixth in the league table with 24 points. Arsenal falls to ninth with 21 points.

Manchester United will next be in action on Saturday, December 4th, when they host Crystal Palace, as they continue what will be their busiest month of the year. Arsenal will travel to Everton on Sunday, December 5th.


Arsenal: 1
Goal Scorers: Martin Ødegaard (59'); Assists: Emile Smith Rowe

Manchester United: 3
Goal Scorers: Cristiano Ronaldo (19'), Edinson Cavani (36'), Edinson Cavani (49'); Assists: Edinson Cavani, Fred, Eric Bailly

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Fabrizio Romano @FabrizioRomano - 30m

I'm told Dominic Calvert-Lewin to Olympique Marseille is done deal. Everton striker to join French side for £38.7m. Here we go! #OM


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Manchester United @ManUtd - 3h

Congratulations to Luke Shaw on his 200th Manchester United Appearance! #MUFC


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Manchester United @ManUtd - 3h

Raphaël Varane has returned to training today. #MUFC


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Confirmed: United Sign Steinar Hansen-Aarøen

The 16-year-old brother of Isak Hansen-Aarøen signed his first professional contract with Manchester United today

By Logan Plant / @plantlounited / December 2, 2021, 11:30 AM EST

Confirmed - Manchester United has signed another 16-year-old to a professional contract today, adding Steinar Hansen-Aarøen to their list of academy players. This contract will make him eligible for United’s Under-18 team. Steinar is the younger brother of Isak Hansen-Aarøen, who has been with United since his 16th birthday, and who currently features for both the Under-23 and Under-18 teams.

The Hansen-Aarøen family moved to Manchester in August of 2020 so that Isak could pursue a soccer career with the Red Devils. His younger brother, Steinar, was put into Manchester United’s Schoolboy Scholars Program, where he trained at Manchester United’s Academy, played amateur football, and attended the local school where United sends its Schoolboy Scholars.

But now, Steinar has proven himself capable of earning his own professional contract. He only became eligible for that contract on October 11th, when he turned 16. By signing this contract, Steinar will be eligible to take part in all of United’s Under-18 activities including the U18 Premier League, UEFA Youth League and the FA Youth Cup.

Sources tell RedDevilUnited that Steinar, like his brother, plays the central midfield position, but can also handle full back duties. I’m told that, unlike his brother, Steinar has grown to a legitimately imposing size, reaching 6-foot-1 as a 16-year-old. He combines this athletic profile with the same technical ability that made his brother Isak so attractive just a year ago. If that is the case, Steinar looks to be a kid with a bright future on the pitch.

Steinar, as well as his older brother Isak, were both associated with the Norwegian club Tromsø IL’s youth set up before moving to Manchester. That time in a professional setting in Norway clearly aided their development from a technical standpoint. The question for Steinar will be, can he adapt to the new United way, developed by the Thomas Walker regime, to the point where he can make a meaningful impact for the first team? If he can, we can be confident that Thomas Walker will give him an opportunity.


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United Pushing for Pogba Extension

Midfielder Paul Pogba and Manchester United have been working for months to find an extension deal

By Felix Short | December 3, 2021, 7:30 AM EST

Paul Pogba and new United Coach Thomas Walker seemed to have built good chemistry. (Michael Bradley/Manchester Guardian)

Manchester, England – Manchester United has turned up the pressure in recent weeks to re-sign star midfielder Paul Pogba, with plans to get a deal done before January 1st, or postpone the decision until after the season. Pogba becomes a free agent at the end of the 2021-22 campaign and could leave United for free next summer.

According to the Premier League’s Stats and Information Page, Paul Pogba currently makes £290k/week. Rumors are that Manchester United have offered Pogba £400k/week, making him the second highest paid player on the United roster behind Cristiano Ronaldo. So far, there has been little progress between the club and star free agent.

Sources tell ESPN that United may be willing to offer up to £500k/week in order to avoid losing Pogba for free.

Manchester United bought Pogba from Juventus in 2016 for £89 million. Since then, he’s gone on to play 232 games for United, scoring 44 goals in the process.

“I don’t think Pogba wants United,” said a source, “I think he sees opportunities at Real Madrid and PSG and sees himself in one of those cities, not in Manchester.”

Pogba is represented by super-agent Mino Raiola, who has a reputation for extracting huge wages and getting players what they want. If this holds true for Pogba, then United may have to really open the piggybank to keep him.

This season, Pogba has made fifteen appearances, scoring five goals and recording seven assists.


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23-year-old ST Valentin Castellanos will move from NYCFC to SC Braga when the window opens. Deal is around $13.5 million. Here we go! #Braga


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Crystal Palace Halts United's Offense

Crystal Palace Earned a Nil-Nil Draw at Old Trafford to Earn a Point

By Felix Short | December 4, 2021, 11:59 PM EST

Cristiano Ronaldo and the Manchester United offense sputtered for one of the first times this season. (Michael Bradley/Manchester Guardian)

Manchester, England – Fourteenth-place Crystal Palace came into Old Trafford this afternoon and earned a hard fought nil-nil draw with Manchester United. Eric Bailly and Jadon Sancho missed Saturday’s game to get more rest, but the lineup did welcome back Raphaël Varane to face off against former Red Devil Wilfried Zaha and the Crystal Palace attack, which has been struggling to date. Palace have only scored 13 goals in 14 games on the season, a paltry number compared to the league-leading 33 that United have put away.

But Palace has been buoyed by its defense and that defense came to play today. It started with physicality, and made its first thunderous impact early, when in the sixth minute Cheikhou Kouyaté and Paul Pogba collided. Kouyaté got a yellow card, but Paul Pogba needed to leave the game. Pogba was replaced by Scott McTominay as United was forced to transition to a more defensive formation and play style. United’s attack earned its first chance in the ninth minute when Marcus Rashford found some space from outside the box but couldn’t put it on target. United earned another chance in the 22nd minute, but Cristiano Ronaldo was unable to find Bruno Fernandes or Marcus Rashford on the cross. Bruno Fernandes took the next turn, in the 25th minute, by firing from 25-yards out, a screamer. That shot was denied by the top cross bar.

United earned by far its best opportunity to score in the 34th minute when Cristiano Ronaldo found Amad for a decent chance. Palace Keeper Vicente Guaita blocked it. The ball rebounded to Bruno Fernandes, who fired another shot, but that too was blocked by Cheikhou Kouyaté. This was the theme of the first half, with United earning intermittent chances, but the majority of the game played away from either net.

This continued into the second half, until Amad had another wonderful chance, this time provided by Marcus Rashford in the 52nd minute, but this too was hit a bit too hard, and was once again denied by the cross bar. In the 62nd minute, McTominay played a cross in to Bruno Fernandes, which was on target, but blocked by the keeper. On the ensuing corner, Raphaël Varane had a chance on goal, but fired too high. Cristiano Ronaldo found a deep opportunity in the 67th minute and took it, forcing Guaita to make an incredible save to keep the score line.

Then things began to change, with Palace earning its first significant chance in the 74th minute when Wilfried Zaha got into the box and fired, being rejected by David De Gea. For the final ten minutes of the game, the momentum completely swung, with Palace earning the bulk of the opportunities, forcing Scott McTominay and an improving United defense to hold strong. They did just that though. United were disappointed not to get the win, but relieved to finish with a scoreless draw.

“What a tough game,” said United boss Thomas Walker, “We really struggled to get things going forward, and to be clinical when we had our chances. I don’t think we did well in that regard. We’ve scored so easily this year that sometimes we forget that its actually really hard, but today was an excellent reminder of that.”

Manchester United brought on Edinson Cavani and Anthony Martial around the 70th minute to try and spark the offense. That move failed spectacularly, as the United attack shriveled to nothing, and United spent most of the last twenty minutes on their heels trying to prevent Crystal Palace from sneaking off with a victory.

Instead, it was Scott McTominay who was the impactful substitute, coming on for Pogba in the first ten minutes of the game. His defensive performance stopping Crystal Palace’s counter attacks earned him man of the match honors. McTominay and Fred both played extremely well for United from those dual-six positions. Both goalkeepers, David De Gea for United and Vicente Guaita for Crystal Palace also deserve recognition for stand out performances.

With the draw, Manchester United stay at sixth in the table with 25 points. Crystal Palace falls to fifteenth with 15 points. Both teams will be playing in league next Sunday, with United traveling to Norwich and Palace hosting Everton. Manchester United also have a midweek game, as they face Atalanta in Bergamo, Italy on Wednesday for the final match day of the Champions’ League Group Stage. United has already clinches top spot in their group, so United fans can expect to see some of the youngsters play.


Crystal Palace: 0
Goal Scorers: n/a; Assists: n/a

Manchester United: 0
Goal Scorers: n/a; Assists: n/a

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Pogba, Varane Reach Milestone

Both Paul Pogba and Raphaël Varane reached the 400th Club Appearance Milestone

By Felix Short | December 4, 2021, 11:59 PM EST

Paul Pogba and Raphaël Varane have achieves about everything this game has to offer. (Michael Bradley/Manchester Guardian)

Manchester, England – Manchester United stars Raphaël Varane and Paul Pogba each reached the same milestone for their career in tonight's game against Crystal Palace, assuming 400 career professional appearances.

For Pogba, 222 of those have come in a United uniform. Pogba was a product of the Manchester United Academy before spending four years at Juventus. Since returning in 2016, Pogba has starred in the midfield. His scored 77 goals in his career and is approaching the 500 games for Club and Country mark.

Raphaël Varane, who came to Manchester United this summer, spent the majority of his career with Real Madrid. Of his 400 career appearances, 360 came with the Spanish giant, 24 with his hometown Lens, and 16 this season with United.

Both players were on the field in 2018 when France won the World Cup, and each have been part of League Title winning teams. This is just another milestone in each of their illustrious careers.


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Rumour: United Eyeing Argentine Striker

Manchester United has been scouting River Plate Forward Julián Álvarez

By Logan Plant / @plantlounited / December 6, 2021, 7:30 AM EST

River Plate's Julián Álvarez is the favorite to win the Rey de Fútbol de América later this month (Michael Bradley/Manchester Guardian)

Rumour – Sources tell RedDevilUnited that Manchester United are very interested in Argentine forward Julián Álvarez. The 21-year-old seems poised to win the 2021 Rey de Fútbol de América, given to the best footballer in South America. This is an award with a cherished past that includes winners like Neymar, Diego Maradona, Carlos Valderrama, Romário, and Carlos Tevez.

Álvarez scored 22 goals in 35 appearances in 2021 for River Plate, one of the most storied clubs in South America. He even scored in the Copa Libertadores final against Brazilian side Palmeiras. That tournament is the South American equivalent of the UEFA Champions League, and Álvarez was the best player there.

“He’s a hard worker,” a scout told RedDevilUnited, “He got the hard work, effort, get forward-get back, style that Walker would like. I’m a little worried about his size though. He’s good, but I’m just a bit worried that he won’t hold up physically in the Premier League.”

Reports say that Álvarez has a buy-out clause in his contract for just £18.6m. If that is true, it makes sense that United would be in on him. With River Plate’s season having ended last week, it would make sense for Julián Álvarez to move in the January transfer window. Perhaps that doesn’t fit the timeline of what United is looking for, but perhaps this level of talent at that price is too good to pass up.


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Fabrizio Romano @FabrizioRomano - 30m

Wolves M Rúben Neves to PSG. French-club serious about improving midfield. £75.9m. Here we go! #PSG


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