Erik ten Hag &#8211; CaughtOffside

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“Yoro wanted to fulfil his dream to go to Real Madrid, but then at the end of the day, they didn’t want to pay the same amount of money invested by Manchester United. So their strategy to attack on club side before and then try to convince the player was the winning strategy, while Real Madrid were convinced of Leny Yoro waiting for them probably also till next year when his contract was due to expire.

“So, yes, it was surprising, not in the final days, but I would say in terms of general feeling of the transfer window, a really surprising and fantastic signing.”

The post “Congratulations to Man United” – Fabrizio Romano responds to “really surprising” transfer deal appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Exclusive: Man Utd add new option to midfielder search as big name available for just €20m transfer fee

Mark Brus — Mon, 22 Jul 2024 12:17:48 +0000

Manchester United have added Monaco midfielder Youssouf Fofana to their list of potential midfield transfer targets this summer if they fail to reach an agreement with Paris Saint-Germain over Manuel Ugarte.

Sources close to the situation have informed CaughtOffside that Man Utd now plan to check on Fofana’s situation as they look for a cheaper option on the market, with the Frenchman understood to be available for as little as €20m.

Fofana impressed in Ligue 1 last season and looks like he could be a good fit for a number of other top clubs, particularly United as they need a new midfielder this summer to come in as an upgrade on the ageing Casemiro, while Sofyan Amrabat’s future looks uncertain after his loan spell at Old Trafford.

The Red Devils had been prioritising a move for Ugarte, but it looks like Fofana could be more affordable, and CaughtOffside understands AC Milan’s pursuit of the player has also gone cold, which could allow other clubs back into the race.

Youssouf Fofana is on Manchester United’s radar

Fofana transfer: Too good an opportunity for Manchester United?

Milan had an offer of €12m for Fofana turned down by Monaco, and it will take something in the region of €18-20m to convince them to sell.

Even if that’s a bit pricey for Milan, it shouldn’t be too much of a problem for United, so it will be interesting to see if they match that price to try and get a deal done quickly, or if they still try to negotiate it down slightly.

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It may also be that Ugarte will remain the priority, but it makes sense that the club are also exploring alternatives, with Fofana known to be on the market this summer as Monaco are under financial pressure to sell big names almost every summer.

Fofana looks like he could also benefit from a new challenge and it would be exciting to see if he could take his game to the next level in the Premier League.

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Man United star close to agreeing transfer away despite club now being keen to keep him

Magnus Eriksen — Mon, 22 Jul 2024 08:27:47 +0000

Manchester United winger Jadon Sancho is reportedly close to agreeing personal terms with Paris Saint-Germain, who will next look to hold talks with the Red Devils later this week, according to the Daily Briefing.

Sancho spent the second half of last season on loan at Borussia Dortmund and looked back to his best in his second spell in German football, helping BVB reach the Champions League final.

It seems Sancho is now firmly on the radar of PSG, who have held talks with the player’s representatives and who will hope to negotiate with Man Utd next, though it could end up costing them as much as €50-60m.

The Daily Briefing report that United are now open to keeping Sancho, citing Erik ten Hag’s public comments about the England international, whom he’s praised as a fine player.

Jadon Sancho to PSG?

Sancho transfer: Will Man Utd star be Mbappe replacement?

The Daily Briefing’s report claims that PSG boss Luis Enrique is personally pushing for Sancho as a replacement for Kylian Mbappe on the left-hand side of his attack.

Of course, Sancho is not in the same category as Mbappe, but on his day he can be another dangerous option in attack, combining pace, skill and a goal threat from out wide, whilst also being able to drift centrally or play on the right flank as well.

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PSG won’t easily find anyone else who can replace Mbappe either, so it could end up being a smart move for them to try for someone like Sancho if he’s available for the right price.

The Daily Briefing claim that the Ligue 1 giants will try an opening offer of €40m for the 24-year-old, but that almost certainly won’t be enough, so it will be interesting to see if an agreement can be reached or if they move on to other targets.

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Antony’s agent speaks on his future amid reports he could leave Man United on loan

Charlie Patrick — Sun, 21 Jul 2024 21:19:11 +0000

Antony’s agent Junior Pedroso has shut down rumours the Brazilian could leave Old Trafford on loan this summer.

The 24-year-old arrived at Manchester United in a big money move from Ajax said to be worth around £85.5m in 2022.

The Brazil international has struggled to make an impact at Old Trafford and lost his place in the side towards the end of last season.

Antony’s agent dismisses talk of him leaving United

Antony made a great start to life at Old Trafford as he scored three times in his opening three Premier League games, but he’s failed to push on from that positive start.

He made 38 appearances in all competitions last season and could only manage three goals and two assists, with just one of those goals coming in the Premier League.

It’s not the sort of return United would expect from a player they made a huge investment in, and recent reports have linked Antony with a loan move away from Old Trafford.

However, his agent has come out and shutdown those reports saying Antony wants to stay at United and is only focused on the club.

“I see reports about potential exit on loan, Antony’s plan is clear: Manchester United,” Pedroso told Fabrizio Romano.

“He wants to stay, he’s only focused on Man United. We already spoke about that with the club.”

??? EXCL: Antony’s agent Junior Pedroso replies to reports about exit on loan this summer.

“I see reports about potential exit on loan. Antony’s plan is clear: Manchester United”.

“He wants to stay, he’s only focused on Man United. We already spoke about that with the club”. pic.twitter.com/CmkXgzVKjk

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 21, 2024

The winger reported back to pre-season training on July 8th, but hasn’t featured in either of United’s pre-season friendlies against Rosenborg or Rangers.

Antony has scored 11 goals and provided five assists in 82 appearances for the club to date, and will face competition for minutes from Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Alejandro Garnacho and Amad Diallo.

Despite a difficult two seasons in Manchester, Ten Hag still believes the Brazilian has what it takes to be a success at Old Trafford.

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“I am still convinced that Antony has the potential to play at this club,” he told AD earlier this week.

“He certainly showed that potential in the first month. He scored three times in his first three games. After that it became more difficult, last season was not good.”

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Erik ten Hag makes feelings clear over future of 27-year-old United star

Charlie Patrick — Sun, 21 Jul 2024 20:16:50 +0000

Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay is attracting interest from the likes of Fulham and Galatasaray, but Erik ten Hag insists United want to keep hold of him.

The Red Devils are looking to strengthen their squad having finished a disappointing eighth last season and bottom of their Champions League group.

After a slow start to the window there’s been a flurry of activity at Old Trafford with a number of deals being completed, and several more near the finish line.

Ten Hag insists United want to keep McTominay

United have signed striker Joshua Zirkzee from Bologna, whilst teenage centre back Leny Yoro has also arrived from Lille, with the club also believed to working on deals for Manuel Ugarte and Matthijs de Ligt.

Midfield is an area United are looking to strengthen and they are believed to be trying to offload Casemiro, whilst the club won’t be taking up their €20m buy option on Sofyan Amrabat following his loan spell from Fiorentina last season.

United have also been linked with a move for France international Adrien Rabiot who is now a free agent after his contract with Juventus expired.

Ten Hag wants McTominay to remain at Old Trafford this summer.

Question marks have also surrounded the future of Scotland international McTominay who was the subject of interest from West Ham last summer.

The 27-year-old is once again attracting interest this summer with the likes of Tottenham, Fulham and Turkish giants Galatasaray all said to be interested.

However, Ten Hag has come out and insisted United want to keep the midfielder and that he’s a very important part of the squad.

“We have very good players so there will always be an interest from other clubs,” Ten Hag said.

“When you score 10 goals in a season and also perform very good for Scotland, then there will be an interest. But we want to keep him because he is a very important player for our squad.

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“What he can contribute, as we saw last season once we had our sixes available, he could play in a more advanced role and he is a highly interesting player for our team.”

McTominay popped up with a number of late and important goals last season for United as he scored ten goals in 43 appearances in all competitions, but he only has one year remaining on his current deal although United have a club option for a further year.

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Erik ten Hag makes extraordinary admission about Rangnick’s Man Utd comments

CJ — Sun, 21 Jul 2024 18:12:23 +0000

Erik ten Hag has admitted Ralf Rangnick was ‘absolutely right’ about Manchester United needing ‘open-heart surgery’ in order to get back on track.

Ten Hag took the reins at Old Trafford in the summer of 2022 following a seven-month interim spell under Rangnick.

The German coach — who is now at the helm of the Austrian national team — won just 11 of his 29 matches in charge of the Red Devils and at the end of his spell, stated that ‘open-heart surgery’ was required to fix Man Utd’s problems.

Ten Hag certainly hasn’t had it all his own way, slipping to eighth in the Premier League last season. However, the Dutchman has won EFL Cup and FA Cup titles, beating Manchester City in the final to lift the latter.

And he has admitted Rangnick’s comments were correct.

“Rangnick was absolutely right,” Ten Hag told Dutch newspaper AD Sportwereld.

“We have been working very hard on this for two years, but he said it exactly right: it is a thorough, very complex operation. And I knew when I started that it was going to be a tough job.”

Ten Hag was also quizzed about Man Utd’s reported interest in Netherlands international defender Matthijs de Ligt from Bayern Munich.

De Ligt played 70 times under Ten Hag during their Ajax days and the manager has openly admitted he previously wanted to bring him to Old Trafford.

“It remains to be seen whether De Ligt will come,” Ten Hag admitted.

“Of course I know Matthijs well, I’m not going to deny that. I wanted to sign him two years ago, but he had already gone a long way with Bayern Munich.”

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Manchester United summer signing was THREATENED into accepting the move by his former club

Mark Brus — Sun, 21 Jul 2024 10:47:19 +0000

Manchester United’s new signing Leny Yoro was reportedly threatened over his transfer to Old Trafford this summer by his former club Lille.

The talented young centre-back looked superb during his time in Ligue 1, firmly establishing himself as one of the biggest prospects in European football.

Speaking just last week, French football expert Jonathan Johnson gave us exclusive insight into what Man Utd could expect from Yoro, as he tipped the Frenchman to become regarded as one of the best signings of the summer.

Still, it’s also well known that other clubs like Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain were interested in Yoro, and a move to the Bernabeu was his top priority before it became clear they wouldn’t pay enough money to Lille.

See below as details have now emerged stating that Lille put huge pressure on Yoro to accept United’s offer, even stating that he wouldn’t play for the team all season for the final year of his contract if he decided not to take the move…

It will be interesting to see if this is confirmed at any point, though one imagines it’s not something Yoro himself would be keen to admit to.

The France Under-21 international will be keen to impress for his new club, even if it’s not quite the dream destination he had in mind, and he won’t want to disrupt his start with Erik ten Hag’s side by responding to rumours about his desire to move to Madrid.

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Yoro would have been a superb signing for Los Blancos as well, but United look to have landed a hugely exciting talent here, so their fans won’t be too bothered whether or not they were his first choice, as long as he plays well and gives everything for the shirt.

MUFC have also signed Joshua Zirkzee this summer and other big names like Manuel Ugarte and Matthijs de Ligt continue to be linked with the club.

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Erik Ten Hag insists Man United star linked with exit ‘has potential’ to stay at club

Andrew Walker — Sun, 21 Jul 2024 08:50:42 +0000

Erik Ten Hag has insisted Antony has what it takes to make it at Manchester United.

The former Ajax boss signed the Brazilian winger in 2022 in a deal worth a reported £86 million. Despite the massive fee, the wide-attacker has struggled to meet expectations though.

Largely viewed as a flop, Antony, 24, has managed just 11 goals from 82 games in all competitions.

Erik Ten Hag rules out Man United exit for Antony

Reports recently have suggested the South American could be allowed to leave Old Trafford on loan (Football Insider), but judging by Ten Hag’s latest comments, it seems the Dutchman is not anticipating the 24-year-old leaving anytime soon.

Antony in action for Manchester United.

Acknowledging Antony’s poor form but jumping to his defence, Ten Hag strongly believes the Sao-Paulo-born attacker can recapture his best form.

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“I am still convinced that Antony has the potential to play at this club,” the United told AD, as quoted by Fabrizio Romano.

“He certainly showed that potential in the first month: he scored three times in his first three games. After that it became more difficult, last season was not good.”

Amad heaping pressure on Antony

Pressure on Antony to perform has been amplified by Amad’s brilliant pre-season. The young Ivorian, who has had to wait for his opportunities since joining from Atalanta three-and-a-half years ago, was the best player on the pitch against Rangers during Saturday’s friendly in Scotland.

A constant threat before opening the scoring with a super finish, the 22-year-old certainly gave his manager something to think about ahead of the new 2024-25 season.

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Exclusive: Transfer interest in Man United star remains despite fresh chance to stay, says expert

Mark Brus — Sun, 21 Jul 2024 07:55:59 +0000

There is still some interest in Manchester United winger Jadon Sancho this summer, even if there is also now seemingly a fresh chance for him to stay at Old Trafford, according to transfer news expert Fabrizio Romano.

Speaking exclusively to CaughtOffside for the latest edition of his column for the Daily Briefing, Romano explained that Man Utd have not received any concrete offers for Sancho so far, even if there are still clubs taking a look at his situation.

It could be that things will become clearer in the weeks ahead, according to Romano, who says that Sancho’s decision to clarify things with Erik ten Hag also show that the England international could end up staying at the club after all.

Sancho spent last season completely out of favour with Ten Hag, before spending the second half of the campaign on loan at Borussia Dortmund, but the Red Devils manager has spoken publicly to suggest that the issues between himself and the player are now in the past.

Sancho transfer situation explained by Fabrizio Romano

Jadon Sancho could get another chance at Man Utd but clubs are still interested in him

It will be interesting to see what happens next with Sancho, but Romano has suggested that the situation is open.

“There’s a chance for Jadon Sancho to stay at Manchester United – a lot will depend on the next weeks,” Romano said.

“Pre-season, feelings with the manager, performances…he has chances to stay. Interest from other clubs remains but there have been no official bids so far, so it’s still quiet.

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