Porto in mourning after untimely death of club legend Jorge Costa aged 53: ‘He left his mark on generations of fans'
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The Herald Scotland
7 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
The right winger who Rangers must shut down to reach Champions League
However, the 32-year-old, who pitched in with the hosts' final goal in the last minute of regulation time to secure a 4-2 aggregate triumph, was less than enamoured with the overall performance. 'We'll have to raise our game against Rangers,' said the Blue Blacks captain. 'We have already played against them in pre-season and drawn. But this will be a completely different story.' Read more: Vanaken's cautious words suggest that his team, very much like Russell Martin's side, have not produced the sort of form of which they are capable of at this early stage in the new campaign despite their highly impressive midweek victory. Could the presence of one man in their starting line-up at Ibrox next Tuesday evening and then over in Bruges the following week, though, mean the next two encounters between the Belgian and Scottish giants have a different outcome to their friendly tussle in Govan at the start of last month? Fans of Club Brugge, who drew with Celtic at Parkhead in the Champions League league phase last term and qualified for the last 16 following an emphatic knockout round play-off win over Atalanta of Italy, are hopeful that summer acquisition Carlos Forbs can elevate them to a higher level in the coming months. The Portuguese winger has struggled to fulfil his vast potential in his embryonic career to date. He failed to make the breakthrough to the first team at Manchester City after eight years in the youth ranks at the Etihad Stadium and was sold to Ajax for €14m two years ago. But he hardly featured at the Johan Cruyff Arena and returned to England last year when he was farmed out to Wolves on loan. He was involved in 10 Premier League games during his time at Molineux. However, no bid was forthcoming and he returned to Amsterdam in May. (Image: SNS) The chance to get the regular first team football with Club Brugge this season was appealing to the 21-year-old and he agreed, after helping Portugal to make it through to the quarter-finals of the European Under-21 Championship in Slovakia in June, to a €6m transfer to Belgium last month. His manager Nicky Hayen, who has lifted the Belgian Cup and Belgian Super Cup this year to make amends for surrendering the Pro League title to Royal Union Saint-Gilloise, has stressed that it will take Forbs time to get up to speed. But his individual display against Salzburg strongly suggested that when he does his new employers will have a potent attacking weapon on their hands. The statistics told the story at the end of 90 breathless minutes. He attempted the most dribbles (eight), succeeded with the most dribbles (five) and had the most touches in the opposition box (nine). The highlight of his outstanding showing was the goal he scored with seven minutes of regulation time remaining. He intercepted a pass from Jacob Rasmussen, ran half the length of the park and slotted beyond goalkeeper Alexander Schlager from a tight angle to make it 2-2 on the night and 3-2 overall. The home supporters in the 23,736-strong crowd erupted. A star was born. The new hero received a standing ovation when he was replaced late on. His new team mates were effusive in their praise following the final whistle. Read more: "We know his qualities,' said Vanaken. 'He's fast and he can make moves with both his left and his right foot. You really can't defend against him. Forbs is an absolute weapon for us." Joaquin Seys - who started a remarkable second half fightback by the home favourites, who had fallen 2-0 down and 2-1 behind on aggregate in the first-half, when he netted on the hour mark - is convinced that more, much more, is to come to from the lightning quick and skilful wide boy. 'He's a fantastic player,' said the left-back. 'We're going to see more great things from him." The sudden emergence of Forbs should be a concern for former Scotland centre-half Martin as left-back has been something of a problem position in his side during the early weeks of his tenure. He has played Jefte there in Rangers' last three games. But the Brazilian winger slipped just before half-time in the third qualifying round match against Viktoria Plzen in the Czech Republic on Tuesday night, failed to clear a high ball which he should have dealt with easily and allowed Rafiu Durosinmi to pull one back for the hosts. (Image: SNS) In the three games before that, against Panathinaikos of Greece and Motherwell at Fir Park, it was Max Aarons who was given the nod in the specialist position in the back four. But the Bournemouth loanee prefers to be deployed on the right flank and it showed. With Ridvan Yilmaz locked in talks with Besiktas in his native Turkey and a move back to his homeland looking likely in the coming days, it is not immediately apparent to supporters who Martin, under mounting pressure despite leading his side through to the Champions League play-offs and to within touch of a multi-million pound pay day, can deploy at left back to nullify the threat posed by Forbs. Hayen took a gamble playing the Sintra-born forward on Tuesday night and was rewarded for his bravery. He is, then, likely to take a chance on the youngster again in both legs of the play-off. Rangers will need to be ready or they will fail to progress to the league phase for the first time in their history. 'It worked out well,' said the Club Brugge manager. 'Ultimately, it was the right decision. He is not fully fit yet and ideally we would only use him for 45 minutes or so. But we saw his qualities and he was able to make a difference.'
Glasgow Times
12 hours ago
- Glasgow Times
Marcus Rashford says Man Utd ‘in no man's land' as transition ‘has not started'
Rashford, 27, left his boyhood club for a season-long loan at Barcelona last month, having finished the previous season with Aston Villa after falling out of favour following Amorim's arrival and a December interview in which the England international said he was seeking a 'new challenge'. United laboured to a 15th-placed finish under the Portuguese head coach last term, their lowest-ever finish in the Premier League era, but Rashford said the club's problems run much deeper as they have tried six different permanent managers, each with a different approach, since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013. Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, Rashford said: 'We have been way below where we deem United to be but then if you take a step back, which I've been able to do, especially over these last six months, what do you expect? 🚨 Rashford Ep is Now LIVE! 🚨 🏴 The 2nd English Player At Barca👏 Getting Back To His Best 🤔 What Does Success Look Like?@GaryLineker & @MicahRichards is joined by @MarcusRashford in this exclusive interview ahead of his new season at Barcelona in the latest show below 👇 — The Rest Is Football (@RestIsFootball) August 13, 2025 'People say that we've been in a transition for years but to be in a transition you have to start a transition. The actual transition has not started yet. 'When Liverpool went through this, they got (Jurgen) Klopp, they stuck with him. They didn't win in the beginning. People only remember his final few years when he was competing with (Manchester) City and winning the biggest trophies. 'To start a transition, you have to make a plan and stick to it. It's not easy to do. But this is where I speak about being realistic with what your situation is. We've had that many different managers, different ideas and different strategies to win that you end up in no man's land.' Since Sir Jim Ratcliffe bought a minority share in the club in late 2023, his Ineos group has taken control of football operations and sought to implement a clearer plan. This summer they have spent more than £200million to bring in forwards Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko. But Rashford said United have forgotten the principles instilled by Ferguson, who won 13 Premier League titles, two Champions Leagues, five FA Cups and four League Cups during a 26-year reign at Old Trafford. Rashford fell out of favour at United under Ruben Amorim (Martin Rickett/PA) 'When Ferguson was in charge, not only were there principles for the first team but they were for the whole academy,' Rashford said. 'So you could pick players from 15 years, a full generation, and they'd all understand the principles of playing the Manchester United way. 'Any team that has been successful over a period of time, they have principles that mean that any coach or player that comes in has to align to or add to the principles. 'At times, United were hungry to win… but it was reactionary. If your direction is always changing, you can't expect to win the league.' Rashford made 426 appearances for United, scoring 138 goals and providing 42 assists, but appears to have played his last game for the club, with Barcelona's loan deal including an option to buy which reportedly stands at 35 million euros.
Daily Mirror
13 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Man Utd add wonderkid with very famous dad to first-team squad for Arsenal clash
Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim has added one of the club's brightest young stars to training with the first-team ahead of Sunday's Premier League opener against Arsenal at Old Trafford Manchester United have confirmed that young talent Jack Fletcher is training with the first-team ahead of Sunday's Premier League opener against Arsenal at Old Trafford. Fletcher, son of former United midfielder and current Under-18s boss Darren, is one of the most promising players emerging from the club's academy. The young midfielder recently joined the club's pre-season tour of the United States and made an appearance in the second half of the 2-1 victory over West Ham United at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. He also came off the bench in the 0-0 draw against Leeds United that preceded the US tour. Despite scoring four goals in nine Premier League 2 appearances for United's Under-21s last season, the 18 year old is yet to make his competitive first-team debut for the club. However, he was named on the bench on seven occasions last season. Fletcher, along with his brother Tyler, made the switch from cross-city rivals Manchester City to United in the summer of 2023. The pair crossed the Manchester divide for a combined fee of £1.25million, as per the Manchester Evening News. As they prepare for Sunday's Premier League curtain-raiser against the Gunners, United are not exactly flush with midfield options. The club's website highlights just how thin on the ground United are in that particular department. With Dan Gore having been loaned out to Rotherham United for the season earlier this summer, United's first-team squad now only lists six midfielders on their official website. However, that number is expected to dwindle further with the anticipated loan departure of Toby Collyer. Moreover, Mason Mount has been earmarked as a No. 10 by head coach Ruben Amorim, leaving Casemiro, Manuel Ugarte, Kobbie Mainoo and Bruno Fernandes as the senior midfield options for the Portuguese boss. United are eager to bolster their midfield line-up before the transfer window shuts on 1 September and have shown interest in signing Brighton and Hove Albion star Carlos Baleba.
