Latest news with #ManchesterUnitedFC
Borneo Post
3 days ago
- Sport
- Borneo Post
Amorim admits guilt after United's shock defeat to Asean All-Stars
Manchester United FC players react after losing to the Asean All-Stars in the 2025 Maybank Malaysia Challenge Cup match at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil, yesterday. – Bernama photo KUALA LUMPUR (May 29): Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim did not mince words after his team's shock 1-0 defeat to the Asean All-Stars in the Maybank Challenge Cup at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium last night. The loss stunned fans and drew boos at the final whistle, a rare reaction from the usually passionate and loyal Malaysian and Southeast Asian supporters of the Red Devils. Still, the Portuguese tactician did not shy away from criticism, acknowledging the crowd's frustration in what was the team's first match of their post-season tour in Asia. 'I'm always guilty of the performance of the team, no matter what. Then the boos from the fans, I think it's something that we need maybe. 'If they (fans) see that it (the way Manchester United play) is not working, they will change the way they behave,' he said at a post-match press conference. Amorim, who was clearly gutted with the result, said the 13-time English Premier League champions should have performed better and won the match. The 40-year-old admitted his squad was sluggish and lacked the sharpness needed to overcome Kim Sang Sik's side. While the loss was disappointing, especially since this was the kind of game they were expected to win easily, Amorim said what's more important now is to move forward and improve. Myanmar's Maung Maung Lwin emerged as the hero for the Asean All-Stars, with his 71st-minute strike sealing a surprise victory over the English football giants. Manchester United will continue their post-season tour with a match against the Hong Kong national team tomorrow (May 30) at Hong Kong Stadium. ASEAN All-Stars hong kong Kim Sang Sik Manchester United Ruben Amorim
Wales Online
4 days ago
- Sport
- Wales Online
Craig Bellamy addresses tug-of-war for rising Man Utd star as fresh twist emerges
Craig Bellamy addresses tug-of-war for rising Man Utd star as fresh twist emerges The teenager is set to link up with the Canada squad for a training camp this summer Gabriele Biancheri is set to link up with the Canadian national team this summer (Image: 2024 Manchester United FC ) Wales boss Craig Bellamy insists he has no issue with Manchester United starlet Gabriel Biancheri accepting a call from Canada this summer. The 18-year-old has come through the age groups with Wales, but is eligible to play for Canada through his mother. He was recently included in Bellamy's training camp earlier this month, and there had been some suggestion he could be in line for his first cap in a bid to tie him down to the nation of his birth. But Bellamy insists he has no issue with young players assessing the set-ups at other national teams before making a decision over who to represent. Biancheri is set to link up with the rest of the Canada squad for a training camp ahead of the friendlies with Ukraine and Ivory Coast early next month, although it seems he won't be available to play in either game. "I like people having options, it's healthy," Bellamy said. "He's not ready for our squad yet. It's something he'd like to go and have a look at, but I like to think we have done our work as well. He has been with us through the younger age groups, he knows what we are about and who we are. "I don't think it ever hurts someone to have options and to go and explore them. I'm never against that. At the end the decision will be his. He knows where we are and where he is. He's not ready for first team football with us at this moment. "It's his decision. I've known him since he was very young and I know his family really well. Whatever he does will be the right thing for him, it's not a problem." Biancheri is highly-rated young prospect at United, having scored 21 goals in 35 appearances for the Red Devils at youth level. He has been similarly impressive for Wales under-19s, netting eight goals in 10 outings. Canada manager Jesse Marsch is clearly a big admirer of his abilities, and there's clearly some hope that the forward, who also qualifies for Italy, can be persuaded to pledge allegiance to Canada. "He's a dynamic player," Marsch said recently. "He's very good around the goal. You can see he's an intelligent player. 'He's a version of Jonathan David. He's not exactly the same player but he's a striker that can play up on the backline but also is good at coming underneath and connecting plays and being part of the buildup phase.' 'I've had good conversations with Gabe and his family. He has several options to think about in what country he wants to represent. 'I always feel like, for a lot of the dual nationals that I'm talking to, the best way for them to really feel how great it is to be around this team is to be around the team, because the guys are great, the environment is really strong and open. "And I know that once they come in and work with the guys and see the mentality of the overall group, they're always going to enjoy it. 'I talked to him about how he thinks he would fit into us and how I think he would benefit from the experience of being with us. I spoke with his father and his mother at length, and we talked about the overall opportunity of what it would mean to play for the Canadian national team. "I think it's really important that the family feels the connection to Canada. I've always wanted to make sure that what it means to be Canadian and what it means to represent the Canadian national team is in their heart, that it's something that is true to who they are. 'So I think this will be good for Gabe, to see what the experience is like, and then to see how he fits in.' Article continues below 'Even him and his father were like, 'where do you see Gabe overall in your group?' And I said, look, the striker position is competitive with us, but he's still young, and I think he could have the opportunity to establish himself as a flexible player in the way we play, a little bit like how Jonathan David plays.'
Forbes
17-04-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Salah And Van Dijk New Contracts Ease Liverpool's Rebuild Requirements
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - JANUARY 05: Mohamed Salah of Liverpool celebrates with teammate Virgil van Dijk ... More after scoring his team's second goal from the penalty-spot during the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Manchester United FC at Anfield on January 05, 2025 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images) In the space of one week Liverpool FC has secured new contracts for two of the best players at the club. On Thursday, Liverpool announced a new contract for central defender and captain Virgil van Dijk worth around $53 million over two years, having secured the same length of deal for top goalscorer Mohamed Salah, worth around $640,000 per week, last Friday. The confirmation that these two players will be staying on at the club gives Liverpool more breathing space when it comes to rebuilding its team for a new era under Arne Slot, who replaced iconic manager Jürgen Klopp last summer. It is still vital, though, that the club begins to make moves to prepare for a future without the stars of the Klopp era. The much-lauded Liverpool recruitment team will execute some of its plans in the 2025 summer transfer window as it aims to give Slot the players he needs to maintain the challenge for trophies. Van Dijk turns 34 this summer, while Salah will turn 33 around the same time. The club has bought itself some time as it looks to remain strong in the present while also looking towards a future without these two players who will go down as club legends. New contracts for the pair are especially important as it looks like another of their world-class players, Trent Alexander-Arnold, will be leaving the club when his own contract expires at the end of the season. Even without considering expiring contracts and players who might be sold, Liverpool already needed new players, so keeping some of the current group on board was vital to avoid a squad-strengthening exercise becoming a potentially disruptive overhaul of the starting XI. Liverpool has been top of the 2024/25 Premier League since the beginning of November. It might seem picky to say that a team that has sat so convincingly at the top of the table for so long has some obvious areas for improvement, as if striving for a perfect roster of players that doesn't exist, but Liverpool does have clear areas to address within its squad. The team can strengthen several positions depth-wise, but looks like it needs new first-choice level or potential first-choice level full-backs on both sides, a defensive midfielder who is trusted to play more minutes than Wataru Endo has, a young center-back who could become a starter, and a striker. There is a certain flexibility for ins and outs among the forwards given that no players, bar Salah, come across as indispensable, despite the qualities and useful attributes they have shown at various points this season. Half of the forward line could be replaced without upsetting things too much. LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 16: Arne Slot manager / head coach of Liverpool and Trent ... More Alexander-Arnold of Liverpool during the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Wolverhampton Wanderers FC at Anfield on February 16, 2025 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images) Does this mean a rebuild is still required at Liverpool? Yes and no. It also depends on the definition of a rebuild in relation to a soccer team. The best teams are constantly rebuilding, sometimes gradually in the background or sometimes more visibly in the form of first-team transfer deals. Too many new additions in a short space of time, no matter how good they all are, can upset a team's rhythm, togetherness, and identity. A gradual replacing and upgrading of parts is usually more effective. Since Klopp's appointment in 2015, Liverpool has generally been good at squad evolution. There were a few moments where it might have acted with more urgency, but the delays usually led to the acquisition of a quality player further down the line who might not have been available in the original moment. It's an element of long-term planning that leads to more gradual and more effective squad building. Slot is now approaching his first noticeable series of upgrades and transfer dealings at the club as he is on his way to winning the league in 2025 with the players he inherited. The only new first-team signing made under Slot was Federico Chiesa, who has barely featured. If it is still considered a rebuild, what the new contracts signed by Salah and Van Dijk mean is that this is now less of a rebuild than it was before. It at least prevents an overhaul, because if all three of Salah, Van Dijk, and Alexander-Arnold had failed to sign new contracts, then Liverpool would have been looking at having to sign more than half a team's worth of new players for the starting XI alone. KIRKBY, ENGLAND - JULY 05: Richard Hughes Sporting Director of Liverpool and Arne Slot during the ... More first Slot press conference press conference at AXA Training Centre on July 05, 2024 in Kirkby, England. (Photo by John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images) The two-year deals for Salah and Van Dijk give Liverpool the same amount of time to plan for their eventual departure. It gives the club a chance to bide its time for a transfer window or two and await the opportunity to sign quality, rather than having to sign all of the new players required in one summer. The replacements can also come throughout the team rather than being viewed as like-for-like or as the new Salah and the new Van Dijk, which would bring with it unnecessary accompanying pressure. The club will still need immediate reinforcements, though, in those obvious areas for improvement mentioned earlier, and a replacement for Alexander-Arnold should he leave as expected. Again, the replacement for Alexander-Arnold will likely need to come in a couple of areas rather than one, while the progress of Conor Bradley from the academy in Alexander-Arnold's position, if not his role, is a bonus and has shown another side of player acquisition and development working well. Endo will be worth keeping for his ability to deputise at center-back as well as midfield if he is happy with such a backup role. There is also an argument that he should have been used more this season (especially as the form of Ryan Gravenberch dipped due to fatigue) and that he should be used more next season. But a new signing in this deep midfield area could end up strengthening what's already there while also going some way to replacing what Alexander-Arnold brought. This summer should be the kind that those in charge of recruitment enjoy, and will be a test for the club's latest sporting director Richard Hughes. It's a chance to put research and scouting into action, and a chance to acquire the transfer targets they have been working on in the background. A club's success in the transfer market can sometimes be judged by the players it turns down, but this summer for Liverpool it will be about the players it signs. Two important signings—Van Dijk and Salah—have already been made.
