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Confirmed: Reece Devine to Spezia

20-year-old Reece Devine will leave United's Academy and join an Italian side in the top division

By Logan Plant / @plantlounited / January 11, 2022, 7:30 AM EST

Reece Devine has been with Manchester United since 2018 (Michael Bradley/Manchester Guardian)

Confirmed – Manchester United and Serie A side Spezia F.C. have agreed to loan move of Reece Devine from Old Trafford to La Spezia. The transfer would have Reece move to Italy for the rest of the season but would also give Spezia the opportunity to buy Devine on a permanent basis for £1.05 million (€1.27 million).

Devine has been with the Manchester United Academy since joining in 2018 from Manchester City. He grew up in Stourbridge, on the outskirts of Birmingham. Since joining United’s academy, Devine has played exclusively as a full-back, mostly on the left side.

“This has been in the works for some time,” a source told RedDevilUnited, “Reece saw that his future was probably not at Manchester United, so he wanted to find a new home in a top league that could still offer him a chance to be a top-level player. He didn’t want to go to the championship, he wanted to be a in top tier, so moving abroad was the right decision.”

Devine is a solid all-around full back who has been good for United’s Under-23 squad this season. However, with D’Mani Mellor moving on earlier this month, Devine became the oldest field player in United’s Academy, and he too felt it was time to move on. At 6-foot, he has good size, and decent athleticism to be a solid professional.

At Spezia, he will bolster a side that is low on defensive depth, especially in the full-back role. He will likely slot in as the backup to 29-year-old Arkadiusz Reca at left back, and as one of Spezia’s top four full-backs.

Spezia has a buy-option at the end of the season. These are generally a formality, and the team does expect to buy Devine, but the possibility remains that they are unimpressed with Devine and that he will return to Manchester in July.

In the details of the transfer, Manchester United does retain the right to buy-back Reece Devine on July 1st, 2023, for £5 million. Again, this is not expected to occur, but United does retain the right if Devine blossoms into a star over the next eighteen months.


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Ronaldo's Brace Carries United

Manchester United avenged their early season loss to Aston Villa with a 2-1 win at Villa Park

By Felix Short | January 14, 2022, 11:59 PM EST

Cristiano Ronaldo's First Half Brace Helped United Earn Three Points. (Michael Bradley/Manchester Guardian)

Birmingham, England – Manchester United entered Friday night’s game at Villa Park in good spirits, riding a twelve game Premier League unbeaten streak. Thomas Walker’s side had seemingly figured it out, and were off to the races, ready to take a little revenge on Aston Villa for the 3-0 drubbing they gave to United at Old Trafford in September. While they couldn’t return the drubbing, they did earn the victory, getting a 2-1 win that propelled them into a tie for the Premier League lead.

And they did it quickly. So quickly, in fact, that Villa hadn’t had a chance to settle into the game. A goal kick from De Gea was launched deep to Ronaldo, who went up and headed it to Marcus Rashford. While going for the header, Ronaldo’s defender, Kortney Hause, fell, while Ronaldo stayed on his feet. Ronaldo then sped toward goal where Marcus Rashford put an easy through ball to give Ronaldo a one-v-one with the keeper. Ronaldo didn’t miss, and just three minutes into the game, Manchester United had a 1-0 lead and Cristiano Ronaldo has his 18th goal of the Premier League season.

Aston Villa did settle in though, and they would put the pressure on United. Philippe Countinho, Villa’s leading goal scorer, had an opportunity in the 14th minute, and put a tremendous shot on goal that required a tremendous save from David De Gea. Villa would get another chance in the 25th minute when John McGinn took a good shot that required another De Gea save. In fact, for most of the first half it was Aston Villa that was creating the better opportunities with United playing on their heels.

Eventually, they made the breakthrough. In attack, John McGinn made a beautiful no-look flick pass to fool Victor Lindelöf. The ball bounced just far enough away from the Manchester United defender to allow Douglas Luiz to get to it and fire off a shot which landed the ball behind De Gea to tie the game in the 42nd minute. But Manchester United were able to bounce back right away and take back the lead in the 45th+4 minute. A high press led to a mistake by Villa fullback Lucas Digne. While attempting to pass the ball to Ezri Konsa, his pass was deflected just enough to break Konsa’s concentration. He mistimed his collection of the ball and it bounced off his foot and toward the goal, and toward a chasing Ronaldo. Panic set in as Konsa desperately tried to collect it before Ronaldo, but the all-time great beat him to the punch and took the shot on the first touch and put it in the back of the net. Back on top, United took their 2-1 lead into half time.

United manager Thomas Walker wasn’t happy about the situation though, and switched formations at halftime, bringing on Harry Maguire and switching to a back-five to help absorb the Aston Villa pressure. It worked for the most part. Douglas Luiz earned a chance to tie it in the 58th minute but it was saved by David De Gea. Danny Ings earned a chance in the 67th minute but that too was rebuffed. In fact, for most of the second half Manchester United was in complete ‘kill-the-game’ mode and played keep away with a level of success that we simply hadn’t seen from them in the early portions of the season. They were able to eventually kill the clock, and they walked away from Villa Park with their 2-1 lead intact.

“I think we really did a great job of controlling possession,” Thomas Walker said after the game, “A great team needs to be able to win in multiple different ways and I think we showed that today. We can’t rely on scoring four goals to win games every week. It just isn’t going to work out like that. So to be able to come in today and be tough, physical, defend well. That’s what I like to see. That’s the hallmark of a really good team.”

Walker was right to highlight their ability to keep the ball, as United finished the day with 71% possession, by far their best total of the season. They have developed, over the course of the season, into a team that can hold the ball and play well defensively if they need to. They showed the next step of that evolution today.

With the win Manchester United grasp a, potentially fleeting, tie for the Premier League lead with 44 points on the season. That does seem likely to change as both Liverpool and Chelsea have yet to play this weekend, but for now, Thomas Walker’s club can feel good about rising ten spots in the last six weeks. Aston Villa stays at tenth with 29 points. United will host West Ham united in the midweek, to accommodate their weekend FA Cup matchup with Newport County next weekend. Aston Villa’s next matchup will be at Goodison Park, as they take on Everton.

Manchester United: 2 Goal Scorers: Cristiano Ronaldo (3'), Cristiano Ronaldo (45'+4) Assists: Marcus Rashford Aston Villa: 1 Goal Scorers: Douglas Luiz (42') Assists: John McGinn

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24-year-old Winger Harvey Barnes will move from Leicester City to Inter Milan for £32.1m. Inter looking to bolster their roster. Here we go! #Inter


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Van De Beek to Sevilla on Loan

Manchester United and Sevilla agreed to the six-month loan of midfielder Donny van de Beek

By Felix Short | January 16, 2022, 7:30 AM EST

Donny van de Beek has failed to find his Ajax form in eighteen months at Old Trafford (Michael Bradley/Manchester Guardian)

Seville, Spain – The Premier League’s Manchester United and La Liga’s Sevilla have agreed to the loan of midfielder Donny van de Beek to the Spanish-side for the rest of the season. Sevilla will cover the entirety of van de Beek’s wages.

Sevilla, who find themselves in second place in the La Liga Table, only three points behind Real Madrid, see this season as an opportunity to go for the league title. With Barcelona having financial trouble and Real Madrid caught a bit in between, the club feels 2022 is their year to get over the hump. Sevilla has won the top Spanish division only twice in its history, most recently in the 2000-01 season. They also won in the 1945-46 season.

Earlier this month Sevilla bought winger Jesús ‘Tecatito’ Corona from FC Porto, and they now add Donny van de Beek to a midfield that could certainly use quality. van de Beek is expected to compete with Joan Jordán and Ivan Rakitić for playing time. The team has a tremendous defense, held together by French star Jules Koundé, but they want an ability to produce more offensively in the hopes that it will propel them towards a great finish.

Aside from their second place seeding in the league table, they are also set to face Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16, a tournament where deep success has eluded them. They’ve only made the Quarterfinals of the tournament once, in 2017-18, where they were eliminated by Bayern Munich.

“Donny is a really good player,” said Sevilla Manager Julen Lopetegui, “He will add a lot to our team. We’re excited because when you can add a good player it is always a good thing. This will be no different.”

As for United, van de Beek now leaves for the rest of the season in what can only be described as a disappointing situation for the Dutch midfielder. Manchester United bought van de Beek from Ajax in the summer of 2020 for £35 million in the hopes that he would develop into the next star midfielder for Manchester United. That has yet to happen as he still fails to impact the game in any significant way in many of his appearances.

In his career, he’s scored 52 goals in 256 games, but only three of those goals have come in his 46 games in a United kit, illustrating his lack of offensive impact with the Red Devils. This season, he has made six starts and appeared in ten games. In that time, he’s scored two of his three United goals and was credited with three assists. The problem for van de Beek is that much of that production came against third-tier Portsmouth F.C., where he scored and had two assists. His game time in the Premier League has been decidedly less impressive.

“Donny is a great player,” United boss Thomas Walker said two days ago in response to rumors about van de Beek leaving the squad, “We love having him around. He brings something unique, something different. Every team needs that and I’m happy Donny is here with us.”

It’s difficult to reconcile the way Walker has spoken about van de Beek with the level of trust that he’s put in van de Beek to perform for United. His lack of game time, and his lack of impact in that game time, indicates that Walker and his staff don’t see the same type of value in Donny that his predecessor, Ole Gunnar Skolsjær and the United board at that time, saw in him.

The loan is a pure six-month loan, so van de Beek will return to Old Trafford this summer. It’s hard to know what to make of that from United’s side as they clearly don’t see van de Beek as a player that will help them. Perhaps they couldn’t find a reasonable buyer and they’re hoping his stock will improve in Spain. Perhaps they want the option to bring back van de Beek as insurance if they can’t come to terms on a contract extension with Paul Pogba.

It’s unclear what the future will hold, but it’s certain that van de Beek needed and will get a fresh start in Spain.

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What I'm Hearing: United 'Amazed' By Talent at AFCON

Walker's Team Made it a Priority to Scout AFCON for Talent, and They Like What They See

By Logan Plant / @plantlounited / January 17, 2022, 7:30 AM EST

What I'm Hearing – One of Thomas Walker’s first initiatives after he became the Manchester United Manager was to modernize and expand United’s international scouting department. Most of United’s board were unclear exactly what that meant. They’ve now seen the extent to which Walker is willing to drive his scouts to find the best talent.

Upon the insistence of Walker, Manchester United has sent their number two in command of scouting, Walter King, to Cameroon for the entire month of January to scout players at the African Cup of Nations tournament. The tournament has some of the brightest talents in the world, with names such as Mo Salah, Sadio Mané, and Achraf Hakimi representing their nations. It also includes United’s Eric Bailly and wonderkid Hannibal Mejbri.

Sources tell RedDevilUnited that King has been to at least one training session of every team in the tournament, all twenty-four, and has prepared notes on hundreds of the 500-plus players that are participating in the tournament. Head of Scouting Marcel Bout and Head of Youth Scouting Joey Johnson are both scheduled to meet King in Cameroon later this month to set eyes on some of the most promising players at the tournament.

“They’re amazed by what they’ve found,” our source said about the scouting team’s findings in Cameroon.

One player, we’ve been told, that has really stood out is the 17-year-old Nigerian Godwin Bada. Bada has been a revelation for a very good Nigerian Super Eagle team, dominating their midfield as the youngest member of the squad. We haven’t gotten much information on him yet, but I’m told that he is exactly the type of talent that United’s new regime was looking to uncover at a tournament like this.

Both of United’s players, Eric Bailly and Hannibal Mejbri, have appeared in games for their national teams and have thus far earned positive reviews. Mejbri, who has emerged as a legitimate player for Manchester United this season, is one of the promising teenage prospects at the tournament. Still, Nigeria’s Bada is younger, and the youngest player to make a roster is 16-year-old Egyptian Selim Ali, who has yet to make an appearance for the Egyptian National Team. Seven of the 24 teams in the tournament have at least one teenage player on their roster.


MORE FROM RED DEVIL UNITED
Confirmed: Reece Devine to Spezia
What I'm Hearing: Sholatire, Hardley to Bolster First Team
Confirmed: Ove Hanssen To Go On Loan
Confirmed: Mellor Moving to Port Vale
Confirmed: United Buy Teenage Keeper Dave Howie

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West Ham Earn Win at Old Trafford

Declan Rice, Michail Antonio Starred for a Dominating West Ham Team that Won at Old Trafford

By Felix Short | January 18, 2022, 11:59 PM EST

Michail Antonio's 94th Minute Goal Propelled West Ham to the Win (Michael Bradley/Manchester Guardian)

Manchester, England – West Ham United has spent time this year at the top of the Premier League Table, and while many pundits expected them to fall, they’re still desperately trying to regain that ground. In fact, they lost first place to Chelsea on September 19th when Manchester United came to London and beat a ten-man West Ham, 3-0. Entering today, they sat in fifth in the table, but equal on points with third-place Manchester United, and they were prepared to dish out a little revenge on the team that took that top spot from them.

West Ham started hot, earning the first chance of the game when Michail Antonio fired from deep, forcing United keeper David De Gea into early action in the third minute. Soon it was Declan Rice’s turn, as he fired toward the top right corner, only to be denied by De Gea. In fact, West Ham was the dominant team for much of the first twenty minutes. But with this United squad, it only takes a moment of brilliance from any of their numerous superstars to turn a game on its heels. That’s exactly what happened when United’s high press led to a steal by Fred. Fred passed it forward to Marcus Rashford who took a deep shot, which was blocked by West Ham defender Kurt Zouma, but the ball was deflected toward Cristiano Ronaldo who quickly established himself for a shot of his own. He put it on target and in the goal, past a diving keeper to give United a 1-0 lead in the 19th minute. It was Ronaldo’s 20th goal of the season.

Still, West Ham seemed to be in control of the action at Old Trafford, continuing to get good chances. They got another just minutes later when Declan Rice found a clearing, but his shot drifted just wide of net. Winger Saïd Benrahma got an opportunity in the 38th minute, but United defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka got just enough of his shin on it to deflect it out of bounds. With sturdy defense, United managed to hold their 1-0 lead into the break, desperate for solutions to West Ham’s control.

They wouldn’t find any at half time as West Ham opened the second half displaying the quality necessary to compete for the Premier League crown. They made the breakthrough in the 52nd minute, when Declan Rice made the pass to Pablo Fornals, who was questionably offsides, who put it past De Gea for the goal. VAR reviewed the play, called it good, and West Ham had tied the game.

But again, the individual brilliance of United’s stars shone through in the 62nd minute, when Cristiano Ronaldo just managed to squeeze past Declan Rice, before getting a pass down the middle to Bruno Fernandes. Fernandes, fighting off Kurt Zouma, managed to get a shot off with his left foot, with just enough spin to evade the keeper’s reach and put United back up by one.

Still, West Ham never really lost momentum, and they were able to answer minutes later when Declan Rice made the pass to Saïd Benrahma in the middle of the pitch, who fired from long range into the top left corner of the net. There was nothing David De Gea could’ve done as West Ham tied it on a world-class goal.

After that goal and sensing the momentum of the game in West Ham’s favor, Manchester United coach Thomas Walker made the decision to go to a back-five to try and preserve the draw. With that move, United hunkered down for the final twenty minutes of the game, and successfully repelled West Ham for the rest of regulation. But the bonus minutes were a different story and they belonged to the Hammers. In the 94th minute, Declan Rice took it wide, before crossing it into Benjamin Bourigeaud, who, with his head, tapped the ball further along to Michail Antonio who was sitting unguarded in front of net. Antonio slammed it in in the dying seconds to give West Ham the 3-2 revenge they came to Old Trafford to get.

Antonio, for his game-winning goal was named man of the match, but it was Declan Rice who proved to be the superstar. Playing a part in all three goals and playing stout defense, Declan Rice proved he is the undoubted leader of this West Ham side.

The loss snapped Manchester United’s twelve-game unbeaten streak in the Premier League, which saw them rise from eleventh to, at its peak, tied for first. Their last loss came on October 30th at Tottenham.

“They had the magic today,” Thomas Walker said after the game, “There’s no other way to put it. They were ballers and we really struggled to overcome that and capture the momentum. Both times we scored I thought we would change the nature of the game, but we never really could. They were the better team today and they deserve that win. To lose at the end like that is tough to swallow, but it happens, and we’ll move forward.”

With the win, West Ham move up to third in the Premier League table, and now hold a tie with Leicester City and Liverpool for the Premier League lead with 47 points. United fall to fifth, with 44 points. United will travel to Wales over the weekend to face fourth-tier Newport County in Round 4 of the FA Cup. West Ham lost their opening round game to Leicester City, so they will be out of action until after the international break.

Manchester United: 2 Goal Scorers: Cristiano Ronaldo (19'), Bruno Fernandes (62') Assists: Cristiano Ronaldo West Ham: 3 Goal Scorers: Pablo Fornals (52'), Saïd Benrahma (70'), Michail Antonio (94') Assists: Declan Rice, Declan Rice, Benjamin Bourigeaud

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Elanga Out With Elbow Injury

Manchester United Winger Injured His Elbow in Last Night's Match with West Ham

By Felix Short | January 19, 2022, 7:30 AM EST

Anthony Elanga has contributed eight goals in seventeen matches in his breakout campaign (Michael Bradley/Manchester Guardian)

Manchester, England – Anthony Elanga will, for the second time in the past three weeks, be forced to miss games because of injury. In a game against Burnley on December 29th, Elanga hurt his shoulder after a collision with Burnley’s Charlie Taylor. That injury forced him to miss United’s match with Wolverhampton three days later.

In yesterday’s match with West Ham, Elanga once again was injured following a collision with an opponent. This time, in the 25th minute, Elanga collided with West Ham’s Angelo Ogbonna, in a situation that left Elanga with an injured elbow. Elanga stayed in the game, under obvious discomfort, until half time but was removed at that point.

This injury is expected to force Elanga to miss Manchester United’s final game of January, an FA Cup match against Newport County. Luckily for United, the international break begins on January 24th and runs through February 3rd, so Elanga seems unlikely to miss more than the one game.

The injury again shows how desperately thin Manchester United is in attack. With Cristiano Ronaldo unlikely to suit up against Newport County, Jadon Sancho out with a torn ACL, and Hannibal Mejbri in Africa, United’s only wing options are Amad, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial. In recent weeks, teenager Shola Shoretire has also been training with the first team.

Elanga was named United’s December Player of the Month. In seventeen games this season, he’s scored eight goals and tallied one assist.

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United Agree to Buy Julián Álvarez

Manchester United Added Talented Depth to Their Attack in the Argentine Forward

By Felix Short | January 21, 2022, 7:30 AM EST

Julián Álvarez scored in the Copa Libertadores Final (Michael Bradley/Manchester Guardian)

Manchester, England – Manchester United made major news today, announcing the first substantial signing of the Thomas Walker era. In a press statement this morning, the team announced that it had signed 21-year-old Argentine striker Julián Álvarez from River Plate of the Argentina Primera División.

In recent days it became clear that Manchester United was keen on adding an attacking player during this transfer window. In reality, there were very few attacking players that had been linked to Manchester United other than Álvarez, signaling that he had been their top choice for a purchase this January. In all likelihood, that has to do with the fact that he had a reasonable buy-out clause, but nevertheless, Álvarez is an attractive player that United has spent significant time scouting in recent months.

There was reporting in December that representatives for United and River Plate were in discussions about the kid and were keen on building a relationship before making the buy.

United became desperate for an attacking option in December, when their big summer signing, Jadon Sancho, tore his ACL. Since then, they’ve seen Jesse Lingard move to Barcelona, Hannibal Mejbri leave for AFCON, and Anthony Elanga suffer two separate shoulder and elbow injuries that have forced him to miss time. With such a lack of attacking options, it only made sense for United to bolster their roster.

Álvarez can play four positions for United, at striker, on either wing, or in that second-striker, attacking midfielder role, giving Thomas Walker tremendous versatility on offense. Álvarez is also described as a tireless worker on both sides of the ball, something Walker is certain to love. He’s on the smaller side, only rising to about 5-foot-7, but his athleticism is world class, his finishing ability is legitimate, and his work ethic is relentless, all combining to show that Álvarez has the tools of a topflight player.

“We think he’s got a world of potential,” said Thomas Walker in his morning press conference, “We really think Julián is going to be one of the best players in the world. We’re really excited to see what he can do on the biggest stage in the world, here in the Premier League, but we think he’ll adapt well and be a dominant force.

Thomas Walker has proven himself to be quite good at folding new players into the team. Manchester United signed Sancho, Raphaël Varane and Cristiano Ronaldo this summer, and all three found themselves brought seamlessly into the fold. The same can be said for youngsters Anthony Elanga, Amad, and Hannibal Mejbri, who’ve all been elevated from United’s Youth Academy to the first team this season, and all have shown well.

Also important for United was the fact that Álvarez provides the team some insurance if they are incapable of landing one of their big targets this summer. It has been widely reported that Manchester United will make bids for both PSG’s Kylian Mbappé and Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland this summer. The United board considers getting a long-term replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo a high summer priority and adding Álvarez gives them both leverage and insurance in case they strike out.

As for Álvarez, who turns 22 at the end of this month, 2021 was his breakout year. Over the last year, Álvarez has scored 22 goals in 45 games, led River Plate to the Copa Libertadores Final, scored in that final against Palmeiras, and won the Rey de Fútbol de América Award, given to the best soccer player in South America.

Now, he’s gearing up for a new challenge: The Premier League.

“Estoy muy emocionado por la oportunidad,” Álvarez tweeted this morning. Translation: “I’m very excited for this opportunity.” Álvarez has seen his Argentine idols thrive in Europe. Names like Lionel Messi, Ángel di María, Lautaro Martínez, Sergio Agüero, and Paulo Dybala have all thrived at major European clubs, and Álvarez wants to do the same.

Manchester United had to battle Manchester City, Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Barcelona for the signature of Álvarez, who has been a Real Madrid fan his entire life. So why did he choose United when all five teams were willing to pay his buy-out?

He believed in the vision that Manchester United manager Thomas Walker put in front of him. Walker’s ability to develop young attacking players into superstars made United the clear choice for Álvarez. The successes of Victor Osimhen and Jonathan David, as well as the return to superstardom from Cristiano Ronaldo, showed Álvarez that Walker was going to make him the best player he could possibly be.

Álvarez’ buy-out clause activated in January and was set at £18.6 million. This situation sent his market into a flurry and sent many of the top clubs in Europe to Buenos Aires to check on the young attacker. Ultimately, he decided on Manchester United and signed his new three-and-a-half-year contract with Manchester United this morning.

He is not expected to arrive in England until after the first of February.

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AC Milan midfielder Franck Kessié moving to Paris Saint-Germain. Was going to be free agent in summer, but willing to move to PSG now. Solidifies their midfield for CL run. €68 million. Here we go! #PSG


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Amad, Shoretire Lead United to Win in Wales

Manchester United's Youngsters Led The Squad to Round 5 of the FA Cup over Newport County

By Felix Short | January 22, 2022, 11:59 PM EST

Shola Shoretire was today's Man of the Match after his two-goal performance (Michael Bradley/Manchester Guardian)

Newport, Wales – Manchester United entered Round 4 of the FA Cup in tough spirits, after losing to West Ham on a devastating 94th minute goal by Michail Antonio. The remedy? Play a fourth-division side, play your B squad, smack them, and start feeling good about yourself going into the international break. Mission Status: Accomplished.

Manchester United made the trip to Wales to face Newport County, leaving many of their stars back in Manchester. Stars that did not make the trip to Rodney Parade include Cristiano Ronaldo, Raphaël Varane, Bruno Fernandes, Paul Pogba and David De Gea. In fact, the only regular to start for Manchester United today was Scott McTominay. Instead, Manchester United gave starts to two teenagers that had never made a senior team start before in Björn Hardley and Shola Shoretire. You wouldn’t be able to tell by watching this game as even United’s B team dominated Newport County from start to finish.

Newport County elected to ‘go for it’ and continually sent their full-backs forward in attack, hoping to overwhelm United’s defense. It didn’t work, and worse, it left them horribly exposed on the counter. Anthony Martial was the first to take advantage, by earning the first chance of the game in the 2nd minute. That was saved by Newport County keeper Joe Day, who would be very busy on the afternoon. Amad had a chance just a few minutes later when he put one just wide in the 5th minute. Shola Shoretire had a pair of shots just miss the target in the 14th and 17th minute. His nerves got the best of him at the possibility to notching his first senior team goal.

But the third time is the charm and Shoretire was the man to open up the scoring in the 20th minute. With Amad racing down the right side, beating the defense, he crossed it into Shoretire, who fired it on goal. This ball bounced off the shoulder of Newport keeper Joe Day, but it simply bounced up and back toward Shoretire, who simply headed the ball into the net.

United would double their lead in the 27th minute, after a counterattack fully exposed the weakness in Newport County’s game plan, as Amad, Martial and Shoretire found themselves in a three-v-the-keeper situation, in which Shola just dumped the ball into Amad who slammed it home. They would take that 2-0 lead into the half, clearly in complete and total command of the game.

United pounced on another three-v-the-keeper situation in the 58th minute when Shoretire fired. Joe Day again blocked it, but the rebound went straight to Anthony Martial who cleaned is up and put it in the back of the net. Minutes later, in the 64th, United found another appalling defensive transition from Newport County, and exposed it. This time, Anthony Martial drove at the keeper before dumping it off to Amad for the easy tap in.

It was at this point that United brought in back-up keeper Tom Heaton to get his first action of the season. Out of shape and out of form, Heaton immediately gave up a goal to Newport County midfielder Scot Bennett, who fired near post. It’s a shot that any in-form goalkeeper would’ve blocked, but with it coming just ninety seconds after entering the game, Heaton was unprepared for it and let it go by.

Luckily for Heaton, that was the last and only legitimate chance Newport County got on goal as United went full ‘kill the clock’ mode with their 4-1 lead. United’s Shola Shoretire would get a little ambitious later in the game, and took a shot from outside the box, that buzzed its way into the top left corner of the net. That highlight, in the 81st, was a microcosm moment of the game, as it showed how much more class United’s depth had than Newport County’s best roster. With a 5-1 lead intact, United were able to squeeze out the end of the game to leave Wales with a win, and a trip to the Final Sixteen of the FA Cup.

“Our boys did well today,” said United manager Thomas Walker, “They played hard. They never gave up. We showed that we’re a really high-quality team. Anyone who can make a Manchester United team is a world class player and I think it’s important to remember that when you have a down spell or get a bit of criticism. We’re at the very highest level and the guys work really hard to be there. There’s no denying that.”

Manchester United teenager Hannibal Mejbri broke on to the scene for the senior team this year in the EFL Cup, when he scored off the bench against Portsmouth F.C. and showed an offensive spark that has gotten him more and more minutes as the season has gone on. Perhaps today’s performance by Shola Shoretire will propel him to a bigger role as well. He scored two goals, had an assist, and was named man of the match for his performance today.

Manchester United will not play again until a February 8th matchup with Burnley, as the International Break begins on Monday.

Manchester United: 5 Goal Scorers: Shola Shoretire (20'), Amad (27'), Anthony Martial (58'), Amad (64'), Shola Shoretire (81') Assists: Amad, Anthony Martial, Shola Shoretire Newport County: 1 Goal Scorers: Scot Bennett (66') Assists: Courtney Baker-Richardson

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Bayer Leverkusen to Acquire Juan Mata

Leverkusen, Manchester United and Juan Mata have agreed to terms that would send the 33-year-old Spaniard to Germany

By Felix Short | January 23, 2022, 7:30 AM EST

Juan Mata has made 663 appearances for Club and Country, scoring 150 goals in the process (Michael Bradley/Manchester Guardian)

Leverkusen, Germany – Germany’s Bayer Leverkusen announced this morning that they have agreed in principle to the purchase of Juan Mata from Manchester United for the fee of £5.9 million (€7.15 million). Mata’s new contract with Leverkusen will be for the same one-and-a-half years that he had left on his Manchester United deal. He will receive a small, but ‘insignificant’, pay decrease.

The transfer ends a month’s long drama in which Juan Mata virtually did not play for Thomas Walker’s Manchester United club. At 33-years-old, Mata was not a fit for the high-energy, high-press, fast paced style that Walker implemented upon his arrival, and he saw a dramatic drop in game time as a result.

Mata made one appearance for Thomas Walker this season, and it couldn’t have been more insulting to the player. In a September 25th game against Aston Villa, United fell down 3-0 in the 61st minute, and Thomas Walker reacted by waving the white flag, removing his stars and adding two teenagers to the pitch to go with Mata. Mata, who has had a tremendous career, must’ve taken his use as a surrender as an incredible insult.

Mata and his agent have also made it clear that they view him as a legitimate professional player who can still make an impact at a high level. At Bayer Leverkusen, he will step into a bigger role, where he will be one of four central midfielders that can occupy two spots in Leverkusen’s 4-3-3.

“Juan is a legendary player,” said Leverkusen manager Gerardo Seoane after news broke that his team would be getting Mata, “He will be a great leader for us, and he will have a big impact in our team.”

In Mata’s career, he has featured in 663 games for Club and Country, scoring 150 goals in the process. In his 274 appearances for Manchester United since 2013, he has scored 51 goals.

But it doesn’t appear that Leverkusen are buying the goal scorer. Instead, it’s clear they want his veteran presence on a young team. Young midfielders Florian Wirtz and Moussa Diaby are the unquestioned best players for Leverkusen, but they are young, and in need of guidance. Mata, who has accomplished so much in his career, could be the perfect player to pair with those two on the pitch, and mentor them off of it.

Since breaking out of Real Madrid’s B Team, Mata has starred for Valencia, Chelsea and Manchester United. Many thought the Spaniard would return to Spain after his time with United was over, but his game may fit better in the Bundesliga, where he can use his control and vision to spring forward attacking players.

“We’ll miss Juan,” said United manager Thomas Walker, “He’s a great player. He’s a great leader. He’s a hard worker. He’s had a tremendous career. I simply can’t say enough great things about Juan and I know that everyone at this club is extremely proud that he has been such a valuable member of our club for so many years. He wanted to pursue some other plans, and there was no way we were going to stand in the way of his happiness. He’s a great player and I’m sure he’ll do great things in Germany.”

Mata will leave Manchester United as the third longest consecutively tenured player on the senior team. The only two players to arrive at Old Trafford before Mata on the current roster are Phil Jones and David De Gea. Those two, along with Mata, were all lured to United by legendary former boss Sir Alex Ferguson. Mata arrived in January 2013 from Chelsea for a £37.1 million transfer fee.

Despite his long tenure, Mata has seen his playing time drop in recent season leading up to the arrival of Thomas Walker, when his time on the pitch dropped to virtually zero. This transfer officially gives both Manchester United and Juan Mata closure on a situation that could have dragged on another eighteen months.

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Re: United.

Manchester United Draw Fulham in Round 5

Fulham Crushed Premier League-side Leeds on the Road, 4-0 in Round 4

By Felix Short | January 23, 2022, 7:35 AM EST

Fulham is led by winger Harry Wilson (Michael Bradley/Manchester Guardian)

Manchester, England – Manchester United will face Fulham in Round 5 of the FA Cup. The match up will take place on Wednesday, March 2nd at Old Trafford. Fulham, who is in the English Championship, will be the second straight lower-tier team that United faces, after defeating Newport County 5-1 in Round 4.

Fulham will represent a significant jump in quality over Newport County, however. They earned their way to this round by defeating Premier League side Leeds at Elland Road, 4-0. That domination over a Premier League team indicates that they will be no easy task for a Manchester United side that hasn’t seemed all that interested in the FA Cup yet.

Against Newport County, Scott McTominay was the only regular starter to appear in the lineup. That will have to change if United plan to defeat Fulham and advance to the final eight. Fulham defeated Bournemouth 1-0 in their opening game of the tournament.

Fulham is led by winger Harry Wilson, who has scored two goals and added one assist already in this tournament. He is their most dangerous player, but Nathaniel Chalobah, Jean Michaël Seri and Tom Cairney have all scored in this tournament as well. In their two games, Paulo Gazzaniga has kept two clean sheets as well.

In United’s first two games of the FA Cup, they’ve gotten three goals from Anthony Martial, two from Amad, and two from Shola Shoretire. It’s unclear if any of those players will play in this match up.

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