MANCHESTER UNITED manager Erik ten Hag has recently spoken about Mason Greenwood with the decision on the striker's future said to be "made in days".
The striker, 21, has not played for the club since he was arrested in January last year.
Elsewhere, Rasmus Hojlund will be unveiled as a Manchester United player this week, according to reports.
And we have the very latest on the takeover saga surrounding Manchester United.
PADDY POWER WELCOME OFFER – Get £20 back as cash if your first bet loses
Stay up to date with all the latest from Old Trafford…
- By Jack Figg
Ferg-et it
Sir Alex Ferguson was initially not interested in signing Robin van Persie because he was “too old”, Fergie’s former assistant Rene Meulensteen has claimed.
He told talkSPORT: “I think it was in January, I got a call from Robin’s agent.
“He said ‘Robin’s not going to extend his contract [at Arsenal], he wants to stay in England … and he wants to play for Manchester United and also for Sir Alex Ferguson.
“I thought, that’s a bit of a statement, and the only thing I can do is ask.
“So I walked into his office and I said ‘Robin van Persie is interested in joining us, what do you think?’ and he said, ‘Nah, he’s too old’, he was 27 at the time [he was actually 28], had a bit of an injury record. And I said, ‘Ah, we’ll look into that, I wouldn’t dismiss it straight away’.
“We had more discussions and we said ‘this team needs something, they need a spark’, so what I did is I asked some of the senior players during training, if we could get [Luka] Modric, Van Persie, or this guy, who would you pick? And most of them said, ‘Well Robin would be brilliant’.”
The rest – as they say – is history, with Van Persie becoming the catalyst for Ferguson’s final Premier League title in 2013.
Credit: Getty - By Jack Figg
Spec it out
Gabby Aghonlahor drew the scorn of many Twitter users after he revealed his combined XI of Aston Villa and Man Utd players.
Speaking on talkSPORT, he sensationally snubbed Champions League winners Raphael Varane and Casemiro.
Reacting to the opinion, Specsavers simply commented with a “?”.
Many others were found wanting in trying to agree, but what do you make of his XI below?
- By Jack Figg
Note to self
Rene Meulensteen spent the best part of 12 years at Old Trafford in various capacities. He originally joined United in 2001 before being promoted to the position to reserve team manager five years later.
He told talkSPORT: “I actually wrote a letter and slid it under the door, that was the first time I was earlier at Carrington [United’s training ground] than Sir Alex himself and I said basically there’s this job coming up with the reserves and why would we look outside when the solution is within here?
“I said I would love to take it because I would love to share with you how all the technical development [of young players] is implemented in a team scenario.
“Then I was working with the reserves with boys like Gerard Pique, Jonny Evans etc, all those players, and it worked out really really well.”
Credit: Getty
- By Jack Figg
Keep him out
Dean Henderson’s Man Utd exit is in peril after Nottingham Forest submitted an offer to land Arsenal goalie Matt Turner.
Fabrizio Romano has reported the bid is for a permanent transfer, rather than a loan.
It was reported earlier this week that Forest will only sign one of Henderson or Turner.
And with Nathan Bishop also leaving United, Henderson may have to play second fiddle to Andre Onana or look for an alternative new club.
Credit: Getty - By Jack Figg
Point of Nou return
Alexis Sanchez is reportedly on the verge of a shock return to Barcelona.
The 34-year-old Chilean forward racked up 63 goals in 154 top-flight matches for both Arsenal and Manchester United.
We reported previously how Nottingham Forest were linked with a surprise swoop to bring him back to the Premier League.
Now a fresh update has claimed that he looks set to rejoin Barcelona instead.
Journalist Jose Tomas Fernandez Pumarino says Sanchez’s representatives and Barca chiefs are meeting today to discuss the feasibility of the move.
The LaLiga club are looking to replace Ousmane Dembele, who is joining Paris Saint-Germain.
- By Jack Figg
More on Katrina
Her Instagram hiatus coincided with the end of the football season and she has not uploaded to the platform in two months.
But with United kicking off their season against Wolves next Monday, Maria has made her return to the app.
Originally from the Faroe Islands, Maria now lives in the Danish capital of Copenhagen.
But she does not let the distance affect her love of United, as she posts snaps ahead of every game.
- By Jack Figg
Kat's out the bag
Man Utd's "sexiest fan" has shared her first post ahead of the upcoming season with followers saying "we're so lucky to have you".
Katrina Maria posted her latest snap in last season's United away kit with the caption "GGMU".
The post has racked up just under 2000 likes in the 24 hours since it was posted.
Fans were quick to heap praise on the selfie, with one writing: "Lucky to have a Manchester United fan like you."
Another wrote "Looking beautiful as ever" with two heart eye emojis.
A third added: "Manchester United really has the most beautiful fangirls. you are one of the best examples."
READ MORE SUN STORIES
KAT’S OUT THE BAG Man Utd’s sexiest fan shares first post of season & supporters love it
- By Jack Figg
Three Lions air hell
Rio Ferdinand revealed he once feared the Three Lions team would be wiped out during a terrifying World Cup flight.
Opening up for the first time, Rio said: “We’d just been knocked out of the competition by Portugal in the quarter finals and we had the worst flight back you can imagine. We got caught up in some terrible weather and everybody thought we were going to crash. We were all crying.
“I was sat near Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard and their wives and everyone was screaming. It was turbulence on another level. It was mental and people and luggage were all over the place and no one knew what was going on.
“I definitely thought, ‘This is it,’ especially when I looked at the air stewardesses. You can always gauge how serious things are by their expressions and I looked at them and they were all sat down in their seats stony faced and clearly thinking, ‘F***, we’re in trouble.’
“I’m usually quite calm but then I looked at them and I was properly scared.”
READ MORE SUN STORIES
THREE LIONS AIR HELL Rio Ferdinand feared England team would be killed on World Cup flight
- By Jack Figg
Pressure Mouting
Gabriel Agbonlahor has sensationally suggested that Mason Mount is not good enough to start for Manchester United.
Mount, 24, joined the Red Devils in a £60million transfer from Chelsea last month.
He has already made five pre-season appearances for the club, but Agbonlahor is not convinced that he will be the important player Erik ten Hag needs when the Premier League season kicks off.
The former striker went as far as to suggest that Mount is not even good enough to play for Aston Villa.
He said on talkSPORT: "He doesn't even make the bench, mate. He's the last sub on the bench.
"Mason Mount is nowhere near making that team, nowhere near."
- By Jack Figg
Cost an Arm and a leg
The Red Devils are yet to lodge an opening offer for Sofyan Amrabat and will need to move on a few players first.
United need to sell either Donny van de Beek, who is wanted by Real Sociedad, or Galatasaray target Fred to finance the move.
Meanwhile, Amrabat has reportedly turned down big-money offers from Saudi Arabian clubs.
The Red Devils kick off their Premier League campaign at home to Wolves on August 14.
- By Jack Figg
Red alert
Man Utd are close to finalising the move for midfield target Sofyan Amrabat, according to reports.
This comes as secret talks have taken place between Fiorentina and United's representatives.
Amrabat is now United's top target with the signing of striker Rasmus Hojland all but complete.
The holding midfielder was one of the standout players in the Qatar World Cup, after his side sensationally reached the semi-finals for the first time.
His performances caught the eyes of Europe's biggest sides, including PSG, Atletico Madrid and Liverpool.
Fiorentina want around £30million for the 26-year-old Moroccan international, who has one year left on his contract.
And according to the Daily Mail, a deal could be imminent now that representatives from both sides have met.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
RED ALERT Man Utd ‘close to completing Amrabat transfer after SECRET talks with Fiorentina’
- By Tony Robertson
Amrabat left out of Fiorentina squad
Sofyan Amrabat has been left out of Fiorentina's latest squad to face Newcastle as speculation surrounding his future persists.
Credit: https://twitter.com/acffiorentina/status/1687449939587051522 - By Tony Robertson
Rasmus Hojlund reveals how to pronounce his name
Ahead of the arrival of Rasmus Hojlund, Man Utd fans may be scratching their heads at how to say his name.
Well fear no more, because Hojlund himself has revealed how it is pronounced.
Speaking at a fan event in a viral video, the Dane asked the crowd how if anyone could pronounce his name.
After one fan tried, the £72m then corrected the fan – revealing his name was pronounced "Hoy-l-uh-nd", pulling his tongue out his mouth to emphasise the pronunciation.
This cued laughter from the crowd and left one fan online declaring: "He's too funny. 🤣🤣🤣."
Credit: https://twitter.com/sports_kris/status/1687287599860232192 - By Tony Robertson
Agbonlahor: 'Utd made a mistake signing Mount'
TalkSPORT pundit Gabby Agbonlahor has claimed Man Utd made a mistake signing Mason Mount.
The claim comes after he snubbed Mount in his combined Villa and Utd xi.
He said: "He doesn't even make the bench, mate. He's the last sub on the bench.
"Mason Mount is nowhere near making that team, nowhere near."
Darren Bent went on to ask Agbonlahor if he would pick John McGinn over Mount, to which the 36-year-old responded: "Are you joking?
"All day, every day of the week, I think everyone would. McGinn's outstanding, outstanding player. Come on, we need some more Villa love on this channel."
- By Tony Robertson
Henderson Forest transfer in peril
Dean Henderson's Man Utd exit is in peril after Nottingham Forest submitted an offer to land Arsenal goalie Matt Turner.
Fabrizio Romano has reported the bid is for a permanent transfer, rather than a loan.
It was reported earlier this week that Forest will only sign one of Henderson or Turner.
And with Nathan Bishop also leaving United, Henderson may have to play second fiddle to Andre Onana or look for an alternative new club.
Credit: Getty
More from Ferdinand
If the private jet had crashed it would have wiped out what has been branded a golden generation of footballers that included Rooney, Gerrard, Frank Lampard, John Terry, and David Beckham.
Famous Wags including Coleen Rooney, and Liverpool star Gerrard’s then-girlfriend Alex Curran that had set tongues wagging with their glamorous antics at the Baden-Baden base would also have met a shocking end.
English hopes were high ahead of the 2006 World Cup but the team was eliminated after losing the penalty shootout with Portugal after the game was tied 0-0 at full time.
Ferdinand, who won 81 caps for his country, believes former Chelsea midfielder Lampard’s toilet habits were another reason the Three Lions were not more successful – as they ruined his sleep.
The widower and father-of-three said: “When I got called up for England I used to share with Frank Lampard.
“He didn’t snore or anything and he was mostly good but the only thing that was a bit of a bummer was that at midnight he would go to the toilet and it was quite loud.
“In fact, it was really loud. So loud that it used to wake me up. This long, loud p***.”
READ MORE SUN STORIES
THREE LIONS AIR HELL Rio Ferdinand feared England team would be killed on World Cup flight
EXCLUSIVE: Rio Ferdinand thought England team would be killed on World Cup flight
Former England captain Rio Ferdinand has revealed he once feared the Three Lions team would be wiped out during a terrifying World Cup flight.
The ex-Man Utd defender, now 44, has told how players including Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard were crying and praying for their lives as their plane hit severe turbulence.
The drama followed our elimination from the 2006 World Cup in Germany and has never before been revealed.
Opening up for the first time, Ferdinand said: “We’d just been knocked out of the competition by Portugal in the quarter-finals and we had the worst flight back you can imagine.
"We got caught up in some terrible weather and everybody thought we were going to crash. We were all crying.
“I was sat near Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard and their wives and everyone was screaming. It was turbulence on another level.
"It was mental and people and luggage were all over the place and no one knew what was going on.
“I definitely thought, ‘This is it,’ especially when I looked at the air stewardesses.
"You can always gauge how serious things are by their expressions and I looked at them and they were all sat down in their seats stony faced and clearly thinking, ‘F***, we’re in trouble.’
"I’m usually quite calm but then I looked at them and I was properly scared.”
READ MORE SUN STORIES
THREE LIONS AIR HELL Rio Ferdinand feared England team would be killed on World Cup flight
- By Tony Robertson
Five reasons why Man Utd want Hojlund
With Rasmus Hojlund looking to set to complete his transfer to Manchester United after being spotted arriving in England, it begs the question: why do United want him?
SunSport have looked at five reasons why Erik ten Hag is keen to seal the £72m signing of the 20-year-old Dane.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
hoj-light Five reasons why Man Utd are hellbent on ‘Danish Haaland’ Rasmus Hojlund
- By Tony Robertson
Man Utd close to Amrabat deal after 'secret talks'
Manchester United are close to landing Sofyan Amrabat after secret talks were reportedly held between Fiorentina and the Red Devils.
Journalist Alfredo Pedulla claims the Italian outfit will now turn their attention towards the sale of the Moroccan, with other reports suggesting a deal could be as much as £30m.
- By Tony Robertson
Rene Meulensteen reveals how he got promoted with note under door
Rene Meulensteen spent the best part of 12 years at Old Trafford in various capacities. He originally joined United in 2001 before being promoted to the position to reserve team manager five years later.
He told talkSPORT: "I actually wrote a letter and slid it under the door, that was the first time I was earlier at Carrington [United's training ground] than Sir Alex himself and I said basically there's this job coming up with the reserves and why would we look outside when the solution is within here?
"I said I would love to take it because I would love to share with you how all the technical development [of young players] is implemented in a team scenario.
"Then I was working with the reserves with boys like Gerard Pique, Jonny Evans etc, all those players, and it worked out really really well."
Credit: Getty - By Gary Stonehouse
Sanchez in line for Barca return
Alexis Sanchez is reportedly on the verge of a shock return to Barcelona.
The 34-year-old Chilean forward racked up 63 goals in 154 top-flight matches for both Arsenal and Manchester United.
But after his miserable spell at Old Trafford from January 2018, Sanchez was loaned to Inter in 2019-20 before joining the Serie A giants permanently.
Two years later, he signed for Marseille and scored 14 goals in 35 Ligue 1 games last season. However, after only penning a one-year deal, he is now a free agent.
Journalist Jose Tomas Fernandez Pumarino says Sanchez’s representatives and Barca chiefs are meeting today to discuss the feasibility of the move.
The La Liga club are looking to replace Ousmane Dembele, who is joining Paris Saint-Germain.
- By Tony Robertson
Ferguson gave brutal response before signing RVP
Sir Alex Ferguson was initially not interested in signing Robin van Persie because he was "too old", Fergie's former assistant Rene Meulensteen has claimed.
He told talkSPORT: "I think it was in January, I got a call from Robin's agent.
"He said 'Robin's not going to extend his contract [at Arsenal], he wants to stay in England … and he wants to play for Manchester United and also for Sir Alex Ferguson.
“I thought, that's a bit of a statement, and the only thing I can do is ask.
"So I walked into his office and I said 'Robin van Persie is interested in joining us, what do you think?' and he said, 'Nah, he's too old', he was 27 at the time [he was actually 28], had a bit of an injury record. And I said, 'Ah, we'll look into that, I wouldn't dismiss it straight away'.
“We had more discussions and we said 'this team needs something, they need a spark', so what I did is I asked some of the senior players during training, if we could get [Luka] Modric, Van Persie, or this guy, who would you pick? And most of them said, 'Well Robin would be brilliant'.”
The rest – as they say – is history, with Van Persie becoming the catalyst for Ferguson's final Premier League title in 2013.
Credit: Getty - By Tony Robertson
Specsavers troll Agbonlahor after 'nonsense' combined Villa and Man Utd XI
Gabby Aghonlahor drew the scorn of many Twitter users after he revealed his combined XI of Aston Villa and Man Utd players.
Speaking on talkSPORT, he sensationally snubbed Champions League winners Raphael Varane and Casemiro.
Reacting to the opinion, Specsavers simply commented with a "?".
Many others were found wanting in trying to agree, but what do you make of his XI below?
- By Tony Robertson
Neville admits Sky axe fear
Gary Neville has revealed he fears the axe at Sky Sports.
Speaking to FourFourTwo alongside Jamie Carragher, Neville made the admission after seeing a number of colleagues leave the company as part of a huge budget cut at the company.
The exodus included the likes of Martin Tyler and Geoff Shreeves.
Neville said: "I don’t really think about how long it’s been. But it is hard, you know.
"It’s not playing football, it’s not being a manager, but anyone who looks at it and thinks, ‘Oh, they’re just on television, talking about football’… well, yeah, OK.
"But there are thousands of jobs all over the world now doing this, so to stay at Sky, the Premier League rights-holders in this country, and on shows like Super Sunday and Monday Night Football, the demands are high…
"We know it will be taken away from us the minute it doesn’t work any more, so we’re very conscious of making sure we change things all of the time."
READ MORE SUN STORIES
NEV-OUS TIME Neville and Carragher fear Sky Sports axe and admit jobs could be ‘taken away’
- By Connor Greaves
When is the Champions League group stage draw?
Manchester United will return to the Champions League this season after finishing third in Premier League last campaign.
Here are all the details for the upcoming Champions League group stage draw:
- The Champions League group stage draw will take place on Thursday, August 31.
- The draw is set to begin at 5pm UK time.
- The Grimaldi Forum in Monaco will host.
Source: Read Full Article
