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BBC News
04-08-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Green shoots for Man Utd or another false dawn?
Manchester United have been so underwhelming, so erratic and talked so many good games over the past decade without delivering, it is sensible to watch closely to see if any green shoots of recovery continue to grow before passing Amorim is wise to knows his searingly honest appraisal of United and his welcome openness in outlining how he is trying to improve things will count for absolutely nothing if they lose to Arsenal at Old Trafford in their Premier League season opener on 17 also knows United tend to attract extreme reactions, and said as much after Sunday's 2-2 draw against Everton in Atlanta confirmed his side as winners of the four-team Premier League Summer Series."It's normal in our club," he said. "If you play well, they will say we play really well, if it's on the opposite side, it's the same thing."After four minutes of speaking to the press - not even a sixth of the time he spent with travelling UK journalists in Chicago on Friday - he was gone, choosing instead to watch the non-starting members of his squad - Joshua Zirkzee, Noussair Mazraoui, Andre Onana and Lisandro Martinez were not involved at any point - do a full training session on the Mercedes-Benz Stadium betide anyone who didn't meet Amorim's standards. It is a big part of Amorim's coaching strategy to treat his players like adults. This seems sensible, although this is football we are talking about and even in Sir Alex Ferguson's day one player - who is still close to the club - turned up for a European trip with all his house keys, having locked the door with the rest of his family still inside, and had to sheepishly ask another employee to go back and let them sight of United players wandering round Chicago after training - either for a coffee, a bite to eat or a browse through the very expensive shops that make up the 'magnificent mile', without being accompanied by security, suggested a healthy dose of normality, which, as Amorim makes clear, comes with posed for numerous selfies - plenty of fans asked and no-one refused - when they were out and about around the team hotel. Letting the dressing room run the dressing room served Ferguson has made for a more relaxed environment. This is a contrast to the prescriptive approach of Erik ten Hag, who punished players if they were late for is not to say punishments don't exist in Amorim's in the small-sided games at the end of training means having to pack away the training equipment. And in his revealing chat on Friday, Amorim said poor performance in training is identified and shown to the entire group rather than the individual concerned being singled out for a quiet are other subtleties too. Training on day one was at 8am to allow a transition through a six-hour time zone swap, in the knowledge Amorim will have his squad back together at Carrington on Wednesday before Saturday lunchtime's friendly with Fiorentina - disruption caused by a change in time zones should be means Amorim was getting up even earlier to do his morning exercise, a run and weights, before the players itself consisted of more intense gym work, lasting up to an hour, and walking through game scenarios - which Amorim takes and club media are not allowed to film. Information is kept to key points rather than risk overload, where no messages get through. It is the general framework Amorim is trying to create. The players, he feels, should have the intelligence to make decisions themselves in key means not all the key work takes place on the pitches. Amorim's assistant Carlos Fernandes does the set-pieces and drill work. The previous tradition of double sessions to build fitness have been addition, some of the running being asked of the players has been disguised. Two shooting drill stations were created at training but the gap between them was widened so more energy was expended to get between the two. On the surface, all this seems positive. Certainly, reports from inside the club say the sports science team were delighted with the numbers from the early training sessions after Amorim's players returned for the start of pre-season on 7 they reasoned, suggested the players had stuck to a pretty detailed and strict fitness programme to work on during their time is Manchester United, so there were some commercial appearances, but they have reduced from previous tours. In fact, potentially the most significant commercial event as far as the club was concerned had no player involvement at all as Lord Coe, chair designate of the Mayoral Development Corporation (MDC) for the Old Trafford regeneration project, was part of a delegation who addressed an audience of Wall Street investment banks and US financiers in New York to try to generate interest in helping to fund the planned £2bn new stadium fact neither Coe nor chief operating officer Collette Roche, who spoke at length to travelling media about the stadium plans in Los Angeles 12 months earlier, met the press this time suggests strongly nothing significant has changed and the feeling is growing United will not meet an initial five-year timeline minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe spoke of in is not Amorim's concern, of must deliver on the pitch. And to that end, United did look much better than last was obvious the much-discussed three-man defence splits when Amorim's team have the ball so, when the build-up begins, the right and left-sided defenders operate as normal central defenders with the middle man of the three - Matthijs de Ligt is in pole position for that role - moves into midfield alongside the deeper of the two chosen for those Cunha definitely brings more invention to Amorim's attack and Amad Diallo, if selected, is a massive danger offensively at right wing-back, even if questions are asked is clear Amorim feels he can find an upgrade on Rasmus Hojlund, even if many would argue a better use of the funds United do have would be to find someone who can bring physicality and energy to midfield. Watching the industry of Bournemouth's Alex Scott emphasises it is a significant weakness in Amorim's as tours go, this has been a fairly calm one. Amorim's group of players, in general, seem happy enough and the positive spirit needed for any team to be successful does the reality of modern football is that everything in seen through, and judged by, the prism of walk through might be an advancement. If United win it will be seen that way. If they lose it will be written off as a terrible idea - even though it is the exactly the same the winning goal to Tottenham in the Europa League final through a flick off Brennan Johnson - that took a deflection at close range off Luke Shaw and then squeezed in at the corner despite Onana's desperate attempt to keep it out - has nothing to do with training and everything to do with the small margins managers across the league talk does seem to be a better United. Amorim is getting his ideas Arsenal's upcoming visit to Old Trafford and the 37 Premier Leagues games afterwards will decide whether the progress is real or if pre-season 2025 was just another false dawn.
UPI
18-06-2025
- Sport
- UPI
Premier League schedule release: Man United to face Arsenal in opener
Noussair Mazraoui (L) and Manchester United will battle Arsenal on Aug. 17 in Manchester, England. Photo by Adam Vaughan/EPA-EFE June 18 (UPI) -- Premier League schedules for the 2025-26 season are set, including an opening-week matchup between Manchester United and Arsenal, England's top-tier soccer league announced Wednesday. All Premier League matches will air on NBC platforms, including NBC, USA and Peacock. Defending champion Liverpool will host AFC Bournemouth in the first of 380 regular-season Premier League games on at 3 p.m. EDT Aug. 15 at Anfield. The first week of the campaign also features six matchups Aug. 16, two games Aug. 17 and another Aug. 18. United will host 2024-25 Premier League runner-up Arsenal at 11:30 a.m. Aug. 17 in Manchester. Liverpool will take on Arsenal on Aug. 30 and Jan. 7. Manchester City will face United in the Manchester Derby on Sept. 13 and Jan. 17. Arsenal will take on rival Tottenham Hotspur in the North London Derby on Nov. 22 and Feb. 21. The Gunners will play rival Chelsea on Nov. 29 and Feb. 28. United will meet Liverpool in the Northwest Derby on Oct. 18 and May 2. Liverpool will play rivalry matches against Chelsea on Oct. 4 and May 9 and against City on Nov. 8 and Feb. 7. City will battle Arsenal on Sept. 20 and April 18. The Premier League season will end May 24. Premier League Matchweek 1 Aug. 15 AFC Bournemouth at Liverpool at 3 p.m. Aug. 16 Newcastle United at Aston Villa at 7:30 a.m. Fulham at Brighton & Hove Albion at 10 a.m. Brentford at Nottingham Forest at 10 a.m. West Ham United at Sunderland at 10 a.m. Burnley at Tottenham Hotspur at 10 a.m. Manchester City at Wolverhampton Wanderers at 12:30 p.m. Aug. 17 Crystal Palace at Chelsea at 9 a.m. Arsenal at Manchester United at 1:30 p.m. Aug. 18 Everton at Leeds United at 3 p.m.
The Sun
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Daniel Munoz, Bryan Mbeumo and other winners of Dream Team's end-of-season awards for 2024/25!
ROLL out the red carpet and pop the champagne, it's time for Dream Team's end-of-season awards! We've got eight gongs to dish out in total so let's crack on. 9 BEST NEWCOMER Our first award goes to the most impactful new addition and so only players who graced Dream Team for the first time this season are eligible. A mention for Noussair Mazraoui who, despite Manchester United's woes, will finish the campaign as the sixth-best defender. The Morocco international got through a mountain of defensive work, making 177 tackles in all competitions - the highest tally among all players. For a while it seemed as if Marco Asensio would claim this award as he scored eight goals in the space of seven games soon after agreeing a loan move to Aston Villa in January. Unfortunately, the Spaniard's points dried up in the last two months of the season. And so our winner is Omar Marmoush! Man City's expensive January acquisition frustrated Dream Team bosses in the FA Cup final but he's otherwise impressed with eight goals and three assists at a rate of one goal involvement every 141.4 minutes since his transfer from Frankfurt. The Egyptian forward finishes the season with an average of 6.3 points-per-game and there's a feeling he could rack up big numbers in 2025/26. WINNER: OMAR MARMOUSH 9 SURPRISE PACKAGE Several players made our shortlist for this one with Jacob Murphy, Brennan Johnson and Chris Wood all having performed well above expectations. It would be fitting to give the award to a Nottingham Forest representative given their transformation from relegation battlers to Champions League hopefuls but there can only be one winner in the grand scheme of things. Daniel Munoz was the only defender who earned 300+ points this term, beating the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Josko Gvardiol, Pedro Porro and Virgil van Dijk to top the rankings in his position. This is an extraordinary achievement given Crystal Palace did not have European commitments to bolster their schedule. The Colombian wing-back was a beast in defence (17 clean sheets, 152 tackles) and a huge threat in attack (six goals, eight assists). It will be very interesting to see how he goes next season. 9 BEST VALUE-FOR-MONEY Munoz could have easily scooped this award too but we've decided to recognise the efforts of Morgan Rogers to share the love around. Having been a bit-part player in 2023/24, the ex-Middlesbrough midfielder established himself as one of Unai Emery's most trusted assets from the get-go this season. Rogers started the season at just £2.5m and was available even cheaper than that after a relatively slow start but he quickly became a fantastic enabler. Once he started converting his talent into points, he essentially became a must-have player as his bargain price allowed for heavy investment into the likes of Erling Haaland, Bukayo Saka, Cole Palmer and Mohamed Salah. When all was said and done, Rogers racked up 318 points via 14 goals and 16 assists to finish as Dream Team's fourth-best midfielder. He certainly won't start at £2.5m next season! WINNER: MORGAN ROGERS 9 MOST OVERLOOKED This award goes to the player who, no matter how hard they tried, simply couldn't convince Dream Team managers they were worthy of a place in a competitive XI. For whatever reason, several players went overlooked by the vast majority of gaffers for months on end despite their undeniably impressive returns. Youri Tielemans spent most of the season among the highest ranked midfielders (thanks to his sizeable bonus point count) but his ownership remained modest throughout - perhaps because the aforementioned Rogers covered Villa's fixtures nicely. Elsewhere, only six players averaged more points-per-game than Jarrod Bowen (7.7) but most Dream Team bosses flat out refused to entertain the idea of recruiting anyone associated with West Ham. Our winner, however, is none other than Matheus Cunha. Granted, the Brazilian's disciplinary troubles were a concern but even when he was available and at his swaggering best, approximately 97% of gaffers were happy to go without him. Only Salah and Haaland averaged more points-per-game than Cunha in 2024/25 - an incredible statistic. One suspects he will appear in many, many more teams when he joins Manchester United. 9 DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH This award recognises a standout individual who thrived in Dream Team despite the broader failings of their team. The aforementioned Cunha and Bowen were among the nominees, as were several Tottenham players before victory in the Europa League final changed the entire complexion of their season. But Bruno Fernandes is clearly the most deserving winner. The Portuguese playmaker amassed 443 points (only Salah earned more) via 19 goals and 20 assists while representing a team that ultimately finished 15th in the league and no trophies to show for their extracurricular activities. Where would the Red Devils be without him? WINNER: BRUNO FERNANDES 9 THE BREXIT AWARD To qualify for the Brexit award, players must have nothing to do with Europe. In other words, only those who did not participate in the Champions League, Europa League or Conference League are eligible. Once again, Munoz is in the conversation but three players earned even more points than Palace's wing-back without European fixtures: Eberechi Eze, Bryan Mbeumo and Alexander Isak. Newcastle's star striker notched the most points (340) of the lot having scored 27 goals but given the spirit of the award is about defying schedule disadvantages, we believe Brentford's talisman is most worthy. Whereas Isak and Eze benefited from domestic cup successes, Mbeumo was limited to just three Carabao Cup outings and one FA Cup appearance. The Cameroon international was phenomenal in the Premier League all season long. Depending what Palmer does in the Conference League final, Mbeumo will either finish second or third among Dream Team midfielders - an outstanding effort. 9 BIGGEST FLOP Generally, we prefer to celebrate the most successful players but it would be remiss to ignore the darker side of Dream Team altogether. Emile Smith Rowe was initially among the most popular midfielders in the game following his transfer from Arsenal to Fulham but the 24-year-old delivered just 135 points overall, fewer than Bilal El Khannouss, Lewis Cook and Adama Traore. During his heyday, Raheem Sterling once finished as Dream Team's top performer for the season but he scored just one goal for Arsenal in 2024/25 and has become a punchline among the Emirates faithful. Elsewhere, Darwin Nunez conspired to average just 3.6 points-per-game while representing the best team in the country. However, the most disappointing element in Dream Team this season was the severe drop-off of Manchester City. Pep Guardiola's side recovered to finish third in the league but as a collective they provided far fewer points than gaffers have come to expect. Erling Haaland and Josko Gvardiol were worthy of their popularity but it says a lot that Phil Foden was City's third-highest points scorer as most would agree the England international was under par this season. The FA Cup finalists conceded 71 goals in all competitions, severely damaging the viability of their defensive assets. In fact, Gvardiol was the only City defender in the top 30, a far cry from previous seasons. WINNER: MAN CITY'S DEFENCE (EXCLUDING GVARDIOL) 9 MOST VALUABLE PLAYER (MVP) We finish with the most prestigious award and the most clearcut winner. Mohamed Salah was already a Dream Team legend but this season he reached an otherworldly level. When Liverpool's hero equalised against Brighton in Gameweek 37, he made it 57 goal involvements for the campaign in all competitions! This obscene tally was the primary reason he ended as a quintuple centurion, with 503 points to his name to be exact - Bruno Fernandes was the only other player to achieve 400+ points. Simply put, Salah was in a league of his own. 9 Who knows what starting price the Egyptian superstar deserves in 2025/26...
Barnama
27-05-2025
- Sport
- Barnama
Amorim Sees ASEAN All-Stars Clash As More Than Just A Friendly For Red Devils
KUALA LUMPUR, May 27 (Bernama) -- Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim insists the Red Devils are treating their post-season match against the ASEAN All-Stars with full seriousness, as both teams gear up for the clash in the Maybank Challenge Cup at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil here tomorrow night. The 40-year-old Portuguese tactician, who took over the reins at Old Trafford earlier this season, stressed that every match involving United carried weight, regardless of the setting or opposition. 'We have a lot to do, we have to improve the team. If there's any game to be played, we're going to use it to improve the team. We have almost all of the squad here; some of the players, for example Noussair Mazraoui, had an injury last Sunday, but the rest are here. bootstrap slideshow 'We also have young kids here to understand what it means to play for Man United, so it's an important moment for us to play this game,' he told a press conference ahead of tomorrow's clash at the team's hotel here today. Amorim also expressed appreciation for the warm reception the team received in Malaysia, noting the unwavering support of United fans despite a difficult season. He added that the global reach of United's supporters was a key element of what made the club special. 'It's really important to have that connection (with fans) because, in the end, that's the real thing that makes this club one of the best in the world, so we are very pleased to be here,' he said. Meanwhile, United midfielder Mason Mount said the squad was energised by the warm welcome upon arrival here yesterday. 'It was a quick turnaround, obviously straight after the game (Aston Villa match); we are all very excited to be over here. We don't get the opportunity to be over this side of the world and see our fans very often. We obviously want to make the most of it.
Morocco World
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Morocco World
Mazraoui Injury Raises Doubts Over Morocco Call-up
Manchester United defender Noussair Mazraoui is facing a race against time to be fit for Morocco's upcoming international friendlies against Tunisia and Benin after suffering a muscle injury. The 27-year-old was forced off after just 20 minutes during United's 2-0 win over Aston Villa on the final day of the Premier League season. He appeared to be in discomfort before signalling to the bench and was immediately replaced. Manchester United confirmed on their official website that Mazraoui is undergoing medical tests to assess the extent of the injury. Omitted from the post-season tour Mazraoui was not included in the 32-man squad named by United manager Ruben Amorim for the club's post-season tour of Asia. The team will face the ASEAN All-Stars and a Hong Kong XI on May 28 and 30. His absence suggests the injury may be more than a minor issue, which could impact his availability for Morocco's June friendlies. Morocco boss awaiting medical reports National team coach Walid Regragui is preparing to announce his squad for the matches in Fez, scheduled for June 7 and 10. Regragui stands to closely review Mazraoui's condition, along with that of Brahim Díaz and Nayef Aguerd, before making any final decisions. The national coach is expected to receive full medical reports in the coming days before confirming whether the trio will be available. Tags: Manchester UnitedMoroccoNoussair MazraouiWalid Regragui
